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Gourmet Pens

SBRE Brown

Thank you very much Stef for your continued work in the Fountain Pen community as well as your own with the amazing volunteer work you do. We all appreciate the videos you post on You Tube of the UK shows to share with the world.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is going to be a run through Rafflecopter to make it easy. Below you will find pictures of Michaels amazing work. He is MY63 on FPGeeks and many of us have his cases. Michael has offered for raffle not the case you see but a custom made case to your specifications. This offer is open world wide and I thank Michael for his generosity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This was a guest review I originally wrote for the blog On Fountain Pens

This was my first guest review and I have to say I was very excited to be doing it on a stunning pen that really is one to behold. The OMAS Paragon Limited Edition in Arco Celluloid. This pen was limited to just 200 pieces. 75 in Gold, 75 in Rose Gold & 50 in Rhodium trim.

I have had a couple of months with this pen and have grown to love it in every aspect. From its light and well balanced weight to the obviously gorgeous Arco celluloid. The buttery smooth nib and its ease of writing while allowing some flare if you want. It has been a very enjoyable time with this one. I say that as I was loaned this pen by Bryan @ Kenro Industries and handing it back will be a difficult task to say the least.

I will start with its medium size and as you can see in the photo it is comparable to the Mont Blanc 146. The section is very comfortable and the cap threads are not noticeable at all. I will say that I am one who is distracted from a pen when the threads are sharp and dig into my fingers. The finish is extremely polished and smooth to the touch with little to no step from the section to the body.

The cap has 3 gold bands and a gold clip. The clip has been mounted beautifully and sits almost as if it is levitating. It is made with a roller ball on the end of it that is not just pretty but functional as well since it really does roll. It allows you to have it secured in your pocket but still produce it without much resistance. In other words it will stay put till you decide to take it out. This is very important since it retails at $995 usd. Even the underside of the clip is fully finished. That kind of detail even a Mont Blanc 149 does not have.

The body of the pen is a 12 faceted design that really sets it apart. Especially when the light hits it and you see those layers of Arco celluloid. Two sides of the pen expose the layers “end” and this where celluloid really shines and takes your breath away with its beauty. The process to produce this celluloid is complex and takes about 100 days to complete. Developed back in the 1930’s by Omas they brought it back for 2013 and reminded everyone just what a beautiful pen can look like. It has an extreme amount of depth and looks almost wet in any lighting. While it is a beautifully subdued brown it will get noticed!

It is a piston filler and that is something Omas has being doing well for a long long time now. The action is smooth and the facets match up perfectly. Something that they did with the Omas 360 as well. That 3 sided pen shows how precise they are made with the piston lining up to the body perfectly after every fill. Matching 12 sides leaves even less room for error or differences. They are fanatical with details and the overall presentation as well as quality of workmanship shows it.

The nib is where a place where Omas lives and breaths. They are made in house and a joy for everyday writing. Journaling, signing documents or taking notes at a meeting it just flows. It has a nice soft yet controlled feeling about it. The nib choices are wide as well even for the LE pen. There are 2 versions with different sizes. 18k offers an XF, F, M & B while the 14k extra Flessible comes in XF & F. I have seen some say the Extra Flessible comes in a medium as well but I could not find any official confirmation of that. Either way you have a diverse choice for your pen. These are not meant to be used as a spencerian pen. Yes the nibs are soft and springy but they will not tolerate being flexed out. If you do this they will spring or worse bend. The nibs were designed to give a comfortable writing experience day in and day out. They will however tolerate some flare here and there. You can see this in the pictures and as well as the video review I did. The last detail is the feed. It is indeed an ebonite flat feed that is machine ground by a skilled worker who makes sure it is correct.

Overall this is a pen to acquire if the means are there and the design intrigues you. Having this pen inspired me to want to write more than I have to simply because it truly does look as good as it writes.

Details are these,

Weight – 21 grams

Capped- 5.5”

Barrel – 4”

Posted – 6.75 to nib tip

Nib – 18k ~ #6 ~ Fine

Video review link

Early in November I found myself on a trip to Texas on family matters. While my trip was unexpected due to a passing I made the best of it. I was in need of a break and did what any pen fanatic in a new town would do. I Googled “Pen Stores” of course. I saw on the list that under an hour away was Dromgoole’s of Houston. Dromgoole’s has been open since 1961 and a supporter of Fountain Pen Day since it’s inception in 2012. I emailed Larry to make sure he would be there the following day when I planned to visit. I emailed instead of calling because the store had already closed for the day. He promptly emailed back to say he would be there open to close. The next afternoon I set the navigation and off I went. An easy drive on the edge of Houston’s city scape. As soon as I saw the Dromgoole’s sign I felt the itch. Not knowing what was inside this store I had never been in I got that feeling you get as a kid when your going to an amusement park and you finally see a glimpse of the roller coaster. I parked and grabbed my camera, I knew I was taking pictures right away, and in I went.

