Where Have All the Good Pens Gone?

Won’t you tell me

Where have all the good pens gone?

(With apologies to Ray Davies of The Kinks.)

I must admit that it is hard to get excited about the design and technologies behind recently launched fountain pens. Sure, you can pay a gazillion dollars for a “jewellery” pen (why?) or you can pay a couple of bucks for what amounts to a disposable pen (made of who knows what) from China. How about something for the rest of us – the under $500 Canadian crowd? Can’t we get a reliable pen that catches your eye and forces you to pick it up and write?

Let’s take a look at some of the recent blunders, starting with the Pelikan Sahara – the follow-up to the Niagara Falls in the “Natural Phenomena” collection. The fountain pen has been engine turned (manually) to represent the dunes that stretch to the horizons with a gold-plated brass barrel decorated with a spiral design that supposedly creates the impression of moving waves. After the engraving is complete, the surface is covered with multiple layers of lacquer to give it a hard, durable finish. The grip, cap and barrel end of the fountain pen are made of resin. The shadings of colour are intended to reflect the different tones of desert sands. If you ask me, it looks like what comes out of the southbound end of a northbound horse, including the different tones of colour!

You can at least give the Pelikan designers some credit for trying something new.

My next offender has destroyed one of their emblems of design and innovation in the name of branding. Of course, I am talking about the Omas 360 – the pen that caused such a stir with its triangular design about ten years ago. Some people were put off at first but once in your hand, the pen sits beautifully. Omas has overhauled the design of the pen and completely changed its character. They have softened its lines and made the triangular shape of the barrel rounder toward the grip. Likewise the cap head has been changed to make way for the Omas “O” symbol. Omas doesn’t seem to know the old saw, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”. They have done similar damage to their other classic designs in order to make the Omas name a more prominent part of the design.

I just can’t resist commenting on the Monteverde Nabu (Painted MegaBall Collection), which is based on the Mega Inkball rollerball (fountain pen not yet available – there is a god!). The Nabu is a pen created using a technique that involves painting the transparent acrylic resin barrel from the inside. This is the opposite of classic maki-e, which is applied to the outside of the pen. Three images, based on traditional Chinese culture, have been used so far -“The Tiger,” “The Great Wall” and “Flowers & Birds.”

Can you say “floaty pen” – you know, those cheap plastic “tilt”, “tip and strip” or photo-based pens that you find at tourist attractions?

Filed under: monteverde, omas, pelikan fountain pen

Where Have All the Good Pens Gone?

Won’t you tell me

Where have all the good pens gone?

(With apologies to Ray Davies of The Kinks.)

I must admit that it is hard to get excited about the design and technologies behind recently launched fountain pens. Sure, you can pay a gazillion dollars for a “jewellery” pen (why?) or you can pay a couple of bucks for what amounts to a disposable pen (made of who knows what) from China. How about something for the rest of us – the under $500 Canadian crowd? Can’t we get a reliable pen that catches your eye and forces you to pick it up and write?

Let’s take a look at some of the recent blunders, starting with the Pelikan Sahara – the follow-up to the Niagara Falls in the “Natural Phenomena” collection. The fountain pen has been engine turned (manually) to represent the dunes that stretch to the horizons with a gold-plated brass barrel decorated with a spiral design that supposedly creates the impression of moving waves. After the engraving is complete, the surface is covered with multiple layers of lacquer to give it a hard, durable finish. The grip, cap and barrel end of the fountain pen are made of resin. The shadings of colour are intended to reflect the different tones of desert sands. If you ask me, it looks like what comes out of the southbound end of a northbound horse, including the different tones of colour!

You can at least give the Pelikan designers some credit for trying something new.

My next offender has destroyed one of their emblems of design and innovation in the name of branding. Of course, I am talking about the Omas 360 – the pen that caused such a stir with its triangular design about ten years ago. Some people were put off at first but once in your hand, the pen sits beautifully. Omas has overhauled the design of the pen and completely changed its character. They have softened its lines and made the triangular shape of the barrel rounder toward the grip. Likewise the cap head has been changed to make way for the Omas “O” symbol. Omas doesn’t seem to know the old saw, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”. They have done similar damage to their other classic designs in order to make the Omas name a more prominent part of the design.

I just can’t resist commenting on the Monteverde Nabu (Painted MegaBall Collection), which is based on the Mega Inkball rollerball (fountain pen not yet available – there is a god!). The Nabu is a pen created using a technique that involves painting the transparent acrylic resin barrel from the inside. This is the opposite of classic maki-e, which is applied to the outside of the pen. Three images, based on traditional Chinese culture, have been used so far -“The Tiger,” “The Great Wall” and “Flowers & Birds.”

Can you say “floaty pen” – you know, those cheap plastic “tilt”, “tip and strip” or photo-based pens that you find at tourist attractions?

Filed under: monteverde, omas, pelikan fountain pen