Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Tactile Turn Stealth Bolt Action Pen Review

Nailed it.

That’s what I think of the Tactile Turn Stealth Bolt Action Pen. And that’s not always an easy task.

I’ve been a Tactile Turn fan and follower since day one, and seeing Will Hodges and crew continue to grow as a manufacturer has been a joy to watch. I’m a machined pen fan, of course, and Tactile Turn is one of the best.

The Stealth is the latest seasonal release from Tactile Turn. What do I mean by “seasonal?” Each quarter of the year they launch a special edition pen, which is limited only by the timeframe it is on offer. For example, when the Stealth launched you have three months to decide to order - right through the end of December. Once that ordering window closes, no more Stealth models will be manufactured. I think this is a good system for pen fans who like unique products, but don’t want to have to chase a small run edition, or have terrible FOMO.

This edition was built on the Tactile Turn Bolt Action base, which is a strong, refined platform. The bolt is snappy and solid, and the pen barrel itself feels great with Tactile Turn’s micro-ridges machined throughout the length.

For this seasonal edition, the barrel upgrades include a durable DLC coating, red cerakote bolt paint job, digi-cam clip engraving, and an optional tritium capsule that gives off a “safe, radioactive green glow without needing exposure to light.”

Say what now? Tritium is seen commonly on watch faces, and this is an interesting use on a pen barrel. I like the uniqueness of it.

The Stealth comes in all three Bolt Action barrel lengths: Standard (for Pilot G2 compatible refills,) Short (for Parker-style refills,), and Mini (for Pilot G2 Mini refills.) For this review, I chose the Standard length, and fitted it with my favorite G2 compatible refill, the Pilot Juice 0.38 mm Blue Black.

Feel-wise, the Standard is a big pen, but the Titanium base keeps it from being too heavy or bulky. I can write page after page with no fatigue, and get the satisfaction of a great bolt snap when I’m through.

The standard Tactile Turn Bolt Action pen (in Titanium, Copper, or Bronze) starts at $99, so is the Stealth worth the upgrade to $179, or $229 with the tritium finial? I think so. The non-tritium version especially. The pricing also shows how great of a deal the standard models are.

Tactile Turn brings something different to the table with each seasonal edition, and I appreciate the thought - and the extras - they put into each edition. I look forward to seeing what comes next, but not before I get a heck of a lot of use from the Stealth.

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

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Posted on December 13, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Tactile Turn, Pen Reviews.

Lamy Xevo Ballpoint Pen Review

The Lamy Xevo is exactly what an entry level pen should be.

When I first saw pictures of the Xevo I was intrigued. Is this a metal barrel? Plastic? Twist mechanism, or knock? $50? $25? I really liked it, but the answer to those questions, plus its performance, would determine how much.

To answer a few of those original questions, this is a plastic barrel pen with a twist mechanism to deploy the refill. And the price? $10.

The Xevo is a Lamy design from top to bottom. If you are into stationery even just a little bit, you can pick a Lamy pen out of a lineup with relative ease. I think that is great. Even the outlier designs - like the Safari or Tipo - are pure Lamy. They have great cohesion throughout the brand.

And they have me spoiled, too. I’m as hard on Lamy as I am on any company, but that is because 1. Everything they do, they do well, and 2. I want more of it. The second part is my problem, and this beloved German brand certainly knows their job better than I do. A boy can dream, right?

I picked up the Light Grey from Goldspot recently, and what I found is a workhorse pen that is great for any writing situation. The plastic barrel is lightweight and comfortable, especially with the triangular grip that you are free to rotate in your hands to your heart’s content. The twist mechanism is solid, with a short, station-to-station engagement. A quick twist clockwise engages the refill, and a quick counter the opposite direction snaps it back.

It should come as no surprise that the clip is great, too. This is Lamy, after all.

Writing wise, the Xevo uses the standard M16 ballpoint found across many Lamy models. It’s a great ballpoint, but you are mostly stuck with it. There is no Parker-style, or Pilot G2 compatibility - only Monteverde makes a matching refill, with a few more ballpoint ink colors than Lamy offers.

The medium black lines from this refill are dark and smooth, and there was no spidering or ink blobbing to speak of. It’s one of the “good ones” as far as ballpoint refill types go.

And the Xevo is one of the good ones as well. It surprised me for many reasons, primarily the quality for the price. It is in the Tipo category, and for my money, that’s a good place to be.

Now, when orange barrel, Lamy???

(I purchased this pen at Goldspot using a 10% off coupon code.)

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Posted on December 6, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Namisu N1 Pocket Fountain Pen Review

If there's one thing that the stationery world doesn't lack, it's pocket fountain pens. There are a few go-to models, but not a ton of choice. That's why it's always exciting to try out new pocket-able fountain pens when they come out. They're a niche that not everyone is into, but for those of us that love a good fountain pen in a small size, it's just our thing.

I've had the opportunity to use the Namisu N1 for a few months now, and I've been really happy with it. The Namisu N1 is a small pocket fountain pen made from machined metal. It's sleek, simple, and durable, and the small size is just the cherry on top.

Measuring just 104mm (4.1"), it's roughly the same size as a capped Kaweco Sport. The pen body by itself is just under 100mm (3.9"). But, when posted, it can vary between 123mm (4.8") and 146mm (5.75") thanks to the triple o-ring friction fit design that keeps the cap in place. Due to the perfect amount of friction, you can easily adjust the length of the full pen without worrying about it sliding while you're writing. I've really enjoyed being able to adjust the length of the pen so easily — you can quickly change the feel of this pen by just extending or reducing the length.

The o-rings slide against the aluminum easily enough, but they also have plenty of friction to keep the cap in place when capped or posted. I don't have any worries about the cap moving around unless I want it to. The tolerance is just right. This pen would be terrible if the friction was any different.

The model I have was a limited run made from aluminum. The two-tone contrast of the bright polished aluminum body and the anodized blue cap is awesome. The matte clip is sleek and strong, and the knurling along the top of the pen body and the grip section is fantastic. It has a great texture and feels great when writing with the pen or when pulling the pen body out of the cap for use.

The grip section unscrews from the rest of the body, and this is where you can replace the cartridges. I'm using an international short cartridge right now, but you could fit something up to 68mm long. Some cartridge converters will fit, but it really depends on the length as well as the diameter. You should probably surrender to using cartridges with this pen if you decide to pick one up.

Writing with the pen is such a great experience. The weight of the pen is just right, and the knurled grip provides fantastic grip and comfort. On top of that, you can adjust the overall length of the pen by sliding the cap up or down the body to find that perfect fit for your hand.

The pen is fitted with a Bock nib unit — EF in my case. The nib is okay, but I wish it flowed a little better. I could fix this pretty quickly, but it's worth pointing out that it was perfectly tuned out of the box. It writes fine, but the line feels a little dry compared to other EF nibs I use consistently. There isn't any Namisu branding on the nib — it's a standard Bock nib.

While you can't get the two-tone aluminum version any more, you can grab a new titanium version of this pen. It is surely lighter than this aluminum version, but I don't think will detract from the writing experience at all. In fact, I think I'd like the lighter weight even more than this one.

Normally £98.50, this feels like a fair price for a custom machined pen that has been designed well and feels great in the hand and while writing. You can find them on sale or even nab some prototype units for a little cheaper (50% off) while they're available. Either way, this is a fantastic pen. If you like the aesthetic, try one out!

(This pen was purchased from Namisu via Kickstarter.)

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