Alfred Dunhill Sentryman Art Deco Rollerball Review

Alfred Dunhill is a premier luxury brand, recognized around the globe for it’s classic menswear and accessories. In fact, the parent company of Dunhill, Richemont, owns Montblanc as well, along with more than a dozen other high-end brands.

As a company, Dunhill became popular in the early 1900’s by tapping into the world’s newest fascination: automobiles. Dunhill didn’t make cars, but rather accessories for those who drove them. Goggles, coats, even a wind-proof pipe.

The pipe, and smoking accessories in general, was how I first became aware of the brand. Not that I have ever smoked, but there wasn’t a mall in the 1980’s or 1990’s where you didn’t see some sort of Dunhill presence. That market has changed over the past two decades, and Dunhill has changed right along with it, while remaining true to its origins.

The Sentryman Art Deco Rollerball is the embodiment of the Dunhill brand in a writing instrument. A glorious one at that. You can’t look at this pen and not think, or say, “Wow.”

You also cannot look at the price of this pen and not think “Wow” as well.

At $790, this is far and away the most expensive non-fountain pen I have ever reviewed. I was actually nervous when Dunhill reached out to me to review this pen, and paused for days, if not weeks, before committing to accepting this product from them.

I’m glad I did.

I’ve spoken for years about what I call the “Montblanc Problem”, which is the phrase I use when you are paying for everything about a pen besides the writing experience. The refill is the least expensive part of the equation, which anyone can afford. The refill also fits in many other pen barrels, giving you the Montblanc writing experience without the Montblanc cost. The Montblanc/Pilot G2 hack is famous for this.

As I tell readers all the time, you have to understand what you are paying for in the luxury pen market, and decide what is important to you. Are materials, style, branding, and marketing your primary purchasing factors? Or is it the writing experience? There is no wrong answer, of course, but the most impossible question for me to answer is “I have x dollars to spend on a pen for a gift, what should I buy?”

If money is no object, I would consider the Sentryman over any Montblanc rollerball I have seen. It is absolutely stunning. It feels great to write with. It looks great sitting on my desk, or clipped to a shirt pocket. It writes wonderfully (Unposted, that is. It is too heavy posted.) with the included Dunhill-branded Schmidt EasyFlow refills (International G2/Parker refill compatible). Price excluded, this is a 10 out of 10 pen.

But price can’t be excluded when making a purchasing decision. I’ve spent more on fountain pens, but my opinion is that I get more too. Do you get more when spending this much on a rollerball? That is for you to decide.

My thanks to Alfred Dunhill for sending me this pen at no charge for purposes of this review.

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Lamy 2000 Rollerball Review

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

Back in 2014, I wrote about the iconic Lamy 2000 fountain pen, and talked about my love for the design and the writing experience of the pen. Well, here we are in 2016 and I've expanded my Lamy collection to include a Lamy 2000 rollerball. A lot about the rollerball is the same as the fountain pen version, but this one is obviously a bit more simple since it only has a rollerball cartridge inside. Even though there are a lot of differences between this and the fountain pen, it's a great pen that would be perfect for a lot of people looking for an elegant, classy, and reliable pen for daily use.

Aesthetics

In my original Lamy 2000 review, I wrote about the design of the pen:

The Lamy 2000 is unique. There isn't another pen like it in design. It's sleek, modern, and welcoming at the same time. It looks like a pen meant to write, but classy at the same time. It works with casual and dress clothes splendidly. It always gets comments out in the wild.

I don't think it's fair to call this a "different" pen, since the exterior is completely identical aside from the nib area. When the pens are capped, it's difficult to determine which is which. From what I can tell, there's only one way to tell from the outside: the top of the cap has a small dimple in the rollerball version, whereas the fountain version is completely flat and smooth. The fountain pen version also feels like it might weigh a few grams more, but not much.

Obviously, it's pretty easy to tell them apart once the caps are off, but the differences are limited to the nib area only. The grip section is identical, the cap fitting is identical, and even the piston knob is identical. But, why does the rollerball version have a piston knob? Well, it's not actually a piston knob — just a section that screws off to give you access to the cartridge. But, the thing is the back cap is the same length and location as the piston knob, and equally difficult to notice when closed.

Saying that the attention to detail that went into the rollerball version of the 2000 is impressive almost does it justice. Lamy went above and beyond to ensure this looks every bit as classy, timeless, and modern as the older, more sophisticated cousin.

This is a rollerball that can stand its ground in any board room.

Writing experience

That's great that it looks just like the fountain pen version, but the fountain pen version writes so well (provided you don't have a faulty nib), right? Right, but that doesn't mean that the rollerball version has a bad writing experience. Quite the opposite, actually.

From what I can tell, Lamy sourced the cartridge through Schmidt, and we all know what that means. This is a smooth writer. Coming from the same company that provides the ever-so-glassy-smooth Retro 51 refills, this Lamy 2000 refill is no slouch. Lamy dubs it the M63, and it retails for $5.

