Posts filed under Pen Reviews

PenBBS 309 Piston Filler in Mojito: 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.)

A few weeks ago, I reviewed my first PenBBS: model 350 in silver with a rollerball adapter. I was so impressed with that pen that I decided to visit the PenBBS store on Etsy. I wound up buying two pens. The one I’m reviewing this week is model 309, which is a piston filler.

The pen comes in a nice magnetic closure black box. It’s really a rather nice presentation box for a pen priced under $25.00.

I chose the Mojito color because I don’t own many green pens and I liked the happy, spring-like color. I inked it with L’Artisan Pastellier Vert Moyen (Irish Green), which makes for an excellent match.

This pen is simple, but quite striking. The transparent green acrylic allows you to see the piston mechanism, the ink level, and the nib clearly.

The finials on the cap and barrel are cone-shaped, which gives the pen a more unique look--it’s neither a rounded cigar nor a flat top.

The cap has a stainless steel clip and a large cap ring engraved with “PenBBS” and the model number with the logo in between.

What makes this pen especially nice is the fact that it is a piston filler. It holds a good amount of ink (I’d say around 2-3ml), the piston operates very smoothly and fills the pen to capacity.

PenBBS pens come only in fine and sometimes medium widths. This pen has a fine steel nib with scrollwork that enhances the look of the nib. It writes smooth and wet, especially for a fine nib. I’ve encountered absolutely no issues with it--no hard starts, no skipping, no blobbing. As I mentioned in my other review, PenBBS nibs have an upturned point which makes them look a little bit like fude nibs.

The pen is small, but it’s not pocket sized. Capped it is 5.7 inches/145mm, uncapped 5.2inches/131mm, and 6.3 inches/160mm posted. It’s definitely post-able, but the cap is heavy enough to make it a bit unwieldy posted.

I’ve been using this pen for several weeks, and I remain impressed. The pen is very comfortable in the hand and is excellent for lengthy writing sessions. Even when it’s been unused for a few days, it starts right up. Although I usually like to write with broader nibs, this nib is so smooth and carefree, I plan to use it as one of my grading pens. Green is an excellent color for marking papers--it’s so much less threatening than red.

The only concern I have about this PenBBS model is its longevity. Will it keep working well for years to come? Or will the piston eventually get stuck or the acrylic crack? I’ve read that the pen is easy to take apart, so if the piston does get stuck, it should be easy to remedy. I am interested to see how well this pen holds up over time. For now, this pen is definitely a keeper.

You can purchase the PenBBS 309 directly from the Etsy store. When I checked today, only two Mojitos were left in stock, but there are plenty of other colors in this model from which to choose. At $22.99 (prices vary depending on the color of acrylic you choose) plus shipping, this is an absolute steal. And shipping from Japan is incredibly fast.

(I purchased this pen with my own funds.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under PenBBS, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Procyon Citron Yellow 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.)

The Platinum Procyon is an aluminum fountain pen with a matte finish. It is packaged in a black box and comes with one blue cartridge but no converter. My pen also came with three special “commemorative colors:” aqua emerald, dark violet, and gold ochre. These are mixable colors, but I’m not sure how you’re supposed to mix ink that comes in cartridges. Regardless, the commemorative colors will be available only while supplies last.

The screw-on cap is adorned with a chrome clip and band. “Procyon” and “Platinum Made in Japan” are printed on the cap in silver lettering.

Although the cap and barrel are made of aluminum, the grip is a smoky black, semi-transparent plastic. I like the plastic grip because my fingers don’t slip as easily.

The fine stainless steel nib is quite plain--no scrollwork or fancy styling. There’s only a letter “P” and the nib size on the face of the nib. It looks very similar to the nib that comes on the $4.00 Platinum Preppy.

As is typical of Japanese nibs, the fine writes more like an extra fine. So, if you prefer a Western-size fine, you’ll want to order a medium. The nib is smooth-ish, but because it is so fine, it sometimes catches the paper on upstrokes. It’s also rather noisy, which surprised me. I don’t know if the aluminum barrel conducts the sound or if it’s just a characteristic of this steel nib, but the scritch-scratching of my writing was quite noticeable. Usually, I enjoy the sounds of a nib on paper, but this was actually rather distracting.

The pen is medium sized, measuring 5.5 inches/140mm capped, 4.7 inches/119mm uncapped, and 6.1 inches/155mm posted. Overall it weighs 24 grams, but uncapped it weighs only 13 grams. Posting is certainly possible, but because the cap alone weighs 11 grams, it throws the balance off considerably. The grip is a very useable size (10.3mm)--not too skinny or too fat.

You can get the Procyon in several different colors: Deep Sea (a dark navy blue), Turquoise, Persimmon Orange (a muted orange), Porcelain White, and Citron Yellow. I thought I saw a photo of a matte black Procyon, maybe on Instagram, but I can’t find any references to one on the Internet.

The Platinum Procyon costs $53 at JetPens, which I think is a little overpriced, especially since it does not come with a converter and the nib is so basic. But, if you want a stylish pen with good heft, a screw-on cap, and a simple steel nib, the Procyon might be a good fit for you. I suggest adding a Platinum converter ($8.25) to your cart so you can use bottled ink with it.

(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!

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Ohto Fude Rollerball 1.5 mm Color Series 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. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Fude usually indicates a brush tip pen, but what Ohto has with the Fude Rollerball is create a rollerball mechanism that behaves a bit like a brush pen. They've achieved this primarily by making it super huge. These are not your everyday writers. They were designed for bold statements. And while I didn't quite get the brush pen effect, I did have a lot of fun.

Even if you prefer fine tip pens, these are worth a try. They're great for sketching, outlining, journaling, addressing envelopes, or writing loud things. They worked okay for coloring books, but would not do well in the popular adult coloring books that have very small spaces. The bold lines may also overpower the smaller pages in pocket notebooks and may not stay inside the boundaries of grid or lined paper.

In addition to making thick lines, this liquid ink is very wet. It's a water-based pigment ink that behaves similarly to fountain pen ink or marker, and it may bleed through uncoated papers. The flow can be a bit inconsistent and I noticed they have a tendency to gush ink, though some colors did this more than others. Because of this gushiness, there is a longer dry time for this ink, and it can be a bit smeary for a while. I also wonder how quickly it will run out of ink supply. I imagine it would go even faster than a gel pen, and these are not refillable--so while these are inexpensive at roughly $16 for a set of seven, they're probably going to need replacing quite regularly if they're put to good use.

The set comes with green, light green, orange, pink, sky blue, violet, and wine red. I did find myself wishing for a few more colors, but this is overall a good variety. They're well made with sturdy plastic bodies, a flexible metal clip, and a strong conical tip. The cap snaps and posts securely. There's a clear feed, so you can watch the ink in action.

I'm not sure if it's because of the size or the quality of the tip, but this is one of the smoothest writing pens I've ever used. They really are fun to write with, and even though most of my work is done with fine tip pens, I find myself looking for excuses to pull these out. And if you prefer bold tips, these are going to delight you.

(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!