Review: Porsche Design Faber-Castell Fountain Pen

[lecorbusier]

I wish you all the best then in your quest for the Arc 1 fountain pen! Most of the sterling silver models I have seen were all tarnished in their display case. I guess it was both unusual and unpopular! That said, I have seen Arc 1s on and off on ebay as you said.

 

Yes, the older PD designs were crafted very well. Whether they justified their prices or not I am uncertain but they were certainly the few artifacts of broad-based, excellent industrial design in the 70s and 80s. One of my nicer desk lamps is the PD Jazz lamps. It is most unusual because it is completely 'collapsible'--you can fold it till it looks like a small box. My current grail on PD right now is their 3511 titanium compass watch. Even IWC took a while to add it to their current on-site museum and I was told by their staff in schaffhausen that this one is pretty rare. Anyhow, a great range of fine products!

 

The current range is a little less 'timeless' than the prior range. Patterns of discretionary (and conspicuous) consumption have changed and I suppose that people prefers much more 'exciting' designs today.

 

 

 

 

  aramisdesaumoher said:

Of course lecorbusier, the lamy persona titanium /gold plated is a very desirable fountain pen, i will have no doubt if i have a chance to buy one NOS.

From my point of view,PD vintage pens, lighters, pipes, watches are all very researched today; according to me, this is because of the poor level of today's PD department excepting the more expensive watches and perhaps the aero ballpoint and pencil.

Another good place to buy is martini auctions, but the offer is a bit limited in number and i have not yet see any faber castell or PD vintage item, like titanium alpha-matics or PD arc1 models.

Black carbide models are scarce but a few months ago a FP was sold in the ebay.nl, didn't mention faber castell and titanium and that's why i missed the auction,later , searching in google i could see the winning bid at only 110 us dollar.

The silver model seems to be the scarcest.

 

See you soon too. :ltcapd:

 

[aramisdesaumoher]

Thanks lecorbusier,

 

Silver tarnished pieces could also be even more attractive than titanium, or polished ones.

 

As I had see in some pictures, the ti-carbide surface treatment used in the arc models and alpha-matics is apparently more shiny than the black model of this fullfederhalter, which seems to be more rugged(see the photo).What do you think about this apparently true difference? You have Arc 1 pieces and also black alpha-matics, so you have to see the difference I'm talking about.

 

Another thing I would want to comment is the smooth way the cap is being placed in the barrel thanks to a grey plastic cylinder peripherally inserted inside the cap.

 

And also I have to avoid that the first time I manipulate the pen in order to view the filling mechanism i did not notice where was the discontinuity, and that was because it's unnoticeable, the last ring shows no difference compared to the others.I appreciate a lot this type of details.(congratulations FC and PD!!)

 

And finally, one more question about the nib sizes:

 

Were they all the same? Mine doesn't have engraved any letter.

 

[lecorbusier]

I have two FPs which have silver appointments and sections--can't say I like them very much. It is almost a 'labor of love' to upkeep them!

 

I attach two photos for you: one is the instruction book from Arc 1 and the other a side by side comparison.

 

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4323/spa0155cv4.jpg

 

 

 

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1570/spa0156az5.jpg

Shot with SAMSUNG at 2008-08-06

 

As you can see, the instruction booklet says that this Ti-Ca is blue-black, and it has a seemingly harder, gunmetal shine to it, while the original black fountain pen is matt. If you know the Porsche Design watch lines by IWC, your black fountain pen should have the same type of coating as the rare black Ocean 2000, and a few other titanium chronograph models with black coat. But the Ocean should be the closest to this matt coat.

 

For the side by side comparison, the Alpha-matic is slightly more brownish than the Arc bluishness. The texture is also different--the Alpha-matic is much more matt-to-feel than the shinier, polished Arc 1.

 

Yes, I noticed that the titanium fountain pen has considered posting as a design feature. It snaps on very nicely and securely. However, after using different pens from other manufacturers, I feel that the balance with post left me wanting. It is still a little top heavy relative to its slenderness, making it a little difficult to write for long periods.

 

On the nib size, I remembered that during the purchase of the first one at Costa Mesa a while back, there were medium size nibs because I specifically wanted F nib, which caused quite a search for the sales assistant.

 

I did not understand your point about the ring? I am no expert in filling mechanism so your enlightenment will help me learn on this part of the pen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  aramisdesaumoher said:

Thanks lecorbusier,

 

Silver tarnished pieces could also be even more attractive than titanium, or polished ones.

