The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 681 - A Great, Great Pen… Well, I Don’t Have It Yet

I did the tariffs! That was a special surprise from my first international stationery order in many months. Myke and I broke down the products and costs, and yeah, this is going to be tough for many of the small businesses in our space. We also talked about highlighter inks, upcoming events, and answered your AskTPA.

Show Notes & Download Links

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St. Jude Milestone Giveaway - Nahvalur Eclipse Fountain Pen

I’m raising money for St. Jude during the month of September, and one of the overall milestones is to launch a giveaway once $6000 in total has been raised. We did, so let’s open up another giveaway!

Nahvalur has graciously donated the Eclipse Hepatizon Rose Gold Fountain Pen, this one with a Medium Steel nib. You know the drill - read the rules, and get to entering!

One note: this, and all other St. Jude Milestone Giveaways will run until the end of September, officially closing at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

There are more giveaway milestones to hit, so check out my campaign and help myself and Relay raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

St. Jude Milestone Giveaway - Nahvalur Eclipse Fountain Pen

OHTO CR01 Ceramic Rollerball 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 Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

If you have someone in your life that needs a tough pen (maybe it's you!) the OHTO CR01 Ceramic Rollerball is worth a glance. It has an aluminum body with brass accents and a hefty weight to it, so it's much more likely to survive in a heavy work environment than a standard disposable pen. The matte finish on the metal feels very satisfying to hold, with a nice texture that helps you grip the pen.

The CR01 has a snap cap that is very sturdy and closes with a satisfying thunk. It won't open by accident in your bag or pocket. It has a firm clip with some flex to it. Both the bottom end and finial have a rounded shape. Under the cap, the pen has a rubberized section to help with grip when writing. The section unscrews from the body so that you can access the refill. It comes with an OHTO rollerball refill that has a special 0.5 mm ceramic ball point that will stand up to more wear and tear than a metal ball tip. Though, the rollerball ink flows quite well, so it's likely that the ink will run out long before the longevity of the ceramic is called for. The pen is refillable, however, and fits a variety of refills. You can choose another ceramic point refill (which also comes in other tip sizes and colors), or go with another brand you like, like Pilot, Uni, Pentel, or Zebra.

The Rollerball ink in the OHTO refill has a nice, dark saturation to it, but it does have some bleeding issues. It bled slightly through both Hobonichi and Midori paper, in addition to standard copier paper. But it writes very nicely, and the 0.5 mm ceramic tip has just the right amount of feedback--not too smooth, not too scratchy. It's a good writing experience, just don't plan on using the back of the page.

The OHTO CR01 is available at JetPens for $20, which is less than I would have guessed after writing with it. There are a number of comparable pens that cost considerably more. This price and quality falls very nicely into the gift category, and it's perfect for the person whose jeans pockets are stained with the ink from the broken Bic that got snapped in the workshop. The aesthetic should appeal, too. As gifting season approaches, the CR01 might make a good option that won't break and won’t break the budget.

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

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