Hands-on Cambridge review

[cdcarter]

Not review, really, but couple of observations on questions several of us had when all we had to go on were photos:

Fit/finish -- Seems to be well made, though the end cap was a little rough.

Dimensions/assembly -- The tubes and bushings are identical to the El Grande and Churchill. No need to order bushings, bits or extra tubes if you have those. Turning and assembly are exactly the same. Turns on a "B" mandrel.

Weight/feel -- Has enough heft to feel like a luxury pen without tearing your pocket off your shirt.

Other considerations -- The nib assembly is so much like a Churchill that I'm a little concerned that it could be fragile, as I've found the Churchills to be. But I'm willing to give it a chance.

Value -- At $22, not one you order by the dozen, but a good kit to have on hand for customers who want an upscale pen without spending a fortune.

Place in rotation -- Some of the metalwork strikes me as a cross between Emperor and Majestic, but I haven't actually turned an Emperor and can't say for sure. The customer I made it for wanted a Majestic at first, and I talked her out of it. (It's just too heavy and bulky for my taste.) I think she'll like this better.

If anybody wants to see, I've posted a photo in SOYP.

FWIW.

 

[toolcrazy]

Good Review. You should post this review on my review site.

 

[redfishsc]

If the nib coupler is plastic like the one on the Churchill/Elgrande, I would not touch this pen with a 10-foot pole <b><u>especially if they are charging $20+ for it.</u></b>

For that price it can come with a metal coupler. The Churchill is grossly prone to breaking--- the first Elgrande and first Churchill (and LAST for now) I ever turned broke. One in my pocket when I sat down (this would have NEVER happened on a Gent) and one when I was writing. There is no excuse for something that will crack that bloomin easily when being assembled, leading to a break.

A $22 kit with a standard blank and a good film finish would cost my customers $100-150. At that price, a pen should be durable, not "eggshells".

But, the Cambridge does look fairly nice.

 

[cdcarter]

I'd like to say otherwise, but I can't tell any difference between the Churchill and Cambridge nib threads, and since my day-to-day pen is sitting busted at that very point, I'm sympathetic. But that particular "chassis" has an appeal to a lot of people for whom a Gent or even a Jr. Gent is just too heavy. The Cambridge I made is for a woman, and I talked her off a Majestic, which IMO is too big and flashy for anybody, male or female, except maybe a fat, loud rich guy who wears nail polish. (I made one, and of course nobody's bought it, and I just can't pull it out with a straight face. My daughter calls it my "Texas Oilman Pen.")

So contrary to what I may have posted earlier, I'll keep making a Churchill, El Grande or Cambridge now and then when that's what somebody wants, just because I don't know of another screw top that meets the same user profile requirements.

But I'm not going to build an inventory or push them. It's by request only. But then, that's how I sell nearly all my pens anyway.