Guest Review: Sherpa Pen

(This is a guest post by Andrew Young)

I’ve had a Sherpa pen holder for a couple of years, but have not written a review of it yet. I recently purchased another one and decided to write it up.

First some background (from the Sherpa website):

The Sherpas are a well known community that have helped make history by guiding several adventure seekers to the top of Mt. Everest. Sherpas have the unique ability to withstand high altitudes and its effects. This community has acclimated itself throughout the years to the unusual conditions that occur while climbing a massive mountain. Just as the thrill seeking hiker needs a guide to climb Mt. Everest, the Sherpa pen guides your writing instrument to the next level.

Introduced in 2008, the Sherpa is a unique pen shell that holds a variety of disposable pens and markers including Sharpie, Pilot pen, uni-ball pens and Accent highlighters as its refill. Sherpa comes in many different styles for you to enjoy. Each Sherpa is designed with an innovative cap to keep the color of your marker or pen bold and fresh every time.

My first Sherpa was “Mr. Pinstripes” which wasn’t my first choice, but was on a close-out sale from Neiman-Marcus of all places. The Sherpas are ostensibly meant to hold the Sharpie markers, and they do ship with one included, but their real value lies in the other pens which fit the holder.

My favorites are the Paper Mate Liquid Expressos and the Uni-Ball Vision Elites. The Vision Elites are some of the smoothest rollerballs in the world, and available in many vibrant colors, in either F 0.5 mm or M/B 0.8 mm point. They also have airplane-safe / fraud-proof liquid ink. The Paper Mate Liquid Expressos a.k.a. Liquid Flairs are also available in many colors in either X-Fine or Med point.

The Expressos/Flairs are of particular interest because they are fiber-tip (aka felt-tip), which is my second favorite type of writing instrument next to fountain pens. My third favorite pen type is liquid ink rollers such as the Vision Elites. The fiber tip writes on all types of paper without hesitation or complaint, and has a smooth feel with gentle feedback. I use the X-Fine (needle) tip Expressos/Flairs usually in blue or purple, and their purple is a deep rich color, not too light like some of the violet colors around. I’ve found the tips to be robust and the ink supply long lasting. If you have a heavy hand you’d probably prefer one of the rollerballs, but if you’re a fountain pen user, the fiber-tip should not be a problem.

One consideration with the Liquid Expressos is they fit a bit better – less force to reinstall the section – if you trim about 1/4 inch off the end. (See picture) Perhaps this is the reason they’re not listed on the Sherpa site (although the identically-shaped Accent Liquid Highlighter is listed). They fit in stock form, but the small trim helps.

Midnight Sherpa disassembled, with my favorite “refills”

My new Sherpa is called “Midnight” and is all black. Given the durability of my 1st Sherpa after years in my pocket, I figure the stealthy black one will also hold up well. I know that durability of the matte black finish has been a concern on other pens such as the Pilot Namiki Stealth Vanishing Point, the Lamy Dialog 3, and the Monteverde Invincia Stylus, so time will tell how the Sherpa holds up. The surface finish is a satin matte black, with titanium-like polished accents at each end, the logo-ring, the section, and clip. So far I’ve only seen a bit of the clear-coat flaking off on the section, but the underlying color remains. This is probably due to clicking the cap on & off.

Sherpa Midnight

Recently at an art supply store I happened upon some fiber tip pens called Y&C Liquid Stylist, which nearly identical in size and ink to the Liquid Expressos (the caps are even interchangeable). The offer some alternative colors such as brown.

The construction is quite solid, with good weight and balance. The body and cap are brass. The grip section is plastic with a titanium-like finish, and there is a plastic insert in the cap which prevents ink evaporation and clicks nicely onto the section. That firm and smooth click adds to the overall sense of quality. There is a spring inside the main body which provides a bit of tension on the pen to accommodate slight differences in length and prevent rattling around.

Sherpa Midnight and Mr. Pinstripes

The grip section is ergonomically shaped for those who hold the pen close to the tip. Those who hold it further back, like me, will be on the logo ring and may find the pen a bit fat for prolonged writing. I adapt to it.

Overall this is a well-made and versatile pen, unlike anything else on the market. The price may seem a bit high for a Sharpie, but I think it’s fair if you consider it as a fine roller ball (Vision Elite) or fiber tip (Liquid Flair) pen. In some ways I think of the Sherpa as an economical alternative to the Parker Ingenuity pens with “5th Technology”. You get the convenience of a refill, the functionality of a plastic or fiber tip, but the pen and refills are small fraction of the price. 

Ink Samples

Guest Review: Kaweco Liliput Al Fine Nib Fountain Pen

(This is a guest review by Ben Dahl. You can follow Ben on Twitter @TheBenDahl)

Between show reviews for Lost in Concert, posts for Cool Material and a general desire not to forget any brilliant ideas (upon reexamination most of them are anything but, but I wouldn'€™t know that if I didn'€™t write them down), my list of demands when it comes to pens includes everything but a jet fueled and waiting on the tarmac.

It has to be convenient enough that I won'€™t mind carry it all night, but durable enough to take a beating without it also serving as a paperweight. Reliable enough that I don't have to worry about turning it into a Shake Weight in the middle of a performance. Comfortable enough that I won't mind filling a few Field Notes with chicken scratch over the course of a day. Other bonuses include, but aren't limited to: not having a cap I have to hold and/or lose, not looking like a weapon (you'€™d be surprised how anal retentive security guards are), affordable and good looking. In other words, I'€™m asking for a lot in a single writing implement. When Brad suggested a fountain pen I thought he was crazy, but the Kaweco Liliput Al delivers.

The first thing everyone notices about the Liliput Al is its size. It'€™s tiny. Closed, it's about as long as a standard wallet and only slightly longer than a cigarette. With the cap screwed onto the end for writing purposes it'€™s barely longer than an iPhone. It fits into every place I can think of to put a pen: pockets, bags, pen slots, cups and office organizers. In fact, I'm having difficulty thinking of a place that this pen won't fit. That's fantastic, but it's also the only real flaw with this pen. If you're not careful, there's about a 75% chance you will lose this pen. It's ended up in the washer on more than one occasion simply because I didn'€™t realize it was still in a pants pocket. Obviously it'€™s tiny, but what about everything else?

In case a few trips through with the dirty laundry isn't enough of an inclination, the Liliput Al is built like a tank. The full aluminum body and stainless steel nib (F in this case) make it all but impervious to trips down stairs, being thrown at a wall (What? I had to test it!) and getting stepped on. I did everything short of running this thing over with a car and none of it even marred the gorgeous matte black finish.

You can beat it up however you want and nothing bad will happen, but there'€™s only one real way to write with it. If you don'€™t screw the cap on the back of the pen it'€™s about as comfortable and easy to operate as a stylus on a Palm Treo. It's as fun as Calculus so not at all. Once you put the cap where it belongs, though, writing is a breeze. There's no drag on the page, no tearing and no ink seepage. Once the ink's on the page, it doesn't bleed and dries quickly enough that you don'€™t have to worry about everything turning into a blob if you use a notebook that closes. It'€™s not beer resistant, but that's to be expected with liquid ink (standard cartridge).

All things considered, the Kaweco Liliput Al is a fantastic little fountain pen. I would happily spend $55 on one of these pens and recommend it to anyone looking for something a little out of the ordinary. You can take it with you everywhere without worrying about it, and you'€™ll always know it'€™s ready for service … as long as you don't lose it in your pocket.

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!