Iconic 2 Way Marker 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.)

I love markers, so I guess it makes sense that I double-love twice the marker in one pen. I feel like the Iconic 2 Way Marker Pens were designed with the planner nerd in mind. Like they sat down and anticipated our needs. At first glance, they seem pretty plain--like something I've seen before. But the more I use them, the more I like them.

These double-ended markers have a chisel felt tip at one end, and a fine-point bullet felt tip at the other. The chisel is narrow enough that it can be used as either a regular marker or as a highlighter (though the darker colors might not work as well for this function). The fine tip is surprisingly fine and is great for making notes, even in small spaces (though the paler colors are more difficult to read in fine lines). Highlighting/color-coding events and making notes in small spaces is a huge part of my day--so a tool that can do both is instantly my friend.

The colors in this Retro Set are Brownie Pink, Cloudy Blue, Mustard Yellow, Pale Vermillion, and Warm Gray. I'm totally in love with these colors. I feel like the set needs a green, though. But it's an excellent palette.

For the most part, these pens are well designed. The white plastic body has a band of pale green with the brand info on it. Other color sets have different colored bands, so you can instantly tell what color family you're using. The color name is written on the barrel, and there are colored bands at both ends that indicate what color you're using and (by width) whether that end is fine or chisel. The caps are also clear--so it's easy to tell what end you're uncapping. Every visual cue is accounted for, so there's no frustration in the use. I never once had to search or double-check what color or width I was using. I really like it when I use a product and I can actually feel the thought that went into it--when I can tell that people came together and pooled their good ideas.

If I'm going to nitpick (and of course I am), the caps are a little difficult to get off. They stick pretty hard, and they're small and tricky to grip. And, being clear, they're hard to find when you drop them. But a good seal is important for a marker cap, and the clear caps help you see what end of the marker you're about to use...so I can't even fault those things. All I'm saying, really, is that they've failed to reinvent the cap. I can fault the clip, though. This is a silly clip. It's so thin, I doubt it will last long. And it's SO snug against the body of the pen that you might be able to get one sheet of paper in there, but you're going to wrinkle the paper if you do. It's really more of a roll-stopper than a functional clip.

I'll also note that these aren't really artist's markers. They don't do any neat layering, and they begin to damage the paper if you put down too much ink. I could see using them for coloring books, but not for any original masterpieces. Though with these colors, it would still look cool--and if you do some art with these, I want to see it! I feel these are better suited to notes and doodling--which are every bit as essential to life as art.

These are also at a pretty good price point, for all of the above. $8 for a set of five that acts like ten is a very decent deal. At that price, I'll happily snap up the other sets, and backup sets, and my planner will be so gorgeous. I feel more organized already.

(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!

Tuff Writer Mini-Click Tumbled Brass Pen Review

I had the pleasure of meeting Jack Roman, the owner, founder, designer, and machinist of Tuff Writer Pens at the recent San Francisco Pen Show. We talked pens and design, writing balance and tactical needs, and the differences that all of these topics make when designing a pen.

Jack has always been open to feedback on his products. From me, he wants to know how to make a great writing pen that can take a beating. From those in the tactical community, writing is sometimes secondary to the protection aspects of the pen, and he needs to know how those features work. (I witnessed this second feature in action as Jack spun the pen in his hand from writing end to business end like a magic trick while we talked. I was jealous!)

I expressed to Jack that with Tuff Writer pens it all comes down to balance when writing. These are metal pens, ranging from lightweight aluminum and titanium, to heavy copper, brass, and stainless steel. With different metals, the balance changes. From a pure writing experience, if the weight is centered too far to the end of the pen it will be uncomfortable to write with.

As we talked, it was very clear that Jack was working on the balance of his pens constantly. With the Mini-Click, it is of the utmost importance, because it is the most standard, least tactical pen of the bunch.

Jack sent me home with the Tumbled Brass model from San Francisco to play around with, and I have been enjoying it. I chose it because brass pens can be very heavy and uncomfortable to write with, but that hasn’t been the case with this pen. Yes, it has some weight to it, but it is balanced to where it doesn’t feel like it is going to flip off the back of your hand when writing.

Style wise, I’m generally anti-o-ring. I’ve always felt they were one additional failure point/annoyance that I may have to deal with. That doesn’t seem to be the case with the way Jack manufactures these pens. His main customers need the added grip for how and where they use the pen. Me, I’m sitting at my desk half the time, of in a coffee shop. But these o-rings are integrated into the barrel and are stronger than any I’ve used. They are no different in feel to me than if a manufacturer cut grooves into the barrel in the grip section. I don’t see how I could pop one of these out if I tried.

The pen is of course built around the Fisher Space Pen refill, but with the provided Parker refill spacer added. That means any Parker refill will be able to be added right in. I haven’t swapped it yet, but I’ll do what I always do - change it to the fine Fisher Space Pen refill in blue. It’s my favorite for this type of pen.

