Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Paper Mate Flair Candy Pop Limited Edition 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.)

The fifty-year legacy workhorse of felt-tip pens has a new set of colors out! The Paper Mate Flair Candy Pop edition adds a few fun colors to their portfolio. Blueberry Bubblegum, Grape Gumdrop, Gummy Green, Raspberry Fizz, Strawberry Lollipop, and Salted Caramel are all lovely shades, and though the palette is a little purple heavy, it's nicely coordinated. The colors aren't too similar, so they work well together for coding lists or planner entries.

The build of the pens are the same as the standard Ultra Fine Flairs. They have a silvery matte plastic body and ink-coordinated lids. The sections also match the ink color, so it's always easy to tell what you're reaching for, whether caps are on or off. There are no color names on the barrel, which I feel is a bit of a bummer for a limited color line. The UF tip is a plasticky felt with a metal needlepoint reinforcement. The tips will wear out after a while, but they're priced to be easily replaced (though the limited edition colors may be harder to track down for seconds--better stock up).

The sections are flared and smooth, but not too slippery. They're comfortable to hold and to write with for long periods of time. The clips are stiff and the underside of the metal is sharp--so be careful if you're trying to pull the clip open to slide it onto something. The caps snap in place securely and post well. The pen itself is so light that posting doesn't affect the balance at all. The lightness does give it a bit of a cheap feel--as does the imperfectly-molded plastic--but these pens are tough and reliable.

The tips write smoothly with no skipping. They don't dry out when left uncapped for a coloring session, but the ink dries quickly on the page. It is water-based and acid-free, but it isn't waterproof, so it may not be the best choice for lining a drawing before adding paint or ink, but they are excellent for sketching in their own right. The colors are very bright and saturated and the pigments are designed to resist smearing and bleed-through. They're perfect for scrapbooks and planners or coloring books--or any time you need a reliable felt-tip pen. They haven't changed much in more than fifty years, but they haven't had to.

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

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Posted on October 19, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Paper Mate, Pen Reviews.

The Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball Vintage Metalsmith Cursive Review

I get a lot of great feedback at events on what pens, pencils, and paper people are enjoying, and at each event, it never fails that Retro 51 comes up. The feedback on this pen falls into two camps:

I’ll never use a rollerball pen.

-or-

I never knew a rollerball pen could be this good.

As a huge fan of this pen and brand I understand both sides of the argument very well. Heck, I was firmly entrenched in the first camp most of my life. Rollerball pens can be particular due to their ink properties and often wide tip size. The Schmidt P8127 refill - aka the Retro 51 Refill - changed all my previous thinking on this style of pen. And, what Retro 51 built around this great refill made me fall in love with the Tornado.

When everything works well together in a design you notice immediately. Or rather, you don’t notice anything. There is no funny feel or awkward balance or scratchy tip. You put the pen in your hand and you write. Your brain does the work. The Retro 51 is the tool, and one of the best I have found.

It helps that the brand has a great sense of style and design. From basic solid colors to seasonal releases like the Vintage Metalsmith Cursive, there is bound to be a style that suits you. You can even chase down some of the many limited editions they release each year like some of their super fans do. When you have super fans that’s when you know it is going well as a brand.

With Cursive, Retro 51 is making a statement that writing is important. As a pen company, they obviously stand to benefit from a healthy writing environment, but I like the added focus this pen has. My 4th grade son is learning cursive right now and I’m not going to lie - it is a challenge for him. But as I work with him he is starting to get it. I’m not a strict cursive apologist, but teaching handwriting in general is extremely important I believe, and learning cursive gives kids the added skills to improve any type of handwriting they choose.

Being part of the Vintage Metalsmith Series, the Cursive model gets the beautiful antique finished hardware, in this case Antique Silver. It seems more of a bronze shade in person, but it looks great no matter what you want to call it. The cursive writing training paper style is of course the highlight, with their traditional blue and red marks for learning letter heights. The full upper and lower case alphabet fits nicely around the barrel, along with numbers 0 through 9. Maybe my son can take this to class for a few extra tips.

If you enjoy a good writing experience I highly recommend the Retro 51 Tornado. This is what quality feels like, and they are fairly priced as well. And who knows, you may become a rollerball convert like me.

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

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Posted on October 17, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Retro 51, Pen Reviews.

Uni-Ball Signo DX Twelve New Colors 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 don't know that I necessarily need to review the Uni-Ball Signo DX--it's fairly universally loved amongst pen addicts and the general population alike. Both Jeff and Brad have waxed poetic on its many virtues--a great build, consistent flow, smooth writing. It's practical, reliable, and fun. But it just got more fun, because there are twelve new colors and I need for you to be excited about this with me.

Prussian Blue is a beautiful (but totally office appropriate) bright navy color. It doesn't feel like the standard blue, but has a little extra zing to it.

Blue Green is a fresh aqua color, a necessity for any pen assortment.

Apple Green is an essential acid color. Despite its lightness, it is readable--which is good, because I want to use it forever.

Dark Grey may be my new favorite. It's classy and moody at the same time. In some lights, it almost has a blue-black quality to it.

Grey is pale, but readable, and almost silvery.

Purple is a spunky color—more like a Lisa Frank magenta shade than a true purple.

Lilac follows in purple's footsteps. It's bright and fun.

Light pink is neon cotton candy perfection.

Brown is more of a dark mustard color. Much more nuanced than the name implies.

Khaki is a rich caramel. It looks more like food than pants, to me.

Beige is a lovely creamy ivory. Difficult to see on white paper.

Yellow is a very bright shade. One that, if seen in nature, probably indicates neurotoxins.

These cheerful colors are landing perfectly in time with cooler weather and grey skies. They're a great addition to the existing lineup of colors, and you can get them in either a set of twelve, or individually as open stock. As a bundle, I'd call this the unicorns and ponies pack. I do wish the names of the colors were a bit more true or descriptive. The names themselves don't give a very good indication of what to expect from the colors. But you can definitely expect the great performance that the Signo is known for.

The ink is very saturated but doesn't feel dry. It's the best behaved gel ink I've used. There's no skipping or globs or smearing. It's waterproof, fade-resistant, and feathering-resistant. There are enough colors in this line, now, that they may have inched to the top of my personal list of favorite coloring pens. Because now my unicorns will look true to life.

The pens run at $2.84 apiece, or $34 for the 12-pack. That's about average for a nice gel pen, and definitely worth it. The fine lines, viscous ink, and saturated colors all help contribute to a little extra longevity for the cartridges. Still, I may run them dry out of sheer enthusiasm sooner rather than later.

(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!