(This is a guest Post from Sam Alpert. Sam is a geologist, gamer, and general lover of all things with good, clean design. See more from Sam on Instagram @samalpert.)
Brad won’t write this so it falls to me.
If you’re reading this blog you’re probably aware of Spoke Design, Brad’s collaboration with engineer extraordinaire Brian. If not, check it out, they make awesome stuff.
They recently released a new pen called the Clickstream. Here it is in all its glory:
So why would the person who made the pen and runs the website need a review of his own pen? Because this one is different. This one is exceptional, even in a lineup full of home-run designs, this one stands head and shoulders above the rest; Brad won’t say that though, so I will.
What makes it so good? Let me tell you.
First, the shape. Classic, with the Spoke Design cutouts that mark their design language giving it a modern flair. The taper is perfect. I like a narrower grip in my pens, this has a sweet spot for everyone. Narrow at the tip, wider just behind it. No clip interrupting the clean curves, but flattened on six sides to prevent rolling. There’s something here for everyone, without compromise.
Second, the click. It’s incredible. The pen ships with a Soft, Medium, and a Hard spring - I immediately installed the Hard and never looked back. I love a good thunk when I click a pen, and the mechanism they chose for the Clickstream delivers. And again, if you prefer a more Pilot G2-esque click the Medium spring is there for you.
Obligatory lineup compared to some other great pens. Top: Tactile Turn Slim Bolt Action Ti. Bottom: Cortex edition Studio Neat Mark One.
Third, the material. I chose sand blasted titanium, the most popular choice according to Brad, and I can see why. I have had plenty of pocket knives with this setup, but something about having it on a pen gives it new life. The sandblasting adds just enough texture to the pen to give it a nice, tactile feel, without being rough. Additionally the weight of the titanium is just the best. While the aluminum body version has amazing colors, I’m here for the perfect weight that the titanium brings.
I’ve had many (read dozens) of machined pens come and go, both from Spoke design but also from many others including Tactile Turn and Karas Pen Co. just to name a few. None of them came close to the full package that the Clickstream brings to the party. They all had some minor quibble (too wide, too textured, loose tolerances) that I just can’t find on the Clickstream.
The essential comparisons: Top: Retro 51 Tornado Halloween edition. Bottom: Pilot G2.
The pen ships with either a Schmidt Easyflow 9000 or Ohto Flash Dry refill, but accepts any Parker-style refill (so if you want to spring for the now exorbitantly expensive uniball Jetstream refills you can,) just don’t forget the spacer that ships with the pen to install on the refill, this is part of the secret that takes the tip rattle out of the equation for this pen.
If you absolutely need a clip, or hate all the refill options then I agree, this isn’t the pen for you. But for anyone who just loves a good pen, this could easily be my one pen I use for the rest of my life. It’s that good.
The Spoke Clickstream is $69 for Aluminum, and $89 for Titanium models, and can be found at SpokeDesign.com.
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