Outre

"Hi Norman. I never did get a chance to write you when my Outré came in, but it is such a wonderful pen. Writes amazingly well and is attractive and pleasing to the eye. Thanks for another great pen! Looking forward to my next purchase!"
C. E., Toronto, Canada

"Norman, I received my pens last week. I really like both the Crocodile Outré, and the Monteverde Invincia Stealth. They write beautifully and are great to have on the road with me. Great pens and great value. As always, thank you my friend."
K. H., Beverly Hills, CA

"Hi Norman, I wanted to let you know that I received the pen. It's a great value-looks more expensive than it is, writes well so far with no skipping and hard-starting issues. Great job!"
F. C., Chatham, NJ

"Norman, I just received this beautiful pen and wanted to say it is absolutely beautiful and "writes like a dream." I take a lot of notes and it is just perfect in size and weight for notes -- just works like a charm. It works so well, that I'd like to place an order for another one. I especially enjoy your personalized notes and as always, than you so much for all your help!!!"
S. R., Mount Olive, NC

"Hi Norm - I've never opted to comment on one of your specials, but this Outré by Crocodile is truly a gem. Being a lefthander, it writes better than my Mont Blanc and is smoother and slicker!"

B. O. B., Nutley, NJ

"Well this blows my mind! I had one of the original MB pens exactly like this (minus the top "ruby") and liked the pen but not the filling mechanism. So now I have the same precious resin :) pen and a sensible filling system!...One thing I do like is that the "ruby" isn't deep red. It actually looks more like a padparadscha sapphire, which I like better!... I'm amazed at the careful workmanship on this, thanks!"
K. S., Omaha, NE

Yes, it's an homage to a model from that luxury German pen manufacturer , but instead of a snowcap on its pinnacle, it sports a ruby (although it's more of an orange color than a red).

This has always been a spectacular design and although Crocodile has made some obvious changes (the Outré does not have a retractable nib, for instance), they've really captured the feel of the original (at a small fraction of the price) and made it their own. I can't swear that it uses the same 'precious resin' for the barrel and cap, but the black has that same subtle red sheen when held under direct light.

A mid-sized pen, it measures 5" capped, 5-7/8" posted and 4-5/8" with cap held aside. I don't usually post caps on my pens, but as the Outré's cap screws onto both ends, it's a natural fit. Being a resin, lightweight model, it's perfectly balanced either posted or not -- and I love looking down at that large ruby while I write!

All of the brass rings and clip are finished in rose gold-plate, which really complement the jewels on the cap top and on the clip.

Capped, there are no manufacturer markings at all. Unscrew the cap however, and three additional rings are revealed at the end of the pen's section. The larger middle one is engraved with Crocodile. Twice, in fact.

The nib is now also on display, and the rose gold coloration is continued here. The nib is engraved with Crocodile, 22KGP (for twenty-two karat gold-plate) and the wonderful Crocodile logo of...a crocodile! I'd rate the nib as a full-sized western medium.

Unscrewing the all-metal threads between the section -- again engraved twice with Crocodile and in rose gold-plate -- and barrel displays the piston converter for bottled ink. It will also take International-style cartridges, such as those from Private Reserve. As with all new pens, I recommend to run a dilute solution of dishwashing soap (two or three drops to a small bowl of water) through a new pen a few times, followed by water only. Step one is effective at removing manufacturing oils that can tend to make the ink less than enthusiastic in heading from the converter/filler to the nib, and step two removes the traces of the detergent you've used...which tends to have the opposite, diuretic effect. A gift box is included.

IMPORTANT SERVICE NOTE: Every nib that ships from His Nibs is closely examined under high magnification and tuned or adjusted if needed. About 85% of modern nibs need some adjustment out-of-the-box from the manufacturer for an optimal writing experience. Most commonly, the tines of the nib are misaligned -- which would cause scratchiness at the minimum; the slit between the tines is partially or fully closed -- which would starve the nib of ink and at best cause skipping; or the slit between the tines is too wide -- which will either again cause skipping, or conversely, flooding. There are other factors -- such as separation of the nib from the feed -- that are inspected and repaired before any pen leaves the Palace.

The only 100% guarantee of course comes when the pen is actually filled with ink and written with for the first time, but our pre-shipping inspections and tunings have eliminated 99.99999 (my finger is getting tired) of the frustrations that a customer experiences when first using a new fountain pen. Although this can be time-consuming on occasion, it affords our customers a much more pleasant experience when receiving a fountain pen from His Nibs -- and saves us the frustration of dealing with returns!