I’m not a serious PD collector by any measure, and I’ll be honest, I’m fairly shallow in being attracted by the relatively newer designs rather than the older vintage pieces that were produced under Faber-Castell. There is a bit of cross-over and I’ll just share my brief impressions here.
• P’3115 Laser Flex ballpoint in black PVD.
Launched in 2012 and produced by Pelikan, who took over from FC around 2011, the Laser Flex is a mind-boggling design comprised of interlocking anodized aluminum pieces that are held in tension by an internal spring. Pilot fans, think of this as a techno-upgrade of the Sprinter! To deploy the tip, you compress the entire length of the pen, and it is a wonder to me how the pieces do not pinch my fingers in any way. As this model uses a standard Parker type refill, it is easily converted into a pencil with your choice of Schmidt or Parker modules.
• P’3120 - anthracite
This is the original PD model (and color) that got me interested in the early 2010s or so, when I spotted it online. The two grip cutouts on the aluminum body seemed so elegant and authoritative: “Ve haf determined zis is vere you vill place your fingers for optimum performance!” But to be honest, the symmetry and relatively small size of the cutouts forces my fingers to hold it in a fixed way that I dislike… kinda like how some folks don’t jibe with the grip on the Lamy Safari. In this case, the weight of the all-metal body makes it even more uncomfortable for me.
To be sure, there are official twist-click pencil models but I picked the ballpoint because I use them more at work. I later learned that the smoother and closer-spaced spiral rings indicated that this was a later, ‘improved’ version that was probably produced under Pelikan…
• P’3120 - aluminum (custom sharp)
Despite not loving the actual balance and feel of the anthracite model, I continued to be fascinated by the geometry of its design and sought to track down the older version in silver/aluminum. Based on the wider spaced spiral grooves, I believe it is the original version produced by FC from around 2008, or until it was taken over by Pelikan around 2011. I customised this one with a Parker pencil insert and it functions just like an original pencil model would.
• P’3130 Mikado 0.7mm
Less intricate than the Laser Flex yet perhaps more elegant, the Mikado has a body made up of 11 steel rods held in a spiral configuration, like the classic game of ‘pick up sticks’… you twist the body to activate the clutch. While the Laser Flex is pure mechanical precision, the tactile interaction of the Mikado is far more beguiling. The original was produced by FC from 2006, and mine is a Pelikan version from 2011 onwards.
I’m not sure I will ever go on the path of collecting the older PD models made under Faber-Castell, but I don’t regret owning these latter day beauties.
