His Nibs.com update -- Basic Black -- part 2

His Nibs.com Update --
Basic Black -- part 2
September 2nd, 2006

Continuing with last week's focus on basic
black fountain pens, I thought I'd add a few
additional entries for consideration. I may have
stretched the definition slightly, but a
little white with their black never hurt anyone.

On the blog....In praise of things old and inconvenient

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in this issue
* DUKE Great Shanghai
* DUKE 2009
* Uranus Gray Pinstripe
* Monteverde Invincia Black & White
* DUKE Century Pioneer
* DUKE Black Scallop
* Uranus Silver Ribbon
* DUKE P3 Orion
* DUKE Magnate
* On the blog...In praise of things old and inconvenient

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DUKE Great Shanghai

This oversized, lacquer-over-brass pen was designed
to celebrate the new center of Chinese finance,
culture and population -- Shanghai. Measuring a bit
over 5-1/2" capped and 6-1/2" posted, the pen is
similar in size to a Sheaffer Legacy or Pelikan 800.
Despite it's metal construction and size, this is
not an overly heavy pen, and is well-balanced for
extended writing.

The raised gold characters on the barrel tell the
story of the origin, in 1843, of Shanghai as the
major trading port in China in and how it has since
become the most advanced and important city in the
country. It is described as the Pearl of China, and
perhaps the Pearl of the Orient. This story is
continued on the cap with a visual representation of
two of the city's landmarks, the Oriental Pearl TV
tower (the tallest television tower in Asia, which
houses a number of fine restaurants...read more
about it here) and the Jinmao building (which is the
tallest building in China, houses the highest hotel
ever built -- the Grand Hyatt -- and is currently
the 3rd tallest building in the world.

Read more here... - http://www.hisnibs.com/great_shanghai.htm

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DUKE 2009

Here we have a pen design that's a very different
one for DUKE, or for any other manufacturer for that
matter. Visually, the first thing that strikes you
is the bulbous midsection, quite unlike any other
design that comes to mind.

The second surprise is the heft of the pen when you
first pick it up. Although not an oversized pen by
today's standards, it is a large pen, measuring
5-1/8" capped but a full 5-7/8" posted. The heft
comes from the lacquer-over-brass construction,
along with the extra girth just above the cap band
(3/4" in diameter). However, I found the pen to very
well balanced, whether using it uncapped or posted,
and to my hand at least, extremely comfortable to
write with, with my thumb and index finger resting
on the narrowed section above the nib.

See more here... - http://www.hisnibs.com/2009.htm
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Uranus Gray Pinstripe

A slim, understated pen design, gives the Uranus GDF
Gray Pinstripe a very classy appearance. Measuring
5-1/4" capped and a full 6" posted, it adapts itself
to any wardrobe, from business suit to casual wear.
The three simple, silver bands at barrel-base, cap
top and midsection nicely accentuate the sedate feel
to the exterior of this pen. The clip is subtly
adorned with the Uranus 'star' symbol, which is
reprised on the cap top (along with 'Uranus').

It's when you remove the slip cap (which re-seats
itself with a satisfyingly secure 'snap'), that
things heat up a bit, as the rakishly-styled nib
reveals itself! This is the same nib employed on the
Uranus 311 Blue Confetti, which has never been
accused of being an understated pen . The
beautifully sculpted nib, which comes in a fine,
has large cutouts on each side, revealing much of
the feed beneath. It's an interesting, and
surprising, match to an otherwise conservative pen
design.

More... - http://www.hisnibs.com/uranus_pinstripe.htm

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Monteverde Invincia Black & White

The Black & White Invincia departs from its brethren
with a gorgeous pearl-like resin body. The pen
measures 5-3/8" capped and 5-3/4" posted. Invincia
fountain pens come with an ink converter for bottled
ink and a black ink cartridge. Available with a
medium nib.

Read more... - http://www.hisnibs.com/invincia.htm

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DUKE Century Pioneer

This is a pen that always attracts a lot of
attention at pen shows, often reminding people of a
Waterman Edson Boucheron due to its design (not its
size!). A slim, mid-sized pen (measuring 5-1/4"
capped and 5-1/2" posted), the lacquer-over-brass
construction provides a comfortable heft, without
being heavy.

