Craft Design Technology Chrome Ball Point Pen Review

Craft Design Technology is a unique Japanese stationery brand whose mission statement is to marry "modern design with Japanese heritage of traditional craft and technology innovation." Their beautiful green packaging has been on my radar for a while and when Rikumo reached out to me offering a couple of products for review I was excited to take a look.

The first item I chose from Rikumo was the Craft Design Technology Chrome Ball Point Pen - Item 22, CDT's take on the classic business ballpoint. This is the type of pen I picture in my grandfather's shirt pocket, on my dad's office desk, or in a Mad Men client meeting. It exudes style and class.

Most pen companies in the 1950's through 1970's leaned heavy on this design and CDT has done their best to refine it. The chrome barrel is a stunner. It is so shiny it is hard to photograph for a hack like me, but in person it makes a statement. I could do without the CDT branding - just their logo would have been nicer - but I would be lying if I said I didn't like the whole "Item 22" thing. Something about that cracks me up. It is so Japanese, and I love it.

As with all writing products in this line, the chrome ball point is built in conjunction with Pentel and therefore uses Pentel refills. The 0.8 mm ballpoint is average at best. The darkness of the ink is excellent, but it is prone to being messy and there is even some spidering (a string of ink between letters/words when lifting the pen of the page.) In the abstract it looks fine, but on closer inspection I expect more.

Getting down to brass tacks, the Craft Design Technology Chrome Ball Point Pen is a value proposition. At $65, this is not a cheap pen, so are the benefits worth the price? I don't think so. The design is excellent and CDT's goals are admirable, but the value isn't there. There is a long list of pens that I would choose over Item 22.

There are Craft Design Technology items that look like they would suit my writing needs better and I hope to try out more soon. This is a company that is well worth keeping an eye on. Big thanks to Rikumo for sending me this pen for review. Be sure to check out their online shop for more wonderful Japanse imports or drop in to their brick and mortar store if you are in Philadelphia area.

Ink Links

-- Sketching with Iroshizuku Inks (Francis THEO)

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-- Measuring up: A short review of the Midori ‘Japan works’ ruler (A fool with a pen)

-- Review: Now n Then Eco-Essential Pen & Pencil Set (Gourmet Pens)

-- My first Rotring (Pen Pursuit)

-- Review: Kaweco AL Sport Black Stonewashed (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Pelikan M200 Cognac Special Edition (Italic) Review (Write to Me Often)

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-- Forest Choice: A Review (The Finer Point)

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-- Yoobi No. 2 Pencils - "One For You, One For Me" from the new Target school supplies line (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Tale of a Vandal Pen Collector: Three Pilots Full (Peaceable Writer)

-- The Cross Dubai Review (Funkmon on pens.)

Rotring 800+ Mechanical Pencil Review

There are many excellent drafting pencils on the market but none with the name recognition and history of the Rotring brand. The Rotring 600 is an all-time classic, with older models being passed down through generations as an heirloom. The Rotring 800 is a popular upgrade to the 600, giving the user a retractable lead sleeve to protect it from damage. The latest model, the Rotring 800+ brings this great product into the modern age with the addition of a capacitive stylus tip.

I'm of the opinion that some classics should be left alone, but Rotring has handled this correctly by adding the 800+ to the product line, not replacing one of their already popular other pencils. The stylus option will be devisive, but in the end the choice is up to you. I don't necessarily find it useful in my everyday life, but I can see how many would welcome this addition. A perfect use case came up in Apple's 2014 WWDC Keynote intro, with architect Daniel Libeskind using an iPad to draw using the Paper app. I could see architects, engineers, and artists using this pencil to transition back and forth from paper to tablet with ease.

I've owned my 600 for years and the 800+ falls right in line on the quality front. There is a density that you feel in the metal barrel but it isn't overly heavy. The hex barrel gives it a traditional look, as does the grip knurling, which is in the mid-range of roughness. The lead sleeve extends and retracts with a quick half-twist of the top of the pencil, and the stylus is quite responsive when in use. There are no negatives that I have run into yet in my short time with this pencil.

So, what do you think about updating classic pens and pencils to fit today's modern use cases? I would be sad to see older models vanish off the shelf and be replaced with NEW! SHINY!, but as additions to an already great product lineup? I think that only benefits us all in the long run.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)