Opus 88 Demo 2022 Color of the Year 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 pen makers and brands that have a product or two that feature an annual (or even more frequent) special colorway that are fun to collect. Lamy may be the most well-known with their special Safari and AL-Star editions, and some folks really get into collecting them all. For me, I don't need them all, but I really enjoy the change and unique colors that are bolder than the normal color lineup.

One of those companies that does special colorways on a regular basis is Opus 88. I'm really behind on this one, but I absolutely love the 2022 Color of the Year version of their Demo pen. For one, the Demo is one of my favorite fountain pen designs, and I'm a huge sucker for purple stuff — especially when some of that purple is translucent. The purple acrylic on this pen is delicious, and I love having it on my desk just to see it. The red ebonite accents also go really well with the purple, and I've gotten so many compliments on this pen in the short period that I've had it.

Opus 88 aren't new to the game of matching up colors that might seem a bit odd in theory. A lot of their designs feature bold, vibrant colors that do a great job of complementing each other. There's an understanding of the color wheel in their product colors that I wish I had. Instead, I'm more than happy to see what they come up with.

The Demo is a classic at this point. The long, wide shape looks and feels great, and allows for a large amount of ink in the eyedropper reservoir. The ebonite grip, butt, and finial of the pen have a lovely terracotta vibe due to the flecks of dark material in the ebonite that give it an earthy clay appearance. And the clip, like all Opus 88 Demos, is sleek and strong. The clip material isn't very thick, but it has plenty of holding power.

Since this is an eyedropper filling system, there's an o-ring at the top of the grip threads that keep the ink sealed inside. Filling the pen is a matter of unscrewing the grip section and filling the reservoir with ink using the included eyedropper. When you're ready to write, just unscrew the back piece to open the ink reservoir to the feed and nib, and you're ready to go. When the valve is closed, the ink supply is shut off from the nib and you can travel with peace of mind. In my experience, there's no delay in ink delivery when opening the valve after not using the pen for a few hours. This will change as more time passes, but even if the feed dries up, you can quickly bring it back to life by opening the ink supply. If you need some help or a visual demonstration of how this system works, Vanness have a helpful video of how it works on the product page.

A first for me, I tried the #6 Jowo EF Flex nib with this pen. I've used many small flex nibs in the past, and I'm a huge fan. What you need to understand about these nibs is that they're not flex-y in the way that you probably assume. A lot of flex nibs are made so that you can get a crazy amount of line variation with a little pressure on the nib. This is great for fancy lettering or drawing, but not the intended use for a small flex nib. In the case of this EF flex nib, it just makes for a cushioned writing feel. Most small steel nibs have a hard feel due to the small tip size. There's no flex or movement when writing with the pen, and this can feel a little firm — which isn't a bad thing at all. This gives you a lot of fine control and instant feedback, which is perfect when working on small details.

But, if you want a fine tip that also has a softer feel when writing, then small flex nibs are wonderful. This EF lays down a small line, but it feels softer and bouncier when writing since the nib is flexing a bit. You can still get some good line variation with the flex nib, but it's not dramatic. This mostly serves as a way to make the writing experience feel softer, like adding a soft-ride suspension system to a car. I really enjoy this type of nib for general purpose writing, but it's not for everyone or every situation. Of course, you can pick a standard nib size or even a 1.5mm stub nib to go with this pen. And if you decide to try out a small flex nib and end up hating it, it's pretty easy to swap out these Jowo nibs for something else.

I'm no stranger to the Opus 88 Demo, and this won't be my last one simply because they keep introducing new and exciting color combinations. I couldn't resist this purple one, and I'm sure there will be other cases where I'm in the same position. The Demo is a fantastic platform, so I know that I'll be getting a great pen regardless of the color. If you haven't tried one out yet, there's no better time than the present.

Even though this 2022 version is a couple years old now, it's still in stock. At $130, you're getting a great pen that can hold an entire sample vial of ink inside. If this purple/red combo screams out to you like it did me, pick one up!

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

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Lamy Noto 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.)

