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Over the years, I have reviewed most of the popular TWSBI fountain pen models there are. For an overview:
I know I lack the “GO”-model with the spring in above list – but it is sitting here in the review stack, to be reviewed for you, soon.
Another model I haven’t yet tried was the “Eco-T”, which is basically similar (or the same as) the Eco, but with a triangular grip section similar to the one of the Lamy Safari.
I always wanted to review this pen, and see what it is all about. Finally I got around to it!
Before we hop into the review, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Nomadostore for supporting the review of this pen. You can also buy all kinds of TWSBI products in their webshop (no affiliate – just a friendly pointer).
The video is, as always, preceded by some quick facts. Again, I hope the review is helpful and that you enjoy watching it!
Click on the photos to enlarge.
The post Video-Review: TWSBI Eco-T Saffron appeared first on Scrively - note taking & writing.
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Ana at The Well-Apponited Desk started the #21PenQuestions party, and while I may be late, I’m still bringing a cooler full of fun! I’ve been excited to tackle these questions, and tried not to spoil myself by reading too many other responses before coming up with my own. Let’s see how it goes!
1: What is the pen they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands?
The Pilot Murex. I think this is one of the great pen designs, and the one I own was a gift. I try to use it as much as possible because it fits me perfectly, and deserves to be used.
2: What’s your guilty pleasure pen?
It has to be the Namiki Yuraki Milky Way Galaxy. It is easily the most I’ve ever paid for a pen, and looks like it with all of the beautiful craftsmanship involved. No real guilt, only pleasure.
3: What’s the pen you wish existed?
What if you combined the retractable nature of the Pilot Vanishing Point into the size of the Kaweco Liliput, and in the style of a Kasama Una Ultem, but in Orange. Yeah, how about that?
4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast?
I think I’d go with the Pilot Prera, which is a step or two above the normal basic beginner choices - primarily due to the price. I think it is worth it, but it may be a bridge too far for someone to buy on their own when the $5 Platinum Preppy, or $18 Pilot Metropolitan are on the market. Since its a gift, I’d go for it with the Prera.
5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked?
Any Conid. By all rights, their pens should be a perfect match for me, but for some reason I never get all the way there with them. I’ve owned two, and sold two. I keep trying them, too, but I don’t see another in my future. Awesome pens though.
6: What pen do you keep only because its pretty?
I have a Fagionatto Petrarque in an orange celluloid that is one of the most beautiful pens I own, but I don’t love the nib in it. I can correct that, and should if I plan on keeping this pen. It has made the cut any time I try to thin out my collection, yet I keep not using it. I need to work on that.
7: What pen (or stationery product) did you buy because everyone else did?
Musubi notebooks, and I’m glad I did. It took be a couple of years to get there, and spending over $100 on a notebook is not something I had done before. But seeing them in action, learning the story of the brand, and becoming friends with the owner finally pushed me over the edge. I love them so much I have bought several more to give away. My personal one is filled, so maybe its’ time for my next.
8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you?
The Col-O-Ring. I’m just seeing if Ana is paying attention here.
9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you?
The basic plastic-barrel Kaweco Sport. A pen this small and this light should not be a good pen. And it’s not. It’s a great pen. I remember the first time I held one and I thought there was no way this is a good product. 10+ Kaweco Sports later, I am happy to have been wrong.
10: What pen doesn’t really work for you but you keep it because it’s a collectible?
The Uni-ball Kuru Toga Dive! It is all the rage, but it just doesn’t fit my needs as a mechanical pencil. It’s cool, but I don’t think it lives up to the hype.
11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)?
Jacques Herbin Shogun is the shimmer ink I didn’t know I needed in my life. It’s a moody ink, but has a ton of color and character. And shimmer.
12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen?
I think this is the most difficult question on the list. I’m having trouble answering it because I rarely keep pens that I hate.
13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies?
That “Papaya” pen I tried at the San Francisco Pen Show that one time. OMFG.
14: What’s your favorite pen for long form writing?
It’s easy to say the Pilot Custom 823, so let’s not make this difficult, shall we? Despite being a larger pen, it fits my hand well, has massive ink capacity, and sports one of the best nibs on the market. They could change the name of this pen to the Pilot Workhorse if they wanted to be more accurate.
15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice?
Pelikan gold nibs. They are AWESOME! They simply don’t work for my writing style. Stock nibs, even Extra Fine ones, are too wet and wide. I’ve tried to modify them, too, and the visuals end up not working for me. I’ve ended up swearing them off, despite being loved by most.
