Review: Rotring Core Eternium Rollerball

I have spied the Rotring Core Eternium Rollerball for sale on several pen sites over the past year or two, and I finally bit the bullet and ordered one from Goldspot Pens when I ordered my Fisher Space Pen.  I don't think the design is for everyone (that's probably why it was marked down), but I thought it was pretty cool and interesting looking, so on its way to me it came.

While I like the design of the pen, I could tell the real issue with it pretty early on.  The barrel is made from plastic and a very lightweight aluminum, but as you can probably tell from the picture, the cap is very large, and unfortunately a little too heavy for the rest of the pen.  With the cap posted, the pen was off balance.  I even felt sometimes that is was going to flip over the back of my hand while writing if I wasn't careful.  It was a very odd feeling.  With the cap unposted, the barrel is almost too light to write with.  I don't necessarily mind a light barrel, but I prefer the pen skinnier if it is.

The ink cartridge wasn't especially impressive either, but that didn't bother me because I was planning on switching it out very soon anyway.  I may hold off for now unless I get more used to writing with it.  This is one of those pens that may require some time to break in and get comfortable with.

Click here for the XL review.

Ink Links

(Sorry if I missed a few posts - I had to complie this a little earlier than normal)

-- Review: JetPens Nomadic CB-01 Wise-Walker Multi Compartment Day Pack  (Berry Scoop)

-- The Pilot G2 (PS. I love you)  (The Jackodile Press)

-- Featured Pen - Eversharp Skyline Executive  (Whatever)

-- Sometimes I go down the oddest paths  (Richard Binder)

-- Mephisto Pencils  (Pencil Points)

-- Battle of the eco pencils  (Bleistift)

-- Review: Pentel Rolly 4 Color Pen and R.S.V.P. RT Retractable PLUS GIVEAWAY  (Mightier Than The Sword)

-- Rhodia No. 19 Yellow Lined Notepad  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Doane Paper Idea Journal Review  (Office Supply Geek)

-- My perfect writing instrument is a fountain pen  (Yet another tentacled thing)

-- Guest Blogger Clem Dionglay: Pen Meet in the Phillipines  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Kanoe Multi Pencils  (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- Uni-ball Impact 1.0mm RT Gel Pen  (X1 Blog)

-- Kutsuwa Edwin Puffy Pencil Case Review  (The Leaky Pen)

Review: Bic 730RT 0.7mm Gel

Bic really turned the corner last year in the pen design department with the release of the 537R and 730R.  Both were very nice liquid ink needle tip pens that performed very well and looked great to boot.  The Bic 730RT 0.7mm gel kept some of the same design elements as its predecessors, but it doesn't quite cut it in the performance department.

I was able to test out this pen at the Staples writing station recently, and I knew pretty quickly that is wasn't up to par with comparable pens like the Pilot G-2 and Uni-Ball Signo 207.  I purchased it anyway so I could try it out more at home, but it continued to unimpress there as well.  The line is not as clean or as sharp as some of its peers, and it is not as smooth of a writer as well.

While the barrel looks nice, it feels cheap - sort of like Bic's products from years past.  It is lightweight and constructed poorly, with plastic seams visible and an overall cheap feel.  The 730RT is nowhere near the pen that the 730R and 537R are.

Click here for the XL review.