My Fountain Pen Education: The Pilot Tow

I think I am a Pilot man. For some reason, their pen designs resonate with me, and I have never been disappointed with the quality. Their standard fountain pen inks are excellent, and their high-end Iroshizuku line are some of the best inks on the planet. In the non-fountain pen category they are strong too. Can you say Hi-Tec-C?

One of the things that has fascinated me about Pilot is how well their older designs hold up decades later. I have already reviewed the Pilot Murex - a candidate for the best pen ever designed - as well as a remake of the Pilot Myu in the limited edition M90. While it is nowhere near as old as the previous two pens, the Pilot Tow shares similar design elements and is much more accessible to the average fountain pen buyer.

I am not sure why, but there is shockingly little information available about the Tow online. From what little I can gather, the pen was manufactured in the early-to-mid 2000's ... aaand we're done. Seriously, I cannot dig up much more information on it that that. But having used one I can tell you it is fantastic.

There is nothing about the Pilot Tow that I don't like. The stainless steel barrel is solid and has some weight to it, the cap fits tightly, the clip is firm, and the section is smooth and comfortable. The steel FM nib in this model is great as well. Aesthetically, I like the slightly downward angle of the nib and the slight amount of flex it has when writing.

The Pilot Tow is only moderately difficult to find, but when you do you will discover the best part about this pen: You can have your own for around $30. Speerbob is a well-respected seller and often has them available in his ebay store for that price. Writing this review reminded me I needed to order one of my own. An F nib is on the way!

Pentel Sign Pen Review

There are many pens with long and respected histories but not too many can compete with the history of the Pentel Sign Pen. What pen can claim they were left for dead shortly after introduction only to be resurrected by a US President and go on to live a long and healthy life? (More on this later)

Surprisingly enough, I have never reviewed the traditional Pentel Sign Pen before. Despite their history, they aren't the easiest pens to find on a store shelf, and I never bothered with buying a dozen from Amazon or ordering directly from Pentel. Luckily my dealer - street name "JetPens" - came through recently with flying colors. And by colors, I mean 11 of them.

Instead of going with the standard blue or black that would have made me feel more Presidential, I went with Sky Blue, which made me feel more, I don't know, fun? It is a fantastic color.

The Pentel Sign pen is more of a marker than a pen but I can see why it was so popular for signatures back in the day. This pen is designed for big, loose, sweeping strokes, allowing the user to tear through hundreds of signatures with consistency and ease. The fiber tip pen leaves a bold line that is unmistakable.

Is there much use for this style of pen today? Outside of artists and designers, maybe not, but it is worth owning at least one so you can say you own a piece of writing history.

Want more on the history of the Pentel Sign Pen? Don't miss this amazing manga .pdf about its creation.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Maxmadco Retractable Pen Review

One of the fun things about writing this blog is getting emails from readers talking about their favorite pens. As if you didn't know this already, people are passionate about their pens, and love to share the ones that make them happy. Many times I have heard of and likely used the pens in question, but an email from Joe a few months back introduced me to something brand new.

How the Maxmadco Retractable Pen was not on my radar is a shocker to me because it pushes all of my buttons. Aluminum body, anodized black finish, tight clip, a very responsive spring loaded bolt style mechanism, and made in the USA - what's not to love? Joe let me borrow his and from the moment I took it out of the box I was impressed.

As I wrote in the sample above, this is what a 10 out of 10 build quality looks like. The Maxmadco Retractable is flawlessly designed and manufactured. It is so clean and sleek I just kept looking at it instead of writing with it. Before getting it in my hands I was worried the bolt would protrude too much from the side but my concerns were unfounded. It is subtle enough to stay out of the way but substantial enough to allow for quick engagement. Very well done.

The supplied refill is the medium Parker Gel which was ok for the review, but if it were my own pen I would swap it out for another Parker compatible refill like my favorite 0.5 mm Moleskine Gel. The Fisher Space Pen refill would be another consideration.

The only hangup with this pen is the price. At $85 dollars it is fairly priced but that is outside of the no-brainer purchase zone for me. I will own one someday soon (it comes in stainless steel also) but I need to save up my pennies before jumping in. If you want that one pen you can take anywhere and will last a long time the Maxmadco Retractable should be on your radar.

Thanks again to Joe for letting me borrow this outstanding pen!