Ohto F-Spirit Fountain Pen Review

This is a guest post by Bryan Gushikawa.

Ohto is a company best known for its ceramic rollerball and gel pens, but they’ve also gotten into the midrange fountain pen market with pens such as the Rook and F-Spirit. These pens are based around a lightweight aluminum body with a lacquer coat and Iridium Point Germany (IPG) nibs. Although many cheap pens use IPG nibs and the quality can vary widely, the Ohto pens use the better nibs and so these are smooth writers. The pens are fitted for international standard cartridges, so you can try out many different inks. The nib width seems fixed at fine and the pen writes really well, since the lightweight body is very well balanced.

Smoothness: Even though it’s an IPG and very stiff, the nib is excellent and lays down a nice, solid line.

Grip and Balance: The grip is smooth plastic, and isn’t as long as some others, but it’s adequate. The balance is excellent with the cap posted and the entire pen feels light and easy to write with. The barrel is just right as far as thickness goes.

Ink Flow: Although feeds might need adjusting from the factory, I had no problems with this pen. No skips or blotches.

Build Quality: VERY pleasing! The cap snaps crisply and the lacquered finish is excellent, with no misfills or gaps. The threads on the feed and barrel are perfectly aligned and the pen has no problems related to manufacturing. Tines on the nib were perfect from the factory.

Capacity: Takes any standard international cart. Converters are available and I am sure that long international cartridges fit, too.

Clip: Strong metal with a ball at the bottom to hold fabric. VERY good design!

Post: Perfect post! Uses a friction fit, with the plastic shell inside the cap keeping scuff marks off of the barrel. The cap also snaps shut tightly on the front of the pen. No drying out happened.

Overall: This pen is an excellent value for the money in these days of plastic barrels. The class and style are perfect for the office and the usage of international carts means that you can go to JetPens and try many different types of inks! I recommend Kaweco inks as superior in this pen.

Sailor HighAce Neo Beginner's Fountain Pen Review

This is a guest post by Bryan Gushikawa.

The Sailor Pen Company has been making pens for a LONG time (100 years!) and have set standards with their Sapporo and King of Pen line. However, all Japanese companies like to have a product line that stretches from budget to luxury and Sailor is no exception, with several of their pens falling into an everyday use range. The real beauty of Sailor pens, though, is that they are ALL excellent writers, no matter what they cost. The Sailor HighAce Neo is part of a budget line of pens that doesn’t sacrifice writing performance, at all. Oriented towards beginning fountain pen users and office professionals, this pen wins high marks on the nib and tight fit and finish.

Smoothness: The Sailor F-4 fine nib is a stiff nail, but it writes VERY smoothly. It’s rare to have such fine tips produce such smooth writing, but Sailor’s experience shines through here. One benefit to the stiff nib is the ability to take a little more abuse in a book bag or survive a drop, as well as press through carbon paper.

Grip and Balance: The grip is smooth and can be a little slippery, but there is enough texture on the barrel itself to stabilize the pen. The balance is good with the pen posted, but the pen is super light, making balance not so much of an issue. The barrel isn’t as thick as a Prera, but it’s average and fairly comfortable to hold.

Ink Flow: Excellent. A perfect 0.4mm line every time, with no skips or blotches.

Build Quality: The barrel is cheap plastic, but the cap, clip and nib are finished metal and very well worked. Not bad for the price, although a dark barrel will hide the cheap plastic finish.

Capacity: Uses Sailor-specific cartridges and can probably fit a Sailor converter (not tested).

Clip: Deceptively strong. Metal, with a good stiffness.

Post: Snaps securely into place with no jiggling. A superior posting system. The cap snaps crisply onto the front, as well.

Overall: I’d recommend this pen because it is an excellent performer in its price range. It’s not flashy and won’t win awards for the cheap plastic barrel, but the nib and feed are wonderful and this pen can be used with Kiwaguro and Seiboku cartridges (if the pen is used daily!) I’d recommend this pen for daily use and office use.

Lamy Logo Fountain Pen Review

This is a guest post by Bryan Gushikawa.

Lamy is a German company with a long history of making stylish and practical pens. Their lower end pens (like the AL-Star and Safari) are excellent and durable daily writers, but the Lamy Logo eschews the larger body styles of these pens for a slimmer, more elegant design. Writing comfort and performance aren’t affected, though. This pen is a definite eye catcher and I received several compliments on it when I took it to school. The fit and finish are perfect and the spring clip only reinforces the quality that Lamy has perfected over its storied run as one of Germany’s top fountain pen makers.

Smoothness: The Lamy nibs run wide compared to Japanese nibs, so this M writes like a B. It is smooth and is a good, stiff nail to push through carbon copies with. There is a little squeak and sound of the nib on paper, though. All Lamy nibs have this, so this is a manufacturer trademark.

Grip and Balance: The textured metal fore section is nice to hold, but the pen can seem a little slender for folks with larger hands. The balance when posted is excellent and the metal body doesn’t feel so slippery. For daily writing, the good balance will reduce fatigue.

Ink Flow: A solid, steady 0.8mm line. No skips or blotches. Flow was good from the start.

Build Quality: German quality, all the way. Solid threading, good heft and a superior clip with a SPRING in it. You will really enjoy just looking at and holding this pen to admire its quality.

Capacity: Take Lamy-specific cartridges or a Lamy converter (not the one that fits the Al-Star!)

Clip: The best clip on any fountain pen has a spring. This has a spring. This is the best clip on any fountain pen!

Post: Posts securely to a plastic nub on the back end. Although the post is shallow, it’s tight and the cap won’t fall off while writing.

Overall: If you’re into German engineering, this pen is excellent value for the money. Although I prefer Lamy’s EF nibs to Ms, the smoothness and feel of this pen is too good to pass up. I used Lamy Blue in cartridges for this review, but with a converter, you can check out their Blue Black and Red which are two highly regarded colors. A strong recommend on this one!