Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Ballograf Epoca P Ballpoint Pen Review

One of the most fun parts of being a pen addict is trying out stationery from all over the world. I’ve tried many pens from many countries, and am always on the lookout for more.

Ballograf was a name I was familiar with, but I had never tried this Swedish brand until two years ago when my friends from the country brought me one. It had a classic style that I loved, almost a throwback/retro look, and it felt great to use. They told me these pens were EVERYWHERE in Sweden, from offices, to banks, to schools, to homes. Ballograf is Swedens pen.

As it should be. The company was started there in 1945, was owned by Bic from 1959 to 2004, and returned to Swedish ownership from then onwards.

The history of the brand is on display with the Ballograf Epoca P ballpoint pen. This pen is a throwback, but in browsing through the history of the company I think it is more fair to say it has never changed. And that is ok by me.

The design and colors of the Epoca are right out of the era when it first launched and gained popularity. I chose Khaki Green to honor the heyday of 1970’s avocado green kitchenware. There are more modern colors available, like Heather Purple and Mint Green, but if I’m going throwback, I’m going all the way.

The plastic barrel of this pen is sturdy, and is comfortable to hold when writing. It looks like a simple design, but there are small elements like the octagonal upper barrel and clip detailing that set it apart from basic ballpoints.

The ballpoint ink cartridge is different too, in that the ink is rated as archival. Outside of the Uni-ball Jetstream, are there other ballpoint inks that claim this? Honestly, I’ll have to do more research on that. Mine shipped with a medium blue refill and it was finer and cleaner than I hoped it would be. So much so that I want to order the fine blue ballpoint refill to see just how perfect it could be.

As much as I like the Ballograf, it’s not all ABBA and IKEA here. This pen has a ton of tip rattle, or click-clack as I like to call it. You know that sound when the tip of the pen hits the page and you think “Who is using a typewriter in here?” The Epoca is not a quiet writer because of this. I’d be interested to try another one to see if it is consistent, or if this is manufacturing variance.

Also, I find the price to be interesting. At $6.50, it is not expensive in the grand scheme of things. Although relative to the competition, you could argue that it is. The Jetstream is half the price and is far superior. The Parker Jotter is twice as much and is practically the same. So, why do you want to own this pen?

For me, it is the statement pen for an entire country, and that is something I can get behind. I’m glad I have it, and I want another one to test out. In fact, looking through their catalog, there are several products I would jump at the chance to buy, with their chrome-barrel pens and pencils at the top of the list. Let’s do this Sweden!

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

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Posted on October 15, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Ballograf, Pen Reviews.

Pentel EnerGel Permanent Gel Ink 0.5mm

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Pentel EnerGel line of pens has been around for quite some time and enjoys a healthy level of popularity due to how easy they are to find in big box stores. They're known for the dark, rich line that the gel lays down, and there's good reason that many people swear by them.

If the EnerGel is already so good, how can you improve it? Well, one way is to offer a variant of the pen that provides waterproof and fade-resistant gel ink. That's exactly what the Pentel EnerGel Permanent Gel pen sets out to do.

On the outside, the permanent ink version of this pen looks exactly like a normal EnerGel, minus the slight accent color variations. The click mechanism is the same, the grip section is the same, and the clip is the same. As an added bonus, the barrel is made up of 54% recycled material.

When writing with this pen, it's easy to compare it to the normal EnerGel since it shares the same product name. But since this variant features a new ink formula, it doesn't write exactly like its older sibling. It's still a smooth feel with plenty of ink flow, and the colors are bright and pleasing. The ink delivery is consistent and there aren't any issues with skipping. The pen itself is quite light, so it's easy to hold and manipulate on the page.

Where it differs is hard to put your finger on at first, but it comes down to the different ink formula. It looks and acts like a regular EnerGel, but the ink color and line isn't quite as bold and sharp. In both the black and blue pens, I sometimes noticed a small amount of railroading in the line, which I've never experienced with the standard EnerGel pens, regardless of tip size.

By no means am I saying that this pen doesn't write well — not at all. It's a great pen that writes well, dries fast, and leaves you with the assurance that it's as permanent as ink can be. The difference here is that it just isn't as nice to use as the standard EnerGel pen, which is already a tall order.

The waterproof nature of this ink is no joke. I tried several different paper types and patterns for this example, hoping that one would show up well in photographs. The ink is so resilient to water that it's almost impossible to capture with a camera. Let's just suffice it so say that the only way you can tell water was added to the page is due to the rippled texture of the paper where the water evaporated. The ink is completely unaffected by the water.

There are many waterproof or archival quality pens available on the market today, and they all have some kind of trade off. They may not write as well as your favorite pen, they normally aren't offered with many colors or other options we're used to, but they fulfill a very specific purpose. In the case of the Pentel EnerGel Permanent Gel pen, it excels at hitting the mark.

The Pentel EnerGel Permanent Gel pen is available in 0.5mm and 0.7mm tip sizes with an option of Black, Blue, or Red in both sizes. At just under $3, they're a great deal considering the specific purpose. If you need a waterproof ink, this pen should be on your list!

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

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Posted on October 10, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Pentel, Energel, Pen Reviews.

Monami Olika 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.)

Where were pens like this when I was still in school? I had to hunt for affordable fountain pens back then and most of what I found wasn't nearly this nice or fun.

At first glance, it looks like just another cheap "I only use this in contexts where I'd worry about my nicer pens" pen. And it is indeed perfect for those situations! But the more I play with it, the more I like about it.

The body is clear PVC, so you can easily see your ink level. The grip is textured rubber like you'd find on a lot of big-box gel or rollerball pens. It's easy to grip and comfortable to hold. It does feel a bit large for my hand, but it's so light that it's still easy to write with even for long periods of time. The whole thing looks like a plain inexpensive office pen--which sounds like an insult, but think of it as protective coloration. I can leave it on my desk in the middle of a public library and walk away, and it will still be there when I come back.

The cap snaps to close and it posts securely on the back of the pen. The clip is wide and flexible, but feels very flimsy--like it's going to break off the first time I try and clip it to too many pages or if I put it in my purse wrong. Weak clips are one of my biggest pen pet peeves. Fortunately, the pen writes well enough to make up for this offense.

The EF nib is surprisingly smooth on this pen. It writes with even the lightest pressure and lays down a wet enough line that it shows off some great character in the provided ink. Reports from the wild indicate some inconsistencies in their nib quality, but that's not surprising at this price point. Most seem to be of the excellent quality I'm experiencing with mine.

The nib is steel, and it's fed by a wick rather than a plastic feed. I worried this would cause some problems with drying out or ink starvation, but I haven't had any trouble. It does mean, though, that it's a pain if you want to switch colors--because you'll need to rinse all of the ink out of that wick. It would probably be more sensible to keep a dedicated color for each of the pans, and just collect all of the 20 different colors.

Each pen comes with three ink cartridges, and there are refills available. It also accepts Lamy cartridges, if you do decide you want a change. I also noticed that these cartridges are more rugged than the ones I've seen before, They are made of hard plastic like the pen, not the flexible plastic of most cartridges. It does mean that you can't squeeze ink through if the nib gets too dry, but they look sturdy enough that they could be refilled with a syringe and used many times over.

The Olika ink that came in the cartridges was a very pleasant surprise. The color is rich with beautiful shading and it behaves very well. I'll definitely be eyeing some other colors of both the pens and ink. The ink alone is worth the $5.50, and the pen is an added delight.

(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!