Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Opus 88 Omar Tiger Eye: 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.)

I reviewed the Opus 88 clear demonstrator last year. I was so impressed that I later bought a Picnic Blue. The Opus 88 Omar is my third Opus fountain pen. I really love this brand because they are well made, they have huge ink capacity (3.4ml!), and their JoWo nibs are smooth writers.

The Omar adds another enhancement to an already excellent line up: beauty. It’s not that the other Opus pens aren’t beautiful, but they are just single-color pens. The Omar boasts a flecked resin cap with a coordinating translucent barrel. It comes in several lovely colors: Emerald, Amethyst, Smoky Quartz, and Tiger Eye, the model I’m reviewing this week.

The Omar is an oversized pen, measuring 5.9 inches/150mm capped, 5.4 inches/137mm uncapped, and 7.1 inches/180mm posted (don’t even think about posting this pen!) The barrel at its widest is 18mm and the grip is 11.2mm. Capped, the pen weighs 36 grams (with ink), but uncapped it weighs 20 grams (with ink), which is quite reasonable. But, if you prefer very light, thin pens, the 88 is not for you. I find it very comfortable and balanced.

The pen comes in a large, black, magnetic closure box. A glass eyedropper is included.

The Tiger Eye cap has various shades of brown and opalescent flecks. The finial is ivory and the clip is stainless steel. The only branding is a lightly engraved “Opus 88” at the top of the clip.

The barrel is translucent brown with an ivory piston knob.

My pen has a large #6 JoWo stainless steel nib in fine, though the Omar is offered with a choice of fine, medium, broad, and 1.5 stub nibs. It is engraved with some scrollwork, Opus 88, and the nib size.

Opus pens are easy to fill. You just unscrew the grip, dip the eyedropper in ink, and carefully squeeze the ink into the barrel. The rubber o-ring seals the barrel so the ink doesn’t leak out.

To write, you need to unscrew the piston knob a few millimeters so that ink flows into the feed. Afterwards, re-tighten it until you’re ready to write again.

I filled my Omar with SBRE Brown ink (reviewed here) which is a perfect pairing with the Tiger Eye.

The fine nib writes smooth and wet--in fact, of my three Opus pens, this one has the best nib. Unless you purchase your pen from a retailer that tunes your nib prior to shipping, you have to rely on good fortune that your nib will be trouble free. So far, all three of my Opus pens have had decent nibs, but each one is slightly different. The nib on my original Opus 88 was good, but I replaced it with a Regalia Writing Labs Crossflex nib (reviewed here) that is fantastic. My second Opus had a rather dry nib, but it was usable. This Omar’s nib has just the right amount of wetness to it.

You can purchase the Opus 88 Omar from JetPens for $123.00. This is a fantastic price for an eyedropper fountain pen.

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

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Posted on June 28, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Omas, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Lamy Safari Powder Rose Rollerball Pen Review

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

Every year, it's exciting to see the limited edition colors and options that companies roll out for their various product lines. In the case of the Lamy Safari line, we have the lovely Powder Rose color, which is a light, light pink that has no trouble sparking a smile. While I'm normally more of a fountain pen user when it comes to the Safari line, I have to admit that the rollerball version is a close contender to which I like more. I'm not stranger to the Lamy M63 rollerball refill, but it has been a while since I've used one.

The Lamy Safari Powder Rose Rollerball is the latest in my Lamy collection, and I've been really enjoying my time with it. With as awesome as fountain pens and inks are, I have to sometimes force myself to use other pens. With the Safari, it's been a really easy task. The grip section is completely familiar to me since it is identical to the fountain pen Safari, and the weight and handling are also instantly recognizable once it's in my hand. If you've ever used a Safari, I imagine the same will be true for you — it just feels right. Similarly, if you've used a Safari and didn't care for it, the same will hold true here as well.

Aside from a few minor differences from the fountain pen version (like the single notch in the top button of this pen versus the cross-hatch notch button in the fountain pen cap), the rollerball variant is a strong performer. The rollerball refill that Lamy use in this pen is a behemoth — there's just so much ink in here. While you might think that it will last a really long time, don't forget that this is a liquid rollerball refill, which tends to go pretty quickly compared to ballpoint or even gel refills. Still, the extra capacity in this refill is definitely appreciated — especially considering the price. At $5 per refill, it's a little on the expensive side, but not by much considering the brand and the size. It definitely lasts a long time, but that price is still a little cringe-worthy.

Mostly, I've been really happy with the rollerball refill, but there are plenty of times where I'm also wishing to replace it with a trusty Schmidt P8126 or similar refill. Why? Well, the M63 does have some issues with skipping mid-line. To its credit, it usually starts writing like a champ, with zero stuttering no matter long it's gone unused. But, it suffers from an unpredictable issue that causes the line to skip or disappear entirely, meaning you have to scribble somewhere to clear whatever blockage or issue that is causing the skip. It always recovers, which is great, but it's something I wish didn't exist in the first place, especially considering the price of the refill. For example, the Schmidt P8126 is similarly priced, but it operates like a charm. You get a similarly bold and smooth line, but none of the skipping issues that the Lamy exhibits. Like I said, the Lamy refill mostly behaves, but the skipping occurs a little too frequently for my tastes.

Everything else about the Safari rollerball is perfectly in line with the rest of the Safari line. The build quality is fantastic, the color is gorgeous, and the cap and clip system are strong and secure. If I had an abundance of extra obscure refills, I'd definitely try to find a replacement for this one! But I'm not getting my hopes up as this is a unique length for a refill — especially a rollerball. If only the quality and dependability were just a little higher on the M63!

The Lamy Safari Powder Rose Rollerball is available from JetPens for $20 as a limited edition color. If this is your thing, grab one before they're all gone!

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

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Posted on June 26, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Lamy, Safari, Rollerball, 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.)

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