Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Opus 88 Koloro Fountain Pen Review

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

The Opus 88 Koloro has been around for several years, but I think it's still worth consideration today if you're looking for a great pen with a gigantic ink supply. This eye-dropper filled pen features a pleasantly shaped body with a combination of translucent acrylic and contrasting ebonite. The different materials add a lot of visual interest to the pen, and also makes it feel a bit more unique compared to other pens with similar shapes.

The Koloro isn't a small pen by any means, but it manages to feel smaller in my hand that it looks. It's really comfortable when writing, and I've been very happy with how it feels over longer writing sessions. Just remember to unscrew the back knob a few turns to allow the ink to flow freely to the nib!

While it might seem like a nuisance to remember to open and shut the valve (the knob on the back of the pen) every time you want to use it, this is really convenient if you plan on traveling with the pen or if you know it will get tossed around a lot in a bag. The valve ensure that no additional ink makes it to the nib from the reservoir. Sure, there might be some ink splatter from whatever was left in the nib and feed section, but that's a finite supply. While it's not something many of us are considering lately, this makes air travel convenient as well. With a sealed ink reservoir, you're mostly insured against surprise ink burps that go along with the dramatic change in air pressure accompanied with air travel.

The #5 JoWo nib on the Koloro is fantastic. I've been really happy with every JoWo nib I've used so far, and this one is no exception. The medium nib I chose is a great compromise between a thin line and plenty of ink flow. The nib is smooth and worked perfectly out of the box. The medium nib produces a line that's a little thinner than I'd expect from a medium, but not thin enough to think it was a fine nib. That's my preference anyway, but I'm sure I could adjust the tines just a tad to widen the line a small amount. The nib is fantastic and comes in several sizes — broad, medium, and fine. It's unfortunate that you can't choose from the other options that Opus 88 include on other pens, but this is a good assortment for starting out. Plus, the JoWo nibs are fairly easy to swap out assuming you have some spares on hand.

With any eyedropper pen, the nib can get a little dry in between uses. I usually just need to let the pen rest nib down for a couple minutes for it to work flawlessly again, but this is something to consider with any pen that has a shut off valve between the feed and ink reservoir. It's not a negative — just part of the style that you need to be aware of.

The cap and clip are really sturdy. The cap is one of my favorite parts of the pen because of the shape and the tiny Opus 88 branding. The clip is really strong and also lines up perfectly with the rest of the design of the pen body. The teal ebonite complements the darker teal acrylic perfectly. With a little light, this pen really pops off your desk. The semi-translucent acrylic also lets you see a bit of the internals on the pen body, which is also really interesting. Plus, it gives you a full-on view of how much ink is left.

I imagine the Koloro might be the obvious first choice for someone picking up an Opus 88 pen. It wasn't my first stop, but I can heartily recommend the Koloro if you're interested in the Opus 88 brand. It's a solid writer, it's dependable, and it looks fantastic. If Blue Aqua isn't your thing, you can also get these in Beige Teal, Yellow Orange, and Rust Red. At just under $100, it's a great deal for what you get.

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

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Opus 88 Koloro Fountain Pen Written Review

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Opus, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Iconic Color TwinPen Gel Pen Review

I think the Iconic Color TwinPen Gel Pens are worth considering - if you consider up front how you are going to use them.

I was into them immediately for several reasons. I mean, I’m not the type of stationery user who says no to 0.4 mm, needle-tip, gel ink pens, that - oh, by the way - are two sided, have cool colors, and cost just over five bucks for the set. That’s kind of my purpose in life, right?

Korean-based Iconic is not a brand I've used previously (Sarah has,) but I like what they have done here. The barrel design reminds me of the classic Crayon markers, with a simple, clean barrel, ink color band, and short cap. The design is a good mixture of modern and retro styles.

The TwinPen aspect of these pens is the entire reason for buying them. You can buy standard gel ink pens anywhere and everywhere these days, but the double-sided, two-color aspect of these is the main selling point. Black and Orange, Brown and Green, and Blue and Red are the three setups, and a good mix of colors. Would I have argued for purple over brown in the design meeting? Yes, but that is admittedly pedantic at this point.

From a writing perspective, the 0.4 mm needle-tip is a good one, but not spectacular. Similar tips from Uni-ball and Pentel are smoother, as are standard conical tips from those, and other brands, like Pilot and Zebra. These from Iconic leave a clean, bright line, but I feel more metal from the tip than I do from the big brands. They aren’t scratchy, but there is some drag on the page, if that makes sense.

If you think of these pens as note-taking pens as opposed to novel-writing pens, you will be happy with them. I think that is exactly what they are designed for.

The Iconic Color TwinPen Gel Pens are a fun addition to any note-taking arsenal. And the price - $5.50 for the three-pack - makes them easy to take a chance on.

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

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Posted on May 3, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Iconic, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Otto Hutt Design 04 Wave Blue Fountain Pen Review

Two months ago, I reviewed the Otto Hutt Design 03 Fountain Pen. I remember that one well, because it took a little bit of time to understand exactly what I had in that pen. The more time I spent with it, the more then pen and I clicked, and I’ve ended up loving it.

You could repeat the exact same process, and same result, with the Otto Hutt Design 04 Wave Blue Fountain Pen.

The Design 04 is a classically designed and manufactured German pen. Otto Hutt has been making pens for themselves, and other brands, for nearly a century, and that experience shows in the end result. The quality is exceptional all the way around.

There are seven pens in the Design series, and the 04 sets itself apart with a lacquered barrel, which allows for several different color and design choices. These range from standard solid colors - such as black, white, pink, and green - to an all black model, to different inlays and guilloche patterns, like with this Wave Blue. There are even different hardware colors depending on the pen. There are more individual models on the Design 04 than there are numbers in the Design series!

The metal barrel of the Design 04 is not overly heavy. You feel some weight, but it is balanced in the hand. Posting the cap is possible, but that does alter the balance of the pen significantly and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Balance with this pen is important due to the narrow nature of the grip section. As someone who prefers this size of grip, it is ideal for me, but I know others will find it to be too narrow. The section is long enough to allow you to grip low up against an upturn towards the nib, or pull back to the middle and reside on the taper. Neither the cap threads or barrel step pose any real challenge to a standard grip.

The stainless steel Fine nib was perfect out the box. And in true German fashion, it is wide and wet. Do I personally prefer finer nibs? Yes. But I’ll be darned if this isn’t a perfect writer. It also started up immediately every time it sat on my desk for several days between use.

I was able to choose which Design 04 I wanted to review, courtesy of my friends at Kenro Industries - the US distributor for Otto Hutt. As I mentioned above, there are a ton of options, and the Wave Blue stood out not only for the pattern, but as a design style I don’t have in any other pen. That said, Otto Hutt didn’t make it easy with all of the great options!

The price varies from $200 to $316 in the Design 04 lineup at Pen Chalet, with this exact model checking in at $280. From a value perspective, I think it is right on the mark. I only have to look back to my Tibaldi Perfecta review to realize that the base Design 04 is a much better bang for your buck. From there, you can choose from a slew of designs and features that suit your needs the best.

Right now, the Otto Hutt Design 04 suits my needs for a well-made, classically-designed, wonderful-writing, German-engineered fountain pen, with other models from the brand residing firmly on my radar.

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

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