Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Kaweco AL Sport Light Blue 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.)

The Kaweco AL Sport is a familiar pen to the pen community for its stellar design, portability, and rugged durability. With a lot of different pen lines, you might buy one and think that you're done buying anymore from that line. Then, the manufacturer goes and releases an awesome new color to the lineup that's irresistible. That's exactly what Kaweco have done here with the all new Kaweco AL Sport in Light Blue.

From the inside out, this is a standard AL Sport. The only difference in this model is the color. Before we jump into the color, let's do a brief recap on the AL Sport itself.

If you've never had the pleasure of using a Kaweco AL Sport, you really should seek one out at some point. While they aren't exactly cheap, they're not really on the expensive end of the fountain pen spectrum either. Made of aluminum, they have a solid feel in the hand and do extremely well in regards to durability. You can throw it into a bag or pocket on its own, or you can install a small pocket clip to keep it secured. Hands down, this pen oozes quality, and it's a joy to handle and use.

The nib units of all AL Sports (and other similarly-priced Kaweco models) are easily interchangeable, which means you can have a nib customized to your liking, and move your custom nib to a new pen when you're ready. It's as simple as unscrewing the nib unit from one pen and inserting it in another. Piece of cake.

Of course, the Kaweco nibs are fantastic when they arrive in a usable state out of the box. However, they have been known to have some quality control issues that require some DIY tuning in order to get a useable pen. That said, these pens are great writers and will likely outlive you.

The nib I received with this review unit is an EF, and it wrote like a charm write out of the packaging. Smooth and crisp — exactly how they're meant to be.

Now, back to the color. The light blue is a beautiful shade that looks different depending on the lighting conditions. In some lighting, it looks like a cool light gray, while in others it may look slightly violet. Most of the time, though, it has a pleasant sky blue hue that makes me smile. All of the other hardware is a silver color, which compliments this cooler color.

There are several colors available in the Kaweco AL Sport line, including a similar silver color, but this Light Blue is my current favorite. Even though autumn is approaching, this color reminds me of spring and summer. It's light and joyful, and I can't help but keep it close even when not using it just so I can catch a glimpse of the color throughout the day.

If you've been on the fence about trying an AL Sport, this is a perfect one to start on! And, if you enjoy collecting all the colors, then this is a no-brainer. Stock may be a little difficult since they're brand new, but you can find one eventually when stock starts to normalize.

The light blue Kaweco AL Sport is a new favorite thanks to the beautiful new color. It's a great match with the Diamine Turquoise I currently have inked, but my next ink will probably be Iroshizuku ama-iro to match the body more closely.

At JetPens, you can find the Kaweco AL Sport in Light Blue with an EF, F, M, or B nib size for around $80 at the time of this post.

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

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Kaweco, AL Sport, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim Biz Gel Pen Review

The FriXion is Pilot’s playground. I think that is why I like this pen so much. They nailed erasable ink technology - which no one has been able to duplicate - and they keep playing around with all kinds of barrels and colors to use it in.

The FriXion Slim Biz is the latest addition to an ever expanding lineup, and is is a nice as all who came before. The barrel is skinny, as the Slim name dictates, but has a nice feel to it due to the stainless steel material used. It is retractable as well, with a blue plastic accent between the clip and the eraser.

Erasable gel ink is the biggest feature of the FriXion of course, and you can tell that Pilot has been tweaking the formula since the pen first launched. It has never worked better in my opinion, with less pressure needed and cleaner results. The ink vanishes easily and completely, at least until you pop it in the freezer.

What impresses me most about the Slim Biz is how well the 0.38 mm refill writes. It reminds me of the Uni-ball Signo DX in fact, which is about the highest praise I can offer. The lines are sharp, clean, and mess-free. And the black ink is black. There was a time in the early days of the FriXion where the black was light in color, and even leaned a little brown. That time is gone, and this ink is great.

And you can erase it!

