Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Schon DSGN Pocket Six 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!)

If you read my Chicago Pen Show post, you know that this was the last pen I bought, when I was supposed to already be leaving--the pen I just couldn't leave behind, even though it sent me over budget. No regrets. This is an amazing pen.

This is the multi-color version of the Schon DSGN Pocket Six, in a color that was exclusive to the Chicago show. It has one of Schon's "Extragalactic" color patterns, with swirls of orange and black, with silver dots and swipes that look like stars. This colorway looks like Halloween night to me, so it's no wonder I couldn't resist.

The "six" in the name comes from the fact that this wee pen, measuring only 9cm when capped, has a full-size number six nib on it. The metal body feels solid, but not too heavy. The cap unscrews from the grip section and screws onto the back, giving it extra length for comfortable writing. I find it comfortable to write with unposted as well. Every join is very precise and every seam smooth. The cap threads have an o-ring that keeps the nib from drying out or leaking between uses, so this pocket pen really is safe in your pocket. I even had it in my pocket on an airplane with no issues at all.

It's too small to take a converter, but it does take short international cartridges. For my recent Colorado trip, this was my #1 pen. I used it every hour of every day. The EF nib was perfect for taking notes or using on any handy paper, and it fit perfectly into my pocket, purse, or even into the wee clutch bag I carried for the fancy events. And it has been with me ever since, from home to work to fun nights out. It's convenient and practical, and it has gotten me lots of comments when I get it out to write. It may even have sparked a few new pen addicts--there were covetous glints in the eyes of a few writing friends who had never considered using fountain pens before. I've owned this pen for a month and it has already written one short story, four poems, and a bit of novel. I'm not saying it's magical, but I'm not not saying that.

I would expect this pen to cost a lot more than the $165 Ian currently charges for it. It seems rare, these days, to get a pen this nice for under $200. But I'm very glad I did, and I'd do it again. I probably will do it again.

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Posted on June 9, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Schon DSGN, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Ensso Japanese Ebonite Regular Size Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

If you've ever been to a pen show, then you've probably seen your fair share of Ebonite pens. The coloration isn't particularly bright — usually just black or dark green — but they always strike me as being incredibly elegant. This elegance is even more apparent when you pick up an Ebonite pen and realize how incredibly light it is!

Ebonite is a fascinating material that is hard to describe. It's made through a process of vulcanizing rubber using certain chemicals to make the rubber permanently hard and plastic-like. The result is a material that is super lightweight, strong, and easy to machine. As an added perk, it also feels really organic because it warms up in your hand really quickly — similar to the feel of the Makrolon barrel of the Lamy 2000.

Modern Ebonite pens aren't unheard of, but I wouldn't say they're common either. Fortunately, ēnsso is working to bring Ebonite pens back to the main stream for hundreds more people to enjoy. The ēnsso Japanese Ebonite Fountain Pen is a modern pen in a classic material, and it really hits the nail on the head.

At only 16 grams, this pen is incredibly light. I'm still shocked every time I pick it up after not using it for a few minutes or hours. Despite being so light, it's still easy to handle and use for long writing sessions. Keep in mind that I'm using the regular size option, not the pocket option.

The shape of the pen borrows from a timeless cigar shape that makes me think of the standard Nakaya. The finish is smooth and feels great on my fingers. You can see some of the machining lines if you look hard enough, but it usually keeps the slightly satin look in most light. For me, it's an incredibly handsome pen that I enjoy keeping on my desk even when it's not in the regular rotation.

Beyond the warm feel of the material in my hand, my favorite aspect of how this pen feels is the shape of grip section. There's a pronounced ridge around the base of the grip that provides a perfect level of tactile feel for my fingers when using this pen. It's soft and sharp at the same time, and gives my fingers great feedback when I'm writing. This pen really fits my hand and grip style perfectly, and I've really enjoyed using it so far.

The version of the pen in this review features the black steel Bock nib, but you have an option of a Bock Titanium nib as well. Both nibs are #6 size, which is a perfect size match for the rest of the pen's proportions.

The pen comes with a black cartridge and a plastic cartridge converter. The converter is made entirely of plastic, so I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm glad that ēnsso made the choice to include a converter with the pen. That makes it so easy to pop it out of the box and ink up right away!

If you want even more ink, this pen is even set for eyedropper-ing as well! There's an o-ring gasket on the section above the threads that screw into the body, so you'll have a great seal if you choose to fill this pen as an eyedropper. Like they say on the Kickstarter page, though, you should probably also apply some silicone grease to the section threads as well to ensure no ink finds its way out. The silicone grease isn't included, but it's easy to find if you decide to try the eyedropper route.

The rest of the pen is so simple — there isn't a clip to get in the way, and cap posts on the back of the pen with little effort. It's not a super snug fit when posted, but it's tight enough to do the job as long as you aren't making any fast or jerky motions with the pen while writing. The simple design is something I love about this pen, so I really appreciate the dedication to the minimal aesthetic that ēnsso achieved here.

