Franklin-Christoph Model 20 Marietta Review

[@davidjackson7405]

The Model 20 is my favorite every day pen, though I have a large collection. Check the Franklin Christoph website for a description of the engineering on the slip cap. A lot of design work went into making sure the cap would stay on closed or posted, and "The pressure is distributed inside the cap and away from the lip to prevent lip cracking." I have developed the habit of holding the cap in my left hand and twisting the barrel to the right to open it. Given the engineered seal, it's easier than just pulling agains the vacuum. Thanks for another great review.

[@hptrolu3561]

That’s the way I uncap, it’s a perfect manouver.

[@Chanhassen920]

Hold the pen in your hand, then grip the cap between your thumb and forefinger, of the same hand, and push. Really easy, and prevents whipping ink around. The slip cap is addicting, and becomes second nature. Mine is one of the first made, with no issues. And I greatly enjoy the recessed nib. Thank you for another great review.

[@haltes]

Thank you Stephen! Following the Franklin-Christoph website the cap should never crack because of very good force distribution. I would also mention, that F-C pens are made mostly by hand from solid acrylic blanks and are very durable. For me that justifies their price completely.

[@matthewbeddow3278]

wonderful nib and a very well put together pen , the finished is excellent.Thanks Dr Brown for sharing and also Eric

[@leighmoser6814]

Stephen, at least two women nibmeisters in the U. S.: Linda Kennedy of Indy-Pen-Dance who was trained by Richard Binder and Deb Kinney from North Carolina who is usually available at the D. C. Pen show and the North Carolina show. Nice video as always.

[@dmskon]

Nice review. I have the 20 in black and the pocket version in the red/black. Love both of them. IMHO, hard to go wrong with FC pens.

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Thank you, Stephen. I have the smokey translucent edition done for Wonderpens in Toronto, Canada. 1.9 music nib. Ink flow is very good. I had a hard start only after picking it up after leaving it in its pouch for almost three weeks. Regarding the slip cap, I both like and don't like it. Works well for me, using my thumb to push it up initially. But whenever I have let someone try it I uncap it for them after seeing some possibilities of damage in the yanking and grinding. Not sure about the well around the nib unit. Why did they do it? Still, another excellent Franklin-Christoph pen. My favourite after Edison Pen Co.

[@sbrebrown]

That sounds like a very nice pen!

[@montyhasanewphone]

This is a beautiful inks, I love it, sorry to hear it is discontinued.

[@Shub99]

Have the same with a Masuyama Medium italic nib... Very very very good... Just a brilliant nib and pen

[@howardzampara]

Yes, it cracks at some point especially you cap it on the way you did here (6:28). Anyone else also having cracking cap issue? I had two of them (one of them was the pocked version) and both of them had cracks on the cap in a very similar way. I contacted the company and they said the cap is unique and delicate and should be capped on carefully with a specific technique which they demonstrated on KZbin.

[@13noman1]

I have this (with 1.1 stub) and the Model 31 Purpurae (fine italic cursive) in my regular rotation. What wonderful pens! When I "run" them back to back with my Edisons, I have to give a slight nod to the Edisons but all four are such good pens that my interest in high end (read: expensive) pens has nearly sunset.

[@JerryBearry]

Just curious, which Edison pens do you have that you like more than Franklin-Christoph? My F-C 20 and 31 have superb grip comfort. Do your Edisons compare favorably comfort-wise?

[@13noman1]

@@JerryBearry wow, tough question! It’s like the Olympics where fractions of a second change the outcome! I’d say the Beaumont edges out the FC20 and my two other favs are the Menlo draw filler and the Collier ( doesn’t post). I think the biggest difference is the broader range of materials etc in Edison vs small batch releases of FC. Good luck! Hard to go wrong with either maker

[@JerryBearry]

@@13noman1 I did have the Edison Beaumont in my Goulet cart for a while, but the 20 won out because it has no threads on the grip section. It is very nimble in my hand. I don't talk much about subjective colors/looks much, but the vintage green is a good color!

[@13noman1]

@@JerryBearry Agree! I have that exact one! I really like how it posts, writes etc. In fact, I'd probably give that the nudge over the Beaumont. The posting of the Beaumont is a bit light and in fact my hand knocks the cap off while writing sometimes -- and gave the cap a chip. These are all truly wonderful pens.

[@JerryBearry]

@@13noman1 I have the HPSteel FLEX extra-fine nib on my #20. It is not very flexy (no real surprise), but it does have a nice bit of bounce to make it feel comfortable with great control. For an EF nib, it is smoother than I anticipated. I could write a novel with this pen/nib combo and never feel fatigued. Thankfully for me, it is long enough to use unposted (I prefer to not post my pens). This pen is a strong contender for the mythical "just one pen" fountain pen. I'm trying to simplify my collection. I have two other pens that I would never give up.

[@JerryBearry]

The trick to the cap is that you do not have to press hard to make it seal. It will stay in place with minimal effort. I uncap it with my writing hand by gently pressing up on the cap with my thumb and forefinger. Do not press hard on it! It's designed to seal with almost no pressure. You should not need two hands to pull the cap off.

[@MattsplatsGunReviews]

I can't tell if it is what happened in the video to make your fingers inky but mine often "spits" a droplet of ink on me when I uncap it. Sad, because I love everything else about the pen and the spitting issue is a big deal to me.

[@TheHistoricalMan]

The only thing I dislike about the Marietta is the friction fit cap. If the cap were threaded, I'd pick one up. The vintage styling is quite pleasant.

[@JerryBearry]

If you visit the Franklin-Christoph site and scroll and click to the model 20, you'll find a short video describing the friction fit cap. After watching it myself, I felt very comfortable purchasing this pen.

[@rlv05001]

One of F-C's best pens. Simply a great pen in general IMO.

[@bluegingerink5021]

The colour: Is this FC's "Tiger Red"....? I have been trying to see how it actually look like. Thank you in advance to whoever has the time to respond to this question...

[@ichirofakename]

1. For some reason I have no desire to complain about the high prices for Franklin-Christoph. Instead I just wish I had more money. 2. Amusing coincidence: Franklin-Christoph now has a a nibMISTRESS.

[@sabakhodjasteh4093]

i checked the website to see the price: it was 185 euros. but is the pen realy worth it ? is the body resin ?

[@TheAmericanStranger1]

would you rather have this or a Lamy 2000 in your collection?

[@sbrebrown]

TheAmericanStranger1 Probably a Lamy 2000

[@squarrl]

What is going on in the background? Interesting noises.

[@bufetelmm]

squarrl The washing machine.

[@dhwlswk5376]

I really thought that the ink was yama budo

[@andrewtongue7084]

Super sexy scribe, Stephen (four concurrent S's there, cher college - Freudian banana territory !! ;D ). I believe the slip cap has been well & truly R & D'd, so the likelihood of spillage would be minimal; nevertheless, an interesting point. I only own the 02 & 03 models, so far - but do like like that dark red finish, interspersed. A great pity that the ink you used here is discontinued, but hey, they may revive it at some juncture. Thank you for another excellent presentation :D

[@jisa39]

Writing sample 9:11

[@inkmama]

Hilarious. Love it, how if you write like this on a daily basis you were born in the wrong age.