This is one of the DUKE models originally designed
to commemorate the millennium in 2000, and attests
to that fact with 'Duke2000' on both the cap and
clip. The cap band is imprinted with 'Duke' (with
the DUKE 'crown' logo right about), and on the
reverse side the number '208' (which doesn't make a
lot of sense, as the pen's model number is '205' ).
The pen has gold-plated or brass 'jewels' on both
ends, and overall is a real 'looker'.

See more here.... - http://www.hisnibs.com/century_pioneer.htm

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DUKE Black Scallop

The Black Scallop is a nice, understated full-sized
pen (5-3/8" capped, 6-1/4" posted). It's lacquer
over brass construction lends a bit of heft, but
it's not a heavy pen. The name derives from the
slightly scalloped appearance of its clip, and its
black 'jewel' on top of the cap adds an attractive
visual balance.

More... - http://www.hisnibs.com/black_scallop.htm

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Uranus Silver Ribbon

Here's a pen that carries an eye-catching design,
yet somehow still manages to remain understated.
Perhaps it's the matte silver/gray finish that
prevents it from being too 'busy'. Measuring 5-1/2"
capped and 5-3/4" posted, this is a fairly slim pen
that's made even more comfortable for extended
writing by the textured section.

Removing the slip cap displays the 22K gold-plated
Triumph-style wrap-around nib (I'd rate the nib as a
European fine). A section of the nib is cut out in
the shape of the Uranus star logo, which adds a
terrific visual element to this very attractive nib.
The nib is also engraved with 'Uranus' and '22K GP'.

See more... - http://www.hisnibs.com/uranus_309.htm

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DUKE P3 Orion

The P3 Orion is a classy, sleek pen design that
looks good at the opera, in a boardroom or resting
comfortably in the pocket of a flannel shirt. A slim
pen, it fits comfortably in a large hand -- or small
-- measuring a bit over 5-3/8" capped and 6-1/8" posted.

Finished in a rich, black lacquer -- over brass
construction -- three design elements immediately
attract the attention, depending upon the angle in
which the pen is viewed. Looked at edge-on, it's the
wasp-waisted, chromed clip that first draws the eye.

The next design feature that tends to attract is the
'temple apex', a visual reminder of the crowning
feature of many Chinese temples throughout the
world. Interestingly in this model, DUKE has placed
this at the end of the barrel, unlike with the
Copper Temple or the Beijing Opera, where it adorns
the top of the cap.

Read more... - http://www.hisnibs.com/p3_orion.htm

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DUKE Magnate

Here's a stunning, full-sized pen, measuring 5-1/2"
capped and 6-1/8" posted. The black base of warm,
lustrous Italian resin has veins of white/gray
running through it, and under certain light I think
I even detect a bit of blue (which appears more
strongly in photographs than to the naked eye).

The gold highlights set off the lacquer beautifully,
and the clip has the DUKE 'crown' logo in a
distinctive silver palladium-plate. The cap band,
with black background, reprises the logo and has
'Duke' twice, written in a flowing Copperplate
script. Additionally, the back of the band has the
Chinese characters for 'Duke' and 'Magnate'. The cap
itself is crowned with a black carnelian (black
agate) jewel, that makes a great impression when
peaking out of a shirt pocket.

Read more... - http://www.hisnibs.com/magnate.htm

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On the blog...In praise of things old and inconvenient

"Someone left a beautiful blue box on the front
porch of our church recently. A note on the top said
'For Gordon.' I opened the box and inside was an
elegant, blue fountain pen with gold bands.

The pen was left by an Episcopal priest named
Cristopher (yes, that's the correct spelling) whom I
met in a coffee shop several weeks ago. We had one
of those 'You're a minister? Me too! Isn't preaching
wonderful except when it's awful?' conversations
that ministers often have. The next time I saw him
there, I noticed he was writing with a fountain pen.
And since he is left-handed, there was ink smeared
all over his hand.

Writing with a fountain pen is a choice. And to do
so as a left hander, meaning you will always be
dragging your left hand through wet ink, indicates a
serious commitment. It's like me using my
grandfather's pocket watch, which loses about 6
minutes a day. It's not practical, nor does it make
sense in an age when cheap quartz watches lose less
than a second a month.

Read more here... - http://hisnibs.blogspot.com

Regards,

Norman Haase
His Nibs.com
www.hisnibs.com
Blog: http://hisnibs.blogspot.com