Myke and I had a lot of interesting discussion on the podcast this week. We covered a plaster-art notecard, the strange number two pen in the OKB General Election, sneaky Curidas pictures, and the importance of Parcel Force!
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(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. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
TWSBI has kept the hype alive for their ECO model by rolling out fresh looks for the line on a regular basis. With an affordable price-point and an endless train of fun and tempting hues, they're totally collectible. The latest irresistible offering is the White Rose Gold. This new look brings a more elegant, formal look to the line known for neon and pizzazz. The clear plastic body, white plastic lid, and rose gold accents look like the much-beloved ECO in an executive suit.
The fanciness of this model does raise the price considerably. Instead of $31.50, the rose gold runs at about $52.50. It's till within the realm of affordability, but it does push it over that $50 threshold into another category of pen, in my opinion. The standard ECOs are much beloved for their value--where the quality well exceeds the price tag. With a price hike of over $20, does this version maintain a good value? There are some materials upgrades that help justify the increased cost, and the rosy finish is an extra bit of production. But overall, this is still the same ECO--just in fancy pants. While this is a very pretty pen, I'm not sure I'd be tempted enough to pay the extra when I can get the same pen for so much less.
Like all ECOs, this pen has a piston filling mechanism with a remarkable ink capacity, and the clear body allows you to see your ink sloshing around inside, making it easy to see when your ink is running low. Which it won't, for a very long while. The cap screws on and contains an insert to help prevent ink from drying in the feed, so the pen will start writing even after sitting for a period of time. I have never had any issues with dry ink in any of the TWSBIs I've used. The grip section is clear and slightly molded to fit a triangular grip, but not so strictly shaped that other grips would find it uncomfortable. The cap does post, but it throws the balance off a bit, and it did not stay posted very firmly.
Most of the TWSBI pens I've used have been excellent writers. This is the first one I've tried where the nib felt scratchy in a way that goes beyond feedback. I don't see any obvious nib issues, so I wonder if the rose gold coating gives it an unpleasant texture, much like black coating does on other pens I've tried. It is also the driest writing TWSBI I've used, though it's not for lack of ink supply. In fact, this pen has a bit of a leaking problem.
After I filled the pen, I could see that ink was gathered inside the section of the pen. I had hoped it would stay there, but when I next used the pen, I was greeted by a cap full of ink, most of which spilled across my meeting notes. The more I wrote with the pen, the less leaking I noticed, so I hope this issue is only a factor for the first little while after a fill saturates the feed. I have, however, encountered this collar-leaking with TWSBI pens before.
Ultimately, the writing experience of this particular rose gold ECO has not been as nice as a standard ECO. There are inconsistencies in the quality control of TWSBI pens, however, that may mean that other rose gold ECOs are as dreamy as they look. I can't say this pen is as good a value as a regular ECO, but if you love ECOs and find this particular finish enchanting, it's still not a bad pen. And even with its quirks, I've used worse pens that cost twice as much and didn't look nearly so nice.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
One of the most fun stationery categories to explore the super affordable drafting pencils. I first fell into the pen addiction due to these accessible tools, and that endearment still grabs me today. A drafting pencil is a fairly utilitarian and simple tool, but I like exploring what the different brands offer in the way of their aesthetic take of these classic tools.
The Pilot S3 Drafting Pencil is a $5 mechanical pencil that comes in a variety of colors and lead sizes. To make it easier to identify each pencil's lead size, each lead size is assigned a unique color. If you have several pencils scattered across your workspace, this color coding makes it easy to grab the right pencil instead of being forced to look at the small label on the side of the pencil to determine the lead size. To lay out all the colors and sizes, here they are:
The main thing I love about the aesthetic of this pencil is the clear nature of the barrel material. There's plenty of saturated color, but the see-through quality makes it look like a piece of delicious candy. Aside from the black/gray 0.5mm version, I'm really tempted to collect all the other sizes so I can just enjoy the barrel colors in person. They're just a lot of fun!
Aside from the color of the barrel, the next most important detail is the grip and how it feels when using the pencil. In this case, the grip texture is amazing. It's a soft texture — meaning I can't feel any sharp edges — but it's still really solid between my fingers. I've had zero issues with the grip slipping while using the pencil. It's been quite a while since I've been this happy with how a pen or pencil feels in my hand. Combine the great grip feeling with the light weight of this pencil, and you've got a winning combo. I can't recommend it enough as an entry level drafting pencil for these reasons alone.
Moving around to the back of the pencil, there's a small Pilot logo along with the branding for the S-Series pencil and the lead size. There's a chrome clip that does a great job at doing clip-y things, but it's also easy to remove if you don't want it. If you do choose to remove the clip, there's a small bump on the barrel (at the very top of the grip area, toward the middle of the pen) that prevents it from rolling off when you set it down. This is a great detail for Pilot to include on such an inexpensive pencil.
The cap comes off to reveal the universally useless eraser that comes with nearly every mechanical pencil ever made. If you remove the eraser, the lead reservoir is exposed and you'll also notice that the underside of the eraser also has a lead pipe tool for clearing out debris and lead jams.
The TLDR; of this pencil is simple. If the colors/aesthetic grab you, buy it! I'm really impressed by the build quality of this pencil and the way it feels in my hand. It feels much more expensive than $5, and I've found myself reaching for it more often than my Rotring in the last few days. While it can't replace a premium drafting pencil, it's exceptional for the price and definitely worth checking out if you need to fill out a collection of utilitarian drafting pencils of various lead sizes.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
