Paper Mate Flair Candy Pop Limited Edition 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.)

The fifty-year legacy workhorse of felt-tip pens has a new set of colors out! The Paper Mate Flair Candy Pop edition adds a few fun colors to their portfolio. Blueberry Bubblegum, Grape Gumdrop, Gummy Green, Raspberry Fizz, Strawberry Lollipop, and Salted Caramel are all lovely shades, and though the palette is a little purple heavy, it's nicely coordinated. The colors aren't too similar, so they work well together for coding lists or planner entries.

The build of the pens are the same as the standard Ultra Fine Flairs. They have a silvery matte plastic body and ink-coordinated lids. The sections also match the ink color, so it's always easy to tell what you're reaching for, whether caps are on or off. There are no color names on the barrel, which I feel is a bit of a bummer for a limited color line. The UF tip is a plasticky felt with a metal needlepoint reinforcement. The tips will wear out after a while, but they're priced to be easily replaced (though the limited edition colors may be harder to track down for seconds--better stock up).

The sections are flared and smooth, but not too slippery. They're comfortable to hold and to write with for long periods of time. The clips are stiff and the underside of the metal is sharp--so be careful if you're trying to pull the clip open to slide it onto something. The caps snap in place securely and post well. The pen itself is so light that posting doesn't affect the balance at all. The lightness does give it a bit of a cheap feel--as does the imperfectly-molded plastic--but these pens are tough and reliable.

The tips write smoothly with no skipping. They don't dry out when left uncapped for a coloring session, but the ink dries quickly on the page. It is water-based and acid-free, but it isn't waterproof, so it may not be the best choice for lining a drawing before adding paint or ink, but they are excellent for sketching in their own right. The colors are very bright and saturated and the pigments are designed to resist smearing and bleed-through. They're perfect for scrapbooks and planners or coloring books--or any time you need a reliable felt-tip pen. They haven't changed much in more than fifty years, but they haven't had to.

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

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Posted on October 19, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Paper Mate, Pen Reviews.

Stifflexible Vintage Surfing Notebook Review

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

With winter just around the corner, a summer-themed notebook might keep thoughts of summer nearby as temperatures drop. That's part of what you get with the Stifflexible Vintage Surfing notebook, along with some decent paper with a variety of ruling.

This might be the first notebook I've used that contains ruled, blank, and graph paper all in the same book. With this Stifflexible notebook, you get 144 ruled pages, 32 blank pages, and 16 detachable graph pages. This is a unique feature that seemed odd at first, but is really useful in certain cases.

The big feature of this notebook (and possibly the namesake) is the flexible cover. Instead of a stiff, flat cover, this notebook has a couple of thin spots in the front and back covers that make it incredibly easy to bend. It doesn't quite fold, but it does make it easy to flip through the notebook. While it works flawlessly, I'm not sure it really adds anything to the notebook or elevates it above other notebooks with more "traditional" covers.

There's an elastic band that keeps the cover snug when not in use, and it has the perfect amount of tension for keeping the book closed without being too tight when pulling it aside. The band is also color coordinated with the different notebook covers.

Speaking of which, the cover designs are quite a statement. The notebook I have features the "Surf Rider Long Beach" variant, which includes some bold text and a graphic of a person holding a surf board. It's visually interesting, but I can guess that it might put some people off due to the overstated design and large lettering. The "Adrenaline" cover features a VW bus and has a more calm aesthetic that is centered along the notebook like a logo. All three covers feature some fun west coast imagery that paints a relaxing, chill vibe. The good thing about this notebook is that you'll know before you buy it if you'll like the design. Once you crack open the cover, it's just a regular notebook.

The majority of the pages are lined, and the lines are similar to a college rule, or 6mm. The lines are a tad dark for my tastes, but just barely. The lines are some shade of gray while the paper is ivory, making for a nice contrast.

The pages aren't numbered and there aren't any dedicated "subject" areas like many Japanese notebooks feature. The binding is also well done, even if it does take a bit of effort to make the notebook lay flat and stay open. With a little massaging, it breaks in nicely. The back inside cover also features a small pocket — and the pocket cover doubles as a bookmark. Additionally, each notebook contains a cardboard bookmark that also has a six-inch ruler printed on it.

According to the notebook, the paper is recycled, acid-free, and 80gsm. These are all good things, and I can say that the paper is mostly smooth with a slightly noticeable tooth. The main downside for me is the feathering and show-through. It's a minor niggle, but keep it in mind if show-through, feathering, or bleeding are qualities you dislike in paper. For my tastes, the amount of show-through in the paper makes the back of the page unusable. At any rate, it's an example that proves that 80gsm papers are not created equally; just because you enjoy one paper that is rated at 80gsm does not mean they all perform the same. Rhodia and Leuchtturm1917 are two brands that I use frequently, and they're also rated at 80gsm. But, the performance of those papers far exceed that of the Stifflexible paper. That being said, it's workable — especially if you aren't using fountain pens.

Finally, the pricing for this notebook is something of a perk, coming in at around $16 retail. You can normally find them a few bucks cheaper, coming in around $13, which make them a pretty good deal.

If you like the vintage surf aesthetic that these notebooks wear proudly, then these are right up your alley. The paper is acceptable, eco-friendly, and plentiful, and the added feature of having flexible covers is unique and (sometimes) useful. Check out all the colors and designs at Pen Chalet.

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

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Posted on October 18, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Stifflexible, Notebook Reviews.

The Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball Vintage Metalsmith Cursive Review

I get a lot of great feedback at events on what pens, pencils, and paper people are enjoying, and at each event, it never fails that Retro 51 comes up. The feedback on this pen falls into two camps:

I’ll never use a rollerball pen.

-or-

I never knew a rollerball pen could be this good.

As a huge fan of this pen and brand I understand both sides of the argument very well. Heck, I was firmly entrenched in the first camp most of my life. Rollerball pens can be particular due to their ink properties and often wide tip size. The Schmidt P8127 refill - aka the Retro 51 Refill - changed all my previous thinking on this style of pen. And, what Retro 51 built around this great refill made me fall in love with the Tornado.

When everything works well together in a design you notice immediately. Or rather, you don’t notice anything. There is no funny feel or awkward balance or scratchy tip. You put the pen in your hand and you write. Your brain does the work. The Retro 51 is the tool, and one of the best I have found.

It helps that the brand has a great sense of style and design. From basic solid colors to seasonal releases like the Vintage Metalsmith Cursive, there is bound to be a style that suits you. You can even chase down some of the many limited editions they release each year like some of their super fans do. When you have super fans that’s when you know it is going well as a brand.

With Cursive, Retro 51 is making a statement that writing is important. As a pen company, they obviously stand to benefit from a healthy writing environment, but I like the added focus this pen has. My 4th grade son is learning cursive right now and I’m not going to lie - it is a challenge for him. But as I work with him he is starting to get it. I’m not a strict cursive apologist, but teaching handwriting in general is extremely important I believe, and learning cursive gives kids the added skills to improve any type of handwriting they choose.

Being part of the Vintage Metalsmith Series, the Cursive model gets the beautiful antique finished hardware, in this case Antique Silver. It seems more of a bronze shade in person, but it looks great no matter what you want to call it. The cursive writing training paper style is of course the highlight, with their traditional blue and red marks for learning letter heights. The full upper and lower case alphabet fits nicely around the barrel, along with numbers 0 through 9. Maybe my son can take this to class for a few extra tips.

If you enjoy a good writing experience I highly recommend the Retro 51 Tornado. This is what quality feels like, and they are fairly priced as well. And who knows, you may become a rollerball convert like me.

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

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