16: What pen (or stationery product) would you never let someone else use?
It doesn’t exist. Every pen I own has been in other peoples hands. It’s part of the deal when buying things to use. Other people get to use them as well. A prime example: the Murex from question number one was recently mailed to a friend to test out.
17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself?
I understand the reason why the Montblanc Writer’s Edition pens exist, but they are not my jam. Too big and bulky for my regular use, but are favorites for many.
18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy?
The Visconti Iopenna. I want to buy it for the memes, but I couldn’t justify $200 for a sideshow. It’s kind of amazing though.
19: What’s your favorite vintage pen?
The Sheaffer Tuckaway. I was fortunate to run across this pen at the Arkansas Pen Show years ago, and it became an instant favorite due to its size and crazy fine nib.
20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen?
The Spoke Roady. Biased, as I am part of the manufacturer that makes them, but they are so damn good I want one with me at all times.
21: What’s the pen (or stationery product) that got away?
One of the first fountain pens I reviewed was a Sailor Pro Gear Standard in translucent Orange. It was a loaner, and I sent it back, thinking I could just buy one later if I wanted. Oops.
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
Montblanc normally does quite a few special releases over the calendar year. Mostly, those releases are different designs of pen bodies.
In the recent time, however, Montblanc has also started to release special edition pens with speciality nibs, such as the MB 146 Calligraphy Flex nib – or now the MB 149 Calligraphy curved nib.
It is fantastic to see that companies such as Leonardo, Aurora, and now also Montblanc, bring back the variety of nibs that were commonplace back in the days – and that in the modern days we were only used to from specialty nib makers such as Sailor.
But let’s now have a look at what the Montblanc Diplomat 149 Calligraphy Curved nib is all about!
Before we hop into the review, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Appelboompennen for supporting the review of this pen. You can also buy the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Curved Nib in their webshop (no affiliate – just a friendly pointer).
Check out the video-review below, which is as always preceded by some quick facts. Again, I hope the review is helpful and that you enjoy watching it!
Click on the photos to enlarge.
The post Video-Review: Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Curved Nib (Special Edition) appeared first on Scrively - note taking & writing.
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Every year, Pelikan blesses us with a bunch of special edition writing instruments – and inks.
Among the writing instruments, Pelikan often comes up with excellent finishes and color schemes to excite the stationery connoisseurs out there. One of the most eagerly anticipated materials is the famous “tortoise” – or “Schildpatt” – that Pelikan makes some of their pens in since decades.
While the red or brown tortoiseshells are among the most popular ones, they are not new, but rather a nod to older vintage times where similar colour schemes had already appeared. So what Pelikan did with the 2022 Special Edition was truly special in at least two ways.
One, Pelikan launched a black tortoiseshell material pen, which to my humble knowledge had never happened before. Second, they brought the tortoise finish to an X05-pen body – meaning: this is the first tortoiseshell finish ever on a silver coloured / palladium plated pen. All other tortoise finishes this far have been on gold accented pens.
This, in my opinion, is one of the most appealing finishes that Pelikan has launched. And I totally expect this pen to be a future classic and rarity.
Before we hop into the review, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Appelboompennen for supporting the review of this pen. You can also buy the Pelikan M605 Tortoiseshell-Black in their webshop (no affiliate – just a friendly pointer).
Check out the video-review below, which is as always preceded by some quick facts. Again, I hope the review is helpful and that you enjoy watching it!
Click on the photos to enlarge.
The post Video-Review: Pelikan M605 Tortoiseshell-Black (2022 Special Edition) appeared first on Scrively - note taking & writing.
(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
After almost 6 years in this rabbit hole, it may come as a surprise that I still enjoy “entry-level” or budget-friendly pens very much. I still use a Pilot Metropolitan every day to write the day/date in my bullet journal, while Platinum Preppies, Lamy Al-Stars (Team #AlStarAlways), and others are also in regular rotation. I’ve asked the Bossman to keep me in mind whenever these kinds of pens come up for review. And when Pen Chalet sent us the Pilot Explorer for review, I jumped at the opportunity.
Released in 2019, the Pilot Explorer enters a fairly crowded budget-friendly steel nibbed fountain pen field, especially since several of the pens in that field are also made by Pilot. Other Pilot pens in this range include the Kakuno, Plumix/Pluminix/Penmanship and of course, the Metropolitan (the Prera is just on the cusp of budget-friendliness).
