Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Andhand Aspect Retractable 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's always room for more retractable pens that fit the ubiquitous Parker-style refill, but the pen I'm looking at today is also designed to fit the Schmidt P8126/7 refill. This isn't something that every Parker-style pen offers, and it's quite the treat.

The Andhand Aspect retractable pen is a custom pocket pen that features a faceted body and custom click mechanism that operates either a Parker-style refill or one of Schmidt's Capless cartridges, which we probably all came to know through Retro51's Tornado pens.

According to Andhand, the Aspect is 100% aluminum, including all of the click mechanism components. That means this pen will last a really long time with hardly any maintenance. Despite being all metal, the click motion is actually really smooth and satisfying to operate. The click mechanism moves about 9mm or 0.3 inches when operated, so it's not the shortest click, but that extra room just adds to the nice feel. Once extended, the nock doesn't extend all the way back up, so retracted the refill doesn't require as much distance to activate the click mechanism. It's a difference that comes down to a couple of millimeters, but it's enough of a difference that your fingers can tell whether the pen is extending or retracting without needing visual confirmation.

When the pen isn't in use, the faceted sides of the body keep it still on flat surfaces. It will roll a bit if you set it down with some horizontal momentum, but it quickly settles to a stationary position. There isn't a clip on this pen, so the faceted sides offer dual-purpose as a nice aesthetic touch and a way to keep the pen from rolling away.

This is a small pocket pen, but it's just long enough to be comfortable for most people when writing. I normally hold pens with a three-finger tripod grip, so the butt of the pen rests on the part of my hand where my thumb attaches. It works for me and my grip, but I can see this being a problem for people that have a different way of gripping pens — particularly anyone who uses a five-finger grip where the pinky rests on the nose of the pen and the index finger is on the butt of the pen. This is actually the grip that I naturally used when first learning to write (and before I decided to force myself to learn the more "traditional" grip style), and it's barely long enough to make that position comfortable and secure. Different hand sizes will make this an iffy position. If you already know how you do with pocket pens, you should have a good idea of whether or not this size will work for your hand.

As far as branding, there's a single, small logo on the side of the pen close to the click mechanism. It's easy to miss, but does a good job of letting you know where the pen came from.

In order to replace the refill, simply unscrew the nose cone. It's an easy process and different types of refills have worked really well for me so far.

The version I have is called the Forest Green colorway, which is a lovely matte green/brown color with a little bit of reflective material that adds a soft shine when the flat faceted sides are facing a light source. The green shade isn't dark enough for me to consider it a forest green — this looks more like a medium green with silver added in for the shiny effect. I love the color of the pen, don't get me wrong. I just don't associate this color with forest green like the name suggests. Either way, don't let the name of the color dissuade you! And if green isn't your thing, there are several other color options to choose from.

And while you're on their site, check out the other pens and office gadgets they offer. There are lots of unique and interesting things, and they look to all share the same high quality materials and craftsmanship as this Aspect pen.

At $56 USD, I think this is a great value/cost ratio. It looks great, feels good in the hand, and will last longer than me if properly looked after. Plus, your refill options are quite abundant.

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

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Posted on September 11, 2024 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Andhand, Pen Reviews.

Pairings Party: Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen and Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia

What kind of party features a coffee-themed pen and Brown ink? My kind of party! The pairing of the Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen with Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia has been my most used writing combo over the last month, and has taken the clubhouse lead early into September.

The Retro 51 Coffee House is a Goldpsot exclusive, which they kindly sent me earlier this Summer to try out. The black-based pen features chalkboard-style graphics you can find at a coffeehouse - beans, mugs, presses, cups, steam - the works. It’s a cool design for coffee lovers like myself, and I especially like the all-black hardware.

That includes the nib, which is coated black to match the rest of the pen. Retro 51 switched over to Jowo nibs years ago, and this #6 Fine nib writes nicely. The black coating may add the slightest bit of line width compared to a standard uncoated steel nib, or it could be a placebo effect. There are so many variables to take into account beside nib width - ink properties and paper, for starters. Regardless, this one writes smoothly, and the ink flows well.

