Edison Beaumont Pneumatic Review

[white_lotus]

Some pics of the pen, then the handwritten review followed by the text in case you can't read my writing. Also I was writing from the back of the book towards the front, so keep that in mind

Fountain Pen Review — Edison Beaumont pneumatic-filler

First Impressions

Whenever you get a new pen it's always an exciting moment. Even more so when you have never actually held the pen or even really seen it until it arrives in your mailbox. This is part of the experience of ordering a custom=made pen from Brian Gray at Edison Pen Company.

The pen I ordered was a Beaumont pneumatic filler pen in Antique Marble acrylic with a steel nib in medium. Two-tone on the nib with the end caps matching. It was exciting to get the email that the pen had shipped.

The pen comes well packaged shipped via USPS. It has a simulated alligator case in which the pen rests. Included is a metallic Edison bookmark of their logo and that's kind of cool. There's also a thank you letter from Brian Gray with his fabulous signature. And instructions about how to fill and empty the pen using its pneumatic filler.

The pen itself is lovely. Of course it's a modern acrylic not a vintage celluloid so one shouldn't make comparisons there. But it's very attractive, smoothly polished, and a pleasure to hold in one's hand.

Appearance (1-10) 9

When I first saw the pen it was a shock. The pens I'd had up to then were black (Aurora Ipsilon and Lamy 2000). So here is all this color and translucency. And the pen seemed more orange than I had been expecting based on photos from the Edison website. For some reason I thought it would be more towards yellow. There were examples of more orange versions but I hadn't noticed them perhaps. But about half the pictures show a yellow antique marble.

Some of this was simply my inexperience with the materials and how to go about ordering a custom pen. I now understand that color lots change and the exact pattern will vary from batch to batch.

Now I can say that I really enjoy how the pen looks. It has a depth to it and wonderful color variation in the acrylic. It really is beautiful.

The nib itself is stunning. None of the pens I'd had up to then had such a large nib. At first, it seemed massive. But writing with the pen showed that the size was perfect for where ones' hand met paper.

The translucency of the pen was another surprise for me. One of those things that's difficult to photograph. But it was a cool effect and nice to see the filling mechanism working. One can in the barrel see the tool marks of the cutting bore (not sure of the name for this) and it'a an intertesting artifact of the manufacture.

The section color is amazing. Brian says that's from the black of the feed. It's like looking at some black marble with gems embedded in it.

The cap has lovely patterning to it of the antique marble.

The clip and band are nice. There's nothing really special about them.

Construction and Quality (1-10) 10

The pen is really well made. The pen doesn't feel cheap at all. I'm not willing to drop the pen to see how rugged it might be. But I think capped it would do OK.

The threads are very nice. They are very crisp and the cap and barrel connect smoothly. Even though the threads seem low the cap is well connected. And the low threads on the barrle means the threads don't disturb your writing. It's like they're not even there.

Weight and Dimensions (1-10) 10

The pen is 5 1/8" capped, 4 13/16" uncapped, and 6 ¼" posted. I usually write without posting and this is a perfect pen size for me. I probably have medium hands for a girl.

According to the Edison web site, the pen weighs 13g (0.46 oz) and 20 g (0.7 oz) without the cap and with. It very light in the hand so for extended writing it's easy to use. Posted is fine too, but I prefer the balance of the pen unposted. Others may feel differently about that.

The pen is a little thicker in the barrel than an Esterbrook J or Parker Vacumatic major and about the same length (a little longer). So if you have vintage pens this gives you can idea of the size of the pen.

Nib and Performance (1-10) 9

I chose a two-toned steel nib in Medium. I believe this is the #6 nib. According to the Edison web site EF, F, M, B, 1.1 mm italic, and 1.5 mm italic nibs are available. The #6 18k nibs are avilable in EF, F, M, and B and they are $100 extra in cost.

I've been quite happy with the steel nib. You can get various customizations which will be done either in-house or by Mike Masuyama of Mike-It-Work. Full flex 14k nibs from Richard Binder are available. My writing style doesn't lend itself to these customizations so if that's something that interests you I'd inquire with Brian Gray.

I arrange to have the nib set up at 7 on theflow scale of 1 to 10 and Brian has it with "a touch of feedback". I can alsmot write without touching the paper with this nib. It has the kind of flow that I like. I don't think I'd want anything wetter than this. There's a little bit of noise letting me know how I'm writing. Perhaps some people wouldn't want that. Some of it is my writing style.

So far I haven't noticed any problems with different papers. I write in my Moleskine notebook, on regular copy paper, and for special occassions Mohawk Via Linen.

The nib has one spot perhaps that has a hint of dryness but it's not really anything that I don't experience with other pens.

The Edison nibs can be swapped out by the end user. It may not be that every Edison nib fits every pen, so best to check.

Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) 9

The filling system for this Beaumont is a pneumatic filling system. According to David Nishimura's web site on vintage pens, Shaeffer and Chilton used a pneumatic system. The Shaeffer system was called the "Touchdown". The Edison pen is closer to the Chilton system.

I won't go into lots of detail but there is a blind cap at the end of the barrel. Unscrewing it allows you to pull up the plunger. The mechanism is straightforward and easy. Emptying the pen is the same put you don't put the pen in the ink well. There is a description of the mechanism at the Edison web site.

The filling system uses a sac but it's quite large and the pen can hold 1 to 1 ¼ ml of ink. More than twice what a cartridge converter would hold.

I'm still getting used to this filling system, but it's really easy. And pretty much fills the first time.

One thing some people may not like is that you can't see how much ink you have left, so as the pen exhausts its ink supply you wonder why is the pen so scratchy all of a sudden. That's your clue that you need to add more ink.

I like that Edison is bringing back these historic filling systems. Especially when they are good systems such as this one. They're fun too.

Cost & Value (1-10) 9

A custom pen such as this is not cheap. Since you can only order one from the Edison Pen Company it'll be unique (or nearly so). There are Edison pens you can order from the usual retail outlets. These are the production line. The cost for this pen was $350 compared to a standard c/c Beaumont of $150 at Richard Binder's site.

I think I got a good price for such a pen. I haven't really looked at other custom pens so I can't compare costs. The only thing I would have liked to have done was get an 18k nib, but I wasn't willing to spend that much.

In spite of the cost, I think I got a really great pen that will last for years, assuming that I don't fill the pen with the "ink that shall not be named".

Overall 56 out of 60

I'm very happy with this pen and my experience of acquiring a custom Beaumont pneumatic filler. I was happy enough that I've ordered a custom Menlo pump filler.

This review was written using Organics Studio Blue Merle ink and my Beaumont pneumatic filling pen.

[mikehodgman]

Beautiful pen! That Antique Marble is really stunning. Enjoy!

[Mardi13]

Gorgeous. I have three Edison's but so far not a custom one. That will be next.

[GardenWeasel]

Great review and I love that pen! Did you order the nib section special...or is that shape the "normal" shape/size?

[syoung98]

Beautiful pen and thanks for the review. Enjoy!

[Bemo]

Beautiful pen and a very thorough review. Enjoy!

[WaskiSquirrel]

I'm fascinated by this pen. I am seriously considering a custom Edison pen. I actually like this mechanism the best, but I wish the mechanism were visible. There are mechanical reasons why it is not visible, but it is disappointing.

[white_lotus]

Great review and I love that pen! Did you order the nib section special...or is that shape the "normal" shape/size?

 

The section is the normal section for this pen.

 

 

I'm fascinated by this pen. I am seriously considering a custom Edison pen. I actually like this mechanism the best, but I wish the mechanism were visible. There are mechanical reasons why it is not visible, but it is disappointing.

The mechanism is slightly visible in this material which is translucent. The Tortoise Lucite material is more transparent, but not clear.

 

But with this mechanism there isn't as much to see as there is with a pump filler.

 

Thanks for checking out the review!