The Pen Enthusiast

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If you've been following this blog for a while, you probably noticed that there was a poll for which pen I should review next in the sidebar. The Montblanc 146 won, and I did intend to review it next; but I decided to send it off for nib work to give it a better review. I've already taken and edited pictures, so the review should be up soon after it comes back from Pendleton Brown.

Specifications

Brand: OMAS

Model: New-style Paragon
Body Material: Brown Arco Celluloid

Color: Brown/orange

Trim: Gold-plated sterling silver
Length (capped): 5.9"

Length (uncapped nib-end): 5.3"
Length (posted): 7"

Nib Sizes: EF-BB
Nib material: 18kt gold
Overall Weight: 50g
Cap Weight: 15g
Body Weight: 35g

Filling type: Piston (made of metal)

Clip: Roller-wheel clip

Ink Capacity: Advertised 1.7mL; real life 1.5mL

MSRP: $1195

Actual Price: $956
Price I paid: $585 dipped

Where to buy: Classic Fountain Pens, Fahrney's Pens, and La Couronne du Comte all have this pen for $800-$956, but I would recommend instead buying a lightly used one from eBay as they're much cheaper.

Since first seeing OMAS's Arco celluloid a while ago, I've wanted a pen made from it. Some models, like the Ogiva, caught my eye; but the seemingly terrible quality control on those prevented me from pulling the trigger. Enter the new-style Paragon. This one has a metal piston instead of a plastic one like the Ogiva's, so complaints about it are nearly non-existent. It's also huge - bigger than even the purported king of pens, the Montblanc 149. But one thing prevented me from getting this seemingly ideal pen: the price. With a street price of nearly $1000, there was no way I could rationalize purchasing one. Even a 90th Anniversary 149 is cheaper than that.

One day I was browsing eBay looking at old-style, less expensive Paragons when a listing caught my eye. A new Arco Paragon, only dipped, was selling for less than half the usual price! Naturally, I purchased it a few minutes later even though I was eating lunch at the time.

Presentation

Box fully disassembled

Packaging is the first part of the new pen experience, and OMAS certainly doesn't disappoint here. The box is large and sets the stage for the pen you're about to see. The top lifts off, and on the inside is a fairly nice calligraphic design. The pen itself is within a cloth carrying case which also serves to polish it. A bottle of ink is also included, in this case, blue; but I've seen other colors included to match the pen. You can then remove that insert holding the pen and ink to find a booklet explaining the history of OMAS and another for ... the Omas 360 Vintage edition of course. I suspect that, given the blue ink and 360 booklet, this probably wasn't the pen's original box; but that doesn't bother me as it's not really important.

Design

Despite what some (cough, Richard Binder, cough) may say about the new Paragon's design, I really like it. For those who haven't looked much into OMAS, in 2005 they redesigned several of their models to meet what they thought consumers wanted. Instead of having the desired positive effect, that mostly backfired. (Just look at the new 360 compared to the old one.) In contrast to the downsizing of the 360, the Paragon was drastically increased in size to better compete with the Montblanc 149. I personally prefer this new upscaled Paragon as it feels much nicer in my hand than the old one.

The dodecagonal faceted shape is beautiful, but the real reason I bought this pen is the stunning Arco Gold (or Bronze) celluloid. There's a depth to it not found in many other materials: certain parts seem to glow; whereas, others are almost black. It really is the most beautiful pen material out there; in my eyes, it even beats out Tibaldi Impero celluloid.

The writing end of this pen also manages to look simply stunning. The section is made of sterling silver and plated with gold. Some complain that metal sections are too slippery for extended use, but I don't have any issues with this one. The large, two-tone nib is 18kt gold and available in EF-BB, but not the full range available on some of OMAS's other pens. It's a bit saddening that there won't ever be an Extra Flessibile Paragon, but that doesn't keep me up at night.

The cap's lip is oddly translucent.

I do find one flaw with the design, but it's more an issue with quality control: the celluloid on the piston knob isn't aligned with the celluloid on the barrel. This is just a minor inconvenience, but even those aren't forgivable in a pen of this price. I might contact OMAS about it to see if there's anything they could do about it (and do in a reasonable amount of time.)

Another design aspect which I didn't quite like at first was the large gold "O" on the cap's finial. It seemed fairly gaudy; but, as with the Montblanc snowflake, it's beginning to grow on me.

Size and Weight

As previously mentioned, this is a big pen. It fits right in with oversized pens like the M1000 or Montblanc 149 and easily dwarfs others such as the M200 and Sailor 1911 Mid-Size. This pen can post but becomes 7-inches long when you do, so I prefer writing with it unposted.

At 48 grams capped and 35 grams uncapped, this pen certainly isn't light either. It's oversized, and I like that; but some users may find it too big and heavy for extend periods of writing. To give some perspective, Classic Fountain Pens has a chart which lists the measurements of many other pens and allows you to compare them easily.

Click to enlarge the photographs. From left to right, the pens are a Pelikan M200, a Montblanc 146, an Omas Arco Paragon (new-style), a Pelikan M800, a Visconti Rembrandt, and finally a Sailor 1911 Mid-Size.

Filling System

The Paragon fills using a high-capacity piston system. OMAS has a reputation for sticky pistons which don't work well; but because the new Paragon's piston assembly is made from metal instead of their usual plastic, this pen doesn't have those issues. That being said, it's still not smooth like silk the way Pelikan's pistons are.

Ink capacity is advertised at 1.7mL, but I've only been able to get 1.5mL out of it - which is still more than any converter can hold.

The Writing Experience

The ink is Diamine Terracotta.

This pen certainly is beautiful; but if it doesn't write well, it fails at accomplishing its main purpose. Thankfully, this pen writes beautifully. Mine has a broad nib which writes like a firehose thanks to the sizable ebonite feed and, because it's 18 kt gold, also has a bit of springiness. Giving further flair to your writing, there are also some stubbish qualities to the nib: downstrokes are broader than cross strokes.

Ebonite feed

What I've just described may sound like the perfect nib to you, but it's far too broad for me to use for everyday writing. This isn't a fault with the pen; it's just that I don't care for firehose broads as much as I thought I would. I'm already planning to send it to Pendleton Brown to be ground into a nice fine italic which I could use more often. When it comes back, I'll update the review with a new writing sample and more in this section.

Writing Sample

I decided to fill this Paragon with Diamine 150th Anniversary Terracotta, a red/orange ink with beautiful shading. It's been in the pen since then, and I couldn't be happier: they're a perfect match.

Pros

Beautiful Arco celluloid
High-capacity piston filler
Large 18kt gold nib

Cons

Very expensive at full retail price
Celluloid on barrel not aligned to celluloid on piston knob
Too large for users with smaller hands
Common quality control issues

Closing Thoughts

The new-style Paragon is certainly an excellent pen. It has all the features I like to see in one: a smooth gold nib, piston filling system, and a beautiful material. Those are all nice, but you have to consider the barrier-to-entry: its price. So, is it worth the $1,000 price tag? I definitely think so.

Further Reading

Specifications

Brand: J. Herbin

Model: Tempetê, the French word for tempest

Body Material: Plastic

Color: Red cap with a clear body; also available with black, blue, orange, and clear caps
Trim: Silver
Length (capped): 15.4 cm

Length (uncapped nib-end): 13.5 cm
Length (posted): 17.2 cm

Nib Sizes: Medium only
Nib material: Steel
Overall Weight: 23g
Cap Weight: 9g
Body Weight: 14g

Barrel design: Tapered cylinder

Filling type: Eyedropper

Clip: Not spring-loaded; too short and stiff to hold well

Ink Capacity: 2.2 mL

MSRP: 100 €

Actual Price: 100 €
Price I paid: 100 €

Where to buy: Bureau Direct and Overjoyed are the only online retailers that sell this pen. It isn't sold in the U.S., so Americans will have to buy online.*

*Not affiliated with any of these websites

Packaging

The J. Herbin Tempête arrives in a black box with the J. Herbin logo embossed on the top. Inside, there's a slot to hold the pen and another to hold the included eyedropper. It's not the most glamorous packaging, but it at least protects the pen during transport.

Design

The Tempête's appearance is simple but tasteful. One end tapers to a sharp point, akin to a Sheaffer Balance; and the cap's finial is also that way but much more sudden. I like this more modern design and love the way it appears with a clear barrel.

The barrel looks nice, but the most stunning part of this pen is by far the nib. Decorated with a ship and the words "Depuis 1670" (founded in 1670), it's one of the more elegant in my accumulation. If the nib weren't so well adorned, I most likely wouldn't have purchased the pen. After all, it's an expensive eyedropper with a steel nib.

One issue with the pen is how easily it scratches. Shortly after purchase, the clear barrel began to collect scratches only from writing and sitting in a shirt pocket. It isn't a major issue, but it may be enough to dissuade some from purchasing or liking the Tempête.

Another issue is that the clip is almost too stiff to attach to clothing. When sliding it into a pocket, the clip feels as though it will snap. The feeling is disconcerting but fortunately isn't reality.

Size and Weight

With a total weight of 23 grams and a capped length of 15.4 centimeters, this pen is a mammoth but as light as a feather. Compared to other fountain pens, its always the longest whether posted, unposted, or capped. Because I prefer longer pens, this one is a great size for my hands. However, I don't post the Tempête because it grows to a comical length. All other pens, including oversize models, appear short compared to it posted.

From the left to the right, the pens are a Faber Castell Ondoro, a Pelikan M200, a Montblanc 146, the J. Herbin Tempête reviewed here, a Sailor 1911S, a Lamy Safari, and a Pilot G-2.

Filling System

Unlike many modern pens, an eyedropper filling system is used here. To fill one, you first suck ink into an eyedropper and then deposit that ink directly into the pen's barrel. It's one of the simplest and oldest filling systems, and it feels out-of-place on a 100 euro pen. Even a converter is more complex and costly to produce than this filling mechanism. It seems that J. Herbin did this to cut costs and not because ink capacity was their main focus.

The most ink the included eyedropper can hold at once

Thoughtfully included with the pen is a J. Herbin branded eyedropper. Disappointingly, it can't hold much of the pen's 2.2 mL capacity at once, so filling takes several trips from the bottle to the pen. Because of this inconvenience, I prefer using a syringe to fill in just one motion.

Lessening the pain of those two shortcomings, the pen holds a generous 2.2 mL of ink. For perspective, most piston fillers reputed to have high capacities only hold 1.1 mL, only half of the Tempête's capacity. I have to refill most pens every other day, but this one can go almost two weeks on one fill. For constant note-takers like myself, this is a great advantage.

One of my main concerns was whether it would leak or not. I had heard horror stories of bleeding eyedroppers online, so of course I was nervous the first time I took the pen out of the house. Luckily, the O-ring incorporated into the section prevented all mishaps, and my pocket remained dry.

The Writing Experience

Although a large ink capacity is a huge plus, it means nothing if the pen doesn't write well- who would want to write pages with a pen that has intermittent flow and hard starts? Thankfully, this isn't at all an issue with the Tempête. Writing is a joy as the nib never ceases to flow smoothly and evenly. After the long photography session, it still started almost immediately.

The nib is also a very wet writer, meaning that it lays down a copious amount of ink. My preference is for wet writing pens because they tend to show the true colors of inks. Considering J. Herbin's often unsaturated inks, it's a logical decision.

There is some flexibility to the nib, but it requires a substantial amount of pressure. The risk of almost springing it isn't worth the small amount of line variation.

Writing Sample

Paper: Rhodia

Ink: Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline

Pros

Wet, very smooth nib
Gargantuan Ink Capacity (2.2 mL)
Beautiful nib design

Cons

Expensive
Unwieldy when posted
Scratches easily

Closing Thoughts

I enjoy owning this pen, but with so many superior ones in the same price range, I don't recommend it unless you need a pen with a large ink capacity or want to try something different from the competition. Instead, I would recommend looking into the Lamy 2000, Sailor 1911 Standard, Pilot Vanishing Point, or the modern Wahl-Eversharp Skyline.

Gallery

Specifications

Brand: Pilot
Model: Vanishing Point (known as the Capless in some countries)
Body Material: Metal

Color: The Vanishing point comes in a plethora of colors, some of which aren't available in the U.S. To see a sampling of the available colors, visit the Amazon page.

Trim: PVD Matte Black

Length (nib retracted): 141 mm / 5.55 in

Length (nib extended): 138 mm / 5.43 in

Nib Sizes: Available in EF, F, M, and B (Mine has a medium nib.)
Nib material: 18k gold
Interchangeable Nibs: Yes, $61 each
Overall Weight: 30 grams / 1.06 ounces

Barrel design: Round

Filling type: Cartridge/ converter

Clip: Not a spring-loaded clip

Ink Capacity: .5 mL for the converter; approximately 1mL for the Pilot cartridges

MSRP: $175 for the regular Vanishing Points; 230€ for the edition reviewed here

Actual Price: $140 for the regular Vanishing Points; 230€ for the edition reviewed here

Where to buy: Amazon, Anderson Pens, Colorado Pen, Goulet Pens, JetPens, Levenger, Nibs.com, and Pen Chalet. The "stormtrooper" finish is only available in Europe and Japan, so you'll have to order it from Cult Pens if you're in the Americas.*

*Not affiliated with any of these websites

Packaging

Pilot Vanishing Point "Stormtrooper" Review

Although this Capless isn't a limited edition, it arrives in one of the greatest boxes I have ever seen. The sides and insert are completely transparent, giving the futuristic illusion that the pen is floating. It suits the pen perfectly and helps to justify the much higher price compared to buying a VP in the U.S.

The contents of the box

Remove the insert holding the pen, and underneath you'll find a black felt rectangle containing the cartridge, cartridge cap (more on how that works later), manual, and a warranty card. I purchased this Capless from Styl' Honore in Paris, so note that a pen purchased in the U.S. will come with a lackluster clamshell box and a generic Namiki booklet.

Design

A scan from the manual showing how the retractable nib works

The convenience of the retractable nib had always been appealing to me, but none of the other colors looked perfect for my use: the matte black accumulated scratches and fingerprints; I don't like gold trim; and the rhodium trim looked odd on a pen like the VP. Then, I saw this "stormtrooper"* finish on FPGeeks and knew I had found the perfect every-day-carry pen. After a few months, I almost entirely forgot this pen existed, until I saw one on display at Styl' Honore. It was expensive but would be cheaper there than online, so I finally bought it.

This Black & White finish is sadly exclusive to Europe and Japan, and Pilot has no intentions of exporting it to the U.S. as Goulet Pen Company revealed here. The white finish is apparently one of the less popular colors, so Pilot doesn't wish to take the risk with this color. Read the comments on my Reddit post about it, the FPGeeks post linked above, or the ones on any Instagram picture showing this VP, and you'll see that there clearly is a demand for this pen in the U.S.

The retractable nib allows me to use a fountain pen in roles which were previously fulfilled by Pilot G-2: quick note-taking, times when a fountain pen would attract unwanted attention, and general use. Now I don't need to carry a G-2 alongside a fountain pen; I carry the Capless by itself.

The retracting mechanism works flawlessly with little resistance and prevents the pen from drying out. I left it inked for a week without any use, and it started immediately with no skipping.

One concern with potential owners is whether the clip will interfere with their grip. I use a standard tripod grip and find the clip position to be comfortable. A great test to see whether it will bother you is to hold a Bic Cristal (the ballpoint pen seen everywhere) upside-down. If the clip placement is troublesome, this might not be a great pen for you.

*In reference to the fictional characters from the Star Wars movies, not the German specialist soldiers in WWI.

Size and Weight

The Vanishing Point feels perfect in my hand. It's expertly weighted and longer than most unposted pens. Compared to posted pens, the VP is actually shorter than most.

This pen's diameter is almost equal to a Montblanc 146's, which I find to be the optimal girth for my hands. For those with smaller hands, Pilot produces the thinner and lighter Capless Decimo.

Click to enlarge the photographs. From left to right, the pens are a Pilot G-2, a Faber Castell Ondoro, a Pelikan M200, a Sailor 1911S, a Montblanc 146, a Pilot Vanishing Point, and a Lamy Safari.

Filling System

Another scan from the booklet demonstrating disassembly and filling

The Vanishing point uses a proprietary cartridge/converter system, so only Pilot cartridges and converters will fit in this pen. Pilot's supplied Con-50 converter holds a minuscule .5mL of ink, so I have to refill it everyday. Without a retractable nib, I don't think I would see the use in a pen with such a diminutive ink capacity. To solve this issue, I may begin refilling empty cartridges with a syringe.

If you decide to use a cartridge, first place it inside the cartridge cap; then, slide the assembly into the nib unit as in the picture above. The cartridge alone is too short for the retractable nib mechanism to function, hence the need for a cartridge cap.

The Writing Experience

My VP has a wet, broad medium nib which is wonderfully smooth. I would have chosen one of my typical fine or extra-fine nibs, but Styl' Honore only had the medium in matte black at the time of purchase. The medium nib writes much broader than I would like; it's closer to a German medium than a Japanese medium. Pilot doesn't offer a true Japanese medium or German fine, which is disappointing if it's your ideal nib width.

The interchangeable nibs for this pen are almost miraculous. For only $61, you can purchase a nib unit with an 18k gold nib, a Pilot Con-50 converter, and the assembly itself.

Even changing nibs is easy: remove one nib unit and insert the other. No other pen has such easily interchangeable nibs. You could buy one pen and several nib units or one nib unit and several bodies. It would only take seconds to change nibs, so rotating a nib from one body to the next every day is actually feasible.

Writing Sample

Pros

Convenience of a ballpoint in a fountain pen
Sturdy construction
Plethora of colors to choose from
Interchangeable nibs available
Very easy to switch nibs- remove one nib unit and insert the other

Cons

Clip placement may bother those with grips other than a standard tripod grip.
Low converter capacity (.5mL)
"Stormtrooper" finish not widely available

Closing Thoughts

This is easily my favorite pen under $200: nibs are smooth and quickly interchangeable; the retractable nib is perfect for everyday use; and there's a color to suit almost everyone. If Pilot would reconsider the decision not to export the Black & White to the U.S., I might find another Vanishing Point in my accumulation someday.

Gallery

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OMAS Arte Italiana Arco Paragon (New Style) Review

J. Herbin Tempête Review

Specifications

Pilot Vanishing Point Review

Specifications