La Plume Etoile

The kind folks at Rohrer & Klinger Inks sent me their entire line of inks to try.  Thank you, Johannes!  Rather than doing a separate review for each ink, I thought I’d treat you to a lot of ink eye candy all at once!

The Bottle: The bottles are glass with a white plastic ribbed top.

The Color: The colors are bright, rich and saturated.  I’ll let you view the photos instead of describing each ink.  There are a few that I will highlight:  Morinea is one of my ideal shades of red - dark and blue based, but not too dark or burgundy; Heliannthus is a dark enough yellow to see on paper and could be good for highlighting purposes; Cassia is an ideal purple color and I love the blues of Konigslau and Blau Permanent (this one is permanent!); Verdigris is a dark teal type color - it reminds me of a teal color mixed with a charcoal grey; and Leipziger Schwarz is a very black black.

On Paper: All the swatches below were made with a glass dip pen, so I was putting a lot of ink on the paper at once.  As you can see, still no feathering and minimal bleeding on the notebook paper lines.  Even with the heavy use of the ink, there is minimal bleed through on the back of the paper sheets.  A triumph indeed!

Consistency: I currently have Cassis in a refilled Pilot Varsity and am not having any problems with it.  It’s flowing well and performing nicely.

Other Considerations: Something very cool about R&K inks is that all ink colors can be blended together to create your own combinations.  I have not tried this, but this is what R&K told me.  However, if you do blend the Sepia, be sure to wash the fountain pen after use.  Scabiosa and Salix are both iron gull nut ink and R&K says they are safe for fountain pens, but you will definitely need to wash the fountain pen after use.  From my learning of gull inks, the best choice may be to only use these with dip pens instead of loading them, as they have a higher tendency to clog pens.

Crystals could separate from the water component of the ink in airline shipment due to pressure, but I have been told this is not normal.

Overall: R&K produces a set of very lovely colors to enhance your collection.

Purchasing and Pricing: Learn more about R&K at http://www.rohrer-klingner.de.  You can buy bottles of R&K from your favorite retailers like Pendemonium and others.  Bottles retail for about $10-12.

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This review features a Lamy Safari in Shiny Black with a Fine nib and a Lamy AL-Star in Rasberry, also with a Fine nib.  I decided to review the Lamy Safari and Lamy AL-Star pens together because they are almost the same pen.

Appearance: The black Safari’s plastic is shiny, whereas the AL-Star has a brushed metal look.   Both pens are not completely round, but have chiseled edges to give them a rounded-square look.  They feature a transparent section that is molded with grooves for finger placement.  There is also a rubber seal between the section and body.  The clip is a chrome-colored brass wire metal clip, which looks like part of a paper clip.

Nib: I believe the nib is stainless steel and is engraved with the name “Lamy.”  They write great (see below), but have more nib creep than any of my other pens.  This doesn’t affect the pens’ performance, but can be annoying.

Opening and Closing: These pens have a pull-off cap that removes easily. When capping the pens, the caps seal with a satisfying click and stay on securely.

Size/Weight: The main difference between the pens is the Safari is made out of plastic and the AL-Star is made of lightweight aluminum.   The AL-Star is also slightly lighter than the Safari, but the difference is so slight that I don’t notice it while using either pen.

I like to write with the Lamys unposted because I feel they are unbalanced and too top heavy when posted.

Writing: Writing with these pens is almost a dream.  The exceptional flow highlights the vibrancy of the ink and makes for an extremely smooth writing experience.  The pen also does not skip.  My personal problem with these pens is the molded grip.  The placement of grooves does not match my finger placement when holding a pen.  Trying to conform my finger placement in the grips is uncomfortable and thus decreases my satisfaction when writing with the Lamys.  I think the grooves are a great tool for someone that needs to learn how to properly hold a pen.   However, even though I do hold my pen in the proper manner, the grooves are still slightly off from my grip.

Ink: This is a cartridge/converter pen and I have been using it with a converter. As stated above, the flow is also quite wet and enhances the features of the ink.  I used J. Herbin’s Vert Empire in the black Safari and J. Herbin’s Rose Cyclamen in the Rasberry AL-Star.  I especially loved how the wet flow enabled Rose Cyclamen’s brightness to come through on the paper.

The Box: The boxes were nothing special, just vented cardboard.  I didn’t think photos would be necessary for them.

Price: The Safari retails for $30 and the AL-Star is at $40.

Overall: The Lamy Safari and Lamy AL-Star are great for someone who is just getting started with fountain pens, someone who doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on a pen, and someone who wants a daily workhorse that will really perform.  Aside from the molded grip not matching my personal writing grip, these are great pens for fountain pen lovers at all levels.

The Lamy Safari in Shiny Black with a Fine Nib.

Followed by:

The Lamy AL-Star in Rasberry with a Fine Nib.

(The color is more pink in reality.  The photos make it have an orange tint.)

