Opus 88 Demonstrator Sapphire 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 for pre-order!)

Another winner in the lineup of Opus's ink tank pens. This limited edition Opus 88 Demonstrator in Sapphire is a stunning acrylic in sparkly, swirly blue and purple. The finial and end cap are a clear blue resin. The demonstrator name is a little misleading in this edition, as the body of the pen is opaque enough that you can't see much of what's going on inside. But there are cool things going on inside.

This pen is an eyedropper fill pen, and it comes with a glass eyedropper you can use to fill it. The grip section unscrews from the body, then you use the eyedropper to fill the whole entire pen body with ink. It's a lot of ink. This pleases me. Also in the pen body is an ebonite piston and gasket, which seal the ink chamber off from the feed and nib, which helps to prevent leaks and burping. To set the ink free, you unscrew the clear blue end cap, which pulls the gasket away from the feed and lets all that good ink flow. This is great for longer writing sessions, when you want to drain as much ink as possible. Then you can close the end back up for transporting the pen.

Pro tip: after filling the pen, loosen the end cap and let it sit nib-down for a few minutes. If you fill it and let it sit with the gasket closed, you're going to wonder why there's no ink flowing and be puzzled for a minute, before you realize that the ink is sealed off from the feed, so of course it's not writing, and then you'll feel kinda silly. Hypothetically.

Once it is writing, which will only take a few minutes if you are very clever, or few hours if you haven't had enough coffee that day, it writes very well. The pen uses a black stainless steel #6 JoWo nib that comes in EF, F, M, B, and a 1.5 stub. My pen has the stub nib, which is perfect for working through all that ink.

This pen ended up being the MVP of my NaNoWriMo efforts. I wrote four pens dry before I inked this one up, and it saw me through to the end of the month. The fact that it's so dang pretty doesn't hurt, either.

You can snag this pen at Pen Chalet for $140. Between the looks, function, and great build, I would likely have bought one, myself, if Brad didn’t send it to me. I'll be happily writing with this pen for a long time. Today. Because it's the last day of NaNoWriMo and I'm not done yet.

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

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YSTUDIO Ocean Sustainable Rollerball Pen Review

The YSTUDIO Ocean Sustainable Rollerball Pen was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and, in typical YSTUDIO fashion, they delivered a great product.

YSTUDIO came on the scene several years ago, and gained popularity with their lineup of Brassing pens. The concept was to use an underlying brass barrel and coat it with a matte-like black paint which will wear off with age. My favorite is the Brassing Portable Fountain Pen, which quickly became a mainstay in my collection.

Years later, YSTUDIO added resin models to their product lineup for those who didn’t like the weight of their full-metal pens. These, too, performed well. I reviewed the Resin Fountain Pen, and while there was a converter issue with the early models, it turned into a fast favorite as well.

There is something about those faceted barrels, and YSTUDIO got me again with their most colorful release to date.

The Ocean Sustainable Rollerball series features resin barrel made from reclaimed fishing nets in Taiwan. These plastic nets are recovered, recycled, and transformed into the pens you see here. To read more about this process, YSTUDIO has built a page discussing the steps involved. There is great detail shared here, and is well worth your time.

The finished product is classic YSTUDIO, with a range of barrel colors that pop. I chose Sky Blue, which, according to them, represents “open-mindedness, and a clear and radiant heart.” Ok, maybe you don’t need your pen to hit you in the feels like that, but I do appreciate the story they are trying to tell across the product lineup. Each of the other four colors - Dawn Yellow, Sunset Orange, Evening Purple, and Sea Indigo - has their own story to tell.

From a writing perspective, it’s fantastic. This isn’t a small pen, but it works exceptionally well in the hand due to the plastic barrel fronted by a brass grip section. I love the balance and control this setup provides. The only downside is that the taper of the metal section is smooth, and if you have dry fingers, they may slide down. I tend to grip it a bit further back, as the angle of the grip is steep as well.

Ghosting on the back of the Maurman Mnemosyne A5 Notepad. This is an awesome writing paper, especially for fountain pens, but dark, wide, rollerball pens look like this on many paper types.

Fortunately, the refill in use fits the design of the pen perfectly. The Schmidt 5888F Ceramic Roller in Black features a dark, rich line. The tip is marked as 0.6 mm, but given the traditional water-based rollerball ink, the line on the page is wider. To me, it writes like an 0.7 mm marker tip, which is great if that is your expectation. If not, and you use it on fibrous paper, you will see it bleed and feather on the page.

Refill access through the back of the pen. Easy to twist with your fingernail.

I like this refill as an option, but if I want to switch it up, it is compatible with Pilot G2 refills. That means you have hundreds of options to choose from. I’m sticking with the Schmidt for now, as I like the setup and feel of the pen barrel and ink combination.

Will you like it? As I say with every YSTUDIO pen I review, it may not be for you. They are a favorite brand of mine, but there are things to think about when buying one for yourself. Will I like the barrel shape, and feel? Does the grip work for me? Do I have to change the refill to better fit my style? Finally, is it worth $50, which is the going price for the Ocean Sustainable Rollerball?

My answers to those questions made it one of the easiest purchases of the year. Your mileage may vary.

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

Mike’s Pen Fun Fountain Pen Review

When I’m too busy using the pen instead of reviewing the pen, I know that is a good sign. That’s the case with this Mike’s Pen Fun Fountain Pen that I picked up all the way back in May at the Chicago Pen Show. It has been in my writing rotation for many weeks since, and given the fact that it is recently cleaned and re-inked, I finally decided to give it its proper due.

Mike Green has been making pens at his Minnesota home for the past several years, and has begun sharing them online and at various pen shows throughout the United States. I first met Mike as part of my Twitch community, and was excited to meet him in person this year and check out his craftsmanship. Needless to say, I came away impressed.

Standing in front of his table that Saturday in Chicago, I had incredible difficulty choosing which pen was coming home with me. Mike uses materials from ALL THE MAKERS for his pens. I finally settled on mine, turned from Divine Pens Plus Wicked Wisteria. I mean, how could I not choose this pen?

When buying a pen from an individual maker, especially for the first time, I look for a few things:

• Does the weight and balance fit my hand?
• Does the shape of the grip section work for me?
• How is the acrylic finished? If polished, is shiny and even? If matte, is it consistently smooth?
• Are the threads smooth? Not only the cap threads, but the internal barrel threads as well?

There are exceptions to all of these rules, but this is a good starting point when I’m fortunate enough to be able to handle pens in person.

With Mike’s pens, I was hooked by two things: the rounded ends, and the exceptional polish job. In conjunction, those two things made for a pen that I enjoyed holding, and looking at. After it was in my hands, I went through the rest of my checklist and found a pen that I wanted to come home with.

This Wicked Wisteria model is fitted with a Jowo #6 nib, but Mike does offer pens with Bock #6 and #8 nibs, plus various gold and titanium options. I almost exclusively buy steel nibs in my maker pens. I prefer the stiffness, not to mention the cost savings.

I regret to inform you that this material, Wicked Wisteria from Divine Pens Plus, is no longer being produced.

Speaking of cost, this clipless model runs $150, with clip and roll stop models starting at $170. That is a fantastic price for craftsmanship of this level. Mike offers pens directly from his website, and at several pen shows throughout the year. As with many small makers, if you see something you like, you better grab it because there may not be another one like it available.

Like this Wicked Wisteria.

(I purchased this pen at regular price at the 2023 Chicago Pen Show. Mike also provided a second pen for giveaway at the same time, which I did for Pen Addict Members earlier this year.)

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