Monday, September 4, 2017

Edison Mina fountain pen review

Disclaimer: Everything that follows is my opinion of a pen that I purchased from Edison Pens.  I'm nothing but a satisfied customer, and I received nothing for writing this review but the satisfaction of talking about a pen that I bought.

I've mentioned in another post or two that besides treadle sewing machines and typewriters, I like fountain pens. There are several American pen companies, and the only one I have had experience with is Edison Pen in Ohio.  Their reputation is well-deserved.  They are wonderful people to deal with.

After 3 Edison Production Line pens, I decided I really wanted a Signature Line pen.  It only took me about 3 years of looking through the galleries and acrylics to decide what I wanted.  You read that right.  It really took me 3 years.  I am not a compulsive buyer ;-)  After much back-and-forth with myself, I finally decided on the Edison MinaI really like the design, and that it doesn't post is fine for me.  I wanted a pen that reminded me of the UP, and then I managed to catch the song "Bobcaygeon" on the radio.  You know, where "the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time."  (Hip alert.)  The Indigo Mesh acrylic looked like it would resemble the night sky.  It does.

 The bottom pen is the Mina, the top is the Edison Nouveau Premiere (Fall 2016 Autumn Embers.)  The Nouveau Premiere is there for perspective. 

You can almost see the subtle taper in the center of the Mina.  When the pen arrived Saturday, I caught myself running the pen through my hands, feeling the taper and the smoothness of the pen.  The tolerances are so tight that one can almost not feel where the cap and body meet.  It is so smooth that I had to really get on myself to put the pen down and get back to work.  (For once on a Saturday the mail came before noon, and I was in the middle of moving the bedroom around and Autumn cleaning.  Good ole Murphy's Law...)

 Looks like the sky up north, doesn't it?  I've never been to Bobcaygeon, ON, but I have seen the stars come out on the Lake Superior shoreline.  This is it.
 I even managed to catch the sparkles in the dark side of the pen.  (Any Pink Floyd reference not intended!) 
This picture is the one I wanted when trying to make up my mind, but there wasn't one anywhere. 

I had a really hard time deciding whether to go with the Extended Mina or the Standard Mina, and I finally just decided I was being ridiculous and went with the Standard.  It was a wonderful choice.  It fits my hand nicely, and it is very comfortable to write with.  I haven't given it the 2-3 hour writing test yet, but that's because things got busy around here with the garden and canning.  I did do a small writing sample (you're not seeing the other 3-4 pages.) 



Done on Rhodia with Pilot Blue-Black ink.

Brian of Edison Pen Co. adjusts the nibs in his Signature Line pens, and I have to say I have never written with anything so nice. He did an absolutely wonderful job on the nib.  I don't have the words to explain how wonderful the nib is tuned.  I have other pens that write well, but the Mina just blows them out of the water!  I've tried this pen on Clairefontaine, Rhodia, and my cheap Staples Brazil paper, and it takes them all on.

I have had 3 inks in this pen already since it arrived on Saturday.  First I used J. Herbin Bleu Nuit, one of my favorite inks, and it wrote be-yoo-ti-fully with it, but it wasn't quite the color I was looking for.  Then I moved to Pilot blue-black, and it wrote beautifully again, and it wasn't quite what I was looking for.  (See a pattern?)  So now I'm mixing the perfect color with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue and Pelikan Black, and I'm getting there.  If I weren't buried in ink, I'd find myself shopping for some.

To say that I am happy with this pen is an understatement.  It makes me want to crawl away and write.  Unfortunately, it doesn't have magical powers to silence my kids (and dog) so I can think, but school is starting soon and quiet time will return.   Thank you all at Edison Pen for my perfect pen!