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I was hoping to show you a picture of this new, very sleek looking pen, but it seems that's not an option right now. Lightly brushed, matte back body, gloss, transparent red section and ink window, designed around the Zebra G flex nib with a purpose-designed ebonite feed, but can take any screw-in #6 nib unit. Clipless. Handmade in America by me. Limited run. Please have a look at the full story at the link above.

Having had a Pilot Vanishing Point in Carboneque Blue for quite some time, I really wanted to try the Matte Black. As I've seen from many folks (here and other places) it seems to be a common malady to get the lust for this pen and then, after ordering, checking sites and finding out that the Matte Black is not famous for durability. After which it also seems, we all exclaim, "Great, I just ordered one." Mine came in and the finish is decidedly so-so. Under a bright desklamp it almost appears to have scratches (not the type that go through to the brass mind you) but upon exam with a 10x loupe, the finish is quite uniform, if unremarkable. I'm writing today to ask those of you that know way more than I do about this pen two simple questions: 1. Is Pilot working on getting a 'good' finish on this pen? Obviously by this I mean something better than powder coating. I don't know if Pilot is just not versed in how to apply powder coat or just not doing it correctly. I live in deep NASCAR country (nice way of saying very close to Charlotte / Concord) and I've seen powder coating applied correctly and Pilot is leaving a lot to be desired by calling this a finish ready for prime time. Have they considered any of the firearm Cerakote or Duracoat finishes? They seem they would offer far more scratch resistance than what is presently available. I ask because in several blogs I've seen the durability issues with this matte black and some implied that Pilot was actively working on a solution to it. Does anyone know? 2. I'm including pictures of my Rotring Rapid Pro in matte black. It is durable. It has stood the test of time. It is far grainier than the Pilot finish but it also doesn't show any fingerprints, either. And that Rotring is made in Japan so somebody over there knows what they're doing! Maybe this was more vent than anything, but I'd think, with the aim of this pen being a portable fountain pen, Pilot would want the finish to be beyond question. [/url]">http://http://s992.photobucket.com/user/pruitthall/media/Rotring.jpg.html'>http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af41/pruitthall/Rotring.jpg

We are now taking pre orders for the new Conklin Matte Stealth !! You can contact us via phone or email. 410-992-3272 or 1800-263-2736 Support@penboutique.com Check out our new website WWW.Penboutique.com

A recent arrival for me is a matte black ASA Spear. It's not my first fountain pen from India. I have a Ranga ebonite made to fit a Sheaffer Imperial nib as my prior touchstone, along with an eye-dropper, also from Ranga, and a few value piston-filler pens from FPR. I first heard of ASA through FPN and had a chance to handle a white ASA Porus owned by another fountain pen enthusiast. Impressed by the reviews and on seeing an actual ASA pen for myself, I decided to try one out as my next pen from India. I chose the Spear because its sleek design called to me. Especially in matte black, with a coarse finish to the barrel and cap, it brings to mind the color of a classic Lamy 2000 and the contours of an old flat-top Parker duofold. In hand, the feel of this pen is excellent. There's something about ebonite, especially, that makes a pen feel warm on your fingers. In this unsmoothened finish, I'm reminded of the texture of wood and charcoal. It's up there, in my 50+ pen collection, in terms of how much I like the feel and grip. Size-wise, it's comes to about 148 mm, capped, which is perfect for me. With a mostly full converter inside, it weighs about 22 grams. I mostly despise heavy pens, which I feel are not made for people who actually write for extended periods, so the lighter weight of the Spear is perfect. Earlier, in a different thread, I'd discussed my apprehensions about the size of the ASA logo on the barrel. I contacted Mr. Subramaniam and, with the kind of personal service that cannot be expected of a larger fountain pen company, he was able to customize mine with a smaller logo. This excellent customer service will likely keep me coming back. The smaller logo works better for me. I definitely notice it less than I would have with the original size. With my Western tastes, I believe that the more discrete, the better. Otherwise, the branding distracts from the beauty of the pen. I would love it if one day ASA could only be seen engraved on the clip (Having "Pens" also there would be redundant). Or that ASA would find a well designed, simple, wordless mark (it's very own version of a MB "snowflake" or Parker "arrow" that would exist quietly on top of the cap). It's the way many of my famous pens do it, and I much prefer that kind of elegant branding. One thing I did modify, being the tinkerer that I am, was to change the finish for the section. The plastic section was very shiny and black. I often prefer a more unified look, the way Stephen Brown does, with a section that doesn't stand too far apart from the barrel, appearance-wise. So I used 300- and 600-grit sandpaper to create a more "brushed" look that ties with the rest of the pen. That's looks, on to the pen's performance. The fact that the ASA Spear accommodates a converter (and came with one) was also a feature that I looked for. I've tried eyedropper pens and experienced a bit of ink dripping, the kind expected of those pens after the air volume has expanded inside them. As someone who travels far from his desk, converters or piston fillers (sometimes cartridges, as back up) are my preferred filling systems. The Spear came with a good, functioning converter, as expected. The Spear's nib is certainly more interesting. It's a Jowo with ten breather holes, most of which I believe are there for decorative reasons. The default nib size for the Spear is medium, and I've found that it writes a line comparable to that of Pelikan's medium. After a few days of use, I discovered that it's relatively a slow starter. It writes well--quite wet, actually--when in continuous use, but say, if I have the pen rested upright in a shirt pocket or in my carrying bag, it usually needs a few strokes before the nib writes again. Since the nib and feed can be easily pulled out, I reset them to better effect. I'll likely tinker with this over time, perhaps widening the feed channel or separating the tines a bit more. I also adjusted the nib a little more to fit my own particular angles in writing. In my first week of use, I can say so far that this is a pen that will often make it into my rotation. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for future offerings from ASA.