It can be easy to disregard pens that fall into the more mundane or sundry category after you've been exposed to and used much higher-end pens. Even ballpoints can be an elevated writing experience thanks to all the custom makers that design pen bodies around popular refills. Still, it's always interesting to me what these large pen makers can come up with on the other side of the price spectrum.

The Lamy Noto is a modern and sleek ballpoint pen that delivers a great writing experience at a fair price. The white body and matte silver grip are an attractive combo, and the three-sided shape adds to the stylish aesthetic. It won't be everyone's cup of their preferred hot beverage, but it will definitely capture the attention of many people whether they like stationery or not.

Even though the Noto is made entirely of plastic materials, it looks and feels really sturdy and well-made. Lamy has a long track record of making durable pens, so this one can likely be expected to last a while. The silver grip is a smooth texture, but the triple-sided shape of the grip offers plenty of traction for your fingers when holding the pen. It isn't Lamy's typical grip section, which I'm sure many people will see as a positive attribute over the more opinionated shape you'll find on the Safari.

The clip on the Noto is fairly small — both in size and also in the capacity for what it can clip to due to the space between the clip and pen body. It's pretty flexible and can expand a bit to attach to thicker materials, but I wouldn't do that often as it seems like the thin material might grow weak over time. For what it is, it does the job. In order to stick to the slim profile, I understand (and appreciate) the small clip design. Just don't expect it to pull double duty as a pry bar or anything.

The click mechanism is exceptionally smooth and quiet. For me, if a clicky pen doesn't have a satisfying and thocky sound, then it should be silent. The Noto does this well. The nock mechanism or spring require a healthy dose of force to operate, which adds to the feel that this pen is more premium than the price tag suggests.

The only branding for this pen is a debossed Lamy logo on the barrel opposite the clip. On this white body, it's really easy to miss the logo. It's really well done, and given the matte finish of the other color options, I'd expect the logo to be unobtrusive on those as well.

The Noto uses a Lamy M16 refill, and comes with a black medium cartridge in the pen. The M16 is a proprietary size, so there aren't many options. From Lamy, you can buy fine, medium, or broad sizes in black, blue, red, or green. Each refill is $6 a piece, so not the cheapest option out there (for those of us in the US, at least).

The M16 isn't my favorite ballpoint refill out there, but it's certainly a decent refill. It doesn't provide as crisp or dark a line as I prefer, but it's completely acceptable and reliable. You can certainly do much worse in terms of default ballpoint refills. This one starts up almost immediately and doesn't have any skipping or burping issues that some ballpoint refills have. It's a great refill, and that's good news because it's the only kind that works in this pen (out of the box, anyway). Still, it would be awesome if Lamy used a more generic and widely available cartridge shape.

The Lamy Noto is under $12 USD, which is a great deal for what you get. The refill cost is more than half the cost of the pen, and I'm honestly impressed with the quality and feel that Lamy squeeze out of the pen body and mechanics once you discount the cost of the refill. The price is low enough that you can pick one up on a whim if you happen to like the aesthetic, while also being confident that it will be a reliable and comfortable writer.

If the white and silver combo isn't your jam, there's also a blackout version and a navy/silver version.

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

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The James Brand Burwell, Gatecliff, and Daily Notebook System Review

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

A good notebook, reliable pen, and a case to carry them in is a fantastic match when you find the right products that compliment each other in the right ways. It's an ultimate out-and-about carry package that can test your ability to carry the absolute minimum while still having what you need. The James Brand has their own take on a perfect setup that includes a sleek ballpoint pen, a pocket notebook, and a robust case to hold it all (and a bit extra) in style.

The whole package you see here isn't available as one product; rather, it's two products (and I guess three if you count the notebook separate). Let's look at each one individually first.

