Fountain Pen Review: Stanford Wood Studio Impressionists Series Fountain Pen

Last year, I chanced upon Stanford Wood Studio, a new pen maker from Stanford, South Africa. They make fountain pens, solid wood pens, silk pens, and wood and resin pens and pencils. The Studio also makes canoes and kayaks. Since then, Stanford Wood Studio has made many interesting fountain pens, including my beautiful and unique Ghost's Breath.

This year, Stanford Wood Studio launched a crowdfunding campaign at Thundafund to raise funds to pay off a CNC lathe, grow their business, and YES, make more beautiful and magical fountain pens. The rewards of the Thundafund campaign include fountain pens, an exclusive fountain pen ink, and a pen pouch. Stanford Wood Studio offered 6 + 1 pens called the Impressionists Series. The Series has six fountain pens in light color bodies and a black one for those who prefer a more classic, subdued look. Backers can choose from a virtual hug, a handwritten card, or one of the beautifully handcrafted pens in the Impressionists Series plus a bottle of teal ink developed exclusively for Stanford Wood Studio by Frara Road. 

Each pen in the series was created by Stanford Wood Studio's owners, Dave and Di, and gets inspiration from a famous painting by Impressionist painters including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Ball at the Moulin Rouge), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Dance at La Galette), Jean Béraud (The Gardens of Paris), Édouard Manet (A bar at the Folies-bergere), Eva Gonzalès (Indolence), Claude Monet (Le Dejeuner Sur L'herbe), and Berthe Morisot (Young Woman at the Mirror). 

Stanford Wood Studio Impressionists fountain pen inspired by
Berthe Morisot's Young Woman at the Mirror.

All seven pens in the Impressionist Series have beads in the barrel and cap ends. These beads are tiny Japanese Delicas that are cylinder-shaped glass seed beads. The lighter pens in the series have brightly colored beads but this pen's beads are more subtle and subdued. It has silver, aqua, and ashes-of-roses beads that all look perfect with the black barrel and cap. The seven pens in the series all have different color sections that match the beads in their barrels and caps.

The Impressionists fountain pen Berthe Morisot has a white section with purple accents that match the beads in the barrel and cap.

The Berthe Morisot pen is a well-balanced fountain pen. It has a nice heft that's just right for writing. I also like the diameter of this pen's section and how I can comfortably grip it as I write. This pen's cap doesn't post, but that's okay with me as I do not usually write with my pens posted.

The Berthe Morisot fountain pen has the following measurements:

• Length, capped: 6 in | 15.24 cm 
• Length, uncapped: 5.25 in | 13.3 cm
• Length, barrel only: 3.4 in | 8.6 cm
• Length, section to nib: 1.85 in | 4.7 cm
• Length, cap: 2.75 inches | 7 cm
• Diameter, barrel: 0.6 in | 1.7 cm
• Nib: No. 6 Bock rose gold plated
• Filling mechanism: Converter (included in pen) or international standard cartridges

This fountain pen fills with ink using a converter or standard international ink cartridges. A converter is included with a pen purchase from Stanford Wood Studio.

Stanford Wood Studio uses Bock nibs for their fountain pens. My Ghost's Breath came with Broad polished steel No. 6 Bock nib. Di let me have a rose gold nib this time. I love this Broad Bock because it's smooth, wet, and soft. It wrote so smoothly the first time I tried it, and I did not experience any hard starts or skipping. It also looks so pretty! Stanford Wood Studio offers Fine, Medium, or Broad nibs for the Impressionists Series.

The rose gold Bock nib looks pretty and writes smooth, too!

Silver, aqua, and ashes-of-roses Japanese Delica beads adorn the barrel and cap of the fountain pens in the Impressionists Series.

I now have two fountain pens from Stanford Wood Studio. As both pens are clipless, I always needed to check which end I was holding so I don't put it nib down in my pen wrap.  Dave and Di thoughtful provided simple design tweaks to remind the user of the pen's ends, as one has a flat top, and the other has a pointed end. Thoughtful, wise, brilliant design!

Stanford Wood Studio Impressionists and Ghost's Breath fountain pens.

The Impressionists Series Berthe Morisot pen is a full-length fountain pen, half an inch longer than my BENU Tattoo, Lamy Safari, and Lamy 2000. Despite that, it's not a heavy pen and is still comfortable for writing. 

Capped, the Berthe Morisot fountain pen is longer than BENU Tattoo, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000, and Esterbrook JR.

Uncapped, it's almost the same length as the BENU Tattoo and Lamy Safari pens.

Frara Road, a retail company based in Cape Town, South Africa has made a new fountain pen ink exclusively for Stanford Wood Studio. The Gardens of Paris is a green-teal ink color named from one of the pens in the Impressionists Series. Frara Road uses a 50 ml PET bottle for their ink. It's a saturated ink with excellent flow, shading, and sheen. It's perfect for this pen's Broad nib which wrote smooth and wet.

The Berthe Morisot fountain pen wrote smooth and wet, a perfect match for the saturated ink.

Perfect match: Frara Road's first and only fountain pen ink, The Gardens of Paris is a beautiful green-teal ink. Some reward tiers of Stanford Wood Studio's Thundafund campaign include a 50ml bottle of this ink.

I am very happy and proud to have one of the seven pens in Stanford Wood Studio's Impressionists Series. This pen is well-balanced, built for long-term use, and a stunning and beautiful pen. It's Dave and Di's work of art and one that I am sure will be loved by many. I'm excited to see new pens coming out of the new lathe! 

The Impressionists Series will soon come to Stanford Wood Studio's store. Stay tuned and get one for your collection! If anyone wants to own one of these pens, do visit Stanford Wood Studio's website or send Di and Dave a message at info@stanfordwoodstudio.com. There are also many interesting fountain pens in their shop! Get one for your collection!

Rants of The Archer thanks Stanford Wood Studio for providing the Impressionists Series Berthe Morisot fountain pen for review purposes. To learn more about Stanford Wood Studio, how to buy their kayaks, canoes, and pens, and for other details about their wonderful work, visit their website at https://www.stanfordwoodstudio.com/ or follow them on social media:

• Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/StanfordWoodStudio)
• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/stanfordwoodstudio/)