Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Opus 88 Demo 2024 Edition Fountain Pen Review

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

Just a few months ago, I reviewed the 2022 special edition of the Opus 88 Demo, which was a wonderful mix of purple and maroon that I really enjoyed. Before then, I wasn't aware that Opus 88 did annual color editions, so I was curious about whether a 2024 edition was announced yet. Not only was it announced already in January, but it was also available for sale. I immediately bought one after see it on the computer screen because the greens and blues spoke to me so strongly.

Fast forward a few days when I got the pen in hand, and I couldn't be any happier with the purchase. In person, the greens and blues are more vibrant and you can see more of the semi-translucent qualities of the acrylic material. It's not often for me that I know that I'll love something like this before I've even received it, but for some reason I just knew that the colors would be spectacular in person. I'm glad I was right.

The Opus 88 Demo model has been around for years, and it's one of my personal favorites. I like the uniform barrel shape and mix of colors that I would think might clash but somehow work together. The grip section fits my hand well, and the pen diameter is really comfortable for how I write and hold the pen. On top of all that, the ink capacity is stellar. I don't normally fill these pens up all the way with ink because I normally want to change out the ink before I use it all. But, just having the option of loading this pen up with ink and not having to refill for quite a while is definitely comforting.

The color scheme for the 2024 special edition is a dark turquoise body paired with green-yellow accents on the cap and grip, and a lighter blue blind piece that you use to open and close the ink reservoir. The colors go so well together, and I love the visual interest that the semi-transparent material adds to the already eye-catching colors. The nib and clip are both a dark off-black color, which go great with the dark hues of the pen body. I think bright metal would distract the eye from the acrylic materials, so I like the dark metal choice.

For this model of the Demo, I opted for a Medium nib. This is a favorite size for me when doing general writing or long-form writing, so the Demo is a perfect workhorse choice for that nib duty. The nib is glassy smooth out of the box, and the flow is perfect. I paired the pen with Road Trip from Standard Bindery, which is a fun ink on its own merit, but it pairs beautifully with this pen.

It's refreshing to see pen companies release fun and new colors for their existing products. Lots of companies do it, but Opus 88 does an exceptional job. Their pens are great quality, affordable for what they offer, and work well. Since I know the pen model is a great baseline, it's easy to make a quick decision on a colorful and attractive model without having used the actual pen before.

If this 2024 Edition of the Opus 88 Demo speaks to you like it did me, you'd better hurry and snag one ($140 as of this review). These are limited stock, and when they're gone, they're gone. If the greens and blues aren't for you, then there's always next year or even the solid selection of standard colorways as well. The Demo is one of my favorite pen models, and this color combination just makes me happy.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 3, 2024 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Opus, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Penlux Honoring Ishikawa 2024 - Pen Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

On January 1, 2024, the Noto Peninsula in Japan was literally shaken to its core by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, causing widespread devastation “on the Noto Peninsula, particularly in the towns of Suzu, Wajima, Noto and Anamizu, with the neighboring prefectures of Toyama and Niigata also recording significant damage” (Wikipedia). Penlux decided to raise money for relief efforts with the release of the “Honoring Ishikawa 2024” Delgado pen. Proceeds from the sale of each pen will be donated to Peace Winds, a charitable organization which responds to natural disasters and other crises.

Penlux is one of the brands that is distributed by Itoya of America, who also distributes Sailor, Taccia, Profolio, Kuretake and others. I saw this pen at the recent California Pen Show and got the green light from the Bossman to get the pen for review since I didn’t have any experience with the brand. It was a bonus that the pen purchase would also benefit earthquake relief efforts too.

*This beautiful teal leaning blue pen is the Penlux Delgado Honoring Ishikawa 2024.*

*”Honoring Ishikawa 2024” is engraved on the barrel of the pen.*

It was a couple weeks after the show before I got around to inking up the pen and I wasn’t able to unscrew the section. Duh, Kimberly, it’s a piston filler! I wasn’t expecting that from a pen at this price point - I should know better, since there are other brands that have piston fillers at lower price points, like my beloved TWSBIs, for example.

*If I read the instructions, I would have known this was a piston filler (insert facepalm, lol.)*

I like the ruthenium trim on the cap band, piston cap ring, grip section and nib. The metal grip has a slight taper to a lip to prevent your fingers from slipping over the edge, but it is a fairly slick grip. The slight drop on the barrel above the threads is subtle and isn’t very sharp, so it should be comfortable if you gripped your pens higher up. There is a liner inside the cap so your nibs don’t dry out - you can feel the slight springiness when capping the pen.

