Sailor Moon Fountain Pen Review
Hello to my fellow FPGeekers,
I wanted to draw you attention to a rather unique fountain pen that crossed my path. Perhaps this review will give you some additional information if you would be inclined to purchase one for yourselves. But first, I should set the stage to explain the uniqueness of this particular pen.
The pen in question is modeled after a pen that appears in the manga (Japanese comic book) and anime (Japanese cartoon), Sailor Moon. Those not familiar with the show should note that writing instruments play a large part in the Sailor Moon universe. In essence, Sailor Moon is a story of ordinary middle-school girls who discover through the corse of time that they are "Sailor Senshi", champions of love and justice. In order for them to transform into their super hero, alter-ego forms, it is required that they hold a "transformation pen" in their hands and shout a form of incantation. The pen I will be reviewing is in the style of a pen that the main character, Sailor Moon (aka Usagi) uses to transform into any disguise she can conjure up. Although this pen only appear briefly in the first couple of episodes of a 200 episode run, it is extremely iconic for Sailor Moon fans around the globe.
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This particular pen is "fan made" in China and is not an officially licensed product by Toei animation who owns the rights to Sailor Moon. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a boot-leg because there is no official version of this pen on the market. It is more of a third-party fan manufactured item.
Without further delay, let's crack on with the review...
First Impressions:
When the pen arrived, it was nestled in a microfiber pink cloth bag. There were no frills, no instructions and no other documentation. When I removed the pen from the pouch, I was pleased that it look even better in person than it did in the photographs. The pen is all metal, covered in a muted pink enamel. There are gold accents around the end, in the center, and on the top of the pen. Because of its metal construction, the pen feels solid in the hand and is reaching that point, where it could be argued, that it is a little "heavy." The weight of this pen came in at 60g or 2.2 oz. On top of the pen cap is a decorative gold crown with an oversized faux ruby colored gem. The gem is about 30% translucent and will appear pink when held to the light. The clip, although solid, is not very functional. It has absolutely no flex and does not meet the body of the cap, thus it does not hold securely in the breast pocket. There are embellishments on each side of the clip and along the gold colored crown. In each point of the crown, a small reddish-pink gem is located. The total length of the pen is approximately just under 18 cm or about 7 inches making this pen quite long.
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Uncapped:
The cap is removed and replace with a very satisfying "click." The pen becomes a comfortable 14 cm or about 5.5 inches uncapped which is good considering the cap does not post. One of the first things I notice is the enormous step down between the body of the pen and section. For those of you who do not like pens with a step down, this pen is not for you. I have never seen a pen with this dramatic of a change. The upside to this is that the section is fairly large with a length of about 2.75 cm. In the hand, I found the pen to actually be quite comfortable. There is plenty of room to grip the pen naturally while being far enough away from the step down. The diameter of the pen barrel just before the step-down is 14mm which drops off abruptly to 9mm at the beginning of the section.
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Nib / Feed:
The nib of the pen is a decent size for the overall pen. In my opinion, the nib could have been a little larger. Being gold in color, the nib matches the section and accents of the pen nicely. There is some pleasing scrollwork around the nib and the words "Iridium Point Germany" are stamped on the top. The feed is simple with a half fin, half smooth design stamped with a number 3.
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Writing:
So far, I've discussed the look and feel of the pen, but the $64,000 question is, does it function well as fountain pen? The answer is an astounding "better than I could have imagined." Let me explain. When the pen arrived, I already new that it was coming from China and was in essence, a "no name" pen. Before I even opened the box, I went to my study to grab my pen repair kit. I particularly wanted my brass shims expecting a super dry nib and the emery boards to smooth out any scratchiness the pen may have had. After examining the look and feel of the pen, I inked it up with Levenger Cobalt Blue. (I didn't have any pink ink around or I would have used that.)
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When I put the pen to paper, I was utterly amazed. It wrote straight away with no start up issues. In fact, the wetness of the pen was perfect for me. The flow of ink remained steady and consistent. On a rare occasions it would skip on the upward left to right motion, but that may be because I add many quick motions to embellish my writing. The pen glided over the Rhodia notebook paper with a satisfying feedback and not the scratchiness I was expecting. I sat back in my chair and said, "huh, well that's interesting. Looks like I don't need to adjust a single thing."
Conclusion:
All in all, this pen really knocked one out of the park. It is a substantial pen and is excellently executed. Form and function came together and I believe it is a real winner. Now this is not a pen that one would carry around with them. It looks great on the desk and is a fantastic conversation piece. It adds a bit of regality and is a must-have for any fountain pen / Sailor Moon fan collector. These pens can be a little hard to find at the moment, but a search on eBay and Etsy will yield some results. They may currently be on backorder, but more will be on their way.
Now if anyone knows of a nice legible medium dark pink ink on the market, I'm open to suggestions.
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Originally Posted by Scrawler
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