Reform 1745 Review

[bassopotamus]

My experiences are kind of similar. I have a 1745 and a 120. The 120 is about perfect. Writes nicely, and I like that it is a tad fatter. The 1745 is pretty darn scratchy, though I haven't done any tweaking yet. I probably won't invest much in it, as it is skinnier than I like anyway. Just chalik it up to trying stuff out.

[kwisatz]

The 1745s i had were rusted nails. I was never so disgusted by a pen. Ever.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The 1745s i had were rusted nails. I was never so disgusted by a pen. Ever.

 

I'd sent it back to the seller.

 

I have still two inked, of my ...wow 14 inked pens*, how ever 2 are cartridge pens that one must keep inked until empty and I have a new ink.

 

I'm not going to call it a rotation.

 

If you soak and then twist out the nib and take a tooth pick top's full of pure silicon grease and a brown paper bag, it's well worth the little they cost. As I said i was very lucky with the nibs too.

 

The only reason I don't think these are "eastern" manufacture is the piston is too stiff. A rice grain of silicon grease at the factory would cure most of the problems I had.

 

I buy a lot of old pens, so am use to taking a brown paper bag to a nib for up to a minute.

 

The regular EF beats the hell out of my MB 320 nail.

 

I think they are worth the money.

[redshifteffect]

The problem with NOS is it can be hit or miss. I've gotten all my Reform 1745s from sellers here and so far haven't been disappointed. Especially for the price.

[irbyls]

I had one of these and loved it, but the clip and jewel broke straight off the cap. I gave it to my grandfather to see if he could fix it, but he's had it for months and hasn't said anything about it.

 

Great little pens!

[n1019]

I have six of these but have only used two so far, both of which were initially very dry and scratchy but quickly smoothed up. I did not realise the nibs had wax coatings as suggested above (nor did I flush them out at all before use), but that would explain the intial poor performance. Anyway, plain old Quink and a bit of rough paper cut through whatever it was and they are now very reliable, although the plungers feel like they could use some lubricant (I might get around to doing it eventually). The extra fine nibs offer some feedback but are still comfortable. They are worth every cent as low risk utilitarian implements, which I use for hastily scribbling notes. I am not much of a flexer, so shan't be taking advantage of the supposedly slightly bendy nib.

Edited April 14, 2014 by n1019

[Sallent]

I had two of these at one point. Bought them for $10. They may not be anything fancy, but offer a lot of value for what they are. Too bad FP makers won't make piston fillers like these for under $25 (unless you count 2 or 3 Indian companies...and yes, Noodlers pens are made in India.)

[Barzi]

Well, Well,

I should have read all this thread before purchasing my reform.

Got it on eBay and paid $15 + 12.5 shipment.

As it happened, it arrived rather quickly. I opened it, flushed a bit, let it dry.

Then filled with ink and it was like writing with a broken nail.

Tried a few inks with the same result.

Flushed it again and stored away.

What a waste of good money!

 

It was only after I have purchased this that I found that they are sold by the dozens. For a moment I was tempted to buy a box of 20 and sell them but that was before my pen arrived. Thanks G-d I did not do so.

We learn from each experience in life, don't we? This lesson costed $27.5. ;-)

[Gloucesterman]

Recently received three Reform pens labeled "Calligraphy" (an EF, .9, 1.1 nibs). Cleaned and flushed these and they work very well. They are all black and have the same shape and size as an earlier Reform 1745 that I purchased (which worked very well).

 

The three I bought came as part of a Calligraphy package on the "Bay" with several other pens and a pad of good practice paper. Total cost, including shipping - $12.00.

 

Thanks for the history lesson at the top. Very interesting to know that stuff.

[Sasha Royale]

Excellent. Three buddies and I just ordered a gold-colored display box of 24 Reform 1745 fountain pens from Germany.

The price is 86 euros plus 7.95 euros shipping. (There will be a small currency conversion fee.) We will use my bottle

of TWSBI lube, so I keep the box.

[disillusion]

Recently received three Reform pens labeled "Calligraphy" (an EF, .9, 1.1 nibs). Cleaned and flushed these and they work very well. They are all black and have the same shape and size as an earlier Reform 1745 that I purchased (which worked very well).

 

The three I bought came as part of a Calligraphy package on the "Bay" with several other pens and a pad of good practice paper. Total cost, including shipping - $12.00.

 

Thanks for the history lesson at the top. Very interesting to know that stuff.

Is the calligraphy set still listed or is it an one-off auction? Do you happen to have a link? Thank you.

