Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Narwhal Piston-Fill Fountain 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 Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I hadn't heard of or seen a Narwhal fountain pen till I watched Brad unbox his on his Twitch stream. Even after seeing the video, I kept my expectations low. With its price tag of $45, I assumed it was more likely to be cheaply made and slightly overpriced than well-made and underpriced. When the pen arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe even shocked. Possibly flabbergasted.

The first thing I noticed about the pen is how substantial it feels. It's very solid. A bit heavy, but in a reassuring way. It doesn't feel like the plastic is fragile or cheap, the way some economically priced acrylic pens sometimes do. In the hand, it does not feel like a cheap pen at all. The joins and corners are all smooth and seamless. The threads are precise, both for the cap and for the piston. Because, yes, this is a piston filler! The mechanism resembles the one in a TWSBI ECO, and it holds a comparable amount of ink. As in, a lot of ink.

The piston is operated by twisting the end cap. The cap, end cap, body, and grip section are all in the same pretty, swirly acrylic. The ribbons of color have a great depth to them and it's a lovely effect. The grip tapers smoothly and is very comfortable to hold. The threads at the top of the grip section are so smooth that you can hardly feel them. There is a silver clip that has the perfect amount of grip and spring, and a silver cap band that says "Narwhal." The clip design even looks like a fountain pen! There is also a silver ring at the join for the end cap. Every fitting is absolutely seamless. I don't think I've ever seen this level of precision on a pen under a hundred dollars. Heck, I have some that cost over that that are less well fitted.

Narwhal also make their own nibs, which sounds bold, even foolhardy, but--again--they've exceeded my expectations. This is a good nib. Perfectly wet with no skipping. There's a bit more feedback than I personally prefer, but it doesn't feel too scratchy, and it doesn't feel dry. It also has one of the coolest engravings I've seen on a nib--a leaping narwhal (their company logo). The nib only comes in Fine, but it's not a true fine, in my opinion. It's closer to a western medium, or even a Japanese broad.

When uncapped, it's perfectly balanced. With the cap on, it's very cap-heavy, as there's a chunk of metal at the finial. The only negative I can name so far is that it does not post. I know that can be a dealbreaker for some folks. If it did post, though, that metal in the cap would be a problem. It's a large enough pen that it does not need to be posted, and would even be a bit unwieldly if it was. It's slightly longer than a TWSBI ECO.

I highly recommend this pen if you're looking to try a piston filling pen and want great quality for your money. I can't quite fathom (haha, get it?) how they've kept the cost so low while offering such high level of finish. They could easily be charging quite a bit more for these pens. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Narwhal comes out with next. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this new brand.

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

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Posted on March 5, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Narwhal, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen Review

I’ve been able to spend a couple of weeks with the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen, and I am confident in saying this: This is a good pen. It looks good, feels good, writes well, and is fairly priced.

That’s the TL:DR version of this review. Why not end it right there? Because there is a whole lot more to discuss with this pen than whether it is good or not. And that conversation may help you determine if it is good for you.

Let’s start with this: What is Bakelite? That’s a great question! Reading the Bakelite Wikipedia page (which made me want a whiskey) told me that it is a synthetic plastic, developed in the early 1900’s. Over the past 100+ years, it has been used for a wide-range of products - from jewelry, to radio knobs, to equipment coatings. The raw material can be molded into almost anything, including pen barrels.

The Bakelite formula changed and improved with the times, but as other synthetic materials were created, it was pushed aside due to its added cost of manufacturing. Wancher chose to bring Bakelite back with the Seven Treasures fountain pen, and I’m glad they did.

The feel of this pen reminds me of a combination of two materials: G10 and Micarta. Both of these are fibrous materials, manufactured in sheets and pressed together to build the structure of the finished product. G10 is rock hard, and Micarta is sturdy, but softer and more porous. This Bakelite lands right in the middle of those materials to me. It is firm, but has a warmth to it, and if you look closely, you can see the underlying material fibers.

I bring all of this up because at first glance and feel, the Seven Treasures Bakelite doesn’t seem to be a pen that would absorb ink if dipped into an ink bottle. It seems like any other polished acrylic that you could wipe the ink right off of. That’s not the case, and Wancher has designed the pen taking this into consideration.

The grip section is removable from the barrel, but not in the way you would traditionally think. It’s a sleeve, designed to be removed so the pen doesn’t get stained when filling. You wouldn’t know that by looking through the campaign page though - it’s not pictured, even once. It’s not in the shape and size diagram either, despite having its own fixed measurement. The filling system is shown in the video without the sleeve, dipping into an ink bottle. That’s about it other than it laying on the table in a few shots.

