Weighty antagonist splendor
We call not only the irreconcilable contradiction antagonism, but also the phenomenon where the combined effect of two substances (ion, compound, active ingredient, drug) is less than the arithmetic sum of their individual effects, meaning they weaken each other's effects.
Let's look at the components!
In 1939, Peter Bock founded his sole proprietorship in Heidelberg, Germany; today, the company, which has since transformed into Bock AG, is led by the third generation and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of precision pen components. Bock pens are equipped with numerous leading stationery brands.
The young Pelle Billgren gets acquainted with the beauty of Damascus steel in Kay Embretsen's workshop. When Pelle is appointed CEO of Söderfors Powder in Uppland in the early nineties, he plans to improve the properties of powder metallurgy Damascus steel and bring this wonderful metal to users. With slow and consistent work, he establishes Damasteel in Söderfors together with his old master and successfully advances the production of high-tech Damascus steel, further strengthening the reputation of „Swedish steel.”.
Sándor Pethő, a sole proprietor, started making Hungarian handcrafted pens out of hobby and love, using special and sentimental materials to meet individual needs. Pendors under the brand name.
The combined effect of these stories met in the form of the Pendors Leveche Damasteel fountain pen, which stayed with me for testing for almost two weeks.
First impressions
Fortunately, I don't have to write much about the arrival of the package, its opening, and the impressions at that time, as there is an unboxing video made about it. The packaging is sophisticated, the box is beautiful and elegant, and it didn't feel like a cheap individual box. I missed an additional outer paper box to protect against shipping damage.
The weight of the pen is indeed astonishing, but it was not distracting during use; in fact, its weight was one of the factors that gave it a show and commanded respect.
The color, touch, and grain of the Damascus metal body can induce a hypnotic state.
The first day
I rarely use black ink in a fountain pen, but for this Pendors Damascus, I felt that the best choice would be Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi, which I did not regret during the test; the ink and pen worked very well together.
The troubles began with the filling. The pen was sent with a standard international converter. This also means that the pen works with the most classic cartridge; I used the converter. During the filling, I noticed that the converter could barely be pushed into the section, it was just barely on the ink channel guide. To ensure a proper fit, I wanted to tighten it with a twisting motion, which caused the entire head to start unscrewing. Therefore, I screwed the head back and placed the converter as the design allowed, but it was still loose in contact. I filled it easily so that I could use it for those two weeks.
After filling, it ran smoothly right away; although it didn't start writing under its own weight, held in hand, it began to write with sufficient feedback, flowing healthily and without interruption.
The next day, when I took it out of my bag, I heard a strong rattling sound, from which I immediately knew that the converter had likely come off the head during travel and was now taking a separate path inside the pen body, like some kind of tribal instrument.
After disassembly, the suspicion was confirmed; everything inside was inked, and the converter was indeed not on the head. Since this is a fault that practically renders the pen unusable and is also unpleasant, I decided that my strict but fair grade would be a one.
The resit exam
I was openly angry about this mistake, because it can be traced back to the fact that the space created in the pen body for the converter (or the two cartridges) is much longer than necessary, which is why there was room for it to fall inside the pen. A fountain pen, as they say, is not rocket science, but care must be taken that the space created in the pen body is not larger, because on one hand, this is the guarantee that the cartridge or converter does not fall out, and on the other hand, it also has a function that when we insert it and screw on the cap, it punctures the cartridge itself with the cap screwing on.
At home, I measured with a caliper how much extra space there should not be. I filled the 11 mm excess with a flexible tube, which is not good for pushing the cartridge, but is perfectly suitable to securely hold the converter.
I continued the test with this extra feature. This 11 mm tube completely restored my lost confidence during use.
The busy weekdays
It was a great partner for writing notes and signing, and it sufficiently impressed the people who encountered it. Due to the narrow section and the heavy weight, writing with it is tiring in the long run, but nowadays people do not write the Count of Monte Cristo with a pen.
Since I quickly scrawl my signature, many fountain pens fail this test, but the Pendors with the Bock nib passed this obstacle well.
After several days of use, there was a longer period when I was sitting in an armchair trying to solve some unsolvable problem (trailer: I solved it), and then there in the armchair, instead of a stress ball, I was „playing” with the Pendors Damasteel fountain pen. The feel is inexplicable, rough-smooth, slippery, yet sufficiently gripping, cold-warm; the Swedish metallurgists and Sándor Pethő created a magically tactile material at the lathe.
During this contemplation, I also recognized the property that the cap's thread is so light that at first I tried unsuccessfully to screw it on just with the weight of the cap, then with a quick motion to spin it on; it worked, as if it were bearing, the cap spun on its own. During this contemplation, I also noticed that the pen body is not cylindrical but slightly tapers towards the end.
The body of the Pendors Damasteel fountain pen is designed so that the cap can also be screwed onto the end, but then due to the considerable weight and the high center of gravity, not only the pen, the LED desk lamp, but almost the entire table tips over because of it.
I have a habit. When the ink in the converter starts to run low, I push the air out of it through the nib so that only ink remains in the system. Because in my experience, due to the excess air, in the heat, the pen becomes runny or sometimes does not write with sufficient reliability. After a few days of use, I automatically started the „bleeding,” waiting for a little ink to appear on the nib as a sign of a successful operation, but it just didn't come. Then I noticed that due to the previously mentioned error – that the converter does not sit perfectly on the ink feed – the ink was leaking beside the converter.
Summary
Unfortunately, the PENDORS Leveche Damasteel fountain pen's nib or writing function has failed, but as it can be seen, this error could be resolved with a small fix and in the future, with a little attention, it will not even arise. Primarily, I see a pen as an everyday object, and such an error that makes this impossible cannot be accepted.
This pen, with its material, size, weight, and price, is a sufficiently exclusive, impressive piece, bringing the necessary elements of splendor well.
A dear colleague perfectly summarized the appearance of the pen in one word: – Weighty.
It is indeed a weighty piece, which also requires a little attention and will be a reliable companion. I really hope that the currently modular Pendors finds a way not to equip its pens with such a narrow section, and then, in all its elements, this pen can be a uniformly solid-looking companion in life.
Like any other business, making a pen requires a lot of knowledge, experimentation, and experience. This Pendors Leveche Damasteel pen is a stage of this journey. In the introduction, I wrote about the meaning of antagonism; unfortunately, this pen is an example of that, all excellent components, all great work and passion did not add up sufficiently, but rather became less than the individual values of the parts.
Epilogue
In fact, at the end of the test, I said goodbye to the Leveche with a heavy heart, as I had already gotten used to the weight that gave me confidence, pulling my bag or pocket like a Smith&Wesson .38 Special. I met with Sándor Pethő, the founder of PENDORS, in the lobby of Hillside Offices, which also accommodates a private hospital, in case my experience went poorly and I needed emergency medical care.
When returning the fountain pen, I explained and showed how I couldn't push the ink converter onto the ink feed, and what unexpected adventures this held for me. Thanks to Sándor's physical attributes (and of course his high level of knowledge about pens), he pushed the converter onto the ink feed with a single strong motion, which then stood on it in such a way that it could probably withstand the launch of the Artemis 1 rocket. I didn't dare to apply such force during use; had I done so, my time spent with the pen might have turned out differently.
The PENDORS Leveche Damasteel® DS95X™ stainless steel fountain pen with an Austenitic Damascus pattern and a Bock nib costs 270,000 HUF.
This month we also tested another fountain pen from the Pendors range. Csaba's test here.