 

As I had see in some pictures, the ti-carbide surface treatment used in the arc models and alpha-matics is apparently more shiny than the black model of this fullfederhalter, which seems to be more rugged(see the photo).What do you think about this apparently true difference? You have Arc 1 pieces and also black alpha-matics, so you have to see the difference I'm talking about.

 

Another thing I would want to comment is the smooth way the cap is being placed in the barrel thanks to a grey plastic cylinder peripherally inserted inside the cap.

 

And also I have to avoid that the first time I manipulate the pen in order to view the filling mechanism i did not notice where was the discontinuity, and that was because it's unnoticeable, the last ring shows no difference compared to the others.I appreciate a lot this type of details.(congratulations FC and PD!!)

 

And finally, one more question about the nib sizes:

 

Were they all the same? Mine doesn't have engraved any letter.

 

[aramisdesaumoher]

Sorry lecorbusier for being slack but i had move this week into my new house.

 

First of all , i have to say that the black fountain pen photo is from ebay, and i don't own yet this gorgeous pen in black titanium finish, but I will, surely.

Thanks again for the zoom photos and the explanations , I appreciated it a lot, you have answered to all my questions about the different Ti finish treatments .

 

I never post the cap while i 'm writing in order to preserve the pen without any scratch, so i cannot tell you anything about the balance of the pen with cap, without it , it's perfect balanced(evidently.

 

I'm not an expert in filling mechanisms too ,but when i discovered this pen for the first time , the first thing I intended to do , once i had uncap it , was to learn how to acceed to the filling mechanism and I was very surprised of not see any discontinuity in the barrel, even if it exists in the last grip ring.Perhaps i had not express myself correctly in my last post, i forgot the world "grip", and I let you to confusion.

[beach pen guy]

I was searching for other owners of these older classic PD ti pens from the late 1980's and of course found this thread. I have the original all titanium fountain pen, roller ball (usually with the felt tip installed) and ball point pens. I haven't yet found the pencil to complete my collection. I originally acquired the two black titanium oxide versions of this pen probably around 1987. Of which one I used every day for around three or four years. Over that time the black oxide started to wear off. I contacted the American PD stores and distributors and they were absolutely no help other than they told me to contact the manufacturer Faber-Castell in Germany. Now this was around 1991 way before the Net when international faxing was a really big deal. Well after a few well placed faxes to Faber-Castell in Germany I got the lowdown on these pens. First let me say Faber-Castell was absolutely terrific. They exchanged both ti oxide pens for the full titanium models even though they were a more expensive pen. Not only that they described to me that they had issues with using that ti oxide at that time in the 1980's. The ti oxide pen is actually made of a brass type of material with this ti oxide process. And the oils in one's skin usually break down this oxide over time. And this was probably the reason these pens were not continued much after initial production.

 

By contrast the titanium pens almost look identical to the day they were new. And we're now talking close to 19 years. These titanium pens are truly a marvel and in my opinion represent the best of the quality manufacturing processes of the late 1980's. I've never seen anything else like them. And BTW Faber-Castell was great. They not only exchanged both of the black oxide pens with the ti versions they sent me a selection of refills and other pencils for my trouble. I have since purchased some of their Graf on Faber line since. If you find one of these older 1980's PD ti pens ... grab it up. They are truly a modern classic in every sense of the word.

[lecorbusier]

Thanks for your insights! I have yet to meet another with first hand knowledge in the Ti-O models. I have two of these titanium pens (one with 18K rose gold nib) and a Arc 1 ballpoint. Will someday treasure hunt for the Arc 1 FP but to my understanding, it has a rather unforgiving stiff nib that I will not enjoy.

 

Do you mean the TiOxide pen in this titanium model? That's the black model right?

 

I am surprise that the PD stores were not helpful. Part of the merits of their product is the lifetime guarantee that came with it, or at least once it was so.

 

All my Faber-Castell products have stood the test of time very well. My original Ti-Carbide Alpha Matic mechanical pencil with auto feed still looks just like I bought it yesterday. The Ti-FP from PD has oxidized naturally and looks darker than before. I have even ventured into their leather products and every stitch is consistent. Unfortunately, I miss visiting Stern even when I was right in Nurnberg once...

 

I still do not own a modern Graf FC product. Perhaps I should relook into one of those pens .

 

Do you own the silver and white gold models as well? Thats rare because they were retailing for nearly twice of these.

