Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Pilot FriXion Fineliner Review

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

It's been quite a while since I've tested out the Pilot FriXion pens. I'm not normally in need of any erasable options, so these pens just don't get the exercise they deserve. With the latest Fineliner version from Pilot, I decided to give it another go.

The Pilot FriXion Fineliner is an erasable pen with a fine plastic tip that works great for drawing lines that retain crisp lines around the edges. These pens really remind me of the Staedtler Triplus and Paper Mate Flair pens, which is fair since they share the plastic tip designation.

It's hard to describe — any Pen Addict will understand — but the Fineliner is a delight to use. The ink flows well, the plastic tip is crisp but smooth, and there's even a small bit of shading present in the light blue and red ink colors that I'm using. I've been using these pens quite a lot in my everyday use, and I haven't seen any degradation in the tips. I'm fairly confident that the tips will outlive the ink supply. Since these aren't refillable, that works out great.

Writing, drawing, and scribbling with these pens is great fun, but what about the other signature feature of any FriXion pen? How well does it erase these nice markings? Wonderfully. I've used FriXion pens in the past and have mixed feelings about their ability to erase. In the case of the Fineliner, I've been impressed with how well it works. I think the main difference in the performance is that the plastic tip doesn't create as much of an impression on the paper compared to a metal roller ball. Whatever it is, it's magical.

Along with the great writing and erasing experience, the dry time is also remarkably fast. You can write something and erase it almost immediately without blurring anything. And, if anything does blur, you can just wait a couple of seconds for the ink to fully dry and then erase away the mistakes.

Everything else about these pens is remarkably simple. The slim body is lightly decorated and branded, the cap is small and able to post securely, and the eraser on top of the cap matches the color of the rest of the pen. It's a great package!

Now, with any FriXion pen, there are some drawbacks. The main one being that this is not permanent ink. It's funny to point that out since the main marketing feature of this pen is that the ink is erasable, but I'm referring to the archival properties. You can't rely on this ink to last in notebooks for years and decades to come. Maybe it will be fine, but there's also no promises that it will endure.

The Pilot FriXion Fineliner is available in a variety of fun colors for just over $2 a piece. You can even pick up a six-pack or twelve-pack if you want to round out a complete set while also saving a couple of bucks.

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

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Posted on April 3, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Pilot, FriXion, Pen Reviews.

Laban Ocean Blue Fountain Pen: 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.)

Laban Pen Company is a Taiwanese brand founded in 1981. Their motto is “Refill your soul by writing.” I tried to find out more about the company, visiting their website and Facebook page, but neither of these offered any specifics about the founders. The company sees itself as carrying on the long tradition of writing by hand and creating beautiful instruments to aid in that process.

I’ve never owned or used a Laban pen, so I was excited about the opportunity to try the Ocean Blue fountain pen. It comes in a black clamshell cardboard box.

The Laban Ocean is part of a two-pen series called “Land and Sea” (the other pen is the Laban Forest). The blue acrylic barrel is meant to mimic “waves breaking gently on the sand” (Facebook Post February 13). The remainder of the pen (cap, grip, bottom section of the barrel) is a marbled ivory color.

The pen is adorned with gold-plated accents. The cap has a medal-like finial with the Laban crest.

It also has two thin gold bands at the top, a gold spring-loaded clip, and a wide gold band near the bottom, etched with the company name. The acrylic is thick and the cap is sturdy and of excellent quality.

The body of the pen is made of the same thick acrylic. The grip and bottom of the barrel are both accented with gold rings (two where the barrel meets the grip and one between the barrel and the bottom of the pen). This is a large pen, measuring 5.9 inches/150mm capped, 5.2 inches/132mm uncapped, and 6.8 inches/172mm posted. Because the cap weighs 14 grams all by itself, posting really throws the balance off.

Not only is the acrylic thick, but the threads inside the grip and the barrel are metal, adding extra weight to the pen. The pen weighs 34 grams overall.

The Laban converter is plastic and inserts into the metal portion of the grip. I found that the converter slips in and out a bit too easily. I’d like it to be more snug.

My Laban has a gold-plated, stainless steel fine nib with engraved scroll work and nib size. The number 3952, “Laban,” and “Germany,” seem to be printed or etched onto the nib. This is the only detail that detracts from the pen. Close up, you can see that these items seem smudged. I searched long and hard to discover why the number 3952 is etched on the nib. 3,952 meters is the height of Yushan Mountain (the highest mountain in Taiwan), so perhaps this is why the number appears.

