Pentel TRFS Tradio Mini Fountain Pen Review

When someone says Pentel Tradio this is the pen I think of. Black barrel, windowed cap, and most importantly, angled felt tip. It has been around for years and seems to be the traditional model. Pentel has found a way to dilute the Tradio line with several unrelated models, such as the Tradio Energel, Tradio Fountain Pen (some people refer to the original as a fountain pen too), and the disposable Pentel Pulaman, which uses the original Tradio tip. Is the Tradio name more about the barrel design than the tip design?

I'm confused, but we are not done yet. Say hello to the Pentel TRFS Tradio Mini Fountain Pen.

The Mini takes the traditional barrel design, shrinks it, makes it translucent, and adds a medium steel fountain pen nib. The size of the pen is nice, but I'm not a fan of the grip area. It almost has a convex feel to it. The nib is decent, although not as glassy smooth as the full size model, but it does take short international cartridges, which is a bonus.

All that said, I don't see a need for this pen. Mini fountain pens are a tough nut to crack and no one does it better than Kaweco. They are well made, come in many price points, and have wonderful (and swappable) nibs.

I'm interested to hear from you on this: Do you have a go to mini fountain pen?

Pentel Vicuna EX 2 Color 0.7 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen + Pencil Review

Among the hybrid ballpoint ink pens the Pentel Vicuna is a sneaky good option. For me, it ranks only behind the Uni-ball Jetstream and the Pilot Acroball, and it may have darker black ink than both of them. The Pentel Vicuna EX Multi Pen stepped up the Vicuna's game with an upgraded barrel to hold two ink cartridges (red and black) plus an 0.5 mm pencil.

The three cartridge setup works well with the pen design. The barrel diameter is just big enough to fit everything and not have an overly large pen. In fact, it is just about the perfect size. Some multi pens get too wide or have cartridges that come out at a slight angle but that is not an issue with the Vicuna EX.

As I anticipated, the ink cartridges are as smooth, solid, and vibrant as the single color pens. The black leaves a solid line and the red is sharp and bright (my photo makes it look duller than it actually is). The 0.5 mm pencil is a nice addition, and unlike many other multi pens it contains an eraser under the end of the cap.

I won't be leaving my Jetstream's for the Vicuna anytime soon but it is a tougher decision than you would think. Maybe one day Pentel will see fit to bring them to the US.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen Review

I'm having a hard time classifying the Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen. By definition, fude is a Japanese term for brush pen, then Pentel went and encased the pen in their traditional Sign Pen barrel. When writing, it is a mix between a marker and an art pen. So, Pentel Fude Touch Sign Marker Art Drawing Pen might have been a better name for it.

The tip is very soft like a brush pen and that is the general action you get when putting the tip to the page. But, the business end of the brush tip is a very small area. This makes it act more like a marker to me. I can get a small amount of line variation, but a traditional brush pen this is not.

There is something unique about this pen that makes it very enjoyable though. I have never used a brush/felt/plastic tip pen that has been this soft and smooth. Buttery is not an adjective normally used with brush pens, but that is the feeling I get from it. Honestly, I have never used a pen with this type of feedback. I'd say it was odd if it wasn't so cool.

The Violet color I am using here is a favorite of mine. I wish more purple pens came in this shade. Just that little bit of lavender black does it for me.

Has anyone else used this pen? I'm wondering 1. What you use it for, and 2. What you think of the feel? Let me know in the comments section if you have.