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Thread: Bexley Flat top

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    Thumbs up Bexley Flat top

    I had the pleasure to visit the Bexley Pen CO. In Columbus OH.
    Howard Levy was a gracious host, showing me his love and passion for the pens they make, as well as the fine craftsmanship that goes into them.

    While there I bought a pen from his special-run collection. A blue Bamboo Flat Top (#28 in the picture)



    1. FIRST IMPRESSIONS

    I chose the pen from a display in which he had several non-production examples, I was struck by the material and combination of colors.
    I bought the pen based on this impression.. Howard fitted a F nib to it, and allowed me to test it and fine tuned it to be sure I was happy with it.

    I was surprised by how light the pen is, I expected a pen this size to be heavy. The balance is very good and it fit my grip comfortably.


    2. APPEARANCE & FINISH

    I love the appearance of this pen, looks like a classic Parker Duofold, or a Sheaffer Old timer from the 40s
    The color was of my liking so there, perfect!
    The craftmanship is very good, the acrylic has benn polished to jewelry grade shine, and the joining of the sections appear seamless.
    The clip is very simple, it is silver and feels nice and springy.
    I like the screw-on cap and the two tone nib with the Bexley logo on it.
    IMG_7045.jpg
    IMG_7048.jpg

    3. SIZE & WEIGHT

    Size: 5 1/4" capped, 4 7/8" uncapped with the nib, and 6 3/8" posted. The barrel is about 1/2" diameter and the grip section tapers from 7/16 to 3/8"
    The weight is nice, being it much lighter than I'm used to, I feel more comfortable with the cap posted.
    Howard explain to me that he keeps the pens light to help avoiding cramps, and preventing "over gripping" the pen.

    4. NIB DESIGN & PERFORMANCE

    Nib is a good two tone german nib. I chose the F size and it delivers as I expect it to.
    With waterman ink (blue), good ink flow, nice feel on the paper, smooth and with a bit of springiness.
    IMG_7049.jpg
    5. THE FILLING SYSTEM

    This Flat Top uses a standard Cartridge/Converter system. International cartridges fit into it.

    6. COST/VALUE

    I can't put a value to the experience of having this pen straight from the factory, I thought it was a bargain at below $100!


    7. OVERALL OPINION & CONCLUSION

    For now, the pen is a great compromise bwtween stiling and comfort.
    The looks and finish are superb; and the writing experince is so far great. I will have to use it for more months before giving a final verdict.

    Flatop-review.jpg

    PS. Found that bexlevy has listed a bunch of these pens at eBay....
    This is one of our many Flat top designs from quite a few years ago. This is a bandless design in Blue Bamboo with a black grip section and Rhodium plated clip. Grip section is black. This pen is a cartridge converter model. This is a full sized pen at 5 1/4 inches long. This one is available with your choice of F, M, or Broad two tone stainless nib and Rhodium plated clip.
    Last edited by titrisol; September 23rd, 2016 at 06:59 AM.
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  2. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to titrisol For This Useful Post:

    amk (September 16th, 2016), BillPorter (April 13th, 2018), Lady Onogaro (September 16th, 2016), mhosea (September 16th, 2016), mtnbiker62 (September 16th, 2016), penwash (September 16th, 2016), rdcalhoon (September 16th, 2016), WmEdwards (September 16th, 2016)

  3. #2
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    Default Re: Bexley Flat top

    I do believe Blue Bamboo is my favorite Bexley acrylic.

    B2.jpg
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    Default Re: Bexley Flat top

    oooh that nib looks yummy!
    Unix is user-friendly ; it's just picky about who it's friends are -

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    Default Re: Bexley Flat top

    Quote Originally Posted by titrisol View Post
    oooh that nib looks yummy!
    Bought that from Richard Binder awhile back. It's an 18K Michel Perchin nib. Not sure whether Bock or JoWo manufactured it. Maybe Bock. Paid about $142 for it, mounted for Bexley pens. I like the elephant and houda design and the fact that it doesn't have any writing on it other than the width (an M, not visible in the photo because it's hiding behind the edge of the grip section) and 18K. That makes it not look "out of place". It did arrive with the "drawer wear", microscratches on the rhodium, but I don't see that with the naked eye, only in photos. To be perfectly candid, however, it doesn't perform any differently than a typical 18K Bock or JoWo #6 nib.

    MichelPerchin.jpg
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    Default Re: Bexley Flat top

    WOW. that nib should have some flex!
    Congratulations!
    Unix is user-friendly ; it's just picky about who it's friends are -

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    Default Re: Bexley Flat top

    9 months have passed since I acquired the pen, and it has grown on me.
    I use it in my pen rotation and it is a head turner, in this age when most people use disposable pens it catches the attention when I have meeting...
    I'm using it mostly with cartridges, as the filler seems to leak badly on planes but cartridges do fine.
    Due to the sumptuous ink flow, this pen is a guzzler, a short intntlt cartridge last 7 days which is about half the time I get from an intltl in a Sheaffer's. But this makes writng very satisfying
    Unix is user-friendly ; it's just picky about who it's friends are -

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    Default Re: Bexley Flat top

    I've had this pen for almost 2 years now, and my impressions have not changed much. Great pen
    The F nib is a bit wider than I expected so the next will be EF.

    The converter was not sealing well, and thus the pen was glorping. I attahed a new (chinese) converter that I had laying around and no more glorping!
    Unix is user-friendly ; it's just picky about who it's friends are -

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