Pilot B2P Guest Review

This is a guest post by Lou Rinaldi, who can also be found at cfug.org and on Twitter @LouRinaldi.

I wanted to hate this pen. After all, it's just a G2 refill in an eco-friendly body, right? I'm supposed to look down my nose and scoff at it, aren'€™t I? Well, I don't hate it. I don't know if I love it either, but it has enough redeeming qualities that I can't dismiss it outright. It feels better in my hand than the standard G2 barrel, though not as good as a G2 Pro. For this ink, the 0.7 seems to flow more smoothly than the 0.5.

I definitely prefer the aesthetics of the B2P to those of the standard G2, but that may be simply because the G2 hasn't had an update in eons, and I'm just sick of looking at it. (Enough with that gross, rusty-looking area near the top of the refill!) The biggest design differences in my opinion are that the B2P barrel is a little wider, and the 'grip' is simply some indentations cut in the plastic. The eco aspect (89% recycled content) is a nice touch, and the price differential is actually insignificant enough that it'€™s easy to justify choosing the B2P over the G2. That was an important business decision by Pilot, because as the premium prices of hybrid vehicles have shown us, sometimes the upfront cost of going green can be hard to swallow.

At the end of the day, it'€™s still a G2 at heart. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your writing habits and personal preferences. While I may be a tad biased, I will share a story that I hope proves the degree of objectivity with which I approached this review. I put the B2P up against the three other pens that JetPens recently sent me for review, and let a small group of my work colleagues evaluate them with no pretext whatsoever. This is a group of people with diverse tastes in writing implements, and every single one of them independently chose the B2P as the winner. Take that as you will, but it certainly speaks to the broad mass-market appeal of this pen.

Be sure to check out Brad’s original Pilot B2P review for another opinion.

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.