The Franklin-Christoph SIG Nib: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Recently, I lucked out and bought a Stabilis 65 in tiffany from a seller on Fountain Pen Geeks. The pen came with a Masuyama steel needlepoint nib I was eager to try. Unfortunately, I found the needlepoint scratchy (expected) and very dry (unexpected).

But I loved the pen, so I decided to order a different nib for it. That's when I discovered you can buy a new grind from Franklin-Christoph called the SIG (stub-italic-gradient) nib. The nib is in between an italic and a stub with less sharpness than an italic but a crisper line than a stub. The gradient means that, depending on the angle you hold the pen (shallow or steep), you get more or less line variation.

I purchased a medium SIG for my new Stabilis 65. It arrived a few days later and, I must say, I adore this nib. It is smooth. It's not hard to find the sweet spot because the whole nib is sweet. The edges don't gouge the paper (like some super crisp italics), and there's just enough line variation to distinguish the nib from a stub.

The Franklin-Christoph steel nibs don't have any spring to them, but in this case, it doesn't really matter as the nib itself offers such an enjoyable writing experience.

Franklin-Christoph nibs simply screw into the grip, so you can purchase a nib and use it with any Franklin-Christoph pen. Just make sure you know which size nib your pen requires (#5 or #6).

My Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 65 in tiffany with the medium SIG nib is already one of my favorite writing pens. You can get a Stabilis 65 from Franklin-Christoph with the SIG nib for $159.50 in black or emerald. Unfortunately, the tiffany acrylic was a special run and is no longer available. If you just want the SIG nib, you can order the ^5 nib for $40 and the #6 nib for $45. All the SIG nibs are steel, but hopefully Franklin-Christoph will produce them in gold as well in the future.

(I purchased both the pen and nib with my own funds and was not compensated by Franklin-Christoph for this review.)

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Platinum Natural Weasel Hair Brush Pen CF-5000 Review

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on his blog, Smallberry Drive, Twitter, and Instagram.)

Brush pens are not something I am used to seeing made with flourish and style. They are usually basic looking tools encased in cheap plastic, not the sort of thing that impresses upon first appearance. So much of what makes a brush pen impressive is simply the brush, so once a pen company has mastered the inky tip, they usually decide to rest on their laurels. Not so with Platinum.

The Platinum CF-5000 Brush Pen looks more like a fountain pen when capped, but it does stop with looks. This pens has all the functions you would expect of a mid range fountain pen, minus the nib, of course. The aluminum body decorated with red marble and gold finishes has all the trapping of the fountain pen aesthetic. The overall function of the body is also very pleasing. The cap does not screw on, but glides into place. It also posts in the same manner, giving the pen a nice balance. The tip and body unscrew to give you access to the cartridge. The pen comes with an attached cart with a tiny bit of what seemed like oil to keep the bristles lubricated, and one cart of Platinum’s Carbon black.

I used the Carbon Black cartridge first and got a Platinum Converter after, they both work wonderfully. I got quite a bit of millage out of the cartridge, more than I would have expected. The converter works splendidly, dip the brush and draw up the ink by twisting the end. If you have ever used a Platinum Converter, you know the deal. I’m not a fountain pen guy (don’t shoot), so I can’t talk much about this converter vs other converters, but it is sharp. With a visible ink viewing window and gold detailing, it matches the pen perfectly. I opted for my favorite drawing ink, Liquitex Carbon Black, just to mix it up to see how flow might be affected, and it is just as consistent as Platinum’s own ink.

Speaking of the flow, the ink flow to the brush is perfectly balanced. It is sublime and I can’t overstate how big of deal this is. One of my favorite brush pens is a cheap Pentel Aquash water brush pen, but after using it for thirty minutes the brush gets too wet to do really fine lines. The Pilot Medium Brush Pen has the opposite problem and you have to squeeze the body to get consistent ink flow. The Platinum hits the perfect balance of not running dry and not getting so inky that you can’t do a hair-thin line (all without squeezing a plastic body) and looks damn good while doing it.

