Making Light

The use of something real and tangible like a candle from Making Light engages your senses in a way that digital tools do not. Imagine sitting down to work, opening your task list, turning on some background music, and lighting a candle. It's time to focus and do your best work.

Making Light offers several options to get you started, ranging from a one month gift to a 12 month subscription. Each month you will receive two 100% botanical soy wax candles, a sample of the following month's scent, and a box of matches to fire up your daily ritual. Readers of The Pen Addict can also get $5 off their next order by using the code "POSTCARDS" at checkout.

My thanks to Making Light for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Pilot Vanishing Point Raden Water Surface Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Most fountain pen people are familiar with the Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen, even if they don't own one. It's a fountain pen with a retractable nib. And, it's a pen that some people love and others hate–largely due to the location of the clip.

My first Pilot Vanishing Point did not impress me. I bought a blue carbonesque with an EF nib from Amazon, which, in retrospect, may have been my primary mistake (buying it from Amazon, that is). The pen itself was gorgeous. I loved the carbonesque design and found the click mechanism fascinating. But it was a horrible writer. The nib was ink-stingy and scratchy. Plus, I found the clip annoying and the pen too heavy. I eventually sold it and thought I was done with Vanishing Points forever.

But then Pilot came out with the Vanishing Point Metallics. Oh! That Mountain Blue called to me. I thought the black clip and nib looked terrific against the metallic colors. This time, I bought my VP from Classic Fountain Pens. I got a broad nib and had it ground to an italic/stub. What a difference! I loved this pen. It wrote beautifully, and, though it took some time, I grew accustomed to the clip.

Now, to the Vanishing Point Raden Water Surface. I wasn't really considering this pen at all because it retails for $640.00. But I wanted a Raden pen, and I found the Platinum Galaxy Maki-e at Classic Fountain Pens with tons of Raden for just a little more than the VP, so I bought it. When it arrived it was . . . well . . . too blingy. I called it my "unicorn pen." My daughter told me it looked like the floor at Mr. Gatti's. And, sadly, she was right. I returned it.

About that time someone on Fountain Pen Network posted a Pilot Vanishing Point Raden Water Surface in the classifieds. It was half retail price, so I jumped on it. A few weeks later, I was the proud owner of a like-new Raden Vanishing Point.

My Raden VP came in a wooden box lined in yellow satin (though I believe my pen was packaged in Japan; American packaging may differ). Included with the pen is a converter, a cartridge, and a cartridge protector.

The pen is absolutely gorgeous, with just enough Raden to make the surface sparkle, but not so much that it looks like glitter glue. The Raden comes from abalone shells. On this pen, the shells are arranged in straight lines to evoke light reflecting off the surface of water. The pen is coated in urushi lacquer, and the effect is mesmerizing.

The Raden Water Surface is just like any other Pilot Vanishing Point form-wise. This one sports rhodium-plated accents and an 18K rhodium-plated nib. The click mechanism works just like all the other VPs.

The pen uses a proprietary cartridge/converter system. The converter holds a minuscule amount of ink (0.82ml), requiring lots of refilling. That's really my only criticism of this pen. I wish the converter held more ink. Cartridges hold 1.05ml of ink.

The pen is heavy (30 grams), but I've grown to like more substantial pens over the years. It is a large pen, 9.07mm at the grip and 140mm in length. The pen is well-balanced in the hand, and even though many people complain that the clip gets in the way, it helps me hold the pen steady. I no longer even notice it.

The nib on my Raden Water Surface is a fine. It writes like a Western EF, and though it's smooth and writes beautifully, I will eventually get another broad nib ground into an italic/stub for this pen. I love how my other VP writes, and the fine is a little too fine for my tastes, though it works great as a grading pen. But really, who wants to use a pen this beautiful for grading? I should be writing Haiku!

You can purchase this pen from Goulet, Classic Fountain Pens, and Goldspot Pens for $640 (many other retailers also carry it). That's an awful lot for a Vanishing Point. If you love this pen, I hope you'll luck out like I did and find it on sale.

