PenBBS 469 Double Ended Fountain Pen Review

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

The double-sided writing instrument certainly isn't a new thing. I'm sure we've all used or seen a doubled sided pencil at some point, or even a double sided Sharpie — one end a normal fine point Sharpie, and the other end a broad chisel tip. Pencil, pen, marker — they're all more useful than their single-ended counterparts!

A natural progression to this type of writing instrument is double ended fountain pen. I've seen them before, but normally only from bespoke pen makers, and not in a large quantity. If you wanted one and knew where to look, you could get one fairly easily. But it required some know-how and persistence. You couldn't just order one online in a matter of minutes. Well, the PenBBS 469 makes that possible. Curious about whether a doubled ended fountain pen would be useful or not? You can scratch that itch for $50.

We've reviewed several PenBBS pens here over the years, and they generally pack a lot of value into a relatively affordable package. I've personally been surprised and delighted with the other pens I've used from this maker, so I was intrigued when I saw the double ended fountain pen on JetPens a few months ago.

The color variant I'm using here is called Misty Mountains. It's a clear acrylic with some light and medium blue stripes that swirl through the material in a really pleasing way. There are a few other color options to choose from, and I think they all look really interesting.

Regardless of what material you like, the most striking feature of these pens is the middle area where it's obvious that something unconventional is happening. You can see two separate cavities right in the middle, which is the first indication that this pen is not your normal fountain pen. On closer inspection, you'll see that there are also two caps. And with that comes two separate nibs and feed systems. Essentially, this pen is two eyedropper pens connected back to back and divided by a small wall in the middle to keep the ink reservoirs separated.

I really love how everything about this pen is perfectly balanced. Each side of the pen is exactly 50% of the overall size. The caps are the same size, the ink reservoirs are the same size, the nibs are the same size, and the grip sections are also identical. The only difference between the two ends is the nib tip size. One side is fine while the other is medium.

Filling the pens is really simple. They use an eyedropper filling system, so you just unscrew one of the grip sections, fill the reservoir with ink, and replace the section. Repeat on the other side! There are o-rings on the end of the section to keep any ink from seeping out over time, and the fit and finish is really tight and well done. I have no concerns over either end leaking.

Writing with each pen is also what I've come to expect with PenBBS! The steel nibs are smooth, true to size, and perform really well. The grip is comfortable and the pen is still well balanced even with the extra length. Unfortunately, you can't post the cap on back of the other cap, so you're left holding or storing the cap while writing.

Despite the nibs being the same overall size, I was really surprised to see that they have different decorative scroll work designs. I assumed they would have identical decoration with just a simple "F" and "M" to differentiate them.

The only real complaint or disappointment I have about this pen is the lack of nib options. The perk of having a fountain pen with two ends is being able to have two dramatically different writing experiences (along with two different ink options). If I had my way, I'd choose an EF or F nib on one end and a cursive italic or stub on the other end. The fact that PenBBS limits this to one choice — F and M — is disappointing. I assume that this limitation is a cost saving measure. Can you imagine the headache of trying to stock these pens with all the possible nib combinations? Can't say I blame them for limiting the options, but I just wish they'd settled on a more interesting pairing! Even if custom italic and stub nibs aren't an option, I could pick a broad nib and have someone do a custom grind with something interesting. A medium nib doesn't have as much material to work with, so custom grinds are even a bit limited.

Despite the lack of nib options, this is still a really fun pen. Just having the ability to pack two different inks into a single pen is really cool. The clear body really shows off the ink washing around inside the ink reservoirs, and the blue swirls add even more visual interest. It's a conversation starter for sure.

At $50, the PenBBS 469 is a great price for two great pens in one body. I'm not sure how long they'll be available — this looks like what could be a short term experiment. If you are curious about a fountain pen with two ends, go for it! Trying it out with this pen is a great testing ground before deciding you want to go the full custom route.

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

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Lotus Author Purple Nebula Fountain Pen Review

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

Want to know what my favorite thing is about custom fountain pens? Absolutely the unique colors of the materials that these artists create. There's so much variety and bold representation that can fit any preference or whim. Just when you think you've seen every color combo or mixture, you see a new material that makes you take a second look. Before you know it, you're sitting down to discuss your nib preferences so they can adjust the nib for you after buying the pen.

I'd never heard of Lotus Pens prior to setting eyes on this custom Author model. The pen is made by Lotus Pens in India, and the fit and finish are top notch. In this case, though, the material was poured by Teri Morris at Peyton Street Pens in Santa Cruz, California. It's made of Alumilite resin, and this particular creation is dubbed "Purple Nebula." Put the word nebula in anything, and I'm already ready to buy.

The pen looks sleek and dark at first glance in normal lighting, but if you put it under direct light or close to a lamp, it really comes alive. There are rich purples, blues, and light grays with just a hint of shimmery reflective material to make it look like it's moving under the surface. The silver trim is the perfect complement to the cool tones used in the material. I haven't gotten tired of rotating this pen under the light to see how all the colors shift and change from different angles. There's an illusion of depth that is mesmerizing to me.

So, to recap the material used in this pen: It's beautiful, and I love it.

What about the rest of the pen? This is my first encounter with both Peyton Street Pens (where the resin rod was created) and Lotus Pens (the shop that turned and assembled the pen). There's always a chance that a new experience could prove to be negative, but that's happily not the case here. Everything about the fit, finish, and performance of this pen are top notch. It's sleek, feels solid, and has tight tolerances between all the mated parts.

The clip is a minimal profile with a slight taper down to the tip, which is actually a rolling wheel that makes clipping this pen to stuff easier.

