Wancher PuChiCo Mini Fountain Pen

(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!)

Ridiculous or ridiculously fun? Both? Sure, the Wancher PuChiCo Mini Fountain Pen is more novelty than practical, but as a lover of pocket pens, I had to try it anyway. Besides, almost none of my pocket pens can fit in my girl-pants pockets--but this one can!

At only 6.5cm capped, this is the tiniest pen I've ever used. And it's not super easy to use, even with my small hands. It certainly wouldn't be comfortable to use for long writing sessions, but for jotting a quick note, I definitely see a purpose for it.

There are plenty of times when I'm minimally traveling or limiting the amount of stuff that I'm hauling, but I still want a fountain pen with me. Sometimes I just don't feel complete without one, yaknow? If I'm going on a beach walk and don't want to be burdened with a big bag, but there's a definite danger of poetry happening, this is the perfect wee pen to bring along.

What surprised me the most about this pen wasn't how tiny it was, it was how well-made it was, despite being so tiny. I guess I didn't expect it to be a real pen. After all, it's a pen for ants! But it actually feels very well constructed. The resin is machined smooth, the threads are sturdy, the clip works, and the nib writes surprisingly well.

Because this wee tank is eyedropper-filled, it holds a decent amount of ink. It holds .5 ml, which is the same as a standard fountain pen converter. That's going to write for a while. I carried this pen in my purse for several weeks and the ink chamber never leaked.

I ordered this as something cute, probably just to be used as decor, and for that sweet hit of dopamine I get when I see something cute and tiny. I did not expect to get a decent pen, so it's safe to say my expectations were well exceeded. At $33, it was way too much to spend on a silly novelty, but it's more than fair for the handy writer that arrived. I'll be taking this pen on my next beach adventure trip in exactly 26 days (not that I'm counting.)

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

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Posted on July 25, 2024 by Sarah Read and filed under Wancher, Fountain Pens.

Kokuyo Me 0.5mm Gel 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's not often at all that you see a new gel pen manufacturer enter the market. At this point, the big companies that operate in the stationery space already have various ballpoint refill pens available en mass, and they regularly churn new and updated variations on these. Bringing a new, cheap semi-disposable pen to market must be an extraordinarily large cost. So, when I see a pen from a manufacturer that I haven't previously associated with writing instruments, I jump at it.

Kokuyo is near and dear to my heart for the paper products they sell. Their paper is a good "middle of the road" quality, but it's paired with lower prices. It's nearly impossible to compare Japanese stationery culture with the American version, but Kokuyo feels like the ubiquitous brand that you can find at any office supply store. It's nothing special, but it's good at what is does. At any rate, it's about a thousand percent better than the paper products you find at any generic office supply store in the US.

Remember when Moleskine started selling pens? And they turned out to actually be pretty good? Well, that's kind of what's happening here with Kokuyo. The Kokuyo Me gel pen is fairly new, seems like a sleeper, but it actually hangs with the best gel pen options out there.

The Kokuyo Me pens are fairly new for the US market (forgive me if these pens are something that are really old news in Japan!), and I haven't seen much info or reviews on them so far. After trying one out for a while, I can tell you that Kokuyo's gel pen game is strong.

The 0.5mm black gel refill included with this pen is fantastic. It writes instantly and has no issues with starting, skipping, or bleeding. The ink is black and consistent in hue. The line edges are sharp and crisp. The only gripe I have about the refill is that I don't agree with the 0.5mm label they've given it. It's more akin to most 0.7mm refills, but that's a minor gripe.

The shape of the refill is very familiar. It's just a tiny bit different than the common Pilot G-2 refill, but it's essentially a complete match for other common pen/refill types. I've tried swapping with Uni Signos and Zebra Sarasas with great success. In theory, you could use the Kokuyo refill in other pens, or in machined pens made to use specific refills (like the Signo, for example). The only problem is, there aren't a lot of options in terms of Kokuyo's refills at the moment (at least for the US market). Black 0.5mm is the only option, unfortunately. I really hope that Kokuyo expands on their options for refill colors and sizes, but I guess it's still early days.

Getting back to the actual pen body, it's pretty standard fare with a couple of unique touches. The grip section is hard plastic instead of a rubberized, textured grip, and one side of the grip is faceted. This flat side of the grip is a nice place for a finger to rest while writing, but unobtrusive for those that prefer a different grip.

There's also a small round window between the clip and the grip section that shows you the numeric designation of the refill inside. It's easy to see the "05" through the window whether the refill is extended or retracted. This is possible because they've actually printed the 05 on the refill dozens of times to account for basically any possible placement of the refill inside the pen. Seems to me like something that was over-thought or over-designed as it doesn't really provide much value. Most pens in this price range have the refill size printed somewhere on the pen, but I guess being able to see the refill label is more accurate.

The "bell pepper" color I picked is a nice basic green. The pen body color has no bearing on the ink color — they're all black ink refills. There are several other pen body colors to pick from.

Vanness sell the Kokuyo Me gel pens for $4.50, which is in the ballpark for other comparable gel pens from the more well-known brands. Even if it's a little more than some options, I'd still say it's worth checking out. The refill that Kokuyo are using in this pen is promising, and I can't wait to see more options in terms of point size and color. Keep it up, Kokuyo!

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

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Posted on July 24, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Kokuyo, Gel, Pen Reviews.

It’s Relay FM 10th Anniversary Time!

I’m heading of to London, England this week to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Relay FM, home of The Pen Addict Podcast. My trip will be part personal retreat, part work, and all fun. Content will be lighter this week, but be sure to follow me on Instagram to see what I’m up to. I hope to post a lot, including some stationery shenanigans I’ll be up to.

And if you are at the big event on Saturday, please stop me and say hi!

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.