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Faber-Castell

Ever fancied owning a Porsche but haven’t got Porsche money? Well now you can. Well not the car actually but one of the stunning range of pens to which the renowned car manufacturer has brought its long history of stylish, sleek design.

Pelikan-Logo

The company has been in the news recently when it was announced that Pelikan has taken over the production and sale of writing instruments as the new licensee for the Porsche Design Group.  Porsche has ended a long relationship with Faber-Castell and under a new agreement their writing tools will be produced in Germany, where Pelikan’s high quality writing tools have been made by hand for 37 years. To me this is a marriage made in heaven combining the fantastic design of Porsche to one of the world’s great pen manufacturers.

Within the terms of the license, concentration will be upon a range of 7 products and to mark the start of the partnership. Pelikan have produced the new P3105 Pure range comprising two exclusive writing tools. The P’3105 Pure Black fountain pen and the P’3105 Pure Titanium, limited to 200 pieces worldwide, are now available worldwide.

Porsche-P3105-Pure

Porsche P3105 Pure Black Fountain Pen

For the Black pen, a dense PVD coating is the reason for the unbelievably dense black colour and the effect is set off by a sold steel clip. The pen is supplied with a paperweight, also with the matching PVD coating, in the shape of a Porsche 911.

If your tastes are a little more expensive, then the Pure Titanium version retailing at approximately £2500 and in a limited range of 200 is the one for you. The barrel of this pen is milled from a solid block of titanium a metal know for it corrosion resistance and the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. Both pens have a completely rhodium-plated 18ct gold nib. The caps of both fountain pens have an insert which guarantees that the pens will be ready to write immediately, while protecting them from drying out. These are also supplied with an innovative filling system. The integral converter can be replaced by either two standard ink cartridges or one large capacity cartridge.

Porsche-P3140

Porsche P3140 Shake Pen Ballpoint Pen

Equally good looking and more in my price range, about £60, is the P’3140 Shake Pen ballpoint pen.A really stylish little number, the pen has an innovative mechanism where with a quick flick of the wrist or a shake, the tip will move in and out. I also like how compact it is being only 103mm long and the fact that the barrel is grooved rubber means it is great to handle, just like the cars!

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Stubby Pencils

For many years I have been a fan of the standard No. 2 (or HB in the UK) pencil as they always felt comfortable to hold and when you need a few moments contemplation, spend some time with a sharpener. I have love quality pencils like Faber-Castell and Rhodia but I am equally at home with the office version from Staples.

They also appeal to my trying to be more eco-friendly because apart from the lead or more correctly the graphite centre, this is one writing instrument that is fully recyclable. There is however, one problem. However hard you try, you will always end up with a stubby piece of pencil that is too uncomfortable to use but still has many pages of use left in it. I then have the dilemma to either carry on using the pencil until its hurt my hand or recycle what would otherwise be a perfectly useable pencil

I then remembered that many years ago when doing a summer job, there was a guy who used to put his stubs into narrow metal tubes in order that he could continue using the pencil. A search online then revealed the answer to the dilemma – the pencil extender!

Pencil Extenders

These handy tools were originally used by artists who wanted to get the maximum use from their expensive pastel or watercolour pencils but are now widely available for all pencil aficionados. Simply insert your pencil into one of these handy tools and its then it is possible to continue using the pencil down to the last 2-3 cms. The open end of each extender has a metal ring that ensures that the pencil is held securely.

Generally retailing at around £2, not only are they functional, they can be quite elegant too. I purchase two, one with a marble effect and the other with a smooth wood effect. Now I do not have any qualms when I recycle the stub as I know that the pencil is beyond use.

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Faber-Castell Pencil Tycoon Proves his Point

July 26, 2010

There was an excellent story recently in the Sunday Times which highlights the development and history of Faber Castell. Who will be celebrating their 250th anniversary next year! Count Anton – Wolfgang Lother Andreas von Faber Castell had a point to make. He planned to make it by throwing bundles of the pencils produced by [...]

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