Posts filed under Ballpoint

The Pen That Started It All

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Some of you may know that my FP journey started with the Pilot Metropolitan, Platinum Preppies (yes, all 7 of them cuz I couldn’t pick a color) and Lamy Safari – all arriving on May 31, 2017. But did you know I’ve been a pen fan long before that? Yup, it’s true! Ever since I was a kid, I loved the Sanrio store (I was a My Melody and Little Twin Stars girl), as well as any office supply store, or heck, even the stationery aisle at the grocery or local drug store! In fact, I once got in deep trouble for stealing coins out of my older brother’s piggy bank just so I could buy pens and pretty paper at the Sanrio store - I didn’t do that again!

At some point in middle school, I got a Sheaffer calligraphy kit, which I used until it eventually ran out of ink (so you just popped in a different color cartridge) or until it just stopped writing altogether. They weren’t nearly as exciting as the cute Sanrio pens that I used to get, and they didn’t write as well either! So that was the end of fountain pens for me (or so I thought, ha!), but not the end of my love for pens and paper!

All throughout college, I loved buying notebooks that had my school logo and in lots of different colors. And at my various jobs, I would always raid the supply closet looking for the best pens and the sticky notes in all the different sizes. At some point after college, I stumbled across a Levenger catalog. Oh my gosh! A catalog of pens and papers and binders and desk accessories!! I was in heaven! Of course I was shocked at how much pens cost, but this was like discovering a Victoria’s Secret catalog but for pen and stationery geeks like me! I don’t remember any of the other pens in the catalog because I was only fixated on one pen.

It was a ballpoint.

Gasp!!! Yeah, that’s right. Not a fountain pen, not even a gel pen or rollerball. And no, it wasn’t a Bic Cristal! I fell in love with the Rotring Newton! Something about the faceted metal barrel and the little red ring (did you know that “Rot ring” means “red ring” in German?) just hit all the buttons! And I remember that it took me months to be comfortable spending $30 on a pen. Shocking, I know! I loved the pen once I got it but I was afraid to use it at work because it was so expensive so it stayed at home where I would only use it occasionally. I’ve lost and found it many times over the course of several moves and was so relieved to have found it again while cleaning the garage recently.

*Rotring Newton with Private Reserve Parker-style refill in Purple on Hobonichi Weeks, 52 gsm Tomoe River paper.*

I have long since replaced the original refill but now that I’ve found it again, I keep it within arm’s reach at my desk. It makes me happy knowing that this has survived so many moves and drops on the floor, and I can still click this pen to my heart’s content. This pen will always have a special place in my heart as being the pen that started it all.

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Posted on June 16, 2023 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Rotring, Ballpoint.

Pelikan Jazz Velvet Ballpoint Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

You ever pick up a pen that you think is new to you, only to discover you've used it in the past? That's me when I recently picked up a Pelikan Jazz Velvet ballpoint pen to try out. Turns out, I had picked up a Pelikan Giant 337 to try out back in 2020 and really had no memory of it at all. Even better, Brad reviewed this exact pen back in 2021, only in a different body color. Time goes by so quickly, and it's easy to miss or forget things! But I'm really glad the Pelikan Jazz Velvet and its Giant refill made it back into my life.

The Jazz Velvet is a ballpoint pen that uses the ubiquitous Parker-style refill shape. The refill doesn't use a hybrid ink formula, either. Just a huge amount of traditional blue ballpoint ink.

Given the price (around $14), I really wasn't expecting much from this pen. I assumed it would provide a mediocre writing experience and come with an ink that isn't bold or saturated. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about either for the price. My assumptions were dead wrong.

This pen doesn't look like an expensive pen on the outside, and I wouldn't expect it to given the price. But what I didn't expect at all was that it feels so great in the hand. The balance is perfect thanks to the heavy top end and tapered body. For my writing grip, it's perfect and feels fantastic. The matte blue coating over the barrel has just enough texture and oil-resistance to provide superb grip. Every time I pick this pen up and start writing, I'm surprised by how much I like it.

