Lamy Al-Star Charged Green Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It looks like spring is finally here for most of us, which means a lot of greenery is on the way. A new year also means a new limited edition color from Lamy for the Al-Star line, which just so happens to be fairly spring oriented this year.

The Charged Green Al-Star is electric, and it's the perfect color to welcome in the spring of 2016. The Al-Star, in case you don't know, is the aluminum line of Lamy's entry level fountain pens. They look almost exactly like the Safari line, but the main difference is the material (metal vs. plastic). The same contoured grip section is found on the Al-Star, but I happen to prefer the metal bodies over the regular Safaris most of the time.

If you've never used a Lamy Safari or Al-Star before, you're really missing out. Sure, there's a chance you might hate the very opinionated grip, but there's only one way to know. Lamy introduces a limited edition color each year for the Al-Star and Safari lines, but it's usually fairly easy to score one for several months after it's released. In the case of the Charged Green Al-Star, they're still easy to come by.

It's been a while since an Al-Star was reviewed here, so it's probably worth looking at the pen from its roots, not just the fancy color. The Al-Star is a medium-sized pen, but is still fairly light because of the thin aluminum used in the body and cap. Now, Kaweco also offers some aluminum pens, but they typically use much thicker materials that feel much stronger and hefty in the hand. The Al-Stars use thin aluminum, which is lightweight but not as durable. Still, they're rugged and can keep up with your normal pen duties with no problems.

The clip is strong, but easy to use, and there's a convenient ink window on both sides of the body to see how much ink is left in the pen at a glance. The Al-Star uses a propriety Lamy cartridge or Lamy converter, and ships with a standard Lamy blue cartridge. The grip section is contoured in a way to compliment a "standard" grip (whatever that means), and this is the main point of contention for the entire lineup. You'll either like the grip, or you won't. That being said, I'm a big fan of the grip and enjoy using them.

The nib that came on this pen is a medium, and it is fantastic. No tuning needed out of the box at all. It has excellent flow, almost no feedback on the page when writing, and starts beautifully every time. For the review, I chose a nice green to go along with the green theme, but the nib has done great with several types of ink. And, as with most Lamys, it's incredibly easy (and affordable) to swap out a different nib.

All in all, it's a great writer and worthy of its fame. There are plenty of standard colors offered in the Al-Star line, like gray, silver, black, purple, and blue, but the limited edition colors are usually quite enjoyable. In the case of Charged Green, it's a knock-out. When you see it on a desk or in a bag, you can't help but be drawn to it. Maybe you think it's pretty, or maybe it's ugly — your eye is drawn to it regardless. Personally, I love the color and will enjoy having it in my collection of more "boring" pens.

You can grab a Charged Green Al-Star in extra-fine, fine, and medium, but you'd better act fast because these limited editions don't stick around forever.

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

Lamy Tipo Coffee Body Rollerball Review

When reviewing products, there is sometimes a disconnect between products I like and products I would recommend. The Lamy Tipo is the embodiment of this. I personally love the Tipo. The design is a Lamy masterpiece in my opinion, but there is a long list of issues I bring up when actually recommending this pen.

First of all, the clip design takes some getting used to. When clicking it down to engage the refill, the ball on the tip of the clip lands in a circular cut out on the barrel. Most of the time anyway. There are times when it takes two or three clicks, or a little push down to get the clip to sit correctly. And on occasion, it will bounce out randomly and retract the refill, like when putting the pen down on the table.

The end of the clip sticks out far above the barrel too. That has no impact on writing, but it may get in the way depending on how and where you carry the pen.

Grip-wise, it can be slick. The plastic ridges help, but it’s not a smooth plastic where your fingers will stick. Rather, it’s lightly textured, almost matte-like. If your fingers have a little moisture its fine, but if they are dry they slide around a bit.

The Lamy M66 rollerball refill it ships with is decent, but it’s not as good as the Schmidt P8127. It is both wetter and wider, making for a line that is not as clean.

And did I mention the sticker rage? That too.

All that being said, you think I would hate this pen. Fortunately there is one redeeming thing that makes me love it: It fits Pilot G2 refills. For me, that means it fits my favorite Pilot Juice 0.38 mm Blue Black refill. #winning

Swapping in the Juice refill changes everything about this pen. I find it comfortable to hold and use, and the writing experience is excellent. My grip settles in after a couple of lines, and the ridges are no longer slick. Maybe I still have to click the knock two or three times to engage it, but look how cool this pen looks! I genuinely love it.

I buy the Lamy Tipo for gifts frequently because it is unique looking and decently priced. The plastic barrel models are $12.50 at JetPens (look at that orange!), and the aluminum are only $2 more. I’m always sure to include a Pilot Juice pen as well, plus a note on swapping out the refill. It’s fun turning an average pen into a very good one.

