Franklin-Christoph Marietta 20 - Lovely Pen

[latetotheparty]

Folks, here’s a quick review of my recently-acquired Franklin-Christoph Marietta 20. In a nutshell, I love this pen. I have two Stabilis 65s from F-C, which are in ice (i.e. see-through), which I turned into eye-droppers for red and blue ink. I wanted a basic black pen for everyday writing in black. Of the three F-C pens I have, this is my favorite.

 

 

Here is the F-C site for those interested:

 

http://www.franklin-christoph.com/view-all-fountain-pens.html

 

I should admit from the outset that I dislike pens that have metal barrels, are heavy, gaudy or jewel-encrusted. This pen is the opposite of all that. It’s available in Tiger Red, but I chose black because of the timelessness of black.

 

The body of the pen is from acrylic. It is beautifully smooth but doesn’t feel cold, which is another reason I prefer this material to a metal pen. The glossy body is like watching liquorice before it sets.

 

The nib is #6 medium. It floats along with no effort. I wrote on some F-C note paper and the nib is perfect for me; not too fine, not too broad for ordinary note-taking.

 

 

The cap is slip-on so it’s super easy to open. The cap remains securely posted. I have small hands and this pen does not feel at all bulky to handle. There are no threads on the barrel and this makes for a comfortable grip.

 

F-C customer service is fantastic. For those who don’t know, F-C make their pens in North Carolina. (The nibs are German, but the bodies are crafted in NC.) Lovely, lovely pen and I’m really satisfied with the purchase. I'm not paid for this review but just wanted people to know about F-C!

[visvamitra]

This pen is tempting me.

[latetotheparty]

This pen is tempting me.

 

It was tempting to me too . As Oscar Wilde said, the best way to resist temptation is to give in to it! If you have questions about it before buying, just drop an email to their customer service. They are super responsive.

[migo984]

Thank you for your great review.

 

I love this pen too. I admire its vintage style, which to me is evocative of the Esterbrook Dollar bandless model of the 1940s.

 

It is the perfect size, shape, weight and balance for me. I can write for hours with it in complete comfort. I have two - a Vintage Green and a Blue-Violet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FC Model 20 with an Esterbrook Dollar bandless

 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2015 by migo984

[cleosmama]

I have a purple and black Model 20 that I love. But I also love my blue violet Model 66 Stabilis.

[latetotheparty]

Thank you for your great review.

 

I love this pen too. I admire its vintage style, which to me is evocative of the Esterbrook Dollar bandless model of the 1940s.

 

It is the perfect size, shape, weight and balance for me. I can write for hours with it in complete comfort. I have two - a Vintage Green and a Blue-Violet.

Thank you Antique and Cleosmama for your replies. Antique - thanks for the great photos, the green is stunning. The blue is so vivid, unusual to see. Thanks also for the education. I'm still a newbie so I appreciate learning about the Esterbrook!

[perfaddict]

Wonderful review. The 20 Marietta and 25 Eclipse are my favourite FCs. The design of the 20 is just so "right" for my hand.

[mehandiratta]

wow i so badly after the emerald green...

[BillZ]

I, too have the Model 20 in Vintage Green. I opted for the 18K EF nib. Very smooth. Liked it so much I purchased two others with steel nibs tuned by Mike

Masuyama. Only downside is that the wonderful girl I dealt with in Customer Service, Lori is no longer with the company.

[bone215]

I hope they are at the Philly pen show so I can accidently stop by and show the Warden how pretty they are. That green one is very elegant.

Good luck with the FC.

[FranklinChristoph]

I hope they are at the Philly pen show so I can accidently stop by and show the Warden how pretty they are. That green one is very elegant.

Good luck with the FC.

Hi bone215- we not only will be there, we own half the show now! You can get your tickets online now for an early discount: http://philadelphiapenshow.com We'll be there with 4 tables and the entire line. A Philly show ink, and a show special edition pen. We look forward to seeing you all there. - Scott

[perfaddict]

Hi bone215- we not only will be there, we own half the show now! You can get your tickets online now for an early discount: http://philadelphiapenshow.com We'll be there with 4 tables and the entire line. A Philly show ink, and a show special edition pen. We look forward to seeing you all there. - Scott

 

Wow! Now i wish i was in the US.

[Shaporama]

Hi bone215- we not only will be there, we own half the show now! You can get your tickets online now for an early discount: http://philadelphiapenshow.com We'll be there with 4 tables and the entire line. A Philly show ink, and a show special edition pen. We look forward to seeing you all there. - Scott

Congratulations! I love the Philly show, it was my first and still my favorite. I see that changes were made - can you share why the venue was shifted to the Weston and why Friday was dropped?

[mmg122]

I'm also the happy owner of a blue violet and two black Model 20 Mariettas. The vintage green came out after my purchases but I'm saving up for that one now. It's a stunning color. The Mariettas are the best writing pens I have...only 2nd to the bespoke pen Renée Meeks (Scriptorium) made for me. FC makes great pens at very reasonable prices and I look forward to new offerings down the line.

 

Like BillZ, I miss Lori...she was a great representative for the FC brand...customer service, above and beyond.

 

Like Migo984 said...they remind me a lot of my beloved Esterbrooks...minimalistic, fair price, great quality...and like the Esterbrook, you can't just have one...you're falling into the proverbial black hole.

[latetotheparty]

Thanks Mary - good to know that I'm not alone in my liking of the Model 20!

 

Quick update to my original post. I forgot to say that the nib I bought was steel. I will likely wait until a pen show to test the gold nibs before perhaps purchasing one. I can say that I'm very happy with the steel nib.

 

Also, the pen comes in a handy leather pen case, which I personally think is much more useful than a box. (The leather pouch is within a white cardboard box, but I would imagine most people throw the white box in the recycle bin after receiving the pen.) I use the pouch to carry my pens to and fro, as well as keep the converter and emergency cartridges.

[arcadeflow]

Do you think the model 20 (or F-C pens in general) are air tight enough so ink will not evaporate or dry out the nib in a few weeks capped without use?

 

I read people complaining about the snap cap, some said it need a hard push to stay closed, do you feel anything different about this cap?

 

And what about the "recessed" nib? They say the nib is screwed on the section a little deeper than usual, and when bottle filling, ink might be held up there and requires a more careful cleaning after filling.

 

Thanks

[cleosmama]

I haven't noticed any problems with ink drying out in mine, and I've never had a problem getting the cap to close properly. I never even noticed that the nib was "recessed." I have filed mine several times already out of different ink bottles with absolutely no problem. The ink seems to clean out just as well as any other pen. I do use an ultrasonic cleaner as a last tactic if I find there is still ink near the section, but that happens with a lot of pens, not just the FC Marietta.

[DrDebG]

Beautiful pen! Thank you for your review. I too love my Franklin Christoph - I have a prototype Panther 40, which is a bit different, but is my very favorite pen.

[latetotheparty]

Beautiful pen! Thank you for your review. I too love my Franklin Christoph - I have a prototype Panther 40, which is a bit different, but is my very favorite pen.

 

Thank you! I likewise have an F-C 40. I'm going to review the 40 at some point. Together with my F-C 20, they are my favorite pens and I used both every day. I'm not decided yet on which I like more. I suppose it doesn't actually matter as I have both and should just enjoy them rather than comparing!

[jmccarty3]

The next pen show you attend, I highly recommend trying the 18k Masuyama medium italic nib. It's phenomenal.