Review: County Comm Embassy Pen

I had been lusting after the County Comm Embassy Pen for a while, and needing to tell my in-laws something to get me for Christmas, I figured this would be a perfect fit.  I really had no idea until Christmas day whether they actually bought it or not (they aren't big fans of the internet shopping thing), but I was pretty psyched to see a pen sized package heading my way that morning.

The packaging for the Embassy Pen was pretty unique.  It comes in an oversized clear plastic tube - similar to a test tube - sealed with a screw off cap like you would find on a two-liter soda bottle.  I would have taken a picture of the container, but my kids discovered that it was a pretty cool toy, and I haven't seen it since that fateful morning.  Needless to say, it was unique looking enough that my mother in-law told me she had to do a double take when she first received it, not knowing exactly what this thing was.

Once I opened the tube and got the pen in my hands, it was everything I imagined it would be.  It is extremely heavy duty, feeling almost like a mini-baton.  It's not a pure tactical pen like some other pens on the market with the dedicated window breaker tip, but it is more than substantial enough to do some damage if that is your thing.  Put it this way - I wouldn't want to deal with bringing this through airport security very often.

From a construction standpoint, the pen body is constructed from T6061 Type 3 Anodized Aluminum with a stainless steel clip, and a machine knurled body and grip.  Short version:  It is substantial.  The stock ink cartridge is a medium black Fisher Space Pen refill, and while that is not my personal favorite, it is a perfect choice for this type of pen.  This is essentially a field pen, and the Fisher Space Pen refill is almost mandatory.  What I need to do is hunt down is a finer point Fisher refill, so I'll let you know how that turns out (and am open for suggestions).

One point to mention with the Embassy Pen - and it is clearly marked on their website - is that the cap is not made to post on the end of the pen, so you will be writing with the cap loose.  Their exact quote is as follows, which is one part funny, and one part cryptic:

NOTE: The CountyComm Embassy Pen industrial design purposely DOES NOT provide for the cap to fit on the back of the barrel. There are several reasons for this, one will become apparent when someone asks to borrow your pen - loan them the pen while you hold the cap and you will get your pen back! Other more discrete reasons are best kept quiet! If you require a pen that holds the cap on the barrel while writing, there are thousands on the market to choose from. If you are looking for a rugged, failsafe, multi-purpose EDC pen, we hope you will choose our distinctive Embassy Pen.

In the end, I really love this pen.  For me, it is not an every day at my desk writer, but I don't hesitate to grab it and clip it to my shirt or jeans, and write anywhere and everywhere I please.  Plus, it looks cooler than just about any other pen I own.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Hero M86 Chinese Calligraphy Pen

This review is by Kalina Wilson, who can also be found at geminica.com.

Once again, my review is inspired by an Urban Sketcher.  This time, it's the wonderful Tia Boon Sim of Singapore and her use of the Hero M86 Chinese calligraphy pen.  The pen has a beautiful and solid (albeit heavy) black and silver body.  

See that bulbous cap?  It's too heavy for the pen, and doesn't post well.  Hmm.  At least it's stylish.

The only source I know of for these pens is ISellPens.com.  Scroll down towards the bottom of the linked page to find it. Right now it's selling for $12.88 plus shipping.  

This pen has a bent nib which is sometimes referred to as a "ski jump" nib.  Due to the bend the line is generally quite broad; however, when you tip your hand forward (bringing the pen into a more vertical position, up to a right angle from the page), you get a fine line.  Additionally, as also works with other fountain pens, inverting the pen results in an even finer line.

 
The first two writing samples are on Aquabee Super Deluxe paper which is fairly toothy, and shows the lines available by changing the vertical angle of the pen.   (Sorry for the blur.) The third sample is on smooth "Pen Sketcher's" paper.  Also see Tia's video demonstrating her use of the pen; it's subtle, but you can see that she changes the pen's angle to the paper quite a bit and also uses it in the inverted position for awhile.

      

I believe it's because of the strange way you need to hold this pen to achieve line variation that it has such particularly idiosyncratic results.  Tia achieves gorgeous fluidity in her sketches using this tool (this is one of my favorites of hers - so beautiful!).  That's Tia, though.  In my hand the pen produces a very different style.

The Hero M86 is so unlike other pens that it takes special attention and practice.  Luckily it's a lot of fun, as well!

As for ink, I took no chances and filled up with Noodler's Bulletproof .  Use an economical ink in any case because you can blast through it fast with this pen. 

The pen comes with a pump filler ink reservoir. This brings us to the pen's one major flaw that I've found, besides the minor annoyance of not being able to post the cap:  ink flow has been inconsistent.

Often I need to open up the pen and manually push the slider to force ink towards the nib, being careful not to push too far, which would flood ink onto my hands and paper. I haven't heard of others encountering this problem with the Hero, so it may depend on how you hold the pen or it could be a manufacturing issue.  Tia recommends moving the ink pump very quickly in order to reduce air bubbles.  Following that advice reduced but did not eliminate my ink flow problems.  See her discussion here; note that my ink reservoir is the one she states is newer, printed with "Hero" rather than "Made in England".

Like most other fountain pens and brush pens, this pen doesn't do well in a Moleskine sketchbook or, indeed, on any paper that has a non-absorbent coating.  The copious ink just pools up.  Toothy watercolor or mixed media paper has a strong effect on the line, but it takes the ink well.  In general, an artist may need to be a little more selective about paper when using this pen than they would when using a standard fountain pen like a Lamy Safari.  My accounting ledger paper resisted the ink a little bit which resulted in some smudging and a greyer tone, but other than that the effects were nice.

This is an exciting pen for artists.  I highly recommend the Hero M86 for anyone who desires great variety of line and loves to discover new possibilities in their tools... as long as they are willing to spend some time getting to know the pen and don't mind working around the unpostable cap and potentially unreliable ink flow.

Thanks to Tia for showing her gorgeous sketches made with this pen at last year's Urban Sketchers Symposium... and to my partner Mike for putting the Hero M86 under our Christmas tree!

Review: Sharpie Ultra Fine Permanent Marker - Brown

I mentioned it in the written review above, but it bears repeating here - you can thank Chad Doane for this review.  I read in his recent "What's on Their Desk" interview at Office Supply Geek that his daily arsenal consists of the Sharpie Ultra Fine Permanent Marker in Black and his own Doane Paper Flap Jotter.  I had some black Sharpies laying around the house, but I figured I would order a few of the more non-traditional colors from JetPens since they recently started stocking them.

One of the things I have always enjoyed about the Sharpie Ultra Fine markers is how rich the colors are, and this brown is a perfect example.  The way it lays down on the page makes it look almost as if it were painted on.  That being said, you also know going into it that you are going to get some bleed through the page.  If that is acceptable to you, then you are looking at a marker that can accomplish a wide variety of tasks on a daily basis.  It's no wonder why Sharpies are the marker of choice for so many artists and designers around the world.

What do you use your Sharpies for?

Click here for the XL review.