Posts filed under Ballpoint

Lamy Xevo Ballpoint Pen Review

The Lamy Xevo is exactly what an entry level pen should be.

When I first saw pictures of the Xevo I was intrigued. Is this a metal barrel? Plastic? Twist mechanism, or knock? $50? $25? I really liked it, but the answer to those questions, plus its performance, would determine how much.

To answer a few of those original questions, this is a plastic barrel pen with a twist mechanism to deploy the refill. And the price? $10.

The Xevo is a Lamy design from top to bottom. If you are into stationery even just a little bit, you can pick a Lamy pen out of a lineup with relative ease. I think that is great. Even the outlier designs - like the Safari or Tipo - are pure Lamy. They have great cohesion throughout the brand.

And they have me spoiled, too. I’m as hard on Lamy as I am on any company, but that is because 1. Everything they do, they do well, and 2. I want more of it. The second part is my problem, and this beloved German brand certainly knows their job better than I do. A boy can dream, right?

I picked up the Light Grey from Goldspot recently, and what I found is a workhorse pen that is great for any writing situation. The plastic barrel is lightweight and comfortable, especially with the triangular grip that you are free to rotate in your hands to your heart’s content. The twist mechanism is solid, with a short, station-to-station engagement. A quick twist clockwise engages the refill, and a quick counter the opposite direction snaps it back.

It should come as no surprise that the clip is great, too. This is Lamy, after all.

Writing wise, the Xevo uses the standard M16 ballpoint found across many Lamy models. It’s a great ballpoint, but you are mostly stuck with it. There is no Parker-style, or Pilot G2 compatibility - only Monteverde makes a matching refill, with a few more ballpoint ink colors than Lamy offers.

The medium black lines from this refill are dark and smooth, and there was no spidering or ink blobbing to speak of. It’s one of the “good ones” as far as ballpoint refill types go.

And the Xevo is one of the good ones as well. It surprised me for many reasons, primarily the quality for the price. It is in the Tipo category, and for my money, that’s a good place to be.

Now, when orange barrel, Lamy???

(I purchased this pen at Goldspot using a 10% off coupon code.)

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Posted on December 6, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Pelikan Jazz Ballpoint Pen Review

I am thoroughly enjoying the Pelikan Jazz Ballpoint pen. That shouldn’t come as a surprise given that I enjoy ballpoint pens, and Pelikan makes great products. It should be good! But, what I realized with the Jazz is not only that it’s good, but it’s good enough to make me think I’ve been missing out.

Ballpoint pens are continually underrated. Why is that? The problem with ballpoints is that we have all used terrible ones. Scratchy, skippy, dry, messy, sticky. There are some bad adjectives to describe some of these pens we have used in the past.

But modern ballpoints, using superior refill technology, are fantastic. Even great.

The Pelikan Jazz is a new pen to me, and reasonably new to Pelikan’s lineup as a whole. It has classic Pelikan design elements, like the clip, but comes in fun, modern colors like this Orange model. There is even a full pastel lineup, which is what make me take a second look at these pens to begin with.

This is a twist-to-deploy pen, but it keeps tricking me into thinking it uses a knock-type mechanism. The barrel “cap” overlaps the lower barrel, and when I see a design like that, I want to push the cap down to engage and retract the refill. It’s not a problem whatsoever, but that hasn’t stopped me from continuously trying to click it.

The twist takes about half a turn to let loose the Pelikan 337 refill. It ships with a medium (1.0 mm) blue cartridge, in the Parker-style (or international G2) shape, so you can swap it to your hearts content. But I’m not sure you would want to.

This refill is excellent. I expect 1.0 mm ballpoint refills to be smooth, and this one delivered. The lines were solid, and the color was rich. There was little tip residue to be found, although as with many good ballpoint refills, it did pop up from time to time. I never had to wipe it off.

After all of this praise, this must be an expensive pen, right? Well, compared to a Bic Stic, yes. But at $12, compared to other pens in this category, it is priced perfectly. It’s an upgrade to the basic ballpoints in your desk drawer, with enough style and quality to justify the price point.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m kind of enamored with it. I like having it around to pick up and use on a whim for just about any task. It may be worth grabbing another simply because I’m having so much fun with this one.

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

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Posted on October 18, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pelikan, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Uni-ball Jetstream Edge 0.38 mm Ballpoint Pen Review

I’m fond of saying that there is a pen out there for everybody. I’m also fond of saying not every pen is for everybody. The Uni-ball Jetstream Edge is firmly in the latter camp.

When you hear pen fans talk about the Jetstream, they are more than likely referring to the 0.7 mm model, and sometimes the 1.0 mm. They love the rich colors and solid lines - something standard ballpoints rarely have - plus the smooth writing experience with a refill that lasts longer that most. There is a reason it is one of my most recommended pens.

But the Edge model is a different animal. And Uni-ball is treating it as such.

Uni-ball Jetstream Edge 0.38 mm Ballpoint Pen

In the past, Uni-ball has dropped into the 0.38 mm tip size with more standard barrel types, but it is a rare occurrence. I remember when I first got my hands on the 0.5 mm Jetstream (2008!) I raved about it, but even then I knew it was a pen not many people would enjoy. I still remember an email I got about that review, which told me in no uncertain terms how bad they thought this pen was.

The Standard barrel, my favorite basic Jetstream barrel, still has 0.38 mm and 0.5 mm options, but I don’t really see them leaning into those tip sizes - at least in this market. The Edge is their micro-tip refill vessel of choice, and I love it.

To me, Uni-ball is saying that 0.28 mm and 0.38 mm Jetstream refill are technical pens, and deserve a barrel design to relay as much to the consumer. That’s as much of the Edge story as the refill choice. This is my favorite pen barrel released in a long time, with its metal grip section, plastic upper barrel, unique clip design, and solid knock mechanism.

You know what other stationery products have similar design cues? Mechanical pencils, especially technical ones. And, the Edge has a similar price point to match.

This is a $15 Jetstream, not a $3 one. That places it firmly into the niche product market, and, I hope for my sake, that this technical, detailed writing niche takes it and runs with it.

The Edge launched four barrel colors with a 0.28 mm refill, then later added four more barrel colors for the 0.38 mm refill. The refill, while technically great, is the one flaw in this design, and maybe the one flaw in my theory why this pen exists in the first place.

The Uni-ball Jetstream Edge is designed around the refill they use for the Jetstream multi pen. It is thinner, and thus lower capacity than standard Jetstream refills, not to mention the Parker-style SXR-600 Jetstream refill. Single refill pens deserve a refill size commensurate with the pen, so this is a disappointment, especially in a $15 pen.

On the other hand, do we get the Edge if Uni-ball didn’t already have this refill design in-house? I’d argue yes. They already make 0.38 mm conical tip refills for the Sport series. I’m confident Uni could design a new needle tip for the 0.28 mm and 0.38 mm requirements for the Edge if they so desired, but they took the easy way out here.

I don’t guess I can blame them, because, in the end, I adore this pen. I just think it could be even better with a normal sized refill.

Will you adore this pen as much as I do? It’s unlikely. As I mentioned up top, this pen is not for everybody. Not by a long shot. It is a particular pen, with a particular job, and at a particular price point. But, if you are particular, like me, then you might find something interesting and unique in the Jetstream Edge.

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

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