Sailor Clear Candy Fountain Pen Review

I have been talking a lot about entry level fountain pens lately I wanted to discuss another recent acquisition: the Sailor Clear Candy. It was recently introduced to celebrate Sailor’s 100th anniversary and comes in 15 different barrel colors with eight colors of ink cartridges. I chose the clear black body and orange ink cartridges for something a little different. I have a thing for translucent barrels and always like to see a splash of color inside instead of boring old black.

Once I snapped the ink cartridge in the fine nib began writing immediately. The nib itself is a little scratchy compared to the Lamy Safari and even the Platinum Preppy. It writes very clean and sharp but I am wondering if I need to break it in a little more to get a smoother feel.

The orange ink is a nice touch. It comes out light when still wet on the page but dries into the great shade you see in the picture. The barrel is nothing to write home about. It is a basic plastic design with few frills other than some nice logo work, which I enjoy.

The Sailor Clear Candy lies in the middle ground between the Preppy and Safari in both quality and price. If you are looking for a decent entry level fountain pen that offers a little more than the basics then you should check this one out.

Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen Fine 03 Nib Review

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is what is a good fountain pen for beginners. Being a fountain pen novice myself I have tried out several and always come back to one that I always recommend: the Platinum Preppy.

The reason I like the Preppy so much is that the nib writes very well for such a low cost pen. I of course prefer the Fine nib, but there is a Medium option if you prefer. When you first snap in the ink cartridge it takes a minute or two of scribbling to get the ink flow going, but once you do it is a solid, steady, and smooth performer. I keep this pen within reach at all times for when I want a no nonsense fountain pen experience.

Seriously, for $3.30 from JetPens you cannot go wrong. If you have never used a fountain pen in your life this is a good, inexpensive way to see if you like writing with a nib. If you do like it, then that is where the trouble begins. :)

Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen Black Body F Nib Review

The depth and breadth of my fountain pen collection is small, but growing. For the past year or so, one of my favorite fountain pens has been the grey body Kaweco AL Sport. It is a beautifully designed pen with a smooth nib and portable build. I came into the black body version of this pen recently at work so I thought I would quickly compare the two.

The build and nib size are obviously identical, so if you want to read more about those things please check out my original review. There is a difference in the barrel finish though, which made it difficult to pick a favorite.

The grey AL Sport, which I have used for a while, has a smooth finish, while the black has what I would call a satin finish. I wouldn’t say it is a matte finish - it is not that rough - but there is definitely an audible sound when you run your finger across the barrel. With the grey, there is no sound at all.

It may seem nitpicky to compare these two pens on barrel finish alone, but I want readers to know that there is a difference, especially if you are considering spending this much money on a pen. Gun to my head, I prefer the smooth finish of the grey, but man, the black is a real looker.

Decisions, decisions.