Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Sakura Decorese Gel Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

It was the pretty pastel color palettes that drew me to the Sailor Decorese Gel Pens. With the Floral and Fruity sets combined, there's a great variety of spring colors.

I was surprised when I first wrote with them. I'd definitely say these fit more into the realm of art supplies rather than writing tools. The ink wasn't quite what I expected from something called a gel pen--they remind me more of pigment or paint pens. The ink is thick and coats the paper, maintaining a glossy, raised surface even after drying. Drying takes quite a long time. When I used it to fill in areas in my journal, it wasn't a sit-and-wait-for-dry-time ink, but a get-up-and-do-something-else-while-you-wait dry time. The ink also can dry out on the tip of the pen, and sometimes requires wiping away, so it doesn't clog the flow or drag on the page. When the pens are left uncapped or set aside for a length of time they can require some priming to get started again. I also ran into issues when I tried to go back and write over the ink when it was partially dry. The tip would scrape away the old lines and make a general mess of things. But as long as the lines were totally dry, they could be layered safely.

Once I adjusted my expectations of these pens, I really enjoyed working with them. The flow is good, the ink has great coverage, and they write on a number of surfaces, like plastic, glass, metal, photos, or dark paper. They work great for drawing highlights or writing overtop of other media like watercolors or color washes.

The pen bodies are very well constructed. They're a sturdy white plastic with a flared snap cap. The cap helps stop the pen from rolling and also has an easy-to-see ink color swatch at the top. It also snaps to post securely. The body is decorated with a clear plastic wrap that's printed with the branding, a gold filigree pattern, and a floral mark that also indicates the ink color.

There isn't a grip section. They have a long conical tip in the same white plastic as the body, and a metal rollerball point. It feels fine to hold the pen back on the body, but I'd definitely prefer a defined grip section. Still, the pens are clearly not designed for long writing sessions, so grip comfort isn't a huge consideration.

Ultimately, I was disappointed to not have a standard gel ink in these lovely color sets. I do still use them fairly often, but the dry time is a bit of a deal-breaker when it comes to everyday use. They are very pleasant as paint pens, but the product name is misleading. There's nothing wrong with the product itself--it's just another reminder of how product names shape users' expectations--and how a good product can bum you out if it's not what you were looking for.

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

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Posted on May 25, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Sakura, Gel, Pen Reviews.

TWSBI Diamond Mini AL 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.)

Way back in 2013, I wrote my first review for Brad on this site. It was a review of one of my favorite pens at the time, a TWSBI Mini. The first generation of Mini, like the larger 540 and 580, were mostly plastic and sometimes had issues. Luckily, I've never had any problems with my TWSBIs, and I still really enjoy them. Now, here we are almost 4 years later and I have my second TWSBI mini, but this is the new AL Special Edition Blue.

Like the original, the size and form factor are stellar. It's a small pen, but behaves like a full-length pen when you post it. It was a delight in 2013, and it's still a delight today.

If you're unfamiliar with the Mini AL, it's a small piston-filler demonstrator (apart from the section and piston mechanism, which is aluminum) fountain pen that comes in a variety of nib sizes. Another fun thing about TWSBI is that you can swap out the nib units if you want another size without buying another pen. For the price, the TWSBI is one of the most affordable ways to try out piston fillers. And, they're just loads of fun.

The Mini AL is largely unchanged from the original, apart from the aluminum parts that were swapped in to provide a higher-quality good. It's a great pen that feels steady in the hand and writes beautifully.

The pen feels sturdy and well-made. I couldn't always say that about the plastic model, but the AL model is stout. The plastic is sparklingly clear, and the chrome and aluminum accents give it a classic and distinguished look. Being plastic and aluminum, it isn't very heavy. This makes it ideal for long writing sessions, because it won't tire your hand.

There's a small bit of branding found on the band of the cap that indicates the TWSBI brand and model, and there's the iconic red and silver TWSBI jewel in the finial. And, of course, you can see your ink sloshing around in the reservoir, which is always fun.

The piston mechanism is smooth and sure. Like every other TWSBI, they provide a small container of silicone grease for doing your own maintenance, but that's really something that you'll need down the road. Out of the box, the pen works flawlessly. I don't have an exact measurement, but I estimate this pen can hold about 2 ml of ink.

The cap fits snugly on the pen when closed, and the clip has a nice spring to it. It's not too tight, but it gives easily enough to make clipping onto things an easy action. Some pens lean toward the "too strong is better" camp when it comes to clips, and I appreciate the balance this Mini achieves in that regard.

When writing, the cap can be posted to provide a more comfortable pen length for writing. Posting is very stable since the cap screws onto the back of the pen. And, the cap threads onto the pen without affecting the piston knob.

When capping or posting the pen, both ends feature a small o-ring at the base of the threads that provide a very snug seal when screwing down the cap. It's a nice feature that adds a level of quality and security to the pen.

