Faber-Castell Loom Metallic Fountain Pen and Giveaway!!!

The Faber-Castell company was founded in 1761 by Kaspar Faber, who was a cabinet maker. In 1898,  Ottilie von Faber the heir to the A.W. Faber company married Count Alexander zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, and the company name was changed to Faber-Castell. Over the years, the company has built a reputation for fine writing products, pencils, and a wide range of art supplies. Recently, they introduced a new color line for their well know “Loom” series, which have chrome barrels and three cap color options: Metallic Grey, Metallic Olive Green, and Metallic Light Blue. I reached out to Faber-Castell and they graciously sent me a few pens for review, and I will be giving one away. If you would like to be entered to win your own Faber-Castell Loom with a broad nib and your choice of cap color, leave a comment on the review and let me know what your experience is with Faber-Castell products. Shipping in the U.S. is free, but if outside the U.S. I will cover the first $8. The giveaway will close at midnight on 6/30/18 and I will announce the winner on 7/1/18. Be sure to sign up for follow-up emails to ensure I can contact you if you are the winner. Thank you to Faber-Castell for sending these for review.

 

Packaging: Each pen has an outer box with the image of a suspension bridge, the Faber-Castell logo, and “Since 1761.” On the closed end of this box, there is a sticker detailing the color, model, and nib size. There is also a thin, rectangular white inner box with the Faber-Castell logo and “Since 1761” imprinted on it. Inside the inner box, a white tray slides out holding the pen in a plastic sleeve, an instruction manual, and a standard international ink cartridge. The packaging is simple and effective. Its size makes this box ideal to be reused as either a pen case or a pencil box that can easily be slipped into a bag.

First Thoughts: Each pen cap is an impressive metallic color with a satin finish that pops against the polished metal finish of the body.

Design: The body of the pen is cylindrical with a gradual taper towards the nib. The body is made of polished chrome-plated metal with 5 slightly raised rings on the grip section. Since the cap snaps on, there are no stepdown or threads to impede the design. The satin-finished cap has a gradual taper from a thin, chrome cap band towards the finial, and is engraved with the Faber-Castell logo and “Since 1761.” The clip is spring-loaded, has squared edges, and has a slight upturn at the end which allows it to be easily secured to clothes or a pencase. The cap finial is engraved with the Faber-Castell jousting knights logo, and the bottom finial has an interesting concave shape. The bottom finial also has a thin recessed groove which allows the cap to be posted securely.

Nib Performance: I received pens with fine, medium, and broad nibs to review. The nibs have a repeating dot pattern, the Faber-Castell jousting knights logo, and the letters F, M, or B (which corresponds to the nib size) engraved. All three nibs wrote beautifully out of the box. The Fine nib had a small amount of feedback and was the perfect balance of a wet/dry writer. The medium nib was perfectly smooth and had the same wet/dry balance. The broad nib was also a smooth writer, but was a wet writer laying down thick lines.

Filling System:  The Loom series are filled via standard international cartridge or via a standard international converter. The pen comes with a cartridge so you can get started writing as soon as you get it or you can purchase a converter.

Value: The Loom fountain pen retails for $55 USD. I think this is a great price for a “next-level” pen or even for a “entry-level” pen.

Overall: I have heard great things about Faber-Castell for a while and now I understand why fans are so passionate about their pens. These wrote beautifully out of the box and have enough weight to feel the pen when using it, but not so heavy that it tires out your hand as you write. It is one of the best writing pens that I have used, especially in this price range. I highly recommend adding at least one to your collection.

Specs:

Name:  Faber-Castell Loom

Design: Chrome plated metal body, satin finish snap cap

Length: 130mm (5.1 in)

Posted: 152mm (6 in)

Diameter: 11.8mm (.5 in) body

Weight: 33g (1.2 oz)

Nib: Stainless Steel

Filling System: Standard international cartridge/converter

Pros: Wonderful nib, balanced body, strong snap cap

Cons: Need to purchase converter separately

In the same price range:

TWSBI Classic

TWSBI 580

Conklin Duragraph