Faber-Castell Essentio aluminium. Fountain pen nib EF Black

Smooth

I'm making a collection of fountain pens and I ordered this to have a Faber-Castell in my collection. The pen has a nice, smooth feel, the ink flows easily without any issues, and the nib is slightly bigger than average I'd say. It feels very sturdy. Suitable for daily use. Great value for money. Nothing to complain about this pen.

Pióro było w innym kolorze i inną stalówką(zamiast stalówki B była stalówka M).

Ok. Todo perfecto

No cartridge was in the box (advertised with blue or black ink). I had a Konigsblau cartridge and used it. The nib glided very well on the test page and I was pleased. Went to take some notes the next day, and the pen clogged up. Removed the cartridge and replaced it. Upon then opening the pen's cap, the ink flew out onto the desk in two quite large drops, one quarter size and one dime size. I requested and received a replacement pen. Unlike the first pen, which appeared used or at least opened, this one was in a sealed cellophane sleeve inside the presentation box, and there was an ink cartridge included in the box. Due to having had near zero luck with cartridges in this pen, the conclusion is that a converter is required. Advertisement should include the fact that a converter is not included. If the separately ordered converter, from Faber-Castell works out well, and for at least a year, the review may be updated then later. For a broad nib Faber-Castell for writing, it looks like the Ambition is the only other choice presently. The Faber-Castell Hexo writes well but was only available on Amazon in the color desired in EF at the time.

This is my daily-carry fountain pen. The nib is smooth, the ink flow is good, the appearance is pretty professional, and its middling weight is nice in the hand. It makes me want to take notes all the time, because it makes the act of writing so enjoyable with this pen. The extra-fine nib in this German pen is not quite as fine as I'd expect from a Japanese extra-fine fountain pen nib, but that is no surprise. The only major downside, for me, is the fact it does not post. The cap will not hold the back of the pen; it just rattles loosely on the back tip of it. When at my desk at home, this does not really matter, but as a daily carry pen this can be a bit of an inconvenience. I'm occasionally afraid I will lose the cap. For that reason, I've ordered a different pen to try out as a daily carry pen, and plan to keep this pen at my desk (probably with a Penwell) instead. This, combined with the somewhat bulky and bulbous shape of the cap, is what prompts me to subtract a single star from my rating. Otherwise, it would be worth five stars. In other colors, the Essentio does not look great to me. The tendency of Faber-Castell to make the barrel and cap of its pen designs differ in clashing ways is one of my least favorite things about the brand. Other features of Faber-Castell pens tend to be quite nice, and I'm glad this pen was available in this all-black color scheme. As a pen that stays at a desk 24/7, this pen in this color and material leaves nothing to be desired, for me. It is an excellent writing instrument. Note: It did not come with a converter, and when I tried purchasing a converter from a vendor on Amazon the order got screwed up. I ended up purchasing my converter from a brick-and-mortar store (Meininger's, at 5th and Broadway in Denver, I think). You may want to keep this in mind if considering this pen yourself. EDIT: I have since "upgraded" to a Platinum Procyon in the Deep Sea color (for a subdued, professional, but still attractive, look) as my daily carry, favorite fountain pen. I still like the Essentio a lot; it's my second-favorite pen. Everything about the Procyon is, for my taste, just slightly better, plus the Essentio posts securely, while the Essentio doesn't post at all. I've also come to realize that the Essentio, while it takes standard international cartridges, seems to require a proprietary converter, which I find annoying. I wanted to swap converters with another standard international cartridge pen, because they were both using the same ink and, while the Essentio had run out, the other hand not, and I wanted to switch inks in the other pen. That was when I learned my standard international converter from the other pen would not fit. I don't like rewarding pen makers for requiring proprietary accessories when there is an international standard they could use instead, so I won't recommend this pen to others. For that reason, I'm dropping an extra star from this pen's rating, making it a three-star review instead of four-star. (Note: While Platinum uses proprietary cartridges and converters, Platinum offers a very cheap -- one dollar in some places -- adapter that allows you to use standard international cartridges and converters, so it gets a pass from me on that.)

Lo primero de todo he de decir que la pluma en si está muy bien, el cuerpo es de metal, con algo menos de textura de lo que se ve en la foto, pero se siente de calidad, con peso (no demasiado). Decir que la tapa es de plastico (algo que la mayoría de marcas hace por otro lado) pero dado el precio, no hubiera estado mal que fuera de metal, aunque una vez más es algo bastante común. Mi problema realmente y la razón por la que le pongo 4 estrellas es porque una marca como Faber castell, en una pluma que cuesta 50 euros casi, no debería de traerte la pluma en una caja de carton muy, pero muy barata. He comprado más bolígrafos y plumas de otras marcas con menos renombre que esta, y más baratos, y tenian una caja de carton duro, que tenia una buena presentación, pero por lo que se ve Faber castell no invierte en presentación. Recalco que la pluma en sí está bien, pero pagar casi 50 euros por una pluma, considero que implica que al menos tenga una buena presentación