Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Stilform Kosmos Ballpoint Pen Review

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

I can honestly say that I've never seen a pen like the Stilform Kosmos, and that's a good thing. The unique design of this pen is something that makes people stop, pick it up, and ask about it. They want to know where it came from, how it works, and (most importantly) "can I have it?"

The idea of using a novel concept to extend and retract a refill inside a barrel is one that many companies have tried and successfully sold. Anything beyond the classic pen cap or click button nock mechanism is fascinating. I'm sure that other companies or individuals have employed a similar method as the Kosmos, but I haven't been lucky or observant enough to see one in action.

The Kosmos relies on strong magnets to keep the pen in either extended or retracted position, and the movement between those two modes is smooth and incredibly satisfying. Given the full-metal construction of the pen body and cap mechanism, there's a hefty "ker-thunk" when opening or closing it. The magnets are the reason that this mechanism works so well, and they're also the reason that it's so darn satisfying to use.

Inside the pen is a standard Parker-style refill. The included refill is a Stilform branded cartridge with black ink and a medium (~1.0mm) tip. It reminds me a lot of the Schmidt P900. It's smooth, but the ink is a bit light and grayish and can be a bit skippy at times. It also has a problem with starting after being unused for a few minutes. The ink dries quickly, and that can be an annoyance. Luckily, if you don't like the refill, you have hundreds of other options that can be swapped in effortlessly.

To replace the refill, simply unscrew the front section from the body to gain access to the inside. There's not much to see inside the pen, which maintains the mystery around the magnetic mechanism.

This pen is a delight to use, but it isn't without flaws. Namely, the price.

The unit featured in this review is the Titanium matte finish, which sells for about $133. That's quite a chunk of change for a ballpoint, and one that I see a lot of people having major heartburn over. Luckily, there are several aluminum versions available as well for the lower price of $68. Still not cheap, but more in line with what most people consider a high-quality novelty pen or the infamous graduation gift. Personally, I have several other pens with unique mechanisms or magnets that cost between $40-$80. I'm not sure this one would make the cut for me. It's simply a bit high, but you cannot ignore the ingenious magnet closure system. It really is brilliant.

While the design of the Kosmos is the selling feature, it also introduces some usability setbacks. For one, it rolls away quite easily since the body is completely round. Also, due to the strong magnets inside the body, it can easily roll away toward a larger metal object (think a metal subframe under a wood top desk) or it can pull small metal objects toward it. This isn't a huge deal, but it has annoyed me.

Another design flaw with the retractable mechanism is that it's incredibly difficult to operate with just one hand. It's possible, but it's awkward. I've dropped it several times trying to open or close it one-handed, and I eventually gave up hope after dropping it a few times.

Aside from the price, the small design gripes, and the "meh" nature of the included refill, the Kosmos really is an astonishing pen. Pair this with a Fisher Space Pen refill, a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, or Moleskine gel ink refill, and you're off to the races.

In the aluminum category, you have color options of Night Sky, Warp Black, Rose Moon, Comet Grey, and Star Silver. In the titanium category, you can choose between matte (featured here) or mirror-polished.

I always look for the overall value with "all things considered" when reviewing pens, and the Kosmos just doesn't deliver on that front. It's a unique, delightful pen with plenty to love, but it will end up a non-starter for most shoppers due to the price and incredible competition in this category. If the design speaks to you and you can stomach the price, you can't go wrong with the Stilform Kosmos.

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

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Posted on November 28, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Stilform, Pen Reviews.

ystudio Portable Brassing Ballpoint Pen

ystudio has become one of my favorite brands to follow over the past few years. Their product designs are classic and functional, while adding modern touches with their choices of materials and finishes. And, they want you to use, love, and destroy your pen or pencil in the process.

Their latest release is the Portable Brassing Ballpoint, which features - wait for it - a gel ink refill. An exceptional Ohto 0.7 mm Parker-style refill at that. This one caught my eye because they added new barrel colors to the regular lineup, in this case red and white to go along with the standard black. They have offered red and white in special editions previously, and now they are part of the regular lineup.

And they are different, at least in the case of the red model I have for review. In the past, ystudio’s barrel finishes have been either raw metals, like brass and copper, or a satin-like black paint coating. All of these materials lended themselves to patina and wear - core features of the brand. The new ballpoints, however, have a glossy paint finish that I’m not quite sure what to make of yet.

