Pens in Flight: One approach that works

Recently I had an opportunity to test some of the internet's advice for taking pens on airplanes.  I ended up putting together several tips & tricks into a routine that worked quite well. It's nothing fancy but it does the job!

All the pens were placed in a zippered plastic bag, so their tips were pointed in the same direction. The water brush was emptied to avoid any potential issues with airport security.

As soon as we were seated, I pulled out the bag of pens and slipped it into the seat pouch (tips up, of course).  This way not only were they safe and totally secured into an upright position, but I could unzip the bag and use the pens while flying with very little fuss.

I used several of the pens during the flight - including a Pilot Penmanship fountain pen with a half-full cartridge.  None of the pens shed a drop of ink or had any other troubles, during or after the flight.

Surely a bit of bad luck could have caused this to go differently but I feel confident that this routine will minimize the chances of a spill, and mitigate the damage should the worst occur.

Review: Lamy Nexx Aluminum Fountain Pen EF Nib

Am I getting heavy into fountain pens now?  Not quite - I still don't use them on a daily (or even weekly) basis, but it is hard for me to pass up a new Lamy model.  The Lamy Nexx Aluminum Fountain Pen is a recent addition to the ever expanding JetPens lineup, and comes in a few different flavors.  My model has the orange cap with metal clip, and an extra fine nib (see all options here).

My first impressions of this fountain pen is that is a design mashup of the AL-Star and Safari lines from Lamy.  The Nexx has a nice aluminum barrel like the AL-Star, and a plastic cap like the Safari, which results in a more industrial look, as the product description puts it.  The one thing that is different from both is that the grip area is a solid rubber as opposed to plastic.  It is still molded in the triangular shape, but the rubber gives you a litte more security in the grip area.

At the start, I only have the standard Lamy blue ink cartridge that came with the pen, but many other ink cartridges are available, and the Lamy Z 24 converter works with it as well.  I'm a fan of the standard Lamy blue, and the EF nib in the Nexx actually seems a little smoother than the EF nib in my Charcoal Safari.

The Nexx is a great fountain pen for Lamy fans and for those looking for something different.  Since I only have a Safari to compare it to my opinion is limited to those two, but gun to my head I will pick up my Safari first, but it is really close.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Lamy Nexx Aluminum Fountain Pen EF Nib from JetPens

Writing Pad from Doane Paper

See also:

Review: Lamy Safari Charcoal/Black EF Nib

Review: Lamy Safari Lime Green with F Nib

Review: Bic Clic Ballpoint

Ever since starting this blog I have been asked by emailers and commenters to review some of the most common pens around - the standard Bic's, PaperMate's and things of that nature.  That has been hard for me because I really don't use those pens (which is one of the main reasons I started this blog).  I keep meaing to break down and buy some of the very basic pens found in desk drawers, store counters, and the like, but I just never get around to it.  It took me forever to realize I had one of the classic pens sitting right here the entire time in the Bic Clic.

I'm not sure when the Bic Clic was first introduced, but anyone who has ever written a word in thier life has surely used one of these at some point in time.  This pen is as common as the day is long.  It has been years and years since I have put one to paper, but it is really not a bad pen.  The only reason I have this one is that it was a freebie in an old Field Notes order, and that is pretty much what the Clic has been relegated to these days - a promotional pen workhorse.  Need a logo pen?  Well the Clic, along with the Stic, are the kings of that arena.  I imagine most people don't even use a non-promo version of this pen.

On the performance front it is not bad at all, like I mentioned before.  The 1.0mm ballpoint is very smooth, and the black looks nice on the page and is much cleaner than I remember a Bic ever being.  That is pretty good for, well, free.

Click here for the XL review.