Robert Oster Signature Ink Review: Peppermint

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

I’ve often said that my favorite color of ink is blue—any shade of blue. But Robert Oster is making a green-ink lover out of me. I reviewed Verde de Rio here, and I’m still planning on getting a bottle of Jade. When I first saw Peppermint on Robert’s Instagram feed, I knew I had to have it. For those folks who like to do the Christmas in July thing, Peppermint is the perfect ink. It makes you feel all cool and pepperminty inside as you write with it.

Chromatography shows how nicely complex this ink is, with pink, some turquoise, and lots of deep blue and green shades.

The ink looks sort of flat on my ink testing sheet, but I think that’s because I used a fine nib, and the Maruman paper doesn’t show off the ink’s sheen (more on that below). This is a really nice blue/green ink. It has no odor. The dry times are faster than some of the other Robert Oster inks I’ve tested, but it’s definitely not a dry ink. It is not waterproof.

But boy, oh boy, is this some sheeny ink. When you use a wide nib or do ink splats and expose it to some sunshine, you get a bright pink sheen that shouts “Peppermint!” And then you start craving candy canes.

Peppermint is a terrific green for any occasion, but just wait until it’s time to write those Christmas cards. I might just get started now! (Ha, ha, yeah right). You can get a 50ml bottle of Robert Oster Peppermint from JetPens for $17.00.

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

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Posted on July 21, 2017 by Susan Pigott and filed under Robert Oster, Ink Reviews.

Copic Multiliner Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

With the Copic Multiliner, this is the first time that I have used a fineliner in a color other than black, and I'm totally in love with that, now. These have planted themselves squarely into the "things I didn't know I needed in my life" category. Unfortunately, while the ink makes these a fantastic product, the build of these pens makes me less likely to meet their price point unless I have a specific project in mind for them.

The strength of these pens lies completely in their pigment-based ink. It's waterproof, acid-free, bleed-proof, archival, and works with alcohol markers. It doesn't dissolve toner, so it's safe to use on printouts or photocopies. The colors are well-pigmented and leave solid lines. There's a range of ten colors available in neutral and natural tones that are perfect for sketching.

The tips are available in a huge range of sizes from .03 up to 1.0 in the felt-tips, and several sizes of sponge-tip brush tips. The long needle-point makes it easy to see your work as you sketch, and the tip runs over the paper with a good bit of feedback. The tips do wear out quite quickly on textured paper. Even on smooth paper, it feels like the .03 size, which is particularly fragile, wears out before the life expectancy of the pen. Because these are the disposable model of pen (unlike the refillable SP version), that life expectancy is more important, especially considering that these pens run $3.60 a pop.

These disposable models cost only a little more than a cartridge for the refillable version, and less than a refill and new tip for the SP model--which makes them, in general, a better investment than the refillable pen. That seems a bit backwards to me. But I think the issue here is that the ink and tip are really all you are paying for in the disposable version. It doesn't feel like much has been invested into the pen body at all.

The body is made of a slightly sparkly, almost granite-looking plastic. I think that's a bit misleading. When I first saw them, I assumed they were glitter gel pens. When I realized they were serious business copic liners, I was surprised. I certainly don't see an architect carryiCg these into an important meeting. The quality of the plastic feels fairly cheap. If they weren't branded, I'd be guessing these came from a line that costs pennies per unit. The molded plastic has rough seams and edges, and the clip is so flimsy I can bend it way back with barely any pressure at all. The cap does post, but with a friction that feels ill-fitted and unreliable.

Basically, I think these pens are unicorns in mule clothing. I'm not likely to spend this much for a disposable pen that might wear out before it runs dry. But I am very likely going to need to outline something in olive green or lavender on occasion--and for that, I am very glad these exist.

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

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Posted on July 20, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Copic, Multiliner, Pen Reviews.

Leuchtturm1917 Academy Pad Review

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

The Leuchtturm1917 brand of notebooks has been a favorite of mine for quite a while, so I was excited to receive the new Academy Pad to review. The Academy Pad is unique compared to other notebooks like it — instead of a nicely bound notebook sandwiched between a handsome black cover, the Academy Pad is a 60-sheet pad that is attached to a traditional black notebook cover, complete with an inside pocket and elastic band closure.

The Academy Pad comes in either blank or ruled, but the blank also comes with a grid guide sheet that you can place behind the paper while you write. This helps by providing a grid system behind the page so you can write in a straight line. Sadly, these guides are never a big help for me, but that's a user problem, not the product.

The A5 pad has 60 sheets of the fantastic paper you know and love from Leuchtturm. The only difference here is that the pad is bound by glue on the left side of the pages, which makes it easy to rip out sheets. In fact, that's the intended design of this notebook. Once a page is full, you rip it out and store it in the pocket, give it away, throw it in the bin, or whatever other purpose you have for it. Once I wrapped my head around this concept, it started to click with me.

The paper in this pad is identical to what you'll find in any Leuchtturm notebook, and that was a huge relief for me. It features 100gsm paper, rounded corners, acid-free paper, and bleed-proof paper, among other things. While the paper is bleed-proof, it does allow ink to show through the other side if you're using anything larger than a fine fountain pen nib. The Pilot brush pen I used was the obvious deal-breaker here, but that's not what I call a common use case. At any rate, Leuchtturm doesn't market this book as a sketchbook, so you shouldn't expect a brush pen to play nicely with it. Overall, writing in this pad was identical to writing in other Leuchtturm notebooks, and that's a great thing.

The tearing action is exceptionally smooth on this pad. In some pads, the glue is too strong or the paper is too weak, leading to easily ripped pages. That hasn't been the case in this pad — the binding and paper strength creates a perfect blend. After filling a page, simply pull down from the corner, and the pages slips out with a quiet, satisfying noise. Again, there's a convenient pocket inside the notebook, but it's positioned on the front cover instead of the back in this case. The pocket is easier to get into than the standard notebooks, and it can hold a lot of paper.

The outside cover feels a bit large compared to the pad, but I think that's a design element to protect the pad. I don't like it because it makes the notebook look poorly made (like they didn't properly measure before printing out thousands of covers), but that's not a deal-breaker for me. I do wish that the width was consistent through the entire notebook. Instead, the wide closest to the binding is a couple millimeters taller than the right-hand edge thickness. A minor complaint, but one that I can't but notice every time I look at the notebook.

When it comes down to it, I like the notebook, but it also confuses me. As a pad of paper, it's exceptionally well-made. It offers a great writing experience, high-quality binding, and plenty of utility. I'm confused by the cover because I'm not sure why it's included. It gets in my way, and I don't think it adds anything to the overall notebook. On top of that, I don't see any replacement pads (sans-cover) for sale on JetPens, which strikes me as odd due to the fact that the pad easily slips out of the back cover. I assumed this meant the pad was replaceable, but now I'm second-guessing that assumption. Maybe JetPens will offer replacement pads in the future, because I can only assume that you're meant to throw away the empty cover once you've finished a pad. That seems wasteful, and I'd like to see replacement pads as an option.

Either way, this is a well-made notebook, on par with Leuchtturm's other offerings. It comes in blank and ruled paper, and it sells for a little under $20. If you see this notebook and immediately think of a use case, then grab it! Otherwise, you might want to skip it in favor of a more traditional notebook or naked pad of paper.

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

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Posted on July 19, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Leuchtturm, Notebook Reviews.