Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Parker Vector Fountain 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.)

Parker is undoubtedly one of the great legacy penmakers, so it makes sense that they should have their own entry-level fountain pen. The Vector has been around for a long time, and some fresh new colors have brought it back into the spotlight. It's fun and inexpensive and functional--but I don't think it stands up very well against its competitors. There are a lot of good quality affordable fountain pens, now. We're in a golden age of pens and it's easy to be spoiled for choice.

The Vector is a slim, lightweight fountain pen with a plastic body and metal accents. The grip section and bottom cap where the pen posts are a brushed gunmetal color, and the clip is chrome in the shape of the classic Parker arrow. The grip section is long and slim. The nib is plain stainless steel over a smooth feed.

My first thought, when I lifted the pen from its box, was, "Is this a disposable fountain pen?" That's not a good sign, probably, because, no--it's not. But the plastic it's made of feels like it is. Maybe it's the snap cap with a lack of cap band, but it reminds me a bit of a Crayola marker. It feels like it's not meant to last. For a $12 pen I'm not expecting an heirloom, of course, but it wasn't a good first impression.

The $12 price tag is a little misleading, as well, because the pen doesn't come with a converter. That's a separate $9.25. So, $21.25 is closer to the real cost. When compared with other beginner pens that come with converters, this feels like it's priced a bit high for this quality.

The writing experience hasn't been very impressive, either. It does write, and the Parker blue ink it comes with is beautiful and well behaved, but I'd want to buy a bottle and put it in a different pen. The nib isn't too scratchy, but I had some drying issues and the feed seemed to struggle to keep the flow going when writing for longer periods. The grip section is also uncomfortable. It isn't shaped at all and it's slick, so I was constantly having to readjust my grip. The plastic edge where the body meets the section is also quite sharp. There's no smoothing or band there, so it's just raw plastic.

All told, there isn't much about this pen that would move me to recommend it, even for a beginner. The Pilot Metropolitan is ultimately less expensive and much better quality. Parker makes some really fantastic fountain pens, but this one doesn't seem to fit the brand. Perhaps my expectations are playing a role in my disappointment here, but I don't see myself reaching for this pen.

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Posted on August 2, 2018 by Sarah Read and filed under Parker, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Karas Kustoms Starliner XL Series Fountain Pen Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

A few weeks ago, Jeff introduced Karas Kustoms Starliner pens which are part of the company’s new Reaktor Writing Instrument line. This week, I’ll be highlighting the Starliner XL pens which are part of the same line but are full-sized pens rather than pocket-sized like the Starliner.

The Reaktor Writing Instrument line harkens back to the atomic age of the 40s and 50s and the space race in the 60s and 70s. The name “Reaktor” is a play on the atomic idea, and the pens in the range are designed to reflect elements of the space race (more on that below). In addition, Karas Kustoms wanted to make a series of pens at a lower price point than their other lines. With that in mind, they kept the pens simple both in design and color range (silver, black, and tumbled finish).

The Starliner XL pens are full-sized pens, measuring 5 inches (127mm) capped, 4.8 inches (123mm) uncapped, and 5.3 inches (135mm) posted.

The cap snaps on and has a machined clip. You’ll notice that while the cap and barrel look flat at the top and bottom, they both actually have small peaks. This detail is meant to evoke the glint of a star.

An additional space design element is the six machined rings—three on the top of the cap, two on the cap lip, and one near the barrel’s bottom. These rings evoke the “3-2-1” countdown of a rocket launch.

As I stated earlier, the Starliner XL series comes in only three finishes: black, silver, and tumbled. However, you can choose either blue or red anodized grips for the silver pens. These colors were chosen for their association with space suits, which often had red and blue fixtures.

The Starliner XL comes with a polished steel Bock 076 (#5) nib in sizes from EF to 1.5mm stub. You can also upgrade to a Titanium nib or a 14k gold one. The nib is a standard Bock design with some scrollwork and the Bock name and logo. All the nibs on the pens I received write smoothly and are unproblematic—no hard starts, skipping, or blobbing.

Included with each Starliner XL is a Schmidt K5 Converter and one Monteverde black standard international cartridge.

You can purchase the Starliner XL from Karas Kustoms for $55.00 with free shipping in the US (international shipping will cost $15.00). At the time of this post, the pens are not yet up for sale, but they should be available soon.

I’ve enjoyed using the four Starliner XL fountain pens for the past month. I love the sleek design and the snap cap works well—easy on and off. And, wonder of wonders, I even like posting the cap on these pens. It posts deep onto the barrel and does not throw off the balance.

I think you’ll find the Starliner XL to be a terrific every-day-carry pen. They are rugged and the clip makes it easy to stow them in a pocket. $55.00 with free shipping seems like an excellent deal, especially for a pen that will last for a long time.

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

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Posted on July 27, 2018 by Susan Pigott and filed under Karas Kustoms, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Kanilea Pen Co. Hanauma Bay Fountain Pen Review

Immediate reactions are priceless, and the reactions Myke and I had when opening our respective Kanilea Pen Co. Hanauma Bay Fountain Pen in the privacy of our hotel room at the 2018 Atlanta Pen Show were just that.

Myke went with the mouth agape, eyes embiggened, audible gasp reaction when first opening the box, while I went with the grin, giggle, and head shake, as if to say “Wow, they did it again, didn’t they?”

Yes, they did.

The “they” in this case are Hugh and Karol Scher, the owners of Kanilea Pen Co., and they were kind enough to send us a pre-launch look at their newest release. We had to sit on these for a week or two before sharing them and spilling the beans, but both Myke and I arranged purchase of our respective loaner pens before leaving the hotel room that day (Disclosure: I paid full price for the pen barrel and was given a gold nib upgrade at no charge.) That was in April, and I think I’ve had it inked up ever since.

What fascinates me the most about what Kanilea brings to the market is the wizardry behind the acrylics. And the wizard in the big pointy hat and cape is none other than Jonathan Brooks. What comes out of his cauldron is nothing short of magic.

If you knew nothing of the real-world locations or source images these pens were designed to mimic, you would still be blown away by their beauty. That someway, somehow their representation is near perfect is beyond my admittedly basic mental capabilities. I don’t understand how it happens, but I’m glad it does.

The golden yellow of the sunrise is what sold me. This is a mostly-blue swirl pen, with a fair amount of silver and shimmer. The yellow is mixed in liberally, representing the sun on the horizon between the blue of the skies and the ocean, and is mostly translucent. That’s what sent me over the edge: The mix of translucent and solid acrylics in one pen, with a wide range of depth and transparency. And each pen is different.

Shopping with Kanilea Pen Co. is best done in person for that reason. I know it’s not feasible for every one, every time, but getting to choose the exact model you want to write with is a plus.

A year earlier, at the 2017 Atlanta Pen Show, Myke said he wanted to be sure to get to the show floor early so he can be first in picking out the then brand new Haleakala Silhouette. He spent some time with each model, finally settling on the one. He then paid for it, and Hugh began setting up the nib for Myke, which he does for each pen. Upon handing over the pen to Myke, Hugh mentioned that he picked a good one, as it was the one chosen for the recent Pen World cover shoot and article on Kanilea Pen Co.. Needless to say, Myke thought he was hot stuff after that.

Kanilea Pens are about the stories. I could bore you with technical specifications, but that information doesn’t even register with me when discussing it. Ok, it’s a big pen, on par with the Pelikan M1000 closed, but closer to the M800 when writing with it. And it’s an expensive pen, almost $400 with a stock Jowo #6 steel nib and over $500 with the 18k option, so it can’t be purchased on a whim, if ever. But when you see one and hold one you will understand.

And if you are lucky enough to buy one, you can start writing your own Kanilea Pen story.

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Posted on July 23, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Kanilea Pen Co., Pen Reviews, Fountain Pens.