Sleek & Modern, but How Does It Write? | The Faber-Castell Loom

[@cd3694]

I’ve had this pen for a few years. Every time I use it, I’m always impressed by the way it writes, and after having dropped some bucks on some more expensive resin pens, what a quality well made pen it is.

[@cherryrosetorres6491]

Hello James! Congratulations on increasing viewers and subscribers. I'm in love with your fountain pen reviews ❤

[@JG3Reviews]

Glad you like them!

[@martynsnan]

James, you set me off on a quest. Armed with a kitchen magnet, I checked one of my Faber-Castell Ambition pens. The clip was definitely metal but the main cap and the finial on the barrel showed no interaction. On an inexpensive Faber-Castell School+ pen, the low cost, bendy clip was metal. Maybe the non-magnetic parts are coated brass. That's a common fountain pen material. They certainly feel well made and not plastic. They'll almost certainly outlast me at my age. Thanks for the review.

[@benchandler4298]

I've tried a large range of pencils in my career as an illustrator, and in my own experience, and in talking to other artists, many of us pick Faber-Castell pencils as an affordable, reliable and very satisfying pencil to use. I know it's my goto. This has made me tempted to buy one of their fountain pens, but I don't know that I've seen one of their designs that particularly appeals to me. Still good to see you reviewing one of their pens, thanks for the detailed review!

[@liamwang258]

I think they have some really good nibs. I have a Loom and a Classic. And they both write very well. So if you are looking for a good writer, Faber-Castell is a good choice.

[@uncledestroy]

Thank you for this review! I appreciate your videos.

[@tiantuatara]

I really like my Loom. I got mine at the same Goldspot sale. It is the matte finish with an orange cap. I do not see anything under the clip and the clip definitely feels metallic. It's a great writer.

[@CosminMiron]

Hi James, you shoukd take a look on FC Ondoro... Odd looking pen, but mine has same F nib and it's a beauty... Thank you for quality time spent watching your reviews! Keep up the good job! Greetings from 🇷🇴Romania!

[@x-changex-outx-oner8224]

And since the Hexo just came out, have a comparison between those two pens. The Ondoro is a cool pen pen. Mine is with the Oak Wood.

[@chrislj2890]

I have the gunmetal version with a broad nib that is an excellent writer, but the grip section shape makes it hard for me to hold for any length of time. In that respect I would prefer the Lamy Safari, plus it's easy and inexpensive to swap nibs in the Lamy pens. As for China, I am now trying to avoid buying anything made in that country, although I do like my Jinhao X750 pens.

[@cebukitty]

I love my white Loom. I really love the FC steel nibs. I have the FC Loom, Ondoro (Smoky Oak) and the Ambition (coconut wood)

[@x-changex-outx-oner8224]

I have the Loom in Gunmetal (EF). I too wasn't crazy about the grip. To counter that grip "issue" I put rubber "O" rings in the grooves. Then when I was finished writing with the pen, I rolled those "O" rings back so the cap could be put on, so the "O" rings stay with the pen.

[@mellow-jello]

I have the Gunmetal Matte Loom with a F nib, and had no hesitation at the cash register, as the pen was already discontinued. One of my favorites to this day. FC stainless steel nibs are underrated, imo.

[@rztour]

Nice review James. I believe Faber Castell makes their own nibs. It may be why you’d be hard pressed to find a negative review on one. Personally I bought the Matte black with a broad and it’s buttery smooth. Don’t feel bad. The one I was after is a violet cap and that’s actually discontinued. I love the grip section which gives ya a little something as a grip. Modern is a great way to describe its design, and certain elevates it beyond the Safari’s look.

[@JG3Reviews]

Thanks. Coincidentally, this is the pen I've been carrying today. It's still a favorite.

[@denny1515]

Great video, the first 8 minutes was absolutely interesting, love your small talks, but the rest of it makes me stand up in the middle of the night to check my loom😂 I got mine several years ago from their boutique in Singapore, as well as an ambition. I’m positive they made in Germany, coz my ambition had to send back to Germany for a repair of its cap, while I needed to visit China during the process. And they only have one or two stores there, unfortunately none of them located in my city, in the end I picked it up after I returned to Singapore. My loom has that small China hidden too, no idea why, probably Chinese suppliers provide the clip, I heard the nibs are from bock 180, so the whole pen can not be made in China. It does sound like if it’s made in China then it doesn’t worth the price, I have to say, they do have some pricing issues. It’s the cheapest faber castell fountain pen when I got it, still more expensive than its competitors. Shortly after that I bought myself a pink color ambition, which has identical bock 180 nib as loom, and I paid twice for its resin body, plus an unlucky nib and uncomfortable pen holder as well as a problematic cap, it was totally the cute color’s fault.