Aside from the ink flow, there is the tip itself. The bristles are made of weasel hair, often called kolinsky (from the name of the animal type) in the brush industry. They are the gold standard of brush material. The tip snaps back beautifully after each stroke and bends and flexes as good as my Series 7 Sable Winsor & Newton brush. The tip retention is remarkable, not once has the tip failed to spring back to it’s point.

If it seems like I’m talking sugar, it’s cause I am. This pen has become my main inking tool quicker than I would have predicted. It works splendidly and looks amazing. If it didn’t work as good as it does then the candy coating would be a farce, but it does and it makes the whole package spectacular. If I thought I could easily write notes with it, it would be my pocket carry daily, but I can only imagine the looks I would get in meetings.

Which brings me to the only sticking point. If you are not a brush pen fanatic then the price tag will turn you off. It is a bit pricy for an item you usually use in private. Fountain pens can (and are) used everywhere: taking notes in meetings, addressing letters, crossing off items at the grocery store. Settings both public and private, the right fountain pen can be as practical as it is stunning. But a brush pen? I only draw in public occasionally, usually on break at work. This is a VERY niche item in a community that is already very niche. I am going to cherish this pen, mainly because I DO use brush pens daily and this one out performs all of my other brush pens, but this one is for the brush pen enthusiast's only. But if you are, boy howdy, is it ever for you.

(Pen Boutique provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Kutsuwa Stad T'Gaal Pencil Sharpener Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

I haven't been in the woodcase pencil game very long, but one of the first things I realized after buying a few pencils is that I didn't really have any pencil sharpeners. Thinking back, I hadn't owned a pencil sharpener since middle school, which makes sense given that's the time I was allowed to switch to using pens for class. And, just like the woodcase pencil world, there's a wide variety of sharpeners you can buy.

After trying a few, I noticed the Kutsuwa Stad T'Gaal sharpener on Jetpens. Besides, the difficult name, it sported a unique dial on the front that caught my interest. The benefit of this sharpener is that you can choose between 5 different sharpened lead core lengths. In other words, this sharpener can give you a short, stubby writing length, a long, pointy writing end, and three degrees in between. There are a number of reasons you might want different core lengths, but most of them boil down to preference. For me, it was mostly curiosity because I didn't really know what kind of length I preferred.

For less than $7, you can buy a sharpener that gives you an idea of what different core lengths do to a pencil. In a way, each length setting gives the pencil a different character.

So, how does it work? Simple: just rotate the dial to the core length you want (represented by the numbers 1 - 5), and sharpen away.

Setting 1 will sharpen the pencil to a short core length. This gives the tip a sharp angle that produces a stubby writing tip. I like this setting for some uses because after you wear down the initial sharp point, you have a wide, blunt tip to work with. This is great for shading or writing with a wider line width.

Setting 3 looks like the standard pencil core length you get from any other sharpener in school. It's the middle-ground setting, so that makes sense here. For most people, this will feel very familiar. It's a good setting for general writing.

Setting 5 produces the longest core length, accompanied by a very sharp tip. Obviously, you can get a very fine line with this setting, but it also makes the tip brittle.

Settings 2 and 4 are, shockingly, in between their surrounding settings. Is setting 3 too long, but setting 1 too short? Setting 2 might be perfect for you.

As an added bonus, there's also a "Closed" position on the dial that closes a small door at the sharpening hole to prevent shavings leaking out when being carried or moved.

When it's time to empty out all those shavings, there's a small door on the back of the sharpener. In my use, this door is a little small and needs help to empty the shavings, but it gets the job done. More importantly, this sharpener does a great job at keeping all the shavings inside while using it and carrying it in bags.

JetPens offer these sharpeners in four delightful colors: Orange, Green, Pink, and Light blue.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!