The Pilot Explorer that I am reviewing today is the clear one, but it also comes in a total of 12 colors (hmm, is Clear a color?) ranging from Black Matte to Blue, Silver or Turquoise, etc. which are metallic finishes. All of them come with a black clip and black finials. The snap cap has an embossed Pilot brand and logo and inside is a black inner liner - which is very obvious with the Clear model - which prevents ink from drying out in the cap. After inking it and writing with it on/off for several weeks, I deliberately left this pen untouched for over a month - thank you, Fountain Pen Companion for keeping track of this - and it wrote up right away without any issue.
Hard to tell but the logo is the same color as the cap, which in this case, is clear.
The Pilot Explorer comes in a metal tin and depending on where you buy it, may or may not include a Con-B squeeze converter. (Tip: if it does include the Con-B, do yourself a favor and use anything else but that converter because you can’t see if there’s any ink in it, can’t tell if it’s clean, etc.) It can also fit the Con-40, Con-50 and is also long enough to use the Con-70 if you wish to do so (it’s my second least favorite converter). Resist the urge to eyedropper this pen because there are small holes/gaps at the base of the barrel which will leak - I’m glad I tested this with water over my dump cup because the leak was immediate and messy, lol.
It comes in Fine and Medium nib sizes and is the same size steel nib as the Pilot Metropolitan, Plumix/Pluminix, Penmanship, Prera; and Kakuno (though the Kakuno has irresistibly cute faces on it), and they are interchangeable if you wanted to swap nibs. Just gently pull the nib/feed straight out to remove them. This means that the writing experience will be the same as with the other models if you’ve already tried them before. This one is a Fine and writes just like my Metropolitan Fine which I use every day. I inked the Explorer up with a Pilot Mixable Blue Black cartridge and it wrote right away without any issue. As expected, the writing experience is good - the nib is firm, no flex, and the nib lays down a fine line without being scratchy.
Yup, writes just like a Pilot steel nib fountain pen should.
The Pilot Explorer and Kakuno are the two pens in the steel lineup that are the most similar to each other. The Explorer weighs in at 0.42 ounces (11.9g), with the cap weighing 0.20 oz (5.39g) and the rest without converter or cartridge is 0.22 oz (6.24g). The Kakuno is 0.39 oz (11g), cap 0.13 oz (3.69g) and the pen 0.26 oz (7.37g). The Metro is almost double the weight.
Left to Right: Pilot Kakuno, Explorer, Metropolitan - you can see that the Kakuno’s grip section is a little girthier than the other two.
The Explorer and Metropolitan have more similar grips. Both are flared near the nib to prevent your fingers from sliding forward. The Explorer does not have the step near the barrel that the Metro does - this step is one of the things that some users don’t like about the Metro. The Kakuno, Metro and Explorer all have snap caps.
Comparison L to R: Pilot Metropolitan, Pilota Kakuno, Pilot Prera, Pilot Explorer, Pilot Pluminix, Pilot Plumix, Pilot Penmanship, Platinum Preppy, Platinum Prefounte, TWSBI Eco.
The Pilot Explorer retails for $25, and whether a Con-20 or Con-B is included is up to the retailer, so be sure to check what is/is not included with your purchase. The Kakuno, on the other hand, sells for around $15. The Kakuno doesn’t have a clip, doesn’t include a converter and its color combinations may not look and feel as “professional” as the Explorer but I’m not sure that either of those things justify the near double price tag. I will admit that comparing two Clear pens doesn’t help the Explorer because the metallic finish does look and feel nicer than the plastic versions. The Explorer is priced about the same as the Metropolitan, which feels much more substantial and has a more traditional style, and also the TWSBI Swipe or Eco, both of which have a much larger ink capacity.
All in all, the Pilot Explorer is a good pen, but at its price point, it really doesn’t compete with the Pilot Metropolitan in looks and heft or with the TWSBI Eco in function and ink capacity. Nor does it compete in price with its cuter sibling, the Kakuno or with the Platinum Preppy or Prefounte. But if you like how the Metro writes, but don’t like the step or the weight (or both), the Explorer might be the pen for you.
(Pen Chalet provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Thank you to Appelboom for loaning me this pen so I could share it with you! Should you wish, you can use the code "friend" for 10% off your order (excluding Montblanc)!
