Morning Glory Mach 3 Roller Ball Pen 0.38 mm Review

The Morning Glory Mach 2 Roller Ball was a popular pen in its day. It was one of the few options if you were looking for a fine point, needle tip, liquid ink pen. Unfortunately, its run was short lived, despite its many fans. Morning Glory has stepped up with a replacement though: Enter the Mach 3 0.38 mm Roller Ball.

At only $2.00, the Mach 3 is priced as an entry level pen but plays above its weight easily. It's not often you get to use a sub-0.5 mm liquid ink pen and this 0.38 is very nice. I was continually impressed at how sharp and clean my lines were when testing it out. You may have to click on the picture above and enlarge it to see what I am talking about since lime green isn't the most photogenic ink color, but trust me when I say it is exceptional.

The barrel design is unique, not in that it brings something new to the table, but rather borrows from several existing pens for its look. The body is very similar to the new Pilot FriXion Point 04 (minus the eraser) mashed up with the grip of the discontinued Zebra Regal Roller and the cap of the similarly discontinued Uni-ball Signo Bit. In total it is fine, but the grip does end up being a little slick.

While it is not going to replace my gel ink pens in the same price and size range, the Morning Glory Mach 3 can certainly hold its own. If you are looking for a micro tip liquid ink pen this is the way to go.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Zebra Arbez Eo Ballpoint Review

The Zebra Corporation holds a competition each year for young designers where the winner gets their product produced under the Arbez name. The 2011 winner was the Piirto, an icepick-shaped ballpoint from a Finnish designer. In 2012, the British winner designed a set of pens around the London transportation system, with the double decker bus styled Eo 0.7 mm ballpoint taking center stage.

The design of the Eo is fantastic. It is unique and eye-catching, but may not fit everyones grip comfort needs. One side of the barrel is flat, the opposite side is rounded, and the other two sides gradually connect the two. Essentially, a capital D shape. For me it works well, but others may not like it.

If that doesn't bother you, then this is a fun pen to own. The bright red barrel features a slick white racing stripe running the length of the barrel, and both the tip and end caps sport a translucent ink color section. I find myself continually marveling at how well designed this pen is.

For a standard ballpoint it writes well. The lines are clean and sharp and very little white shows through. I enjoyed it but I wonder if the Arbez competition would be better suited to design around the Sarasa gel ink refill instead?

Regardless, a part of London's transportation system now resides on my desk. Time to take a ride!

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen Review

Platinum joins Pilot and Sailor as part of the "Big Three" Japanese fountain pen makers. All three have a long history of producing quality products, from entry level up to the most expensive custom pens you can find. Buy a fountain pen with one of these three names stamped on it and there is a high likelihood you will have a good experience.

Platinum does entry level as good as any of them, with the famous Platinum Preppy leading the charge. I've made no bones about how great I think that pen is for $3. The Platinum Plaisir is the cool older brother to the Preppy and fits right in with the family.

The Plaisir features the same fine, firm nib as the Preppy but upgraded the design of the barrel greatly. Not only does it feature a lightweight, silky smooth aluminum body, it also has an innovative cap that allows the pen to be stored for a year without drying out. That is a great feature for me since I often have many pens inked up at once and don't use them all every day.

I went with the more recently released Gunmetal color for my first Plaisir and there are several other colors to choose from in both 03 Fine and 05 Medium nibs. I syringe filled an empty Platinum cartridge with Pelikan Edelstein Topaz ink for the awesome combo you see on the page above. I have been very happy with the Plaisir and it will continue to see frequent use.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)