[Gloucesterman]

This was a one-off auction, to the best of my knowledge. I do monitor calligraphy auctions on eBay. (Almost) Always looking for the really great bargain.

 

Is this (Reform Calligraphy pens) something I should keep you in mind for?

[disillusion]

This was a one-off auction, to the best of my knowledge. I do monitor calligraphy auctions on eBay. (Almost) Always looking for the really great bargain.

 

Is this (Reform Calligraphy pens) something I should keep you in mind for?

Oh, thank you for the information. I found the individual Reform Kalligraph pens on ebay.de for 9 Euros plus shipping each, but maybe I should monitor calligraphy auctions from now on. If you do find a good deal on these pens, it would be very kind of you to let me know. Thank you.

[ac12]

I just got 2 of these pens.

 

- At first they were as mentioned, the piston was dry and stiff to move. Unlike Stephen Brown, I was not able to unscrew the piston from the back, so I had to lube from the front. I put a tiny bit of silicone grease on a toothpick and then wiped on the inside of the ink chamber (coming in from the front after I removed the nib), and it became nice smooth and easy to move.

 

- Just like some of my ink converters, the pen has a surface tension problem in the ink chamber. When I pick up the pen, turn it nib down, and look thru the ink window, I see air, not ink. A few taps on the pen, brings the ink down where it should be. I think this may be because of the relatively smaller diameter of the ink chamber, vs a larger piston pen.

 

- The pen wrote dry with Waterman ink (I write with very little/no pressure). So, a bit of nib adjustment was needed to widen the slit, and she writes very well now. A stock pen should be able to flow Waterman ink, as it is a wet ink. When a pen doesn't, then it is an adjustment fault with the pen. But for the price of the pen, it is not an issue for me. Note that some sellers adjust the pen for flow, so you should not have this issue, if you buy from them.

 

- The pen is rather small in diameter (about 10mm), but it happens that I like slimline pens, so it was a perfect fit.

 

- The nib has a small amount of flex in it, but it requires more pressure than I care to use, as my normal hand pressure is very light. Warning with all older pens, they may not have been designed to flex, so if you do flex them, you could damage the nib.

 

- The pen once adjusted to get the ink flow that I wanted is a nice writer and very smooth. I LIKE IT.

 

I have to get a few more of these pens, so I can ink it up with other color ink, have spares and to use as gifts.

[takkun]

Been seeing a couple of these NOS around the web, and considering my collection area of interest is best described as 'cheap self-fillers' (Hero, etc) it might be worth picking up.

Also, Juicyjones, you're just up the street a bit from me, so hello from down in Columbia City!

[Richardmuth]

The 1745s I've bought these & they were dead nuts reliable, with nibs that have some flex, & are pretty with their two tone plating. Piston holds a good amount of ink. They are a little for a 6'2" 230 lb brute, but still comfortable. I may have overpaid to my eBay supplier, Mykdonna, but he pre-tested them for me, clean & lube at $20 each. More than worth it. Mykdonna usually has a make eBay best offer thing that works great on some nice vintage pens, especially sac fillers he finds around his western MA town.

 

There is not a better bargain for a daily carry. I also like a stub, so I put a Goulet 1.1 stub in my capacious Vac 700. It's better than the TWSBI stub. Write on!

[MaD Mercantile]

True , I am happy to entertain best offers , Richard M. has been a wonderful pen buyer :-)

 

The little reforms. 1745s I used to get then directly from Germany & hand tune each one before shipping, My supplier ran out, I went through at least 12 cases of 24 pens. I still keep a couple for my self, Good very well made pens they were.

 

I have have seen the Fountain Pen, a Rollerball, a Felt Tip , a clicker ball point, I even have a nice boxed set that was sent to me for buying so many of the darn things , But NEVER a Reform Pencil is green & Black! ( I have seen maroon with chrome trim)

 

Has any body seen a Green & Black with gold trim REFORM mechanical pencil??

 

Bring it to the DC pen show :-)

 

http://stores.ebay.com/madmercantile/

Edited August 3, 2015 by MaD Mercantile

[ac12]

After putting a stainless steel ball into some of my converters that suffer from "ink lock," where the ink gets stuck in the back of the converter, I am thinking of doing similar to the 1745. Just have to find a ss ball that will fit down thru the section, as I can't get the piston out from the back.

[junlon]

I picked up a Reform 1745 from eBay for about $11. It arrived today. Not bad for an $11 dollar pen.

[MaD Mercantile]

Yep, now , to leave the sticker or remove the sticker :-)