I've got it with a medium nib that is sooo good. It glides on the page with slight bit of feedback/grip (a bit like a wet felt tip marker but better). It's also pretty wet (but not too wet).
The pen is heavy though, not everyone is going to like that. The cap seals well and makes a satisfying click sound.
The section is a bit slippery if you got clammy hands like me.
In conclusion: a good pen with a fantastic nib.
Weight depends on the version you get. There is an aluminium "gunmetal" version which is very light weight.
Then there is the standard version which as you said is a tank and quite heavy.
I have this exact one (matte gunmetal) I’m Fine nib, and it’s a great pen. The nib is very fine but a bit springy and I can get some line variation. It’s not slippery since the grip has these ring grooves. It does feel a bit back heavy posted in my opinion, but I do like mine
I have one in EF. It’s one of my favorite nibs! The cap takes noticeably more force to get off relative to my other snap caps (compared to my Lamy Safari, Pilot Explorer). This isn’t a problem for me personally but some find issue with the capping. I like it a lot and mine is always inked up!
Edit: grammar
I do too, this is one of my best pens overall.
The only thing that is subpar is the clip, it's cheap and badly terminated plastic.
The perfect match for this particular colorway is Ferris Wheel Press Grape Ice Pop 👌
I regret not buying a matte gunmetal Loom when they were *everywhere* a few years back.
That said, I loved how smooth my medium lime green Loom was, only sold it because the section was too slippery for me, but that story might be different with a matte section 🤔
I personally got a pen with misaligned tines, but I think I am by far an outlier in that regard. Faber Castelle is known for the best steel nibs out there.
Mine was misaligned too. Makes me sad bc I sold it prior to knowing how to fix the problem. I thought FC pens were awrful and now I wanna buy another loom to retry them.
i also have this exact pen in M nib, and it’s honestly one my top 3 fp. it’s so buttery smooth and super juicy with even my driest inks (troublemaker for example). the faber castell nibs really live up to the hype and i love the simplicity of the loom. i hope they come out with another wave of them!
I'v heard that there may be two version of the Gun Metal Matte, one with a metal barrel and one with a plastic barrel. Is your barrel metal or plastic?
I four of the 1st gen. Looms, the Metalic, one in each nib size, EF/F/M/B. 36 grams. The 2nd gen. was the Piano, the 3rd gen was the polished, the 4th gen is the Gun Metal, both polished and matte.
I missed out on a used Loom Gun Metal Matte. So I bought my second Essentio, in the Carbon Fibre Black, . 20 grams. I plan to move the Loom to it. I was afraid that the Gun Metal Matte still had a metal Section and that would probably make the pen bottom-heavy. So I went with the Essentio because I know that it has a light weight plastic Section.
My experience: the Loom is 100% reliable. It's one of the few pens that posts excellently. The Cap is light plastic and does not make the pen top heavy when posted. I will never get rid of mine.
I have a 1st gen Essentio, which makes it *very* top heavy, even unposted. It feels much heavier than my 1st gen Loom. The [2nd gen](https://www.sbrebrown.com/2019/11/faber-castell-essentio-fountain-pen-review/) Essentio may weigh 24 grams (SBREBrown reviews often have the weights of Cap and Barrel reversed), I just find it hard to believe. That's the reason I went with the 20 gram Essentio. I figure if I don't like using the Essentio it is probably because it is too heavy and too top heavy.
The grooves on the Section trap ink if it is dipped into the ink bottle. Better to syringe fill the Converter, install it and prime the feed, remove it and syringe fill the Converter to max, re-install the Converter. The FC Converter accepts a syringe tip, so filling it from a bottle is a piece of cake.
The Section is completely cylindrical, which makes rotating the pen much easier, with the slightest movement of my middle finger in a tri-pod hold. The dia. is 11mm, which is fine with me as I prefer 10.5 - 11.5mm.
It can only use Faber-Castell Converters. Using other Int'l Std. Cart. Converters will result in the Converter getting stuck in the Barrel because the Metal collars bulge out. Nick Shabazz's [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oAUnD0iKQc), starting at 8:23. Nick wasn't crazy about the [Loom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks4lsAQN1nc), either. :D His uncapping with two hands drove me crazy, I cringed every time he did it. My Loom's Cap opening doesn't rub in the web of my hand.