[@The.Best.Collector]

I own Graf von Faber-Castell pens 🖊 like a Classic Handmade in Germany 🇩🇪 Solid Sterling Silver Fountain Pen with 18CT Gold Nib £930 over $1,200 and the quality is superb and very beautifu. $50 pens are rubbish and don't compare to the high-end pens, instead of buying lots of cheap pens, buy luxury ones.

[@fadisafar357]

The pen is made in Slovenia. Mine had a little paper mentioning "Slovenia". So far, I have not had any issues with the clips and I own 5 Looms in different colors. (all in "F" and "M" nibs) The +/-$6 converter is really worth it. Thanks for the review!

[@JG3Reviews]

Thanks, mine didn't have that slip, but my F-C Hexo did, so that makes sense. Both have been great pens long term.

[@wybuchowyukomendant]

Not sure about the pen body, but the nibs are made in slovenia for sure

[@praeceptor]

Thank you for the Bonhoeffer quote.

[@Thyriak]

I have a Faber-Castell Loom with a M-Nib. I like it very much. Normaly i use F-nibs, but the Loom wiht a M-nib.. wow.

[@cliffordbaker4930]

I don’t think they make the gunmetal version anymore. I bought one from Vanness last summer and haven’t seen any on their or Goulet ‘s sites since. It takes a standard international converter and cartridges, so one of your Jinhao or other Chinese ones should fit. I used an extra Pelikan one I had around for a while until I got a Faber-Castell. Mine has a broad nib and is an excellent pen with two quibbles: the cap takes more effort to pull off than is comfortable, especially to make a quick note, and the grip is a bit too smooth for longer writing sessions. An excellent writer though.

[@robmc120]

Yeah, best you can find is on Amazon nowadays...

[@JamesEck9095]

I got a big grin when I spotted that Esterbrook beside your pad. Review coming soon??

[@JG3Reviews]

Yes, it’s on the list.

[@philippegosselin7756]

If you want to look for another low-cost Faber Castell to review, look at the Faber-Castell Grip 2011 140908. You can find it on Amazon

[@fountainpencollection]

For me Loom it's a very nice pen and it's writers fabulous i have one with fine and one with medium nib and i am planning to buy also one in Broad and one in Extra Fine ! :)

[@MrFawaz55]

The broad write like dream

[@lez7767]

Hello James, another pleasant presentation, you're very easy to listen to. ..now the Loom, it's a nice pen but the mix of materials just dims my lights and I don't like pop tops. Faber Castell outsourcing again dims the lights further and like you I prefer metal pens,. Thanks for the review. PS have a look at Italix MrPen. . Best wishes to all PenPeople. LeZc @@

[@jaycorscadden2486]

Hi James. You reviews are great. I have been thinking about adding the Loom to my collection. Have you tried any Cross Pens? I have the Cross ATX Brushed Black Medium Nib fountain pens. This is my everyday pen. Great looking and very smooth.

[@barbarah-p8661]

The nib looks just like the nib on the Faber-Castell Grip. Good video. Thx.

[@eminienina3256]

I am really having a hard time with this pen, more to do with the very dry nib, complete departure from the eMotion that I've grown attached to from the very first inkup. This medium nib writes really dry so cant feel the smoothness of the nib. Maybe its just this nib.

[@robmc120]

Sir, with you permission i would be glad to send you my medium nib in my loom for your fine nib if you were specifically looking for the medium. This is a serious offer, not trolling. And great job on the video as always, God bless you!

[@JG3Reviews]

Thanks, that's very kind of you. I've actually ended up enjoying the use of this fine nib enough that I'm pretty content with it.

[@nitina8564]

Thats a nice video and i agree the matt finish is a better looking pen but i own both a matt and the one in piano finish, the exact same one as yours. I love both of them and the fine nib is a better nib than the medium in my opinion based on my experience. I really like your videos.

[@solascripturamjc9681]

As always, a great video. Not excited about the made in China part, because it seems misleading.

[@strshooter7399]

I know this is a tad nitpicky, and I assume you copied the weight of the Loom off a web page, but I weighted mine, with a converter and inked, but it runs 34.07 grams (525.8 grains), as my Hexo weighted 20.30 grams (313.2 grains). One seller shows two different weights for the Loom ?... . Some folks are weight sensitive, and the Loom weights a bit more than 21 grams empty. Nice review, thanks.

[@JG3Reviews]

That’s not nitpicky, the weight does appear to be off. I have my scale handy working on another video, and it reads 31g for my Loom. I wonder if that’s just a typo I didn’t catch? I’ll correct it in the description.

[@humanfirst11]

How is the writing experience compared to the Safari? Since you have both the pens!