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Appearance: The Diplomat Esteem fountain pen is a lovely, full-size fountain pen that will appeal to men and women. The exterior of my pen is a brushed chrome with a shiny chrome decorative clip, but it comes in many different colors and finishes. The Diplomat logo is also located at the top of the pen. The section of the pen is black and you can see the black line when the pen is capped, making a nice break in the body of the pen.

Nib: The nib is stainless steel, etched with the Diplomat logo and the words “DIPLOMAT Since 1922 F.” The F is for my nib choice of Fine, and I imagine the letter will change depending on which nib size you select. The nib is connected to the section, so if for any reason you change nibs, you change the whole section piece with the nib, not just the nib itself. There is usually no nib creep, although, if there is, it is only a few tiny dots of ink.

Opening and Closing: This pen has a pull-off cap that removes easily. When capping the pen, the cap seals with a satisfying click and stays on securely.

Size/Weight: This pen is a good width, neither too skinny nor thick. It is comfortable for me to wrap my fingers around when writing, but someone with very large hands might find it small.

I find the pen to be well balanced and I prefer to write with it unposted because the pen’s body is made of metal instead of celluloid and it is slightly to heavy for me. It is lighter if I do not post the cap. I like extremely light pens because my hand and arm fatigue easily due to my tendonitis. However, the Esteem is not a heavy pen, yet it feels substantial in the hand.

Posting the cap on the Esteem requires a bit of pressure; yielding a slight click and a snug seal. If the cap is not pressed down enough to post properly, it will flop around and fall off, so I advise making sure it seals.

Writing: Writing with the Esteem is smooth and easy. I have actually written with it for significant periods of time, although this varies for me due to my tendonitis. For someone without any hand or wrist problems, this pen should prove useful for short or long writing sessions and could also be a daily workhorse.

Ink: The Esteem is a cartridge/converter pen. Like the previously reviewed Monteverde Mini Jewelria, the Esteem takes mini-cartridges. I have been using it with one of these cartridges and it works well, however, I prefer my bottled ink. I have a converter for it, but have not tried it in the Esteem yet as I do not want to waste the cartridge. I have also been using another Diplomat pen (review to come) with a converter and the flow is excellent. I expect the Esteem will be the same with the converter.

Other Considerations: I’m sure any regular fountain pen user expects a pen to dry out after sitting for a few days, which then requires a quick run under water from the faucet to get the ink flowing again. I had not used the Esteem for at least a week while I was trying a few other pens, and I was pleasantly surprised when I went to use the Esteem and it wrote immediately after sitting for all that time. Very refreshing!

My next point is to illustrate Diplomat’s wonderful customer service and professionalism. When I first got the Esteem, it had a slight nib issue. I alerted Hillary at Diplomat of the problem. First, she immediately knew it was a nib problem, as I was not sure of the problem’s cause. I liked this because it showed she had knowledge about the Diplomat products and how they work. One might think this would be obvious, but sadly, this is often not the case at many companies. Next, she immediately sent me out a new nib, and the problem was solved. I sent the old nib back to her and she alerted the factory to the problem. Not only did she know the cause of the problem, but she fixed the problem quickly AND alerted the factory to make sure the problem does not happen again.

I hesitated to share this information because I do not want it to appear that Diplomat pens commonly have problems - they do not. Furthermore, this was a problem that could happen with ANY pen. Again, it was merely to illustrate the great business of the company, with which I was highly impressed.

The Box: The Esteem comes in a simple and modern brushed chrome, hinged box. The shape and manner of opening the box are similar to an eyeglass case. The top of the case is printed with “DIPLOMAT Since 1922″ and the Diplomat logo that reminds me of a flower. The inside of the box is lined with a soft, felt-type material with a groove cut specifically for the pen.

Overall: Diplomat’s website at www.mydiplomatpen.com, accurately states their products are “Fine German Writing Instruments.” While the Esteem’s price varies depending on the color, finish, and type of pen (fountain pen, rollerball or ball pen), the Esteem is not very expensive and a nice choice for a daily writer that writes well and looks great. Diplomat also offers various other collections, all of which are affordable, stylish, streamlined and classy.

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Appearance: This pen is BEAUTIFUL!  It is an intricately crafted spiral and a lovely darker purple that matches J. Herbin’s Poussiere de Lune ink.  While the tip is clear, it does sometimes reflect the violet color of the body.

Weight: Comfortable and well balanced.

Functionality: The spiral in the lower body (near the tip) functions almost like a grip.  The grooves in the tip beautifully hold the ink and writes between two and three lines before having to dip again.   The pen does need to be rotated while writing to get the most longevity out of each dip.

This pen provides wetter and more saturated lines than most fountain pens, and I have been using it to test all my new inks.  It provides a quick and easy way to test inks, especially when I am anxious to try a new one!   Because of the increased wetness, the inks appear darker and have more shading than they do when loaded in a fountain pen.

This is a gorgeous pen and I am happy to have it as part of my collection.  Now I want more…

Please see below for detailed photographs of the pen and ink on the tip of the pen.  Click on the thumbnails for full size shots.

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