Pen Review: Franklin-Christoph Model 31 Omnis: Heart of Gold

Update 11/2/19: After much deliberation, I’ve decided to rehouse this nib and rotate the pen out of my collection. The fierce reddish gold was too bright for me. I will send it off to it’s original home and hope it finds a happy home. I look forward to reviewing more Franklin-Christoph pens as these are high quality and lightweight.

It's been a while since I've sat and "penned" (get it?) a review. Lately my life has been filled with reviewing Sailor Studio inks. And yes--these inks are set to be posted in January 2020, so I can firmly admit that I like to write/plan ahead.

Today's post centers on a rather impulsive trade from r/pen_swap. Franklin-Christoph is an American company that designs leather goods, fountain pens, pencils, and paper. They boast an impressive range of models named 02 to 66p (17 pens in total). As an added bonus, their pens come with a lifetime warranty!

This is a limited edition Model 31 from the Pay It Forward Kickstarter. This campaign collaborated with Jonathon Brooks and Papier Plume to create 75 pens and a vivid orange-red ink (aptly named Heart of Gold). The project itself uses donated fountain pens, inks, and paper to create starter kits for those new to the pen community.

Design (4.5/5): The Model 31 is a large yet light pen. It is made from acrylic and weighs 23.5 g (0.83 oz). The section is comfortable and easy to grip, and the pen posts securely. The nib is #6, meaning that it can be easily swapped with Jowo #6's. The clip is embellished with four diamonds--Franklin Christoph's signature.

Color (4/5): The swirls of yellow and red provide depth to this model. Gold sparkles are scattered throughout and complement the colors nicely. I've rated this a 4/5 as the color is slightly too red--I would have liked to see a warmer undertone.

Nib (5/5): This is where the pen shines. The steel Nemosine nib was ground by @Pactagon to a BCI, or broad cursive italic. I would say this is a conservative broad and writes more like an extra-fine. I might get it reground to a stub or to have less feedback. This also happens to be a Concord grind. If you flip the pen over and write on the reverse side, the nib produces a startlingly wide range of lines. The line width increases as the angle decreases (in other words, the closer the nib to the paper, the wider the line). I knew I needed to give this pen a home the moment I saw its writing capabilities. I am happy to give this nib as solid 5/5.

Ink Capacity (5/5): I've ordered a Franklin-Christoph converter (standard international) and will update this review if needed. For the time being, this pen can be eyedropped and thus has a massive capacity.

Overall (4.5/5): This is a beautiful fiery pen. As you can tell, I am especially in love with the nib! I'm excited to integrate this pen into my future ink reviews!

Disclaimer: This pen was purchased by me and all opinions/photos are my own. This post was not sponsored.