Paper Mate Flair Review

The Paper Mate Flair is one of those pens that even your non-pen addict friends know about. It has been around for decades, and with good reason. It is a darn fine pen.

When I was growing up, the black Flair was a weapon of choice, with a bit of blue and red trickiling in over the years. It was a workhorse, although was prone to tip breakdown due to the design. This is normal with felt tip pens like the Flair, and is something you just have to deal with.

The newer model Flair has more of a plastic tip feel, giving it a sharper line and added durability over the original. I'll miss the fuzz I used to get off the original, but there is no doubt this is an upgrade.

I'm not sure when the rainbow of colors first came into the Flair line - I'm guessing the 90's - but the latest models are as good as ever. The colors are vibrant, and exactly what you would expect from the product descriptions. I went with a Sky Blue / Lime / Orange trio as you can see in the images, and I love them all. I use pens like this for notes and lists, not for long writing sessions. Black works for that, and I have enough black felt tip pens to last me a lifetime. Give me the brightness!

All in all, the Paper Mate Flair is a very solid pen. It will never be spectacular, but it will always be useful. That's why I always keep several around.

Three Questions With Lito From Palimpsest

Do you know what Palimpsest means? I didn’t before I started reading Lito Apostolakou’s wonderful blog of the same name. I’ve learned more than that from her over the years and emplore you to read through the archives and broaden your stationery knowledge. My thanks to Lito for answering Three Questions.

1. What role do analog tools such as pens, pencils, and paper play in your day to day life?

I enjoy forming letters with something as tactile as a pencil or a pen instead of summoning them into existence with the tap of a key. While I do spend a lot of time with my computer screen, keyboard and smartphone, it is the pen or the pencil I go to when I really want to connect with what I’m writing be it a To Do list, notes or a short story. Analogue and digital tools are complementary. But I guess it is the instrumentality of the pen – its capacity to be a physical tool, the sensory signals it sends – that makes it an important element in the thought process.

2. What are your favorite products you are currently using?

My favourite writing instruments change with the seasons and my mood. The pencil pot next to my computer holds currently a Mont Blanc Meisterstück (a birthday present) filled with MB Mystery Ink, a Kaweco Sport (sent by Jet Pens), a Namiki Falcon (bought recently in New York from the Fountain Pen Hospital) filled with Noodler’s Squeteague, and a Palomino Blackwing 602. Rhodia pads (always the ones with graph paper) are a staple.

3. What post are you the most proud of on your blog?

I’m proud of the Literary Pens Pencils Inks page on Palimpsest – which is a growing collection of references to pens, pencils and inks as found (mostly) in literary novels from Douglas Adams to Emil Zola. I have difficulties singling out a post I’m most proud of. Usually the most popular posts in the blog are not the ones I would have picked. I’ve had fun researching How to Pick up a Pink Pen if you are a Boy and frame-by-frame pen spotting in the movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Uuni 2

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My thanks to Uuni for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.