Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Opus 88 Mini Fountain Pen in Baby Beluga

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

The Opus 88 Mini Pocket Pen has been in my daily rotation for several months now, and it has really impressed me with how many of my favorite pen features it fits on its tiny lil body.

For one, it's pocket-sized. I love a pocket pen. Pocket pens are so practical for carrying around, and I'm constantly on the go. I also have small hands, so they tend to be comfortable for me, too, though that won't be the case for everyone. This one does post, though. I love the full-sized Opus 88 also, but I do feel like I'm wielding a baseball bat while I'm writing with it. The main downside to most pocket pens is their ink capacity. Tiny body means tiny ink reservoir. But not here! This thing is a mini ink tank. Nearly the whole body fills with ink, thanks to the handy included eyedropper. I've had a lot of eyedropper-filling pocket pens, and quite a few of them have leaked. Not this one! It has a plunger seal that blocks the ink from even reaching the feed unless the end-cap is unscrewed to release the vacuum. That makes it safe for pocket carry and travel.

Its other practical features include a sturdy clip and spare o-ring. It also writes very well, even after being neglected for a few days. It does take a while for the ink to saturate the feed when it is first filled. It's an eyedropper-fill pen, so the ink is deposited directly into the pen body with the included eyedropper. For this pen, the grip section unscrews to open the ink reservoir. Since the ink isn't drawn up through the nib, it needs to take the long route there. I let the pen sit nib-down for a while with the plunger open to let the ink flow to the nib.

Okay, that's enough practicality. The reason it first caught my eye is because it's cute! I particularly like this Baby Beluga design, but Opus are not stingy in creating an abundance of fun and interesting designs for this model. From florals to stripes to animal prints, you're bound to find one you like. On this model, the main body of the pen is an aqua-tinted semi-translucent acrylic, so you can see your ink sloshing around inside like the water it's meant to resemble. The ocean waves and whale illustrations, along with schools of wee fish, add to the oceanic effect.

The Opus 88 Mini Pocket Fountain Pen sells for $89 at Goldspot Pens, which is a very fair price for the quality of this pen. It's refreshing to see a pen this nice for under $100. I missed some special Halloween designs they did in this model a few years ago, and now that I know how nice the pen is, I doubly regret that. So if you see an edition of this one that speaks to you, I highly recommend grabbing it while you can. This one is coming with me on a trip to Lake Superior next week. There aren't any whales in Lake Superior as far as we know, but when it comes to that epic inland sea, we don't know very far at all. I'll settle for some whale-sized freshwater cryptids.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount 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!

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Sarah Read and filed under Opus, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Hinze Pen Co. Sleipnir Fountain Pen Review

When you are naming a pen model after after the eight-legged horse Norse god Odin rode in on, you better get it right. Luckily for us, Hinze Pen Co. always gets it right, and the Sleipnir model is just the latest example of their craftsmanship.

When you are dealing with a magical creature as inspiration, how do you bring that forward into a pen design? For starters, how about an eight-sided barrel, matching the number of the mythical beasts legs. If eight sides weren’t enough on its own, they are built around a big barrel, befitting the story being told through this pen.

The diameter of the Sleipnir model is the main consideration when thinking about this pen. Large barrel pens are not for everyone, and this one, checking in at 14.5 mm at its widest point will be too big for some. In general, I prefer narrower diameter pens, but I have a few in my collection around this size that I enjoy because the overall feel of the pen works in my hand.

To me, feel is made up of the combination of weight, balance, and grip section design. On any pen, all of these things have to work together, but they are especially important aspects when it comes to large pens. I have average-sized hands, and I like to write small. That combination lends itself best to smaller, narrower pens, but doesn’t exclude large pens. There is just less room for sacrifice if one thing throws the whole experience off.

Luckily for me, everything on the Sleipnir works well in hand. I did fit it out with a 1.1 mm stub nib, which is a good size match. It doesn’t hurt that Hinze Pens has fun electroplated options such as this Green that matches the barrel perfectly.