Jack recently began manufacturing his own retractable mechanisms for his pens, and it works well. His last Kickstarter campaign lists the details and specs so you can see the work that went into designing and creating it. The stamped clip is crazy strong, too. It takes some work to slide it on and off, but for this style of pen that is appreciated.

Top to bottom: Tuff Writer, Ajoto, County Comm

Overall, I’m a fan of what Jack has done with Tuff Writer Pens. He is always tweaking his designs to make them better for his customers and their varying uses. I also like how he is adding a range of colors, and even flame torching some of the pen models. While I don’t have the need for the larger, more tactical models, I like what he has done with the Mini-Click and I’ll certainly be paying attention to his work in the future.

You can purchase Tuff Writer Pens directly from their site, and several models are available at Vanness Pens.

(I traded some Nock Co. pen cases for this pen at the San Francisco Pen show.)

---

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!

Fred Faggionato Fountain Pen in Cherry Red Acetate: 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.)

Fred Faggionato is a French pen artisan who makes lacquer, acrylic, and acetate pens. Located in the south of France, in Saint-Maximin la Sainte-Baume, Faggionato follows “artisanal processes” to create his writing instruments. You can buy pens straight from the Faggionato website, but Papier-Plume, located in New Orleans, also sells the pens. They loaned the Pen Addict a gorgeous model for review: The PKS Acetate in cherry red.

PKS stands for Petrarch King Size, and this is the largest pen made by Faggionato. It is 144.3mm capped, 130.3mm uncapped, and 190mm posted. It is also rather wide in diameter, measuring 13.6mm. However, it is a light pen, weighing only 26 grams.

The cherry red acetate is a gorgeous color with flakes of dark and light red throughout. It sparkles in sunlight.

The pen has a flat top and bottom, and it is adorned only with a steel concave clip plated in gold with a matte finish.

The Faggionato logo is engraved on the clip.

The cap screws on to the barrel tightly, though occasionally I had to fiddle with it to get the threads to line up. This pen is a cartridge/converter filler.

This particular model came with a medium #6 14k gold nib which is completely unadorned except for a breather hole and a stamp indicating the gold content. The feed is ebonite.

The section is slightly curved but is only a little less wide than the barrel. Those who prefer wider grips will appreciate the girth of this pen, but those who prefer narrower grips may find this pen bit large. Faggionato offers other pen shapes and sizes in addition to the PKS.

Even though the pen is large, I found it comfortable to write with. As I said, it is not a heavy pen, so it does not fatigue the hand. The medium nib is smooth. It is neither flexy nor bouncy, but it does have a slight amount of give, so I would not call it a “nail.” After about a page of writing, I noticed that the feed was going dry (you can see this where I was doing scrolls on the page). I had to open up the pen and push the ink down with the converter to get it going again.

MD Notebook Paper

I also wrote a page from the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in my Clairefontaine French-ruled notebook. Once again, near the bottom of the page the ink flow stopped and I rebooted it with a twist of the converter. I’ve have several converter fountain pens that exhibit this problem. I suppose it is an issue of air bubbles in the converter or, perhaps, the ink clinging to the plastic. It’s not a deal-breaker for me, but it is irritating, especially if you’re trying to take notes in a class and have to stop to get the ink flowing again.

Faggionato Pen Company is new to me, so it was a pleasure to put this pen through its paces. The acetate is beautiful and the design boasts a simple aesthetic that I’m sure will appeal to many fountain pen enthusiasts. The model used in this review costs $385, but there are a variety of models on the Papier Plume site with steel nibs that are in the $200 range. I also suggest you also look at the lacquer pens from this maker, as they are quite striking (thought quite a bit more expensive!)

Pros

• The PKS in cherry acetate is absolutely gorgeous material.
• Although the PKS is a large-sized pen, it is not heavy, so those who like oversized pens but prefer less weight will like this model.
• The 14k gold medium nib is smooth and has some give to it.
• The Faggionato clip is unique. I like the matte gold-plating, artsy curve, and unobtrusive logo.

Cons

• This particular model seems pretty expensive ($385) for a converter-filled pen. But these days, artisanal pens tend to range between $250 and $500, especially with gold nibs (I’m thinking of pen makers like Shawn Newton, Scriptorium, and Kanilea). The steel nibbed Faggionatos begin at the $200 range.
• My pen wrote inconsistently. I could get almost a page written with no problems, but then the ink would dry up. I’m not sure if this is a feed or converter problem (maybe both).
• Although I liked this Faggionato pen, it didn’t wow me like some of the pens by the makers listed above. That said, I was very impressed by his lacquer pens. But those are priced $650 and above.

(Papier Plume loaned this product to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)