[beach pen guy]

I had the problem with the original black Porsche Design retractable ballpoint pen. I acquired it brand new in 1987 right after it was introduced. Like I said after around 3 years of nearly daily use the black oxide started wearing down and I could actually start seeing the brass metal peering through. It didn't happen overnight but took awhile. Obviously the patina changed from the original black color to different shades of black over this period because the oxide was reacting to the oils in my skin. According to the production manager at Faber-Castell in Germany this was known problem. I not only returned the ballpoint I also returned a brand new never used black System Refill pen which I got at the same time. The production quality control manager said that that pen would eventually wear the same way. They returned to me two brand new titanium pens in return. The Porsche Design store at South Coast Plaza in Southern California refused to exchange the black pens or even send them back to FC. Now I purchased these pens before there was even a PD store in Southern California. I'm not sure of the finish of the ARC pen. But it looks similar to the black PD pens from that early era. I know that many of the black pens were taken off the market by the early 1990's and who knows where they are today. A while back I knew that there was a black PD fountain pen at that one could get relatively inexpensively from Faber-Castell here in the U.S. But after my experience and what I was told by the Q/C people at Faber-Castell in Germany I would be cautious.

 

However I do own a Lamy Unic ballpoint from the mid 1990's. It too has a black Ti oxide coating. But it has never shown any signs of wear. It has a completely different feel from the black PD pen. But the design is somewhat similar. If you ever get a chance to find a Lamy Unic ... grab it up. It is a very cool pen too. But they never made that design into a fountain pen. Some Lamy fountain pens do look a little like these early PD pens.

 

BTW if you are looking for one of these older PD ARC pens you might try contacting Faber-Castell. They might be able to locate one for you. As far as the early PD pens Faber-Castell stood behind them the US based PD stores did not. At least that was my experience in the early 1990's.

[beach pen guy]

Oh, No I don't have one of the silver pens. However about a year or two back I did see the PD silver fountain pen on ebay. There were only two of s bidding. I stopped at around $100 and I think it went for $105. Which was a good deal. The problem with sterling silver is that it really tarnishes quickly. I have the high end Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil with the sterling silver holder. It's about as nice looking as anything ever produced but it like all sterling silver needs a polish to really make it look like is was designed to look. The all titanium on those early PD pens are actually the most practical and skin friendly pens I have ever owned. I don't know why but newer titanium objects such as pens and watches don't have the same look and feel as those early PD pens. They actually feel like fine surgical tools. I'm guessing there are different ways of making ti objects.

[lecorbusier]

You are completely right on the 'surgical tool' feel. While it may be a tad morbid or at least inappropriate for many FP users, I deem it as excellent quality. This PD titanium fountain pen is as close as you can get to design perfection, all done in days when titanium was not easily machined (still isn't) and expensive to machine.

 

I don't know if I have a Lamy Unic. If you check out my Lamy 2000 edition review (buried somewhere in page 2 or 3 here) you may catch a photo where I lined up my light-colored metal FPs/BPs. I know which black TiO retractable ballpen you are talking about; in fact, it is nearly, if not exactly, the same as the Lamy. It was not really a true PD offering as PD never designed a retractable BP. The design came from Lamy and PD merely bought it and made it black! As far as I know there were two true lines of writing instruments from PD (the real Porsche Design not the ugly stuff today from their new studio), which is the Titanium line and the Arc One line. That's it.

 

I think I have the Ti coated Lamy Unic. It is as new as before and it never oxidized. Strange.

 

Coincidentally I bought my pen in 1996/7 from the PD store in Costa Mesa. It was about 8pm when I drove there from the westside and service could not have been better. I am surprised to hear that they were bad when you tried to return the pen there. The only not so good service place was their store on Rodeo Dr.

 

I am quite a fan of these old PD stuff. I managed to catch a steal of their Jazz lamp on ebay and I also love their old watches. The precision is just unsurpassed and I have watch makers who want to open them up not to look at the movement but to study the case design!

 

I will contact Faber Castell but I would do that with their German office at Stein. Apparently they still have some passion there .

 

Here's a photo for you to see if it is indeed a Unic

 

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/2387/spa0497.jpg

Shot with SAMSUNG at 2009-11-19

[beach pen guy]

Yes the pen in the top of the photo is the Lamy Unic in the silver Ti finish. That is one cool ball point. I have that same pen in the black finish. I'm guessing I purchased it in the mid 1990's. It still looks like new. However I wish I could find the version like yours. They are impossible to find now. BTW the box of mine spells it Lamy Unique. However most of the boxes spell them Unic. I wish they still made it. It truly is one of the nicest looking pens they ever made. And it looks very much like this old PD line. I too was a big fan of the PD line of items back in the late 1980's and early 1990's. I have many of their leather items, and glasses. And even had one of their original Chrono 02 watches (traded for a new Omega Seamaster several years ago). It was truly great stuff. But I'm not too fond of their newer merchandise. It just doesn't measure up to the original items in my opinion. But those original all Ti pens are simply outstanding and I'm surprised not too many people are familiar with those original pens.

 

That Costa Mesa store (South Coast Plaza) seemed to have an attitude back then. I purchased the original two black pens from the Melbourne Collection in New York city in 1987. They were the only dealer of the original PD line back then. However I did purchase the Ti fountain pen in Costa Mesa during a big blow-out sale in the mid 1990's. That was the last time I went into that store.

[bugmd]

I bought mine at the gift shop at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel over 15 years ago. They were closing out their writing instruments and I paid $15 for mine without boxes or papers. I like the pen but it is too thin for prolonged use by me. Congrats on your beauties.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/bugmd/Pens/P1030322.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/bugmd/Pens/P1030323.jpg

[lecorbusier]

$15 is a very very sweet deal. I should congratulate you instead !

[lecorbusier]

I no longer have any boxes for these oldies I own...Would have been nice to keep them. At least now I know this is the Unic BP from Lamy. Lamy actually published a small magazine in Japanese some time back documenting all their pens since inception. That magazine is hard to come by but if you keep a look out for them on Ebay, it does appear from time to time.

 

If you call up the Monrovia Pen Shop (at least this is what I think it is called), they still have the Unic, but in stainless steel. I saw it when I stopped by to distribute my Until Utopia Bagasse Pad Samples in August this year. I was actually quite surprise to find it there but that shop is a jewel if you are able to visit. Lots of treasures from the past still there for the discerning eye.

 

The new PD merchandise are run by MBAs who probably hire designers who have MBAs. Maybe they are more profitable now but while the original designer "Butzi" was running it, it was nearly broke. But every piece that came out of their studio--you either love it or hate it with that unmistakable Bauhaus trait--was a highest work of craft and care. They weren't cheap; but nothing that one spends so much time on should be cheap. And they also last a lifetime, quality and aesthetics wise so to speak. I still have peers coming up to me and asking me where I got my Sportivo 02 or Ocean2000. I told them: they are no longer made! And I love their look when I further explained that they were designed close to 30 years ago!

 

I remember that the Costa Mesa store had more of the newer merchandise when the transition at PD studio took place. The one on Rodeo Drive still has a few pieces from the old days, but priced at a level only few can afford. I don't know why but perhaps they just like the merchandise to remain there as the crown jewels of their work. This was true at least a few years ago. I stopped stopping by after I realized that the studio is no longer producing good work.

 

Sounds like we went to the store around the same time, mid 90s that is.

[beach pen guy]

I tend to save too many boxes and literature from things in my collections. I found several of the old price lists from these early PD pens. In 1987 the original prices although expensive were somewhat fair and reasonable. However by the mid 1990's the PD stores went crazy on the prices. I believe that put these pens out of reach of even us collectors who might skip a few meals and an insurance payment or two to own something cool. When the Ti version of this fountain pen went north of $500 in 1995 that killed it. I'm guessing they could not sell enough of them at those prices. I remember they had this huge blow-out sale and they put these pens out to pasture at about half of the sticker prices. By around 2004 these pens showed up on places like Overstock.com at around $100. And that was it. Some people got deals that they probably didn't even realize. I have a couple of the Graf von Faber line and of course the quality is excellent but it is nothing like the very cool design from the original FA Porsche. Many people wrote the original PD line off as over the top 1980's design. But it truly was a statement of quality, design. and execution at it's finest. It's too bad people can't learn to appreciate some of this until it's gone forever. The newest PD pens are nothing more than middle of the road quality Faber-Castell with design lines similar to advertising premiums. The pens are merely promoting the Porsche line of cars and not advocating the the design efforts of the original PD studio which in my opinion was totally separate from the cars.

[hazcat]

Wow, I almost bought a $575 leather Porsche for a special gift. Even though that was discounted from retail, it's still a painful amount to spend. However, if it was a great pen, it would be worth it. I changed my mind and am glad I did since I could not verify whether the quality was regular Faber Castell or something better as I would hope for that money.

[aramisdesaumoher]

What a pity!

