Conway Stewart, Churchill, Cherry Red

[carlosviet]

Background

 

Don't expect any objectivity. From all the hundreds of pen I have been browsing in and out FPN, this one, exactly in this color, was the one that got my heart. I was looking daily for pictures and reviews of the Churchill, and I even got myself a desktop picture of this pen, for my computer. It was just too beautiful, I had to have one. Even if I had to buy online, which I try not to do. Buying online scared me, particularly with this pen. Issues with the nib and the flow are not unheard in this pen (or others), that's why I like to buy in shops, and testing the pen I am going to buy there to see if it has any flaw. Although Conway Stewart is showing a big deal of responsibility changing and servicing any pen short of perfect, I really needed to avoid it. I live in Vietnam and receiving and sending things are not an easy feat. I just could not afford a lemon.

 

Luckily, a nearby -relatively- shop had the pen: pengallery. I simply cannot praise how fast and reassuring the communication was with them. They had experience shipping in Vietnam, they had a friendly and professional knowledge of their pens and they proposed to make an extra deep testing of the pen before shipping. I will simply recommend anyone to just email them. It has the same feeling as buying from your favorite B&S shop.

 

It arrives!

 

Ok. Just because it is part of the story. Box, in the box of the box for the box... It certainly will not get damaged!

http://s22.postimg.org/53xr1ann5/DHLBOX.jpg

 

http://s22.postimg.org/vb3jazvap/PARCELBOX.jpg

 

http://s22.postimg.org/u1ewnfga9/PROTECTION.jpg

 

 

 

Ok. After all the careful wrapping (thanks, Lai), there they come the real pen boxes. The cardboard one,

 

 

http://s23.postimg.org/9pg344my3/BOX1.jpg

 

And the faux-leather one. The famous CS Churchill box.

 

http://s18.postimg.org/wkwj87xzt/LEATHERETTEBOX.jpg

 

It is an amazing box. A lot of people have talked about it... Maybe next time, when I want to buy a box, I ask Conway Stewart... Personally I think it is too extreme, for a pen, and a little fetishist. Does it bother me, such niceness? Yes it does. I am a writer. Not a collector or a reseller. The pen is going to my desk, and I will need to find a place to store this box. How about making pen boxes that are useful afterwards, like a writing slope or something like that? As it is now, it will go to the wardrobe with other empty boxes, as nice as it is and all. I will try to find it an use.

On the other hand, I am certain that this box is part of the pen price, but I bought a pen, not a box...

 

Anyway. Opening the box, and the pen, along with other things come, and now that we get to the real thing, it's time for bigger pictures:

http://s23.postimg.org/k4mpwf12j/INSIDES.jpg

 

It comes with a bottle of diamine green (Ok, that's useful), an Honduran cigar (which I didn't ask for, and hoped it would not give me trouble in customs), a book on Churchill quotes, (not asked for, but might be interesting), and the guarantee and certificate of authenticity, along a cleaning kit...

 

 

The pen is numbered, and the certificate comes handwritten. That, more than the extras, I appreciate.

 

http://s15.postimg.org/kookhu7pn/CERTIFICATE.jpg

 

 

And let's go to the pen.

 

The pen is big, but extremely light. The lightest pen I have. The resin pattern is beautiful. I had read everywhere that these pens' resin had to be seen in person. I concur. They are hypnotic. The pen is, in brief, a pleasure to watch, a pleasure to hold. All the high expectations I had, all I liked in the distance, have been increased. It is just what I thought, and more.

 

http://s24.postimg.org/jdlq2c539/PEN.jpg

 

 

Isn't it gorgeous?

http://s10.postimg.org/kutcr3zzt/PEN_OPENED.jpg

 

Inking the pen

 

It took me a couple of hours to listening to the pen which was going to be its soul color... I made dip test with several inks. The Diamine green ink that comes with the box bled through most of my papers, and other fancy colors didn't seem to suit. So the final winner, was a blue-black. Inking with the lever is easy, more than any other system, IMHO, and I could feel in my hand the weight of the ink inside. When I emptied it and saw all the drops falling, I have to say that contrary to some comments I read, the pen can really drink ink for a long use.

 

Nib

One singularity of the nib is that it has no breathing hole. It must be mentioned that some people have talked about issues with the nib, out of the box. If by qualities of the pen itself, or by the good service of pengallery, I don't know, but my nib has no issues at all.

 

http://s22.postimg.org/572avyxip/NIB.jpg

 

I ordered the pen with an F nib. In the beginning I was thinking of asking for an IM, but my handwriting becomes very messy just with an M; an IM would make the pen difficult to use for its purpose: everyday letter writing.

 

The nib is Big. Here it is a comparison with the Homo Sapiens Bronze Palladium nib, F.

 

http://s14.postimg.org/5ueuxwgq9/NIBSCOMPARISON.jpg

 

By the way, both pens are exactly the same size when closed, but posting makes the Churchill bigger. Just for the comparison:

http://s22.postimg.org/494bcndpt/PENS_ASIDE.jpg

 

How does it write?

 

Exceptionally well. It has the best balance and comfort in the hand of all pens I have ever tried. Writing hours and hours with this pen without rest, would not be an issue. It would be a pleasure.