This pen uses a twist mechanism to extend and retract the writing tip. This motion was really stiff and imprecise when I first got the pen, but after a couple dozen cycles with regular use, it feels a lot smoother and predictable. It's easy enough to operate with one hand, but I normally use two hands because that's a little quicker.

The all metal top portion of the pen also holds the signature Pelikan clip, which does its job beautifully. It keeps the pen attached to stuff and also prevents it from rolling away.

Writing with the Giant refill in this pen is another factor that makes the pen so surprisingly good to use. It's a really smooth refill that has bold, crisp ink. It starts easily, doesn't skip, and produces clean lines when writing. I love it, and I'm starting to prefer it over my trusty Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 refills for this refill shape.

At $14, I think the Pelikan Jazz Velvet is a sleeper and a fantastic deal. Since the refill costs almost $12, it's even more shocking that the pen feels so great in the hand. Seriously, just add one to your next order and have some fun using it and comparing it to your other favorite Parker-style refills.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on February 15, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Pelikan, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Faber-Castell Grip X Ballpoint Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Faber-Castell isn't a brand that I typically associate with ballpoint pens, but turns out they have a lot of options in that category. The one I've been trying out lately, the Grip X, is a ballpoint pen that does well against other popular ballpoint pen refills.

The Grip X is an odd-looking pen — let's get that out of the way. The light gray and silver plastic body and color-matched silicone grip section and clip aren't my favorite features. It looks similar to a fineliner, but upon closer inspection you can tell it's a retractable pen with a fairly low-cost plastic barrel. While you can definitely unscrew the nose cone of the pen and remove (and replace) the refill, I don't think these were meant to be refilled. Similar to Bic pens, these are disposable. You can purchases these pens in bulk to stock up the office supply closet. Durability and longevity are not a main consideration with this pen.

Looks and disposable build quality aside, this pen is a fantastic writer and compares well against other low-cost disposable ballpoint pens. The pack I have included three 0.7mm pens in blue, black, and red. I'm not sure there are other color options (at least not widely available), but these at least cover the basics for office use.

The Grip X is a three-sided barrel with a soft silicone grip section (that also has three sides). The tri-sided grip is subtle, but I can feel the edges when writing with the pen. This makes the pen easy to control and handle when writing. The barrel is fairly slim, so the silicone grip and three sides add just the right small amount of tactile grip that it needs to make it really comfortable. I've found writing with the Grip X for long sessions is quite comfortable.

Getting to the real attraction of this pen: the refill. The 0.7mm tip produces exactly the line width you'd expect when comparing to other ballpoint pens. It's a fine line with crisp edges and smooth flow. It can take a couple of scribbles to get the ink flowing after the pen has been sitting for a while, but it's really quick to start in most cases.

The low-viscosity ink formula makes for a smooth flow, easy starting, bold ink colors, and clean lines. All three colors are fantastic. The black is dark and thick, and the blue and red are both bold and bright. As far as basic ink colors go, these do a great job.

Comparing these ballpoints to others in the same price category, they stand up really well. I still prefer using a Pilot Acroball or Uni Jetstream over this, but it's a close call. When it comes to something like a Schmidt EasyFlow or Parker Quink, the difference is even smaller. Pretty impressive considering how much more the Schmidt and Parker refills cost!

Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised by these pens. At first glance, they look boring. Since they look boring and old, I expect them to have a sub-par writing experience too. In this case, I'm happy to be wrong.

The Faber-Castell Grip X isn't ubiquitous in stationery stores, so you might have to search local online retailers and stores to find some. In the US, you can find the three color pack on Amazon for less than $10. The Grip X has been a great reminder to me than cheap, disposable pens can still be surprising and exciting regardless of your level of addiction in this hobby. Give them a try if you find them!

(Faber-Castell Malaysia provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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