Ballograf Epoca Medalist Ballpoint Pen Review

As a ballpoint pen fan, I can’t help but have a healthy dose of respect for Ballograf. I hesitate to call it the official pen of Sweden, but given it’s origination there in the 1960’s, and the continued production of over 4 million pens a year in Gothenburg, I think it’s a safe bet that it is.

I’ve reviewed the Epoca P previously, which is their standard ballpoint pen offering. The Epoca Medalist, which I’m taking a look at today, keeps the same overall shape and refill, and upgrades the exterior with a chrome upper barrel, and gold trim. It also upgrades the price from $6.50 to $12.00. Is it worth it? Let’s find out.

The one thing that I know I like about the Epoca is the ballpoint refill. It ships with a Medium Blue that writes like a Fine. That is right up my alley, especially with ballpoints that get too wide sometimes. This one isn’t, and has the added bonus of being a very clean writer. I can put up with a lot of things, but messy, sticky ballpoint ink is not one of them.

One thing I don’t like its tip rattle, and the Medalist has some. It’s not constant like it was with my Epoca P, but it was there from time to time on certain rotations of the barrel in hand. A little washi tape makes it better, but no, you shouldn’t have to add it. I’ll be adding it right after this review, because I want to keep using this pen.

Why do I want to keep using it? Because it writes well, and looks cool. I do have a question about the looks though: is this really a metal barrel?

There is a smooth spot for engraving on the barrel, but I would be hesitant to try that given the underlying plastic barrel.

The product description on JetPens states This Epoca Medalist pen features a two-tone metal upper barrel and a colorful resin grip section,” while on the Ballograf site simply calls it a “chrome upper.” To me, this means plated, or metal in color only. Even the weight between the two pens is the same at 13 grams each. So, don’t get confused that this is an aluminum barrel, or a brass base with a chrome overlay. It’s plastic, with a metallic coating, which is completely fine in my book, if nothing else for balance purposes.

Given all of this, I’m hesitant to recommend the Medalist over the standard Epoca P at more than twice the price. I do love the art deco style of the Medalist, but the P has fun, bright colors, too, and if I were to pick one for myself, I’d go with that. For a gift, I would consider the Medalist.

Ballograf makes great pens that I enjoy using. The main challenge with them, and any other ballpoint pen, is the mere existence of the Uni-ball Jetstream. I don’t discount that, but I have fun with all types of ballpoints as long as they are good writers. And honestly, who else is offering Moose Crossing pens? Thank you, Sweden, and thank you, Ballograf.

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

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Sailor x Nagasawa Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue - A Tale in 3 Acts

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I first saw the Sailor x Nagasawa Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue pens (phew, say THAT 3 times fast!) at the DC Pen Show a few months back. It is a beautiful blue pen with gold sparkles, but I’m on #teamflattops, so I was good and passed on them. Wallet saved! Then I saw them a few weeks later at the SF Pen Show and reminded myself that I already have a 1911 and that I didn’t need any more because, you know, #teamflattops. And since Nagasawa wasn’t attending any other US pen shows after SF, I and my wallet were safe. Or so I thought. I found out that Nagasawa partnered with Vanness Pens after the SF Pen Show to sell their products in the US. which meant that I saw the pens again at the Dallas Pen Show. And Joe Crace, The Gentleman Stationer kept posting pictures of the pens all weekend and tempting me with these beauties. Darn it, Joe! I couldn’t decide between the 1911S and the 1911L, but Lisa Vanness was kind enough to loan all 3 of them for a comparison review to help me decide.

Act I - Background & Introduction to the Characters

Nagasawa is a retail stationery company with several shops located primarily in Kobe, Japan. They are most known for the pen collaborations with brands like Platinum and Sailor, as well as their line of Kobe inks which are made by Sailor. There are stories behind the names of their pens and inks like “Koikawa Ipe” (their exclusive Decimo), which is named for Brazil’s national tree that was planted along the Koi River or “Tarumi Apricot” (Kobe ink #25), which is the color of the sunset when viewed from nearby Tarumi’s hills. And this pen is no exception. It is the first in the “Kobe Affection” series and is called “Kyomachi Legend Blue”, named for the Kyomachi area where the Kobe City Museum is located.

There are 3 models of the Kyomachi Legend Blue pens: Medium (what is more commonly referred to as 1911S), FL (aka 1911L), and Large (aka King of Pen or KOP). All 3 pens are slightly pointy, cigar-shaped pens, as opposed to their flat top Pro Gear counterparts. As there are already many articles out there on the various Sailor models, sizes and nibs, I will instead focus on this particular release. Since the pens are on loan, I won’t be inking them up and will only use them for comparison purposes.

The Kyomachi Legend Blue is a beautiful blue pen that leans a bit towards periwinkle without being purple and has subtle, gold shimmer interspersed throughout. The pen has gold trim, including the cap band which has the Nagasawa name and “Pen Style Den” debossed around it. As with other Nagasawa exclusives, the weathervane is also engraved on these nibs.

I love this beautiful (and difficult to photograph) material!

Nagasawa cap band.

Kobe Weathervane on the nibs of the Kyomachi Legend Blue as well as the Platinum 3776 Apricot exclusive and Sailor PG Kounan Maroon exclusive.

As with other Sailors, the Kyomachi Legend Blue 1911S has a 14kt gold nib (EF, F, MF, M, B, and Zoom); the 1911L (EF, F, MF, M, B, and Zoom) and KOP (M and B) both have 21kt gold nibs.

Act II - Main Story

The Kyomachi Legend Blue 1911S is a fairly slim and compact pen, though not as short as its Pro Gear Slim sibling, due to its pointed ends, which gives it a bit more length.

1911S and the Pro Gear Slim, Nuts.

The length difference is most noticeable when uncapped and unposted.

Caps were gently and barely posted. Length is much closer when posted.

1911S (top is just barely longer in hand – I didn’t notice the difference.

The 1911L is a bit longer and girthier than the 1911S and likewise, is longer than the Pro Gear due to the ends. Note that the 1911L Kyomachi Blue has a smooth, metal grip section which has a ledge at the nib end to prevent your fingers from slipping. I’m not sure why they chose to put the metal section on the 1911L but not the other two. I did not write with it, since it is a loaner, but it felt comfortable in hand. I don’t usually have issues with metal grip sections though.

1911L and the Pro Gear, Tequila Sunrise.

The KOP is the largest of the three and has the same grip section material like the 1911S. True to its name, the King of Pen is not a small pen. Aside from the pen being longer and girthier, the nib is also significantly bigger (longer and wider) than the others, where the difference is less noticeable. As such, folks like me who have steeper writing angles or smaller hands aren’t able to comfortably use the KOP (I’m also unable to use pens that have Bock 8, Pilot 30 or 50 nibs, etc. for the same reason). They only made 100 of these in the KOP size - the nibs are engraved with the number.

You can see that this is number 018/100.

1911S, 1911L and KOP nib sizes - the KOP nib is significantly bigger/longer/wider than the other two.

Left: This is my natural, steep writing angle with the 1911L. Right: Because I like to hold my pens close to the nib and also because of my not-big-enough-for-KOP-hands, I have to write at a lower angle in order for the longer nib to touch the paper. This feels very uncomfortable to me so thankfully the KOP is not a pen I can use/buy.

How each pen looks in my hand.

Here is the KOP next to similarly sized pens: Pelikan M800, Aurora 88, Visconti Homo Sapiens, Visconti Opera Master, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, Pilot Custom 823, Montblanc 146, Platinum President.

Act III - Ending

While I liked how the metal grip section looked on the 1911L, it being a touch too pointy for me made it easier to pass. Maybe if the ends were more rounded, like on the Platinum 3776 or Pilot Custom 74, I would have considered springing for the 1911L. I did have to reach out to Lisa Vanness to get the 1911S because I just couldn’t resist this gorgeous blue pen. (I was good and sold the 1911S that I had so I could justify getting this one instead!)

I picked Kobe #50 Kyomachi Legend Blue for the first inking due to the name. The ink was created before the pen, so it’s not the most perfect match colorwise, but it’s close enough. I think that next time I will pick Diamine Blue Flame which matches the pen color better as well as the gold shimmer in the barrel.

Sailor x Nagasawa Kyomachi Legend Blue 1911S and Kobe #50 Kyomachi Legend Blue.

All 3 pens, as well as the Kobe ink of the same name, are available for purchase at the Vanness Pens website. The 1911S sells for $300, the 1911L for $450 and the KOP for $880. Thank you to Vanness Pens for loaning the 3 pens for review and for letting me purchase the 1911S. 🙂

(Disclaimer: All pens were loaned to me for review, and I ended up purchasing the 1911S from Vanness Pens at a discount.)

TWSBI GO 1.1mm Stub Nib 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.)

The TWSBI GO isn't that new any more, but I've only just recently picked on up to play with. It always spoke to me as a great candidate for being an ink testing pen due to the simple filling system. After using this one for a while, there's definitely a lot more to like about this fun pen, and it will be more than just a testing pen.

I went with the fully transparent model with a 1.1mm stub nib as my intro to the GO. This is also my first time trying a TWSBI 1.1mm stub nib. Lots of firsts going into this pen experience!

There are plenty of TWSBIs in my collection already, so I knew what to expect in terms of the nib and build of the pen. With this being their lowest-cost entry point, I'm actually more impressed than I thought I'd be. For less than $20 USD, you get a lot of pen. I'm embarrassed that I waited so long to check out the GO and see what the fuss was about!

For the uninitiated, the GO is a plastic-barrel pen that features a spring-powered piston filling system. The large spring under the transparent body also adds a fun visual for the pen as well as being functional. It uses the standard TWSBI nib, but without the convenient threaded nib/feed module that you'll find on the more expensive models. You can still swap out the nib without much trouble, but it's not as quick and easy as with other TWSBIs.

This is the only TWSBI I've used that has a friction-fit cap instead of a screw-on cap. I still make the mistake of trying to unscrew it! The cap works really well. Capping and uncapping the pen is really stable and makes a satisfying click. You can post the cap on the back of the pen, but this makes the pen too long for my preference. The uncapped pen is the perfect length for me when writing.

The grip section is a really nice shape. It has a nice taper down to the nib, and then there are three flattened edges that add a nice aesthetic to the grip but also a good spot for your fingers to hold steady.

To cut down on costs, there's no clip on this pen. It does have a small nub on the cap to keep the pen from rolling on your desk, but you can't clip this pen to anything. For the price, I'm not complaining. I'd rather have the cool spring filling system over a clip for this price.

Like every other TWSBI nib I've used, this is a great nib that worked great out of the box. It's my first time using the 1.1mm stub nib, and I've been really happy with it. The flow is smooth and the nib lays down a nice layer of ink with ease. I've tried several inks with it already, but I'm currently still loving the Laughing Kookaburra Wing with this pen/nib combo now.

The TWSBI GO is a fun pen, and I wish I'd tried one out sooner. The design is so much fun, and the large spring in the body catches everyone's attention. People can't help but pick up this pen, and that's exactly what I like to see with a pen that's marketed toward newcomers to the hobby. It's crazy what you get with this pen for less than $20 USD. Cool transparent body? Got it. Included converter that doesn't need cartridges? Even better — this pen has a built in piston filling system that can hold lots of ink. Good nib? Yup. I don't think there are any other options under $20 for getting a good 1.1mm stub nib. All considered, this pen is a phenomenal value that is perfect for newcomers who are interested in non-cartridge fountain pens and stub nibs. But, it's so much fun that it's great for those of us that already have too many pens!

The playful and unique design makes this a great pen for your collection that can also be a workhorse. It also makes for a great gift for those fountain-pen-curious folks in your life!

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

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!