Tombow Zoom 505 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.)

In my never ending quest to find better rollerball pens, I somehow totally missed the Tombow Zoom 505. I know I've seen this pen on JetPens many times, but it just didn't register in my searches or the aesthetic requirements at the time. Over the past few weeks, I've finally given this pen an honest try, and I can't believe I didn't try it sooner.

The rollerball market has always been a little slim on choices, and that's still largely true today. With the popularity of the Schmidt P8126 and similar refills, the rollerball market has boomed recently. The Tombow Zoom 505 takes a different route, though. The included refill is a 0.5mm replaceable rollerball cartridge. When it runs out, just swap it out for an entirely new cartridge. These cartridges just look like miniature Pilot Precise V5 pens, and that comparison goes a little farther than in looks alone.

A common downfall for many rollerball pens is the writing experience. It must be difficult to design and manufacture a reliable rollerball refill that also lays down a crisp line and feels smooth while doing so. I've had my fair share of disappointments over the years, but the Zoom 505 is not one of them.

The Zoom 505 refill is incredibly smooth. It's an absolute pleasure to write with, and it also managed to lay down a stunningly crisp line. There's hardly any bleed or feathering, and I haven't noticed a single skip or stutter while writing. It's an incredibly dependable and smooth writer. I compare it in my mind to the Schmidt P8126, but it has a finer line and feels a bit drier than the former. Still, it's a great performer and I really enjoy using it. The refills aren't terribly expensive either, and that opens your options up to colors (ahem, just blue) and other sizes as well. You can pick 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 1.0mm tips, but the only color options are black and blue. This is a shame! If only the Pilot Precise pens actually fit inside this Tombow body...

The exterior of the pen is shiny and elegant. It reminds me of the Pilot Metropolitan with a shiny lacquer on top of it. It's a little bland for my tastes, but the writing performance helps me get past that issue very quickly. Despite the bland exterior, it's still classy and well-made. This pen has no problem blending in during an executive meeting, but it also works great for jotting down notes while waiting in line to catch a bus into town.

The refill is excellent, but the grip section is what really sells me on the overall experience with this pen. It's a delightfully soft and contoured grip that seems to hug my fingers without being so soft that it becomes hard to accurately control the pen as I write. It's a hard line to walk, but the Zoom 505 does it brilliantly. Long writing sessions are not a problem due to the grip, but it also has some help thanks to some small weights in the bottom of the pen that provides the perfect balance while holding the pen in writing position.

The cap is the same metal material as the body, and it fastens to the grip section securely. I've never felt like this will uncap by mistake in my bag. The clip is also strong enough to get the job done without being annoyingly loose or tight. The goal of any clip is that "just right" zone, and this pen falls into that category.

Overall, the Tombow Zoom 505 is a fantastic rollerball pen that writes a smooth, crisp line and feels great in the hand. It makes a great gift for those who aren't sure about the idea of paying more than $3 for a pen, but it's also a stellar everyday writer. The Zoom 505 is available in black and brown and can be yours for about $20.

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

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Karas Pen Co. Galaxie XL Rollerball Pen 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.)

The new Reaktor line from Karas Pen Co. is zooming all over the world right now, and for good reason. They're affordable, durable, reliable, comfortable, and fun. I got to try out the Galaxie XL model, and since they sent four, I gave one to my tween and one to my husband to try as well.

I call my husband "the pen destroyer". Your standard ballpoint won't last a day in his pocket. Over the years I've bought him several tough and seemingly indestructible pens only to have him hand them back to me in pieces, smooshed, bent beyond use. So when I say he's been using this pen every day for over a month and it's still in excellent condition, I'm saying these pens will outlast us all. There will be Galaxie pens sticking up from the sand and ashes of civilization.

Karas Pen Co. created the Reaktor line to be simple and affordable. The Galaxie, at $45, is more than fairly priced for what you get. The pen comes in black, tumbled, or silver with either blue or red sections. All are machined aluminum.

They're fairly small pens--not quite pocket sized by my reckoning, but shorter and slimmer than most machined pens. They're shorter than a Retro 51 Tornado, though similar in width. The aluminum makes them fairly light, but hefty enough to feel like a substantial pen. I had no fatigue when writing with them, even for long stretches, and even with the pen posted. It's a very well balanced pen.

The cap closes with a satisfying click and the rings at the back end of the pen are designed to help it post securely and deeply. Because the parts are metal on metal, the cap does rattle a little both when closed and posted. I prefer not to post it when I'm writing for that reason. If you don't like that rattle and you have larger hands and prefer posting, this might not be the pen for you.

The clip is the classic bolted-on stainless steel "bulletproof" clip that Karas offers. This is the only part of the pen suffered in my husband's care. He managed to bend it sideways quite a bit--bulletproof is not David-proof, it seems, or perhaps I married Superman.

The grip is nicely contoured and very comfortable to hold. It didn't ever get too slippery or cramp my hand. The metal warmed up nicely as I wrote.

The Galaxie XL takes G2 style refills, which are easy to get in a variety of colors and tip sizes, so your options are well-covered.

The design is inspired by 1960s space race and automotive aesthetics, and it definitely has that vintage rocket feel to it. It's a very simple design, but elegantly done. My tween has declared that it "looks awesome". This is exceedingly high praise.

Probably my favorite thing about the Galaxie XL has been watching my dudes get attached to theirs. They aren't Pen Addicts. They think I'm nuts. But when I see my tween has a special spot on his desk just for this pen, and my hubby asking if he can have his pen back yet when I had to borrow it to take pictures of his poor clip--I know they really do understand how a pen can be special.

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

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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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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, which I am very grateful for.

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