It’s different, that’s for sure. And unexpected, based on my past experiences with ystudio. I like it, and it is beautiful, but will I be able to get the full brassing effects like with their other models? Do I even want to since it looks so nice right now?

Like the other brassing pens and pencils, this one ships with sandpaper to help you customize the look. This caught me off guard the first time I saw it years ago, and I still find it funny that a strip of sandpaper is included with each pen. You can see the effects of its use on my ystudio Brassing Ballpoint review. It is forced patina, if you will. And I don’t plan on forcing this one.

The name of this pen has “portable” in it, similar to the portable fountain pen, but I find it to be far less portable in reality. It is a twist barrel, which is easily manipulated with one hand, but the accessories that ship with it make it less usable, even though they may help with the dictionary definition of portability.

The top of the pen contains a built in brass loop, made to be used with the included leather rope necklace or brass shackle. The necklace accessory isn’t the right choice for a twist pen. Necklace pens are usually capped so you can remove the pen and write while keeping the cap safely secured around your neck. You would need to remove the necklace over your head every time you want to write with this pen, unless you are constantly writing at eye level.

I thought the shackle might be a cool accessory to add on to the back end of the pen, but when put in place is it so loud bouncing off the barrel when writing that it becomes a distraction. I guess you can attach it to a clip on a bag or purse (Portability!) when not in use, but that is the only benefit besides aesthetics that I can think of.

To me, the idea of a portable pen is one that I can carry in my pocket and can use easily when needed. The ystudio Portable Brassing Ballpoint tries to be portable with its added accessories, but in each case, it makes the pen more difficult to use. If anything, this is a desk pen or pen case carry pen. And a good one at that.

In a nutshell:

Is this a good pen? Yes.

Would it make a good gift? Yes.

Would you enjoy it? Yes.

Do I enjoy it? Yes.

Would I recommend it? Maybe.

Would I choose it over any other ystudio pen? No.

That’s what it boils down to. It is a good pen. Some will even find it to be great. I find it to be ystudio’s least interesting and least useful design. In fact, I think it goes against many of their design principles. The funny thing is, if they called it the Glossy Barrel Gel Pen and dropped the accessories it would make more sense based on what this product actually is.

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

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Posted on November 26, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under ystudio, Pen Reviews.

Faber-Castell Essentio Ballpoint Pen Review

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

The Faber-Castell Essentio ballpoint pen is a classy pen with a stylish carbon fiber body that looks great with any outfit or carry.

There's a lot of pens available today that use the popular Parker style cartridge, which means that there are plenty of options in the way of third-party refills. This is always an interesting genre to me because I know that I can choose a pen based on aesthetics or feel and know that I can completely control most of the writing experience by replacing a refill.

The Essentio is a bit on the larger side of the ballpoint pen scale, but it's also incredibly comfortable to use. The rubber grip section has a soft feel and a matte finish, which make it both comfortable and resistant to fingerprints.

The body is made of a carbon fiber (or something similar) material that lends a classy aesthetic as well as a light weight. It's shiny without being overly so, and there's a small and classy Faber-Castell logo toward the top of the body.

The clip is fairly light compared to most other pens I've used. I wish it were a bit stronger, but given the overall light weight of the pen, it does a great job of keeping the pen secured to whatever you attach it to. The clip has a slight curve that adds a bit of visual interest to the pen.

The click mechanism is smooth, reliable, and fairly quiet. The top of the nock has a concave surface that feels great on your thumb. While it's not loud or overly clicky, using the nock on this pen is incredibly satisfying and tactile.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, the Essentio uses a Parker-style refill. The included refill is a Faber-Castell bold refill that is actually stupendous. It reminds me quite a bit of the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 refill, which is high praise. It's incredibly smooth, dark, and dependable. When so many ballpoint refills can suffer from skipping or dryness, it's always a relief when the stock refill performs so well. Most of the time, I replace the refill with an EasyFlow, but that's not necessary in this case.

Writing with this pen is a great experience. The combination of the size, light weight, smooth refill, and comfortable grip section make for a great writer. At $35, the Faber-Castell Essentio a bit on the expensive side, but it still falls within the normal range for a well-performing ballpoint pen. There are lots of attractive options in this price range, and this one should be on your list for gifts and affordable ballpoints. It's a great value and excellent performer. And, if the included refill isn't your thing, you have so many options for replacement.

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

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