So, I drew the winners for the Uppercase magazine giveaway and both winners chose issue #22. Congrats to DebS and Ashli! I’ll email you both and see if one of you lucky winners would like to get issue #20 instead. There’s a Mini Cooper Countryman completely yarn bombed in it. Tempted?
There have been a lot of sturdy little boxes that entered my life in the past couple of weeks. Let’s just say that the Pen Addict Podcast Annual Gift Guide episode was hell on my wallet.
Inside the simple paper sleeve with the big P logo on it was a clear window box so that I could marvel at my new Pilot Custom 74 fountain pen before I could even touch it. I purchased the clear demonstrator model with the fine nib during one of Pen Chalet’s epic discount sales.
The packaging was sturdy without being ostentacious which seems appropriate for a pen like this.
Because most of the pen is plastic, its quite light overall. Its just 15gms filled and uncapped and 24gms posted and filled. I found the pen comfortable to use unposted at 5″ long. With the cap posted, the pen is almost 6.5″ long which is a little unwieldy for me. Its not a particularly wide body so I think its a good option for people with smaller hands or looking for a pen comparable in diameter to a Sharpie marker. The Custom 74 might be a smidge wider than a Sharpie but you get the idea.
The pen feels quite sturdy but I wonder if the demonstrator clear is not as pricey looking as it could be. When my husband saw it, he said “You paid how much? It looks like a $20 pen!” I think Mike’s blue one looks a little fancier than the clear. I did explain that really what I paid for was the 14K nib but it would be nice if it actually looked like a higher tier pen. That said, let’s talk about the performance.
I immediately filled the pen with Kaweco Paradise Blue using the CON-70 converter that shipped with the pen. Its an unusual cartridge converter that somewhere between a vacuum mechanism and a push-button system. I’ve never had a converter like it. To see it in action, check out Brian Goulet’s video on filling a CON-70.
There is lovely etched filigree on the nib and it looks very fine indeed. The nib alone looks like a million bucks.
After a less-than-stellar experience with the Pelikan M205 with the gold nib that Mike loaned me, I was a little concerned that the gold nib on the Pilot would be equally underwhelming. Boy, was I in for a surprise!
On my standard Rhodia test paper, it writes like buttah. I felt so relieved! The Paradise Blue ink shaded nicely even with the narrow fine nib. And it is fine, but because there is a little spring in the nib, I get a little line variation too. I am definitely starting to understand why this is such a popular pen.
This sample above was written in my standard, over-handed left-handed writing method. Looks good but I wanted to try to flex this a little bit which required trying a more “under handed” method… and by that, I mean I needed to change my writing position and work from below the line I’m writing on.
I was able to get some pleasing shading with just a little bit of pressure. I did not flex a lot since this is not really a flex nib pen per se and I didn’t want to break the tines. Overall, the ink color is darker for me when writing from below the line but the smoothness was the same. With a darker ink, I think I wouldn’t notice much color difference between overwriting and underwriting.
I’ve been loving this pen. I’ve used it all week on office paper, in my Leuchtturm1917 notebook, on Rhodia paper and pretty much anything else that passed in front of me this week. The fine nib even held its line cleanly on cheap office paper which was awesome. Its a great introduction to 14K nib modern pens and has restored my faith in 14K nibs for sure.
During the whole Black Friday hullabaloo, Jet Pens had a special offer for some of the Rotring Mechanical Pencils. It was an offer too good to pass up as I’d always wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I went for it.
The Rotring 600 0.5mm mechanical pencil ($33) came in a taste, simple black, triangular, cardstock box with the Rotring logo stamped in red and white foil on the end. When I pulled the tabs on the bottom of the box the whole thing unfolded. Good packaging and yet not over-packaged. Totally recyclable box too.
Inside was the matte black finish version of the classic mechanical pencil. Initially, I was worried that the pencil would look and feel too masculine, too tactical but when I held it in my hand was when it all became clear. The knurling on the grip is super fine so it did not feel harsh or prickly, just slip resistant. And the pencil is spectacularly well-balanced. It did not feel excessively heavy and yet it felt sturdy and solid. The Rotring 600 is an all-metal body as opposed to the less-expensive 500 model ($18) which features a plastic body but metal grip and cap.
By pulling the click button on the end out and twisting, I can change the lead hardness label to an assortment of common sizes (HB, B, 2B, 2H, etc). This is the reason to have more than one — one loaded with a softer lead and one loaded with a harder lead. Win win!
The 600 is the lesser expensive version that does not feature a retractable tip. The Rotring 800 has a retractable tip but I decided to start with the lower priced model and see if I liked the pencil before I considered upgrading to the retractable 800.
The tip has a short thick support that is part of the body of the pencil in black plus a longer-than-usual tip sleeve that creates the feeling of having exposed a good deal of lead without actually needing to have that much lead out. This eliminates the likelihood of breaking the fine 0.5mm lead.
The lead the pencil shipped with was a smooth HB grade and made the writing experience a pure joy. The feel of this pencil in the hand is really extraordinary. I get why this is such a coveted tool.
I completely forgot that under the click button is a teeny tiny eraser. But really, pairing a Black Pearl with the black Rotring 600 is the classy way to go.
The Rotring 600 is available in 0.35mm, 0.5mm and 0.7mm lead sizes and replacement knurled grips ($11.50 each) are available so its possible to change the lead capacity of your pencil without having to buy a whole new pencil. replace the tips should they get damaged. Thanks for the clarity, Vinay.
The Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen is one of my favorite tools. With the introduction of the Skyline series this year featuring silver hardware, its rocketed to the top of a lot of lists for good quality, reasonably priced fountain pens.
Of the Kaweco Sport Skyline fountain pens, the black model is the most classic of the three colors currently available.
The logo on the cap, the end cap and the nib are all silver tone but all maintain the looks of the classic Sport line.
I got the fine nib model and it features the same scroll work etching on the nib that is on other models of Sport fountain pen. It really is a lovely nib, especially at the price.
In writing, the Kaweco Sport Skyline in Black performed as expected. Ink went down easily from the first fill and the nib is smooth. Since its a steel nib, its not the most flexible nib in the world but for everyday writing, its a great option.
I received the Skyline in black within days of losing my Guilloche 1930 model Sport. While not the same pen, the Skyline in black did fill a gap in my heart.
If you’ve never tried a Kaweco Sport fountain pen, the Skyline series is a great place to start. Prices for the Skyline series start at about $25 with the EF nib selling for a few dollars more.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Kaweco for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
If you’re still trying to find your “perfect planner” for 2015, Etsy may have some options for you. I found a search function on Etsy to search for similar items using keywords that gave me a mere 3400 items similar to “planner and diary”. There might be something in all those items that meet my needs. Or yours.
Happy hunting and let me know if you find the perfect one for you!
There’s only one time all year when I want it to snow and that’s the week of Christmas. I can stay home and admire the pretty, sparkly snow, dappled with holiday lights from the cozy, warm confines of my house. So, let’s revel in it while we can and imagine watching the flakes fluttering to the ground from behind our frosted windows, from our desks.
Post of the Week:
Saturday, Dec 13, 2014 is the day chosen by the Letter Writers Alliance to be their holiday Virtual Letter Writing Social. All day, in whatever time zone, is the day to write your holiday cards and be your letter writing self. At 7pm CST, they will have a live video feed of the social from their offices in blustery Chicago. For more details, check out this post.
Paper Pastries has created the Letter Writing Kit which goes perfectly with the social.
Pens:
Ink:
Pencils:
Other cool stuff:
