Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Gravitas Delrin 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. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I'm continuously surprised and delighted by Gravitas Pens. I've rarely seen a pen creator dive into the job with such playful abandon. Ben Walsh is trying something new every few minutes and the results have been phenomenal.

The newest model to cross my desk is the Delrin. It's similar in design to the Sentry, but made of engineered plastic, with an Orange Cerakote-coated stainless steel grip section. The body is slightly tapered, and both finials come to an angled point. The cap screws on and it posts securely if you're the posting type.

The body of the pen feels smooth but it's lightly textured, so it's easy to grip. It's also extremely lightweight. Nearly all the weight of this pen is in the steel grip section. It feels perfectly balanced when writing, as the weight of the pen sits in your hand and the length helps keep it stabilized.

The grip section is gently ridged to keep your fingers from slipping, and the Cerakote has a rough texture to it. It's comfortable and gives great control when writing, but it does get ink in it, leaving some marks that are a little tricky to wash away. It doesn't bother me, but if you like your pens looking pristine, this one might not be for you.

My pen came with a medium nib that writes very well, with smooth writing and great ink flow. It's a #6 Jowo nib, with some scrollwork but no branding.

The pen comes with a converter, though it can also take standard cartridges, and it can be eyedroppered (though some additional silicone grease is recommended if you do this).

Like many Gravitas pens, this one is underpriced at 95 Euros. I appreciate and admire the affordability, even if it feels a little wrong.

Of all the Gravitas pens I've tried, I like this one a bit more than the metal ones, and only slightly less than the polycarbonate ones. It has a special quality to it that when I pick it up, it makes me want to write even when I don't feel like writing. Maybe it's all of Ben's wild creativity traveling through his creations to other creators. Whatever it is, I can't get enough of it.

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

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Gravitas, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

The Plot is Afoot

Two weeks ago, I asked you all for recommendations about what one--singular--pen I should use to write with for the entirety of NaNoWriMo. You all had some amazing suggestions!

By far the most popular suggestion was the Pilot 823, and I agree with you. It really is the perfect pen with which to write a novel! But one of my aims was to try something less well known. My Pilot 823 was actually my first "nice" pen that my husband bought for our fifth wedding anniversary. We're about to have our sixteenth, so I've been writing books with the Pilot 823 for over a decade. It's absolutely an excellent pen for the job! But it's far from unknown.

Another common suggestion was the Opus 88, which I've also reviewed before, and think is an excellent choice. But the most commonly recommended pen that I haven't ever tried was the Aurora 88. I've never even held an Aurora 88, but not for lack of admiration. Y'all just made some very fancy suggestions. But with big thanks to Brad, Kenro Industries, and Pen Chalet, there is now an Aurora 88 Unica Nera in my house, inked up, and prepped for its ultimate test.

I confess, my first reaction when the pen arrived was concern. This is a NICE pen, y'all. I got that gut reaction we all know too well. Is this pen too nice to use? But of course not, right? Pens were meant to be used. This one is about to run the pen equivalent of a marathon. How will it do? I don't know! I have no experience with the brand.

Based on a first impression, what I do know is that I'm going to really enjoy finding out. This pen fits all my criteria. It holds a lot of ink in its piston-filled mechanism, so I won't have to clean and refill it often. It's very lightweight, so I won't get hand fatigue. It has a smooth writing nib. It's not too big. The only question mark is the durability, and that will have an answer by the end of November. I do have it in a Musubi case for transport, so it's getting babied a little bit. But it is going on the road with me--first to the World Fantasy Convention in New Orleans, where I'll be doing readings/signings, speaking on panels, and eating my way through the city. Oh, and writing. That, too. NaNoWriMo waits for no one. And then my annual retreat to an inn on the shore of Lake Michigan, where all I do is write for three days straight over Thanksgiving weekend, listening to the waves and ordering nachos for room service.

I want to thank you all for your input, and for recommending such a nice pen! You've helped set me up for success and I'm really looking forward to getting started.

Now, tell me what you're working on! Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What tools are you using?

PS: The Aurora 88 was designed by Marcello Nizzoli, who has designs in the MOMA and who is most renowned for his design work on...typewriters. Will the ghost of Marcello lean over my shoulder as I write and whisper, "You know I designed a much more efficient way to do this?" I know, Marcello. I know. But that's not the point.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Aurora, Fountain Pens, NaNoWriMo.

Write Turnz Autumn Medley Fountain Pen Review

I’ve been spending a lot of time with my Write Turnz fountain pen I picked up at the Orlando Pen Show. Which one? This one ...

Called Autumn Medley, this brown, caramel, and purple resin is a knockout, and perfect for the fall.

Material beauty aside, do you know what sold me on this pen? The copper clip and finial. While I always appreciate a good clip and finial, it was the custom design on this pen that sealed the deal.

The challenging part with standing in front of the Write Turnz table is that nearly ALL of Jason Olson’s pens have a custom clip or finial, and often both. There were copper designs, like on this pen, brushed titanium on others, and a huge range of Damascus steel clips of different shapes and sizes elsewhere. I was completely enamored with all of the choices, and that was just for hardware!

Jason makes pens from a wide range of materials (fossilized Wooly Mammoth Tusk, anyone?) but I tend to go with something more straightforward for my first experience with a new maker. That’s if you consider Autumn Medley with custom copper hardware straightforward.

Looking at the rest of the Write Turnz pen lineup, it is. And I’m very happy with it so far. Fitted with a 1.1 mm steel JoWo stub nib, etched with the Write Turns logo, it performs great. That is to be excepted, but I made the pen sing even louder with my choice of Bungubox Imperial Purple ink. A more perfect match cannot be found.

The barrel shape fits my hand well. It’s standard in size and weight, with a straight-sides grip section, and a cartridge/converter filling system. The threading is smooth, with the cap taking just over one full turns to remove, and the entire barrel is polished to perfection.

The finial is a perfectly circular copper disk, with no engravings or markings to speak of. I dig the simplicity. The clip is also unmarked, but has a unique short curved blade shape, giving this pen a sneaky cool feature. Both parts will continue to patina over time.

Sneaky cool is what Write Turnz is to me after getting to spend time with Jason and his daughter in Orlando. Their offerings can be a simple or as complex as you like, and I promise you will see something you haven’t seen before on the table. In fact, Jason showed me his Hang 10 project at the show, where he makes pen barrels from discarded surfboard resin. Now that’s what I call quite good!

I believe I paid around $225 for Autumn Medley at the Orlando Pen Show, and while not directly available on the site, many other unique models are. I’m sure you can always contact Write Turnz if you are interested, or have a special request of your own.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!