Pros

• Absolutely gorgeous pen. The abalone shells reflect the light and contrast beautifully with the black urushi finish.
• If you like Pilot Vanishing Points, you'll love the Raden Water Surface. It has all the perks of a retractable nib fountain pen and is one of the most elegant models.
• The nib writes smoothly with no scratchiness, hard starts, or skipping.
• The retractable system works flawlessly and with one hand (unlike other retractables that require two hands to twist the nib in and out).
• This is a great choice when you need to start and stop writing often (such as in meetings). The click system is fast and keeps the nib from drying out.

Cons

• This is one of the most expensive Pilot Vanishing Point models at $640.00 retail. You really have to want this pen.
• The converter holds so little ink it's almost laughable. I don't mind refilling, but I wish Pilot would figure out a better converter system.
• The pen is heavy. If you prefer weightless fountain pens, this one isn't for you.
• People tend to have a love or hate relationship with the Pilot VP. Some can't stand the clip or they think the design is ugly. If you've never tried a Pilot VP, I suggest finding a retailer and trying it out first. Keep in mind, that first impressions can change. I hated my first VP. Now I love them.

Why I Bought the Cross Townsend Star Wars Limited Edition Fountain Pens

(This is a guest post by Jon Bemis. You can find Jon on Twitter @jtower42.)

Episode IV: A New Pen

"Force Friday," as it was called, was one of the most impressive marketing and merchandising accomplishments I've seen as a consumer. A few teases, a few leaks, and then BOOM, Star Wars swag everywhere. Lego. Furniture. Toys, of course. Apparel. Thursday, nothing. Friday, it was as if though thousands of retailers cried out in joy and were suddenly overwhelmed with shoppers.

I was enjoying watching the hype and goings-on via social media in a sort of detached way when a tweet from a pen retailer popped into my feed and my eyes bugged out like Jar-Jar Binks'. Hands trembling, ears filled with the sound of rushing water, I clicked on a link that included the words "Star Wars" and "pen."

I've been a Star Wars fan as far back as I can remember. I was born after Episode IV came out, but I remember it being shown on network TV when I was a kid, back when you couldn't just pull up stuff on Netflix and VHS tapes were $100 a pop. My parents said I could stay up late to watch if I put my PJ's on before the movie started, and I remember selecting jammies with multi-colored stripes because they looked like blasters firing. On my second date with my future wife, just as the Fox fanfare was playing, I leaned over and whispered to her, "I saw Episode I FIVE TIMES in the theater."" And today, I am introducing my four daughters to the Star Wars universe.

So of course I was drawn to the "fine writing instruments" Force Friday tie-in, the Cross Townsend Star Wars Limited Editions. There were three designs - C-3PO, Stormtrooper, and Darth Vader. These were the pens I was looking for, and I immediately ordered all three.

Little did I know that much of the rest of the pen world was reacting differently. The Fountain Pen Network Facebook page was a wretched hive of scum and villany. Reactions ranged from the ostensibly helpful ("Keep an eye out on Overstock next year") to the rude and nearly unintelligible ("WHAT THE FUGGH?!")

The primary complaint was the price of these pens. They are expensive, no doubt, at $575 each. But in a world where beloved brands like Montblanc and Nakaya START above that price and where it seems like everyone is waiting for a bespoke pen from one of the community's artisanal pen-turners, this hysteria seemed as forced as Hayden Christiansen's line readings..

Even the Pen Addict Podcast hosts got their pokes in:

"They don't LOOK good," opined Myke. "They're not PUTRID," Brad sort-of demurred.

Additional pithy thoughts from the gents included "asinine," "embarrassing," "ridiculous," and "a joke." Against both the tide of public opinion and my better judgment, I posted in the live chat room that I had ordered all three, which Brad noticed. Myke was incredulous. "I didn't BELIEVE him."

I felt kinship with the Star Wars fans that hold a wildly unpopular opinion like "I like the scene Lucas added where Han steps on Jabba's tail," or "the whole midichlorians thing totally makes sense," or "Jar-Jar Binks is my favorite character." I felt the need to defend myself, like Luke deflecting blaster fire while practicing with his lightsaber. I mean, I really liked the look of these pens from the first. But more than that, what really drew me to these pens was that they represented the nexus of two of my favorite things. Whenever I see a product that does that I get a feeling like that product was made just for me.

In the pen world, Retro 51 has nailed this concept. Their special editions are always aimed at different niches - sports fans, space fanatics, dog lovers, retro gamers, even ugly sweater enthusiasts - and typically sell out quickly. Personally, my family and I are huge Disney fans, so I have spent a fair amount of time hunting down Disney Retro 51s and Uni Kuru Togas. There are parallels to Field Notes as well. My favorite edition is Traveling Salesman because I AM a traveling salesman, and I love Two Rivers and Shelterwood for their connections to my beloved home state of Wisconsin. So when nerdy hobby "Pens" intersected with geeky obsession "Star Wars" it was pointless to resist.

Brad swept in like Han Solo in the trench and commissioned, right there on the air, a review of my newest pens for the Pen Addict blog. So here is my review of the much-maligned Cross Townsend Star Wars Limited Editions. (I hope it's not a trap.)

Episode V: The Reviewer Strikes Back

The low-resolution images on some of the retailers' websites have disappointed for the last time. In person, these pens are just stunning. While the basic design of the Cross Townsend is so classic and simple as to nearly be boring, the details added for these editions elevate the pens to something special.

While it looks like a standard brass pen body from a distance, close up the C-3PO is fluent in over six million forms of beautiful. It is gold (of course) and covered with accent lines recalling the curves and circles etched on Threepio himself. The clip is centered in a ring of concentric circles like those in the center of the protocol droids chest, and the caps finial looks like his eye.

The Darth Vader is deep matte black with Vaderesque pinstripes running the length of the barrel, and the cap has subtle lines recalling the Sith Lord's mask under the clip. A red crystal is set in the caps finial, and while normally I'd scoff at the addition of a Swarovski crystal as a selling point - seriously, what is the deal with Swarovski? Isn't it just, you know, crystal? - it is a nice touch here as a callback to the color of Vader's lightsaber.

The Stormtrooper is my favorite of the three. The pen is, naturally, stark white with black furniture, and the finial has the mesh pattern of the communicator on the helmet. It's a very simple design but elegantly so, just like the armor for which it is named

The one design quibble I have is a fit and finish concern. Where the barrel and section thread together is meant to be a seamless fit, but the joint is not quite perfect and means there is a tiny mismatch between the barrel and section.

I have read comments that the Cross Click Gel Star Wars editions are better because they sport bolder design elements, including a badge on the clip that identifies the character. Thing is, I really like that the design on the Townsends is subtle. I love the idea that I can be sitting in big important formal meeting and be using my nerdy pen and no one will even know.

These pens look great...but so did the pod race. A good fountain pen is not as random or clumsy as a ballpoint; it is a more elegant writing instrument from a more civilized age. Even so, a bad writing experience will ruin even the best-looking fountain pen. So how do these pens write?

Episode VI: Not Returning the Pens

The nibs on all three were very smooth right out of the box with almost no feedback. They are not "soft" nibs per se, but as with most 18K nibs, these have a little bit of softness and create a little bit of line variation, which is an awesome bonus. Ink flow is fairly wet and broad, and there is little difference between the fine and medium nibs, which are the only available choices. Using the included Cross black cartridge on 80 gram Rhodia paper, there is some very minor ghosting, but no bleedthrough of any kind.

The Townsends are slim, which is a Cross design hallmark, but not so slim as to be uncomfortable to use for extended writing sessions. The section is plastic, which I prefer, and offers a solid grip. The caps post solidly, but being solid brass, make the pen untenably back-heavy when posted.

Overall, I really love the way the pen writes - the quality and tuning of the nib are top notch, and I've enjoyed using them in the weeks since they arrived.

Having never owned a Cross fountain pen, I didn't know what to expect, and part of me was worried I'd be disappointed. I did hesitate (briefly) before I ordered them, but then I remembered some excellent advice. "C'mon, let's keep a little optimism here." Happily, my leap of faith was rewarded. The Force is very much with these pens.