Speaking of the barrel, this Dark Side material I picked out from in-house maker Starry Night Resins is a knockout. It’s Northern Lights-esque, with holographic flakes scattered throughout, and a highlight Orange ring in the cap. This is one of those materials where you see something different every time you pick it up.

Hinze Pen Co. Sleipnir Ink — *Mitsubishi Bank Paper.*

For ink, I’ve exclusively used Inkdependence “Don’t Trust a Bivalve” with it, giving it a perfect match-matchy look. That said, there are dozens of shades that would look right in this pen, so who knows what’s next.

What’s next for now is I’m going to keep writing with the Hinze Pen Co. Sleipnir, and keep looking for my own to keep because I’ve really enjoyed it so far. It runs $320, and comes in many different materials you can see online, and at a pen show near you - including the Dallas Pen Show this upcoming weekend.

Big thanks to Jim, Elyce, and the entire Hinze team for providing this pen at no charge so I could test our their latest model!

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Hinze Pen Co. Sleipnir Lines — *Yoseka Notebook.*

Posted on September 21, 2026 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Hinze Pen Co., Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews, Inkdependence.

Platinum Komono (PQ-1500) Fountain Pen Review

One of the dilemmas I have when deciding to review a product is if it’s worth spending the time discussing a product that is not easy to acquire. That covers many areas, such as limited edition pens, or event exclusive inks. In the case of the Platinum Komono, this also means discussing a pen - to borrow a phrase from the digital world - that is region locked.

I received my Komono, also referred to by its model number PQ-1500, around the same time Jacob at Fudefan released his video on it, and have been enjoying it ever since. I’ve also been waiting and seeing if there was going to be any movement outside of the Chinese market, where, according to Jacob, Platinum has a factory that produced this pen for the region.

So far, it’s stayed there as best as I can tell, and otherwise made accessible by sites like AliExpress. Why has it remained only in that market? Who can say other than Platinum, but one interesting design decision may be the answer.

The Komono is a pocket pen, and sets itself apart from others in the category with a metal barrel. The grip section features the classic Platinum translucent smoky plastic, and the nib is similar to what you would see on other Platinum entry-level pens like the Preppy, with the addition of a handful of stars etched onto it. It writes just as well, too.

Platinum Komono vs Pilot Prera — *The Komono reminds me a lot of the Pilot Prera. It’s a little heavier than the ultralight Prera, and since you need to write with it posted, almost the same length.*

The cap is of the snap variety, not threaded, and is tight, sealing with clear audible notification. The inside of the cap has a plastic seal, but it doesn’t look like their Slip & Seal mechanism because I don’t see a spring. (Update: The spring is there! I just needed to poke another pen in the cap to feel it. A nice touch.) For posting, the end of the barrel tapers, allowing you to seat the cap down tight enough to write comfortably. The clip looks like a cute exclamation point, and there are a couple of added visual elements like a ridged cap band, and a small ring near the end of the pen. It’s a simple pen, executed well.

Platinum Komono Cartridge — *That small difference makes a big impact.*

The aforementioned interesting design decision is that Platinum chose a proprietary cartridge length. It’s the same opening size, but 7-8 millimeters shorter. Traditional Platinum cartridges and converters will not fit the shorter barrel of the Komono, which is assumedly why the pen ships with five Black cartridges for use.

Overall, this is a fantastic pen, so why not send it around the world? Only Platinum can answer that. For what looks to be a $20-$30 retail price, I think it would do well, and give them a slightly different look in their lineup.

Platinum Komono Nib — *Black Platinum ink on Mitsubishi Bank Paper.*

If you want to hunt one down, AliExpress seems to be the way to go. I’ve seen them under $10 in the past, and right now they are $15. What I wouldn’t do is search for one on eBay or any random retailer, with both options pricing them in the $50-$80 range in my searches.

I think the best we can hope for is that Platinum gets the message that these are an excellent option for the worldwide market, and play the waiting game. We aren’t exactly a patient lot though, are we?

(This pen was sent to me by a friend for free.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!