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This is a short review of the Porsche Design P'3100 fountain pen. The P'3100 comes in a nice looking black box, probably cardboard covered with some synthetic material. Nice, but not comparable to the luxury boxes that some other fountain pens come in. The pen looks big and somehow technical, probably of the cable design and the little spring-loaded dots at the bottom of the pen. The material is TecFlex, a stainless steel borrowed from motor racing, which provides the unique weaved pattern. My motorcycle has something which is similar, so I quite like this. The pen feels really smooth and although it is quite heavy, it feels very comfortable when you hold it for writing. The nib is ... well different. The Pd mark can be clearly read whether the pen is held up or down and the other text on the pen (750 M 18 ct) is upside down compared to what most other fountain pens have. On the cap it says Porsche Design and Germany and the nib has the markings as described above. Apart from that the bottom half, once unscrewed, shows the number 201 in black. I am not sure what that stands for. The metal parts on the pen are covered with a layer of palladium, to give it a silky finish and the material is said (by Porsche Design) to be hard wearing and almost everlasting. We'll see about that ;-). The nib is 18 ct gold and rhodinized. The clip looks pretty common and is spring-loaded. It has a bit of move to the left and right, but feels quite sturdy. The cap comes off with a short quarter turn. I like screw on caps, but usually the turn is longer (e.g. the turn on the TWSBI is about a full turn and a bit). Compared to the TWSBI Diamond 580 the Porsche Design pen is slightly bigger and definitely heavier when picked up. This is the stainless steel version of the pen. It is also available in a weave of gold and stainless steel and in black. I am not a fan of black and gold and stainless steel might be a bit too flashy for my taste, so I am quite happy with this material. The pen feels nice and cool to the touch and the overall impresion is one of quality and smoothness or silkyness. I am not sure about how well the weave pattern is dirt resistant and once dirty it might prove difficult to clean.I am not sure why you would do it, but if you drop this pen it can probably stand a lot of abuse. When the bottom half is unscrewed you see that the bottom half is all metal on the inside. The weave covers that and the combination makes it a big pen. Both bottom half and nib section are stainless steel and both parts feel heavy. The screw thread here takes about 5-6 turns to unscrew, much more than the cap needs. The screw thread on the nib section is covered entirely and not immediately visible, a nice touch. The pen has a good grip, the palladium providing me with enough resistance. Towards the nib the grip narrows a bit, so depending on hand size I think a lot of people can hold this pen comfortably.Writing is incredibly smooth. I am pretty enthusiastic about my old S.T. Dupont Classique pen which is smooth, but this is much smoother.The 18 ct nib is covered with rhodium (Rh), a member of the platinum group, just like palladium. It is silvery-white, very hard and chemically inert. Its resistance to corrosion makes it suitable for fountain pens. You all know this of course. This is a modern looking pen, but at the same time you know you have something of a classic at hand here, because of its unique look and the material used. The pen moves over any paper in an effortless way. I like to use it uncapped, but even when capped (the cap is secured by pushing it over the three pins on the bottom half) the balance is very good. The pen does not realy feel too heavy even then. It might be because both nib section and bottom half are quite weighty, it keeps the balances in check. The nib is a Medium size, on the narrower side of medium. Very pleasant to use, just right for me. The nib is made of 18 ct gold, covered with rhodium as I said before and has 750, M and 18ct stamped on it, upside down. The nib doesn't have a hole on top, it is just cut. Ink flow is without any problems. The nib is broad and looks massive. The underside is ribbed, nothing really stands out there. As I understand it, these pens are designed by Porsche Design and produced by Graf von Faber-Castell. The pen takes the international cartridges or the Graf von Faber-Castell converters. As far as I know I can't easily remove this nib to service it or replace it. I'd go through a service centre in all probability. From the writing example you can see that the pen does not have any hiccups in terms of ink flow. Writing is very smooth as I said before and this might be the one point that some people like less about the pen. If you like a bit of resistance in your writing, this might be too smooth for you. For me it works, but I do notice that my letters come out slightly less clean-cut than with the TWSBI. I bought this pen about 170 euro. Not really cheap, but I feel it is good value for the money paid. A review of the other pen I mentioned above, the S.T. Dupont Classique can be found here.

