Instagram is an instrument of Satan! Bungubox (or Bung-box, both seem to apply at different stages) is a speciality shop in Japan selling fountain pens and inks including unique pens like this Canneberge. Bungbox has an Instagram page. I saw this pen there. A direct message followed (quickly responded to by them) and… here we are.
As for the name “Bungbox” – not sure it translates all that well!
 |
| The (not so Bung) box my pen arrived in. |
Where I come from, “Bung” means broken. But I like the irony here; as the only thing this pen may break is your frown into a smile. :-)
FIRST
IMPRESSIONS
Love
it! Little specks of glitter scattered like stars deep amongst an almost jelly-like deep maroon
acrylic; the rose gold accents of the setting sun – this is not my usual type
of pen, but … :)
8/10
 |
| Its so hard to get the colour right in my iPhone pics! |
APPEARANCE
AND DESIGN
First comes the packaging. No one can criticise the Japanese for their packaging. They know how to make the customer feel special.
From the box, ribbons and paper to the lovely message and little oragami addition on the note, Bungubox presents well. (the message is in a photograph at the end of this blog).
The
Canneberge is based on the Sailor full size 1911 series; so its foundations are
already positive. Add to its excellent embryonic state, the colour (which is
clearly the differentiator here) and you are presented with a wonderful example
of limited edition playfulness.
I am a
sucker for fountain pens that are made with materials and colours that have a
certain depth and je ne sais crois ! It
is what I think leads me to the Omas Celluloids. In the Canneberge, (French for
Cranberry) that look is there in spades!
The danger
with materials like this can be that they can be a little gauche, over-the-top,
gaudy, too much (was that too much?). Surprisingly this pen is not. The rose gold
accessories nicely understate (where I think that yellow gold would have
drowned the pen).
The
Standard Sailor clip is subtle, sophisticated and simple. Sailor nibs are
always attractive in my view, and the rose gold here again, is a lovely match
to the Canneberge body. Similarly, the gentle touch of the single gold ring
above the threads contrasts beautifully with its surroundings.
The
Canneberge is a limited edition. Limited, I think, to 38 pens; although I have
scanned my pen and can’t see a number.
Posted
or unposted (a choice I am always happy to have, and this pen is happy to
oblige) the Canneberge is an attractive fountain pen that sets itself apart as
a little different without being so unique that you couldn’t take it to the
office unless you wanted to make a point.
8.5/10
WEIGHT
AND DIMENSIONS
 |
| For comparison the Canneberge is on the right, a Pelikan Streseman 805 in the centre and a Conklin Wordguage on the Left. |
The Canneberge
is a standard, full-size Sailor 1911.That means it’s 14cm capped (5 ½ inch), 12cm
uncapped and about 15 ½ cm posted. The body tapers from 1cm wide at the top and
base, to just under 1 ½ cm in the centre.
For me, I prefer the length posted as I hold my pens reasonably far up the section. Without the cap, I find the length a little short for my preference.
The pen
is a good weight. What does that mean? Well it’s comfortable to hold, not too
heavy for long sessions and not too light to make it feel insubstantial.
8/10
NIB
AND PERFORMANCE
Sailor
make brilliant, and consistently high quality nibs. This one is a Medium Stub
(marked “M S” on the side of the nib) which lays down a great broadish line but
with nice variation too. The pen wrote
perfectly out of the box, has been filled thrice (once with Herbin Violette
Pensee, once with Herbin Ocean blue and once - current - with Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst) and no hard-starts, no problems.
I
think that for me, the stub is broader than my preference
8/10
FILLING
SYSTEM
Cartridge
Converter. I prefer piston. With the width of the MS nib especially. The wide
nib means that this pen churns through ink like a V12 burns through petrol: 2
miles to the gallon if I’m lucky! The converter works well enough; but you have
to keep re-filling pretty frequently if you keep a broader nib like I have.
7/10
COST
AND VALUE
The
Bungubox Canneberge is a limited edition pen with a small run so you would expect
it to be up there for cost! The Sailor full size 1911s that forms its base are
great quality pens and not cheap in themselves (around US$240 on Nibs.com). The
premium over the base price was therefore actually not too bad at all. Value for money? Yes, I think so.
8/10
CONCLUSION
The
Canneberge is a playful but serious fountain pen that is different enough to
set it apart, but practical enough to keep it in rotation. The colour is
clearly it’s strength - if you’re
colour-blind, don’t bother!
79/100
 |
| A nice message that came with the package |
0-50 = to be avoided at all costs
51-60 = if it’s cheap and you don’t really
care….
61-70 = a nice pen with the makings of
something better (just don’t spend too much)
71-80 = A better than average pen with just a
few flaws that stop it from being really good
81-90 = A good pen, a keeper only a few minor
places off being great
91-95 = Now THIS is a pen! If you can get it:
keep it, love it, cherish it, and keep it away from the dog
96-100
= Grail