If you enjoy and/or appreciate it and you want to lend your continued support, please do check me out on Patreon. You can pledge your support and/or undying love for as little as $1. You are in no way obligated to do so. I appreciate your readership, viewership, and your support so much - thank you!
We stationery lovers love picking out perfect product matches. Whether that is a wooden pencil paired with a textured paper, or a fountain pen inked with a complimentary color, we all spend way too much time and effort getting things just right. It’s our nature, and we love it!
One thing I am going to start doing is sharing some of the pairings I make, especially when testing new fountain pens and inks. I have plenty of both that come across my desk, and do consider how products work together, even if it is mostly aesthetic.
I went matchy-matchy with this pairing of the Onoto Scholar Highland Fountain Pen, inked with Ferris Wheel Press Central Park Greens. The greens of both work well together, with the ink color bringing out the subtle shades of green in the acrylic pen barrel.
This is my first experience with the Onoto Scholar, from the classic British pen maker. Onoto’s original run as a manufacturer ran from 1905 to 1958, with the Onoto we know today re-launching in 2005, restoring these British-made pens back to their former glory.
As great as Onoto packaging is, I’m not sure I need two pen sleeves. The leather option is beautiful, but removing that and dropping the total price to under $250 might be an easier sell.
Modern Onoto pens are classically-styled, and feature amazing craftsmanship at many different price points. Up until the release of the Scholar, there wasn’t a dedicated introduction product lineup to the brand. To jump into an Onoto at a base-level would cost you somewhere in the $400-$500 range, but the Scholar brought that down to a more reasonable $270 price point, while keeping the high quality they are known for. Yes, that is still pricey, but is a far better solution for those wanting to test out the brand for the first time.
That’s what I’m doing with the Scholar, and it has been great in every way. This gold trim model (silver trim is also available) features a uniquely-patterend green and grey polished acrylic barrel and cap material, with a polished black grip section and top finial. The Fine Steel two-tone gold-plated Onoto #7 nib is rock-solid, with a firm feel and a smooth line. It works perfectly with the overall size and feel of the pen, which checks in at a mid-range 25 grams in total. It uses a cartridge/converter filling system.
This is a Fine nib, and was a wet writer out of the box.
As a fan of classic designs for modern times, I would be remiss if I didn’t call out the beauty of the Onoto chevron clip. That, in conjunction with one of the best logos in the business on the top finial, completes this British design wonderfully.
To match the Highland, I went with another first-time test in Central Park Greens. Despite being around for years, this is my first Ferris Wheel Press experience. This is a standard ink, with good flow, average shading, no sheen, and a moderate dry time. The green ink leans slightly yellow, but is more than legible on most pages. In short, it is an excellent writing ink, and a great choice for putting words on the page.
The Onoto Scholar comes in many classic solid barrel colors including the vintage-styled Mandarin, and Rosso-both of which harken back to classic fountain pen barrel colors found in the early 1900’s. Along with Highland, Onoto has done a fantastic job bridging design philosophies of old and new, and now price points as well.
I stuck the converter directly into the bottle to fill due to the small opening, and unbalanced bottle.
As for Ferris Wheel Press, the choice is endless. I will say, as great as the ink is, and as beautiful as the bottles are, they are some of the least functional from a pen filling perspective. Syringes or pipettes may be required for wider-barreled pens, and a more solid bottle base maybe be required, less you end up with an inky mess on your hands-or counter top.
This pairing was a party, and a fun way to look at two products together-especially when both products are new to me. I’ll be looking for ways to work in more pairings posts into future reviews.
(Vanness Pens loaned this product to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
These were all purchased with my own pennies and I just wanted to share the experiences with you!
If you enjoy and/or appreciate it and you want to lend your continued support, please do check me out on Patreon. You can pledge your support and/or undying love for as little as $1. You are in no way obligated to do so. I appreciate your readership, viewership, and your support so much - thank you!
This video is a just a little fun Leonardo Officina Italiana x Casa della Stilografica Furore Grande HT Fountain Pen - this was sent to me as a gift by Casa della Stilografica, in celebration of another year of their sponsorship of this blog! Part of the excitement is the discount code for your purchases! Visit Casa della Stilografica and use the code "FLORENCE" when checking out for 10% off your order.
If you enjoy and/or appreciate it and you want to lend your continued support, please do check me out on Patreon. You can pledge your support and/or undying love for as little as $1. You are in no way obligated to do so. I appreciate your readership, viewership, and your support so much - thank you!
