YSTUDIO Ocean Sustainable 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!)

There's too much plastic in our everything, but especially too much in our waterways. There are lots of options for ways to reuse this surplus of waste, but arguably one of the best ways is to make a cool pen. Okay, there are probably more practical, efficient ways to solve this problem, but every little bit helps and this was a neat idea, so let's run with it.

The YSTUDIO Ocean Sustainable Rollerball pen is made out of discarded nylon fishing nets, preventing them from ending up in waterways or landfills, where they might snare wildlife. The body is crafted from these recycled nets in a way that reduces 83% of carbon emissions, and the core of the pen is made from brass and aluminum. The metal gives it some weight, though it's much lighter than their original brassing rollerball pen. The body material has a slight texture to it, which makes it easy to grip. It has the classic Ystudio hexagon profile, with a tapered section and a snap cap. It does not have a clip. It comes in a minimalist recycled paper box.

The body is available in a variety of colors. This model is Dawn Yellow. There's also Sea Indigo, Evening Purple, Sunset Orange, and Sky Blue. They're all pastel hues, apart from the indigo. The pen comes with a Schmidt 5888F Rollerball cartridge and can easily be refilled by twisting the brass cap off of the bottom of the pen. It's a bold refill with a wet flow, so it may show some ghosting on thinner paper. It's also compatible with some of my favorite gel refills like the Pilot G2, UniBall One, and Pentel Energel--so you have endless ink color options, as well.

As a sustainable, well-built, sturdy pen body with all the best ink refill options, this pen is well worth the $50 price tag. It might not be for everyone (the hex barrel is not a comfortable fit for all paws), but it looks fantastic, and it's a part of a movement that turns hazards into helpers. We need as much of that as we can get, even if it's just one pen at a time. Better yet, use the pen to write to your representatives.

(This product was purchased from Goldspot at a discounted price.)

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YSTUDIO Ocean Sustainable Rollerball Pen Review

The YSTUDIO Ocean Sustainable Rollerball Pen was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and, in typical YSTUDIO fashion, they delivered a great product.

YSTUDIO came on the scene several years ago, and gained popularity with their lineup of Brassing pens. The concept was to use an underlying brass barrel and coat it with a matte-like black paint which will wear off with age. My favorite is the Brassing Portable Fountain Pen, which quickly became a mainstay in my collection.

Years later, YSTUDIO added resin models to their product lineup for those who didn’t like the weight of their full-metal pens. These, too, performed well. I reviewed the Resin Fountain Pen, and while there was a converter issue with the early models, it turned into a fast favorite as well.

There is something about those faceted barrels, and YSTUDIO got me again with their most colorful release to date.

The Ocean Sustainable Rollerball series features resin barrel made from reclaimed fishing nets in Taiwan. These plastic nets are recovered, recycled, and transformed into the pens you see here. To read more about this process, YSTUDIO has built a page discussing the steps involved. There is great detail shared here, and is well worth your time.

The finished product is classic YSTUDIO, with a range of barrel colors that pop. I chose Sky Blue, which, according to them, represents “open-mindedness, and a clear and radiant heart.” Ok, maybe you don’t need your pen to hit you in the feels like that, but I do appreciate the story they are trying to tell across the product lineup. Each of the other four colors - Dawn Yellow, Sunset Orange, Evening Purple, and Sea Indigo - has their own story to tell.

From a writing perspective, it’s fantastic. This isn’t a small pen, but it works exceptionally well in the hand due to the plastic barrel fronted by a brass grip section. I love the balance and control this setup provides. The only downside is that the taper of the metal section is smooth, and if you have dry fingers, they may slide down. I tend to grip it a bit further back, as the angle of the grip is steep as well.

Ghosting on the back of the Maurman Mnemosyne A5 Notepad. This is an awesome writing paper, especially for fountain pens, but dark, wide, rollerball pens look like this on many paper types.

Fortunately, the refill in use fits the design of the pen perfectly. The Schmidt 5888F Ceramic Roller in Black features a dark, rich line. The tip is marked as 0.6 mm, but given the traditional water-based rollerball ink, the line on the page is wider. To me, it writes like an 0.7 mm marker tip, which is great if that is your expectation. If not, and you use it on fibrous paper, you will see it bleed and feather on the page.

Refill access through the back of the pen. Easy to twist with your fingernail.

I like this refill as an option, but if I want to switch it up, it is compatible with Pilot G2 refills. That means you have hundreds of options to choose from. I’m sticking with the Schmidt for now, as I like the setup and feel of the pen barrel and ink combination.

Will you like it? As I say with every YSTUDIO pen I review, it may not be for you. They are a favorite brand of mine, but there are things to think about when buying one for yourself. Will I like the barrel shape, and feel? Does the grip work for me? Do I have to change the refill to better fit my style? Finally, is it worth $50, which is the going price for the Ocean Sustainable Rollerball?

My answers to those questions made it one of the easiest purchases of the year. Your mileage may vary.

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

Ystudio Resin Fountain Pen in Black: A Review

I've hankered after a Ystudio Brassing Fountain Pen for awhile, but I've never bought one, partly because of the price ($160 for the Portable and $172 for the Desk Pen) and partly because I thought the pen would be too thin (I prefer pens with some girth). I was happy when JetPens sent us a resin version for review because I really wanted to try it out.

The pen comes in a simple cardboard box.

When you open it, the pen is nestled inside--there's nothing else, other than a pamphlet explaining how to ink the pen. Its sleek, minimalistic packaging reminds me a bit of Apple.

The pen is small, measuring 141mm/5.6 inches capped, 164mm/6.5 inches posted, and 128mm/5 inches unposted. It weighs 19.65 grams capped/posted and 15.61 uncapped (this is with the ink cartridge inserted). The grip is 9.72mm at its widest and 8.72 at its narrowest. "Ystudio" is embossed in gold on the barrel.

Although the body and cap are made of matte black resin, the pen features brass elements. The cap finial and barrel finial are adorned with flat brass discs.

The grip is made of brass as is the inner screw section in the barrel, and these give the pen a good balance in the hand. I prefer using it unposted.

The barrel and cap are hexagonal with the barrel tapering slightly where the cap snaps on. The lines of this pen are beautiful.

My Ystudio pen came with one black ink cartridge. This worked perfectly well, but I prefer converters so I can use my own ink. There is a Ystudio converter, but it seems to be available only from Ystudio or Kohezi for around $7.00.

The nib is a gold-plated Schmidt stainless steel fine. It is decorated with some scroll work and the letter F for the nib size.

I was surprised by how smooth this nib is. It's perfectly aligned and exhibited no issues, such as skipping, hard starts, or scratchiness.

I've been writing with this pen daily, and even though it is a thin pen, I find it extremely comfortable. The fine nib doesn't offer any line variation (nor should you expect it to), but the ink flows well and writing is quite pleasant, even for longer writing sessions.

I find myself reaching for the Ystudio Resin Fountain Pen often, especially when I want to write a quick note. I like how easily the cap pops on and off, and the shape and balance of the pen are perfect for my hand.

The Ystudio Resin Fountain Pen comes in black, red, and white, and costs $72.00 (This product isn’t live yet on JetPens ystudio Fountain Pens page, but can be found at Pen Addict sponsors Goldspot, Pen Chalet, and Vanness Pens.) That's still a pretty penny for a resin pen (even with the brass accents). However, this pen is beautifully designed and doesn't have the plasticky feel of some other pens in this price range. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I like this pen, which probably means a Ystudio Brassing Pen is in my future.

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

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!