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Hello everyone, I went to the DC Pen show last weekend, and fell in love with a pen that I didn't know anything about. I've attached a few pictures to show the pen opened and closed with a full sized pen case and lined notebook paper for scale. (Sorry for the bad quality pics -- I had trouble getting them small enough to post!) This little acrylic Laban pocket pen caught my eye immediately, and even after walking through the whole show, I just kept going back to it. I have a weakness for pocket pens, and this one isn't too thin and feels very comfortable in my hand. It twists to post, so makes a sturdy full sized pen to write with. And it writes beautifully! It has a German fine steel nib that is smooth and consistent without being a gusher, so perfect for work, when I sometimes have to use less than ideal paper. I was a bit worried about the metal grip section, but because of the angle, my fingers don't slip on it. Also, despite the small size, it fits a normal sized converter. I have a few friends who enjoy their Laban pens, so even though I hadn't researched the company or pens much, I took the plunge and bought it. But I can't figure out the model name of the pen, since there's not a lot online about Laban. It's not a Expression, which is the only Laban pocket pen I see reviews for. Does anyone know the model name for this beautiful little pocket pen? I'd really love to be able to name my new favorite every day carry pen! Thanks!

Until I received this pen, Laban was not a name that I had heard of, and would not have become aware of had I not been offered this fountain pen as a replacement for a very warped Monteverde Catalina butterscotch. In my view quite a generous offer by the Ebay seller I bought the Catalina from. He assured me that it was a much better pen. Based on the price, that seems true – in the internet the price range is about $95 to $120, and the recommended retail price appears to be $140. In comparison I paid $65 for the Catalina. The Laban web site has practically no detailed information on the pens they sell – on laban.com they only show a few special collections, and on labanusa.com they have 82!!! pages of pens, but still absolutely no details. I am always skeptical when a manufacturer has a catalogue of 100’s of pens….. According to the description on most sites the pen is made of “mother of pearl” resin and has platinum plated trim. Whether the trim is really platinum plated I have no way of confirming. The complete pen is in resin, i.e. section, barrel and cap. This did surprise me, as from the internet it looked like only the barrel was resin. The barrel has a very nice mother of pearl look, and the rest of the pen has a silver pearlish shimmer depending on how the light falls on it. It comes in black, red, green and purple versions – to me the black version looks the most elegant. The nib is a two tone F nib, and has the words Laban Iridium on it. According to some comments on FPN about this pen, it appears to be a Bock nib. The pen came in a what I thought was a slightly extravagant box, with no cartridges or converter provided. I think Laban could save on the box and provide a converter instead. I bought a Pelikan converter, which fits perfectly. Now some facts: Length capped: 145 mmLength uncapped: 128 mmLength Posted: does not seem to be made to be postedBarrel Diameter: 13 mmCap Diameter: 15 mmWeight: 37g capped, 24g uncappedConstruction The pen is made completely of resin, except for the insert of the section and in the barrel, which is plated metal. The nib is very nicely plated two tone nib with the Laban logo and some decoration. The barrel is really nicely done with what looks like long segments of mother of pearl. The cap is black shimmering resin with a broad band at the bottom, two rings at the top and a metal logo inset at the end. The clip is fairly stiff. On mine screwing the cap on is very difficult, the thread does not take immediately and there is quite a bit of resistance initially; it takes only one turn to close. Not sure if this is a problem only on mine. Overall the pen makes an impression of good quality. Writing with the pen I chose a fine nib, but I would say it tends slightly toward medium, rather than the other way. It is clearly a non flex nib, which suits me down to the ground. I have inked it up with Waterman tender purple. I had absolutely no problems – the pen worked beautifully first time and is really lovely to write with. An excellent smooth writer. It is a relatively chunky pen, very nice to hold and the balance is good. Posting the cap however makes it very top heavy, and I found the pen to be unsuitable for posting – there is no positive placing of the cap, and it seems not to have been designed to be posted. Because it is so nicely balanced without, I find it perfect unposted. Durability Hard to tell after a week – I don’t carry my pens around with me, so they are not really subject to wear. The resin surface is highly polished, so not sure how it will hold up under daily use. Conclusion / Value for money I would not have bought this pen, but now that I have it, I really do like it very much, and it has become one of my favourites. I find it very difficult to say whether it is value for money – it is definitely a quality pen, but without knowing for certain whether the trim is really platinum plated, and the nib really is from Bock, it is hard to make a judgement. Here is a size comparison to a Jinhao 159 and the Monteverde Catalina.

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Hi! I was in a local stationery shop today and picked up a Laban fountain pen at 50% the $82 price tag. The lady in the shop told me that she has had that pen forever and would give it away at that price since she has had it so long. My first reaction was that this must be a Laban Maya (http://www.penheaven.co.uk/laban-maya-925-sterling-silver-and-black-fountain-pen#), but if you look at the clip on the pen at the link and at the one I got, they are very different. I'm confused, as this is my first Laban and I don't even know what it is!! Any help would be GREATLY appreciated

I have a Laban Celebration Oyster that has a badly corroded steel nib. Can anyone provide me with the Laban nib part number for a medium and/or broad nibs? I searched the forums but did not turn anything up. Also, does the Celebration have the same cap top seal issues the Mento seems to have? THANKS!