This is a pen that I've really enjoyed using, and the price just makes it an even greater value in my mind. There are currently just a few spots left on the early bird tier, which brings the price for one steel nib pen to just $79 (+$40 for a titanium nib). If you miss out on the early bird pricing, the regular pricing for the Kickstarter is still phenomenal at $89 per pen with the titanium nib being an extra $40. You have a choice of EF, F, M, or B nib size, and this pricing (at the $89 mark) is 30% off the expected retail price after the Kickstarter concludes.

Ebonite is one of those materials that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. It feels great in the hand, is super lightweight, and is incredibly durable. If you'd like to try a new, modern pen made of this material as opposed to finding something in the vintage market, this is a great place to start.

The Kickstarter campaign ends on June 29, and it's already met the minimum goal for funding. Get over there and check it out!

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

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Posted on June 8, 2022 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Ensso, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Tesori Venezia Fountain Pen Review

I’m glad fountain pen shows are back, because the best way for me to learn about a new brand is to spend some hands-on time with the product, and talk one-on-one with the maker of said product.

Meeting Jon Tello, of Hello Tello Studios and Tesori Pens, at the 2022 Atlanta Pen Show is a perfect example. Here’s how it goes for me at a typical pen show:

Walk the entire show floor, getting the lay of the land, and deciding which vendors and tables to check in with on round two.
With Tesori, I had heard of the brand but didn’t know much about them or their products. I stop back in later in the day and begin to look at the various pen types and materials.
I strike up a conversation with the maker, in this case Jon Tello. It usually starts with the basics - who, what, when, where, why - and then I’ll ask more product specific questions about things that have caught my eye, such as barrel shapes, or materials.
Leave without buying anything. This is the most important step. I’ll be repeating this process several times over the course of a weekend, and I need to manage my time, and my budget.
Have a think. Seriously. At night, back in my room, I unload my bag, and think about what I want to focus on the next day.
I liked what I saw from Tesori, and what I heard from Jon, so I swing by the table the next day. The idea is to buy a pen if I find something that clicks with me.
Spoiler alert: I buy a pen.

This is an exceedingly normal process for me, your abnormal pen friend.

With a new-to-me pen brand like Tesori, I want to handle as many of the products as I can to see what works for me. This is obviously the biggest benefit of attending an in-person show.

There were several different models to choose from, but I quickly landed on the Venezia model as the one that suited me best. For a full-sized pen, it was one of the smaller overall options on the table. The “smallest big pen” is a typical sweet spot for me.

Outside of the overall size of the pen, the Venezia asks a very specific question with its design: Are you ok without a defined grip section? I generally prefer a shaped grip section, such as a traditional concave, but I use plenty of pens that don’t have that. The Pilot Vanishing point is a good example, minus the whole clip getting in the way thing.

The grip shape of the Venezia is generally straight, and essentially the widest diameter area of the pen at 14.5 mm. When this is the case in any pen design, I want to be sure there is good distance from where I grip the pen to where the nib hits the page. The Venezia handles this in two ways. One, this pen uses a front-threaded design with a short cap, meaning the cap threads are ahead of where you grip the pen. Two, the Bock #6 nib adds to the distance that is required for a comfortable writing pen. Overall, I think of this design as a brush-style grip and feel, which allows for a comfortable, flowing writing style.

Once the binary decision of “Will this pen comfortable for me to use?” is made, then comes the difficult one. How do I choose a barrel color?

This is what caused me the greatest consternation. First world problem, right? But look at all of the colors available in this pen and tell me what you would choose. In Atlanta, they were all available. I’d pick one up, look at it, hold it under the desk lamp, look at it more, rinse and repeat until a decision was made.

Making that decision tougher is the inclusion of a small piece of Venetian glass, or Millefiori, on the top finial, and sometimes, randomly, on the bottom. This is a fun design element that adds to the overall story of the pen. And it’s downright cool looking!

The color I chose was the directly-named Green Orange Blue Pebble, with a matching yellow barrel band, and daisy-like Millefiori on top of the cap. Choosing this pen was far from an easy decision, and I’ll admit that the standout-color barrel band was the deciding factor between this choice, and several other models.

I had this pen fitted with an extra fine Bock #6 steel nib, which was tuned and smoothed by Jon once purchased. Without hunting down the receipt, I believe the total was $230, which lines up closely to the €210 list price on the Tesori website.

If you want even more reasons to love Tesori, they commit 25% of their total sales in support of charities that focus on ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation. In talking with Jon over my few days at the show, I got the feeling that this is a huge part of why he does what he does. One company Tesori supports even provides employment for survivors of trafficking by having them craft the pen pouches that ship with each pen. Amazing stuff.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I am very pleased with this pen, and the mission of the company. The Venezia 2.0 model is wonderfully crafted, and buying one helps to support great causes. I look forward to learning more from Jon, and about Tesori, in the near future.

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