The Burwell

Up first, let's talk about the ballpoint pen. The Burwell is a sleek pen machined from stainless steel. In this review, I have the clean stainless version, but you can also get it in a rose gold or black colorway. The pen uses a standard Parker-style refill, which is also known internationally as the G2 refill, and is not the same thing as the Pilot G2 refill. I'm a big fan of the Parker refill for machined pens because you have so many different choices for what refill you want to use. The refill included with the pen is a black medium point cartridge that performs on par with a Parker Quink cartridge — not great, but not bad. It starts writing promptly and delivers a consistent line, but that line isn't as bold or as wet as I like.

Since the included refill is the least exciting thing about this pen, I'm not too worried about this not being an absolute star writer. I can swap in something that works better for my taste.

The pen overall is really slim. It's about the same diameter as a standard Parker Jotter, but without the aggressive taper toward the tip. The shape works really well in my hand, and the small taper on the nose cone of the pen provides plenty of grip along with the machined dot pattern along the grip section. The machined craters provide grip, but they're machined and polished really well so that you don't feel any hard edges. They manage to find a sweet spot between too grippy and not grippy enough. That's a tough line to balance!

The rest of the pen is built well. The upper part of the body is a simple cylinder, and the clip is an integrated part of the pen body that encloses the click mechanism. The clip is really strong and does a great job of securing the pen to other things. The clip also has "James" etched into it to signify the brand.

The click mechanism makes a really satisfying "ker-thunk" sound that sounds bigger than it should when coming from such a slim pen. I really like the sound it makes and how it feels in my hand. There's definitely zero guess-work on whether or not you've successfully extended or retracted the refill.

On the very end of the click mechanism, there's a ring shape machined into the end that has a neon yellow/green finish. I didn't notice it at first because it's so recessed, but I really like it now that I know it's there. I was more excited at first because I assumed it would glow in the dark, but that's not the case. It doesn't glow, but it still looks cool.

I have no doubts that this pen will last a very long time. It feels durable and well-made, so as long as the knock mechanism is equally long-lasting (even though it's made of plastic), this pen should last longer than any of us.

My only complaints about the pen are that it's a little on the heavy side for how slim it is, the balance is too far toward the back of the pen for my preference, and the refill moves around too much when writing. Due to the weight, I haven't wanted to write with this pen for more than a couple of minutes. The heft and solid feel make for an impressive entrance, but it takes away from the overall usability. The refill moving around while writing translates to noise and a sense of instability since the writing tip moves ever so slightly every time you pick up point as you're writing. I'm sure it doesn't actually affect my writing, but it feels like it does because I can't help but notice the sound and movement.

The Burwell is $69 and available in plain stainless finish, rose gold, or black.

The Daily Notebook

Along with the pen, we have a standard-size pocket notebook. This 3.5 x 5.5" notebook is bound with black stitching and has 48 pages of white dot grid paper inside. According to the marketing page, the paper is "157GSM art paper." It certainly doesn't feel any thicker than your standard 80 gsm paper, so don't worry about that spec too much.

In my testing, the paper does a wonderful job with the different inks I tried with it. The paper has a lot of feedback and tactile feel while still being smooth, and I couldn't get any of my currently inked fountain pens to bleed or feather on the paper. I was even surprised to find minimal show-through on the back side of the page.

The corners of the notebook are rounded off so that they don't snag easily, and the dot grid is a great ruling that provides plenty of structure without getting in the way. There aren't any page numbers or date lines — just the dots. The front of the notebook has a couple lines to write your name and the dates that you used the notebook, but nothing else. Since the cover material is black, I'd recommend finding a nice light-colored pen to write with so that it shows up easily.

The notebooks come in a pack of 3 for $15, but you also get a single notebook included with the Gatecliff case. For the quality and performance, this is a fair price that also lines up pretty closely with all the other pocket notebook options. If you'd rather stick with something you know, they also sell a James Brand branded pack of Field Notes for the same price.

The Gatecliff

The Gatecliff is an interesting notebook case that looks different than anything else I've seen in recent memory. I think this is mostly due to the weather-resistant zipper and unusual method for attaching the cover and zipper together. Weather-resistant zips are really trendy right now, and I'm ambivalent toward it since I don't find myself in rainy or wet environments often. The Cordura nylon cover is incredibly thin and is "welded" to the zipper in a way that there aren't really any seams. It looks really cool, and I hope that it is also durable. I've never used a product like this long-term, so I'm not sure what to expect with this over a traditional stitched seam.

