Makers Cabinet is an interesting company. I first became aware of them when they launched their Kickstarter for Høvel, a plane-style pencil sharpener. I liked the style and concept, but at the time I passed on backing the project due to the cost. I didn’t think I would get enough use out of it to justify the price.
Since the launch of the Høvel, Makers Cabinet has continued to put their stamp on stationery design, reimagining traditional products in modern styles. A ruler. A pencil extender (which I reviewed here.) And now, with Lazlo, a ballpoint pen.
In true Makers Cabinet style, it features a brass barrel, and a few specifically created design elements. Primarily, in the case of Lazlo, the twist mechanism to deploy and retract the refill. From their description:
“Featuring a patent pending, one-of- a-kind magnetic mechanism, that will elevate your writing experience. Diametrically opposed neodymium magnets rotate bidirectionally to engage and disengage the cartridge to create an unparalleled crisp click.”
More on this in a minute.
In addition to the mechanism, it features a custom designed clip, and two extra internal pieces that form a sleeve over the refill inside the barrel, assumedly to assist with the twist mechanism and internal magnets.
For a brass barrel ballpoint pen, that’s a lot. That’s a feature for Makers Cabinet. If I have learned anything, it’s that they are happy to take simple stationery goods and make them “extra.” It’s the Makers Cabinet way.
In the case of the Lazlo, I don’t think it is too extra, but it is a far more fidgety design than I hoped for.
Let’s go back to the diametrically opposed neodymium magnets used for the twist mechanism. It works, but it doesn’t work the same every time. Sometimes the twist engages the refill, sometimes it pokes it out then pops it back in, and sometimes I just overshoot the stop completely and have to keep going around to engage it again. It’s not a consistent station-to-station mechanism. It’s more like sta-tion to stati-on to st-ation. There is no consistency, other than you will eventually get to where you need to be.
Once you do, the writing experience, well, I had to enlist the help of my wife to capture this (volume on):
If I wanted a typewriter, I would have bought a typewriter. Wow, that is a lot of tip rattle. Now, I’m not going to knock them too hard for this, but for a company that prides themselves on their design work, I would think they would have better mitigation of this known issue with a metal refill on a metal barrel. It’s going to happen. How you deal with it says a lot. For Makers Cabinet, there is no dealing with it.
The aftermarket fix is simple, just a little tape around the refill to serve as a shock absorber inside the barrel will do the trick. An internal o-ring on the refill, possibly added by the company before shipping, would help, too.
Neither of those issues are deal breakers for me. They work, eventually, or there is a work around. The clip falls into this category as well, and I think it is the weakest design element of the bunch. In a literal sense, it is too flimsy for a pen this heavy. This is a full brass barrel, checking in at 66 grams (a standard Retro 51 rollerball is 28 grams, for comparison,) and this is a thin, stamped metal, clip that doesn’t even lock down to the barrel. It’s probably a better fit for the aluminum barrel model of the Lazlo, where it is a better balanced option. (Update: Makers Cabinet reached out to me via Instagram and said they will be updating the clip for the Lazlo V2, and will provide a retrofit option for this model as well.)
If your plans are to use this as a heavy duty EDC pen, which is what its style and choice of pressurized refill dictates, I’d worry about how quick the clip would fail. This is less of a concern when used as a desk pen.
With all of that said, I actually think the Lazlo is a good pen, especially given the $90 price point. That was the biggest surprise of all, and is completely fair for a pen of this quality. But I also think it is fair to point out when a company that prides itself on unique designs and ideas falls short, even if it is only a little bit here and there. That little bit makes the Lazlo a good pen, and not a great one.
(This pen was given to me by a reader, and I’ll be giving it away tomorrow!)
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!