This was the first pen I managed to convince my parents to get after a debacle where I managed to lose 3 Parker Sonnets (2 RBs and a FP), 2 IM rollerballs and a whole load of other stationery when I foolishly misplaced my pen case. Note: When there are 2 ratings, the top is for my satisfaction, while the lower is for how much it could do, for that particular category. For example, I might be extremely satisfied with a stiff nib (5/5) but the lower rating would be (1/5) since it couldn’t flex at all. The ratings are not included in the final score. Initial Impressions Box and Instructions (4/10) The fact that this came in a box at all was a surprise. It’s a standard cardboard/leatherette box which, frankly, smelled rather like glue. It felt cheap, but for the price of the pen I didn’t expect much else. Instructions weren’t included at all with the pen. Aesthetics (11/20) The pen was rather small and built from metal, which gave it a decent weight for its size. The surface coating was a matte black, and was applied very well. I have used/abused it for just over a year, and none of the coating had scratched/worn off, even though I’ve dropped and dented the metal barrel at least twice. The chrome silver plating gave a modern and stylish look, albeit a rather conventional design. The plating tarnished easily, and a week after I had bought it I realised that a patina was developing. Since I used it everywhere, even in the school lab, I may or may not have exposed the pen to more than it should have. However, a week of normal usage definitely was not expected to make this effect, and I was somewhat confused at why this was happening. It did go away eventually, after a month of usage. The chrome section was shiny, and picked up fingerprints easily. The cap created a rather drastic step up from the barrel when closed, which I felt was not the best of design choices. The chrome “jewels” were quite pleasant, but suffered from how easily it tarnished. Initial Feel (6/10) The pen had a solid feel and a hefty weight that alluded to a higher quality pen than what the price for it was. The liberal use of metals made the small pen surprisingly heavy, but still compact and fit well in the hand. The chromed section is often debated, with some saying that it detracts from the ergonomics, but I had no real issue with using it. The cap, although snapping off and on with an authoritative sound, still had room to move when closed. This was frankly annoying, and subtracted from the overall experience. Filling (2/10) The pen came with a proprietary Sheaffer converter, which was poorly built. The plastic piston handle rattled and was extremely stiff. There was no support for the converter, and it had to stick haphazardly onto a small metal nub, which caused me great concern. Performance Smoothness (9/10) Satisfaction (7/10) Rating The steel nib was remarkably smooth and evidently well-polished. The medium nib is pretty standard by European terms, but felt a little finer due to the stiff nature. A large sweet spot was present, due to the well-polished tipping of the tip which I did not expect from a cheaper pen. There is still some feedback on the nib, which is not entirely unexpected. This nib is actually very impressive, and writes smoother than a lot of more expensive nibs I own. Flexibility (3/5) Satisfaction (0/5) Rating Being a steel nib, there is no flex at all. Not surprising and I was certainly not expecting any from a pen from this price range. Flow (7/10) Satisfaction (4/10) Rating The pen is moderately dry, which was of no issue since the nib did not demand too much ink. So far, it’s a reliable flow which has rarely skipped. Hard starting is not a big issue, and only present if it’s been left alone for over a week. And even then, I only need to retrace one or two letters in order to get the flow going again. General reliability (15/20) The pen itself is quite reliable, and doesn’t skip. It is a hard starter after sitting a few days idle, but the issue is not exactly unheard of. I have used the pen extensively two years ago, since this was the first “serious” fountain pen I got after a year or so hiatus. The performance is nothing extraordinary, but works most of the time. The converter, on the other hand, is a pain to fill. The piston is extremely stiff, and feels like it could fall apart at any point. After first using one in my Sheaffer Targa, I decided to find another squeeze converter, which my dad luckily found amongst a stash of used ballpoint refills in a flea market. There is an obvious improvement and now the pen is much easier to maintain. Construction and Ergonomics Fit (5/10) Components of the pen are built solidly out of metal (I’m assuming brass) and fit together firmly, except the cap, which moves a lot when closed, and the converter securing system (or the lack of one). This makes opening the barrel a risky task, since the converter may decide to fall off the shallow nipple at any time. Clip (4/10) The clip is a rather simple but stylish design, with a cutout running down the middle of the piece. It is extremely stiff and very hard to get on a pocket, but definitely won’t fall off easily. The fact that it needs two determined hands to operate gives the pen a low score in this section. Posting (6/10) The pen is still fairly useable when posted, mostly due to its compact size. The balance does not shift too dramatically, since the cap posts quite deep and the fact that the pen is a small size keeps most of the weight within my hand anyways. Miscellaneous (Extra thoughts) Value for money (9/10) I paid approximately $25 for this pen, and have been very satisfied by it, mainly by how it compares to the Lamy Safari, which I am less impressed by. For this price, I didn’t expect much, but the product delivered a very smooth nib with a reliable system that does not fail when maintained properly. Innovation (1/5) The design is not innovative in any sense, since it’s a proprietary C/C system in a brass pen with a classic design. It’s not a pen people would gravitate towards, but rather one that you can use without feeling pretentious and uptight. There is nothing new or special about this pen. Image and Advertising (1/5) As a lower end pen, this isn’t well advertised either on the internet or out in the streets. The Sheaffer Ferrari 100 pens are much more prominent amongst the marketing of the company. Buying experience (3/5) I bought this pen at a Sheaffer kiosk. There isn’t much to expect while buying a cheaper product, but the saleswoman included 4 free cartridges in addition to the free converter and the pack of Sheaffer Skrip black cartridges that I bought alongside it. For a $25 pen, this was a nice and unexpected touch. Total (83/150)=55.34% To conclude, I think that this pen is a steal for how much it sells for in my country (a bit cheaper than overseas, it seems). This is a classy yet affordable pen, at least when compared to the Safari. A friend of mine remarked how he thought a pen like the 100 would be many times more expensive than the Safari, considering the liberal use of metals which seems to create an impression of quality. The pen, for me, is nowhere near perfect. It has many flaws, which do add up, but is still a better, if not then at least comparable, product in the Safari price range. The Sheaffer 100 can be seen as a step-up from the Metropolitan/Pelikano-type starter pens. All in all, it’s a rather good value for what it cost, but don’t expect much from it except for a steady performance.

