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Thread: Which one

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    Default Which one

    Let’s spark a heated debate!

    I’m wanting a new pen. Franklin christoph or a Leonardo?
    Let the rhetorically generic commenting begin!


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    Senior Member VertOlive's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    Generically, rhetorically speaking...I have a spectacular Edison custom Pearl which will never leave my collection.
    "Nolo esse salus sine vobis ...” —St. Augustine

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    The choice is obvious.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Senior Member Ole Juul's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    neither

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    Default Re: Which one

    both

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    Default Re: Which one

    Franklin Christoph — more design options and huge choice of awesome nibs!

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    Default Re: Which one

    I've been thinking about one of these for an Xmas present to me. I was leaning FC but they both make some really pretty pens.
    Cogito, ergo sum
    -- René Descartes 1637

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    Default Re: Which one

    That’s 2 for FC 0 for Leonardo


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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    Ok, you seem hell-bent on taking this seriously, so...

    I have 3 FC, I have 4 LOI. I never really understand questions like this, as the design aesthetic of the 2 pen companies is so different it can only be your own sense of taste that guides you. Not being flip in the least, I will say that you should own at least one of each because these are small companies of people who care about carefully crafted pens, and the pens are very, very nice. Beyond that, they are very different.

    FC has many more design differences but... go to a pen show and look at them all lined up. They really aren't all that different. And except for a good chunk of crazier pen materials they bring to a show, they have a limited range of pen 'looks'.

    LOI, on the other hand, has far fewer models and sizes, which is a bit larger if you include some of the pens made for various retailers. However, in just a short amount of time, they have put out pens in a dizzying array of celluloid, acrylics, and ebonites. Some of them are remarkable, some are unique to their pens (the Cuspide series, for one) and they also, through some retailers, have pens available in much more rare OMAS materials, such as Arco Bronze. You will, of course, need to sell a kidney.

    At the end of the day, all I could say is that I love both companies and their pens. Even the 'entry-level' Momento Zero brings Italian styling and craftsmanship into almost anyone's home, and you can go up to their high-end models and really get swanky. FC, OTOH, have a remarkable set of pens, with great in-house nib work (Audrey has totally come into her own after the passing of the great Jim Rouse). One interesting thing about the FC line is that the pens have a remarkable variety of length/girth/shape bodies, and it would be good to spend some time with the pens you use most and are most comfortable with, take some measurements, and figure out which of their pens comes close to that. Or go nuts, and get something totally foreign to you.

    So, that's that. The ball is in your court. As I said earlier, the choice is obvious: pick the pen YOU like.
    Last edited by Jon Szanto; November 27th, 2020 at 12:48 AM.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Default Re: Which one

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Szanto View Post
    ...the choice is obvious: pick the pen YOU like.
    +1 Why worry what other people want?

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    Default Re: Which one

    I don't see these kinds of threads as asking what others would want, but as an interest in knowing what another, more experienced user might have discovered, if they have had an actual experience, using the pens.

    I alsol do not understand why some feel the need to challange the person seeking to gain a bit of knowledge. On some recent threads questioning the value of this or that other forum, it was noted that a forum is only as useful as the members allow. Allowing people to feel comfortable asking their questions is one of the most important and valuable things we as members can provide.

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    Default Re: Which one


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    Senior Member christof's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    Quote Originally Posted by spencerwilli View Post

    Franklin Christoph or a Leonardo?
    Franklin Christo(ph)f, because of the name....
    C.
    Last edited by christof; November 27th, 2020 at 08:25 AM.

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    Default Re: Which one

    I’m with Ole.

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    Default Re: Which one

    I want to want a Franklin Christoph pen. I hear good things about them and their block threads on the front of the section are visually appealing. If I ever go to a pen show where I can see the models in person then I will almost certainly get one.

    But I have never held an FC pen in hand so buying one would be a leap of faith. Most of my pens have been a leap of faith, but I cannot muster that for FC. The big problem that I have with making that leap of faith is that their website makes it so darned hard to understand what I'm choosing from, the website is frustratingly tedious to navigate, and the photographs are quite uninspiring. I'm interested in getting one of their "antique glass" acrylics as they look cool, but they are made in small quantities and after trying a few times at their lottery or whatever they call it I've stopped as it's just one more bit of fruitless tedium.

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    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    From time to time I peek out from my vintage fountain pen hole and look at modern pens.

    If I were to get a Leonardo, I want the Momento Zero model in ebonite and as a piston filler. The other model, the cigar shaped one, Furore (?) does not spark me at all.