I was immediately greeted by Larry Dromgoole at the front counter. His hand extended as soon as we made eye contact and after a brief introduction we talked about Fountain Pen Day, of course, and what else was going on in the pen world. The store had customers and he was busy helping them so he kind of sent me off to look around. Well there was certainly a lot to be looked around at! Once I was able to take a moment and really start to absorb the depth of brand selection I started to feel as if I was at a pen show. When you first walk in on the right is a section of glass showcases dedicated to Mont Blanc. The selection was not just a few but many many Mont Blancs. From the new 90 years edition & 90 years special edition classique to the writers editions. Daniel Defoe, Starwalker, Heritage, Meisterstuck were all there for the taking if your wallet can handle it.

This was just the start of my tour as around the corner was a 7” tall glass David Oscarson case that was just a buffer before the wall of Visconti. If it was Visconti it was there. Both the newest  Homo Sapiens, Crystal & Florentine Hills, as well as the original in bronze or steel. Divina’s, Rembrandt’s & Operas oh my. It was amazing to see so many packed into a few display cases. Even a Jacques de Molay was there next to an Istos Aracnis & Salvator Dali. For me the beauty was in one of my all time favorites that he had one piece of as well, a Divina Desert Springs LE.

The next case was filled with Aurora, Omas and Montegrappa. A full selection of the limited editions in those brands were available. The 360 and Arte Italiana with the stunning Arco Celluloid was just a tease. The new LE Auroras were really nice but actually a little smaller then I had thought they would be. The Oceania and Optima Demonstrator were my favorites. There was also a nice Krone display as well.

Keep going past that and there is a wall of ink. You could spend a long time looking through the massive selection. There were a few of the hard to find inks as well. It was fun looking behind to see if anything was lurking that the last ink obsessive collector might have missed. Mont Blonc, Noodlers, Private reserve, Visconti, Lamy, Diamine, Omas, Waterman etc. That was a good 1/2 hour of my time there.

Next to the wall of ink was a case dedicated to William Henry. He had knives and pens from the collection. While I was not familiar with them Larry was happy to educate me. I was impressed with the workmanship put into the pens he came out with. Every aspect of the well balanced pens were perfect. It was not inked so I did not write with it but the custom 18k nib looked all business. If you get a chance to see one in person make sure you do.

There were 2 or 3 cases after that which held the Pilot and Taccia brands. The Taccia case had a Tanto LE that was larger than I expected in person. As well the Pilot Custom 823 Amber was in a gift set. Theres a pen I am destine to own one day. It is a bold and big pen that really has such an aura of elegance about it that most demonstrators just don’t have. The new Vanishing points were all in attendance as well as many more affordable Pilots too.

The center of the store has a large walk-around case that was filled with a huge Pelikan section as well as Platinum. Pelikan was in full force with everything in the line represented. If you ask for it he probably has it. M200’s, M400’s, M600’s M800’s M1000’s as well as limited editions and the rhodium trim versions. Of course he had the newest M101n Red Tortoise and that’s one that caught my eye immediately. We can save that pen for a little later. The Pelikan station was overwhelming and hard to take in all at once. You could spend an hour there alone with no problem. The Platinum section was well stocked also and finding a 3 tine music nib was easy. That was when I decided I needed to try a few pens. So I started with a Platinum music nib as I had never written with one before. Larry was more than happy to get one inked up and in my hand to try. Thats when he said you have to try them to decide and get a feel for the pen.

That was something that made his store so nice and inviting, having someone want you to try a pen and handle it. While I did have access to pretty much everything in my line of site I was very adamant to ask before touching or handling anything. Larry was extremely gracious as he never said no. He walked me over to the Mont Blanc section as well to unlock the cases and hand pen after pen to try.

Before I finish up my story theres a little more to it. Larry got his hands on a very good sized collection of Danitrio! This is where my heart fluttered. I stared at the case that was in-between the Pelikan’s and Platinum’s and was in awe. There was about as close to a full representation of the line as you could have. Including a full sized Sho-Genkai with full Maki-e work and the killer #8 nib. Of course it was pulled out of the case and placed in my hand. As he placed it in my hand he informed me that the pen was $20,000. I don’t think I took a breath while holding it but I did manage to uncap it and peek at that glorious nib.  Have no fear there are many Danitrio’s that are in the price range we are use to seeing. It is very rare to see this in a retail store in the US I can assure you.

