Ink Links

-- Reynolds 432  (Bleistift)

-- Tools of the Trade: Tiny Notebooks  (Does This Pen Write?)

-- Vintage Esterbrook & Waterman Ideal  (Without Ink)

-- New Clairefontaine Graf it Sketch Pads – Have you tried them?  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Where Have All The Pen Stores Gone?  (Fountain Pen Restoration)

-- Featured Pen - Mabie Todd Swan SM 205/86  (Whatever)

-- In Praise of Handwriting  (Notebook Stories)

-- O’BON Pencils Made from Recycled Newspaper  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Top 10 of 2009. #10  (Good Pens)

-- Muji Fountain Pen  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Scribe's Tool of the Year 2009  (The Critical Scribe)

-- Fountain pen ink meets watercolor paper. And water.  (Leigh Reyes)

-- Converse All Star Sneaker Pencase - Wearable Too, If You Insist  (Scription)

Review: Faber Castell Conic Silver Ballpoint

This Faber Castell Conic Silver ballpoint pen is an interesting number.  From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I'm not crazy about the looks.  If I saw it in a store, I probably wouldn't even pick it up to try out.  But as it turns out, it feels pretty good in the hand, and writes decently to boot.

My main consternation is the entire concept of the pen - its "conic" shape.  I don't mind a tapered pen, or a torpedo shaped pen, but it has to be balanced just right.  This pen feels a little top heavy, but once you start writing, it feels pretty good.  The grip leaves a little bit to be desired - the rubber is firm and non-flexible - and since I grip all of my pens low, the taper towards the tip gets a little too skinny for me.

I experienced no real issues with the ballpoint ink cartridge.  It was reasonably smooth and not messy at all.  Looking at the XL sized picture, the ink actually looks very nice on the page.  This is a solid, middle of the road offering from Faber Castell, and I wouldn't mind trying out a few more of their products.

Click here for the XL review.

Pentel Slicci Metallic Gel Ink Pen - 0.8 mm - Blue

The Pentel Slicci Metallic gel ink pen is not a pen I was super anxious to try, but color me impressed, in a crafty, glittery kind of way.

I'm generally a fan of all things Slicci as it is, and the metallic Slicci's are built just like the regular ones.  The barrel is the same shape, size, and weight, with the only difference being a few additional graphics around the label and the end of the pen.  My one concern prior to using this model was the 0.8mm tip size.  I reviewed a regular 0.7mm orange Slicci earlier this year, and didn't like the bluntness of the pen and how the ink transferred to the paper.  I felt I couldn't get as sharp of a line as I wanted.  The metallic gel ink Slicci does a better job when writing, and I wonder if the tip is slightly different.  I'll need to break out the magnifying glass one day to check them out.

The blue glittery gel ink wouldn't play too well in my office, but it is a really fun color and I am surprised at how much I like it.  The line is solid, almost like you would get from a felt tip pen.  I was worried that the color would be washed out and watery, but it is not in the least.  The gel ink also doesn't bleed through the page, so it would be perfect for scrap booking and craft projects.  My good pen friend Alberto at Lung Sketching Scrolls did a great review of all the available colors on his blog, so be sure to check it out.

Click here for the XL review.