Faber-Castell Emotion 'pure black' fountain pen

If you read my review about the original Faber-Castell Emotion fountain pen, you might know that that is definitely one of the best pens I've ever used. And this one is no different!

As soon as I found out that Faber-Castell would release this all-black version of one of my favourite pens, I contacted Faber-Castell (I HAD to try this one out!) After a lot of Emailing back and forth with about five different people (all related to Faber-Castell) I finally reached the right person, and they would send me one as soon as they got them in stock. And last week, the moment I had been waiting for quite a long time: I received the pen in the mail. (Oh boy, was I excited!)

Comparing the original E-motion wood and the 'pure black' version

The shape of the pen has remained the same, but the materials they used on the barrel, and the finish of the brass parts are quite different. Instead of using wood for the barrel, they used Aluminum that has a laser-engraved diamond pattern on it. And as if that wasn't good enough, they made it black. To make it even better (yes, it can get better): instead of using chromed parts for the cap and grip section, they made the brass parts matte black as well. Oh, And did I mention that the nib is also black (I have no idea how they do that, but it sure looks great)

So knowing that I like Black pens, this is like the Holy Grail of pens to me!

The aluminum barrel feels very nice to the touch, almost like rubber. Which is very pleasant to hold. And it is also aesthetically pleasing, in a way that the aluminum has a slightly different colour (a bit less dark, more like a dark grey) which gives a subtle but noticeable contrast to the black brass parts.

Again, the full metal build of this pen makes it quite heavy, and because of the thick grip section,  it appears even more 'chunky'. It is a massive pen, which is how I generally prefer my pens, but it could feel a bit too bulky and heavy for some people. Now also keep in mind that posting the cap isn't possible, but it is already quite heavy on it's own, and it is definitely long enough for me (for a reference: my hands are about 18cm/ 7Inches long and the pen is still more than long enough!)

The nib has definitely lived up to my expectations. The fine nib on my own Emotion pen is great, but I was convinced that the Medium nib on this one would be even better. Faber-Castell has a great reputation for their steel nibs, and this one is no different. It is extremely smooth, and the flow is on the wet side, wich makes it appear even smoother. And for some reason, the shape of the iridium tip makes it write a bit like a stub, which gives a subtle flair to your writing It's really quite subtle though!) As I already mentioned, it has a Medium nib, but it seems to write a bit broader than most European nibs, not much, but it was slightly noticeable when writing.

One of the biggest selling points of these pens are its smooth nibs, and believe me, these steel nibs are as good -if not better- than some gold nibs out there, while being much cheaper. But the nibs aren't only good writers, they also look great, the engraving is very stylish and subtle at the same time, and well... it's BLACK!

This pen is great, no doubt about that. It has everything it needs: the nib is great, the build quality is flawless, and it looks great. But, that kind of quality comes at a price; At 150 Euros/ 175 USDollars, it is definitely on the higher end of steel nib fountain pens.

Note: this pen was sent to me by Procura KTC, the Belgian Faber-Castell distributor, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, nor was I monetarily compensated. The opinions shared in this review are completely my own!