Bexley Continental

[arvadajames]

Price paid: $15.50

 

Quote from Bexley's web site: "This classic design is inspired by the "high tech" look that emerged during the 1950's. We carry on this tradition by machining our Continentals from aircraft quality aluminum. We coat them with a rich two-tone bronze finish, and matte black accents, for a smart, rugged appearance."

 

Pictures from Bexley's Web Site:

http://www.bexleypen.com/images/cont_pen2.gif http://www.bexleypen.com/images/cont_nib2.gif<--click to zoom

 

This is my first Bexley. I now also have a 10th Anniversary in Orange Ebonite also, but it cost slightly more than the Continental did. This pen is a lot nicer than the price tag would indicate. It has two characteristics that will appeal to many people and two that will not appeal to many people. First the positives. The pen writes extremely well. The nib on mine is a medium and I would say it is a pretty true medium. The nib is steel, and made by Schmidt, not Brock like the more expensive Bexley's. The second attractive feature is the price.

 

The negatives to many people (but not everyone of course) are the pen is really thin. Not bic stick thin, but thin. It is a little thicker than a Hero 2004 and is thicker than the thin part of a Parker 25 and thinner than the thick part of a Parker 25. The second thing that some people will not like is it is made of aluminum. Personally, I like metal pens and I think it is cool that it is aircraft grade aluminum, and I really like the bronze color. You can't see it really well from the pictures, but it has a streaked two tone thing going on with the cap that is attractive.

 

Do I like the pen? Yeah! I like it a lot. It has an ultra modern, ultra cool look to it. Would I give up my Parker 51 or Estie J for it? NO! Would I give up every Chinese pen that I own for it? Yep! Would I give up my Cross Solo or Waterman Phileas for it? I don't know yet. Is there anything I don't like about it? Yes, it has a black plastic clip. I don't think the black color goes well with the rest of the pen, and plastic? It does nothing for me in any positive sense.

 

Bottom line—it is an attractive, well-made, nice writing, nice feeling pen made by a wonderful American pen company.

Edited October 25, 2008 by MYU

[DilettanteG]

Thanks for the cool review. I've been thinking about picking one up and it would be nice to have a pen that actually fits into my checkbook's anorexic pen loop for a change.

 

What I really want to know is how you picked up a Bexley 10th anniversary for "slightly more" than $15.50. More importantly can you get me one?

 

-Kate, Bexley's number one fan (but not in a stalker kind of way )

[arvadajames]

What I really want to know is how you picked up a Bexley 10th anniversary for "slightly more" than $15.50. More importantly can you get me one?

 

-Kate, Bexley's number one fan (but not in a stalker kind of way )

"slightly more" is a slightly relative term <_<

[Judybug]

Very informative review! One real positive about this pen is that it is available in fine, medium, or broad. Seems to me that a lot of pens in this price range are only available with a medium nib.

 

Judybug

[Rabbit]

I really enjoyed this review so I picked one up!

 

One thing that really surprised me is that the pen is very light-weight. Like you said, the pen is made of aluminum, and there really isn't anything else on the pen to add any weight. I really like the snap that the cap makes--feels very secure.

 

Another thing that surprised me was that two-tone color that you talked about. The pictures at Bexley do not show this well; you really have to look for it to notice it in those pictures. When seeing the pen in person, the two-tone feature really stands out--I personally like this feature, but it might not be for everyone though. I tried to take some quick pictures to show it. These pictures also show that the color of the pen can change depending on what kind of light it is in. (Ignore the "green" hue in the last picture--that is a mix between a reflection and something strange my camera did.) It's hard to tell even in my pictures, but the two-tone feature on the cap has a high-shine compared to the rest of the pen which has a matte finish.

 

I too am not very fond of the black plastic clip, but I was at least happy to notice that the plastic feels pretty strong.

 

--Stephen

 

http://sweb.uky.edu/~sedani2/pens/Continental_01.jpg

 

http://sweb.uky.edu/~sedani2/pens/Continental_02.jpg

 

http://sweb.uky.edu/~sedani2/pens/Continental_03.jpg

[KCat]

I'm so glad to see this pen i a couple of posts lately. My sister has one that I cleaned for her and I couldn't figure out what model it was. At the time I didn't see it on the Bexley site and they couldn't tell me what it was. <_< It is a very attractive pen and the nib is excellent. It's too thin for me but she loves it and it is a nice, well-made pen so it's nice to know what the heck it is!

[kivanck]

Is this pen currently in production?

[arvadajames]

Is this pen currently in production?

No. I am not sure what the production period was, but it isn't one of Bexley's current pens. That's what makes mine so highly prized and highly priced as a collectable. :ltcapd: