A while back I had the opportunity to review another pen from Ruislip-based Mr Pens, the quirkily named Deacon's Doodle. In that review, I couldn't quite believe the quality of the pen for twenty of our finest British pounds.
The Doodle stayed in my mind long after the loan pen had moved on, and so, unable to forget the little blighter, dear Reader, I bought one! And we have lived happily ever after together.
Today I have another beautiful pen from Mr Pens Italix range, the equally quirkily-named Chaplain's Tankard, to review.
First of all, it arrives in the same neat little presentation box and when you lift it from the box, it looks and feels like a good quality pen.
The barrel, section and cap are all a slick black lacquer with shiny gold-plated trim.
The cap is screw style and while it CAN be posted, it doesn't feel terribly secure. I prefer a definite 'click' to let me know that something is securely held in place. So, for this pen, I don't post the cap.
The nib options for the Chaplain's Tankard are dizzying! There are SEVEN nib options (Standard, Cursive, Italic, Left/Right Oblique, Italic Left/Right Oblique) and within each nib option, there are FOUR widths to choose from (with the exception of the Left/Right Oblique, which comes in Medium only).
All that choice could go to a girl's head!
The nibs are Italix nibs (stainless steel) and this one is a lovely two-tone colour and is the Italic version, possibly the medium option.
The filling mechanism is 'button' style, so you can fill the pen without unscrewing the barrel, but I prefer to fill straight into the convertor. It's easy - you just twist the button until it's right at the top, pop the convertor into your ink and then twist the other way to fill. A little twist the other way to prime the pump and you're good to go! If all that sounds too messy, the pen also takes standard cartridges.
So, how does it write? That is the $64,000 question ... and I think that it writes beautifully. It's a fairly wet nib which I adored - perfect for showing off your fancy inks and not much in the way of scratch at the paper at all. Maybe I'm just getting better at holding a fountain pen!
The only problem that I had - and it's probably because I'm a left-hooker - is that I didn't have much control over my thick and thin. I tried with my right hand and there was definitely a finer line on the upstroke than when I wrote with my left hand.
So, bear that in mind if you are a leftie.
The pen retails at under £30.00 and, just like the Deacon, I can hardly believe that it retails for this price. It's absolutely the sort of quality pen that could become your office go-to ... and although you might break your heart if you leave it in a meeting and it mysteriously does not find its way back to you (and with that smart appearance, I'd say that's a definite risk!) it't not going to break the bank to buy a replacement.
Lovely pen!
