Posts filed under Tombow

Tombow Zoom 505 META Rollerball Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

In a world that's absolutely full the brim with excellent gel ink, hybrid ballpoint, and fountain pens, it can be easy to look over the humble liquid ink rollerball category. This category isn't as full as its relatives, but there are some really strong contenders to take note of.

One I've been using quite a bit lately is the Tombow Zoom 505. I reviewed the standard model a few months ago, and I was impressed with the build quality and writing experience that the Zoom offered. Today is a similar review, but this one is a special Zoom 505 - the META in Hairline Black.

The shape and feel of the META is identical to the standard Zoom 505. That means it's very comfortable in the hand, it looks more premium than it costs, and the included refill is dark and crisp. The additional cost of the META, however, is due to the increase in material quality.

The Tombow Zoom 505 META features an anodized, brushed aluminum body and cap that is paired with a matte black brass section. The section is also covered in a luxurious rubber grip that makes using this pen a delightful thing.

To quickly recap, the META uses the same refill as the standard Tombow Zoom that I wrote about a few months ago. The refill contains a good portion of ink, comes in several sizes, is affordable, and is also available in black and blue. The refill that came with this META is a bit scratchy, but I'm confident that it's a one-off issue. I have a few other refills for the Tombow rollerball pens, and they don't have any issue with being scratchy. What they do all have in common, though, is the dark, crisp lines that they produce on paper. There's not much that's more satisfying than the lush dark lines that a liquid ink rollerball produces, and the META is no slouch. I love writing with this refill. While it's not the ubiquitous Schmidt P8126/7 refill that we all know and love, it's a pretty close second, and much more affordable to boot.

Now, getting into what makes this pen unique to the standard Zoom, the materials and aesthetic of this blacked-out edition is something I really enjoy. The black brushed aluminum is sleek but still professional. It has an unassuming look while also looking unique, which is a hard line to balance. The logo is a dark color as well, adding to the allure of the pen. When you see it on a desk, you're not really sure what it is, but you are certainly tempted to pick it up and use it for a bit.

The clip on the cap is really strong and also features a matte black finish to tie into the rest of the unassuming theme. Even the cone and grip section are blacked out. If you're a fan of that sick blacked-out look, this pen is entirely in your alley. The only non-black thing on this pen is the refill tip.

Uncapping and capping the pen is fairly easy as long as you line it up correctly. Since the grip section is a rubber material, it tends to stick and drag against the inside of the cap if there's too much of an angle. This isn't a big deal once you practice the motion a few times. Securing the cap on the pen produces a nice tactile "slide and bump" when it's in place, and pulling the cap off feels equally smooth. I can tell there's a specially-designed mechanism inside the cap that accepts the grip and cone perfectly, which means there's a good seal around the open refill when the pen is capped. This prevents it from drying out when it isn't being used.

The cap can also post on the back of the pen, but it produces a metal on metal feeling which puts me off. This isn't a big deal, but I can't help but cringe when I feel it, and I have to wonder if repeated use would leave any markings on the back of the pen body after a while.

Overall, writing with this pen is incredibly pleasing. The refill is crisp and dark, and the grip is cushy and comfortable while also providing a firm place for your fingers to rest while you write. The blacked-out aesthetic is definitely a perk with this model, but it doesn't have that cheesy "tactical" look that some all black products try to achieve. This pen is at home in a military-style bug-out bag, but it also looks equally at place in a suite pocket or leather folio.

At $33, the Tombow Zoom 505 META is a bit more expensive than the standard model, but that extra bit of cash is worth it for me. The all-black look is classy and awesome, and the matte aluminum materials are a big bump for the longevity of the barrel over the standard lacquered version. This makes a great gift or daily carry pen!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on November 13, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Tombow, Rollerball, Pen Reviews.

Tombow Mono KM-KKS 4B Pencil Review

I have an odd habit of not reviewing some of my favorite products in a timely fashion. Maybe that’s because I’m busy using them and forgetting to set them aside to take pictures of? Who knows. What I do know is that I am enjoying the Tombow Mono KM-KKS 4B pencil more than I ever thought I would. So much so that it falls into the “favorite” category.

I don’t recall exactly where I first came across this pencil, but I’d wager it was from Johnny at Pencil Revolution. I was struck by how pretty is was. Tombow already makes some of the best looking products, but this one even more so for me. And then I saw it: 4B. And at the time I began to hunt one down, only 4B. That’s a non-starter for someone like me who lives on the H side of the graphite hardness scale.

Despite that fact, I picked one up during our visit to C.W. Pencil Enterprise last fall, almost begrudgingly so. I had a stack of other products, so I figured what was the harm in another $2.50 to see what the hype was about. Worse case is I have a pencil that looks great in photographs.

Then I never used used it. It sat in my pencil box for months before I decided to give it a try. Needless to say, I was mad at myself for waiting so long to sharpen it up, because it is fantastic.

