Laban 325 - Wisteria

Laban 325 - Wisteria

Introduction

I’ve owned a Laban 325 for about five months, It’s a pen that I truly enjoy and reach for often. The combination of design and dimensions give it an elegance and sophistication that makes it a pleasure to see in use or at rest. The beautiful materials and the attention to detail add to its impressive character. This is a pen made with pride, and a focus on the customer. Laban makes no concessions when it comes to design details, and price the pen with an eye on customer satisfaction. It’s regularly available at US$128 from popular retailers (although you sometimes see them for as low as $108), but Laban could easily charge more. They’ve created a loyal following, and for good reason!

Let’s take a quick look at the company, and then we’’ll explore the pen.

Laban 325 - Beautiful and made with pride

Laban Pens Corporation

In 1981, John and Charles Hu returned to their hometown on Houtong, Taiwan, and established the Laban production facility. For the first twelve years, they built the company as an OEM manufacturer specializing in silver and rhodium-plated pens, but the long-term goal was to create and offer their own pens under the Laban brand, and in 1993 that dream was realized. In 1997, they partnered with the Vatican Museum to create exclusive, fine writing gift pens, and in 2009, they became notable as the maker of the Pope’s pen.

In 2016, they introduced the 325 model. Made of beautiful acrylic resin in colors based on nature, they offer new colors each year. This pen really catapulted their success, and I think it is the inspiration behind the growing line of inks they introduced in 2020.

Today, they offer an enormous range of pens. They continue to work in metals, but you’ll find models in resins, ebonite, mother-of-pearl, and some featuring urushi and raden finishing.

Laban 325 - Uncapped

Laban 325

The 325 is a gorgeous pen with classic design elements and luxurious details. At first glance, you may be tempted to consider it a little uncomfortably ostentatious, but when you pick up the pen, it instantly feels like a friend. The details and material are opulent, but there is an elegance and sophistication to the overall personality of the design.

Laban 325 - Clip and finial rings

The pen feels significant, and the quality of the materials and manufacturing are instantly understood. All versions of the 325 include creamy ivory colored acrylic resin. This material is expertly created with subtle, light brown veins to mimic the striations of natural ivory, and the effect is beautifully convincing. I think this is a crucial element of the design.

All but two of the 325 variations feature the creamy ivory caps, sections, and end caps with a colored acrylic middle barrel. They’re released versions in orange, green, blue, pink, and a variety of other barrel colors, as well. The two notable differences are the 325 Cambridge, which uses the ivory as the barrel accent and black for the other areas, and the Burgundy Cambridge, which swaps black for burgundy.

I chose the 325 in Wisteria, and it features a beautiful purple for the barrel. It’s a crackled acrylic with a deep purple base, violet lights, even an occasional glint of blue. The material has a high level of chatoyancy and really comes alive in the light.

Laban 325 - Coin logo finial

The cap finial features an inlayed coin with the Laban logo. There are two rings just above the simple, but attractive, and very functional clip. There is a large cap band with “Laban” laser-engraved and centered in symphony with the end of the clip. The cap threads are in acrylic and match perfectly with the acrylic threads on the section.

The section tapers slightly and is very comfortable. Below the section are another two gold rings that lead to the purple main barrel. There’s a final gold ring that separates this from the tapered, ivory acrylic, false end cap. I never imagined that six rings would be attractive, but somehow, it really works!

Laban 325 - Engraved cap band

Dimensions and Writing Experience

This is a big, and fairly heavy pen, but it never feels too big, and the weight is distributed in a way that makes it feel much lighter. In length, it’s 149 mm capped, and 130 mm uncapped. Overall weight is 34 g, but most of the is in the cap. The body weighs 14.5 g with the convertor, and although you can, you definitely don’t need to post the pen when writing. Uncapped, it’s nicely balanced towards the nib. The section is 10.4 mm in diameter, and the threads and rings are all very smooth. My grip is long, and this is a very comfortable pen even during long writing sessions.

Laban 325 - Wisteria barrel

Laban uses Jowo nibs. They’re engraved with the Laban name, “Germany” for Jowo, and “3952”. Several companies seem to use the heights of auspicious mountains in their branding. In this case, 3952 corresponds to the height in meters of Mt. Yushan (or Jade mountain), which is the highest peak in Taiwan.

I chose a medium, stainless steel nib, but Laban offers a good variety. You can get steel nibs in EF, F, M, B, and 1.5 stub. For additional cost, you can also get 14K gold EF or F flex nibs. Laban pens have a reputation for writing very well right from the box, and that has been my experience, as well. I have a feeling that they take the time to make sure they maintain this reputation.

Laban 325 - False end cap with ring

Final Thoughts

I highly recommend the Laban 325. Not only is it a beautiful pen that is manufactured with very high levels of craftsmanship and a fine attention to detail, but it’s a wonderful writing pen. US$128 isn’t necessarily cheap, but it’s a great deal for this pen. In that price range, I think this is a real bargain, and I like to support companies that clearly care about my experience as a customer and writer.

Keep scrolling for images of the nib, details of the pen, and the packaging. You’ll see the Wisteria and the Cambridge (a gift for my father) in the packaging image, too.

Laban 325 - Branded Jowo nib

Laban 325 - Wide cap wall with acrylic-on-acrylic threads

Laban 325 - Metal-lined barrel with branded convertor

Laban 325 - Nice, practical packaging