Why is that? Backers should know what they are getting upfront. I don’t think it is a technical issue, but if Bakelite stains, and you’ve designed a way around that, it should be shown in the campaign. By no means is this a dealbreaker, and in fact I think it is a smart idea that other companies could pick up on. I just find it odd it is never mentioned.

Aside from Bakelite, Wancher added another unique aspect to this pen. Shippoyaki is a traditional Japanese art style, and is featured prominently on the pen cap. Each piece is handcrafted by Master Okagaki Yukie, who has over 60 years experience in this form of artwork. And I have to say, all four pieces available are stunning, and really make the pen.

My pen features the Sangria artwork, which represents the Sun. It’s a wonderful match to the red barrel and gold trim of this pen. You can also choose from three other styles of Shippoyaki - Moonlight, Cosmos, and Verdant - all of which add a spark to the overall pen design.

For Kickstarter projects, I generally go with the stock steel nib and feed options, which is what this pen uses, but you can upgrade to Wancher’s own 18k gold nib, and even add an ebonite feed. The steel nibs are Jowo, and this medium works perfectly out of the box. The pen ships in a large balsa wood box, and includes a beautiful silk pen sleeve.

*Wancher Seven Treasures vs. Lamy Vista*

The big question left is will I back this pen. The answer is no, but not for any of the reasons I listed above. It’s because this is a big pen - too big for my daily use. I love the Bakelite idea, as well as the Shippoyaki artwork, but the size and style of the pen don’t fit my usage needs right now. If the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen checks all of your boxes, I think you will enjoy it, and I think you are getting it at a great price, so back it confidently.

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

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Posted on February 24, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Wancher, Kickstarter, Pen Reviews.

TWSBI ECO White Rose Gold Fountain Pen Review

TWSBI has kept the hype alive for their ECO model by rolling out fresh looks for the line on a regular basis. With an affordable price-point and an endless train of fun and tempting hues, they're totally collectible. The latest irresistible offering is the White Rose Gold. This new look brings a more elegant, formal look to the line known for neon and pizzazz. The clear plastic body, white plastic lid, and rose gold accents look like the much-beloved ECO in an executive suit.

The fanciness of this model does raise the price considerably. Instead of $31.50, the rose gold runs at about $52.50. It's till within the realm of affordability, but it does push it over that $50 threshold into another category of pen, in my opinion. The standard ECOs are much beloved for their value--where the quality well exceeds the price tag. With a price hike of over $20, does this version maintain a good value? There are some materials upgrades that help justify the increased cost, and the rosy finish is an extra bit of production. But overall, this is still the same ECO--just in fancy pants. While this is a very pretty pen, I'm not sure I'd be tempted enough to pay the extra when I can get the same pen for so much less.

Like all ECOs, this pen has a piston filling mechanism with a remarkable ink capacity, and the clear body allows you to see your ink sloshing around inside, making it easy to see when your ink is running low. Which it won't, for a very long while. The cap screws on and contains an insert to help prevent ink from drying in the feed, so the pen will start writing even after sitting for a period of time. I have never had any issues with dry ink in any of the TWSBIs I've used. The grip section is clear and slightly molded to fit a triangular grip, but not so strictly shaped that other grips would find it uncomfortable. The cap does post, but it throws the balance off a bit, and it did not stay posted very firmly.

Most of the TWSBI pens I've used have been excellent writers. This is the first one I've tried where the nib felt scratchy in a way that goes beyond feedback. I don't see any obvious nib issues, so I wonder if the rose gold coating gives it an unpleasant texture, much like black coating does on other pens I've tried. It is also the driest writing TWSBI I've used, though it's not for lack of ink supply. In fact, this pen has a bit of a leaking problem.

After I filled the pen, I could see that ink was gathered inside the section of the pen. I had hoped it would stay there, but when I next used the pen, I was greeted by a cap full of ink, most of which spilled across my meeting notes. The more I wrote with the pen, the less leaking I noticed, so I hope this issue is only a factor for the first little while after a fill saturates the feed. I have, however, encountered this collar-leaking with TWSBI pens before.

Ultimately, the writing experience of this particular rose gold ECO has not been as nice as a standard ECO. There are inconsistencies in the quality control of TWSBI pens, however, that may mean that other rose gold ECOs are as dreamy as they look. I can't say this pen is as good a value as a regular ECO, but if you love ECOs and find this particular finish enchanting, it's still not a bad pen. And even with its quirks, I've used worse pens that cost twice as much and didn't look nearly so nice.

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

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