[@JG3Reviews]

The feel is very different. The Loom is heavier (but not heavy), metal, and the section is round. That rounded section will either make it more or less comfortable based on personal preference. The nib of the Loom is quite good and writes a similar fine line to the Safari (slightly thinner), but has more pencil like feedback (in a good way). Aesthetically, I prefer the Loom. Nib, Loom. Longer writing comfort, Safari.

[@humanfirst11]

@@JG3Reviews Thank you for your reply, this is exactly what I looking for! A Loom will be mine soon 😊

[@SilverSeaOT7]

I’ve been looking for a larger section due to my arthritis and thumb issues. Narrow sections cause more pain for me.

[@JG3Reviews]

Do you like the ergonomic grips, or are they counterproductive?

[@SilverSeaOT7]

@@JG3Reviews - Counterproductive. But I just saw your new review on your “pickle pen”. I may have to give that one a try!

[@MrLaTEchno]

Well done big thank you my friend, in short I did liked it........but now I know to "plastic"[ that chrome on the cap after a while you will see it that the lack is coming of ,....plus the nib section with those rings is horrible to look at, also that plastic-feeling i got ]...so a no no buy for me. twsbi ECO here i do see it's plastic complete ...and as a note writer this is ok for me.

[@michaelmelling9333]

I was looking forward to getting one until I heard you say that the cap and clip are plastic.☹

[@JG3Reviews]

I don't mind the plastic cap, but I do wish that clip were metal. Otherwise, I like everything else about the pen.

[@joseparada4430]

I much prefer the Hexo from that brand. Loom seems too big for me. Regards from Spain. Thanks.for your reviews.

[@JG3Reviews]

The Hexo deserves a great deal more market share, it’s a terrific pen.

[@jamesaritchie1]

IYou know, a plastic clip shouldn't bother me too much because I never use the clip on pens of any type, but it does. When I can get a two dollar pen with a metal clip, I'm just not willing to pay this much for plastic.

[@countduckula9977]

Hi James, A nice looking pen, but I'd baulk that you don't get a converter and that pen is made in China for this exorbitant price [if they hide that it is made in China it is not a good sign]. There are cheaper Faber Castells out there. Thanks for posting this video [definitely a case of buyer beware], I think they should have stated that pen [or parts of it are made in China. That clip doesn't look like it will last very long. It is strange that FC can put a steel clip on the Grip [an inexpensive FP].

[@DrPhilologist]

Are you sure about the clip? I would swear it's metal. Also, the whole China thing is just nonsense. Lamy assembles them in Germany but what about their material? The parker jotter is made in china, but this not printed on the pen either.

[@JG3Reviews]

Yep, you can see the plastic seam on the edge, and when you pull at the clip it's telling.

[@JG3Reviews]

The Jotter fountain pen is made in France, but as I said, this isn't an issue for me anyway. I only mention it because it does matter to some.

[@DrPhilologist]

@@JG3Reviews Yeah, I realise you don't mind Chinese pens and I said so in agreement with your approach. I just can't follow why Chinese=bad from the outset. I do avoid very blatant rip offs though, as I find them harmful to the people who make actual efforts to innovate. The clip of the loom is magnetic, it turns out. It is so strange, could it be that yours has some imperfection on the chrome finishing, that makes it look like chromed plastic?

[@LeakyFaucett]

Faber-Castell is an American company. One of the oldest continually operating in America. Out sourced now, yes but what can you do.

[@michaelmelling9333]

It's a German company.

[@greekveteran2715]

If the cap was made of metal, then the pen wouldn't work posted, because it would become super top heavy and very unbalanced. It would be literally an unusable pen.

[@thomasf.5768]

What you see as Chinese kanji characters might be the logo ?? The logo are 2 knights jousting. Yes, they have factories in 9 countries including Germany & China. ✒️🖋️

[@JG3Reviews]

That's the logo on the barrel. What I see as "China" is the word China underneath the clip. Still a great pen, though I wish they'd upgrade the clip to a better material.

[@j.vincent3625]

For me, i don't really care if the clip is chromey plastic...but i do care if the section is plastic!...😠...cuz then the finish and the threads can wear down. Blaaah...to FC loom. Also their customer satisfaction is less than stellar from those that have broken FC pens. How much would FC lose to replace one of their broken pens instead of making such a fuss. I've tried to discover what materials the Loom is made of...but, alas, it's still a mystery. 🤔 Good to have my trusty Twisbi, Pelikan, Pilot, Jinhao Dragon and Duke Confucius. They are my quality global collection and smooth writers. None of them have hidden plastic pretending to be metal. Overpricing is one thing, but low standards riding on a name is not for me. Perhaps if their Loom nib was offered on an all acrylic transparent body, then I would go for it. 🤗