Andhand Aspect Retractable Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There's always room for more retractable pens that fit the ubiquitous Parker-style refill, but the pen I'm looking at today is also designed to fit the Schmidt P8126/7 refill. This isn't something that every Parker-style pen offers, and it's quite the treat.

The Andhand Aspect retractable pen is a custom pocket pen that features a faceted body and custom click mechanism that operates either a Parker-style refill or one of Schmidt's Capless cartridges, which we probably all came to know through Retro51's Tornado pens.

According to Andhand, the Aspect is 100% aluminum, including all of the click mechanism components. That means this pen will last a really long time with hardly any maintenance. Despite being all metal, the click motion is actually really smooth and satisfying to operate. The click mechanism moves about 9mm or 0.3 inches when operated, so it's not the shortest click, but that extra room just adds to the nice feel. Once extended, the nock doesn't extend all the way back up, so retracted the refill doesn't require as much distance to activate the click mechanism. It's a difference that comes down to a couple of millimeters, but it's enough of a difference that your fingers can tell whether the pen is extending or retracting without needing visual confirmation.

When the pen isn't in use, the faceted sides of the body keep it still on flat surfaces. It will roll a bit if you set it down with some horizontal momentum, but it quickly settles to a stationary position. There isn't a clip on this pen, so the faceted sides offer dual-purpose as a nice aesthetic touch and a way to keep the pen from rolling away.

This is a small pocket pen, but it's just long enough to be comfortable for most people when writing. I normally hold pens with a three-finger tripod grip, so the butt of the pen rests on the part of my hand where my thumb attaches. It works for me and my grip, but I can see this being a problem for people that have a different way of gripping pens — particularly anyone who uses a five-finger grip where the pinky rests on the nose of the pen and the index finger is on the butt of the pen. This is actually the grip that I naturally used when first learning to write (and before I decided to force myself to learn the more "traditional" grip style), and it's barely long enough to make that position comfortable and secure. Different hand sizes will make this an iffy position. If you already know how you do with pocket pens, you should have a good idea of whether or not this size will work for your hand.

As far as branding, there's a single, small logo on the side of the pen close to the click mechanism. It's easy to miss, but does a good job of letting you know where the pen came from.

In order to replace the refill, simply unscrew the nose cone. It's an easy process and different types of refills have worked really well for me so far.

The version I have is called the Forest Green colorway, which is a lovely matte green/brown color with a little bit of reflective material that adds a soft shine when the flat faceted sides are facing a light source. The green shade isn't dark enough for me to consider it a forest green — this looks more like a medium green with silver added in for the shiny effect. I love the color of the pen, don't get me wrong. I just don't associate this color with forest green like the name suggests. Either way, don't let the name of the color dissuade you! And if green isn't your thing, there are several other color options to choose from.

And while you're on their site, check out the other pens and office gadgets they offer. There are lots of unique and interesting things, and they look to all share the same high quality materials and craftsmanship as this Aspect pen.

At $56 USD, I think this is a great value/cost ratio. It looks great, feels good in the hand, and will last longer than me if properly looked after. Plus, your refill options are quite abundant.

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

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Pairings Party: Andhand Method Fountain Pen, Van Dieman’s Mandarin Duck Wing

You know a party is a success when you are pleasantly surprised throughout the event. That has been the case with the Andhand Method Fountain Pen, inked with Van Dieman’s Mandarin Duck Wing, over these past several weeks.

Andhand reached out to me earlier this year, offering up the Method for me to check out. I received the Brass model, with a #5 Medium Steel Schmidt nib, and I have to say that they made a metal barrel pen that fits my needs perfectly.

The key for me with brass pens is overall weight. They can’t be too heavy for me to write with comfortably for medium and long writing sessions. In conjunction with overall weight, the balance of that weight has to be managed correctly with the design of the pen. Many metal pen designs don’t consider the effect back-weighting has on the writing experience. The Method pen nails the balance - unposted, of course - making for a proper writing experience.

How did they accomplish this? This is a smaller barrel, closer to my favorite ystudio Brassing Fountain Pen than some of the bigger, bolder brass pens on the market. Big, heavy, brass pens certainly have their place, and their fans. My preferences lie in the smaller and lighter builds, and Andhand did a great job with that here.

Aside from being happy with the weight, balance, and overall feel of the Method, the cap design impressed me. The cut out facets add a nice visual touch to the design, but what I enjoyed even more was the snap cap. That’s right, no metal threads on the barrel to dig in to your fingers! The section is long enough to grip comfortably, with a slight taper down from the barrel seam to the nib.

Aside from Brass, the Method Fountain Pen comes in a ystudio-esque Black + Brass - both for £110 - and a Stainless Steel model for £130. The Stainless model checks in a few grams lighter, too: 48g vs 52g for the Brass.

Given the all-Brass design and color of my Method, I had the run of the rainbow for my ink choice, so why did I choose a more muted shade in Van Dieman’s Mandarin Duck Wing? Because I like to test ink colors outside of my normal usage zone.

Written on the Mitsubishi Bank Paper Notebook from The Paper Mind.

Reddish-browns rank far down my list of color choices, but I have been more than happy with Mandarin Duck Wing. Impressed, even. For starters, the color is a little more brown than red, which I prefer, and the performance is outstanding. Flow has been perfect, no matter if I have been using the pen several times throughout the day, or a week between uses. That is a compliment to the cap design of the metal barrel pen, too, sealing the nib off well from the elements.

It shows off a bit of shading on most pages I’ve tested it on (Midori, Mitsubishi Bank, PLOTTER,) and has a medium dry time. There is no sheen present, and the ink is not waterproof. It bears repeating just how consistent the flow is. I will definitely be trying this ink in finer nibs to see if the performance is similar.

If you like metal pens that are properly sized and weighted, then you should check out the Method Fountain Pen from Andhand. I like the Brass one that they sent me well enough to consider ordering the Stainless Steel model, which is a favorite material of mine. And which Mandarin Duck part should you ink it up with? I went with the brownish-red Wing, but feel free to check out the classic blue Mandarin Duck Breast, or the bright green/teal of Mandarin Duck Nape. All bottles are $14.95 for 30 ml. Any combination of the above would make a great Pairings Party.

(Andhand provided this pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided this ink at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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