 

The nib is what some call, "Toothy". You feel the pen going along the paper, and not a little. But the fact is I like that in this pen. I have the super-smooth and perfect Palladium nib of the Homo Sapiens, as well as a Platinum (That one I dislike, actually). That gentle roughness in this pen... It feels just right.

 

The line width is just a tab wider than the Visconti's; however, when comparing F nibs, ink difference is a lot of difference, so I will not bet on that.

 

It might not be a Flex or semiflex nib, but for an F, it can really do its job if you want some nice Capital letter...

 

Here's its inaugural writing:

http://s14.postimg.org/6vjp0rn3l/WRITING_SAMPLE.jpg

 

You all can see that I am extatic. This pen is all, and more, than I imagined. If you have a good trustworthy merchant to check it for you prior to the purchase as I had, this is a very, very recommendable pen for serious writers.

 

I hope I didn't bore you.

 

C.

[warblerick]

Wow, that is really a beautiful pen! I love the black ends with the colored barrel, and that red just glows. Nice review. I also like your comments regarding the pen box, and maybe CS making it so it could be a writing slope; that would be a great idea! Their smaller pens come in a nice leatherette box that can be used as a desk-top display, and not too big so they don't take up the whole desk. I also like that you got the lever fill and not the C/C. I hope to eventually get a CS Marlborough with lever fill, so am glad to hear that you like yours.

 

As to the nib, I find I like the fact that there is no breather hole, it makes it rather distinctive, and though they are not really flexy nibs, there is a bit of spring to them. I haven't had any trouble with the nibs on my new CS pens; it's usually the converter that has given me trouble. But with the lever, you should have no problems.

 

Beautiful photos of a beautiful pen. Hope it gives you many, many years of faithful service!

[MisterBoll]

Thanks for the great review. I'm sure you'll enjoy this pen for years to come.

[rvthof]

Thanks for a great review! I really like the extensive description and beautiful pictures.

[TassoBarbasso]

Great review!

 

I like the colour and the pattern of the resin. Both look very similar to red auroloide, I wonder if it's the same material.

[mikehodgman]

I don't usually get into the fancy pens, but the Conway Stewart Churchill pens are just plain amazing. Definitely a dream pen of mine.

[VRT]

Congratulations! I'm looking forward for my first Conway Stewart but Churchill is too big for me (181 mm posted).

 

The seller you recommended got my interest. They have very good prices. If their service is as good as you said... What is that "extra deep testing" they offered you?

 

Thank you.

[Ghost Plane]

That's a color I don't have yet. Gorgeous!

 

Have to agree with your rave reviews of Pengallery. Their packing is up their with the Goulet's and love their service. If you ask nicely, often they have (or can get) nib sizes not listed on their site.

 

These pens are simply awesome to write with, which is why I have an embarrassing number of them, including a bespoke amethyst.

[georges zaslavsky]

congrats on a nice churchill , I own a blue marbled churchill and it is one of my favorite pen

[MisterBoll]

Hola Carlos. Que significa tu anillo? Esta muy interesante.

[carlosviet]

Congratulations! I'm looking forward for my first Conway Stewart but Churchill is too big for me (181 mm posted).

 

The seller you recommended got my interest. They have very good prices. If their service is as good as you said... What is that "extra deep testing" they offered you?

 

Thank you.

 

As far as I know, and with my permission, they actually filled and wrote with the pen for a couple of days, guaranteeing personally that the pen would be a perfect writer. Once tested, they cleaned and sent to me. Usually they only would do a dipping test. I suggest to email them with any enquire and interest. They excel in that regard.

[carlosviet]

Hola Carlos. Que significa tu anillo? Esta muy interesante.

 

Nada demasiado profundo... Es una cabeza de Dionisio. Lo que me gusta de ese anillo es que es un anillo de jaspe raramente traslucido envuelto en oro. No he visto nunca un diseño igual y es una lastima porque la combinacion de piedra roja y oro amarillo me encanta (como se puede ver por la pluma, tambien)...

[MisterBoll]

 

Nada demasiado profundo... Es una cabeza de Dionisio. Lo que me gusta de ese anillo es que es un anillo de jaspe raramente traslucido envuelto en oro. No he visto nunca un diseño igual y es una lastima porque la combinacion de piedra roja y oro amarillo me encanta (como se puede ver por la pluma, tambien)...

 

Gracias! Me gusta mucho el diseño. Tambinen me gusta mucho el jaspe. Tengo pedasos grandes de orbicular o 'ocean' jaspe.

[Timeline]

Thanks for the great review, I have been looking at CS pens for the past two weeks. Your review may have nudged me over the edge, congrats on the new pen.

[requiescat]

Thank you for this review and all the photos--it looks like a truly lovely pen.

[Nelson Sousa]

Completely agree with you about the box issue. Why not making them only big enouth to carry the pen?

Elegance, sophistication or luxury do not imply being large, as Caran d'Ache (just an example) very often remarques with their pen boxes - some of them being beautifull and practical (because being small) pieces to keep on top of the desk and keeping the pen when not in use but nearhand.

[Holdav]

Thanks for the review, if I ever get another churchill it will be in this colour! Enjoy your pen!

[breaker]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

[DanF]

That is a gorgeous pen!

 

Dan

[alexander_k]

Many thanks for the review. I have the same pen, in a similar colour, but with a broad nib, rather stiff but quite smooth. In combination with its perfect size for my hand, it has made it one of my current favourites.