I like this pen a lot. At $18 it is by no means cheap, but the pen is nice and fun to use. If you have never tried a FriXion pen before, the FriXion Ball Knock is the best place to start, and you can branch out from there with different tip sizes, colors, and barrels. If you are a FriXion pro then I think you will like the Slim Biz as well.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pilot, FriXion, Pen Reviews.

The Retro 1951 Tornado Prism EXT Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

When I saw the Retro 1951 Tornado Prism fountain pen on Jet Pens, I was immediately taken by its colorful patterns. It reminded me of a patchwork quilt. Although I had a few qualms about ordering a Retro Tornado fountain pen (I read some negative reviews a while back), I decided to give this one a try.

Packaged in a cylindrical cardboard box, the pen is nestled in the center like a spaceship ready for launch. It comes with a couple of cartridges and a converter.

The exterior of this pen is really nice. The colors and design set it apart from other fountain pens. The barrel and cap both have a light texture to them.

The barrel is made of metal as is the cap, the trims are chrome plated, but the grip is plastic. The reason the pen has the "EXT" in its name is the barrel is extended "to hold a converter, one standard international long ink cartridge, or two standard international short ink cartridges" (Jet Pens description).

The cap has the signature Retro 1951 finial with "Tornado by Retro 51" inscribed in the metal. The upper portion of the finial sports an engraved diamond pattern.

In my opinion, the top looks like it's missing something. Couldn't they have put a stylized "51" there or maybe a shiny, prism-like color of some sort?

In the usual Retro 51 style, the clip is metal and quite rigid. I suppose with some use it might loosen up, but you would need to work to get it onto a thick shirt pocket or a sheaf of papers.

Although the cap screws on to the barrel, it doesn't post well. You can jam it on the back of the pen, but it pops off pretty easily and throws off the balance of the pen anyway.

The nib is a Schmidt steel with an iridium tip. It has a basic scroll work design, along with a stylized "F" for the nib size and the Schmidt branding.

I honestly did not expect much from this nib, but it is fairly smooth with just a little feedback, depending on the paper. It seems to be a true western fine.

The converter is all plastic but works smoothly and holds a decent amount of ink.

Although the pen is light, the metal gives it just enough heft to feel substantial in the hand. I find it comfortable to write with for short periods, but after grading several papers with the pen, I experienced some hand cramping and fatigue. The grip is fairly narrow (10.1mm), and I suspect that's why my hand got tired.

The Retro 1951 Tornado Prism is a decent fountain pen for $44.50. My main concern is that the ink doesn't always flow perfectly, and you have to push it down into the feed with the converter. This intermittent ink flow causes some skipping, especially if your writing surface isn't perfectly flat.

The other concern is the cap. It screws on, but the threads aren't machined very well, so if you don't get the cap positioned just right, it gets stuck on the threads and you have to start over. I usually have to try two or three times to get the cap on correctly, and that's frustrating.

Overall, I like this pen and it will join my grading pen rotation. But, to be honest, my $12 Pilot Metropolitans are much more comfortable, better writers, and a lot cheaper than the Tornado. They remain my top-choice grading pens.

Pros

The unusual design and subtle texture make the Retro Tornado Prism a unique-looking fountain pen. It is a colorful and fun pen to use.
The pen is light, but not overly so, the metal body giving it some heft.
The Schmidt nib is reasonably smooth and writes a solid western fine line.
The plastic converter does its job fairly well. An agitator ball would help keep the ink flowing.
The Tornado makes a good EDC pen because it is metal and should hold up well to abuse.

Cons

Although the nib writes smoothly, the converter doesn't always supply enough ink to the feed and you have to push the ink down manually. I'm having this trouble with several of my converters. The only ones that don't seem to suffer from ink flow problems are those with agitator balls in them.
The cap does not screw onto the barrel smoothly most of the time. I think this is an issue of bad threading.
You cannot post this pen.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!