Parker IM Roller Ball Review

For a blog that reviews pens you would think that I would have reviewed a Parker or two over the years, but it hasn’t happened until now. The Parker IM Roller Ball is my first foray into the Parker market, and one of the first Parkers carried by JetPens.

Before I get into the review, let me tell you why it has taken me so long to try out a Parker. It is pretty simple really - there are no viable sub 0.5mm refills. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears. This is not Parkers fault. In this category of pen, it’s not even easy to find refills under 0.7mm, although it can be done. This is what the mass market consumer wants, and by gosh, that is what they are going to get.

I’m here to change that, one micro tip at a time.

Before I go off on one of my anti-mainstream rants, let me give this pen a proper review, because I was pleasantly surprised by it. First off, the barrel is serious business. Weighing in at 1.27 oz. (a basic Pilot Hi-Tec-C is 0.37 oz. for comparison), is has a nice heft in the hand, but is not too heavy to where you will tire of writing with it. The black matte finish with chrome accents - including the famous arrow clip - are sharp looking.

The ink cartridge is an 0.7mm liquid ink cartridge. It works great if that is your preferred writing ink, but I am going to be looking at swapping it for a gel ink refill. There were no issues with this ink though. Just take a look at the writing sample above and you will see how nice it is.

If you handed me this pen blindly and asked me how much it cost based on feel and performance alone, I would have guessed $40-$50. At just $15, it feels like a steal, and might turn me into a Parker user after all.

Kaweco Sport Ice Roller Ball Liquid Ink Pen Review

Being the bonafide Pen Addict that I am, there are many cases where I can't wait to get my hands on a pen to try out, and this red body Kaweco Sport Ice Roller Ball definitely had me at hello. The idea of a liquid ink cartridge roller ball is not a new concept, but is a setup I have never used before.

The pen tip is your standard medium rollerball (right in the 0.7mm range), and the ink cartridge snaps in as if you were using a cartridge based fountain pen. I hear on the internets that these types of situations are called a "mash-up".

Kaweco has done a great job with the Sport line, building a barrel that is lightweight, durable, and very functional. With the cap on, the pen is a compact 10.5 cm, but when posted it expands to a comfortable 13 cm. Writing with the cap posted is just about perfect.

I already had the Aubergine Purple Kaweco refills for my Kaweco Sport AL, but I wanted to try a different shade than the blue that comes with it, so I went with the blue black. I honestly wasn't thrilled with my ink selection when I first started writing with it. The ink was a little watery, but the more I wrote with it, the more solid it became. I'm thinking it is a case where it took a little priming, just like if you were putting a fresh ink cartridge into a fountain pen.

Speaking of fresh ink, you can also convert the Kaweco Sport Ice Roller into an eyedropper style pen and use any fountain pen ink you want. Check out the how-to on the JetPens Blog.

The Kaweco Sport Ice Roller Ball Liquid Ink Pen is available in four different body colors for $16.00 at JetPens.com.

Updated for the Doane Paper fans!

Review: Lamy Balloon Roller Ball

Another one of the great new Lamy products from JetPens, the Lamy Balloon Roller Ball is a very cool pen.  The great looking translucent colored barrels sold me, but would the performance keep me around?  Would you expect anything else from Lamy?

The Balloon Roller feels great in the hand.  The plastic barrel is lightweight, but in traditional Lamy style, it also feels very sturdy.  This is no cheap plastic pen here for sure.  I love how it writes too, but I do have a couple of minor concerns that keep this pen from being perfect.  One, I am getting a little skipping from the ink cartridge.  Until I can order a new cartridge, I am chalking this up as a fluke.  I either need to give this refill a good writing workout, or try another one to compare.  I have marked on the review where you can see the skipping.  From past experience, this seems like an outlier.

Secondly, I love the look of the clip, but I wish it was a little tighter.  That is an extremely minor complaint, but being used to how snappy the clips are on the Safaris and AL-Stars, this one is a bit of a let down.  It is by no means a deal breaker though.  It's just if I was making the perfect pen I would make it tighter.

In the big picture, I like the Balloon Roller more than the AL-Star roller I reviewed recently.  It feels better, and I am enjoying the blue liquid ink more than the black.  It doesn't seem as wet, and if I can get past the skipping it will be great.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:
Lamy Balloon Roller Ball Pen - Blue Body from JetPens
Writing Pad from Doane Paper