There is great customer service and then there is GREAT customer service. Myke experienced the latter in his recent dealings with TWSBI - now if we can get them to come through with the colored aluminum piston 580 we would be golden!
We also talk about a new-to-us stone paper notebook, writing with your opposite hand, and the challenges of finding the perfect pen for someone new to the game.
One of my favorite pens keeps on getting better as Pilot has added color to its excellent Acroball ballpoint pen line.
The Acroball has picked up steam since I first reviewed it in 2009. At that time they were only available in Japan, but soon started showing up at importers in the US like JetPens. Nearly four years later, Pilot decided to put the Acroball on the store shelves and at least by the chatter surrounding it, it seems to be doing well.
Why does it take a popular Japanese pen from a major manufacturer four years to hit the market in the US and other countries? I'm still searching for that answer.
Back to the Acroball Color before I go completely off the rails. It's great - as good as any Acroball I have used in fact. If you have never used one or heard of it, what sets it apart from most ballpoints is the use of a hybrid ballpoint ink, similar to the Uni-ball Jetstream that is so loved. This gives it a smooth, clean ink flow that is as good as you will find in a ballpoint. It allows for a vibrancy in color too, which is shown in the writing sample below.
The use of the Miami Dolphins color scheme is unintentional, but it kind of works, doesn't it? Both light blue and orange are difficult to get right in ballpoints but Pilot pulls it off here. I could use both of these colors on their own without pause. And the grip? Why this hasn't propagated through Pilot's offerings (especially the G-2) is beyond me. It is fantastic.
The Violet model is in my future, and if they come out with a good blue black it might be game over for the Jetstream.
(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)
If there is one thing I love as much as reviewing pens and paper it is giving other people the chance to try out some of the awesomeness as well. Thanks to my good friends at JetPens I am able to do just that, and plan on doing much more in 2014. The winner of the $50 JetPens gift certificate is:
Congrats Anthony! I'm pretty sure I won't have to hunt you down so get in touch via the Contact Page and I will get you set up.
Thanks to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for much more frequent giveaways here at The Pen Addict!
