A LETTER I WROTE TO STAEDTLER

i am still waiting for a reply. hopefully, it will be in english.




Hello,


First off, let me just say how much i enjoy your pens. There are a lot of mechanical pens on the market to choose from, but over the last 14 years or so, I've found myself returning again and again to your grey barreled pens. They are simple, affordable and the ink is a strong black that holds up nicely to being painted over with watercolours. Nothing is worse than watching a nice, crisp line get obliterated by a wash. Additionally, I find the font that you use for your logo to be quite agreeable. I know it's a little superficial, but, between that and the grey, black and white colors, it's a pen I like to see in my hand and on my desk. As proof of my using your pens, I am including this image that I drew of a security guard at a museum in my city.


http://i39.tinypic.com/33xxzzc.jpg


My complaint has to do with the location of the pen thickness indicator. If one is to store their pens in a cup (Personally, I use an empty can that had once contained some type of vegetable), it would seem to me that the best way to do so would be tip down. This insures that your ink will not dry out and extends the life of the pen. Unfortunately, it also makes determining the thickness of the pen nearly impossible. I find myself pulling out three or four pens just to find the correct one. If the pen thickness were to be stamped at the base of the barrel instead of the cap, this issue would be eliminated. It would also subconsciously guide people to storing the pens correctly. As it stands, you are doing the opposite. If you look around your office, I'll bet you'll find people storing their pens tip up. You aren't alone in this. This is a common practice amongst mechanical pen manufacturers. Micron does this and theirs even rubs off after a while. Plus, their tips always fold and break and leak. No competition for you.






As always, I am


C. Alan Gessler