Ink Links

Ever since high school, I've always had a soft spot for this particular style of Bic ballpoint pen. I imagine it's the exact same refill as all the other retractable Bics, but I love the form factor and feel of the Clic body for some unexplainable reason. Believe me, I've tried to kick the attraction.

In my college years, I had a brown and tan Bic pen with a UPS logo on it. I didn't have any special feelings toward UPS, but I loved that pen. It didn't make sense to me then, either. How can a free pen feel better to me than the ones I bought from the store? Love doesn't always make sense.

When I discovered Field Notes, I was immediately attracted to their Bic Clic pens. I'd tried to find this style of Bic in all my local stores, but failed to find any. With one of my first Field Notes orders, I added a 6-pack of Bics to my cart on a whim. Needless to say, I was happy with my purchase.

I've moved up in the pen world, and I don't appreciate the Bic refill nearly as much as I did (if at all), but I still love the look and feel of the classic Bic Clic body. Does it write like a Jetstream? Nope. But it has character. And the black and white color scheme and Field Notes branding definitely add to that character.

In a general sense, it's a pen that writes. What more do you want? I admire the utilitarian vibe of this pen. I rarely take it out with me, but I use it every now and then to bring back the nostalgia. To me, these pens from Field Notes are perfect "loaner" pens for people who have no idea what Field Notes are. It's a good method of spreading the pocket notebook love.

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Bic, Field Notes, Pen Reviews.

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 83 - Something, Something, Field Notes

The show notes Myke and I worked from today were quite extensive. We covered everything from Field Notes print sheets, other notebooks in my rotation, and a small dissection of the recently released Most Wishlisted Items of 2013 from JetPens.com. Myke then breaks down his brand spanking new Visionnaire fountain pen for the listeners. Then, Myke himself breaks down. I provide the Kleenex.

Show Notes & Download Links

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

Pilot Lettering Pen Review

One of the fondest memories of my penmanship transformation took place when I was an assistant golf professional in the early 90's. It's not as glamorous as it sounds - low pay, long hours - but the perks were incredible. I was able to play golf at some of the best courses in the Southeast, among other things.

My daily duties were standard golf shop fare, but one of the things I enjoyed the most was writing the scoreboards for the tournaments held at our course. I was recruited for that task as soon as the other employees saw my daily handwriting, and I cherished the hours I was able to sit in the office and create 100-plus name scoreboards. I have a sickness.

Why bring this up now? The pens I used back then, albeit larger, remind me of the Pilot Lettering Pen. The chisel tip allows for calligraphy-style lettering, which even if you have no skills gives your writing a bit of fancy that can be appreciated.

I used the size 10 tip in my writing sample above, which is the smallest available. The size 20 and size 30 look approximately double the width as the size below them, giving you a wide range of lines if you pick up all three. In using the 10, my block style print looks nice and sharp, although the left-to-right lines are not as fine as would be found in a fountain pen stub nib for example. There is variance, just not extreme.

The pigment ink in the Pilot Lettering pen is water-resistant and lightfast, making these pens good for everything from addressing envelopes to artwork. The barrel is comfortable in the hand and the lime green color is sharp looking.

I love keeping one of these pens handy at all times. The only thing I would like to see is a wider range of colors than black and red. Hopefully those will appear in the future.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pilot, Pen Reviews.

Franklin-Christoph Model 40 Pocket Fountain Pen Review

I have been raving about the Franklin-Christoph Model 40 Pocket fountain pen since I first laid eyes on the Smoke and Ice model earlier this year. It took a few months of hemming and hawing before I pulled the trigger. As I look back now I am left to wonder what took me so long.

The Model 40 Pocket it is a true pocket pen. The smooth acrylic barrel and clipless design allows the pen to slide into even the tightest jeans pocket with ease. (F-C has introduced a clipped version in three models if that is more to your liking.) It is made to be used with the cap posted, and while some may not like that, it is part of what makes this particular pen so great.

While I have been enjoying the portability of the Model 40 Pocket, the sheer beauty of the Smoke and Ice barrel has me wanting this pen with me at all times. Part of the reason it looks so cool is the ability to use it as an eyedropper filler. Short international ink cartridges work fine, but the translucency of the barrel is begging you to allow the ink to slosh around. Was I nervous about using it as an eyedropper AND carrying it in my pocket? Absolutely, but I went for it and it has worked flawlessly since day one.

The feature list doesn't end with portability and beauty. Franklin-Christoph offers something with this pen (and several other models) that no one else does: Nibs customized by nib master Mike Masuyama. F-C offers standard sized (EF, F, M, B) steel and 18k gold nibs, and for a small premium you can upgrade to a Masuyama steel or 18k gold Needlpoint, Cursive Italic (M or B), or Stub (M or B).

For my Smoke and Ice Model 40 Pocket I chose the steel medium cursive italic, or what I now refer to as nib nirvana. There is not another nib in my arsenal that I enjoy as much as this one. It is exceptionally smooth while keeping the sharp, clean lines I would expect from a cursive italic nib. You can see why I enjoy it so much in the writing sample below.

I am prone to hyperbole and use extraneous words in my writing that any high school newspaper editor would strike out immediately. But I write how I feel, regardless of it is proper technique or not. The Franklin-Christoph Model 40 Pocket is an amazing pen and an all-time favorite. I can't imagine ever not having this pen inked up.