Schon Design

[Scrawler]

An interesting looking nib showed up in my YouTube feed today. I had not heard of Schon Design pens before. This nib is machined from solid titanium and is reminiscent of the Parker Falcon and Pilot MYU.
Do any of you know them or have tried their pens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA0f344PflA

On their website they have some fairly wild designs.

https://www.schondsgn.com/

[FredRydr]

...https://www.schondsgn.com/

"Purchasing information, options and pricing coming soon." Tomorrow, apparently.

I'm a great fan of the Sheaffer Triumph nibs of the 1940s, so naturally, I'm curious.

[Chrissy]

I'm curious too. It looks great.

[Jon Szanto]

I have a fairly good knowledge of Ian, his work, and this current development. He has been very popular with the newer crowd of pen enthusiasts and has been selling at pen shows recently, in addition to his online stuff. Aside from the business, he is an engaging and energetic person and very easy to like.

Almost all of his early designs were small, 'pocket' pens, which doubled in length by threading the cap on the back. He favored turned metal pens and developed some very innovative anodization patterns and techniques. In the last year or two, he has also branched out into some modern plastics that are robust enough for the 'technical' style of tools, primarily Ultem. Lately, he has come out with some full-size models, which are longer but not appreciably wider in circumference.

My biggest hesitation to purchasing one had to do with the relatively narrow section, turned from metal. I'm not a fan of metal pens, certainly not sections, as they feel cold and slippery. Still, I didn't care for the dingy yellow Ultem or feel like paying that much for a black plastic pen, but last August at the SF show I figured I needed to get one because I like him and I think he is a good maker and indicator for the future of small pen makers. I purchased a longer version of the metal pens, and he had partnered with Gina Salorino to offer some nibs with a Naginata Togi grind. It isn't a pen that I reach for often, and I had an idea that would be the case. That said...

Ian Schon makes products that are *remarkably* well made, with tolerances like a good technical/scientific instrument. He has rubber o-rings sealing any area that might leak and fit and finish are second to none. I have no idea how well the new Monoc nib will write, and I hope he will be at the California pen show in LA in February so I can check them out. What I am certain of is that the production work will be top-class, and that despite a high asking price, he'll sell very well.

Here's the pen I purchased in August, I'm not certain what this color pattern was called, though it might have been "Extragalactic Green". This pen is turned from solid aluminum and all the exterior color is a very robust anodization that he does, and all indications are that it stands up to a lot of abuse. All I can say is that I wish Ian well with the new nib endeavor, and encourage people who don't know his work to check it out.

[Jon Szanto]

Addendum: if you want to see more info about the actual nib release (12/16), the page below gives details. More to the point (of our discussion) is also how carefully Ian Schon thinks about the entire process, especially since there is a real feeding frenzy built up among new pen geeks about all this. He is running a small business on the front-edge of things, and he is engineering this process with the same consideration he does with his materials. All in all, it's a pretty interesting development.

How To buy a Schon Dsgn Titanium Monoc Nib

[Yazeh]

400 US$... I'M not sure if that's worth any nib unit

[Jon Szanto]

400 US$... I'M not sure if that's worth any nib unit

Yes, but he is selling a complete pen with the nib, the pens accounting for about half the cost. He’s said he won’t sell the nibs alone, at least not now. It’s steep, yeah, but look at Conid and other bespoke makers. Early adopters support technological advancement.

[manoeuver]

I'll second everything Jon said about Ian. I was thrilled to buy a first edition pocket 6 when he launched them at the DC show a few years back.

I was expecting/estimating a street price of $200-500 for the nib units, I think $400 with a pen attached is an excellent value for the future-looking FP enthusiast.

Speaking with another pen person, we agreed the monoc looks gorgeous to the point Ian's pens look a tad clunky in comparison.

Time will tell how durable the nib will turn out to be.
I'd guess the majority of these nibs will join collections with many other premium nibs represented, so it won't be 30 years of daily hard labor like it was for Granddad's 51.

Everything else aside, I think it's a standout accomplishment from a guy who is already doing pretty amazing work.

[Dougc]

I have a couple of his pens. I like them both.
He is a really nice guy and has great customer service.
I agree in that I'm not sure exactly where he heading with the pricing on the nib (buy the nib and get the body for free )

I have a buddy that just ordered one so I will report back after I get my hands on it.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

[Jon Szanto]

I have a buddy that just ordered one so I will report back after I get my hands on it.

I'll definitely give one a good test drive at the upcoming Cal Pen Show in early Feb.

[Bold2013]

Wish they had more pen options with clips.

[Motomachi10]

Metal pens are ok if they are not too heavy, but clips are a plus. The new nib looks nice, I will wait for a review of it.

[notsim]

400 US$... I'M not sure if that's worth any nib unit

the Bespoke nibs MB or the specialty nibs Sailor offer go for way more than that though

[manoeuver]

right. it ain't hard to drop 400 on a nib if you're so inclined.

[Jon Szanto]

For the clip lovers, bear in mind that the original design intent of his line of pens was as a "pocket pen" and he didn't mean shirt pocket. For the younger pen buyers, this means in their pants pocket or in a backpack, a durable pen that can get tossed around and still function well. His metal bodies and smart design (lots of o-rings to prevent leaks, cap threading on back for full-size expansion) have proven to be very popular. Fewer and fewer people (read: men) are carrying pens in a shirt pocket these days. Sign of the times.

[Bold2013]

I’m a weird millennial carrying my pen diagonally clipped on my shirt behind the tie.

[Jon Szanto]

I’m a weird millennial carrying my pen diagonally clipped on my shirt behind the tie.

I congratulate you on keeping an anachronistic style. I'm nearly 70 and still amazed when I show up at a funeral and I'm almost the only person wearing a suit and a tie.

[Mık Joger]

I also love creating content. I am constantly looking for different information and tools to help me do this in the best possible way. I recently found svg bee on a cool site with templates for web designers. It seemed to me that this is a very good idea that can be used for both design and content as well.

[es9]

Wish they had more pen options with clips.

Are there any with clips? Clips also help stop rolling. I also wish he offered some that were not c/c—like an Edison with a monoc nib.

[whichwatch]

I believe the Monoc nibs screw in and are threaded to be interchangeable with Jowo nibs, so it should be possible to install a Monoc nib in many Edison pens.