The product description for the KM-KKS is unlike any other pencil that I am familiar with. Words like “penmanship,” “calligraphy,” and “brush” are not normal descriptors, so I should have known this was a different animal. I noticed the moment that I started writing that it was.

How products feel is terribly difficult to describe in typed words, and honestly, I’m not sure I can do the 4B core of this pencil justice. For starters, the core is wide, which is common in softer graphite - assumedly for structural reasons. They are more fragile by nature.

While I comprehend that, what threw me off the most is how smooth the graphite is. Glassy doesn’t quite describe it, but there is no grit or texture to speak of. The best comparison I can think of is something like how a Pilot gold fountain pen nib feels different than a Platinum or Sailor nib. All of them are great, but Pilot’s nibs have a stickiness on the page - for lack of a better term - that sets it apart. This Tombow pencil feels different from its competitors in a similar way.

Oddly, it seems to have more of a graphite sheen to it on the page. It looks different in changing light angles more than other pencils I own.

I know this all sounds weird, but I promise I am of sound body and mind when writing this review!

My writing looks great on the page, which is not something I ever expected to say about a 4B pencil. The tip obviously will wear down faster than my normal 2H, but not in a “sharpen it every two lines” kind of way. I did the short written review below without sharpening so you could see the difference from start to finish. The way the core wears I could have kept going further and been happy with the output.

In the realm of wooden pencils, this one falls in the expensive category at $2.50 a pop. I’ve gotten more value than that just looking at the darn thing, much less writing with it. It’s fun to use, looks cool, and is different than most every other pencil I own. I’m going to keep using this one down to the stub, and then buy a few more. I may even risk buying the only other model readily available in the US: the 6B version.

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Posted on September 2, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Tombow, Pencil Reviews.

Tombow Zoom 505 Rollerball Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

In my never ending quest to find better rollerball pens, I somehow totally missed the Tombow Zoom 505. I know I've seen this pen on JetPens many times, but it just didn't register in my searches or the aesthetic requirements at the time. Over the past few weeks, I've finally given this pen an honest try, and I can't believe I didn't try it sooner.

The rollerball market has always been a little slim on choices, and that's still largely true today. With the popularity of the Schmidt P8126 and similar refills, the rollerball market has boomed recently. The Tombow Zoom 505 takes a different route, though. The included refill is a 0.5mm replaceable rollerball cartridge. When it runs out, just swap it out for an entirely new cartridge. These cartridges just look like miniature Pilot Precise V5 pens, and that comparison goes a little farther than in looks alone.

A common downfall for many rollerball pens is the writing experience. It must be difficult to design and manufacture a reliable rollerball refill that also lays down a crisp line and feels smooth while doing so. I've had my fair share of disappointments over the years, but the Zoom 505 is not one of them.

The Zoom 505 refill is incredibly smooth. It's an absolute pleasure to write with, and it also managed to lay down a stunningly crisp line. There's hardly any bleed or feathering, and I haven't noticed a single skip or stutter while writing. It's an incredibly dependable and smooth writer. I compare it in my mind to the Schmidt P8126, but it has a finer line and feels a bit drier than the former. Still, it's a great performer and I really enjoy using it. The refills aren't terribly expensive either, and that opens your options up to colors (ahem, just blue) and other sizes as well. You can pick 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 1.0mm tips, but the only color options are black and blue. This is a shame! If only the Pilot Precise pens actually fit inside this Tombow body...

The exterior of the pen is shiny and elegant. It reminds me of the Pilot Metropolitan with a shiny lacquer on top of it. It's a little bland for my tastes, but the writing performance helps me get past that issue very quickly. Despite the bland exterior, it's still classy and well-made. This pen has no problem blending in during an executive meeting, but it also works great for jotting down notes while waiting in line to catch a bus into town.

The refill is excellent, but the grip section is what really sells me on the overall experience with this pen. It's a delightfully soft and contoured grip that seems to hug my fingers without being so soft that it becomes hard to accurately control the pen as I write. It's a hard line to walk, but the Zoom 505 does it brilliantly. Long writing sessions are not a problem due to the grip, but it also has some help thanks to some small weights in the bottom of the pen that provides the perfect balance while holding the pen in writing position.

The cap is the same metal material as the body, and it fastens to the grip section securely. I've never felt like this will uncap by mistake in my bag. The clip is also strong enough to get the job done without being annoyingly loose or tight. The goal of any clip is that "just right" zone, and this pen falls into that category.

Overall, the Tombow Zoom 505 is a fantastic rollerball pen that writes a smooth, crisp line and feels great in the hand. It makes a great gift for those who aren't sure about the idea of paying more than $3 for a pen, but it's also a stellar everyday writer. The Zoom 505 is available in black and brown and can be yours for about $20.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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