For starters, the credentials are so damn impressive that they alone can justify a purchase decision. As a matter of fact, the more I think about them, the more awestruck I feel. Yes, there are brands making fountain pens that are better known. Yes, there are entities in the domain that enjoy a higher brand recall, but in terms of sheer heirloom value, this entity is ka-boom! Hear me out:
The company was founded in 1761. For the uninitiated, that was just after the forces of the East India Company had emerged victorious in the mango gardens of Plassey. Yes, the business was started so far back in time.
The current board has the 9th generation of the family of the founders.
This German company is one of the most iconic brands in the writing instruments space and in terms of recall is way there in the sky, with the Gods!
Incidentally, they are a Carbon neutral entity and has their own forest in Brazil which offsets their Carbon footprint. They capture 900,000 tons of CO2 and that’s an old estimate. That one is forced to acknowledge, is a rare case of the past taking care of the future, if you may.
Can you guess the brand? Well, we are talking about Faber-Castell .
Most of us know Faber-Castell for their pencils (and all sorts of drawing materials, stationery products), but they also make Fountain Pens, awfully good ones at that and today’s story is about one of them.
This pen has been gifted to me by a fellow fountain pen lover who does not wish to be named and I want to send a little salute to him though this video. You know, this gentleman regularly sends to me the pens that he buys, to be distributed among young fountain pen lovers, which is a great gesture, and I join them all in saluting you, Sir!
I won’t keep you guys guessing about the pen any more, for we are talking about the Faber-Castell Loom Piano Fountain Pen (White) This also has a twin in Black and mark my words, the black one is just as striking to the eye as the white one is, perhaps, a shade bit more attractive, but I guess that is debatable.
What’s so striking about this pen? Well, the look itself warrants that one falls in love with it. The way the metallic gloss is married to the muted matt, is striking and unlike any other pen that I now have. The mix and match of materials, the visual and the tactile feelings that are sought to be invoked is like a punch in the solar plexus. It is the kind of a look that pumps up the adrenalin and urges one to act impulsively, to the extent that I won’t be surprised if I were to learn that the whole thing about judging a book by its covers began with one’s eyes caressing this pen!
The way the gripping section, with its matt, rings tapering off towards the nib, may be, the result of engineering excellence that has factored in ergonomics and user convenience to an extent normally not paid heed to, but it looks elegance refined. And yes, it does remind one of an opera coming to its close so that the audience can erupt in an explosion of applause – in the nib.
The nib is among the smoothest operators in the game and one has to feel it, blast through the senses as the nib glides on paper. If there is perfection anywhere on the realm of man, then this must be how it looks. As for the performance, let me leave it on to you – it feels too good to be true.
I am too insignificant to comment on the sheer magnanimity, the sheer scale of German engineering, especially when it is somehow compelled to surpass itself. But even mute spectators like me are obligated. This pen is simply beyond the realm of the good, to pass by – it’s a classic that must be acquired, I feel. The legacy, the craftsmanship, the attention to detail, the engineering excellence, everything is reflected in the sheer writing pleasure. Every little thing that has been carefully built in and perfected to provide only one thing – a supreme writing experience.
The Faber-Castell Loom Piano is like the carefully orchestrated pieces in a masterpiece that works towards reaching the crescendo in one explosion of sheer delight.
For more information:
Watch the video here:
I have one of these Loom fountain pens. I don’t enjoy it very much. But it’s brown and I keep it inked with delicious SBRE Brown.
The nib is a broad, writes OK but not sensational (compared with, say, a Platinum 3776). The nib is also smallish and slightly mismatched in the pen asthetically. The barrel is slippery and has no curves. Straight as a pipe, and the rings on the gripping section, though attractive, do nothing to help.