Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Kaweco Student Fountain Pen 70's Soul Review

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

The Kaweco Student has been around for a few years, but I've never had the chance to try one out until I received the 70's Soul edition a few weeks ago. The Student is very similar in shape and size to the Kaweco Dia2, but the Student is about 0.2 inches shorter and comes in many color options compared to the monotone Dia2 options. Compared to the much more common Sport and AL Sport, the Student is a full inch longer when capped, and much more comfortable to use uncapped. After using this pen for only a few minutes, I wished I had tried one out sooner!

The standard Student color options all feature silver trim and accents, but the 70's Soul edition has gold accents and a bright gold nib. The nib is still stainless steel (plated in something gold colored), and performs exactly as you'd expect from a well-tuned Kaweco nib. The body of the pen is a pleasant cream color, while the cap is a brighter retro orange that pairs nicely with the body.

The materials used on the pen are incredibly high-quality. The gold accents shine nicely and the large clip matches perfectly to the wide cap. The metal section is smooth but has a contoured shape that makes gripping the pen comfortable. The body and cap are made of a high-quality thick acrylic. This is nothing like the Kaweco Sport materials, as the Student feels heavier and more durable due to the thicker material. In all, it really feels great in the hand due to the premium materials.

Writing with the pen has been surprisingly pleasant. I was expecting something on par with the Kaweco Sport or AL Sport, but I've enjoyed writing with the Student even more than I anticipated. The medium length makes it comfortable and lightweight when using it uncapped, but the overall length when capped is still completely usable. The nib is smooth and required no adjustments, and the ink flow is steady and consistent. It's the gold standard by which all Kaweco nibs should perform out of the box. With the visual flair and unique colors, I'd love to try this pen with a modified nib to further increase the sophistication and personality of the pen's aesthetics.

Another positive for this Kaweco is that the additional length of the body provides room for a proper converter. That's right — you can use a standard converter with this pen. Kaweco sells one, but you can use any international converter that fits inside the pen body.

The Kaweco Student has quickly become one of my favorite pens. The 70's Soul color is a fun and unique combo, and the $60 price tag is fair considering the materials used. If the orange cream combo isn't your thing, you can also pick up the Student in Black, Vintage Blue, Red, Transparent Clear, and White. With each color, you also have the option of EF, F, M, and B nibs. If you choose one of the original colors, there's also a small price break (about $8 less than the 70's Soul version).

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

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 August 21, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Kaweco, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Metropolitan Rollerball Gel 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 original Pilot Metropolitan took the stationery world by storm when it was first introduced a few years ago. A well-made fountain pen with a solid nib and classy metal body for less than twenty bucks? Yes, please! The Metropolitan quickly entrenched itself as a classic, default fountain pen for new and veteran fountain pen enthusiasts alike. It's a modern classic and also happens to make a great gift for fountain pen curious friends.

But, we all know that fountain pens are just one avenue of pen geekery, and sometimes you just want to use a good ol' reliable gel pen for a while. Maybe you're stuck using paper that doesn't play well with fountain pen inks, or maybe you just love using gel refills and are looking for a more classy body to use over the default clear plastic bodies. Well, the Pilot Metropolitan Rollerball might fit the bill.

The Pilot Metropolitan Rollerball is identical to the fountain pen version except for the grip section. In this case, the grip section is unique and fits a Pilot G2 style refill instead of a fountain pen nib and cartridge. If you want, you can swap the G2 section into a favorite fountain pen body to mix and match colors as you see fit. It's great that the only difference between these pens is the configuration of the grip section. I'm sure this cuts down on manufacturing costs, but it's also a nice perk for the customer.

Now, let's focus on the most interesting part of this pen: the refill system. It ships with a standard black 0.7mm G2 refill, but that means you can swap it out for any number of refills that match the G2 size — including the Pilot Juice refills. That's right, Pilot's best refill system will work in this pen, making it a classy combination that fits in at the conference table at work, your pocket while out running errands, or laying on your desk.

I'm a huge fan of the Pilot Juice line, but you are extremely limited by the default line when it comes to exterior design and color options. The Juice is standard across the board — clear body with a color-coordinated soft grip, nock, and clip to match the refill color you purchased. While it's a great pen, it's not classy. The Juice is well-made and plenty durable, but it does look like a bulk-purchase gel pen (same goes for the Pilot G2). If you want to class up your G2 or Juice, the Metropolitan Rollerball body is the perfect way to do this. You have plenty of options as far as the color and middle section design (the design featured here is *Black Crocodile Body) to match your aesthetic, and it will only set you back about $19. To me, this is a great value for a classy pen that's made of metal, interchangeable with the other Metropolitan fountain pen bodies I have, and accepts my favorite gel pen refills.

The Pilot Metropolitan is a timeless design that performs great. It makes a great gift, a great introduction into finer pens, and will last a lifetime if cared for properly. If you haven't tried one out yet, do yourself a favor and order one as soon as possible!

(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 August 7, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Pilot, Metropolitan, Pen Reviews.

Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen New Model Review

Retro 51 makes some of the best - and most popular - rollerball and ballpoint pens on the market. In fact, they have made their own market by creating pens that are of a high quality, and are as fun as they are functional.

They make fountain pens too, but those take a backseat to their other offerings. I reviewed the previous version of the Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen in 2014, and while it was fine, it wasn’t compelling enough to recommend in it’s price bracket.

At the time, its clear flaw was the grip section. It was slick, and had a straight taper. It was just asking your fingers to slide right off. It wrote well enough, but the balance was a bit off, even unposted. In short, Retro 51 had some work to do to make their fountain pen a product worth standing next to the rest of their product lineup.

They did it with newly updated Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen.

Retro 51 took the universal feedback they received on the old version of the pen and fixed all of it. First off, the grip section is enjoyable! It is concave, and has a different finish that eliminates the majority of the slippage the previous version had. Secondly, the balance of the pen unposted is right on the money. When writing, you don’t necessarily want to feel the pen in your hand when doing so. You just want it to exist, and be enjoyable. This one is.

When posted, it is still going to be top-heavy, but that is because this is a metal barrel pen, and any posted metal barrel pen will have the same issue.

With those two main issues out of the way, Retro 51 went ahead and upgraded the nib. They went from a good one in Schmidt, to a great one in Jowo. And it is stamped with their logo too, which is something I personally enjoy.

If you couldn’t tell by my handwriting on the page, this EF steel nib was perfect right out of the box. I inked it up with Rohrer & Klingner Aubergine, broke out my Yoseka notebook, and enjoyed the writing experience.

That’s what I want every time I pick up a product. To enjoy the experience. In the past, the Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen didn’t give me that. It does now.

At it’s price point ($52 on Goldspot for the base level Tornado) it is now a compelling product versus the competition, such as TWSBI and Faber-Castell. And I think that is a good place to be.

(Retro 51 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!