Posts filed under Ballpoint

Lamy AL-Star Whitesilver Ballpoint Review

As a staunch #TeamSafari supporter, there is one #TeamAL-Star pen that makes me question my loyalties, and that is the Lamy AL-Star Ballpoint.

The fountain pen models are the star of Lamy’s show in both the Safari and AL-Star lineups, but don’t sleep on the ballpoint option. I reviewed the Safari Ballpoint a few years ago and fell in love with it, and I’m here today to admit the AL-Star ballpoint is ... better.

From a technical perspective, the two ballpoints are identical. Same size, same shape, same awesome knock - all of it. Aesthetically though? The AL-Star is where it is at.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, given the fact that the plastic barrel in the Safari fountain pen is a highlight for me. The plastic barrel in the Safari ballpoint is equally as great. But the design of the AL-Star is better, and better suited for the ballpoint.

Like the AL-Star fountain pen, the ballpoint features a plastic, translucent smoke grey grip section. While that is nice on the fountain pen, I feel that the same grip on the ballpoint synergizes with the ballpoint better. Since it is a knock-type pen, and not capped, the design feels more coherent. You can see the entire pen out in the open, and the grip balances the design well with the end of the pen, and it’s unique knock design.

The lone construction difference between the AL-Star ballpoint and the Safari is that the Safari barrel unscrews right above the front nose cone, and the Al-Star unscrews between the grip section and the barrel. This doesn’t change the usability of the pen in the slightest.

Writing-wise, I’m a Lamy ballpoint refill fan. They are consistently smooth and clean, and I have no issues with them no matter the length of the writing session. The refills are proprietary(-ish), with only Monteverde producing a compatible refill, but still only with ballpoint ink. Monteverde does offer many more colors than Lamy’s Black and Blue stock refills, so they may be worth trying if you enjoy the pen as much as I do.

If there is one area where I will yield to the Safari ballpoint over the AL-Star it is price. At $24, the AL-Star is $10 more than the Safari ballpoint. That is a big number for a relatively low priced pen. Are the style differences worth the price? Yesnomaybe? It is a big ask for two pens that are very close in every other aspect.

I just happen to like the Whitesilver AL-Star more than any recent Safari ballpoint, and it may make me a complete convert to the aluminum side - as least as far as oil-based ink Lamy’s go.

(JetPens 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!

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, AL-Star, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Acro ILMILY Ballpoint Pen Review

Look, the marketing department deserves to get paid too, ok? I mean, how else can you explain Pilot’s ILMILY stationery lineup? What does ILMILY stand for, you ask? “I Like Me, I Like You.”

ILMILY is a lifestyle stationery collection, featuring products with soothing colors, and designed around themes like positivity, happiness, warmth, and general awesomeness. Ok, I’ll stop having fun with the name now, because Pilot has created a product idea we can all get behind.

The ILMILY lineup features several different products, from pens and markers to paper and pen cases. Pilot releases ILMILY products as a series each season, with each containing various products themed to be used together. For example, the first series in 2021 contained a dozen Pilot Pastel Gel pens, FriXion stamps, journaling stencils, small envelopes, and colorful paper pads. The products are made in limited quantities, with each new season bringing us new stationery goodies.

All products are sold separately, which is how I was able to get the Pilot Acro ILMILY Ballpoint Pen from JetPens. The standard Acroball is a personal favorite of mine, so I was interested to see how this upgraded barrel design compares to the standard.

Writing-wise, it compares perfectly. It was safe to assume as much, seeing how they use the same refill. Acroball ink is Pilot’s version of hybrid ballpoint ink technology, made popular by the Uni-ball Jetstream. I believe it is just as good as Jetstream ink, but Uni simply had 1. A years-long head start, and 2. Far better barrel designs, which place them at the top of the market.

The ILMILY Acroball features an 0.5 mm black ink refill. It is fine, clean, and fun. The upgraded barrel of this specific model features a smooth, shiny barrel, that, while called slim, feels like a standard barrel diameter and width. It is very lightweight, and reasonably plain-looking outside of the faux-chamfer where the barrel unscrews. The knock is very clicky.

The barrel colors I have are Winter Navy and Summer Light Purple. Both are excellent, although my preference lies with the darker model. There are six other barrel colors available as well.

At this point, we have sorted out that this is a good pen, and we all love each other. But what we haven’t sorted out is if this is a pen you should rush out and purchase. At $13.25 each, that answer is clearly no. That is a heck of a premium to pay for aesthetics. It looks awesome, that’s for sure, but the standard Acroball has an arguably better barrel, and an inarguably better grip, and is 1/4th the cost.

I like the fact that Pilot has created the ILMILY lineup. I’ll always take good stationery, with a good story. That said, cost will-be a long term limiting factor for many consumers, especially with quarterly limited releases. But Pilot is taking a different tack, with different marketing, for a different market. I love to see it, and I hope it succeeds.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pilot, Acroball, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Livework Ballpoint Pen Review

(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 check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

You know how sometimes you just need a pen? Not a writing experience, not anything transcendent or luxurious--you just need to write something down real quick. It happens all the time, right? At least, it does for me. And I don't usually want to unpack and unroll a swath of glorious pens in that moment. One needs a quick -access basic pen sometimes.

But we're pen addicts, so our quick-access basic pen must also be fun in some way. Enter the Livework Ballpoint Pen. It's cute and exciting enough to feel special, inexpensive enough at $2 to be a loaner pen, and can be tossed in a bag or backpack with nary a worry for its survival.

The pen is made from lightweight plastic with a simple plastic clip and click nock. In the hand, it feels like a typical disposable ballpoint, though it is refillable. The refill is $1.50, which is nearly the cost of the pen itself, but is definitely where the cost is balanced on this pen.

The refill is a 0.5 mm with a nice crisp line and smoothly flowing ink. It writes very well and I haven't had any issues with skipping or slow starting. Despite all the fun colors of the pens in this series, the ink is only available in black. The name of the color printed on the pen itself is just the name of the plastic color, which could be a bit confusing if you're expecting that to be the color it writes, as would be the case for most pens.

Ultimately, this is a cute series of pens that are good quality writers that can be that emergency writing utensil you need when you just NEED a pen, but can't bring yourself to settle for a boring one. I think it's great, and I want more colors. And at $2 apiece, I can actually have all the colors, if I want. Maybe not the one called “Mayonnaise" but maybe even that one. It's a simple, low-investment piece that still brings me joy when I'm crossing items off a grocery list or jotting down an appointment time in the back of an envelope.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!