J. Herbin Glass Dip Pen REVIEW

[SweetieStarr]

Please see www.plume-etoile.com for full review and photos.

 

Appearance: This pen is BEAUTIFUL! It is an intricately crafted spiral and a lovely darker purple that matches J. Herbin's Poussiere de Lune ink. While the tip is clear, it does sometimes reflect the violet color of the body.

 

Weight: Comfortable and well balanced.

 

Functionality: The spiral in the lower body (near the tip) functions almost like a grip. The grooves in the tip beautifully hold the ink and writes between two and three lines before having to dip again. The pen does need to be rotated while writing to get the most longevity out of each dip.

 

This pen provides wetter and more saturated lines than most fountain pens, and I have been using it to test all my new inks. It provides a quick and easy way to test inks, especially when I am anxious to try a new one! Because of the increased wetness, the inks appear darker and have more shading than they do when loaded in a fountain pen.

 

This is a gorgeous pen and I am happy to have it as part of my collection. Now I want more...

 

Please see www.plume-etoile.com for full review and photos.

Edited May 12, 2009 by SweetieStarr

[FrankB]

Your review is a nice reminder that J. Herbin makes more useful things than ink. I have a glass dip pen also that I use to test ink colors. I doubt I could sit down and write a multi-page letter with one, but for cards or short notes, it is a fun experience. Definitely not a pen for the heavy handed.

[Coche_y_bondhu]

Hello,

 

I, too, am a fan of J Herbin glass dip pens. I have all three of the long spiral pens and all six of the short straight pens. Since each one is individually hand-made, the spiral tips will vary slightly. But these variations do not detract from their writing qualities. I can get usually three to four long sentences with one dip. One has to learn how to twirl the tip as you write to prolong another trip to the inkwell. Also, by varying the angle of the tip to the paper, line width can be controlled.

 

I store my Herbins, tip up, in a wine glass, on top of my roll-top desk. I just select a bottle of ink off the bookshelf, select a pen, dip and write. Sometimes I select another ink color and continue writing. I usually write short note cards with the color inks and address envelopes and packages using bulletproof Noodlers Old Manhattan Black. I have a bottle of the lavender-scented Herbin ink and a bottle of the Herbin Authentic black ink coming in the mail.

 

I have tried other glass dip pens, but for me, I think the Herbin pens have the best quality control and are the smoothest writers.

 

I got all my pens at http://www.TheWritingPenStore.com. Great customer service and good prices.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard in Plano TX

Edited May 12, 2009 by Coche_y_bondhu