This pen also fits my hand well. The underlying barrel is stainless steel, but it’s not heavy. There is some weight to it, but it is well-balanced throughout the tapered barrel. The metal section has a slight concave toward the nib for a solid gripping surface. The cap is threaded, taking two turns to remove or replace, and the clip provides a strong attachment.

In choosing an ink, there was no chance I was inking this pen up with anything but Brown. This shade has been edging towards the top of my usage list for the past year, after years of avoiding it. Antique Sepia was recommended to me by a friend after bemoaning the limited nature of Sailor Tea Time Series Fika Coffee Ink, one of my favorites.

This ink is a rich, dark brown that could easily pass a “normal” ink in a business setting. Some lines lean black, and some of the thinner areas of shading bring in the brown. Let’s keep it on theme here and call it a nice Medium Roast. There is a hint of green sheen with the right amount of ink on the right type of paper, but I rarely see it from my standard writing on Bank paper, PLOTTER paper, or Kokuyo paper - all of which I’ve used this combination with heavily.

The Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen is $119 from Goldspot, and Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia is $30 at Vanness Pens. The Retro 51 is at a premium from their standard offerings, primarily due to the store exclusive/limited edition nature of the pen, plus the awesome artwork and finishes. Standard Retro 51 fountain pens start around $65 if you are looking to try out a great pen, but don’t need a full caffeine fix. $30 for 50 ml of Kobe (ie. Sailor,) ink is fine by me. Yes, it is still expensive/ml but at least the multiplier is 50, instead of the smaller bottles Sailor loves so much.

I drink coffee every day, often many times a day, so this pen and ink combo has been a blast to use. I just had to make sure I had the real thing flowing through my veins before attempting to write with the pen and ink version.

(Goldspot provided this pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided the ink at a discount, to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on September 2, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Retro 51, Fountain Pens, Kobe, Ink Reviews, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Precise V7 Rollerball 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, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

So, what did you get for back-to-school supplies this year? While I'm not in school anymore, I still had to shop for my kids. I can't walk past those aisles of pretty pens and paper and not indulge a little bit. The kids got their list items, and oops, a pack of Pilot Precise V7 pens in this limited-edition color set fell into my cart.

I usually prefer a finer point on my pens, with .5mm being the thickest I generally like, but these colors looked too fun to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't. This set comes in Periwinkle, Emerald, Lilac, Cherry, Salmon, and Honey Yellow, in addition to the standard red, black, and blue. It's supposed to be a relaxation-inspired palette, but it has a 1970s vibe and reminds me a lot of old Fiestaware dishes. The colors are well pigmented and vibrant, so they're easy to read--even the yellow. The wider tips actually help with the enjoyment of the colors in the same way that a broad fountain pen nib helps show off ink properties.

When I think about it, these pens were what I was using in college before I switched to fountain pens. Something about the smooth writing of the liquid ink was kind of a gateway drug to fountain pens. Which explains a lot about why I like to use these when I can't use my fountain pens.

The construction of these pens hasn't really changed since way back in the ancient times when I was actually a student. But there's no need to change them. They're great as they are. One of my favorite features of the construction is the ink window, which shows how much of the liquid ink is left. I remember watching it slosh back and forth like a lava lamp as a bored student. The needlenose tip of the pen is also great for writing. It allows a clear view of your lines, which is great for ... precision. Hence, the name.

The snap cap has a metal clip and it posts securely--all handy features in a workhorse everyday pen. The slim body of the pen also allows it to fit into narrower pen holders.

This is essentially the perfect office pen. It's not fancy enough to worry about it wandering off, but it's a big step up from the random-brand ballpoints that usually circulate. It has a large ink capacity, writes reliably, and comes in enough colors to color code even the most complex meeting notes. This set has been put to hard work mapping out my next quarterly schedule. It's a good thing this came with three different shades of red.

The Pilot Precise line is one most folks are familiar with, even if they aren't "pen people." Even people who think they don't care about pens will admit that they prefer these.

I paid about $15 for this set at our local Meijer, which was a sale price for the back-to-school specials. Regular price has them running about $2 per pen, which is an average price for what is, I believe, an above average pen. Now they just need to release a few more shades of red and I'll be able to write out my to-do list. At least I can cross back-to-school shopping off of it.

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