Machined metal pens are one category that never becomes less interesting to me as time goes on. The idea of taking a metal rod and machining it down to a finished product isn't unique; it's similar to how plastic (acrylic, resin, etc.) fountain pens are made, but with some different tooling involved. I like the industrial and robust feel of a metal pen, and I also like supporting small makers that are using their imaginations to create different pens to hold our beloved refills.
The latest in my collection of metal machined pens is the Sunderland Machine Works mk1. It's unique to me in the sense that the aesthetic has a "softer" personality. There aren't any harsh edges, and there are soft slopes on the pen body as the diameters shrinks toward the butt of the pen. In fact, the soft edges and round ends are found all over the pen. This adds up to a very comfortable writing experience that also looks clean and inviting when not in use.
On the exterior of the pen, there are several machined grooves that add nice visual separation along the length of the pen, and the grip section has several grooves that make it easy to grip the pen when writing. These grooves don't have sharp edges, making them very comfortable and secure when writing.
The clip on this pen is exceptionally strong, which makes sense after reading that it's made from machined stainless steel. It's not difficult to slip onto a pocket or bag sleeve due to the generous angle of the clip opening. Once you've secured this pen to something, it takes a good amount of force to move it. I have no doubts that this pen is staying right where I put it unless something underneath it pushes it straight up and away from whatever it's clipped onto. So, it might not be the right pen to clip onto your jeans when doing maneuvers that require lots of agility.
But, even if the pen does go for a tumble, it should be just fine due to the aluminum material. The pen is still lightweight, but the aluminum material makes the pen feel very solid and high quality. I'm sure it will take on lots of micro-scratches over the years, and I look forward to that worn-in look it will surely develop.
One of the most marvelous things about this pen is the unique cap threading design. I was baffled when first playing with this pen out of the box. It's a screw-on cap, but I couldn't find any threads on the grip or body to accept the cap threads. After more inspection, I noticed that there's a small gap between the cone and the grip section. Inside this gap, you can see some threads on the inside of the grip section that mate up with threads in the top of the cap. It's an ingenious design that really adds to the clean look of this pen. On top of all that, it feels remarkably smooth when capping and uncapping. The pen slots into the cap threads in a way that feels like there's almost zero tolerance in the thread size. It's extremely satisfying, and probably explains why this design is patent-pending.
After a bit more inspection, I noticed that the interior of the cap is also lined with some sort of plastic sleeve. It's extremely thin, and I think the only functional purpose of this addition is to avoid the scraping, clanking sound you get from metal on metal. This is something I've grown used to with custom machined pens over the years, but this extra little "nice to have" feature is just delightful. I can uncap and cap this pen with almost zero noise. Not something I can say about any of my other machined pens, but that doesn't mean I love them any less.
Writing with this pen is comfortable and enjoyable. It ships with a Pilot G2 0.7mm black refill, and I quickly swapped that out for a Pilot Juice refill. The G2 is ubiquitous, so I understand why someone would pick it for a bulk operation, but I just wish the Juice would become the new standard for this kinds of things, similar to how the Schmidt P8126/7 is the standard refill now for custom rollerball pens. Besides the lack-luster default refill, this does mean your options for refill replacement is huge. Any Pilot G2 size refill will work with this pen, not just the Pilot Juice that I chose to swap in.
I really like the "clear" aluminum color of the pen I have, but there are several other colors to choose from — Blue, Green, Orange, Red, Black, and Grey to be exact. At $85, this isn't an impulse purchase, but it is priced fairly considering the materials and competition. I think it's a great value and serves well as a personal treat or a gift for someone else.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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