(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
This Leonardo Supernova that I've had on my desk the last couple of weeks has really stolen the show in terms of my stationery rotation. I couldn't pass it up when I saw it online, but seeing the pen in person is even more striking.
The Leonardo Supernova is a regular edition that features a beautiful marbled acrylic that is made in Italy. The color I have is called Star Light Blue with Ruthenium Trim, but there are three other colors options as well. All four materials are gorgeous, but I'm a sucker for bright blues and turquoise with hints of green.
The swirl of color in this material is one thing, but Leonardo added a little extra character by including a sprinkle of reflective particles that subtly sparkle and twinkle under the light. The sparkle gives the acrylic just a little more depth and visual interest that makes the pen pop.
The fit and finish of this pen is fantastic, and I was impressed by how well-made it is for the price. Everything lines up perfectly and feels solid in the hand, and the dark trim complements the bright blue body beautifully. The wide band features a geometric design that looks great without drawing attention away from the acrylic. Aside from the band, there's also a small ring at the bottom of the pen and a functional clip on the cap. The clip is a sleek shape and has a wheel at the end that makes it just a little easier to clip onto things while still keeping the pen secure.
The Supernova sports a steel #6 Jowo nib with some decorative scroll work and the nib size inscribed at the base. The dark nib matches the rest of the trim on the pen and continues that delicious contrast between the dark metal and bright acrylic. The fine nib on this pen was smooth and crisp out of the box, and flows well with the couple of inks I've already tried with it.
Writing with the Supernova is fantastic due to the smooth nib and even balance of the pen body. You can post the cap on the back of the pen, but I prefer leaving it unposted since it's a full-size fountain pen. I like the balance without the cap a little better, but just know that the cap posts securely if you like to write with the additional weight. No one likes a loose cap on the back of the pen when trying to write!
Along with the pen and gift box, Leonardo include a standard cartridge converter so that you can ink the pen up with your favorite ink. I wish more pen manufacturers would do this instead of including a couple of generic black or blue ink cartridges!
From when I first saw the Leonardo Supernova on Goldspot's website, I had high expectations. At $152, it's not a cheap pen, and straddles a really interesting and competitive price point. At a minimum, it needs to perform like other amazing pens that you can buy at this price. I'm happy to say that this pen exceeds my expectations. It's a pleasure to use, and it looks so awesome on my desk. I can't help but pick it up and twirl it around under the light to admire the personality in the acrylic.
Aside from the fine nib, you have the option of extra fine, medium, broad, elastic extra fine, elastic fine, and 1.5mm stub. And good luck picking just one color out of this exceptional lineup of materials!
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
If you enjoy and/or appreciate it and you want to lend your continued support, please do check me out on Patreon. You can pledge your support and/or undying love for as little as $1. You are in no way obligated to do so. I appreciate your readership, viewership, and your support so much - thank you!
(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
Color me shocked when the Bossman sent me a pen for review and it was orange! It was the Kilk Orient - I had never heard of the brand Kilk, so I was eager to check it out and see how it performed.
Kilk is a pen company that was founded in 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey. They have several models of fountain pens in addition to the Orient.
The pen comes with a steel “V2 nib” (per Goldspot, it is a #6 Bock) engraved with the Kilk logo and nib size. The pen also comes with a screw-in standard international converter as well as a polishing cloth for cleaning the silver band and instructions on how to care for the pen. The pen comes with a 2 year warranty against manufacturing defects.
The first thing I noticed was how distinctive the shape is. It has its own look and doesn’t really look like other pens out in the market. The second thing I noticed was the silver band and trim, as in 925 silver, not just silver colored. You don’t see actual silver accents on a pen in this (or any) price point very often. The band design is classy and detailed without being overly intricate or busy.
The cap is quite large and has an almost bulbous shape to it. The clip band sits a little lower down from the tip of the cap (reminds me a little of vintage Pelikan caps) and the clip point is very pointy, maybe a little too pointy. The clip works well and easily slides over my binder’s elastic straps as well as over shirt pockets. The metal band is not on the cap, as is often the case with other pens, but on the barrel of the pen. To me, it looks a little odd but this is definitely personal preference and does not affect writing performance since the band sits between one’s fingers and the crook of the hand. The barrel of the pen is also a bit curvy, with a slight flare at the nib which prevents fingers from sliding down. The taper on the other end also allows you to post the cap fairly deeply without making it too back-weighted.
Pen still feels fairly balanced when posted, though it does extend a ways back. Of course, I would prefer this one (and all pens) unposted.
The Orange Orient is made from a beautiful bright orange acrylic that has swirls of chatoyance and is slightly translucent. You can just barely see the converter if you look carefully. The material is highly polished and can feel a bit slick, especially if you live/work in a more humid environment. The Kilk Orient is well-made and doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy in any way even though it isn’t a heavy pen.
Slightly translucency of the material.
Comparison to similarly sized pens (L to R): Opus 88 Halo, Leonardo Momento Zero, Kilk Orient, Pelikan M800, Pilot Custom 823, Visconti Homo Sapiens.
You can really see how much girthier the Kilk Orient grip and body are compared to the others.
Despite it’s girth, it is the shortest pen when posted.
As I’ve mentioned in past reviews, I know it’s good advice to rinse/clean pens prior to first use but honestly, I’m lazy and too eager to try out new pens, so I went ahead and inked it up with Visconti Cafe Terrace at Night without any cleaning. The Fine nib was smooth but the writing experience felt a bit dry. Hard to tell if it was the nib or the ink so I flushed out the converter and nib and put in good ol’ Waterman Serenity Blue.
The nib didn’t perform much better with Serenity Blue. It wasn’t hard starting or anything like that but the ink just didn’t seem to flow very well. I used my loupe to check for any misalignment or baby’s bottom and there wasn’t any but since I wasn’t sure my loupe handling skills should be trusted, I took it to the Philly Pen Show to have it looked at by a professional. I asked Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio to take a quick peek (without making any nib modifications) and they agreed that it was a bit on the dry side, so phew, it wasn’t just me. The nib is usable as-is but I think it would be so much better with a little bit of tuning. According to Goldspot, the nibs are tested and tuned in the Kilk workshop before being exported so maybe they don’t tune them as much for a wetter flow.
The Kilk Orient fountain pen costs $260 USD with a steel nib and is available from EF to BB. A gold nib option is available from the Kilk website for $380. The aesthetics of the Kilk Orient fountain pen aren’t really my jam, but I appreciate that it is a different design that doesn’t look like every other pen out there. I also like that it has real silver accents, which does add to the price, though it is still in the range of many custom pens. Given its unique styling, the Kilk Orient pen may not be for everyone, but if you like how it looks and appreciate the addition of real silver trim, this might be a good addition to your collection.
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
(Note from Brad: Since I wouldn’t review this pen myself, my friend Diane asked if she could step in and tackle a product I had a direct hand in making. This is her review below. Thank you Diane!)
In early 2021, Spoke Design introduced not one but 3 fountain pens - the Icon, Axle and Axle S. All 3 designs are available in a variety of mix and match color combinations.
Right away I wanted to get at least one of these pens, but. which? I loved all 3, and it took time to narrow down the choices. Despite its cuteness, I managed to eliminate the tiny Axle S because of its cartridge-only filling system. While the Axle’s tool-like aesthetic was appealing and I liked the threaded posting, I found the Icon the most intriguing with its open 6-slotted barrel revealing a contrasting inner sleeve. Soon after the release, alternative grips including a knurled version were added for the Icon only.
For a while I held out for a pen show where I could evaluate the models in person, but over a year passed with no pen shows attended by Spoke.
I had decided that I wanted the knurled grip and sleeve in the same color, with a surprise color contrast to the cap and barrel. Of all the knurled grip colors, I liked the cyan best. That just left the choice of cap and barrel color.
I found the gunmetal or silver combination with cyan too conservative; the purple and cyan, on the other hand, seemed too gaudy.
Time passed, and the unfinished business of choosing an Icon remained. Meanwhile the colors slowly sold out and my choice was made - cobalt blue and cyan.
The pen arrived securely packed in foam-line tin within a Spoke Design logo box,. In the website photos, the Icon looks like a chunky, heavy pen. In fact it’s smaller than I expected and also at 23.6g capped, it weighs about the same as a Lamy Safari, substantially less than most of the pens I use daily. There are benefits to lighter weight and benefits to substance. The option of brass grip and insert may allow the pen to be customized to be heavier if that’s preferred.
From the top: Rotring 600 pencil; Rotring Newton; Lamy Al-Star; Spoke Icon; Diplomat Aero; Levenger L-Tech.
Fitting a new pen into my life When taking handwritten notes in meetings, I like a pen with an efficient, geometric, logical appearance; unconventional but not flamboyant. I also have a dread of a pen drying up while uncapped, so I like to use either a snap cap or a retractable. My go-tos are Rotring Newton, Diplomat Aero, Pilot Vanishing Point and Platinum Curidas, all with EF nibs. My heptagonal, F nibbed Levenger L-Tech could be a runner up here as it channels the Rotring design aesthetic; although it’s not a snap cap, it can be uncapped in less than a full turn.
For daily ephemeral work notes and sketches, I use my notetaking pen du jour, something else from rotation, plus a stub or architect with a different colored ink for accents and separators.
When flying, I value pens that don’t dry out if left unused for a while as I believe this makes them more resistant to air pressure changes and leaking. Kaweco Al-Sport, Schon DSGN pocket 6, Esterbrook Estie and Platinum 3776 have served well here; the retractables stay at home.
For home note-taking and journaling, abalone and crazy resins are welcome as well as modern flex nibs, stubs and italics.
Viewed through this lens, the Spoke Icon has the logical, geometric aesthetic that I like for the office. It wrote instantly and did not leak after 2 flights with 2 weeks of non-use over the holidays. In the months since obtaining the Icon, it has been a daily driver for work and home.
Unlike its Axle siblings, the Icon is not designed to post. At first glance the cutouts look like they are there to provide roll stop behavior. They don’t - the pen rolls easily and when placed on a desk, defensive measures are necessary.
The Icon’s barrel has an o-ring that prevents it from unscrewing on its own, and attempts to unscrew the cap don’t cause the barrel to come undone. The cap thread does not make contact with fingers while in use. One downside is that the cap has a single thread and takes over 3 full rotations to undo. While this provides for a moment of quiet meditation when uncapping the pen, it makes it a less than ideal choice for meeting notes.
There’s a special fatigue caused by writing with a slippery pen. The mental energy required to keep control of the pen is not available for the thought processes involved in writing. The first time I picked up a pen with a knurled grip, I experienced an unexpected peace and increased focus.
Until the Icon, I only had two knurled grip writing instruments - a Rotring 600 pencil and the Rotring-inspired Levenger L-Tech fountain pen. I received all 3 available grip variants with my Icon and rated each on the following factors:
Grip Comfort - 1 minimum, 5 maximum, higher is better.
Slip vs grip - 1 slippery, 5 grippy, higher is better.
The Icon’s concave grip scored 5; it is one of the most comfortable grips I have ever used. However, it scored 2 on the slip versus grip scale, being slippery both longitudinally and rotationally.
The Icon’s groove grip scored 3 for comfort and 4 for slip vs grip; longitudinal slip is gone but rotational slip remains.
The Icon’s knurled grip scored 4 for comfort, dropping a point relative to the concave, and a perfect 5 for grip.
While the Levenger L-Tech also scored 4 + 5 due to its knurled grip, both the Rotring Newton and Diplomat Aero have unforgiving straight slippery grips, scoring 2+2 = 4 each.
Retractables have their own grip comfort challenges, which I see as a necessary compromise for retractable functionality, so I won’t rate them here.
The knurled grips are clear winners in this highly subjective evaluation. The surprise is just how badly I rate two of my go-to pens in comparison.
Spoke Icon Concave Grip.
Spoke Icon Groove Grip.
The Icon uses standard cartridge / converter filling and with the barrel sleeve in place, there’s no ink window. The sleeve can be removed with the available tool in order to replace it with a different color. Removing the sleeve completely gives a view of the ink level in the converter, at the expense of the flash of contrasting color from the sleeve. It’s worth noting that the sleeve is open ended, so if the cartridge or converter were dislodged, ink could escape from the barrel. This is also a consideration for the Lamy Safari and Al-Star; I have never had it happen with either. The main downside of the knurled grip is that when filling from an ink bottle, ink may get into the knurled texture and is then hard to remove. Even when it seems to be gone, tiny amounts of ink remain and transfer to fingers when writing. There are many ways to avoid this - rinsing the grip after filling, syringe-filling the converter, filling the converter from the bottle or from a TSWBI inkwell - and I’m happy to use these methods in return for the knurled grip.
The nib is always the most important part of any pen and yet in this case, also the least important. Since the Icon takes a standard Jowo #6 nib unit, any other Jowo #6 will fit, giving access to needlepoint, stub, fine cursive italic, modern semi-flex, architect and more from a variety of sources.
