Sometimes I like to go back and check out pens that I may have missed along the way. This is particularly the case for introductory pens, and often when I need to fill my cart for free shipping at JetPens! So this past week I ordered myself a Faber-Castell Grip Fountain Pen in Glam Violet (JetPens, $24).
At first look, the Faber-Castell Grip appears to be quite similar in body type to the Lamy Safari and the Pilot Explorer. All have similar plastic barrel shapes, slightly wider at the cap end, and slightly more tapered at the other end. All have clips, though those vary in style. All feature steel nibs. The grip sections are different. The Lamy Safari has that trademark triangular grip; the Pilot Explorer has a rounded, tapered grip; and the Faber-Castell Grip is somewhere in between. The Pilot Explorer retails for $25 and the basic Lamy Safari for $29.60. The other aesthetic difference in the Faber-Castell Grip are the raised dots on the body.
You can see that the weights between the three are comparable, and the lengths are similar as well (I don’t have a Safari in the collection, but I’ve added the Pilot Explorer and a TWSBI Eco here for comparison.)
My experience with the Faber-Castell Grip was ok. I had what I wouldn’t consider an a-typical experience, although it might not be 100% perfect for a person brand new to fountain pens. The pen comes with an ink cartridge (you can use short or long, or opt for a converter). I went ahead and swapped that out for a purple one, but popped it in and got ready to write. As it turns out the tines were a little tight on this particular F nib, and needed to be loosened a bit to let the ink flow. The nib is a bit scratchy, and would benefit from just a touch of micro-mesh. As I said, I don’t consider this a bad new pen experience (all of these things can be fixed easily), but if I was a brand new beginner I might be frustrated at having trouble getting the pen started writing.
All that said, once it started, it writes well. The ink flows smoothly, and it’s easy to hold and write with. The pen is lightweight, and fun to look at, while being nicely balanced. I know I could write with this one for a while and not suffer hand fatigue.
I think the Faber-Castell Grip makes a pretty good starter pen. I like the aesthetic of the dots, and I think it’s a relatively inexpensive way to experiment with fountain pens and cartridges or inks!
- Papers: Galen A5 EveryDay Book (set of 3 for $32.00)
- Pen: Faber-Castell Grip Fountain Pen in Glam Violet (JetPens, $24)
- Ink: Diamine Imperial Purple (from the Mixed Ink Set, 20 cartridges for $9.50)
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
I really don’t like these. I got three different ones in mystery boxes and resold them ASAP. But you are right: a new user might really like them!
I like them a lot, mine has a surprisingly soft nib that offers a decent amount of line variation. Not what I expected from a pen for beginners at all!
I have one of these, and whilst it’s not my favourite of my beginner pens, I do really like it. It’s a decent writer, and I do think they’re nice looking pens. I have the Silver Glam one, so like yours it’s a bit sparkly and iridescent!
One nice thing about this pen is that its grip is rubbery. For those who like a rubbery grip this makes a big difference and it’s the reason I like this pen. I got a medium nib and have never had a problem with it.