Of course there was a huge selection of paper, notebooks, cards, journals etc in the back part of the store. Everything you could want was there from all the premium brands. Up front was a great selection of leather goods too. The store was stocked with a full days worth of shopping and a staff to guide you with whatever you needed help with. They also have a high tech setup for greeting cards and invitations. While I don’t know much about it I noticed that there was someone at the table the entire time I was there. Not the same customer but many. I asked if that was normal and Larry smiled and said yes the invitation business is always busy there.

They also have a gentleman, Stephen Pustilnik “The Pen Doctor”, who comes in on certain Saturdays to do nib grinding and adjustments. Theres no permanent schedule as he actually is a Doctor. Events are common as well. I know Krone was there in November as well as Delta and William Henry.

My visit was not quite complete yet. Larry went to the back somewhere and came out with a wooden pen box. Placing it on the counter he said these are my favorites. He opened the box to show me his own personal collection of pens. I was flattered he wanted to share them with me. Not only to view but to hold if I wanted. While the Mont Blanc Oscar Wilde caught my eye it was the Mont Blanc Hemingway that stopped me in my tracks. Of course I asked first if I could hold it and was told of course I could. Wow was that awesome to pick up and uncap to view in all its glory. Theres something about seeing just what another collector and lover of fountain pens decides are the grails to keep. Especially when your looking at the collection of someone who has seen them all at one point or another. It was the highlight of my visit, which was 3 hours by the way. I don’t know how time went by so fast but it really felt like less than an hour.

I left with the beautiful Pelikan M101n Red Tortoise w/Broad nib, a couple of Rhoda Ice Pads, a bottle of MB Love You scented ink & MB Honore de Blazac ink. Score!

It was a wonderful trip to a fantastic store with an owner who is carrying on the family business with pride and passion. This is a store you must visit if your in the area and if you live within an hour you are blessed more than you know.

Dromgoole’s

2515 Rice Boulevard • Houston, Texas 77005

713.526.4651

dromgooles@sbcglobal.net

 Front

Side

Top

Open without journal

Open with pens & journal

Closeup of journal side

On the site there is a long list of pens and they are marked what is in stock and what will have to be ordered. Since it takes anywhere from 3-9 months to order one you have to have patience. I was lucky that the one I was looking for was actually in stock, though they had just recently arrived. Bottom line is if you see what you want in stock hesitation is your worst enemy.  Ill also say that if you have questions do not hesitate to call as they are very nice and know about the pens they sell. If they are unsure of something they have no problem telling you to hold on while they find out the correct answer. I ordered my pen on the Tuesday morning before Thanksgiving with my list of requests and what I wanted done to the pen. John did what he does best and got it out the door that day!

The pens shape is the Naka-ai and is an exclusive design to Classic Pens. In my eyes I see it as a combination of the Neo Standard and Piccolo. The pen being constructed of ebonite hard rubber and then coated with urushi lacquer. The pen is hand made from start to finish. Even the threads are hand cut.

The finish on the pen is called Shu Unpolished (Shu-nurippanashi). It does not go through the final phase of polishing which is what give it the unique look and slightly different feel. It has a more “organic” feel about it. When they add the final finish to the pens it leaves a super high gloss that almost leaves the pen looking wet all the time. The red color of this pen has been described by others as looking like an old red brick. I would agree with that and say its just about the perfect statement to describe the color.

The nib is 14k and again is a soft/fine with added flex. John is an amazing “artist” when it comes to nib modification and set-up. The nib was setup to my specifications which include, righty or lefty, pressure used when writing, angle of writing, how dry or wet it will write on a scale of 1-10. From there you decide the nib you want and then if you want it customized from a stub, italic, cursive italic, oblique, added flex, elastic, architect, Spencerian… etc. How good is the nib I got? It is amazing how good it is. A fine, soft & flexible nib that will write well even when flipped over. When flipped over it writes in what I would say is super extra fine.  It uses a Platinum brand converter and a plastic feed. The converter can be taken apart with ease to clean it and re-lube when needed. The feed really feeds well and is able to keep up with the ink flow needed for a flex nib.

Inked up it still just weighs 26.5 grams. But don’t think for one minute it will feel light and cheap. The subtle texture of this pen and wonderful warmth of the ebonite body will immerse your senses. It will also lighten your checkbook.