Coming this August, new Porsche Design One Piece pens collection! Designed as a symbol for timeless youth sophistication, the collection writing tools are made of aluminium with a sandblasted surface that makes them look one piece. Available in ballpoint and rollerball Porsche Design's elegant and exclusive logo is lasered on both instruments' stainless steal clip. A new mechanism connects refill and clip: By pushing the upper part clip it moves forward and gets into place, making it easier than ever get your pen ready to write. If you push the lower part the refill that can not dry out, retracts the elegant pen! What's even more surprising is the rollerball has the exact same design as the ballpoint, making it the first ever Porsche Capless rollerball! Retail price will be 150€ and we are already taking pre-orders. For further information do not hesitate to contact us through info@iguanasell.com. Don't forget to check out this amazing design below!

Greetings to all- I have been a member of the forum for a few months now. However, this will be my first official forum post. I usually spend most of my FPN time in the Classified section where I've had the opportunity to meet wonderful members who were more than generous in sharing with me their beautiful and timeless pens. I was introduced to my first fountain pen roughly summer of last year. Though I have experience in using dip pens for illustration, I have not tried nor even considered fountain pens as an alternative to creating artworks. My chance encounter with my first pen occurred in a quasi-melodramatic manner. As if fate had its hand in this, the usual art store that I often visited was closed for a month-long renovation process and I decided to take a trip at another art store far from where I live. I was new to that swanky store and as I fumbled my through the labyrinth-like aisles chocked full of rows and rows of paints, brushes, paper goods, and all the artsy fartsy supplies that will make even Rembrandt wet his pants in his grave, I ended up in the fancy fountain pen department that was managed by a mild manner older gentleman who happened to look like Gandalf the Wizard from Lord of the Rings film! And to add to his near-authentic looking gray hair, beard, and mystifying expression, he also sported an oversize white button-up shirt that, I swear at certain angles, glowed with faerie magic under the track lighting above! My first impressionable notion was, "Oh... my... hot potato... Gandalf is here!" He saw my big raccoon eyes staring at him, and in return he waved his modern day magic staff at me as if offering me a rare blessing into knighthood--or the last rites before you face a fire breathing dragon and become a charbroiled burger. As I walked closer, his staff was a Porsche Design fountain pen in carbon fiber trim with a rhodium nib. "Can I interest you in this pen that we now carry in stock," he said. "It is just one of the BEST writing pen around!" He followed with an upselling tactic, "Once you write with this, you'll never go back to ballpoint pens again." You know when Gandalf says that a pen is the best, you do not question the 'white wizard' of Lord of the Rings... and of Two Towers... and of The Return of the King! His word... is EPIC! I immediately grabbed the pen like a giddy kid being handed an ice cream on hot day. For a moment there, I felt the wizard's life giving aura flow through me with such vitality. It was legendary. Then I saw the price tag. "Are you nuts?!" Okay, so I didn't say that directly to him. "Oh sonova@%&*%#!" And not that one as well. Yes, the price tag quickly depleted the life giving energy from me. I felt like one of the... forsaken. I turned down Gandalf. I had to. Ofcourse, now that I think about it again, some of the pens I would like to acquire someday are worth double or even triple that price tag. But still, at that time, the whole 'shock and awe' feeling had me walking away with a Lamy Safari outfitted with an EF nib instead. I enjoyed my Lamy--yes, in white color to honor the white wizard--and as my first official cartridge converter pen, it was a wonderful instrument that allowed me to fall in love fountain pens slowly but surely. Sadly, I had to part with the pen a few months later as I found myself convinced by better 'wizards' in the Classified section of the Fountain Pen Network forum who wield pens of true power and harness mystifying concoctions of indelible inks than Gandalf! The Classified section is a place where magic meets your wallet. Thus, is my story... my tale. I hope to meet and more more FPN members soon! Thank you, all! Cheers! Ced P.S. The art store really does exist and the gentleman is still working there. He is really a kind fellow without whom I probably would not have given a thought about fountain pens.