LAMY noto Teal Ballpoint Pen Review

As a long-time LAMY fan, not even I have tried all of their pens and pencils, but I’m getting one step closer with this review of the LAMY noto.

In my mind, LAMY does entry-level as well as anyone that’s not looking to dominate retail shelves with three-packs of pens, or office supply cabinets with dozen-count boxes. Entry-level in their case means a single pen made well, and for a fair price. The noto ranges from $12-16 depending on the color (this Teal model is a “Special Edition” and runs $14,) and places itself in the popular “upgrade from my first pen” category.

Is it an upgrade, though? Let’s take a look.

The noto (I’m having a hard time not capitalizing “noto,” but that’s how LAMY lists it,) is a plastic barrel, retractable, ballpoint pen. Designed by Naoto Fukasawa, it is the only LAMY creation by what seems to be quite a prolific designer. The noto fits the LAMY aesthetic, so I’d say they nailed the design brief.

The standout design points of the noto are the triangular grip section, and what I’m calling an inset clip that appears built in to the barrel. These features are also ones that can be divisive for anyone interested in buying the noto.

LAMY Denim AL-Star ballpoint, top.

While the triangular grip is less intrusive than the molded grip section used on their Safari and AL-Star lineups, it can still pose a problem for non-traditional grips. It’s comfortable for a standard tripod grip like mine, and I can even rotate the barrel when writing without the clip hitting my hand way due to its design. I also like the monotone matching throughout the Teal barrel.

The clip design … I just can’t get behind it from a functional perspective. It looks good, and it is unobtrusive, but it requires a little extra if you want to clip it to something. Maybe you have to tilt your paper at an angle, of maybe it takes two hands to attach. Whatever it is, it’s extra. It’s a form over function design. I like the form, and don’t use the function.

The refill used by the Noto is their classic M16 ballpoint. I must be an outlier in that I enjoy this refill, because it does get some grief. As far as standard ballpoint ink formulations go, it is up there in quality and performance. This Black Medium refill is dark and smooth, and the tip stays clean. Maybe one day LAMY will allow customers to easily upgrade to the uniball Jetstream-filled LAMY M17 refill, but today is not that day. Regardless, I think it writes great as-is.

To answer the “upgrade” question above, I’ll be direct and say that the LAMY noto - or other entry-level LAMY ballpoints like the XEVO - cannot compete on pure refill performance with any uniball Jetstream ballpoint. No ballpoint can, to be clear, so why consider the noto? It looks fantastic, feels great in the hand, writes well, and is fun to use. At $14, it makes for a good personal, portable option, and would make a good gift, especially give the range of color options.

The LAMY noto makes me smile, and that’s as good of a reason to own it as any.

(Goldspot Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Pairings Party: Kakimori Frost Violet Fountain Pen, Taccia Aomurasaki

Dark Purple has always been my vibe, and these two separate acquisitions - the Kakimori Frost Violet Fountain Pen and Taccia Aomurasaki Ink - ended up being the pairings party I didn’t know I needed.

Let’s kick things off with a review of the fountain pen. Kakimori introduced their Frost pen series back in 2024 with both a fountain pen and rollerball version. The idea being that the nibs were swappable, meaning you could buy the fountain pen setup, add on the rollerball nib, and use it with an ink cartridge or converter. The reverse is also true, and the total price ends up the same no matter which base you start with.

I stuck with only the fountain pen, as I traditionally don’t care for the rollerball nib/fountain pen ink setup. The option is there is I ever decide to, though. The fountain pen is only available with Fine or Medium nibs, so I went with the narrower of the two. It’s a Steel nib, and looks like a #5 with Western tip sizing, and the line width agrees with that. I would prefer Extra Fine, but the ink flow is consistent, and shows off well.

The Frost Fountain Pen is lightweight, checking in at only 14 grams. That’s identical to the Pilot Prera, another small and light fountain pen. The Frost also has a very narrow tapered grip section (9.2 mm, compared to 10.6 on the Prera,) and may pose a problem for some. It works for me, but the Frost finish on the pen gives it a satin-y feel that can be slick with dry fingertips.

The cap is threaded, and only takes a fraction of a turn to open. With that quick opening I wonder about the cap coming loose, but I haven’t carried it in my pocket enough to tell. It should be fine give it is plastic on plastic. The cap does post, but not deep enough to make it a viable option.

Given my preferences for small, light, and narrow pens, the Kakimori Frost should be right up my alley. It is, visually speaking, but I would be hard pressed to recommend it for $58. That’s simply too much for this “feel” of a pen. I get that they are made by a small maker (a personal favorite, at that,) and likely in small batches so there is real cost involved, but the nib swappability ($72 total for one barrel and two nibs,) isn’t enough of a feature for me.

I like it, but in the land of pens like the Platinum Prefounte and Pilot Kakuno, I’m not sure the Frost can compete.

OG Tomoe River 52 gsm, left, Kokuyo Good Tools, right.

It’s saving grace, for the time being, is my acquisition of Taccia Aomurasaki Ink. Given its name, with ao meaning Blue and murasaki meaning Purple, I would think the Blue tones would pop more, but I’m glad they don’t. This is more of a Purple/Grey or Purple/Black, and it’s glorious. From the moment I inked it up I’ve been hooked, and that hasn’t changed given the different paper types I’ve tested it on.

It flows well from the Fine nib in the Kakimori, and my next fill will be something in the XXF category to see if I can still pull Purple out of it, or if it is too dark for that fine of line. Regardless, it looks great, and I can see it being used in many pen types and nib sizes. It’s jumped immediately up towards the top of the list.

So there you have it: mixed reactions at this party, with the pen leaving a bit to be desired, and the ink off the charts good.

(JetPens provided the Kakimori pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided the Taccia Ink at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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rOtring 600 Ballpoint Pen Review

(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!)

rOtring are very well known for their iconic mechanical pencils. The signature look evokes serious-business design. It's a plain sort of elegance, but jazzed up by the fun new colors available in the 600 line. The ballpoint version of the 600 has the same look as the pencil.

This pen is in the newer “Chocolate Truffle” color, which is a burgundy-brown that I absolutely love. The smooth matte finish gives it a very elegant look. It's also available in blue, black, dark stone (grey), gold, silver, green, red, pearl white, and rose gold. They all look good enough to make choosing difficult.

The body of the pen is brass. It's still lightweight, but feels very solid. The body is hexagonal, so it doesn't roll, and the grip section is the gritty knurled tube that rOtring is known for. It has a very sturdy metal clip. The click knock has a very satisfying clunk, but it's surprisingly silent. You can click to your heart's content without annoying your coworkers. The nosecone is narrow and elongated, designed to let you see the tip of the pen better as you draw or write.

The grip section unscrews to allow access to the refill. The refill included is a rOtring oil-based, parker-style ballpoint. And it's not great. It's fairly pale, railroads, and it smears, even long after writing. It's still perfectly useable for a practical purpose. I've been using it at work for a few weeks now, and it's been a pleasure to use. But it could be so much better. Fortunately, there are many better options that will fit. The Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, the Uni Jetstream, and the Fisher Space Pen pressurized ballpoint refill are all good options.

The rOtring 600 Ballpoint sells for $41.60 at Vanness Pen Shop, marked down from the list price of $52. It's a lot for a ballpoint pen, but the prestige of the brand is part of what you're paying for, here. For the good quality build, easy refill access, and timeless look, I think it earns its sticker price. It's one I keep reaching for. It's a convenient staple that makes the experience of everyday writing a bit better.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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!