I have to admit, despite having carried Edison pens for several months, I had never inked one of them or owned one, not even one of the production series. I had tried them before, but what does a 30 second test really tell you about a pen? Lisa had a Pearlette she acquired in Chicago this year, but it wasn’t until just after the Washington D.C. show that we both decided to grab an Edison Production Line pen for ourselves. My choice was easy. I had lusted after the gorgeous Copper Flake Herald since it came out and we first received them. I knew that was the one. Couple that with the fact it would be a perfect pen to use my favorite Montblanc Bordeaux ink (now just called Burgundy Red) and I was sold. I looked through the available Copper Flake Herald’s we had in stock, picked the one with the most appealing pattern (they are all beautiful), and inked it up.
The Edison Herald comes in three different finishes, the Copper Flake I chose for this review, Amber Tortoise, and Crushed Shell. All three are really spectacular finishes, and really not a bad one in the bunch. The crushed shell has rhodium trim and a single tone steel nib, whereas the Copper Flake and Amber Tortoise have gold filled trim and a two tone steel nib.
The Edison Herald Pens
The pen is designed to be posted and has a nice pleasant torpedo shape to it. Remniscient of a more tapered Sheaffer Balance pen, I find it also a good balance in my hand, but let’s not get too far ahead of myself. 🙂
The pen is 5-3/4 inches long capped, and 6-1/2 inches long posted. The barrel is about 1/2 inch in girth, not too big and not too slender. While I like oversized pens in the vintage realm, modern oversized pens can be a little, well, overwhelming at times. This is just the right size for everyday use.
The pen has very clean styling to it, the clip is simple and straight with no markings on it, and the barrel has “Edison Pen Co. Herald” very tastefully inscribed, similar to vintage pens. This pen lets its design and style do the talking. No need for the company name on the clip or cap band (which this pen does not have).
The Edison Herald Pens Showing Nibs
The pen is a cartridge convertor, using the common international size and a high quality Schmidt convertor. I chose a Medium nib as I always do, and love the two tone look on the nib. The face of the nib has the Edison name as well as their logo of a nib on the surface, then some scrollwork just beneath the plain steel part of the nib. I’m not usually a fan of two tone steel nibs, because in my opinion they are usually very poorly done, but this does not fit into that category and is quite attractive. The feed is ebonite and more flat on the bottom, which I think is a more attractive look than a more round feed. There are plenty of combs available to hold ink, but I’ve never seen the ink gravitate into the combs. It is a well made nib and feed combination. Oh, and of course, it is removable and screws out so you can put a different nib in if and when you want to, and it does this easily.
I used the included convertor and sucked up some Montblanc ink, wiped off the excess and put the pen to paper. Here we go, smooth city. Very nice writing, with no hesitation or skipping. In fact, after about a month, no false starts or hesitation at all. It has started the first time, every time I have picked it up, even after having sat for several days or even a week. It reminds me a lot of some of the vintage Sheaffer Balance pens I own. Very consistent and always ready and waiting to be put to good use. In fact, this is such a nice pen, in terms of overall fit and finish, beauty, AND writing characteristics, I’m at a loss for words as to what else to say about this pen other than to try one. If you happen to be at any of the US pen shows we frequent (and that will be a good number of them in 2013 and beyond), do stop by our table and ask to take my Edison Herald for a spin. You won’t be disappointed.
Cheers!
Brian