Review: Lanier Classic Elite Fountain Pen

Lanier wood turned fountain pen box

The fine folks over at MassDrop sent me a Lanier Classic Elite fountain pen around Christmas but somehow, the package got lost in the mail. So Lanier had to actually make me a new pen. It arrived last week and I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be getting. When I unwrapped the plain white paperboard shipper box, I was quite surprised to find a beautiful wooden box inside. The box has a satiny red stain and a small divot carved into it to open it.

Lanier wood turned fountain pen

Nestled inside, on a grooved cut out, was the Lanier Classic Elite hand-turned wood fountain pen. The model I received is made from yellow box elder wood and has a smooth, glossy, almost marble-like finish.

The cap can be threaded onto the end of the pen for those who prefer to post their caps. Posted, the Lanier Classic Elite measures 6.5″ long. Unposted, its a pleasing 4.75″ long which is perfectly comfortable for my small hands. Closed and capped the pen is 5.375″.

I had anticipated that a wood pen with metal inner barrel and hardware would be really heavy but it was actually incredibly well-weighted and comfortable. The pen, posted and filled, weighs 34g. Unposted but filled with a standard cartridge converter, it weighs 20g.

Fountain Pen Weights

Lanier wood turned fountain pen

The Lanier Classic Elite is trimmed in a combination of 24K gold plating and gun metal. The clip is in the gunmetal and tight but springy and wide enough to fit on most notebook covers.

The nib is also plated in gold. The nib looks like a standard Schmidt nib in medium which is a very good quality nib. The nib is on the smaller side (same size as the nibs in Kaweco Sport line, 7mm wide at the widest point) but the size works with the overall dimensions of the pen.

Lanier Classic Elite writing sample

I filled the pen with Private Reserve Ultra Black Quick Dry ink using my Rhodia Uni Blank No. 18 pad. As soon as I inked up the pen, it was ready to go. There was little to no priming needed. The nib has a bit of softness to it which gives my writing some nice line variation. The ink is dark, dark, dark so I wasn’t able to see a lot of shading but the softness of the nib made it a pleasure to write with.

The grip is incredibly comfortable. So much so, that I sort of forgot to think about it while I was writing.

This is definitely a pen I can see myself using regularly. Its elegant with great details and excellent craftsmanship. I was pleasantly surprised with the whole pen experience and my first experience with a wood-turned pen.

Lanier Writing Sample

There are seven days left in the MassDrop campaign and the more people who commit to a purchase, the lower the price will be. Right now, each pen is $124.99 but prices could dip as low as $99.99 if at least 30 people commit to a purchase. This MassDrop is limited to 75 pens since each one is handcrafted.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by MassDrop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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2 comments / Add your comment below

  1. If we readers of yours decide to participate in the massdrop, will it be the same pen material as the one you reviewed? Elder and medium nib? Also, does it come with a converter?

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