Retro 51 Coffee Tornado Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

If there's two things that go well together, it's coffee and pens. For most of us, they're two things that we often enjoy at the same time. For the coffee lovers and fans of the Retro 51, you might want to sit down for this little beauty — the Retro 51 Coffee Tornado from Goldspot. This is a collaboration between Goldspot and Retro 51 that turned out beautifully. Like the name implies, this special Tornado is themed with coffee from top to bottom, and even on the packaging.

Let's start with the packaging. I'm not one to normally keep packaging, but I make an exception for interesting Retro 51 tubes. For one, they're tubes and look awesome when displayed together. And, they have some unique and fun custom designs for the special edition pens. This is one of those special editions, and in this case, the packaging matches the aesthetic of the pen perfectly. There's all kinds of coffee lingo on the band, as well as cute coffee symbols and a mug with the Goldspot logo on it. It's a fun logo, and definitely sets the mood for when you open it up.

I've always really enjoyed the presentation of the Retro 51 in the tube when you open it. There it is — standing there in all its glory, ready for you to pick it up and start writing. The furniture is all antique bronze, but the body is the real attraction. The body looks like a burlap bag, but is actually etched metal. It's hard for me to believe that it's actually metal, and half the fun is examining all the little details to figure out exactly what it is. The etched body features the same lingo and symbols as the packaging, and looks fantastic on the pen.

It's worth mentioning that the art and design work for the pen are top-notch. This is high-quality stuff, and it really shows when you're looking at the pen. It sets a mood, and it's a good one. It's not cheesy or goofy, but it's very coffee-shop-esque and comfortable.

The writing experience is, of course, on par with all Retro 51 Tornado pens. If you haven't had the pleasure of writing with one, check out these other reviews of the Metalsmith Franklin, Metalsmith Juliet Heart Tree, 25th Anniversary model, or the standard lacquer version.

I'm a huge lover of coffee and can get really picky about where it's from, how it's roasted, and how it's brewed. The great thing about Tornados is that you always know how they'll write after you own just one. These are so fun to collect, and the Coffee edition from Goldspot is one of my favorites so far.

(Goldspot Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Sp Aluminum Pen and Notebook (Sponsor)

Many of us have a favorite pen or little black notebook, but what if those two came in one well designed package? Bfofo’s Sp Pen and Notebook features a beautiful laser etched and anodized pen machined from solid aluminum that features a magnetic cap, the capacity to accept a broad selection of refills, and secures to their own version of the pocket notebook, or about any 5.5” notebook. The pen also comes with optional clips that let it work as a shirt friendly pocket pen. All five different different barrel finishes ship with both clip options, so there is no need to mix and match when ordering.

The hardcover notebook was modeled on the traditional 5.5” Moleskine and Leuchtturm pocket notebooks, with a few improvements. The binding was designed to lay flat - an important feature in a notebook this size - and the thinner, corded bookmark is designed to stay out of the way while remaining useful. The numbered pages feature a dot grid pattern, with a Table of Contents in the front, and a storage pocket in the back.

With backers levels starting at $18 USD, the Sp Pen and Notebook has pledge levels to meet all of your writing needs. The project just launched on Kickstarter today so head over and check it out.

Parker Sonnet Great Expectations Subtle Big Red Fine Fountain Pen Review

It has been a long time since new Parker pens have earned the respect of the pen buying community. Vintage Parker’s are highly sought after, but a down few decades for the brand has them off many people’s radar.

A couple of years ago, things started to pick back up for Parker, with the introduction of pens like the IM Premium, which was a pleasure to use. They created a beautiful pen and gave a nod to the amazing Parker Vacumatic. What’s not to like about that? It performed very well too.

Since that positive experience, I kept my eyes peeled for other interesting Parker designs, and the Parker Sonnet Great Expectations Subtle Big Red looked right up my alley, so I asked Goldspot if I could take it for a spin.

Despite thinking this was a great looking pen in pictures, I wasn’t prepared for what would arrive in the box. This is a metal barrel pen, and an awesome one at that! I guess I was thinking this was an acrylic pen for some reason, but nope. The black glossy finish is cool to the touch, with beautiful anodized red cap and section bands.

The grip is metal as well, but has a satin finish to contrast the glossy finish found on the body. I don’t know the exact finish color on the clip and finial but they are more of a nickel or pewter color as opposed to a bright chrome. The nib takes on that colorway as well, and shows off the stunning cross hatch pattern.

As much as I am in love with the look and feel of this pen, I was very nervous about the performance not living up to the hype. Thankfully, the Fine 18k nib was up to the task and writes wonderfully. If I had my way I would want a finer nib, but this is a good stock gold fine nib.

It’s not all roses with the Sonnet though. While there are many pens I will pay a premium for, Parker is asking for even more than that here. $270 is way, way too much. $150 maybe? $200 tops. There is no way I could recommend this pen over almost any gold nib Pilot, Sailor, or Lamy. Pelikan is about the only one I’ve seen that can pull off the pricing premium successfully, and this pen is no Pelikan.

Hardcore Parker fans may pay the price, but I’m not one of them. I love everything else about this pen though, so maybe if their pricing model changes (not likely) or these go on a big sale (possible) I might be interested.

(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)