INTRODUCTION Last weekend I was searching for a Lamy Pico to gift it.While I was waiting the seller searching a box to prepare my present, my eyes fell over the tray where stay other Lamy pens.Among these pens one of them catch my attention: a slim pen, dark and rough, with a little red dot in the cap. Typical 80's age like design, similar to CP1 model, but more prestige. Was the first time that I seen this pen, I'm a lover of Lamy pens so I know almost all models produced but this one was unknown. It wasn't cheap, but I wanted it! So, now, this pen is mine. At home I done a research and now I can introduce the "Lamy Unic" (black edition). http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/11008528584_e9378f30d3_c.jpgunic_01 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/11008349035_1ecd49023f_c.jpgunic_03 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr First of all: there aren't many information about this pen in internet so I'm not able to tell you any history about it in addition of what it's wrote in the Lamy's web page: his designer is Gerd A. Müller, the same person how created the Lamy 2000, CP1, st. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/11008593683_68ce890440_c.jpg2000 unic cp1 st_02 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr Produced by 1984, won the Red dot Design in 1989, the IF Hannower in 1989, The Design Center Stuttgart in 1988. Out of production. APPEARANCE & DESIGN 8/10 I think exist two kind of consumers for the fountain pens market: the consumer which like the classic design (Waterman, Montblank, Parker, italian pens...) and the consumer which like the most modern design of Lamy.Lamy offers, in my opinion, the best design how link form to function, simplicity of industrial production, and price. So also this pen, like for the Safari, may appeal as no. The Lamy Unic is a essential matte black cylinder but, at difference of CP1, the body of Unic go to taper in the end while in the CP1 the size of the section body remain the same in every point.With this trick the cap can go for some centimeter over the body of pen, indeed in the CP1 this is not possible. The clip is similar at the clip of CP1 but in this case, the spring is external of cap and, in this particular model, the pivot is colored with a shining red.The bottom and the cover of pen are closed with two black stoppers texturized with concentric circumferences. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/11008531004_c767375d0d_c.jpgunic cp1 st_02 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr CONSTRUCTION & QUALITY 8/10 The experience that you feeling when you keep in hand this pen is the same of touch not a body in metal but in stone. Also the sound that the pen emits in opening and closing the cap is completly different with the CP1: sounds like a stone for the first, like metal for the second. As for the other Lamy pens also in this case the constructive quality is simply perfect.I think the metal used to build it is not the same of CP1; I looked in internet that other Unic are in titanium: I don't know in my case. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/11008580723_88b994382c_c.jpgunic cp1 st_01 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS 8/10 Closed the Unic is 2mm longher than CP1, open is 2mm shorter than CP1. The weight is little bigger than CP1 but, in difference with these, with the cap posed back gives a feedback of more balance. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/11008534764_f4f89f7bfe_c.jpgunic cp1 _01 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr NIB & PERFORMANCE 9/10 The nib that use this pen is the same of all popular Lamy's pens with interchangeable nib. My model have the nib completely back without writes.I tried it with the ink Aurora Black -that, of course, is the best ink in the world ;-) - and the nib run smooth without scratching: perfectly. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/11008367475_150509da5e_c.jpg2000 unic cp1 st_03 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr FILLING SYSTEM & MAINTENANCE 7/10 The pen has been sold me with the converter Z26 inside. Nothing of exciting.If you want you can also use the Lamy cartridge.If you dip the pen in the ink bottle and after you dry up the excess ink with a tissue, the body doesn't absorb the ink and remain perfect clean: this mean that the finiture don't keeps the ink. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/11008347855_cd46e52cff_c.jpgunic_04 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr COST & VALUE 7/10 Could be that I paid it too much, but this pen isn't economic, I found it new -never used- for 70€ and also I think are money well spent because this pen is out of production by some years, and I repeat: this in particular was new.Nonetheless, for me 70€ remain a lot of money for an object that makes the same work of a Safari for 18€. For who pays 400€ for a pen of course this pen is cheap. But all we understand that the passion have a price, proportioned to our pocket, often a high price..! http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/11008455576_4810b09202_c.jpgunic allstar_03 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr CONCLUSION 47/60 or 8/10 The particular design of this pen, his balance in your hand, the feel transmitted, the matte black color with a charming red dot, his rarity and the fact that is out of production, make this pen an interesting object to use and above all to collect.If are lucky to find it, in my opinion, buy it. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/11008457386_03f49ef682_c.jpgunic allstar_02 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr

Hello FPN!! I've had my eye on two pens for quite a while and have finally decided to go ahead with a purchase. My problem is my budget restricts me to only be able to buy one of these for now. I have to choose between The Kaweco Sport Classic and the Lamy Safari in matte black, both with fine nibs. Which one would your'l suggest I get because I really cant put my finger on which one I seem to like more. Im looking for a smooth writing, everyday pen. I may also later on want to fiddle around and fit it with a stub nib. Im hoping your'l can help me make a better decision Thanks in advance

Hey, just wanted to let everyone know that we now have the new limited edition Lamy Al-Star Black in stock at Goulet Pens. Matte black with black clip.... gotta get a black nib to match. While I'm posting, I should probably mention that we've got a lot of other great new products and specials going on right now. Just a few highlights of some recent happenings: We received some Noodler's Ebonite Konrad Flex Pens. We still have good quantities of two colors available right now.We have the new Monteverde Intima fountain pen. Four bright, bold colors with the swappable Monteverde #6 nib.We developed our own line of pen tuning/smoothing tools (loupe, micro-mesh, mylar paper, and brass sheets). We also have our own Goulet Pen Flush!Tons of great deals are still available in our Goulet Outlét - check out the Closeouts and Sale Items pages to see what's happening.Feel free to contact us with any questions!