Well, my Bexley arrived yesterday. I was very surprised on how it looked. When I open the USPS box and removed the pen out of the bubble wrap. My heart sunk. It looked like the pen was cracked and gouges in the barrel and cap. I thought to myself that, it was 95.00 for a reason, you big dummy!!! Well, I turned on the light to examine the extent of the damage and to my surprise, there was no damage. What I thought was gouges and cracks were actually sliver chips with some shiny glitter imbedded deep in the pen.
Appearance/Finish: 4.5 out of 5
When the pen is posted, it is the same size as a Pelikan M800, but when capped, it is the length of a Pelikan M600. The pen has a tapered design. It is thinner at the end, where the piston knob is located. I find this area of the pen similar to the Sheaffer Legacy in girth. The barrel widens to the size of a Pelikan M1000, then tapers down to a M600 or M800 size where you place your fingers at to write. It is a very comfortable pen to write with, likewise it is a very impressive work of art. No two pens are alike and each one has its own unique personality, which makes this pen very appealing to me.
The Sheherazade looks similar to a Pelikan Chicago in color with the grey/black and smoke/white swirls. There seems to be more transparency in the barrel of the Sheherazade. What really makes the Sheherazade stand out from the Pelikan Chicago besides the shape are the chips of shiny silver. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of this, nor did I find any pictures with it in there. This is something that you have to see in person to really appreciate.
There are 3 colors to choose from: Translucent Blue, Tortoise and Grey (this pen) There is a color for everyone to enjoy. I saw the Translucent Blue in person at the LA Pen Show and I have to say it is one really cool looking pen. The Tortoise is another unique looking color for the Sheherazade. It looks more like a classic color compared to the other two. And of course there is the Grey. In the picture it looks rather plain and mediocre compared to the other two but when you see it in person, there is a sense of magic to it.
Design/Size/Weight: 4.5 out of 5
It is a very smooth design that is not aero dynamically designed but it is designed for looks and for function, even more so than a Pelikan, and I really love Pelikans. Surprisingly the pen is very light, especially for its size. I don’t have a scale but I know that it is much lighter than a M1000 and M800 and I believe it is almost the weight of a M600. The pen seems very balanced with the cap posted and while writing. So there are no tired hands or fingers with this pen. The pen feels really nice in the hand while you are writing. Even if you choke up all the way to the nib while you write or if you like to write with your fingers further up on the barrel.
This is a very impressive pen that screams in the spirit of a Pelikan but with a body style of an Aurora, Waterman or a Krone. The pen feels really nice on the hand while you are writing. Even if you choke up all the way to the nib while you write or if you like to write with your fingers further up on the barrel.
Nib Design/Performance: 5 out of 5
You have to see it to appreciate it!! Well, you wonder how does it write?? Like a Pelikan M1000 with a medium to broad wet noodle nib. It is duo tone color 18kt Broad nib and the nib is fairly large, around the same size as the Pelikan M800. It is springy, flexible, buttery smooth garden hose wet writer. The widths of the lines are nice and thick which is in the Ball Park of a medium to a light broad. I heard a lot about the quality of Bexley nibs and they were some of the smoothest around, I have to tend to believe them, especially with this pen.
The Filling System: 5 out of 5
The filling unit in the Sheherazade is a piston filler, like the Pelikan. The interesting thing about this piston knob is that you cannot tell if the piston is up or down, you really have to look in the chamber to see were it is as. For example, on a Pelikan, when you empty the pen, the knob on the piston filler is slightly raised and there is a slight gap between the knob and the barrel. The Gap on the Sheherazade is absent, the piston knob is flush with the barrel on both the filling and the expelling actions. The action on the filler is so smooth when you fill or empty the pen. The piston knob moves effortlessly and the barrel holds a generous amount of ink. I believe that the Sheherazade is on the only Bexley pen that uses a piston filler. I really think they made a good decision in making the Sheherazade with a filling system that incorporates a piston. I am a sucker for piston fillers and there are so many advantages to them. For example, the amount of ink that can be stored is so much more compared to other filling systems and the convenience of not having to unscrew the barrel to reach the cartridge converter to fill the pen is a big Plus. Pictures do not do this pen any justice. You have to see it in person to experience the beauty of this pen and I am not kidding either!!! Oh by the way, did I mention that this pen is a piston filler? :-)
Cost: 3.5 out of 5
This is one area that really tends to turn me off due to the fact that I am a budget minded pen collector/user. Now, for me, I bought this pen at a fraction of what the MSRP is ($300.00) and what some of the other internet stores sell them for, the cheapest I saw was around $190.00-$200.00. I really wanted this pen but not at this price, it is way too steep, even for me. So I have been looking for a used model for the past 6 months on Pentrace, EBay, FPN, Los Angeles Pen Show, and just about everywhere on the net. I pretty much gave up my search last month after the LA Pen show. Well, luckily for me, I decided to browse the Pentrace Green page to see what people had to offer. Well, at the bottom of the list, a gentleman had one for sale in the color grey. Since I am a collector/user, I didn’t care that the pen had no papers or box. 90% of the time, the boxes sits in my closet collecting dust and taking up space. Only special edition pens are the ones I desire with a box, but that is not a deciding factor in buying a pen. I rather buy gently used pens with no box at good prices than pay an arm and a leg for a pen with box papers and a price tag.
Conclusion
Everyone is different when it comes to pen and pen collecting so I respect the fact that people collect pens for investments and do not ink them. But that is not me!!! So don’t get the wrong impression!!! But that makes my search for pens easier and cheaper. I like to give used pens with small and minor defects a loving home. To me, the defects (minor, of course) are a pens personality and make them unique, kind of like people. But regardless, I picked up the pen for $95.00, 1/3rd of what the MSRP is and ½ of what it is going for on the internet, for me that’s a steal!!! If you can afford this pen, then it really is a fantastic and impressive looking/performing pen, as all Bexley Pens are. I don’t think you will be disappointed with it, I know I wasn’t. The nib is top notch, the design is excellent, weight and performance is impressive. This is pretty much what you want and expect in a pen. If you can find a used one at a sub $150.00 price tag, then by all mean consider it. If you can find one at a sub $100.00, then you would be foolish not to get it!!! J/K
So do I recommend it or do I say pass on it??? I definitely recommend this pen, hands down especially If you like Pelikan pens and/or a Bexley Pen fan. If you have the cash to buy it brand new, then do it. If you are a budget minded user/collector, then I would consider getting a used one or at least try to look for a good deal on a new one.
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