*The Penlux Delgado (top) and the Pelikan M800 - both are equally comfortable for me.*

*I don’t post my pens but this is what it would look like if I did.*

It is a comfortable pen that isn’t particularly light or heavy. Since I’ve already inked it up, it’s hard to accurately compare the pen’s weight to others. It felt similar to an uninked Pelikan M800 or Nahvalur Voyage/Nautilus, and slightly heavier than a Leonardo Momento Zero.

*Comparison pens capped: Sailor Pro Gear, Platinum 3776, Pelikan M800, Penlux Delgado, Leonardo Momento Zero, Pilot Custom 823, Nahvalur Voyage.*

*Writing sample on 100gsm Ayush Dot Grid paper.*

The nib on the Penlux is a steel Jowo nib, so it writes as one would expect from a Jowo nib. The ruthenium plating feels a bit “squishy” on paper to me, not in the flexy or bouncy kind of way but like there’s something between the nib and the paper. Even though the Robert Oster Sydney ink (which has an average to slightly dry flow) wrote fine, I think wetter inks would do better in this pen. Nibs are available in Fine, Medium, Broad and 1.1 Stub.

*Closeup of the ruthenium-plated nib, which has the Penlux logo on it.*

Penlux hopes to raise $10,000 for Peace Winds by donating $100 each from the sale of 100 of these, which is more than half of its $170 price tag. Kudos to them for donating such a significant portion to charity - I won’t name names, but a certain luxury company’s donation of 5 € per multi-hundred dollar pen is laughable by comparison.

The Penlux Delgado Honoring Ishikawa 2024 is currently available for $170 on the Squid’s Choice website, which is the online retail site for Itoya of America.

As you can see, I have a soft spot for this material, and knowing that money is going to a good cause makes this a great addition to my collection. Pens shown (left to right): Franklin-Christoph 20, Leonardo Momento Zero Positano, Penlux Delgado, Levenger Select.

(Disclaimer: The pen was purchased at regular price at the CA Pen Show.)

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Posted on March 22, 2024 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Penlux, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Penquisition Touchstone Fountain 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 Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

Penquisition, home of many useful review blogs and keeper of one of the more fun and tempting pen show tables, have teamed up with pen designer Ben Walsh of Gravitas Pens to bring us the Touchstone Fountain Pen. The pen is made from anodized aluminum and is carefully curated to be the goldilocks of pen sizes. It's not too wide or narrow. It's a full-length pen that will be comfortable in most grips, but short enough to fit in most pockets or pen holders. The grip section is gently shaped, but not in a way that steers the hand toward any one grip style. Basically, they've set out to make a pen that is comfortable for anyone to use. And while I can't speak for everyone, it was certainly comfortable for me.

The pen body is widest toward the middle, with a gradual taper toward either end, terminating in pointed finials. The cap screws on with metal threads, and is slightly wider than the body, leaving a clear edge so that you always know which end is up. The surface is a matte finish that still looks shiny but avoids the mirror-finish that collects fingerprints. The grip section is slightly narrowed at the middle, with a flare to prevent slipping, and is textured with very subtle ridges to help with grip. Ink does get into these ridges, especially when filling the pen, but they are shallow enough that it was easy to wipe them clean.

The pen comes in three very attractive colors. I chose the Orange with a deep Green grip section, but there is also a Purple with a Teal grip and a Blue with Red grip. It is taking a lot of willpower to not order the Purple one and create a frankenpen of the beautiful combinations.

The pen comes with a steel #6 Jowo nib engraved with the Penquisition logo. My EF nib was a little snaggy on arrival, with the right tine catching on the paper during certain directional strokes, but it smoothed out nicely with a few swipes of micromesh. Overall it writes very nicely, with great flow and the nib did not dry out even when I left the pen in my bag without using it for a week.

The pen also comes with a full-size converter, which doesn't look like it would fit in the pen from the outside, but Ben has access to TARDIS technology apparently, because it does indeed fit.

The first run of these pens also comes with a custom Rickshaw Bagworks Solo Pen Sleeve, turning this awesome duo into a trifecta of pen collaboration. I love to see this all come together, and the end result is a fantastic product. I've carried this pen daily since it arrived in its rad pen sleeve, and really enjoyed using it. The only days I didn't use it were when I ignored it on purpose to see if it would start up again right away after being neglected for a while. It was difficult to not use it! I kept reaching for it, and had to remind myself to use something else. I do feel that they've achieved their design goal of making a perfectly comfortable, portable pen. At $129, it's also priced well for what you get.

Well done, team. I hope that there will be more fantastic collaborations like this in the future.

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

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