Parker Jotter 60th Anniversary Ballpoint Pen Review

I had a bad time with my first Parker Jotter. Readers had been on me for years to review it and I kept putting it off for one reason or another. Mostly because I kept forgetting to order one. When I finally got it in hand I was not impressed. The ballpoint ink cartridge was terrible, and while yes, I could swap it out for a superior refill, the as-sold impression was not a good one.

Enter the Parker Jotter 60th Anniversary Ballpoint Pen.

Hesitant is how I would describe myself adding this pen to my cart at JetPens. I'm open to second chances though, and really, who could pass up these great barrel colors reminiscent of the heydey of the Jotter. This is a classic pen, recognizable anywhere. Even Don Draper would approve.

I approve this time around too. After using the blue 1.0 mm refill in this model I'm starting to wonder if the 1.0 mm black refill in my first Jotter was a dud. It was horribly scratchy and felt like the tip was diggining into the page. The refill in the 60th Anniversary model was smooth, solid, and clean. Pretty much everything you could ask for in a standard ballpoint refill.

Deciding on which barrel color to go with was not an easy task. I opted for Gray Green, but Pink and Coral were both options, and Whiteness may be the most classic of them all. The Gray Green looks great in person, and all the pens ship in a nice two-tone box, making it perfect for giving to your favorite stationery challenged friend.

All in all, the Parker 60th Anniversary Jotter is an excellent pen. Does it write as well as a Jetstream? No. Is it as good a value as an Acroball? No. But the Jotter has that little something extra that is hard to pinpoint. It's been around for 60 years for a reason, right?

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

Pentel Slicci Techo Mini Review

The Pentel Slicci Techo Mini is one of those pens that doesn't look like much at first glance. But once you pick it up and start using it, you realize it was made to do a specific job. And it's pretty good at doing that job.

What job is that specifically? The Slicci's job is to be a dependable, well-built, portable gel pen with a super fine, smooth point. It's perfect for those of us that want a tiny gel pen that writes well. To boot, it's also really affordable.

One of the first things I noticed upon first picking the pen up is how well-built it feels. The body is aluminum and the tip is also metal. It feels really solid for such a small pen.

Clicking the knock also feels more solid than it should for such a small, portable pen. It takes a bit of pressure and locks into place securely. The clip is also decently strong and has a soft, rubber-like material on the clip end to provide some extra grip. Once this pen is clipped to something, it isn't going to shake loose.

Personally, I love the orange body, but that's just me. It's a great color and it's easy to find in a dark bag.

On the writing end of things, the Techo Mini is actually really nice. The body is incredibly slim, and that takes a while to get used to if you normally write with "normal" pens. Even though it's slim, it's easy to control and get used to. The length is also a good fit for me. The part of the body just below the clip attachment point is where the pen falls on my hand to rest. It feels good, but you never really forget about the pen. It doesn't blend into the writing experience, but that's not really the purpose. It's tiny, and it writes great for this category.

The gel refill is smooth and dependable. I've never had a problem with skipping or starting. At 0.3 mm, it's a really fine line. It's not as smooth as writing with a Signo DX, but it's still a great refill.

I'm not sure if you can swap in other refills, but JetPens only lists the proprietary Pentel Slicci refill on their site. It looks unique, so you might stuck with these refills if you buy the pen. Also, it only comes with black ink. Bummer. If anyone has tried another refill for this pen, let us know.

Overall, for an $8 mini pen, the Slicci Techo Mini is fantastic. I've taken it with me on trips and always enjoy using it. With six colors to choose from, there's something for everyone. Like I said, I think orange is the right choice, but there's also copper, purple, green, pink, and navy.

If you're in the mood for a delightful pocket/travel pen that has a great gel refill, this is a great start.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

Hero 529 Fountain Pen Review

The world of inexpensive Chinese fountain pens is something I've recently fallen into, and I've had mixed results so far. My most recent impulse buy is a Hero 529 fountain pen. For less than $3 (sometimes less than $2), you get a fountain pen shipped from China. There's something completely unbelievable about that, but it's the real deal.

So, what do you get from a $3 fountain pen? Well, not much.

When you consider the functions of a pen, a few things that come to mind are: it writes, it's comfortable to hold, it keeps ink from drying out when not in use, it clips to a pocket, and it's reusable. Lots of pens cover these basic characteristics. But there's another characteristic that many of my favorite pens have that's difficult to quantify: they're delightful to use.

That's where the Hero 529 falls short and the main reason it will probably not see very much action after this review. It's not fun to use, and it actually detracts from my writing experience. These are harsh words for a pen, and I should probably back them up. So, here we go.

Aesthetics

The Hero 529 is black -- I never saw any other options in my search. From what I can see, it's also only available in a fine nib. The material of the body and cap is cheap plastic. Each part of the pen has a slightly different shade of color, adding to the low-quality look. The metal clip is silver and actually does a good job as a clip, but it also looks like plastic.

The main thing that does it for me is the silver label on the cap of the pen. I was really disappointed when I realized it wasn't a sticker that could be removed. I'm not sure why it's there. In the top part of the rectangle are Chinese characters, and the bottom part says "fountain pen" in a script font. Why? The pen would look a bit classier if the silver stamp wasn't there.

There's also a plastic gem in the top of the cap that feels a little loose to the touch.

Uncapped, the grip section is textured in a hatch pattern, although it doesn't really provide any real grip. The texture is very slight. The nib is hooded by the end of the grip section, which gives it a unique look.

Overall, it looks like a $3 pen, and that's fair. No problem.

Writing

The pen writes fairly smoothly. I'm sure that a little nib smoothing would help a bit, but I'm not really interested in working on it.

It's a very light and narrow pen and handles well either posted or unposted in my hand.

The nib can be finnicky regarding the angle of attack. I have to be very mindful when writing with this pen of whether I'm holding it at the right angle. If it changes by a degree or two, it skips and stops writing.

Again, it works, but not in a way that makes me want to continue using it.

Overall

This is a perfectly good pen for $3, and I'm really impressed that a functional fountain pen can be made at that price.

Unfortunately, this pen just isn't enjoyable to use. It asks a lot of the writer and introduces constant distractions and speed bumps along the way. There's nothing wrong with buying a $3 pen just to experiment, and I certainly don't feel like I wasted my money. I'm just disappointed that I now own a pen that I'm certain will never be used.

It's fun to experiment with different pens, but every now and then you end up with a dud. I guess that's just part of the game. At least I have plenty of other delightful writing instruments to use instead. After all, it's not fair to hold a $3 pen to high standards. In this case, you definitely get what you pay for.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)