ransky
May 10th, 2013, 04:55 AM
Graf von Faber Castell (GvFC) Intuition Platino Grenadilla - Fine nib
I’ve not seen many reviews of this pen so I thought others might find this helpful. At the time of this review, I’ve had the pen about five weeks. I'm new to posting reviews, so I apologize if the format/pictures are less than suitable.
2569
Overall impression
The Intuition Grenadilla is a compact, hefty pen. I consider it expensive, and the packaging is what one might expect for this price point. It comes in a very nice wooden box with various accompanying documents. The pen exudes quality, and while unique, is not flashy, perhaps due to the dark-colored wood. The tactile quality of the materials makes it a joy to handle. There’s a balance of cold engineering and warm old world feel that combines to make a remarkable instrument. I wish GvFC had gone with a sterling cap, but that’s personal preference.
Metrics (please note these are my own measurements):
Weight - 52g total, 34g body only
Length - 128mm capped, 123mm uncapped
Widths - 13mm (barrel), 12mm (section)
2570
Construction
The cap and end cap are platinum plated (over brass perhaps(?) - not sure). All metal surfaces are nicely polished and the logos/engravings are faultless. The wooden barrel is finely fluted, matte-finished and very pleasing in appearance.
This is a cartridge-converter pen. The entire nib/converter assembly can be removed (unscrewed) from the wooden barrel by rotating the barrel end cap. This allows refilling the converter without risk of staining the barrel with ink. On my pen, the unscrewing action feels a bit rough through a portion of the movement, a sand-in-the-gears sort of grind as it were, but this does not impact the function. On reflection, this grinding provides some friction that may keep the mechanism tight so it doesn't inadvertently unscrew. I don’t know if this is common to other Intuition pens.
The cap slips on/off. There is a very gentle click where I imagine a clutch ring is engaging the collar around the nib to keep the cap secure. The cap is easy to remove, although not so easy that it comes off inadvertently. The metal part of the cap doesn't grab the wooden barrel (to avoid possible damage I’d guess). Instead, there is an inner cap of some sort to keep things secure. This set up allows the cap to pivot ever so slightly side-to-side while capped. In other words, the cap is not rock solid secure, but allows for a little wiggle at the open end when capped.
There is a slight curvature in the wooden barrel near the nib to aide in gripping the pen. This is very subtle. There is no section per se, as the pen is intended to be gripped by the barrel.
2571
The nib
Well, the nib. It's a large, beautiful nib, 18ct, bi-color, having gold along the outside edge, with a nicely etched logo. I chose a fine. It's smooth, but arrived with a baby's bottom that caused it to skip so that it was wholly unsatisfactory at delivery. I understand these are run-in by hand at the factory, and I can see how a quick scribble might not have detected the skipping. In actual writing though, it was just unusable. I tried a variety of inks without success. You might imagine the disappointment, especially given the price of the pen!
I debated a return or working this through GvFC customer service, but life got a little busy, and I put the pen aside in frustration. After a week or two, I decided to adjust the nib myself (at a great risk since I've ruined nibs before). I figured at worst, I could just buy another nib from GvFC. Some gentle micro-mesh, lapping film, and patience brought the nib to life. It’s been transformed to a very nice writer, with a controlled, wet line of comparable width to usual western fine nibs.
In Summary
What I like - The wooden barrel, the ergonomics of the grip, the heft of the cap in my off hand as I write (it's a nice cap and I tend to hold it rather than set it down), the ease of cap removal (makes taking quick notes a pleasure)
What I don't like - The fact that I had to fiddle with the nib to make it work, that the cap moves slightly while in place, the grinding of the gears in nib/converter removal
Overall, do I like the pen? Yes, I do. It’s like no other pen I have, and variety adds to the wonder of life. From a cost/value perspective, I’d rate the pen as excellent (but not quite outstanding). It could in time become my clear favorite - it’s grown on me more and more. For now, it’s solidly at the top of the rotation.
I’ve not seen many reviews of this pen so I thought others might find this helpful. At the time of this review, I’ve had the pen about five weeks. I'm new to posting reviews, so I apologize if the format/pictures are less than suitable.
2569
Overall impression
The Intuition Grenadilla is a compact, hefty pen. I consider it expensive, and the packaging is what one might expect for this price point. It comes in a very nice wooden box with various accompanying documents. The pen exudes quality, and while unique, is not flashy, perhaps due to the dark-colored wood. The tactile quality of the materials makes it a joy to handle. There’s a balance of cold engineering and warm old world feel that combines to make a remarkable instrument. I wish GvFC had gone with a sterling cap, but that’s personal preference.
Metrics (please note these are my own measurements):
Weight - 52g total, 34g body only
Length - 128mm capped, 123mm uncapped
Widths - 13mm (barrel), 12mm (section)
2570
Construction
The cap and end cap are platinum plated (over brass perhaps(?) - not sure). All metal surfaces are nicely polished and the logos/engravings are faultless. The wooden barrel is finely fluted, matte-finished and very pleasing in appearance.
This is a cartridge-converter pen. The entire nib/converter assembly can be removed (unscrewed) from the wooden barrel by rotating the barrel end cap. This allows refilling the converter without risk of staining the barrel with ink. On my pen, the unscrewing action feels a bit rough through a portion of the movement, a sand-in-the-gears sort of grind as it were, but this does not impact the function. On reflection, this grinding provides some friction that may keep the mechanism tight so it doesn't inadvertently unscrew. I don’t know if this is common to other Intuition pens.
The cap slips on/off. There is a very gentle click where I imagine a clutch ring is engaging the collar around the nib to keep the cap secure. The cap is easy to remove, although not so easy that it comes off inadvertently. The metal part of the cap doesn't grab the wooden barrel (to avoid possible damage I’d guess). Instead, there is an inner cap of some sort to keep things secure. This set up allows the cap to pivot ever so slightly side-to-side while capped. In other words, the cap is not rock solid secure, but allows for a little wiggle at the open end when capped.
There is a slight curvature in the wooden barrel near the nib to aide in gripping the pen. This is very subtle. There is no section per se, as the pen is intended to be gripped by the barrel.
2571
The nib
Well, the nib. It's a large, beautiful nib, 18ct, bi-color, having gold along the outside edge, with a nicely etched logo. I chose a fine. It's smooth, but arrived with a baby's bottom that caused it to skip so that it was wholly unsatisfactory at delivery. I understand these are run-in by hand at the factory, and I can see how a quick scribble might not have detected the skipping. In actual writing though, it was just unusable. I tried a variety of inks without success. You might imagine the disappointment, especially given the price of the pen!
I debated a return or working this through GvFC customer service, but life got a little busy, and I put the pen aside in frustration. After a week or two, I decided to adjust the nib myself (at a great risk since I've ruined nibs before). I figured at worst, I could just buy another nib from GvFC. Some gentle micro-mesh, lapping film, and patience brought the nib to life. It’s been transformed to a very nice writer, with a controlled, wet line of comparable width to usual western fine nibs.
In Summary
What I like - The wooden barrel, the ergonomics of the grip, the heft of the cap in my off hand as I write (it's a nice cap and I tend to hold it rather than set it down), the ease of cap removal (makes taking quick notes a pleasure)
What I don't like - The fact that I had to fiddle with the nib to make it work, that the cap moves slightly while in place, the grinding of the gears in nib/converter removal
Overall, do I like the pen? Yes, I do. It’s like no other pen I have, and variety adds to the wonder of life. From a cost/value perspective, I’d rate the pen as excellent (but not quite outstanding). It could in time become my clear favorite - it’s grown on me more and more. For now, it’s solidly at the top of the rotation.