Paper Mate Hardhead Flair Review

My recent posts on the Bic Z4 Porous Tip pen have turned out to be very popular. People like this style of pen tip and the way they write, but unfortunately they are a little hard to find. The same goes for any similar pens, which is a question I have gotten several times recently. I was hard pressed to come up with an answer, but Pen Addict reader Amy sent me the Paper Mate Hardhead Flair to try out, and it is very comparable to the Z4.

The Flair line has been around for as long as I can remember, but I had never heard of the Hardhead until Amy emailed me. Flairs have always been my favorite Paper Mate product, and this one holds up well under the test. The Hardhead has a sharp, dark line, and doesn’t bleed through the Doane Paper I am using. Compared directly to the Z4, it is almost identical, with only the smoothness of the Z4 being a bit better.

Now for the kicker: These are even HARDER to find that the Z4. In fact, Amy got hers off of eBay, and was nice enough to share with me. Are there any other porous tip pen options out there that I should test and are somewhat easy to obtain? Please let me know in the comments section and I would be happy to hunt them down.

Ohto F-Spirit Fountain Pen Review

This is a guest post by Bryan Gushikawa.

Ohto is a company best known for its ceramic rollerball and gel pens, but they’ve also gotten into the midrange fountain pen market with pens such as the Rook and F-Spirit. These pens are based around a lightweight aluminum body with a lacquer coat and Iridium Point Germany (IPG) nibs. Although many cheap pens use IPG nibs and the quality can vary widely, the Ohto pens use the better nibs and so these are smooth writers. The pens are fitted for international standard cartridges, so you can try out many different inks. The nib width seems fixed at fine and the pen writes really well, since the lightweight body is very well balanced.

Smoothness: Even though it’s an IPG and very stiff, the nib is excellent and lays down a nice, solid line.

Grip and Balance: The grip is smooth plastic, and isn’t as long as some others, but it’s adequate. The balance is excellent with the cap posted and the entire pen feels light and easy to write with. The barrel is just right as far as thickness goes.

Ink Flow: Although feeds might need adjusting from the factory, I had no problems with this pen. No skips or blotches.

Build Quality: VERY pleasing! The cap snaps crisply and the lacquered finish is excellent, with no misfills or gaps. The threads on the feed and barrel are perfectly aligned and the pen has no problems related to manufacturing. Tines on the nib were perfect from the factory.

Capacity: Takes any standard international cart. Converters are available and I am sure that long international cartridges fit, too.

Clip: Strong metal with a ball at the bottom to hold fabric. VERY good design!

Post: Perfect post! Uses a friction fit, with the plastic shell inside the cap keeping scuff marks off of the barrel. The cap also snaps shut tightly on the front of the pen. No drying out happened.

Overall: This pen is an excellent value for the money in these days of plastic barrels. The class and style are perfect for the office and the usage of international carts means that you can go to JetPens and try many different types of inks! I recommend Kaweco inks as superior in this pen.

Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner Marker Pen Ultramarine Blue Review

I have tested and reviewed a lot of pens over the years, but I am always looking for something new to try out. Readers have recommended that I review the Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner for quite some time, and now that JetPens has started to stock them, I finally have easy access to what happens to be a very good pen.

I grabbed two on my initial order - Black and Ultramarine Blue. While I might use black on a more regular basis, I always like to review some of the non-standard colors, and Ultramarine Blue is a winner. According to the color chart on JetPens, this shade falls right in between Turquoise on the light side and Dark Blue on the darker end of the spectrum. If you have ever tried the Uni-Ball Light Blue ink it reminds me of that a little.

Performance wise, there are no issues to speak of. The water-based ink does bleed through the page just a bit, but like I mentioned in the written review, that is the norm for this type of pen, where the Sharpie Pen is the exception. The long barrel is lightweight and easy to hold, and my lines were clean and sharp.

The best part about this pen is that it is only 80 cents, so for less than a buck you can try out one of the 25 colors available. That is a can’t lose proposition in my book.