Classic, made modern. That’s what the Anterique Mach Ball Brass Edition Ballpoint Pen pen is to me. This look incorporates some of my favorite design elements of traditional ballpoint pens, mixes in new barrel colors, and the Brass section gives it that extra oomph when using it.
It was those last two features that sold me on it. The Brass section is large, making it the standout feature of this pen. It takes up a little over half of the entire barrel length, and while it does add significant weight to the pen, the lightweight plastic back third of the barrel balances it out well for a comfortable writing experience.
My grip latches on to the metal well, there is none of that normal Brass smell, and interestingly, the patina is taking a while to come in. I haven’t been using this pen heavily since buying it, but it has been sitting out and uncovered, and it still looks like new. I’ve used it plenty, though, so I would have expected a bit more aging, but I guess that’s a good thing!
I chose Lavender for the upper barrel, which is one of the 12 colors you can choose from. There is no wrong answer, which means it wasn’t an easy choice. The Grey looks fantastic, and any of the Blues or Greens would fit me perfectly as well.
The refill uses 0.5 mm oil-based ballpoint ink, and it is merely average. The shape is the classic old-style ballpoint refill, and it wrote like that for the most part. The Black in was dark, and the tip stayed clean, but it wasn’t super smooth (that’s ok for an 0.5 mm tip,) and it did leave some blobs of ink behind on the page. What it didn’t do is leave a mess on the tip, which is where the “low-viscosity” part of the ink comes into play, which also prevents the spidering seen between letters in older ballpoints.
Are there refills that I can replace this one with? Not many. There is a similar Ohto Needle Tip that is compatible, but I’ll have to do some research to see if there are any other options. It’s worth looking, because I love the barrel, but don’t have a use for the refill outside of quick notes and lists. I’d love to write longer with it.
The Anterique Mach Ball Brass Edition Ballpoint Pen runs $29, which is fair given the sizable amout of Brass in the barrel. If you are unsure about that, or the refill, the standard Anterique ballpoint comes in many different styles and colors starting at $5.50, including a Mini which I’m definitely going to have to buy one day!
(I purchased this product from The Gentleman Stationer for regular price at the 2025 Atlanta Pen Show.)
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