Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Gravitas Pens Quark Titanium 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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available!)

I love tiny pens. So portable! So cute! I can fit more of them in my house! And I love Gravitas Pens, so trying out the Quark, the new itty bitty pen from Ben Walsh, was inevitable. Probably also inevitable that I was going to love this pen.

This is a really tiny pen! It's pocket-sized even for girl pockets. Its closest sibling in size is the Kaweco Liliput, which it is often compared to, as that is the other notoriously tiny pen. It's a bit smaller than the Liliput when capped, but a bit longer when posted. It's very comfortable to write with when posted, and the back end has threading on it so that the cap screws in place, keeping it secure.

The cap covers most of the body when closed, and beneath it is a full-sized grip section with a full-sized nib. There may also be a 5th dimension hidden under the cap, which would explain where all of the pen goes when the cap is closed.

The body unscrews from the grip section to reveal juuuust enough space for a short international cartridge.

This titanium version of the quark is very light, so it causes no hand fatigue after long writing sessions. This model also has a titanium flex nib and polymer feed. The nib flexes smoothly, and writes with a nice bounce when not flexing. The feed keeps up well, and I can write quickly with no dryness or skipping. It's a fantastic writing experience, and I've been reaching for this pen for both quick notes and long afternoons of writing.

I've carried this pen daily for over a month, from everyday routines to wild adventures. For daily carry, it's excellent--it may be a permanently inked fixture in my kit. It did not love going camping with me, however. I'm not sure if it was the rough hiking-pack life, or the temperature shifts from cool nights in the woods to hot days on the beach, but it leaked an entire cartridge on that trip. I had no leaking issues with it before that, and have had none since, so I definitely attribute the leaks to my own abuse of the poor pen (or it could have been a faulty cartridge). I would need another trip to the wilderness to be sure--hopefully I can do that soon, for many reasons. I will say though, that I had no idea that the pen had leaked, because the cap contained the entire mess--likely stored in that 5th dimension. Not a drop spilled out of the cap. Until I uncapped it, which was epic.

For my tastes, this is another win for Gravitas. Some may find the pen too small, even when posted, but I prefer smaller pens, and the light weight and fantastic nib and feed mean that I can write with it for hours.

The pen comes with a plastic tube on a lanyard that can be used as its carrying case, and mine also came with a wee canister to hold spare cartridges. The standard Quark is 90 Euros, or about $95, and the upgraded titanium flex nib with polymer feed increases the price to 110 Euros, or about $116. I think that's a very fair price, and it's certainly a lot less than I paid for my Kaweco Liliput Fireblue back when they were first released. This pen has definitely become my favorite pocket fountain pen, so if you're a wee pen fan, definitely give this a try.

(This pen was purchased from Gravitas Pens at full retail price.)

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Posted on October 12, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Gravitas, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Faber-Castell GRIP 2011 Mistletoe Ballpoint Pen Review

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

The thing I love most about ballpoint pens that use the Parker style refill is that I can pick a pen that I like and know that I have a whole lot of options when it comes to what refill I use. This makes a pen much more versatile and useful.

The Faber-Castell GRIP 2011 Mistletoe is a ballpoint pen that features a unique three facet body and round grip dots all over the body and grip. It looks visually interesting due to the odd shape of the barrel and the grid pattern of dots that extend from grip to clip.

The Mistletoe variant of this pen is what gives it the rich metallic color. It's a "Teal Black," but it looks like a dark gray with blue-ish tint in every light I've put it under. Under a high power flash, the blues and greens of the teal come out a bit, but they're still soft. Still, the metallic bits in the paint add a lot of character to the color and work well together with the grip dots and clip colors. Regardless of what the color is called, it's a nice-looking color that I enjoy.

The knock mechanism on this pen is very satisfying to click. It doesn't require a lot of pressure to operate, but it makes a fantastic click sound and crisp feel that reminds me of a clicky mechanical keyboard switch. If you're familiar with the Parker Jotter knock, you might know how heavy duty and noisy it is. It's also satisfying, but in a different way. The GRIP 2011 click is much gentler and refined, and I absolutely enjoy clicking it.

The clip on this pen is incredibly strong. It's difficult to lift with your finger, but it has no problem sliding over a pocket or bit of fabric. The clip strength means this pen is secure when attached to something. I really appreciate how strong the grip is while also being incredibly easy to use. In my book, a weak clip that causes you to lose a pen is as bad as a clip that is too strong and stubborn and requires two hands to remove.

