I'm a big guy with big hands and, in looking at Jim's offerings, I figured something the size of an Evancio (or a B36 on his custom ordering form) would do well for me. On top of wanting a big pen, I wanted custom...my pen was intended to commemorate some special things in my life, so my Evancio was going to be different.
I wanted either a custom blank or a limited edition Diamondcast blank Jim has nicknamed "Leather and Lipstick" as well as some custom engraving and filling. Well, Jim went to work figuring out the best way to get my custom cut/fill work done and hunted down some of the last of the limited edition blank out there to make it happen.
Next, after talking at one of the pen shows, Jim got a hold of Brian Weaver of Iron Feather Creations and they worked collaboratively to get a substantial feature engraved and custom filled on the body of my pen. No small feat.... my idea was not something easy to have done.
Then, Jim and I worked together to get the clip, finial and nib selected to complete the total package. On Jim's recommendation, I went with the Bock #8 titanium nib (hey, if you're going as custom as I was on this pen, you might as well splurge, right?). The hardware matched the blank extremely well and the nib is simply sublime. Fantastic writer right from the get-go (and my EF even handles Dianmine's fine shimmer well...a pleasant surprise) with a hint of audible feedback, bouncy feel and a little bit of flex. No, it's not a "proper" flex nib, but it will tolerate a little bit of pressure and reward you with some line variation...especially noticeable when you're using an EF.
In summary, I got a one-of-a-kind, bespoke pen that is a full Jim Hinze custom. My Evancio is a stunner (not that his other ones aren't....but Jim's work has been garnering a lot of positive comments since I received it). It's the perfect size for my hands and lighter than my "normal sized" full metal pens, but still has the right amount of mass for a pen this big (you know you're holding it, but it won't tire you out on long writing sessions). The attention to detail is superb and overall fit and finish are fabulous.
I tasked Jim pretty hard, so mine took a bit longer to get than buying a previously completed pen or even some of his "regular" custom work, but it was well worth the wait. Simply amazing.
I can and do 100% recommend Jim and his custom pens. If you've got bigger hands or like big pens, the Evancio is the pen you've been looking for. Well done, Jim!