The nib is a smooth writer, but it does not offer any flex, bounce, or line variation. Still, the feed provides plenty of ink to the nib which is juicy and fun to write with. I’ve not experienced any dry starts, skipping, or rough writing with this nib, even though the tines are slightly misaligned.

I am deeply impressed with the Laban Ocean Blue fountain pen. I took it to a faculty meeting yesterday, and everyone at the table wanted to look at it. The ivory and blue acrylics work really well together, all the gold accents make this pen look like a high-end luxury pen, and the pen has the heft of a Montblanc 149. You can purchase the Laban Ocean Blue from Vanness for $104.00, which I think is an incredible price for so much elegance.

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

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Posted on March 29, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Laban, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Woodshed Pen Co. Fountain Pen Review

I can’t believe it has been less than two years since I first heard of Woodshed Pen Co.. I may not have heard of Mike Allen and his company back then either if it weren’t for a reader asking me about a certain “Cracked Ice fountain pen” project on Kickstarter in the middle of 2017. I’m glad I got tipped off to it, because I have been able to enjoy my Woodshed pen, and make a new friend along the way.

The materials were what sold me on Mike’s first fountain pen Kickstarter. He started out as a kit pen turner, who transitioned into turning his own fountain pens. It was a small start to be sure - I was one of only 26 backers of the project - but the quality of the end product set Woodshed off on the trajectory he is on today. Onward and upward!

Today, Mike continues to turn pens in off the shelf materials, and has begun mixing his own blanks as well. On top of that, he is trying to perfect the coating of black fountain pen nibs. That’s a tough challenge to be sure, and is what prompted me to write this review.

*New, “Wildfire” model on top. Original Kickstarter “Roses and Violets” on bottom.*

But before that, let’s talk about the pen, and specifically, the barrel shape. Woodshed Pen Co. offers just one. That’s it, and I can appreciate that decision. Luckily for me, that one shape is right on the money. You could be tricked into calling this a small pen, but in reality it isn't at all. It is “just right sized” in my book. The overall length may fall short of some of the standard pens in your rotation, but it is plenty long enough for most people to use unposted. The pen diameter falls in the standard range as well, including the grip section.

I think the section it what makes the entire pen body work honestly. It is slightly longer than you would expect for a pen this length, and makes for a comfortable writing experience for all grip styles.

My second, and newest Woodshed Pen does have a slightly different body shape than my original Kickstarter model. The overall length is shorter by about 1/4”, and there is no taper towards the ends. I prefer this current shape for the overall size of the pen. While my original is great, the shape made it feel like a bit of a tweener in it’s overall size. The newer shape is perfect.

*Top to bottom: Sailor Pro Gear, Woodshed, Kaweco Sport.*

The fit and finish of the pen is perfect as well. It takes pen makers a while to get everything dialed in, and I’m sure many will say that they never do, but my Woodshed pen feels complete. The edges are smooth, the threads are clean, the polish is even and shiny - it’s a real joy to use.

So about that black nib. Mike asked me before this year’s Baltimore Pen Show if I would help him test a coating he is working on for his black nibs. For any of you that have used black nibs in the past you know that the coating wears down over time, or during repairs, showing a lighter grey, down to silver, color once they get worn.

*It’s hard to see the black coating difference in pictures, but you can tell in person.*

That’s has never been an issue for me. I’ve always assumed the finish of any coated nib would wear over time, and that was part of the deal when owning one. Mike, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with that result, and has set out to stop, or at least slow down, the wearing effect on black nibs.

I’m only a month into my testing, which isn’t nearly enough time for a test like this, but the black nib Mike gave me for this pen looks brand new through a few different inks and cleanings. Mike is taking things a bit further with testing than I am, and is committed to get this right. I certainly applaud the effort, and I’ll keep hammering away at mine as well and will keep everyone updated.

If there is any hangup with Woodshed Pen Co. right now it is that Mike doesn’t make it easy to buy a pen from him. You can see his latest work and make a purchase through Instagram, or catch him at a pen show, like Atlanta in two weeks. But I’m taking this opportunity and platform to implore him to get that website up and running. Get those pens into our hands Mike!

I’m a Woodshed Pen fan, and I consider Mike a friend, so read this review with that in mind. But good products review themselves, and make my job easy. This is one of the good ones.

(I paid full price for my Roses and Violets Woodshed pen, and Mike gave me the green model, which I call Wildfire, at no cost.)

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