The nose of the pen unscrews from the grip section so you can replace the refill. The seam for the cone can be hard to spot because it blends in really well with the body. Since this is a Parker-style refill, you can roll with any number of excellent refill options. The included refill is really great, though. It's a blue 1.0 mm refill that is really smooth and consistent. The blue ink is on the darker side, but still easy to distinguish.

Combine the smooth refill with the three-facet body, and you've got a really comfortable pen. I like the grip provided by the three sides and the grippy dots, and I think the shape should work with many styles of grip, not just the three-finger grip that is considered "standard."

The Faber-Castell GRIP 2011 is a little longer than most pens that use a Parker-style refill. One of the perks of this refill is that it's short but still packs a lot of ink supply. But, there's no reason the pen has to be shorter — in the case of the GRIP 2011, the extra centimeters of length give the pen a great balance when writing. Whether the length is functional or aesthetic, I like the balance of the finished product.

At $25, the Faber-Castell GRIP 2011 is a unique and well made ballpoint pen option. The pretty color and unique style doesn't look like anything you can buy off the shelf at an office supply store, and you're guaranteed to continue using for (hopefully) the rest of your life given the accessibility of the refill size.

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

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Posted on September 27, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Faber-Castell, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Disposable 0.6mm 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.)

There are many reasons that Zebra is a household stationery name, but fountain pens aren't among them. Gel pen, ballpoints, pencils, and multi-pens are easy to come by in Zebra's product line, and there only a couple of fountain pen options to pick from. But just because there aren't many options doesn't mean what they do offer isn't any good. At least with the entry level disposable fountain pen, it definitely serves a good purpose.

The Pilot Varsity is probably the most well-recognized disposable fountain pen. It's also very similar in size, design, and price to the Zebra featured here today. With both of these pens, I think they fill an important spot for two kinds of people: those that are apprehensive to trying fountain pens, and those that want a disposable fountain pen that they don't have to worry about losing or maintaining.

At just under $3.50 a piece, these pens are a dollar or so more than comparable gel refill counterparts. What you get for those three and half dollars is a fantastic writing experience with zero fuss.

For many of us, the fountain pen platform is so alluring because of how customizable and infinite it can seem. You can choose practically every small element of your writing experience and dial in your personal preferences to an exact point. That same endless intersection of choices can be daunting for someone who isn't entirely sure if they want to test the water. For anyone in that situation, this really is one of the best ways to try it out.

While the Zebra fountain pen is a great fountain pen for what it costs, it's not difficult to spend just a few more dollars to find a superior pen — and one that you can refill and keep for many, many years. What I really appreciate about this pen is that it offers a great introduction to what you can expect from other fountain pens in terms of how they write and operate. It would be a shame if this entry-level experimental pen was so cheaply made that it failed to deliver a decent writing experience. That would turn away any would-be fountain pen fans immediately. I appreciate that Zebra and Pilot put enough cost into these disposable pens so that you can test drive a fountain and determine if you want to go deeper or not. Well done on that front.

And this is where I think the pen excels — it's perfect for someone who doesn't mind spending a few bucks to see what the fuss is about, or for fountain pen fans to keep on hand to give out to people that are interested in testing the water. It's simple because all you have to do is uncap the pen and start writing. There's no ink cartridge to install, no waiting several seconds for the ink to reach the tines, no chance of user error.

The writing experience with the Zebra fountain pen is good. The nib and feed system are fantastic, but the grip and body materials feel cheap and don't provide the best gripping performance. Still, it works as well as any other pens that fit in the same price bracket. Visually, these pens are similar (look and feel) to the Uni-ball Vision rollerball pens, but the Zebra writes so much better than those rollerballs.

The steel nib lays down a 0.6mm line, which is close to a Japanese medium nib. I'm not sure why Zebra went with 0.6mm instead of using a traditional nib size nomenclature, but at least they went with a good average size. The nib is stiff and smooth. There's not much in the way of flex, and the lines are crisp and dark. The turquoise version that I have is a beautiful, bright blue that looks really good. The feed system integrated into the pen does a great job at feeding the ink into the nib regardless of how fast I write or scribble. And, the good seal that the cap provides means it should last quite a while when not in use (and capped).

Overall, the Zebra fountain pen (and the Pilot Varsity) is a great fountain pen that fits a specific need. Want to try out a decent fountain pen for minimal money and zero hassle? This pen is a great choice for you or your fountain-pen-curious friend. Want a fountain pen that you won't mourn being stolen or lost? This is also a suitable pen as long as you like the ink options and 0.6mm nib size. Already have fountain pens and inks? This pen isn't for you (unless you want it just to give away)!

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

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