Yesterday, I reviewed a poor writing Lamy Rollerball, and today, I’m giving away one that writes well. The Lamy AL-Star Lilac Rollerball uses the far superior Lamy M63 refill, and I have one of these limited edition pens to give away this week. Read the rules below and enter away!
Posts filed under Rollerball
Lamy Balloon Rollerball Review
The proof of concept period is complete, which means it is time for Lamy to finish the transformation of the Balloon Rollerball into the Vista Fountain Pen.
I first reviewed the Balloon over a decade ago, and the tale of two pens that was present in that design - great barrel, poor refill - unfortunately continues on in their latest version of this colorful pen. That’s what gets me the most about the Balloon: it’s a stunner! At least to look at. Writing? Not so much.
The Lamy T11 rollerball refill is the single worst proprietary refill they make, in a sea of other good to great proprietary refills. That was my primary complaint with the previous model. Given the usage of the same refill, I had hoped to see some performance improvements over the years, but my hope was misplaced.
The medium blue refill is inconsistent. That’s the long and short of it. A good rollerball line should be consistent and smooth, laying down a saturated ink color. The line from the Lamy T11 is so inconsistent, repeatedly going from thin line to thick, that I would almost say it is skipping. That’s a word I’ve never used in relation to a rollerball refill. It’s a bad writing experience, to be kind.
Odds were that this would be the expected result of the writing experience, but that’s not why I bought this pen to review. I bought it for the barrel.
Even though the Balloon uses the same terrible refill it always has, Lamy made some changes to the barrel design. Primarily focusing on the cap, they changed the clip to the famed Lamy wire clip, including the addition of a separate finial cap to slot the clip into.
Kind of looks like a Lamy Vista, doesn’t it?
Lamy Vista.
My dream for Lamy has long been to upgrade the Vista fountain pen lineup to include transparent color barrels. Fun colors, as seen in the Balloon for years. Currently, Blue, Lime, and Pink are part of the rotation. Imagine Purple, or Orange? The technology to manufacture this type of barrel is obviously available, and now parts to match have been added to the lineup. So I have to ask: when, Lamy?
Soon, I hope.
Until then, I would avoid the Lamy Balloon, despite the cool looks, and the reasonable $18 price tag. The writing experience isn’t worth it.
(Pen Chalet provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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Schon DSGN Anniversary Rollerball Pen Review
Q: Is there such a thing as a rollerball pen that takes fountain pen ink?
A: Yes!
Q: Is there such a thing as a good rollerball pen that takes fountain pen ink?
A: Well, …
Fountain pen ink compatible rollerball pens have been around for as long as I have been writing this blog. In general, they have been hit or miss, where “hit” means “passable on a good day.” There have been downright bad ones that I have tested, like the Kaweco Sport Roller and J. Herbin models, plus decent ones that get recommended sometimes, like the Monteverde Engage and One Touch. There has been one great one that has crossed my desk, the Pilot V5 Hi-Techpoint, but it is not easy to find, and not the style of pen many people want.
The issue with the rollerball fountain pen-in my unscientific experience-is that fountain pen ink isn’t as lubricated as other standard inks, which allows the ink to flow smoothly through the metal roller ball tip. Whenever I’ve tested these pens in the past, it has been a dry, scratchy experience. The needle-tip design of the Hi-Techpoint delivers the ink better than the rest, but that design is specific to Pilot.
Other manufacturers, such as Montegrappa, use the Schmidt Cartridge-Rollerball-System PRS tip, as do many smaller makers. That’s the tip used in the Schon DSGN Anniversary Edition, and that I’ve been testing out for months. And you know what? It’s better than expected. That’s why the two Montegrappa pens are the most recommended in this category, and why custom makers are beginning to mix this option into their lineups.
Schon DSGN sent me the full Anniversary kit (fountain, ballpoint, and rollerball fittings,) for review, but this pen is also available in a rollerball-only version. And, already owning several Schon DSGN Pocket Six fountain pens and Ballpoint pens, I wanted to give the rollerball a full go.
The rollerball tip is designed for use with international cartridges and converters, specifically short international in the case of this Schon DSGN model. I chose Graf von Faber Castell Olive Green cartridges for my first attempt, and this ink has been a perfect match.
The biggest concern of this setup is the feel of the tip as it writes on the page. I expected dry and scratchy based on previous experiences, and my expectations were unfounded. The ink flowed well, and I couldn’t feel the metal hitting the paper. The experience is, dare I say, nice. Is it on the level of the Schmidt P8127 rollerball for smoothness? No, but your ink options are essentially endless. I think that is a fair trade.
Now, have I tested this with a wide range of ink types? No. Do I expect all inks to behave as well as this one? Also no. But I don’t have that expectation with my fountain pen nibs, either. GvFC Olive Green is a standard, moderate ink, which fits this pen well.
Outside of the rollerball tip, which is ostensibly what this is a review of, the rest of the Schon DSGN Anniversary Pen represents everything I already love about Schon DSGN pens. The smaller-sized barrel is a great size, the machining tolerances are on point, and brass is a beautiful material for a pocket pen like this that is designed to show wear and tear.
The only question I have when using this pen is to post the cap, or not? It’s a tweener, meaning it’s too short unposted to write for long sessions, and too back-heavy when posted due to the added weight of the brass. For most of my writing with it, I post the cap.
Would I recommend the Schon DSGN Rollerball? Yes. For personal use, I think I would get along with the lighter weight aluminum barrel better, but there is something about the brass patina that makes me keep reaching for this one.
Now, it is time to experiment with inks!
(Schon DSGN 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.
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