Dainty Trinket: FWP Bijou Fountain Pen
Disclosure: I received this pen from Ferris Wheel Press in exchange for an honest review. I am also a member of their affiliate program.
I’ve always been curious about the high end fountain pens in the Ferris Wheel Press (FWP) catalog, but they were always out of my budget. The step up from a basic FWP Carousel is a big jump, it’s usually around $15-$22 for a Carousel and $90 for an aluminum Carousel or $100-$150+ for the Bijou and Joule models. Price has always been my biggest hesitation with these pens as I do think they look very nice. The question was though, do they write nice? Are they worth it?
The Pen
The presentation of the FWP Bijou is as fun and whimsical as the ink bottles and packaging that FWP puts out. I received the Captain Earl Greyson colorway (a beige color) and the box it came in reflects its color. Upon opening the package I was greeted with the pen in an included faux velvet pen sleeve with a gold maple leaf. One of my first impressions was the weight, it felt solid in the hand. The pen is similar in design to the previous (now discontinued) Brush fountain pens, which were designed to invoke a paintbrush. It is lacquered on the outside and the color is shiny with sparkles in the light. It has the brass nut roll stop that is a signature on many FWP products. This pen has been knocking around in pencil bags with no sleeve for the past two months or so and the finish is holding up.
One of my favorite features is the grip. It has an etched design that fits with FWP’s steampunk carnival aesthetic. It’s very cool and actually comfortable to hold. It provides a little bit of texture for grip, but isn’t sharp or awkward. The design etching also extends to the nib which is a bicolor steel nib. I have the medium option. With all the FWP pens I’ve used I prefer the medium nib over the fine nib for a better writing experience.
The pen comes with an included converter. A nice little feature is that there is an o-ring on the grip that helps the pen body stay attached to the grip which can be a problem with pens with metal connections like this one.
In looks and quality, the Bijou is a huge step up from the Carousels that I was more familiar with. It has a very unique look to it, I don’t personally know of any other pens on the market that look quite like this one.
The Bijou is a lot fancier than its starter pen cousin.
The Writing Experience
I’ve been using this pen for a while and have used three inks in it: FWP Wayfinder’s Slate, FWP Highland Smoke, and the soon to be released FWP Skies of Uproar. Two of them are shimmer and one is a standard. I’ve had no issues with flow from the shimmers. The nib is smooth and wrote well out of the box.
I’ve really enjoyed writing with it. It’s pretty easy to just get writing with it, only three turns of the cap to get it open. It’s also not meant to be posted and the design of the cap makes it so it doesn’t easily roll away on my desk. I’ve written it dry about four times and it has been a pleasant experience. I don’t hesitate to reach for it.
I let a bunch of folks play with it at a fountain pen meetup and they all said they were surprised by how comfortable it was to write with even with larger and smaller hands. My own hands are on the small side and its center of gravity is very comfortable for my grip.
It’s an overall solid little pen.
Now for the big question - is it worth it?
At $130, the FWP Bijou has some stiff competition. The Kaweco AL, Brass, and Art Sports exist in this tier, as well as some of the higher end Watermans and Sheaffer pens. When on sale, a Pelikan M200 is only a little bit more spendy. The Esterbrook JR sits about $50 more than these pens.
I think the answer to this question really comes down to aesthetics and style. FWP is very much going for a look with their products. Whimsical, fantastical, steampunk, dark academia - all very popular themes in the planner/journaler community. In the fountain pen community they have been a bit more controversial due to some past marketing choices and lack of transparency, but I think they are learning from their mistakes. I consider them more of a “lifestyle” brand than a hardcore stationery brand (ie Pilot, Sailor, Pelikan etc.) because they are not only selling a product, they are selling an aesthetic and style. It’s not a pen for everyone and I don’t think it’s trying to be. Is a Montblanc worth it over other gold nibbed pens? I think the answer to that is similar, it comes down to individuality, styling, and whether or not the money feels worth it.