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

Monteverde Invincia Orange Carbon Fiber Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

My experience with Monteverde is fairly limited, as I only have one fountain pen from the company. That being said, that one fountain pen is one of my favorite and most dependable pens I own.

The Artista was a complete impulse purchase — I had no clue about the company at the time, but I liked how it looked. That pen grew on me quickly for its smooth writing experience, mesmerizing demonstrator body, and silver accents. I still highly recommend that pen to new fountain pen users as a 2nd or 3rd pen after trying out cheaper pens.

Trying out a Monteverde Invincia had me excited from the start. I've seen these pens at every pen show I've been to and have always been drawn to the design and colors. For some reason, I'd never pulled the trigger. Well, I finally had a chance to try one out and put it through the paces. The Invincia, like the Artista, is a solid fountain pen that many people will enjoy.

Look and feel

The Invincia has a nice heft to it that lets you know that the barrel and cap are made of some type of metal. It's not as heavy as a Karas Kustoms Ink, but not as light as a Pilot Metropolitan. It's a nice weight when writing unposted.

The model I have is the Orange Carbon Fiber. Now, the name implies that it's made out of an orange-colored carbon fiber material, but that's (sadly) not the case. Instead, the cap is a bright, shiny orange and the body is made of a carbon fiber (or carbon fiber imitation — I'm not good at telling the difference). Overall, it's a stunning combination of textures and colors. I love the dark gray carbon fiber mixed with the bright orange pop.

The clip is a unique shape, and one that I've only seen from Monteverde. It has a sharp angle just outside off the cap, but has a nice ball shape at the end to make clip use easy when clipping or removing it from different things.

The cap is a twist off, but only requires a quick turn to cap or uncap — not like your average screw lid. It's somewhere between a friction cap and a screw cap. I really like the secure motion of using the cap on this pen. I never have to wonder if I'm over-tightening or if it's really secured. The cap posts perfectly, but makes the pen feel a bit too top-heavy, so I normally write with it unposted.

The grip section is made of metal, and is very smooth and nicely contoured. There's a nice lip at the end of the grip to provide a place for your finger tips to rest when writing. For me, the grip section is very comfortable. Even though it's smooth, I haven't had any issues with grip or slippiness.

The nib on this pen is one of the most striking visual pieces. It's a long, elegant shape, but it's also completely black. It has minimal branding etched into it, so that shiny black goodness can really take the spotlight. I'm never expecting a black nib when I open a pen, and this one still delights me when I uncap the pen. It's a really well-shaped nib and the black color really sets it off.

Writing

A pen might look and feel amazing, but a bad nib can ultimately ruin it. These pens come with a range of nib options, from Fine, Medium, Broad, and Stub. The stub nib is a 1.1mm nib that lays a very nice line. I have the stub version, and I've mostly been happy with it.

First, the good things about the nib. It's smooth, flows well, and makes some fantastic line variations from the stub nib. Even though they call it a stub, it has some distinct line edges that resemble a couple of italic nibs I have. Stub nibs usually have softer edges, but each manufacturer interprets these nib sizes and specifications differently. In the case of Monteverde, it looks like the value a crisper line over a forgiving position. And that brings me into the bad part of the nib.

When you move into specialized nibs, one of the first things you'll encounter is certain characteristics and nuances that only exist in specialized nibs. For example, stub and italic nibs have a large flat edge designed to create dramatic line variation. The trade-off in these nibs is that there's a small "sweet spot" when using the pen. You have to hold the pen a certain way against the paper in order to keep it writing smoothly. If you rotate either way, it will either scratch, skip, stop, or a combination of all three.

In the case of the Monteverde stub nib, it has a fairly small sweet spot. It's nothing that I classify as a deal-breaker, but it is something that causes me some frustration. Like all pens, it has a personality when it comes to writing, and I've come to learn how it likes to be treated when writing. When held properly, it really is a beautiful, well-behaved nib.

That being said, specialized nibs create specialized opinions. What I dislike about a nib, another person might love. So, take my quibble with a grain of salt.

Overall

As a pen, the Invincia is beautiful, eye-catching, well-balanced, and fun to use. I love the amount of variation I can get from the steel stub nib, and I love the weight and feel of the pen in my hand when writing. Apart from my own nib preferences, this pen has no downsides for me. I'm happy that it's part of my collection alongside my Artista.

You can find the Invincia in a variety of colors and nib types from Goulet Pens. As I'm writing this, they have black, blue, lime green, and orange in stock, all of which look as nice as this one.

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