Bexley/Swisher Limited Edition Snowfall- Review

First Impressions

This Pen is a limited release fountain pen made for Swisher Pens Store by the Bexley Pen Company. There are only 50 pens made in this collection and mine being #30/50. I had to send my first pen back to Swisher Pen Store due to a crack in the section piece that caused ink to leak all over the place. That particular pen was #44/50. I have to admit that this pen was a bit smaller capped than I thought. But once the cap is posted it is really a good sized pen. I am partial to Bexley pens due to the fact that they are smooth sturdy pens and everything on the pen is made in America with the exception of the nib, which is made in Germany by the famous Bock Nib Company.

Appearance/ Finish 5 out of 5

Well I am a sucker for Bexley pens and I really love how they put such a nice finish to their pens. I own several Bexley pens and it seems that they pay very close attention to detail. The color or design is a “Cracked Ice” style that is partially translucent in parts of the barrel and cap. The “Cracked Ice” design consists of a white, grey, black and clear material throughout the barrel and cap. Etched on the barrel is the wording “Bexley Special Edition” and underneath that is another line that says “XX/50” mine being 40/50. The lettering is well imprinted but very hard to see and you have to look closely and carefully to be able to read it.





The cap is a flat top with a black crown that is bordered with a palladium band that encircles the top portion of the cap under the crown, There is also another band, which is thicker that is located close to the lip of the cap. On the other end of the barrel is the “blind cap” that is removable by unscrewing the cap and revealing the button for the button filling system that is used in this pen.



Design/Size/Weight 5 out of 5

This pen looks very close to the Bexley Classique Collection. One of the notable differences is the removable “blind cap” at the end of the barrel on the Bexley Snowfall. The blind cap on the Classique looks identical in shape but is not removable. The Classique has a small silver ring attached to the end of the barrel right behind where the blind cap is located and permanently attached to. Also another difference is the slight variation of the “cracked ice” pattern on the Bexley Snowfall compared to the pattern on the Bexley Classique Collection. Other than that, they look very close in appearance and can be confused for the same pen.



What I found deceiving is the size of the pen when it is capped. It is identical in length to the Bexley Sheherazade when capped but posted, the Bexley has the Pelikan M1000 beat in length by just a hair. The width is substantially less than the M1000 and the Bexley is also much lighter. You would really think this pen would weigh a lot due to its length but to my surprise, this pen is actually very light. I find that if the pen is not posted, it is way too light to write with. The cap seems to weigh almost as much as the rest of the pen does. In my opinion, posting the pen really balances the pen out and makes for a very comfortable writing experience.

Nib Design and Performance 4 out of 5

One of the major things that have me sold on a Bexley fountain pen is the nibs. Bexley uses nibs made by Peter Bock and in fact, Bock makes several of the “big name brands” nibs for them. I find that Bock nibs to be one of the best nibs manufactured. Quality control seems to take precedence over quantity. So I think it is a good move for the Bexley Pen Company to contract out the nib manufacturing to one of the premiere nib makers in the world.
The nib that came with the pen is one of my favorites, huge and wonderful looking 18kt gold, two toned medium nib. I have to admit that the nib designs for Bexley and Pelikan rates at the top of my list for beautiful designs.



The nib was a tad on the scratchy side but after a 30 second modification, I was now in business!! Buttery smooth writing that seemed to glide effortlessly across the paper. I usually use Aurora Black ink to test out my new pen to see how well they write. So far, this one writes perfect!!! This nib is pretty stiff with little to no flex but for me, I can careless because my handwriting really stinks anyways.

The Filling System 4 out of 5

Ok, there is no need to complain about a cartridge converter filling system in this pen, right? Well, wrong!!! This is NOT an integrated button filler!!! This uses a hybrid button filler converter system instead of the real deal. They advertised it as being a button filling pen and technically, they are correct. Calling a typical cartridge/converter a piston filler is technically correct BUT as a fountain pen collector and user, I find this to be erroneous and misleading but not maliciously deceptive. So this pen uses a converter system that Namiki uses on some of their pens. It is a bit of a different looking converter and instead of having a knob that twists; this one uses a button instead. One thing that I do like is that the amount of ink exceeds that of a standard converter. I find this very nice too!! I believe that the Bexley Celebration uses the same Filling system at the Snowfall



Now here is something I do not like!! The barrel and section is permanently sealed off. It is threaded but it seems that it is shellacked so that you are unable to unscrew it off without damaging the barrel and or the gripping section. Why did they do this??? I have not understood this at all, maybe to prevent you from doing your own repairs and you having to send off your pen to be repaired by Bexley. Who knows?!?!? I just don’t like the fact that they did this in the first place, it also makes it more difficult and timely to clean your pens. From what I heard, They sealed off the sections to the Bexley Celebration too but due to complaints, they are now shipping the pens that are not sealed.

Cost 4 out of 5

Compared to the Bexley Classique, this pen is roughly $50.00 less and the Snowfall has a better filling system than the standard twist converter system that is in the Classique. If you want a Bexley, this is a well priced pen for those who want a limited edition pen with a top notch 18kt gold nib. In fact this is cheaper than just about all of the pens in the Bexley line.

Conclusion

This pen has some small bad points but in my book it is nothing to really complain about. Some people think that I may be nitpicking,Well thats too bad!! This is my review and that’s that :-P
The good definitely outweighs the bad on this pen, that’s for sure. This is a SOLID writing instrument that looks and writes better than other pens that are 2 or 3 times its price!! If you want a Bexley but don’t want to pay $200.00 for it, then this is your pen, but you better hurry because there are only 50 of them made and they are at Swisher Pens Clearance Section.