And I think that’s where the price point sits, if you like the style, it’s a perfectly solid pen for your money. Recently, FWP has also added an extended warranty option. For $20 they are offering 5 years of repair and loss replacement no questions asked. I haven’t used this service myself so I can’t speak to if it’s actually that easy, but that’s something to consider as well.
I like this pen and I’ve been eyeballing the Lord of the Rings models (I was a huge LOTR fan when I was younger) and I think the price with the branding is not outrageous. I recently got the Shadows of Mordor ink and I’m a little bit in love with it.
The Bijou and the other higher end pens do end up in sales quite often at ferriswheelpress.com, so if you like the look but don’t love the price tag it’s worth it to watch for a sale. My only beef with their website (and I’m saying this with love because I do like their inks and use them all the time) is that shipping is $25 within the USA. If they could work on getting a US distribution center to cut down on the shipping price I think it would be easier for folks to purchase from them directly in the USA, at least. It is possible to get their products on Amazon, but the sales are generally only available on their website.
Have you tried the Bijou? What did you think?
Currently Inked
Still working on the fills of FWP Madame Mulberry and Colorverse Sky-tinted Waters.
Colorverse NGC 1850 - Kaweco x Galen Leather Sport Carmine 14K BB ‘journaler’ - I waffled over what I wanted to use for a header ink for November for a while. Usually I go with something autumny like Dominant Industry November Leaves or Diamine Olive Swirl. However, I had sheeny blues stuck in my head and decided to pull one out I haven’t used in ages. I am so thrilled that I did. I forgot how epic this ink is. It’s such a nice teal leaning blue with red sheen and shimmer. Just a great ink to top my pages with this month.
Ferris Wheel Press Purple Jade Rabbit - Kaweco liliput fireblue 14K M ‘journaler’ - This is one of those inks that I only break out occasionally, but it is such a delight to write with when I do. It was a special edition from a few years back and it captures soft purple tones so well. It has shading on some papers and the silver shimmer really adds an ethereal feeling to it. I did end up adding a little white lightning to the converter to keep the flow up since the shimmer can get stuck in the feed (and did when I didn’t use the pen for a few days).
Ferris Wheel Press The Sad Charade - Kaweco Collection Sport Dark Olive BB - This is probably another one of my favorite FWP inks. I really like the soft blue-gray that shades. It sits in a comfortable spot of soft colors alongside other blues like FWP Storied Blue and Diamine Celadon Cat.
Ferris Wheel Press Embers of Time (releasing 11/7) - FWP Carousel Hearty Harvest M - When I first swatched this ink I thought it was just a slightly different color from the Starlit Skies ink that was released a few months ago. It’s not, as Starlit Skies is blue with red shimmer and this one is gray with red shimmer. Of the two I actually like this one a lot more on first impressions. I have such a love of stealth fun inks and this one fits the bill with the red shimmer only showing up when it catches the light just right. Very fun and I can see myself playing with this one more in the future.
Ferris Wheel Press x Lord of the Rings Shadows of Mordor - FWP Carousel Oinking Embers M - If I had been into fountain pens as a teenager I would have been begging my parents for something like this. The box design is absolutely gorgeous and the ink is too. They did use the same bottle that they did for the Superman releases (which isn’t the easiest to get open without getting ink all over your fingers), but I still really like this one. I am also a sucker for dark red inks… so this one would be a win even without the LOTR inspiration.
Diamine Candlelight - Ellington Pens Midnight Rose F - I was sent this pen by Ellington Pens for a review (which is currently in progress) so I decided to use an ink that I know pretty well. Diamine Candlelight is a great yellow, it’s dark enough to be readable but doesn’t lean golden brown. It also has some very fun shading. It’s also doing a stellar job of behaving in a pen that I am still learning about.
Ferris Wheel Press Skies of Uproar - FWP Bijou Captain Earl Greyson M - I have a feeling this ink is going to grow on me. It’s a soft, shading blue with “champagne” shimmer. It’s not wowing me as of yet, but similar to Ribbiting Pond and a few others, I think the second fill will be a lot of fun. It’s certainly a pretty ink (and the box art is the two FWP cats riding a pegasus and a griffin into battle… pretty cute!)