The pen looks and feels great, but how does it write? Like a champ.

I've always had really good experiences with TWSBI nibs out of the box. I'm sure there are some duds out there, but you can generally expect good things from the TWSBI nibs. This EF is no exception. It's smooth, crisp, and reliable.

The line width that this pen lays down is smaller than most of my other German EF nibs. It's closer to a Japanese F, which is fine in my book. The line is also very crisp and well-defined. There's no burping or feed problems when writing, and the ink flow is very consistent without being dry.

The nib writes well from the start with no stuttering or skipping. Even after being uncapped for a while, it only takes a couple of light strokes to get the ink flowing again.

The steel nib is very rigid, which means there's no flex to speak of. If that's what you're looking for, you'll have to look somewhere else as TWSBI nibs are known to be very stiff. It's a reliable, good writer, and that's what matters!

Overall, the TWSBI Mini AL in Blue is a solid iteration on an already great pen. The added aluminum parts not only increase the quality of the pen, but the aesthetic as well. It costs a bit more than the regular Mini, but it's well worth it. The blue edition will likely sell out soon, but there's always the standard silver AL! For most other piston-filler pens, you're looking at spending well over $100, so the price point (sub-$70 range) of the TWSBI Mini is unbeatable, especially considering the quality you can expect from them.

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

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Posted on May 24, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under TWSBI, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

The Diplomat Aero in Sunset Orange: 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.)

I’ve always admired Diplomat Aeros. I like the Zeppelin shape and matte finish of the pens. When I saw they offered one in a new color, Sunset Orange, I decided I needed one.

The Diplomat Aero comes packaged in a box topped with an aluminum lid that slides off. It’s really pretty cool packaging.

Inside, the pen is held by a ribbon atop a white satin-like pad with the Diplomat logo. Beneath you’ll find a couple of cartridges and a booklet. The converter (included) is already inside the pen.

The pen is made of anodized aluminum and comes standard with a steel nib in F, M, or B, though you can actually get the pen with a 14K nib from Points of Distinction for about $100 more. Because the pen is metal, it has some heft to it, weighing 30.5 grams uncapped. The pen is 5.5 inches capped, 5 inches uncapped, and 6.25 inches posted. It doesn’t post very securely—just a couple of shakes dislodged the cap from the body of my pen. This isn’t a problem for me since I never post pens, but for those of you who do, be careful.

The Aero’s style is quite striking. I love the dark grey anodized aluminum accents (finials and grip), and the grooves in the body and cap evoke the Zeppelin.

The cap’s finial sports the Diplomat logo. The logo is called an “ink flower,” and represents droplets of ink (thanks to Hillary from Points of Distinction for answering my question about that). But I also think it looks like a Zeppelin propeller in motion. Regardless, from what I’ve read, the logo is painted on and over time wears off.

The clip is made of the same grey aluminum. It’s quite stiff, so if you clip your pens to shirt pockets or papers, it should stay put. Although I prefer screw caps, this one snaps on and off with a satisfying click.

The stainless steel nib is engraved with the Diplomat logo. I got a fine nib, and it’s a very smooth writer, but hard as a rock. There’s no give at all with this nib. The tines are very close together, and the nib seems a bit stingy with ink. I tried flossing but couldn’t get the piece of cellulous acetate between the tines (that’s how tight they are).

Even though it’s a dry writer, the steel nib is consistent and I had no hard starts or skipping. I noticed that my hand grew fatigued after a couple of pages of writing. I assume this is due to the weight of the pen, but I have other heavy pens that don’t cause my hand to cramp. So, maybe the weight combined with the grip (which is a little slippery even though it’s anodized aluminum) caused the fatigue.

The pen comes with a Diplomat converter. It draws up ink smoothly and is standard international size, holding around .7ml of ink.

The Diplomat Aero is a substantive, visually appealing fountain pen. I think the Sunset Orange color is fabulous—the matte finish tones it down so that it looks classy not flashy.

Vanness Pens has the Diplomat Aero in Sunset Orange for $195, along with all other colors of the Aero lineup.

Pros

The Diplomat Aero is a great example of German engineering. The pen looks flawless and the design is gorgeous.
I absolutely love the muted Sunset Orange color.
The steel nib is a smooth, consistent writer.
This is a hefty pen, so people who prefer weighty pens will definitely enjoy the Diplomat Aero.

Cons

Although the Aero feels comfortable, my hand grew fatigued after only a few pages of writing. I don’t think this is a balance problem, because the pen feels well balanced. However, the weight of the pen combined with the metal grip (which is slightly slippery) may have contributed to my fatigue.
I like my nibs wet, and this steel nib is a bit stingy with ink. I’m going to try to find my brass shim to see if I can get in between the tines to loosen them up a bit.

(I received a discount when purchasing this pen from Vanness Pens for purposes of this review.)

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