*D* Rocket Titanium Oval Bolt Pen Prototype Review

Darriel Caston reached out to me a couple of months ago about his first Kickstarter project, the D Rocket Titanium Oval Bolt Pen. We exchanged emails, he shared his designs and thinking behind the pen, and a few weeks ago was able to ship me out a prototype, which I have put through the paces.

The primary design decision with the D Rocket was to keep the bolt as clean and flush with the side of the barrel as possible. Darriel succeeded in doing this by making the barrel an oval shape. This may be confusing to process, but the shape is subtle and in practice works quite well. I have a standard grip and I picked up the pen and was comfortably writing without hesitation.

The bolt action is smooth and snappy as well, a feature that is a must with this style of pen. It is easily workable with one hand, but something odd hit me after about the third click: The bolt is located in the left-handed position. Mike Dudek pointed out the same thing, so I'm glad I'm not crazy in thinking I've never used a bolt with this setup. It's not a deal breaker, but I have to flip the pen around to use it with the clip out after engaging the refill.

Materials wise, titanium is found in all the primary parts of the pen, making it a durable choice for EDC. I asked Darriel to send me the model with the D Rocket logo and laser markings to see how it would look on that type of finish and I like it. It gives the pen design a little extra pop.

The primary question with the D Rocket Oval Bolt boils down to this: Are titanium materials important to you? If so, this pen is well worth looking at. It fits Parker compatible refills, such as the Fisher Space Pen and the cool Ohto 0.5 needle ballpoint that shipped with mine, making it a durable, functional choice. If not, the aluminum Karas Kustoms Bolt or Maxmadco Bolt will save you a few bucks and suit your needs just fine.

My thanks to Darriel Caston for sending this pen over for review. If you like what you see be sure to check out the Kickstarter project for more details.

Sakura Kakikata Felt Tip Pen Review

The Sakura Kakikata gets it done with simplicity. No bells, no whistles, no frills, Just excellent performance at a fair price. What more can you ask for?

The Kakikata looks like a throwback to marker pens from the 70's and 80's that you would find by the dozen in some beat up box in an office supply closet or desk. They may have even had dust on them when you saved them, but after popping the cap off and scribbling a few test lines you knew you were on to something. Where is the love for a simple pen like this?

This is another one of those pens where I'll take two or three of them, stash them in the places I like to write, pick up from time to time, and remember how nice it is to write with. The fine felt tip is clean and sharp, and the lines are dark. The ink is water and fade resistant too, so artists will enjoy them as well.

Will this pen replace the Pigma Micron, Uni Pin, or some of my other favorite art pens? Not likely, but its a fun pen and a reminder that you don't need much to make something awesome.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Bexley Sleeve Filler Fountain Pen Review

Bexley is a brand I was familiar with in name only until my friends at Vanness Pen Shop gifted me this beautiful Bexley Sleeve Filler last year. Not only that, they added a few tweaks just for me that had me grinning from ear to ear.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Bexley has been making pens since 1993 and have an excellent reputation in the market. Their designs harken back to the heyday of fountain pens in the US in the early-to-mid 1900's. My tastes lean towards more modern styles, but seeing a pen like this makes me wonder what else I am missing.

The main feature of this pen is, of course, the filling mechanism. The rear of the pen - aka the sleeve - unscrews to reveal the filler bar and ink sac. You dip the nib into an ink bottle, give the filler bar a couple of presses to intake the ink, twist the sleeve back down, and you are ready to write. It's a very simple system that is implemented well and works perfectly. I was actually surprised at how much ink I was able to drawn in with only one or two presses.

As nice as this Bexley is, what Vanness did (without my prior knowledge or input) to make this pen special for me was really great. First off, Vanness has the ability to engrave and customize pens in their shop, so they borrowed the logo from Nock Co. and zapped it onto the end of the pen. Secondly, they had local pen maker Shawn Newton, who has worked on several of my pens, grind the broad 14k nib the pen comes with into my favorite cursive italic grind.

How awesome is that?

The pen looks cool, writes great, is personalized, and has a great story behind it. I'm so thankful to have met Lisa and Wendi from Vanness Pen at last years Atlanta Pen Show and really appreciate what they did for me with this pen.

The Arkansas Pen Show runs today and tomorrow, so if you are in the area stop by and tell them hi for me and check out their goods (which may or may not include Sailor Bung Box ink!) You can also see what else they have to offer online at Vanness1938.com.