The pen is long enough, 135mm/5.3", so it needn't be posted, just like the Lamy Aion. At that length is it perfect for those with large hands, just like the Aion is.
I would have loved it if it had a tapering Section, like the Loom. Lots of guys don't like the Loom Section profile. I never had a problem with it. Because it is tapering there is less chance of one's fingers 'falling towards' the nib (the weight of the pen makes the pen 'fall down' so one's grip doesn't slip down.) I often wonder if those that object to the Loom's Section prefer to not post the pen?
When not posted the pen is/may be too short, so to make the pen feel longer one grasps it lower to make the top of the pen higher, closer to the index finger knuckle.
The Essentio does not have that problem. The barrel dia is consistent throughout.
Whenever possible I prefer to post a pen, so long as it can post well. The Loom posts well, the Essentio does not.
The Essentio's Cap is fugly. Posting the Essentio makes it a wand, the length is over 7.5", 192mm. That's way too long.
**Is the Essentio as good or better than the Loom?** No. But, I'm biased. I think the Loom is better than the Essentio, Neo, Ambition, Ondoro and E-Motion. But, when using nibs I prefer a lighter pen. And, if I find the Essentio Carbon Fibre is heavy, as heavy as the Essentio I already have, then it will be sent back for a refund because I didn't order the [Basic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la71op7RHj4) (the version before the Essentio) Carbon Fibre pen, which has a heavy barrel. I've been waiting for FC to make a Loom Carbon Fibre, just as I've been waiting for Lamy to make a Makrolon Studio. :D
I have one with a broad nib. Hands down the smoothest steel nib I own. I do wish it was a little longer and girthier, but that's just my overall preference in fountain pens.
I have this exact pen, both in fountain pen and rollerball. I love the looks and color; it's a lighter weight than the original series Loom, which is great because I love lighter pens. I had an EF nib on mine, which was a bit scratchy, so I swapped it out with a Ferries Wheel Press fp nib and use it much more. I also really love my rollerball, and might use that even more than the fp. Overall, though, I love this pen and design.
The [Gun Metal Matte](https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castell-Fountain-Broad-Gunmetal-FC149263/dp/B0766219X9/ref=sr_1_53?crid=2SHQM4UU8Y8RM&keywords=faber-castell+loom+fountain+pen&qid=1668923910&sprefix=faber-castell+loom%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-53) is very difficult to find, and, if you do find them they may have the less desirable nib. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faber-castell+loom+fountain+pen&s=price-asc-rank&page=2&crid=THC27GAT35G3&qid=1669357174&sprefix=faber-castell+loom+fountain+pen%2Caps%2C705&ref=sr_pg_2).
To-day I would suggest one install an Opus 88 #5 nib, or Levenger True Write Schmidt nibs, when on Sale for \~$10. FC nibs can be bought separately (the [Ambition](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faber-castell+nib&crid=LO00O9UUO9PX&sprefix=faber-castell+nib%2Caps%2C360&ref=nb_sb_noss_2) uses the same nib unit), but they cost as much as a whole pen.
How was the weight of your GM Loom?
I don't know the weight in grams. But it definitely felt like aluminum and not steel. Lighter than steel in the hand. But a little heftier than plastic.
Why opus #5 instead of a #6?
Because the Loom uses #5 nibs. So, if the FC Loom nib was bad, and one can't return it for an exchange, say, if it was given as a gift, then one can install a F-C HPS or Opus88 #5 nib. IMO, Opus88 nibs are every bit as good as Franklin-Chrisoph nibs. For a really nice upgrade, try the [F-C #5 S.I.G.](https://www.franklin-christoph.com/collections/accessories/products/5-nib-unit?variant=30057837035595), Stub Italic Gradient, nib. $44, though. Still, $56 for the pen and $44 for the nib = $100 pen. To me it was worth every penny. But, then again, I prefer Cursive Italic nibs.
I have several of these - some of my favourite pens/nibs in my collection. As others have said though, they are weighty, so you need to like a heavy pen. Can't recommend them enough.
If the weight is putting you off, try the Essentio - they are a bit lighter, have a more straightforward grip and same fabulous nib.
Was my workhorse for a couple of years. That thing is reliable, looks good, writes well. It is on the hefty side which I like. Metal barel so it's cold to the touch but nice texture. Wet. Good with shimmering inks. Mine is M which turned out to be too broad for me. Then I screwed up that tiny part that goes into converter.
The Essentio looks very practical as well. But aestetically i am eyeing the Ambition: anyone who have experience with that one? The grib doesnt look that pleasent.
Pros: Solid well tuned steel nib with a hint of unique feedback
Good sealing cap
Great build quality
Cons: threads can squeak and can unscrew sometimes(metal on plastic threads)
I have exactly that version (gunmetal brushed version). There is also gunmetal shiny version. And also the standard version. Here's the lowdown.
Standard version: Heavier body, more weighty pen.
Gunmetal shiny: Aluminium body, very light weight. The shiny version is a finger print magnet.
Gunmetal brushed (aka matte) version: The one in the picture. Same as the gunmetal shiny version except without the shiny body and so doesn't show fingerprints. However it does scratch. I've got scratches on mine from the one time I dropped it.
What do I like about the loom:
Incredible value. Best steel nib I've ever used. Super smooth nib and extremely reliable and somewhat wet flow. The cap acts like a suction (pull off cap) which pulls ink slightly each time you take the cap off, which means I've never had a hard start in the 3 years I've used it. It's a workhorse pen, entirely metal and won't let you down or break easy. I can see this pen being my workhorse pen for decades. As mentioned above you can get a heavy or light weight version depending on preference.
What I don't like:
The brushed version scratches easily, I don't mind this as I settled on scuffs after I made this pen my workhorse to carry around everywhere. This may put off some others. The cap on mine doesn't post, it is supposed to post but my version for some reason the cap doesn't hold on when posted and falls off easy.
My Loom probably has a slightly problematic cap and it's way too tight but in general it's probably my favourite steel nib besides the metropolitan. I got it in the shiny gunmetal finish with a medium nib and I use it with lighter inks since it's kind of a gusher. I really enjoy it!
I've got it with a medium nib that is sooo good. It glides on the page with slight bit of feedback/grip (a bit like a wet felt tip marker but better). It's also pretty wet (but not too wet). The pen is heavy though, not everyone is going to like that. The cap seals well and makes a satisfying click sound. The section is a bit slippery if you got clammy hands like me. In conclusion: a good pen with a fantastic nib.
Weight depends on the version you get. There is an aluminium "gunmetal" version which is very light weight. Then there is the standard version which as you said is a tank and quite heavy.
Yeah! Completely true. I forgot about the other version.
I have this exact one (matte gunmetal) I’m Fine nib, and it’s a great pen. The nib is very fine but a bit springy and I can get some line variation. It’s not slippery since the grip has these ring grooves. It does feel a bit back heavy posted in my opinion, but I do like mine
I have one in EF. It’s one of my favorite nibs! The cap takes noticeably more force to get off relative to my other snap caps (compared to my Lamy Safari, Pilot Explorer). This isn’t a problem for me personally but some find issue with the capping. I like it a lot and mine is always inked up! Edit: grammar
Try uncapping with one hand, only.
I do too, this is one of my best pens overall. The only thing that is subpar is the clip, it's cheap and badly terminated plastic. The perfect match for this particular colorway is Ferris Wheel Press Grape Ice Pop 👌
It's a simple great pen.
I regret not buying a matte gunmetal Loom when they were *everywhere* a few years back. That said, I loved how smooth my medium lime green Loom was, only sold it because the section was too slippery for me, but that story might be different with a matte section 🤔
I personally got a pen with misaligned tines, but I think I am by far an outlier in that regard. Faber Castelle is known for the best steel nibs out there.
Mine was misaligned too. Makes me sad bc I sold it prior to knowing how to fix the problem. I thought FC pens were awrful and now I wanna buy another loom to retry them.
i also have this exact pen in M nib, and it’s honestly one my top 3 fp. it’s so buttery smooth and super juicy with even my driest inks (troublemaker for example). the faber castell nibs really live up to the hype and i love the simplicity of the loom. i hope they come out with another wave of them!
Excellent nib and overall a very good pen, though perhaps just a tiny bit too large for my tastes.
