Sunday, November 24, 2013

Tombow Zoom 828fp "Egg" Fountain Pen Gloss Black

When you have a writing instrument that just fits the "bill" so to speak, it is so satisfying to be able to sit and write about the attributes which make it so, where you are concerned.  Such is the case with Tombow's Zoom 828fp Fountain Pen, better known to the writing community as the Egg Fountain Pen.

Along with its siblings, the Rollerball Eggs; i.e. 808bw, 828bw, 838bw, 848bw, 858bw; the rarest of the family being the 808bw, which is white with green accents, this group of egg shaped writing instruments, long out of production still remain darlings of the pen community.

Important to note, the Egg fountain pen also has siblings holding the designation of 848fp, produced in matte silver as well as gloss black with gold accents, the latter up for review today.


The entire Egg family has developed a cult status, secondary to being out of production, their lack of availability, and their unusual design.  I reviewed the 858bw rollerball here, and at that time was throughly impressed with its inking versatility.  

Several months ago, I was fortunate to acquire an Egg 828fp fountain pen on ebay and have been enjoying its use and the writing experiences derived from every scribing session with this writing instrument.  

 Design / construction -
The 828fp is 108mm capped, 134mm posted and 20mm in diameter, same as its rollerball siblings.
It is constructed with polycarbonate ABS plastic and accented with a gold plated pocket clip, gold plated ring on the cap bottom, and a gold plated ring on the lower barrel area above the grip section.
It sports a gold plated stainless steel nib that simply says "zoom" and inks a line that lies between a fine and a medium nib size.  More on that later.  The 828fp uses international ink cartridges available from a variety of online retailers.  To date, I've yet to find an ink converter that will fit into its barrel and/or nib.  If anyone out there is aware of such a converter please let me know.

Performance -
When discussing the performance of the Egg 828fp, I tend to steer away from  comparisons with other fountain pens in my collection, simply because in my humble opinion, it would not be a fair one.  Egg 828fp is in a class by itself.  The only pen I have seen that might be comparable is the Platinum Glamour, http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/30698-asian-pens/
which I have yet to try out.  That said, the experience of writing with Egg 828fp is one of a kind.
From the feel of the extra wide barrel, to the dark vibrant and consistent inking on paper.  This fountain pen is exceptional.  The nib is a short stubby one, fitting of the pen body it's attached to.  But it inks without feathering, without hesitation,  and is quite forgiving when put to paper.

Having used this pen for several months, I can say that it has set the standard for what the writing experience should be.  There is little bad that I can say about a pen as comfortable to write with as the Tombow Zoom 828fp "Egg" fountain pen.  As such, if you can locate one, it is very highly recommended.