    And with this requirement, it will push the price to way above a Franklin-Cristoph.

    So for me personally, the two pens are not comparable.

    But I agree with someone in the above comment, that you eventually would want to experience both pens.

    The F-C is a simple acrylic pen, my favorite model from them is actually one of the simplest, the P-45 pocket in frosty white with a maroon finial, which I believe they don't make anymore (but don't quote me on this, I don't keep up with their models).

    The Leonardo Momento Zero is a nod to a vintage pen design (I guess that's why I like them). And anytime I see a pen made with ebonite, with nice trim design and proportion, I am ... intrigued
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    Quote Originally Posted by A Smug Dill View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post
    The Leonardo Momento Zero is a nod to a vintage pen design (I guess that's why I like them).
    If that was the only key criterion, then a Moonman 800 — for which a Bock nib is an option — in pretty acrylic would tick that box.
    I have (had*) both. One is still a cheap copy, no matter how you spin it. I understand that for many people the differences are not worth spending more money for, but that doesn't mean they are identical. I have enjoyed all four of my LOI nibs so far, 3 steel, one 14k.

    I am certain you and I have been over some of these points on FPN with other pens, too, and no need to get into a lengthy. Just keep in mind that, well, tastes differ. If I want to cut corners, there are other places in life for me to do that.

    *"Had" in the sense that I saw no reason to keep the Moonman, and sold it.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    Quote Originally Posted by A Smug Dill View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post
    The Leonardo Momento Zero is a nod to a vintage pen design (I guess that's why I like them).
    If that was the only key criterion, then a Moonman 800 — for which a Bock nib is an option — in pretty acrylic would tick that box.

    The plastic material of my Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii does look and feel slightly better than that on my two Moonman 800 pens (one with a Bock nib, the other with a Moonman nib), but not 500% better. Their nibs are equally disappointing to me; while both Diplomat and Fine Writing International both delivered pens with excellent nibs on the pens I bought, in spite of the nibs not being made in-house (but instead by JoWo the effectively duopolistic nib manufacturer to those brands that don't make their own nibs).
    The Moonman 800 is not bad looking at all. If they made those in ebonite and piston filler, I'd probably get one just to try it out

    As for nibs, in the rare occasion when I get a modern pen, if it came with a steel nib, I usually ended up replacing the nib with a vintage 14K Sheaffer or Wahl or Parker or whichever I happen to have in my spare nibs box.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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  31. #19
    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which one

    Quote Originally Posted by A Smug Dill View Post
    Absolutely, and so if the O.P.'s starting point is, “I'm wanting a new pen,” then it's up to him to decide what is relevant/important. I'm only pointing out that, “a nod to vintage design”, or even “Italian” design or style, does not logically imply Italian manufacture (and the nibs on Leonardo pens aren't anyway, which is why I buy Aurora pens and would consider buying more Santini Italia pens).

    As far as I'm concerned, I personally am not going to buy another Leonardo pen unless it's in the figurative ‘bargain bin’ during online sales to rival less spectacular steel-nib Lamy models in price. Franklin-Christoph? I don't know much about its pens, I'm open to being impressed — compared to performance, consistency (or special capability), pretty body material, and bang-for-buck, against Sailor, Platinum, Aurora, Santini Italia, Pelikan and Lamy — but I don't think that's what the O.P. actually asked. So I'd prefer to advise him on his own strategy and exploration without reducing his ‘risk’ of not spending his money optimally.
    All fair points.

    I'd simply point out that I own multiple pens of those brands you mention, the cast of which includes some of my favorite writers, and I've chosen to include LOI in that cohort. I have no desire to sway you, only that my experience has certainly differed from yours with the pens I've received, only one of which I was able to examine before purchase. Lastly, I only put emphasis on price if the person posing the question puts it forward as a consideration. I would rather speak to the qualitative and subjective differences in a pen and let them decide the worth of it all.

    It's funny: I'm back to my original comment, which some would consider flip: only the seeker can choose the pen that is best for them. Outside of very basic data collection, I don't think I've ever chosen pens based on what a bunch of other people said to me. It is possible that I am in a minority that way.

    Hey Dill, we're completely screwing up - the OP wanted a "heated debate"!
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Default Re: Which one

    Quote Originally Posted by christof View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by spencerwilli View Post

    Franklin Christoph or a Leonardo?
    Franklin Christo(ph)f, because of the name....
    C.
    Cheistof with the win! FC ordered.


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