Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Parker Vector Fountain 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.)

Parker is undoubtedly one of the great legacy penmakers, so it makes sense that they should have their own entry-level fountain pen. The Vector has been around for a long time, and some fresh new colors have brought it back into the spotlight. It's fun and inexpensive and functional--but I don't think it stands up very well against its competitors. There are a lot of good quality affordable fountain pens, now. We're in a golden age of pens and it's easy to be spoiled for choice.

The Vector is a slim, lightweight fountain pen with a plastic body and metal accents. The grip section and bottom cap where the pen posts are a brushed gunmetal color, and the clip is chrome in the shape of the classic Parker arrow. The grip section is long and slim. The nib is plain stainless steel over a smooth feed.

My first thought, when I lifted the pen from its box, was, "Is this a disposable fountain pen?" That's not a good sign, probably, because, no--it's not. But the plastic it's made of feels like it is. Maybe it's the snap cap with a lack of cap band, but it reminds me a bit of a Crayola marker. It feels like it's not meant to last. For a $12 pen I'm not expecting an heirloom, of course, but it wasn't a good first impression.

The $12 price tag is a little misleading, as well, because the pen doesn't come with a converter. That's a separate $9.25. So, $21.25 is closer to the real cost. When compared with other beginner pens that come with converters, this feels like it's priced a bit high for this quality.

The writing experience hasn't been very impressive, either. It does write, and the Parker blue ink it comes with is beautiful and well behaved, but I'd want to buy a bottle and put it in a different pen. The nib isn't too scratchy, but I had some drying issues and the feed seemed to struggle to keep the flow going when writing for longer periods. The grip section is also uncomfortable. It isn't shaped at all and it's slick, so I was constantly having to readjust my grip. The plastic edge where the body meets the section is also quite sharp. There's no smoothing or band there, so it's just raw plastic.

All told, there isn't much about this pen that would move me to recommend it, even for a beginner. The Pilot Metropolitan is ultimately less expensive and much better quality. Parker makes some really fantastic fountain pens, but this one doesn't seem to fit the brand. Perhaps my expectations are playing a role in my disappointment here, but I don't see myself reaching for this pen.

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Posted on August 2, 2018 by Sarah Read and filed under Parker, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Ohto Horizon EU Ballpoint Pen Review

Do you ever dream about making your own pen? If you are reading this blog, you have probably at least considered the thought. I think about it too. And I’m not even talking about this from the perfect pen standpoint, but rather something fun and functional that I would like to use every day. The Ohto Horizon EU Ballpoint is nearly that pen.

From the moment I unboxed it I loved it. The design, in particular, stood out to me. The yellow barrel pops, and the hex design gives it that added bit of coolness. When I held it to write with, I noticed the hex barrel morphs down into an almost-round grip section. There are a few light ridges you can see and barely feel when writing, but they don’t get in the way. They don’t necessarily help with grippiness though, as it could get slick if your fingers are wet.

The refill is engaged by pushing down the knock on the back of pen, then retracted by pressing the button on the side of the barrel. It is snappy and fun. Like, too much fun. Click. Snap. Click. Snap. Click … you get the picture! And the clip is as nice as the rest of the pen. It’s strong, and keeps a low profile.

With all of my raving about it, why is it only nearly perfect? You guessed it - the refill. It’s merely good, and if I wasn’t spoiled by better refills, I might even think it is excellent. My immediate thought was “I hope I can swap this out for something better,” then I unscrewed the tip of the barrel, pulled out the refill to see what it was, and let out an “Ugh!”

This is a weird refill shape and size. Heck, I don’t even know what you would call it. It’s small and skinny, close to multi pen size, and has tiny wings on the side of the barrel. I didn’t think there was any way I could find a better refill to put into it.

And I was wrong!

Turns out, there are other Japanese pens that take this style of refill, and both Pilot and Uni make ones that match. There is even a Hi-Tec-C model, which I have subsequently ordered two of (black and blue 0.4 mm) for my Ohto Horizon. Maybe it can be my perfect pen after all.

I must not be the only one who thinks that, because at the time of writing they are sold out at JetPens. And they should be. The barrel colors look fantastic, the pen feels great, and it’s only $8.50. I think you are going to be seeing a lot of this pen, especially in my pocket.

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Posted on July 30, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Ohto, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Karas Kustoms Starliner XL Series Fountain Pen 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.)

A few weeks ago, Jeff introduced Karas Kustoms Starliner pens which are part of the company’s new Reaktor Writing Instrument line. This week, I’ll be highlighting the Starliner XL pens which are part of the same line but are full-sized pens rather than pocket-sized like the Starliner.

The Reaktor Writing Instrument line harkens back to the atomic age of the 40s and 50s and the space race in the 60s and 70s. The name “Reaktor” is a play on the atomic idea, and the pens in the range are designed to reflect elements of the space race (more on that below). In addition, Karas Kustoms wanted to make a series of pens at a lower price point than their other lines. With that in mind, they kept the pens simple both in design and color range (silver, black, and tumbled finish).

The Starliner XL pens are full-sized pens, measuring 5 inches (127mm) capped, 4.8 inches (123mm) uncapped, and 5.3 inches (135mm) posted.

The cap snaps on and has a machined clip. You’ll notice that while the cap and barrel look flat at the top and bottom, they both actually have small peaks. This detail is meant to evoke the glint of a star.

An additional space design element is the six machined rings—three on the top of the cap, two on the cap lip, and one near the barrel’s bottom. These rings evoke the “3-2-1” countdown of a rocket launch.

As I stated earlier, the Starliner XL series comes in only three finishes: black, silver, and tumbled. However, you can choose either blue or red anodized grips for the silver pens. These colors were chosen for their association with space suits, which often had red and blue fixtures.

The Starliner XL comes with a polished steel Bock 076 (#5) nib in sizes from EF to 1.5mm stub. You can also upgrade to a Titanium nib or a 14k gold one. The nib is a standard Bock design with some scrollwork and the Bock name and logo. All the nibs on the pens I received write smoothly and are unproblematic—no hard starts, skipping, or blobbing.

Included with each Starliner XL is a Schmidt K5 Converter and one Monteverde black standard international cartridge.

You can purchase the Starliner XL from Karas Kustoms for $55.00 with free shipping in the US (international shipping will cost $15.00). At the time of this post, the pens are not yet up for sale, but they should be available soon.

I’ve enjoyed using the four Starliner XL fountain pens for the past month. I love the sleek design and the snap cap works well—easy on and off. And, wonder of wonders, I even like posting the cap on these pens. It posts deep onto the barrel and does not throw off the balance.

I think you’ll find the Starliner XL to be a terrific every-day-carry pen. They are rugged and the clip makes it easy to stow them in a pocket. $55.00 with free shipping seems like an excellent deal, especially for a pen that will last for a long time.

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

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