(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
The new Edison Comet pen model first caught my eye on the Edison Pen Co. Instagram, and when I saw they were bringing them to the Chicago Pen Show, I knew I might be in trouble. Sure enough, there were trays and trays of temptation there--but this one stood out. I've been drooling over Jonathon Brooks's abalone material since its debut, but hadn't scored any yet. Edison and Brooks combined? There was no way I was going home without this pen.
The unbalanced look of this pen is a bit odd. The top-heavy domed cap is unusual and may not have captivated me if I hadn't nerded out over the inspiration--a comet with a trailing tail. The translucent material at the top reminds me of a crystal ball, and the shimmery abalone looks absolutely magical. It reminds me of very happy memories studying the Hale-Bopp comet in my 8th grade physics class, when my best friend and I were studying astronomy for Science Olympiad.
But you don't need to be a nerd to love this pen. While the cap looks top-heavy, the material is light and the cap posts deeply, so it feels perfectly balanced when writing (whether your post or not). The joins are smooth and the clip is sleek and flexible. The grip section has a comfortable concave center that flares enough to keep your fingers from slipping down to the nib. The threads above the grip section are very smooth.
Mine has a broad stainless steel nib. I don't usually get broad nibs--I prefer needle EFs--but that means I have a lot of EFs, and I knew I'd want to put lighter colored inks in this pen. I also had Brian tune the nib to be super wet and smooth--so it's the perfect pen for inks that I love that are too pale to be read easily in finer lines. Of course, getting a custom tuning of the nib is an advantage of pen show attendance, but I've always had good experiences with Edison's nibs.
Overall, the pen is beautiful, a pleasure to write with, and makes me think of happy memories. The only criticism I have is that it's so pretty that sometimes it distracts me while I'm writing and I just twist the pen in the sun watching the shimmer while time passes by.
I conveniently forget what I paid for my pen (pen show brain fog), but Edison offers a lot of customization of materials and filler systems that influence their prices. A base price for the Comet on their site now is $275, and they have a large selection in stock currently—several of which want to come live at my house. Please go buy them so I don't.
(I bought this pen at standard retail from Edison Pen Co. at the 2022 Chicago Pen Show.)
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