Ti POST RAW Pen + Stylus From Big Idea Design

I have been a fan of Chadwick Parker and Joe Huang's Kickstarter pen designs since they released the PHX-1 back in 2011. While that pen no longer sees action in my rotation their Solid Titanium Pen + Stylus still hits the page frequently, loaded out with an 0.3 mm Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier refill. The design is excellent, unless you want to post the pen. The Ti POST RAW changes that.

Chadwick was kind enough to loan me one of his prototypes for a quick look and I am pleased with the new design. The main feature is the cap is able to post much deeper into the barrel as opposed to near the very end of the barrel in the previous design. The threads are also wider and longer, making for a more secure fit when the cap is posted. This gives the pen an improved overall balance.

While this is essentially an iterative design, it is one that was much needed for those who want to securely post their Ti pen. The other features, such as the ability to add a stylus tip and use a wide variety of refills, have gone unchanged and provide the excellent options available in their other offerings.

Their Kickstarter campaign for the Ti POST RAW has cruised past it's initial $5000 goal and is sitting above $40K with three weeks to go. Be sure to check it out if you are looking for a great EDC titanium pen. I did.

Thanks for the loaner Chadwick! I'll be mailing it back your way this week.

Zebra R-301 Review

The Zebra R-301 is a metal (mostly) rollerball pen that didn't show up on my radar until I was idly browsing JetPens when I should have been working. I can't lie – this happens more than once a week. I haven't really been interested in rollerballs since I'm really happy with my Retro 51 Tornados, but I wouldn't refuse a new player with a nice design.

Now, the Zebra doesn't really compare to the Retro 51s in quality, but they're also around 15% of the price of a Retro 51. There's a lot to love about this pen, so let's jump in!

Look and feel

The Zebra R-301 doesn't look like a cheap pen in my opinion. The stainless steel give it a great shine and feel. Unfortunately, the stainless steel only covers parts the barrel and cap. The grip section is made of a textured plastic that I imagine creates a great divide in opinion.

Upon first looking at the pen, I was displeased by the grip because its diameter is smaller than the body and cap. It just looks odd. But then I started writing and let that little detail go. I enjoy the grip, and if you're a fan of other Zebra pens that have a similar plastic textured grip, you'll probably like this one just fine. It's the kind of design that fosters a "love it or hate it" response.

The pen is fairly light, so long sessions aren't a problem. The cap secures tightly when the pen is closed, but it tends to wobble a bit when posted. Not a huge issue for me, but this will annoy others. If it were just a fraction of a millimeter tight, it would be perfect.

The cartridge on this pen is a good size. It's much longer and wider than an international short cartridge. It pops in with no trouble, and I was able to start writing in seconds.

Writing performance

Now, on to the important part. This pen feels amazing when writing. It glides across all sorts of paper like smooth glass on silk. It's on par with the Retro 51 Schmidt refill. The ink is very dark and bold – something that I love in a black ink.

That said, it's a very wet writer. Zebra claims it's a 0.7mm tip, but the wet ink lays down a wider line. There are absolutely no feed problems with this pen. Ink is always plentiful.

For being such a wet writer, it dries extremely quickly. I did a couple of tests and found that the ink would no longer smudge after 2 or 3 seconds. That's impressive!

On the downside, the ink seems to feather on every paper I tried. Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Apica, or cheap notebook paper – they all suffered from noticeable feathering.

Things to note

There are a couple of things to note about the cartridges for this pen. For one, they're proprietary. I didn't look for very long, but I wasn't able to find any satisfactory replacements for this pen. I've thought about trying to refill the cartridge with a syringe, but I don't know if a fountain pen ink would work properly with this pen. Who knows? At this price, I wouldn't be upset if it ruined the pen.

Ah, the price. At JetPens, the Zebra R-301 is currently priced at $3.20. The pen comes with two cartridges. A set of two cartridges (no pen) is priced at $2.30. That's only a $0.90 difference. I guess the pen is worth a lot less than the cartridges. Personally, I wouldn't mind if they made the entire pen out of stainless steel and bumped the price up a bit. That would be an excellent EDC pen.

Overall

Despite the issues that I found with this pen, it's actually real joy to use. It's a great rollerball with great flow, bold ink, and durable body. And at this price, it's easy to try.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

Pilot Ageless Future Gel Ink Pen Review

The Pilot Ageless is a pen I have been fascinated with for years but was never sure how it would fit into my writing rotation. I was finally able to pick one up courtesy of JetPens and it is an interesting pen. Let's check it out!

The primary selling point of the Pilot Ageless is the barrel design, and specifically, the retractable mechanism. It features a double-twist deployment. Twist the section once and the nose cone appears. Twist again and the ink cartridge pops out and its ready to write. Reverse the twist and it retracts in the same two-stage process.

There are many things I like about this feature. First of all, it can be operated with just one hand. Rest the barrel in your palm, put the grip section between your index finger and thumb, and give it two little flicks to get writing or retract it for storage. The mechanism is smooth and flawless. Secondly, it is integrated seamlessly. There is no visible knock like with traditional retractable pens, and really no indication of how to deploy the nib if you aren't already aware. It is very well designed.

The barrel itself is made of metal and has a good weight to it. If you have a Retro 51 Tornado Laquers Edition it is close to that weight, maybe a touch lighter. It feels great and is well balanced when writing. When fully deployed it is a full length pen, too.

I have the Carbon Black Gray model with the 0.7 mm gel ink refill. It is ultra smooth and dark but I would prefer a finer refill alternative. I'll need to do some research because the refill is an interesting size to fit this pen. If you like 0.7 mm gel ink you will have no issues writing with this pen.

I compare the Pilot Ageless to the Zebra Sharbo X. It is a premium pen at a premium price, and for that reason it is not for everyone. For me personally, I love the design and if I can find an alternate refill I will use it a lot. If not, It will probably sit on my desk, look pretty, and be used sparingly.

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