There's zero branding on this pen — not even on the nib (which is a stainless steel JoWo #6). There's no fancy scroll work on the nib, and you have to look really hard to find the nib size indicator on the right shoulder.

And speaking of the nib, that reminds me that this pen isn't only a collaborative effort between two parties, but three! The nib on this unit has been modified by Nivardo Sanchez into a buttery smooth architect shape. Since this nib started as a standard broad, there's a delicious amount of line variation between up and down strokes. The downstrokes are similar in width to a 0.38mm or 0.5mm gel pen, while the lateral strokes are what you'd expect from a broad nib (somewhere between 1 to 1.2mm line width). Despite the drastic difference in line width, the writing experience is incredibly smooth. Tuning nibs to this kind of shape can sometimes lead to scratchy edges. The lines are normally exceptionally crisp in this case, but writing isn't as enjoyable (for me, anyway). This nib hits the balance dead center and provides crisp, confident line edges with plenty of width variation while also remaining glassy smooth. Bravo.

The pen comes with a standard Schmidt cartridge converter, but you could also use standard cartridges. The product information advises against using this pen as an eyedropper, and I have no intention of trying it out.

I'm a huge fan of this pen and especially the material. I can happily recommend it to anyone, but the only bad news here is related to the supply. There were only 11 of these beauties made, so they won't last long at all! Especially considering the price. The model I have is listed at $175, which includes an extra $25 charge for the custom nib grind. All I can say is, if you like how it looks and have the money to spare, just buy it. You have plenty of nib options to fit your writing style. If you opt for a standard nib size, the pen rings up to a cool $150. Along with the pen, it also comes in a super soft kimono and a decorative wooden box that can double as general storage for small items.

Can't wait to see more of the materials and pens that come from Peyton Street Pens and Lotus!

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

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Kaweco Student Fountain Pen - 30’s Blues Review

(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!.)

When I discovered this pen in a recent shipment from the Bossman, I had thoughts. One of which was “Surely, this pen has been reviewed before” and yes, yes, it has been - by Susan, Jeff and Sarah. I deliberately didn’t read their reviews so I wouldn’t be biased, but it’s not that often that several of us are reviewing the same model, so definitely check them out to get our respective thoughts on this pen.

The other thought I had was that I once owned a Kaweco Student and sold it because it was one of the very few pens that I had a tough time writing with because the grip section felt slippery and skinny. Would I want to put myself through writing with this pen just to do a review? Not really, but I did it anyway, cuz #science, I love you all and I’m a glutton for punishment so why not? Read on to see if my thoughts on it have changed.

The Kaweco Student Fountain Pen that I am reviewing is called 30’s Blues. Kaweco used musical decade/genres to name the different colorways, like 20’s Jazz, 50’s Rock, 60’s Swing, 70’s Soul and this one, 30’s Blues. To my knowledge, they have not released anything for the 40’s and I can’t wait to see what they would do for the 80’s and 90’s but I digress.

All of the pens in this series have an ivory-colored barrel with a solid color cap and gold-colored clip, trim, grip and nib. Aside from this series, the Kaweco Student could be found in solid colors like Black, Vintage Blue, Red, etc. as well as a demonstrator. It is a cartridge/converter pen but did not come with a converter. I chose to syringe fill an empty cartridge with Colorverse Project 004 Dirty Red, which is a great match to the cap and has average flow. This pen has a fine nib so I was curious to see how it performed, as the writing experience for some of the Kawecos can be hit and miss.

Kaweco Student 30’s Blues…but with a red cap.

I was pleasantly surprised that, after setting it nib down for a bit to let the ink flow from the cartridge, the pen wrote nicely. It wasn’t scratchy or dry (nor wet), and it actually had a nice almost-Japanese fine width to it with just a hint of tooth/feedback. It wrote beautifully out of the box, no cleaning or rinsing or anything. Yay!

Taken from the Kaweco Student Fountain Pen webpage which explains how it got its name.

Here’s how it compares to some other nib widths for other currently inked pens.

I wrote with the pen about half a dozen times over the course of the past month and it has worked without issues on all of them, except once when the ink was “stuck” to the bottom of the cartridge and the pen worked after a couple quick taps to the cart. I’ve done everything from quick to-do items to longer writing sessions and each time, the pen wrote flawlessly and it was a pleasurable writing experience. The grip that caused me to sell my own Student pen several years back doesn’t seem to be bothering me at all this time around. I wasn’t gripping the pen any tighter (or looser) than I usually do. I can’t explain why it worked for me this time around. I will say that the grip still feels a bit thinner to me, but it might be the slight concave shape of the grip that makes it feel so thin. The grip looks metal but feels both metallic and plasticky at the same time - hard to explain so you will either have to try one or take my word for it. And it is also a fingerprint magnet.

Left to Right: Kaweco Sport, Pilot Prera, Sailor Lecoule, Esterbrook JR, Pilot Kakuno, Kaweco Student, Sailor Compass, Kaweco Perkeo, Platinum Procyon, Faber-Castell Grip, TWSBI Eco, Lamy Safari.

I’m glad I gave this pen a second chance because I really liked the Kaweco Student this time around. It is a classy looking acrylic pen that has a slight bit of heft thanks to the metal grip section, is available in a variety of colors, and writes like any of the Kaweco Sport nibs (which means your mileage may vary, especially with the EFs). I do like that the nib units are screwed in (as opposed to glued in for many of the Sport models), so you can swap in different nib sizes. The price of the Kaweco Student typically ranges from $60-70 though you can sometimes find the solid options for ~$52. ~$50-60 feels like a good price for this pen, but I think $70 is a bit much. You can find this one at JetPens for $60 which I think is reasonable.

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