Like the Retro 51 stock refill, the Lamy 2000 is also a 0.7mm size, and it is smooth and well-flowing. I'm a huge fan of Schmidt refills of all kinds, and this one is no exception. There really isn't anything I dislike about the way it writes — it's smooth, it always starts right away, never skips, and lays down a dark, crisp line of inky pitch black.

My only gripe is the line width, which is the same "problem" I have with the Retro 51 stock refill. To get a smaller size (like a 0.5 or so), you'll have to find the refill directly from Schmidt. While this is fairly easy for the Retro 51 refills (Schmidt P8127), the Lamy version can be a bit difficult to locate. From what I can tell from reading this Schmidt catalog (pg. 25), the Schmidt SRC5888F (0.6mm) and SRC5888M (0.7mm) refills would work in the Lamy 2000 if you had a small extension for the base — about 2mm long. Still, the price is about the same, so unless you want the slightly smaller tip size, I'd stick with the Lamy-branded refills.

Conclusion

If you're a fan of the Lamy 2000 design, but are looking for a non-fountain pen version, the rollerball is perfect for you. It's a bit cheaper than the fountain pen version, just over $100. It's not "cheap," but it's also a price that I feel is fair given the attention to detail, prestige of the 2000 line, and the beautiful design and writing experience.

If you're nervous about jumping on a Lamy 2000 because you're new to fountain pens, this might be the perfect entry point into fine pens.

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

Retro 51 Tornado Vintage Metalsmith Juliet Heart Tree Rollerball Pen 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 Retro 51 Tornado Vintage Metalsmith Juliet Heart Tree Rollerball Pen (what a mouthful!) is a design created with acid etching and vintage metal accents. The Juliet looks like tree bark, and, because the design is etched, you can feel the texture with your fingers.

A heart with an arrow appears below the clip, and it just begs for initials. I asked, but you can't get that part of the pen engraved. I suppose you could write initials on the pen yourself using a Sharpie or other permanent marker to personalize it.

The Retro 51 Tornado is substantive for an average-sized pen. I couldn't find any specifications regarding its length, width, or weight, so I took my own measurements. Length without point extended: 12.5mm; Length with point extended: 12.9mm; Width at clip end about 1.8mm; Width at top of cone about 1mm; Weight: 1 ounce [29.57 ml] (if my scale is at all accurate).

The pen balances fairly comfortably in the hand, though it tapers dramatically from the clip end to the cone. If you like thick grips, this pen may not be comfortable for you. I wrote with my fingers on the cone, though you could hold the pen further back for a slightly wider grip.

The rollerball ink flows smoothly and didn't stutter or leave ink globs on the paper. I was pleased with how beautifully the pen wrote.

The pen comes with a Retro 51 Tornado rollerball refill. The Goldspot website doesn't state what size the rollerball is, but it feels like a medium (0.7) to me. Apparently refills from other brands (Monteverde, Schmidt, and Parker) can be used in the Retro Tornado pens, and you can choose either rollerball or ballpoint refills. These come in sizes other than medium.

The retractable rollerball system works smoothly. Turn the knob clockwise to extend the tip and counter-clockwise to retract it.

The clip is rigid. I could not lift it at all. I suppose you could clip the pen to a piece of paper, but getting it over a shirt pocket might require pliers.

Refilling the pen is simple. Just unscrew the cone, remove the spring, insert the new refill, replace the spring and cone, and you're done. I noticed while writing that the spring or pen cartridge knocks against the cone making a constant clicking noise. I tried replacing the spring and pen cartridge several times to see if repositioning it helped. It didn't. It's not terribly noisy, but if clicking noises bother you, be forewarned that this pen clicks.

I like the design of this pen, though I would have chosen brown for the etched portions to make it look more like a tree. The heart and arrow in a different color (maybe in red?) would have added to the playfulness of the design. Unfortunately, a visible seam runs along the length of the pen, and it looks unprofessional.

After writing several pages with the Retro Tornado, my hand got fatigued. The pen is fairly heavy and the steep taper forces your fingers into an uncomfortable writing position. Although Retro 51 offers many fun designs (I particularly like the Albert which sports a black background and mathematical equations), this is not a pen I would purchase for myself. The weight, the steep taper, and the clicking noises didn't impress me.

However, for people who enjoy quirky designs and solidly-built rollerballs, the Retro 51 Tornado is a good choice for short writing sessions. The Juliet version is currently on sale at Goldspot Pens for $28.00 (regularly $35.00). Refills are $4.00 a piece. Be sure to check out the Albert ($40.00) and all the other Retro 51 designs. I was sorely tempted to buy a Harley Davidson Blackline Skull Pen ($65.00) because who doesn't want a skull pen? Right?

Goldspot Pens kindly provided the Retro 51 Tornado Juliet as a loaner pen for this review.