Picasso 916 Review

[gwet432]

Hello!

 

I promised I'd put up a review on the Picasso 916 so here goes...(this is my first review so bear with me )

 

I picked this pen up at a local stationary store for 140 RON (about 30 Euros or $40). It comes in a nice colorful box:

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/9113538753_b69b667f37_b.jpg

IMG_0039 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9113538437_2a48d76cc0_b.jpg

IMG_0042 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

It's quite nicely packaged. It was a set of a pen and a ball point, both look exactly the same and come in a little protective cover which is nice:

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/9113538101_f5b4421d22_b.jpg

IMG_0043 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/9115781808_093e716a1d_b.jpg

IMG_0045 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/9113536969_078591e9dd_b.jpg

IMG_0047 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

Now, on to the pen itself. The entire pen is made of enameled brass, and has some silver colored accents, it has PICASSO written on the back of the cap and a small picture on the front:

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9113535641_40e047d2f4_b.jpg

IMG_0050 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/9113536097_0b18123560_b.jpg

IMG_0049 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9115762656_62427281e1_b.jpg

IMG_0048 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

It came with a twist converter, which I filled up with ink right away. It also accepts standard international cartridges:

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/9115760988_f7721fb345_b.jpg

IMG_0054 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

The nib is quite stiff and it's made of stainless steel.(sorry for not being able to put up a pic taken from the top as my camera wouldn't focus)

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/9113533469_c7a882f94c_b.jpg

IMG_0057 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

Then came the writing. This has to be one of the smoothest pens i have ever written with. It just glides beautifully on any paper I've tried. It puts my Parker IM (cost about the same) to shame. It never fails to start and didn't skip a beat so far(probably because I flushed it out before using it for the first time). The balance is good to, and I usualy write with the cap posted so great news. Here is a sample. The paper is from a Faber-Castell notebook I had on hand:

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/9113531935_3d94b72511_b.jpg

001 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

This is my favorite pen so far. It writes effortlessly!

Edited June 23, 2013 by gwet432

[Edwaroth]

I used to have a Picasso 608. It really was a sweet writing pen, one of the best steel nibs I have ever used. I have found one really has to dig to find an F nib on Picasso's, you just may have an M from the pictures but I could be wrong. Asian M would be slightly narrower than your Parker M. How does the BP write? Enjoy your combo!

Edited June 23, 2013 by Edwaroth

[gwet432]

Thanks!

 

The ball-point has a jumbo refill (the Parker type) and writes quite nice actually, on par with a Parker refill(although not as good as the Faber-Castell, which i found to be even smoother than the Parker).

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/9116365089_9785599f94_b.jpg

IMG_0058 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/9118589760_7998b8d2bd_b.jpg

IMG_0061 by tamasilyes, on Flickr

[K. Cakes]

I have this same pen in white. Like yours it is one of the smoothest nibs I own, but unfortunately the F nib I ordered writes more like a very generous M and it's unusable for my handwriting.

[gwet432]

I have this same pen in white. Like yours it is one of the smoothest nibs I own, but unfortunately the F nib I ordered writes more like a very generous M and it's unusable for my handwriting.

 

What do you mean by "very generous M"? Generous as in more like a B? Because mine writes finer than a Parker M.

[K. Cakes]

 

What do you mean by "very generous M"? Generous as in more like a B? Because mine writes finer than a Parker M.

Yes, that's what I meant. Its very broad.

[allebannep]

Picasso must be a popular brand in Rumania, I was there for a business trip and saw many stationary stores to carry this pen. Since the price was good I was going to buying one but I was unsure about the quality. Nice review, next time I will buy one.

[inotrym]

Picasso's are indeed really smooth. And considering that the nib's just steel... Whoa!!

 

I recently did a stupid thing. I tried an S.T.Dupont Fidelio 14k nib....

Next thing I know is that my whole Safari collection is uninked, stored away and replaced by my new love.

 

 

But the Picasso, no! The Picasso deserves to hang out with the Gold Nibs!!

[TMac]

Thanks for the review. I have this same pen in Orange and agree with your points. The nib really is smooth.

[wisewag]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PICASSO-916-BLACK-SILVER-FOUNTAIN-PEN-F-NIB-22-KGP-/220996517264?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33746b3d90

 

 

Are these the same? Im a noob, what does the nib 22 mean?

[gwet432]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PICASSO-916-BLACK-SILVER-FOUNTAIN-PEN-F-NIB-22-KGP-/220996517264?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33746b3d90

 

 

Are these the same? Im a noob, what does the nib 22 mean?

 

Yes these are the same. The 22 KGP means 22 karat gold plated. This one isn't gold plated but it's made on the same machine as the gold plated ones so the inscription remains there. This pen has the same nib as a more expensive model (minus the gold plating).

 

P.S. If you don't understand what i mean please tell me.

[GeekyGirl]

gwet432, your written review says, "It takes a lot of pressure to ____ the nib." I can't read this word. Can you tell me what this is?

 

TMac, I'm looking at the orange one too!

 

Do any of you that have the pen think, based on your experience, that an XF nib would be too scratchy? I'm ordering from China so there's no option to take back to the store or try it out before buying, so I'd love some feedback.

 

Thanks!

[gwet432]

gwet432, your written review says, "It takes a lot of pressure to ____ the nib." I can't read this word. Can you tell me what this is?

 

TMac, I'm looking at the orange one too!

 

Do any of you that have the pen think, based on your experience, that an XF nib would be too scratchy? I'm ordering from China so there's no option to take back to the store or try it out before buying, so I'd love some feedback.

 

Thanks!

"It takes a lot of pressure to flex the nib."

Sorry I know my handwriting is a bit shabby

Btw I don't think that any Picasso nib would be scratchy, be it B or XF. I have two pens and both glide as if on glass. (Both are F)

[NAZ724]

I recently bought this pen in orange on Ebay for about $18. I have been using it for about a week and have had to refill it already once. I use Noodlers black ink. This is my first fountain pen and I am very new to them. I bought it because I have been looking for fountains pens and this looked very nice and had a good price. It also had good reviews (such as this one). When I got it I flushed it by sucking up water and expelling it a few times and let it dry. When I filled it and started writing, the pen was skipping a lot especially on letters such as a. It also did not feel very smooth, even though I am very new to fountain pens. It has gotten a little better and I am more used to it over the week. Is there something I need to do to improve this or will this get better over time? Thanks!

[gwet432]

I recently bought this pen in orange on Ebay for about $18. I have been using it for about a week and have had to refill it already once. I use Noodlers black ink. This is my first fountain pen and I am very new to them. I bought it because I have been looking for fountains pens and this looked very nice and had a good price. It also had good reviews (such as this one). When I got it I flushed it by sucking up water and expelling it a few times and let it dry. When I filled it and started writing, the pen was skipping a lot especially on letters such as a. It also did not feel very smooth, even though I am very new to fountain pens. It has gotten a little better and I am more used to it over the week. Is there something I need to do to improve this or will this get better over time? Thanks!

Hello and welcome to the world of fountain pens!

Sometimes water isn't enough, you need to flush it with a solution of dishsoap or household ammonia, then rinse with water. The pen skipps mainly because there are some oil deposits in the barrel from manufacturing which prevent good ink flow. This is a common thing with new pens, I've had this problem even with a Parker and a Lamy.

As for not writing smooth, bearing in mind that you are new to fountain pens, and therefore you probably used a lot of ball points before, you got used to applying a lot of pressure when writing. Fountain pens don't need pressure to start writing, you need to get used to letting it touch the paper just slightly, gliding it across the surface. This is why writing with fountain pens (correctly) is less tiring, and you won't feel that caracteristic cramp in your forearm during long writing sessions. This is something one can only learn with practice (Don't worry, when i started using FPs I too made this mistake:) )

 

P.S. Two personal recomendations: Try it with Parker Quink because it is a very wet ink (it flows good) and go to a pharmacy and get a big 60ml syringe with a broad tip (not like the normal ones, it's bigger and you cant fit a needle to it) it helps in flushing and cleaning the pen, you just fit it in place of the converter and use it to suck and force the water through the barrel.

Edited May 23, 2014 by gwet432

[NAZ724]

Thanks a lot! I will definitely try all those tips and will look at the Parker ink. I am used to ball point pens and will try to writes with less pressure. I saw that tip about the bulb flushing on Ink Nouveau. Also, what pen would you suggest as a second one in a little while. I am looking at the Lamy Safari and the TSBI 580/MINI

[GeekyGirl]

I was looking at, and almost bought this pen in orange with an EF nib. Do let us know how the additional cleaning techniques described by gwet432 work out for you. Keep in mind that the amount of soap is minuscule, i.e. you don't want to use so much that you can't get it rinsed out.

 

I think a Lamy Safari is a fabulous idea for a second pen, primarily for two reasons: they write well and do so consistently, and the nibs are interchangeable. Given that you're new to FPs, the nib-interchangeability is a great thing as it's a very inexpensive way to get a feel for different nib/line widths to see what you like. You might even find that after you've used them for a while, you'll appreciate the Lamy italic nibs as well, not so great for fast or very small writing though.

 

Good luck and welcome!

[gwet432]

Thanks a lot! I will definitely try all those tips and will look at the Parker ink. I am used to ball point pens and will try to writes with less pressure. I saw that tip about the bulb flushing on Ink Nouveau. Also, what pen would you suggest as a second one in a little while. I am looking at the Lamy Safari and the TSBI 580/MINI

I allready wrote a comment on your profile...

 

 

I was looking at, and almost bought this pen in orange with an EF nib. Do let us know how the additional cleaning techniques described by gwet432 work out for you. Keep in mind that the amount of soap is minuscule, i.e. you don't want to use so much that you can't get it rinsed out.

 

I think a Lamy Safari is a fabulous idea for a second pen, primarily for two reasons: they write well and do so consistently, and the nibs are interchangeable. Given that you're new to FPs, the nib-interchangeability is a great thing as it's a very inexpensive way to get a feel for different nib/line widths to see what you like. You might even find that after you've used them for a while, you'll appreciate the Lamy italic nibs as well, not so great for fast or very small writing though.

 

Good luck and welcome!

I couldn't agree more!

[NAZ724]

This is an update to my Picasso 916 that I was having problems with. I am very happy to say that my pen is working much better. Before using the cleaning techniques mentioned before by gwet432 and some other users, my pen was writing very badly. Its skipped a lot and had to be pressed pretty hard to even draw enough ink to be able to read. Almost no ink would come out onto the paper when I tried to write lightly also suggested above. I bought a syringe like suggested (the ones used on babies) and flushed the nib with slightly soapy water multiple times. I also washed out the converter with the same sort of water. After letting it dry and filling it back up, it writes very nicely. I barely have to put pressure and it writes just like said. Thanks a lot for all the tips! I will definitely continue to use them!

[ipinkgirl]

I just bought this pen from Ebay in pink and I can't wait for it to arrive and join my pink pen collection. I needed to hear from FPN before I pulled the trigger and this is just what I needed to hear. I think it will be inked with either PR Tanzanite or Diamine Magenta.