Edison Collier Garolite Limited Edition: A Fountain Pen Review

Introduction

The Edison Pen Company has built its reputation on comfortable, well-made pens with strong customer care, and the limited edition Collier in Garolite is a good example of why. This version swaps the usual acrylic for a laminated glass-reinforced thermoset composite, giving the pen a distinctive layered look and a slightly different feel in the hand.

It is a larger pen, though not the largest in the Collier family; that title belongs to the Collier Grande. For most people, the standard Collier strikes a very usable middle ground. Pricing at Appelboom is listed at 239.67 excluding VAT, with a 10% discount code (“friend”) available through the site’s banner, which can make the pen considerably more attractive, especially for overseas buyers.

Unboxing and First Impressions

Edison’s packaging is a small pleasure in itself. The box carries the company’s light bulb logo, and inside you find a sticker, a colorful bookmark, and a nib-shaped ornament that Edison calls a Christmas tree ornament but which works nicely as a second bookmark. It is a charming, thoughtful package that matches the tone of the company itself.

The pen next to a Pilot Metropolitan shows it is nicely sized: noticeably larger, but not oversized. It sits a couple of grams heavier than the acrylic version because of the Garolite, so it stays light while carrying just a bit more presence in the hand.

Design and Materials

Garolite is a laminated glass-reinforced thermoset composite. G10 is one type of the material, familiar to anyone in the everyday-carry community from knife handles and grip scales. It is reputed to be very strong, and the layered structure gives the pen an appealing marbled banding.

What stands out most is the finish. Unlike Micarta, which has a distinct texture many people find divisive, this Garolite feels smooth in the hand. There may be the faintest hint of texture if you really concentrate, but for all practical purposes it reads as smooth, which makes it comfortable for long writing sessions.

The cap finial, clip, center band, and barrel all follow the same material theme, with a brown center band breaking things up. The section and center band appear to be chosen partly to avoid ink staining, which some laminated materials are prone to; the review sample was handled with care to keep ink off the cap and barrel. The clip is the Edison exclamation-mark style: not too tight, not too loose.

Nib and Filling

The pen uses a number 6 JoWo nib with a plastic feed, laser engraved with the Edison logo. Nib options run from extra fine through broad, plus a 1.1 mm stub; this example carries the 1.1 mm stub. A standard converter is supplied, filled here with a Robert Oster brown ink that was exclusive to the Dutch Pen Show.

One practical note: the Collier does not post. If posting is part of your writing habit, this pen will not accommodate it. The grip section does have a noticeable step-down from the barrel, which is worth considering if you hold the pen high on the section, though larger-handed writers may find it less obtrusive on the Collier Grande.

How It Writes

The 1.1 mm stub is a pleasant writer. It lays down a fairly wet line with visible line variation by nature of the stub: not razor-crisp, but clearly present and fun to use. The nib sounded slightly scratchy on the recording surface, but that was an artifact of writing on coated paper; in practice the nib is smooth and issue-free.

At very fast writing speeds, the feed briefly struggled to keep up with the thirsty stub, running a touch dry, but it replenished quickly with no skipping. At a normal pace, it keeps up well. Flex is minimal: these JoWo stubs have fairly stiff, thick tines, and reverse writing does not really work on a stub, since there is no round tipping to flip over and the nib runs dry quickly in that orientation.

What to Consider Before Buying

The main considerations are the step-down from barrel to section, which some writers may find pronounced, and the inability to post the cap. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both are worth knowing in advance.

On the positive side, the size suits a wide range of hands, the price feels fair for a limited edition, and the craftsmanship is consistently high. The Edison Pen Company’s after-sales care is a genuine strength: even when a cap was damaged through no fault of the company’s, replacement options were sent free of charge, and that level of care reportedly extends to all customers, not just prominent ones.

If you prefer a larger grip or want a more substantial pen overall, the Collier Grande with its number 8 nib is the natural alternative in the same family. For everyone else, the standard Collier in Garolite is a comfortable, distinctive choice.

Conclusion

The Edison Collier Garolite limited edition is a fun, comfortable pen made from an unusual material that happens to feel great in the hand. Add fair pricing for a limited edition, a choice of six nib configurations including a 1.1 mm stub, and a company known for standing behind its pens, and you have a release that is easy to recommend to anyone looking for a larger, characterful everyday writer.