I recapped my trip to Chicago for Fountain Pen Day with Myke on this week’s episode. It was a great adventure! I also broke out my best accidental Sesame Street impression.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
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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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)
I have lately found myself in the position of having to find a new favorite notecard, for REASONS, but I'm happy to say that I think I have done so. I picked up this pack of Clairefontaine Exacompta Notecards with blue grid when I attended Anderson Pens' grand reopening a few months ago, and they've been a permanent part of my day ever since.
Being Clairefontaine, it goes without saying that they are very fountain pen friendly. I have had no bleeding or feathering with any types of ink or nibs, and they do just as well with a variety of pens and pencils. The one paper issue I did notice is that the surface definitely absorbs hand oils, making it more difficult to write across areas that have been handled. That's trickier with a card than with a notebook, as these loose sheets have to be held--there's no cover to grip, and using a hand guide isn't practical on such a small rectangle. The whole purpose of cards is handheld notes. Still, while there was a small effect on the ink's interaction with the paper, it wasn't a deal-breaker.
The cardstock is pure white, so all writing appears very crisp, and the blue grid is faint enough that it doesn't get in the way, but bold enough to provide structure. Blank and lined cards are also available, as are pre-hole-punched versions for use on rings or rolodexes. You can also get different ink colors or multi-colored cards. The cards are obviously printed before they're cut, as the grid pattern is not identical across cards. Some have a full square at the edge, some a partial. I'm trying not to let it bother me. Trying.
Despite this small nitpick, the cards are endlessly useful. I've used them for plotting stories, for making notes for a speech and presentation, For to-do lists or shopping lists, as bookmarks, or for leaving love notes. They're ideal for when you need something that's just a step above scratch paper, but can be tossed when you're done with it.
The standard white grid cards are only $7 for a pack of 100, which is amazingly good value. At that price, I don't feel shy about burning through a pack in a few months. These will continue to feature in my daily use, hopefully for a very long time.
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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.)
I'm a big fan of fountain pens that can deliver a solid fundamental writing instrument along with unique or delightful design elements for under $50. This has to be a difficult price range to deliver on, and not everyone succeeds. In my experience, the biggest letdowns in this price range usually come in the form of a unique looking pen that just doesn't write well. At $50, you want something that looks nicer than a disposable or $20 entry level pen, but you also want it to write as well as any of the fantastic pens in the lower price bracket (if not better).
The Hexo from Faber-Castell is an entry-level fountain pen with a modern design and fantastic build. The name "Hexo" aligns with the hexagonal shape of the pen body and cap, but the corners are rounded off and smooth to make it comfortable to handle. The Rose color that I have now is a light pink — almost difficult to detect unless there's plenty of light. Otherwise it looks silver or champagne.
The broad matte black clip contrasts the aluminum body well, and also does a great job of keeping the pen attached to things. It's really strong, but easy to use.
One of my favorite features of the Hexo is the mechanism that auto-aligns the cap to the barrel so that the hexagonal lines match. When you design a pen with lines that go from top to bottom, you have to assume that a large portion of buyers will be compelled to make sure those lines always line up, and I really appreciate them thinking ahead and making that process automatic for me. This is accomplished with some small guides on the grip that ensure the cap lines up. The click fitting for the cap also makes this pen easy to uncap/cap, and features a satisfying click to let you know it's capped securely.
On top of the aligning cap, the grip section also has a similar alignment guide for screwing it into the body. Once you reach the end of the threads when screwing the grip onto the body, the final quarter turn positions the grip so that it aligns perfectly with the body. It's hard to explain how satisfying it is to achieve perfect alignment on this pen with zero effort. It's so good that I think it's the biggest selling point of this pen. Faber-Castell has seen the OCD crowd, and they have delivered a fantastic pen for us.
Aside from the design and nifty alignment features, this pen is actually really good at being a writing instrument as well. The steel nib is firm, but provides a crisp line with plenty of feedback. The EF size in my pen is right on target for a European-style nib size. Mine is smooth and required no tuning or tweaking — it wrote well out of the box. The nib and feed provide great flow when writing, and the good seal from the cap means you can uncap and start writing immediately without waiting or scribbling a few lines to get the ink flowing. It's a workhorse in the writing department.
The grip section features a flared shape that provides a nice butt for your fingers to rest into when writing. Something else I appreciate is that the shape is uniform in diameter, meaning this will work well for right- or left-handed writers who use some form of standard-ish grip. The grip provides just enough shape to be useful for many grip styles. Pens that lean into the three-finger tripod grip alienate a lot of people who don't grip pens that way, and the pen is either uncomfortable or unusable. With the Hexo, it's really comfortable, functional, and inclusive.
The light weight body and contoured grip are further complimented by the larger-than-average diameter of the pen, which I find to be more comfortable. Not everyone will agree with me, but I like pens that are a little wider for writing in cursive or for writing for extended periods. All three of these design choices result in a really comfortable writing experience.
The Faber-Castell Hexo is a fantastic entry-level pen from a company that knows a thing or two about stationery. At $42, it’s easy to recommend as a stylish, modern alternative to other sub-$50 pens. The $50 price point has a few "luxury" brand pens that don't deliver on the writing instrument fundamentals, but this is not one of those. This is pen that nails the fundamentals, but also provides some nice extras like the unique design, auto-aligning cap, and wider body. If the Rose color isn't your thing, you can also find this pen in black, silver, bronze, and blue. And, you have a choice of EF, F, M, and B nibs. This is a great pen for gifts, introducing people to fountain pens, or as a nice treat for yourself!
(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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