Lamy Pico Review

The additon of a Lamy Pico to my writing arsenal has been a long time coming. Like since I started the blog in 2007 long. It is a wonderful Lamy design that no one has been able to match but I always wondered: Would I like it?

What makes the Pico unique is its deployment mechanism. When retracted, the cylindrical, compact barrel measures only 3.75 inches long, but when extended into the writing position it hits a nearly full-sized 5 inches in length. The knock is visually integrated into the barrel perfectly and there is no clip, so this portable powerhouse is able to slide into any pocket with ease. The Lamy badge on the barrel serves as a roll-stopper in lieu of a clip to keep your pen from rolling away.

The refill is the proprietary Lamy M22, which could be a sticking point for some people. It ships with the black 0.7 mm as the default, but I swapped it immediately for the 0.5 mm blue refill and love the output. It lays down a clean, fine line and is smooth as well. It is a traditional ballpoint so I can't really ask for much more performance wise.

I went with the white barrel for something different, but every option in the Pico lineup looks as good as the next. Quite honestly, this is close to the perfect every day carry ballpoint. I love the build quality, how the rounded ends slide right into my jeans front pocket, and how slick the knock mechanism works. I wish I would have bought the Lamy Pico years ago.

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

Pilot FriXion Ball Knock Biz Gel Ink Pen Review

Erasable pens don't often make my daily rotation, but when one does it is guaranteed to be a Pilot FriXion. Other companies have tried to compete with Pilot in this realm but none have come close. When you think erasable pen all you need to think about is FriXion.

The Pilot FriXion Ball Knock Biz Gel Ink Pen is the latest to come across my desk, from my friends at JetPens of course, and it it may be the best barrel yet. It falls in their high end FriXion line, like the Biz Point 0.4 mm, and others, before it.

The metal Ball Knock Biz barrel has a great weight to it and the retractability of the tip (using the clip as the knock) is a huge plus. From a design standpoint, the only thing that may take it down a notch is that you have to unscrew a cap at the end of the barrel to get to the eraser. Several other models leave it exposed for quick access. Otherwose, it is a very sharp looking pen.

For those who are not fans of the FriXion line the issue with the pen always comes down to the same thing: The gel ink colors are too light compared to their non-erasable counterparts. I agree with this, but I am willing to pay that price for erasability. The black ink is my least favorite, so I keep the blue 0.4 mm needle tip refills handy, which I enjoy. Yes, the ink is lighter than traditional blue gel inks but this one works for me.

For $33 the Ball Knock Biz does not come cheap. If you are a fan of the FriXion line it may be worth the barrel upgrade to you. If you are wanting to test out a FriXion to see what the fuss is all about I would recommend going with the standard Ball Knock retractable (reviewed here). Regardless, Pilot has the erasable pen market on lock down and the FriXion is the only model in this category you should consider.

For more on this pen, check out the recent review at From the Pen Cup

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

Esterbrook Dollar Pen Review

The Esterbrook Dollar Pen was one of the pens I acquired at the 2014 Atlanta Pen Show. I didn't really have an Esterbrook on my list when I went to the show, but I went home with two of them. I completely underestimated the charm and unique attributes of these pens, and I just couldn't tear myself away. I had to have them.

A little background

I bought the pens from Carl Daniel at a smaller booth at the back of the room. I remember stopping at the booth several times to handle a few of the pens that were calling to me. He was extremely friendly and offered all kinds of fascinating history tidbits about the pens I was holding. That was part of the allure that snagged me – the history. It put the context in living color.

Esterbrooks weren't on my list before because I really had no interest in antique pens. I had nothing against them, but I hadn't been bitten by the bug. Seeing these pens in person, I pretty much had no choice.

The first model I chose was one of the early "Dollar Pens." From what Carl told me and what I can find online, it's a gray demi model from circa 1939. It's not in perfect, mint condition, and that's part of the allure for me. It's a real pen that's been used. Someone wrote with this, and it still writes today. It has one job, and it does that job with excellence, even ~75 years later.

The nib that came with the pen is a model 1551 – firm medium (student). The nib unit was of an old variety that had a shallow feed. The shallow feeds are apparently prone to leaking, so the vendor included a new-old-stock 2668 nib unit with the pen. I installed the 2668 nib when I got home, and that's all I've been using since.

Now, the pen

I fell in love with this pen the minute I inked it up and started writing with it. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to write so flawlessly. I thought I would possibly end up tweaking and adjusting it a bit before it would write well. No, the pen filled with ink and wrote buttery smooth and consistent from the beginning.

Size

Even though this pen is a short model, it feels like an average full-size pen when posted. When capped, it's somewhere between a TWSBI Mini and a Kaweco Sport. When posted, it's the longest of the three. I've written with the pen for long periods without any complaints. It's a great workhorse pen that I throw in my pen case almost every day. I only paid $30 for the pen, but I treat it like one of my > $100 pens. It's special to me.

Filling mechanism

Ah, the lever filling mechanism. I can't help but make a quick aside about this filling system. As a boy, I loved the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Professor Henry Jones struggles with a solider inside of a German tank, and manages to win the fight by squirting ink in the soldier's eyes. Cheesy, I know, but it's a childhood favorite. I doubt a lever-filler can actually squirt ink with that much force anyway. Back to the point, though.

The lever filling mechanism actually works really well. A small complaint that I have is that it's difficult to get my fingernail under the tiny lever handle sometimes, but that's just a minor gripe. Drop the nib into the ink, work the lever a few times, and you're good to go.

In my experience, the pen doesn't hold much ink. It's definitely much less than a standard Lamy converter, and more like the squeeze converter that comes with the Pilot Metropolitan. Also, another complaint is that you can't tell how much ink is left. You know when the ink starts turning a lighter shade that you only have a few more words left.

Writing

The firm medium nib is a pleasure to write with. There are pens that cost a lot more than this one, and they can't hold a candle to it. I know that each nib is unique and that I might have gotten a little lucky with this one, but that's alright. It's the pen that I have, and I absolutely love it.

The nib is long, which is nice for keeping a good grip on the pen. It's never had a problem starting, skipping, or scratching. I couldn't be happier with it.

And sometimes, depending on the paper and ink combination, the nib acts somewhat like a stub. I've found inks and paper with low saturation properties tend to behave differently with the nib. The tip of the nib is rounded on the top and bottom, but the sides are fairly square. I'm guessing that's what is causing the stub behavior at times. Wet inks do not show any sort of stub behavior, however.

One of the coolest parts about the Esterbrooks is that you can easily swap out the nibs. The nib and feed unit simply unscrew from the section, very similar to how the Edison Beaumont or new Kawecos work.

Overall

This is easily one of my favorite pens, and I'm really glad I took the chance to try one out. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to purchase an antique pen that may or may not actually operate as a functional writing instrument. In my case, I found a good dealer who does a good job of restoring the pens. Being as new to this as I am, I can't really offer any advice other than to find a reputable seller who cares about these pens. If you're fortunate enough to have a pen show near you, that's a fantastic place to see lots of vintage pens and knowledgable, friendly people.

This is one of my favorite new pens, and I can confidently say that I will be expanding my Esterbrook collection.

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