The Spoke Icon is available with a standard Jowo #6 nib unit in EF, F, M and B, all engraved with the Spoke logo. I selected the Jowo #6 EF somewhat reluctantly as I already have several in other pens. I have come to think of the Jowo #6 EF as Heaven - every time I come back to it, I marvel at its precise, clean line, reliability and ease of use. But it’s Heaven by the Talking Heads - the ennui of perfection.
The Spoke Icon is everything I hoped it would be. Its clean but unconventional design suits me both at work and at home. It sparks joy when its cyan accents flash through the barrel cutouts or appear when the cap is removed. Its knurled grip allows me to focus on writing. Its nib is perfect and also easily replaced. And I can live with the 3 turns to remove the cap.
As I made arrangements to get the Icon’s nib tailored to UEF and obtain a reverse architect / engineering nib, I reflected on one of my all-time favorites - the gold fine cursive italic in the Lamy Dialog, purchased from the Pen Addict during a previous herd-thinning event.
For me, this is all that’s missing from the Spoke Icon - it would be great to be able to order a Spoke pen pre-sprinkled with Pen Addict nib magic.
(I received the Spoke Icon at no charge in return for this unbiased review.)
For a brand that has been in existence for less than four years, Nahvalur has remained extremely busy. From the launch of the Original at the 2019 Washington D.C. Pen Show, to store collaborations, to new pen models and materials, and yes, even to manufacturing and naming drama, they have made even the most active stationery fans heads spin. Mine included.
All of that work in has led to their latest release, the Original Plus, a vacuum-filling upgrade to the Original, which uses a piston filling system. It’s my favorite Nahvalur pen yet.
The first Original Plus models released mimicked the transparent swirl barrels of the Original, but it was only when the two latest models launched-Matria White and Lovina Black-that I got my hands on them to test.
Easy to take apart for cleaning.
Right out of the box, the Original Plus impressed. I chose the Matria White model to ink up, with a Fine Steel nib, dunking the section right into an ink bottle and engaging the vacuum filler. On first fill, the barrel reached around 50% capacity. I wanted more, so I pushed the ink back into the bottle and went with a double-pump vac, which got me a more expected 75% plus fill. If I were perfectly efficient, I’m sure I could get close to the full 1.5 ml of ink capacity available in the barrel.
When writing, the barrel feels perfectly balanced and comfortable. It checks in at 27 grams due to the added internal mechanism (the Lamy Safari weighs 15 grams, for example,) but it doesn’t feel heavy. The barrel is cylindrical, and the grip section has a slight taper down to a ridge at the bottom edge. The Original Plus doesn’t break any new ground design-wise, but is built for all-day writing. It succeeds in that aspect.
What I was most impressed with was the performance of Nahvalur’s Fine Steel nib in this pen. I had the same nib in my Original review and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as this one. The tipping of Nahvalur’s nibs made the line too wide and inconsistent for me, but that tipping seems to have been refined on nibs used for the Original Plus. My lines are perfect, and meet my line width expectations for a Fine nib.
The nib was my primary hangup with the Original. The build quality was there, but I didn’t love using it. The Original Plus changed that for the better, and added a vacuum filling system to the mix. And the best part? The price. At $55, the Original Plus is a great value for such an enjoyable experience.
Only 500 of each of the Matria White and Lovina Black were created, and they have begun to sell out at various retailers. The original Original Plus fountain pen colors are still available as well. Either would make a great choice no matter your experience level.
L to R: Lamy Safari, Original Plus, TWSBI 580AL, Kaweco Sport.
Nahvalur has become a brand to watch as they broaden their fountain pen, nib, and ink offerings. The next thing I’m keeping my eye out for is the addition of Extra Fine nibs into their lineup. One can hope!
(Nahvalur provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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Wow, was I surprised to notice that it has been 4 (!) years since I have reviewed the last Diplomat pen – a brand which I have a high opinion of, and that I have reviewed multiple pens from.
Diplomat was founded in 1922, meaning that the last year 2022 formed their 100 year anniversary. For this special occasion, Diplomat launched a special pen – something they had never done before in terms of production style and filling system: the Diplomat Nexus Fountain Pen.
Diplomat says they named the pen Nexus to signify a high level of connection between technical innovation and ergonomic design.
Did they succeed, and does the Nexus live up to this ambition? See all about it in the video review below!
The video is, as always, preceded by some quick facts. Again, I hope the review is helpful and that you enjoy watching it!
Click on the photos to enlarge.
The post Video-Review: Diplomat Nexus (100 year anniversary pen) appeared first on Scrively - note taking & writing.
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