Ferris Wheel Press (FWP) have very kindly sent me a Marquise Nevermore Noir to review. As a Creative Ambassador for FWP I mainly review their inks so this is something different and a welcome distraction from ink swatching.
Retailing at circa £160 (GBP) the Marquise is one of FWP’s more high end fountain pens. And first impressions are that it certainly looks it.
Beautifully made and packaged, the Marquise is crafted using state-of-the-art CNC with a unique faceted tapering silhouette that is standout in both form and function. Its aluminium body is perfectly weighted and balanced and feels incredibly comfortable in my hand. The unique design with its silky black finish and gold-plated brass detailing just oozes luxury and you won’t be surprised to learn that it writes really well with a good ink flow too.
Equipped with a Jowo #6 housing the pen comes with the choice of a medium or a fine nib – I had a fine nib. But don’t despair, FWP also have their Adventurers Nib Collection, a flight of five #6 smooth gliding two-tone steel nibs: Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad and Double Broad which come beautifully packaged as a set.
BUT, if you only need a single nib eg a Double Broad for utilising some of the recent FWP duochrome shimmer inks, then you can purchase each width nib as a single unit which are available in the teal packaging shown top left. Of note: I was also sent an EF nib from the collection to try – see below middle.
So, all good so far. But it gets better. I just happened to have an FPR EF flex nib in a Jowo#6 feed unit. So guess what? I swapped out the nib unit and ink converter and wow! The fit was perfect and the handwriting experience unbelievable! This pen is made for a flex nib. I can’t fully articulate what happened, but the weight, size and shape of the Marquise allowed the flex nib to effortlessly glide over the paper. I have had some great writing experiences but this was on another level. The pen just felt complete. See above: nibs left to right: F, EF, EF flex. Just look at that flex example!
Whatever your views on FWP, in my opinion, they are one of the best stationery companies out there. Their inks are just amazing, as is the Marquise, and everything they do is presented and packaged to the highest of finishes. If I want to gift a friend – with the hidden agenda of tempting them back into proper handwriting (of course) – FWP are my first port of call – and the gifts are always well received.
So, another stunning product from FWP and a truly wonderful experience to boot. If you like what you see and are tempted to try something out, Ferris Wheel Press have given me a discount code that will get you 10-15% discount off their products. All you have to do is click here and use JA–NICK as the code. Enjoy their website and have fun!
And HEY! If you’re interested to know more about how to use fountain pen inks in more creative ways – whether it’s simply to observe their chromatic behaviours, or, to recreate one of my swatch cards, or, to learn how to use them in watercolour painting, illustration and calligraphy, why not check out my online course or, even better, sign up for a workshop?
FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART 