Pen review: London Pen Co Christopher 13 Jr.

Imagine if I also had the Cult Pens exclusive ink, Diamine Lil Chris, but alas

I’ve been a follower of London Pen Co on Instagram for a while, but I mostly window shopped; when UPS temporarily displaced/lost/refused to deliver their pens for the Orlando Pen show, I was one of many upset fans who didn’t get the chance to meet Christopher 13 (and 13 Jr and 14), Nona, Ritchie, and Parnell.

But fear not! Their website is amazing looking, with fantastic photos from all angles for all of the models and finishes. My natural curiosity — weird way to spell pen obsession, I know, but I’m not a native speaker — got the better of me in September of this year, and so I went on it to check out the pens. Just to look at them, I mean.

Well, one Christopher 13 Jr later, here I am across the ocean — on a vacation, as you might have guessed from the previous post — hanging out with him and waiting on Christopher 14 that I ordered while waiting on TSA to have me take my shoes off. Sorry for the lack of spoiler alert. As someone mentioned on Reddit, it’s horrifying to have Wi-Fi or data. Thankfully, I had neither on my international flight, otherwise I would have bought more.

Anywho, I wanted a pen that would take a Bock nib, as I have quite a few new pens with Jowo housings, and when I saw that a beautiful Primary Manipulation C13JR was available, I pulled the trigger. As I say, if it’s on sale, it’s basically free.

My first and obviously not the last London Pen Co pen, PM1 finish.

London Pen Co is located in London (duh) but not the OG London. The Canadian maker, Sean, was a member of the London Pen Club and naturally, when the time came, and the time was 2018, he started his pen making business. The model named Christopher, after Sean’s father, was born in 2020. Now, that’s coincidentally also the year that changed the trajectory of my life, as I moved to the US amidst the pandemic (because I am smart like that I guess), so I felt it was appropriate to marry the two¹.

The pen is relatively small compared to most pens that aren’t pocket pens, but that’s a broad statement. Let’s put it this way: you wouldn’t call it a pocket pen, but if someone else did, you’d assume their hands are big. I have a “one size fits all” type of hand, as in, I can use most pocket pens without capping them, but I can also use a Nakaya Emperor² without any issues. The idea behind the Christopher 13 Junior (C13JR) was to have a pen that will fit people with smaller hands, as the 13 was perhaps too big. For me, it is on the smaller side, but I do not mind that one bit, and I didn’t buy the Christopher 14 because the C13JR was too small; I bought it because I liked it.

Let to right: Esterbrook Estie (I didn’t bring a Metro, sorry), London Pen Co C13JR, and a banana

I will say that despite the comparison pictures Sean had sent me before I bought the pen, I was surprised that it was shorter. But, again, that’s on me; I’m not complaining, I just have 0 spatial awareness.

I’m sorry for stealing your photo, Sean. Left to right: C13, Pelikan M800, Lamy AL Star, C13JR. Although pictured without their nibs, you get a free nib when you order the pen.

C13JR, as I said, is quite comfortable for people with smaller hands, and the section flares almost unnoticeably at the end. It’s not a slippery pen by any stretch of the imagination, but I love the attention to detail; I believe the grip section is the same diameter as the Pilot Metropolitan. The cap is almost fully flush with the body, and the transition between the two is smooth.

What I absolutely adore about the finish I got — and by extent, about every pen London Pen Co make — is the fact that the ends are polished to such a high gloss that every little swirl is brought out to its full potential, and when it comes to Primary Manipulation finishes, that also means that you get to see the full depth of the genius that is Jonathon Brooks’s brainchild.

If you’re interested in how those swirls came to be, you can check out Figboot’s video on how Jonathon Brooks casts the blanks.

But back to my pen. I have absolutely no regrets about it. If I hadn’t bought it then, I would have bought it during the next sale. Or, let’s be real, wouldn’t have even waited for a sale. Shipping from Canada took less than what I had expected, and the pen arrived in a classy, minimalist box with their logo, and I got stickers too. Economical and environmentally friendly packaging, yay!

What’s not to like?

I did have one little issue when I got the pen, but it had nothing to do with London Pen Co, the finish, the material, or the pen itself, but with Bock nibs, which I’ve had issues with before; mine skipped to the point it stopped writing sideways, but Sean was amazing and promised to send me a new nib free of charge.

I mean, it wasn’t fair that he also mentioned his Black Friday sale that had me buy another pen while I was running to my connecting flight, but I guess I’ll have to forgive him for that.

All in all, I would highly recommend checking out London Pen Co’s website and their Instagram page. Both look awesome, and both feature fabulous pens. You’re bound to find something you like, from the smallest pen like the C13JR to the biggest, faceted, or otherwise chonky pen.

Or two, if you’re traveling and have time at the TSA line while you’re wondering if you’re ever going to catch your flight.

As always, all opinions are my own, no compensation was received³ for this little review. Do spread the good word, though; it will make them make more pens and more pens means more pens for everyone.

1. Okay I admit I didn’t know that detail when I was picking my pen. But still.

2. I don’t own one, but I am open to adopting one if anyone needs to rehome theirs. I’m a good person like that.

3. Not that I would mind free pens ever and forever.