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guggas
July 12th, 2012, 10:20 AM
Hello to you all!

I'm a 34 years old guy from Portugal, from a little town called Coimbra.

I'm a Fountain Pen geek for quite a while now. It all started back when I was in the 5th grade and I had my first fountain pen, a Inoxcrom Sakyo if recall it correctly. Since then I was completely addicted to them. I've been buying a few more over the years and I write almost 95% of the time with one of them (yeah... people call me some kind of geek for that).

I hope I can learn a lot here and share my experiences, good or bad, and help in anyway I can.

For the record here is my little pen list:
Inoxcrom Sakyo (plastic one);
Inoxcrom Sakyo (metal one);
Rotring 600 (the second version);
Rotring 900;
Rotring Freeway;
Rotring Newton;
Rotring ArtPen 1.1 Stub;
Rotring ArtPen 1.5 Stub;
Rotring ArtPen 1.9 Stub;
Rotring Esprit;
Rotring Esprit (new version, before Parker);
Calligraphy pen with a few nibs;
Lamy St;
Sheaffer Agio;
Parker Vector;
Faber-Castell Ambition Black;
TWSBI Diamond 540 clear.

I think that's all. If anyone is interested in knowing my experience with any of these pens or pictures of them please let me know!

Cheers!
guggas

writingrav
July 12th, 2012, 11:20 AM
Welcome guggas. Your pen collection will certainly grow from joining us. I'm not familiar with Inoxcrom Sakyo. Say more and/or show. thanks.

guggas
July 12th, 2012, 12:05 PM
It's kind of an old model pen. The plastic one is more or less like this:

813

and the metal one:

814815

I don't have them any more... but they were the first I've ever used (I've found this pics on the web... thanks google :thumb:)

They worked very well for the time I've use them. Certainly, a big bang for the buck!

KrazyIvan
July 12th, 2012, 02:14 PM
Hello guggas, welcome to the board. I have watched Inoxcroms go by a few times and they look like interesting pens. Enjoy your stay.

TonicLime
July 12th, 2012, 03:43 PM
Hi guggas ! Welcome :)

Bogon07
July 13th, 2012, 12:07 AM
Hi and welcome, guggas.

You seem to have enought Rotrings to start up a Brand sub forum of your own with them.

guggas
July 13th, 2012, 03:14 AM
Well... that's an idea! I might start something like that over at the weekend... thanks for the suggestion!

Saintpaulia
July 14th, 2012, 01:57 PM
I'd like to know more about your Agio. I am particularly curious about the cap. I've read a negative review of that cap; how it seems rather cheaply made without any workmanship on the open end of the cap where it meets the barrel. Can you comment on that?

guggas
July 14th, 2012, 04:04 PM
Another two pens arrived yesterday to add to my collection. They are:

Faber-Castell Ambition Black (fine nib)
TWSBI Diamond 540 clear (fine nib)

so, I've updated my first post.


I'd like to know more about your Agio. I am particularly curious about the cap. I've read a negative review of that cap; how it seems rather cheaply made without any workmanship on the open end of the cap where it meets the barrel. Can you comment on that?

Hello Saintpaulia! Thanks for your question.

The cap of the Sheaffer Agio is a very simple and light cap. The end of the cap, where it meets the barrel of the pen, the metal is very simplistic finished. Not that it cuts or anything but its just finished that way. I don't think that's a big issue, is more a consequence of the design. When caped, there is almost no play between the cap and the pen. Here are some pictures to illustrate better what I meant:

825826
Note: high resolution images

The cap is somewhat easy to take off which can be a problem if used on a shirt. That's my main complaint about it.

If it helps, S.B.R.E. (Stephen) Brown has a review on it, you can find it here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFpAGykpUMw).

Saintpaulia
July 15th, 2012, 06:31 PM
Dear Guggas, good photos! Many thanks. The SBRE Brown video you mentioned is actually where I first learned of the very existence of the Agio! Sheaffer does not advertise it much and it is not offered on the majority of on-line pen companies I've found. Made it all the more intriguing! I think for the money wanted for it that it should be more "finished". The Sheaffer Prelude, for example, comparably priced, or the 100, both have a ring-like feature around the bottom of the cap which gives it more weight and "structure". Certainly it makes capping the pen easier as there is that contrast that subconsciously the user sees. I have decided against the Agio.

My thoughts and research next went to the two slim Lamy pens (Nota Bene: I am exclusively wanting slim pens due to my small hands and small hand-writing. So you will see a recurring 'slimness' to my questing). Specifically, Lamy makes the very slim CP1. It also makes a very similar Logo. I am still not sure why Lamy has these two offered and not just the one or the other. They seem like they are running over the same territory, if you know what I mean?

The Lamy CP1 in matte black is a real study in minimalism! And if you are into that then this is a great pen for you. For me it subtly negates one of the reasons I've been gravitating towards fountain pens in the first place - a sense of style and unique elegant beauty. I don't get that with the rather plain black CP1. The Logo, however, while not offered in black certainly presents better in the two types of metallic finishes it has. I just don't happen to like the look is all.

So, after thinking that I had found my Holy Grail pen in the Agio and not; and then in the CP1 and not; I was about to give up for the weekend when quite serendipitously I discovered a little pen called the Pilot Cavalier. It may be the best kept secret that Pilot has. They don't advertise it anymore than Sheaffer does the Agio. And when I say "discovered" I mean that literally! I don't know how I saw it as I meander around alot on the WWW. But find it I did and at Jetpens too. It's also about what I'd pay for the Agio and/or CP1, in the neighborhood of US$ 50.00.

What really impressed me about the Cavalier were the reviews I found of it. They were uniformly and unanimously positive, even waxing poetic! The Cavalier also has some gold trim to the black version that is very elegant. I am a little worried about the appearance of the grip section and wonder if it will be easy to keep a grip on it. Also the nibs tend to run finer than what one would usually expect and I am wondering if I should get a medium rather than my usual fine? Another interestnig thing about this pen is its convertor which is a squeeze-type. Anyway, that's where I'm at right. Breck

Saintpaulia
July 15th, 2012, 06:38 PM
Another two pens arrived yesterday to add to my collection. They are:

Faber-Castell Ambition Black (fine nib)
TWSBI Diamond 540 clear (fine nib)
so, I've updated my first post.

I looked up an image for the Faber-Castell Ambition. My first thought was, 'Where is the grip section?'. Betw. the nib and the pen body there is only this comparatively narrow silver area. And the pen body seems to be much thicker than this silver area as well making the grip seemingly problematic. Comments on this?

snedwos
July 16th, 2012, 09:33 AM
You just hold it on the body. It looks quite nice. I have a Waterman perspective which also has a small (and oddly stepped) grip section, and I just hold the pen above it on the wide band at the top of the barrel.

I've seen this pen, it looks quite nice.

guggas
July 18th, 2012, 09:59 AM
I looked up an image for the Faber-Castell Ambition. My first thought was, 'Where is the grip section?'. Betw. the nib and the pen body there is only this comparatively narrow silver area. And the pen body seems to be much thicker than this silver area as well making the grip seemingly problematic. Comments on this?

Hello again,

For me the grip is quite comfortable but I tend to grip it higher with only one finger on the narrow metal area. I can understand it could be an issue for some if held in a different way. As for writing I find it fantastic, very good flow, smooth, a pleasure to use. It has a nice weight to it but a somewhat heavy cap than I think can cause problems to the ones that like to post. The barrel is not bright black or matte but has a texture looking/feeling like it is made of polished black wood.

Overall, I like it very much!

fountainpenkid
July 18th, 2012, 11:13 AM
Welcome!!!


Will