The incompetence of the current PD studio has reached such a level that they are planning to launch an Heritage collection based on the older designs. :blink:

 

The first watch to come is "the titanium chronograph" made by IWC in the 1980's(no longer made by IWC... :hmm1: )This seems not very "purist" to me.

The diameter is bigger than the original(44 mm instead of 42.5 mm),vintage PD logos and lettering have been substituted by the modern ones.

There are currently available some vintage designs in their sunglasses collection.

 

Perhaps they will also relaunch these old writing instruments we are talking about.These pens may not be the original items and then not as interesting for collectors,but it could be great for those who still appreciate 1980's PD work and weren't born yet to buy it.

 

Personally,I would like to see NEW designs at the same level of the vintage ones and not an heritage collection.

What about an Heritage collection of writing instruments but manufactured by another brand than Faber Castell?(I know... contrary to the watchmaking products they are still their writing instruments supplier but think about it)

[beach pen guy]

Agreed. I seriously doubt that the new Porsche Design folks are as interested in the quality that existed in the 1980's. The original Porsche Design (especially the Ti writing instruments) was simply unique in terms of the way it was made. I haven't seen anything like it recently. I have a feeling to truly re-create the classics with the attention to quality would not be supported in the the market place now that consumers have grown to accept inferior made goods from not only Asia but Europe as well. There is a reason we called certain things classics.

[aramisdesaumoher]

You are right.

It seems that the former studio rejected the cheap and the shoddy, and now they continue to reject the cheap but not the shoddy .F.A. Porsche has completely ignored the concept of planned obsolescence back in the 80's and that's why I like so much the Porsche Design collection of these days(as lecorbusier has already told us these pens were flawless made).

A price of 105$ back in 1985 for a titanium rollerball wasn't certainly cheap but if you realize that perhaps this rollerbal will be unaltered for a very long time to come(forever?), and will carry out years and years of service without any kind of problems, perhaps you could say that it was worth every penny.

Now,things have changed dramatically,we are entering into a new era of e-books and iPads and perhaps in some years people won't hold any pen on their hands and will not smell anymore any paper.This could give finally the reason to the "MBA's guided Porsche Design Studio".

 

 

PD.I was just kidding when I said that another manufacturer than Faber Castell could do it.This will certainly be the same mistake of the IWC replica.Of course the design is from FA Porsche himself,but it was certainly an IWC watch too and this kind of things degenerate the main purpose:relaunch a classic.

They could have made it as an "inspired by" rather than merely an exact copy of the original and if you act this way IWC should have been involved too.

[Daniel7]

  On 3/19/2010 at 9:42 PM, aramisdesaumoher said:

You are right.

It seems that the former studio rejected the cheap and the shoddy, and now they continue to reject the cheap but not the shoddy .F.A. Porsche has completely ignored the concept of planned obsolescence back in the 80's and that's why I like so much the Porsche Design collection of these days(as lecorbusier has already told us these pens were flawless made).

A price of 105$ back in 1985 for a titanium rollerball wasn't certainly cheap but if you realize that perhaps this rollerbal will be unaltered for a very long time to come(forever?), and will carry out years and years of service without any kind of problems, perhaps you could say that it was worth every penny.

Now,things have changed dramatically,we are entering into a new era of e-books and iPads and perhaps in some years people won't hold any pen on their hands and will not smell anymore any paper.This could give finally the reason to the "MBA's guided Porsche Design Studio".

 

 

PD.I was just kidding when I said that another manufacturer than Faber Castell could do it.This will certainly be the same mistake of the IWC replica.Of course the design is from FA Porsche himself,but it was certainly an IWC watch too and this kind of things degenerate the main purpose:relaunch a classic.

They could have made it as an "inspired by" rather than merely an exact copy of the original and if you act this way IWC should have been involved too.

 

Hi,

 

 

Just a little comment, there is a new manufacturer coming up, for what I read at the end of the year, Porsche will stop it's collaboration with Faber-Castell and has signed a new agreement with Pelikan. You can see the news here

I am really wondering what this collaboration will bring.

Cheers,

 

 

Daniel

[beach pen guy]

Pelikan certainly makes quality products at various price ranges. However they don't normally make the type of casings similar to those of the higher end Faber-Castell Graf von Faber. Pelikan nibs and ink systems work beautifully, but they don't manufacture the type of unique designs Faber employs. Faber-Castell's manufacturing in titanium and even sterling silver have been so unique that I doubt we will see anything like it from this new partnership.