The front exterior cover of the case has a big "JAMES" logo, but no other branding or text. Unzipping the case, you'll find two sides that each hold specific items. On the right side, there's a sleeve that holds the pocket notebook in place, along with a small elastic pen loop close to the interior spine. Standard layout, and it works well in this case.

The spine is adorned with a "MODERN MINIMAL EVERYDAY CARRY" slogan in bright white. I'm not a fan and wish it wasn't there. For me, it ruins the really awesome blacked-out aesthetic on the interior of the notebook.

The fabric used on the interior of the case is a soft felt-like material. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels like a super-thin felt that's also more durable than typical felt. Time will tell how durable it is, but for now it seems to hold up to typical use.

On the left side of the interior, there are three pockets. There's one full-length sleeve that can hold a passport or anything else of a similar size. It can also hold the cover of another pocket notebook if you want to double up with notebooks!

On top of the sleeve, there are two smaller sleeves that fit cards. These pockets can hold about 3 credit cards each, but even a single card feels very secure. I'm not worried about anything sliding out, but there's additional security there since the whole thing zips shut.

I've never been one to use a notebook case or phone case as a wallet, but I can see the allure. Especially if you're traveling, this little case can be a great place to keep your passport, cards, a notebook and pen for jotting down notes, and a place to store small bits of paper you need to save for later. And, it can probably keep all of that stuff safe if you decide to go for a swim with it or get caught in a monsoon.

Once you add a passport, some cards, a pen, and a notebook to the case and zip it up, it feels way too empty. The case is much thicker and can actually hold an additional three pocket size notebooks (!) without starting to feel like it's packed too full. For testing purposes, I actually fit another 2 notebooks before it was difficult to close. That's a total of 6 notebooks, a passport, some credit cards, and a pen. The downside of adding notebooks (or any other objects) to the case is that they have to float in the middle of the case and require you to be more careful when opening/closing the case. I feel like there's an opportunity here to either slim down the case or add some better organization, but The James Brand haven't done that yet.

The Gatecliff comes in at $119, which is a little difficult to swallow. For my tastes, the function and style of this case doesn't justify the price tag. The weather-resistant zipper looks great in photos, but it does make the task of opening and closing the case a little more difficult compared to normal zippers. For my money, I'd rather find something that is hand-made and can pack in a little more functionality.

The Whole Package

As a whole package, this is a sleek little notebook setup. Picking up the pen, case, and some extra notebooks will set you back about $200. The pen is made of solid steel and uses a ubiquitous refill. The notebook works great. The case has a unique aesthetic and a fancy zipper.

The James Brand have been around a while, and you've probably heard of them because of their knives. In the case of their stationery (or Communication) tools, it's a bit of a mixed bag. I can say with confidence that if the aesthetic speaks to you and the price seems fair, you won't be disappointed. The pen is solid, the notebooks are great, and the case is a decent case.

For me, I'm left feeling a little disappointed by the pen (The Burwell) due to the noise and movement of the refill tip when writing, and then the slightly heavy feel that makes writing anything more than a few notes a little uncomfortable for me compared to other pens I use. The notebook (The Daily) is a great option as a pocket notebook. The paper specs on their site are a bit strange, but that doesn't matter because these notebooks work great. And they're priced competitively. My biggest disappointment is with the case (The Gatecliff). I was initially intrigued by the all-black matte aesthetic, but was quickly annoyed by the bright white branding choices, the cumbersome zippers, and the fact that the case doesn't hold nearly as much as the exterior size would lead you to believe. The price tag for the case is the final nail in the coffin for me. It just doesn't feel like it justifies the $119.

All that said, there's always room for improvement and more experimentation! Lucky for us, there's no shortage of choice when it comes to highly specific and subjective stationery items that fit our unique tastes.

(The James Brand provided these products at no charge for the purposes of this review.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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