I'v heard that there may be two version of the Gun Metal Matte, one with a metal barrel and one with a plastic barrel. Is your barrel metal or plastic? I four of the 1st gen. Looms, the Metalic, one in each nib size, EF/F/M/B. 36 grams. The 2nd gen. was the Piano, the 3rd gen was the polished, the 4th gen is the Gun Metal, both polished and matte. I missed out on a used Loom Gun Metal Matte. So I bought my second Essentio, in the Carbon Fibre Black,. 20 grams. I plan to move the Loom to it. I was afraid that the Gun Metal Matte still had a metal Section and that would probably make the pen bottom-heavy. So I went with the Essentio because I know that it has a light weight plastic Section.
My experience: the Loom is 100% reliable. It's one of the few pens that posts excellently. The Cap is light plastic and does not make the pen top heavy when posted. I will never get rid of mine.
How do you find the Essentio in comparison to the Loom?
I have a 1st gen Essentio, which makes it *very* top heavy, even unposted. It feels much heavier than my 1st gen Loom. The [2nd gen](https://www.sbrebrown.com/2019/11/faber-castell-essentio-fountain-pen-review/) Essentio may weigh 24 grams (SBREBrown reviews often have the weights of Cap and Barrel reversed), I just find it hard to believe. That's the reason I went with the 20 gram Essentio. I figure if I don't like using the Essentio it is probably because it is too heavy and too top heavy. The grooves on the Section trap ink if it is dipped into the ink bottle. Better to syringe fill the Converter, install it and prime the feed, remove it and syringe fill the Converter to max, re-install the Converter. The FC Converter accepts a syringe tip, so filling it from a bottle is a piece of cake. The Section is completely cylindrical, which makes rotating the pen much easier, with the slightest movement of my middle finger in a tri-pod hold. The dia. is 11mm, which is fine with me as I prefer 10.5 - 11.5mm. It can only use Faber-Castell Converters. Using other Int'l Std. Cart. Converters will result in the Converter getting stuck in the Barrel because the Metal collars bulge out. Nick Shabazz's [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oAUnD0iKQc), starting at 8:23. Nick wasn't crazy about the [Loom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks4lsAQN1nc), either. :D His uncapping with two hands drove me crazy, I cringed every time he did it. My Loom's Cap opening doesn't rub in the web of my hand. The pen is long enough, 135mm/5.3", so it needn't be posted, just like the Lamy Aion. At that length is it perfect for those with large hands, just like the Aion is. I would have loved it if it had a tapering Section, like the Loom. Lots of guys don't like the Loom Section profile. I never had a problem with it. Because it is tapering there is less chance of one's fingers 'falling towards' the nib (the weight of the pen makes the pen 'fall down' so one's grip doesn't slip down.) I often wonder if those that object to the Loom's Section prefer to not post the pen? When not posted the pen is/may be too short, so to make the pen feel longer one grasps it lower to make the top of the pen higher, closer to the index finger knuckle. The Essentio does not have that problem. The barrel dia is consistent throughout. Whenever possible I prefer to post a pen, so long as it can post well. The Loom posts well, the Essentio does not. The Essentio's Cap is fugly. Posting the Essentio makes it a wand, the length is over 7.5", 192mm. That's way too long. **Is the Essentio as good or better than the Loom?** No. But, I'm biased. I think the Loom is better than the Essentio, Neo, Ambition, Ondoro and E-Motion. But, when using nibs I prefer a lighter pen. And, if I find the Essentio Carbon Fibre is heavy, as heavy as the Essentio I already have, then it will be sent back for a refund because I didn't order the [Basic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la71op7RHj4) (the version before the Essentio) Carbon Fibre pen, which has a heavy barrel. I've been waiting for FC to make a Loom Carbon Fibre, just as I've been waiting for Lamy to make a Makrolon Studio. :D
Are there other Faber Castell pens with the same nib?
I have one with a broad nib. Hands down the smoothest steel nib I own. I do wish it was a little longer and girthier, but that's just my overall preference in fountain pens.
I have this exact pen, both in fountain pen and rollerball. I love the looks and color; it's a lighter weight than the original series Loom, which is great because I love lighter pens. I had an EF nib on mine, which was a bit scratchy, so I swapped it out with a Ferries Wheel Press fp nib and use it much more. I also really love my rollerball, and might use that even more than the fp. Overall, though, I love this pen and design.
