(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.)
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!