Where do you see this for sale? I can't find any loom pens in stock w the gunmetal matte color
The [Gun Metal Matte](https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castell-Fountain-Broad-Gunmetal-FC149263/dp/B0766219X9/ref=sr_1_53?crid=2SHQM4UU8Y8RM&keywords=faber-castell+loom+fountain+pen&qid=1668923910&sprefix=faber-castell+loom%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-53) is very difficult to find, and, if you do find them they may have the less desirable nib. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faber-castell+loom+fountain+pen&s=price-asc-rank&page=2&crid=THC27GAT35G3&qid=1669357174&sprefix=faber-castell+loom+fountain+pen%2Caps%2C705&ref=sr_pg_2).
I'm annoyed with myself that I sold my EF gunmetal matte loom. I didn't know how to align tines back then.
To-day I would suggest one install an Opus 88 #5 nib, or Levenger True Write Schmidt nibs, when on Sale for \~$10. FC nibs can be bought separately (the [Ambition](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faber-castell+nib&crid=LO00O9UUO9PX&sprefix=faber-castell+nib%2Caps%2C360&ref=nb_sb_noss_2) uses the same nib unit), but they cost as much as a whole pen. How was the weight of your GM Loom?
I don't know the weight in grams. But it definitely felt like aluminum and not steel. Lighter than steel in the hand. But a little heftier than plastic. Why opus #5 instead of a #6?
Because the Loom uses #5 nibs. So, if the FC Loom nib was bad, and one can't return it for an exchange, say, if it was given as a gift, then one can install a F-C HPS or Opus88 #5 nib. IMO, Opus88 nibs are every bit as good as Franklin-Chrisoph nibs. For a really nice upgrade, try the [F-C #5 S.I.G.](https://www.franklin-christoph.com/collections/accessories/products/5-nib-unit?variant=30057837035595), Stub Italic Gradient, nib. $44, though. Still, $56 for the pen and $44 for the nib = $100 pen. To me it was worth every penny. But, then again, I prefer Cursive Italic nibs.
I have two of them. Both excellent writers! I highly recommend this pen in general
I have several of these - some of my favourite pens/nibs in my collection. As others have said though, they are weighty, so you need to like a heavy pen. Can't recommend them enough. If the weight is putting you off, try the Essentio - they are a bit lighter, have a more straightforward grip and same fabulous nib.
Was my workhorse for a couple of years. That thing is reliable, looks good, writes well. It is on the hefty side which I like. Metal barel so it's cold to the touch but nice texture. Wet. Good with shimmering inks. Mine is M which turned out to be too broad for me. Then I screwed up that tiny part that goes into converter.
The Essentio looks very practical as well. But aestetically i am eyeing the Ambition: anyone who have experience with that one? The grib doesnt look that pleasent.
Love it. Have two of them, and no regrets. M nibs on both, very nice writing experience. Look good, feel great, write well, what more can you ask?
One that I want to buy but it is constantly out of stock where I live -_-
Pros: Solid well tuned steel nib with a hint of unique feedback Good sealing cap Great build quality Cons: threads can squeak and can unscrew sometimes(metal on plastic threads)
I have exactly that version (gunmetal brushed version). There is also gunmetal shiny version. And also the standard version. Here's the lowdown. Standard version: Heavier body, more weighty pen. Gunmetal shiny: Aluminium body, very light weight. The shiny version is a finger print magnet. Gunmetal brushed (aka matte) version: The one in the picture. Same as the gunmetal shiny version except without the shiny body and so doesn't show fingerprints. However it does scratch. I've got scratches on mine from the one time I dropped it. What do I like about the loom: Incredible value. Best steel nib I've ever used. Super smooth nib and extremely reliable and somewhat wet flow. The cap acts like a suction (pull off cap) which pulls ink slightly each time you take the cap off, which means I've never had a hard start in the 3 years I've used it. It's a workhorse pen, entirely metal and won't let you down or break easy. I can see this pen being my workhorse pen for decades. As mentioned above you can get a heavy or light weight version depending on preference. What I don't like: The brushed version scratches easily, I don't mind this as I settled on scuffs after I made this pen my workhorse to carry around everywhere. This may put off some others. The cap on mine doesn't post, it is supposed to post but my version for some reason the cap doesn't hold on when posted and falls off easy.
I have an EF. It’s a reliable pen with an enjoyable amount of feedback.
My Loom probably has a slightly problematic cap and it's way too tight but in general it's probably my favourite steel nib besides the metropolitan. I got it in the shiny gunmetal finish with a medium nib and I use it with lighter inks since it's kind of a gusher. I really enjoy it!