Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Pelikan Classic M120 Iconic Blue 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.)

There's a lot of overlap between fountain pen fanatics and those with an affinity for vintage and midcentury aesthetics. So it's no great surprise when a throwback limited edition comes along and steals our hearts.

The understated elegance of the Pelikan M120 Iconic Blue makes it a total heart thief. In photos it looks plain. Nice, but unimpressive. In person, it has a certain air about it. Somehow, they haven't just put this pen in a vintage suit--they put the soul of vintage in it. When I write with it, I feel like Agatha Christie. And I like it.

The pen is a reproduction of one of their old school pens. School pens weren't meant to be fancy, and this isn't. It's classy.

The body is a smoky cobalt blue plastic. It has 14k gold and gold-plated furniture, including the iconic Pelikan beak clip. The piston knob is a subtle step down from the body. It turns smoothly and extends just a little bit on the outside, but the ink capacity of the pen is impressive. I've been writing with it regularly for weeks and only just started seeing the ink level in the blue tinted ink window.

The cap screws on. It posts securely at the back without interfering with the piston knob. It's a small pen, so I imagine a lot of people will want to use it posted. I find it comfortable both ways. The cap is light and it doesn't affect the balance too much. The top of the cap is rounded, so it doesn't have the newer painted pelikan finial, but it does have a debossed logo set into the plastic. It's tricky to see, but is in keeping with the understated design of the pen.

The nib is gold plated steel, this one a fine. It is incredibly smooth and is nicely wet, so it writes closer to a medium line. The nib is surprisingly springy. I had to look it up to confirm that it is indeed steel, because this feels like a gold nib. The scrollwork on it is some of the prettiest I've ever seen, with lovely filigree flourishes.

With its subtlety, light weight, and fantastic ink capacity, this is the perfect everyday pen. I've used it at work every day (if there's ever been a pen that screams "librarian" more than this one, I haven't met it) and keep picking it up on the weekends, too. If I had to pick one downside to this pen, it would be the price. At $188, it's a bit steep for a steel nib, factory-made pen. But price is always going to be my downside with Pelikans--and it sure doesn't stop me from loving them. I always cringe when I spend the money on one, but I never regret it.

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

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Sarah Read and filed under Pelikan, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Lamy Studio Racing Green 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.)

The Lamy Studio is one of those $80-$100 fountain pens that doesn't get enough attention for the value it provides. I wrote about the steel nib Studio back in 2014, and everything still holds true. The clip still irritates me, even though I like how it looks. And, the Studio is still a great value and a classy pen.

At the end of 2017, Lamy released a special edition of this pen: Racing Green. Unfortunately, the pen sold out very quickly, and you can no longer buy it from retailers. If you want this pen, you have to find someone willing to part with their own. While this isn't impossible, it's not exactly easy and it's certainly something that Lamy could fix by offering Racing Green as a standard color. In a lineup that currently offers a measly two colors at the sub-$100 level, it desperately needs some variety. I wish that Lamy would make this happen, but who knows what they'll end up doing with this line.

Regardless of the color, the Studio is an excellent pen. The Racing Green edition is exactly the same as the standard $80 pen, save the exterior color. The color is a dark green with subdued metallic flakes that you can just make out in direct, bright light. When you glance at it quickly, you might mistake it for a black pen. And that's part of the reason I love this color. Similar to a green-black ink (or any half-black ink, really), there's a depth of color that's fascinating to discover and admire.

Apart from the special edition color, this is the same pen you can purchase today with a steel nib. There's also a gold nib available, but it costs roughly twice as much. At that price range, my suggestion is to go for the Lamy 2000.

The Studio has a bit of heft, but not so much to make it difficult to handle. I imagine the inside of the pen is made of brass, which would account for the weight. When writing, it's very comfortable and not fatiguing. The grip section is a polished metal that picks up fingerprints quickly, but it's comfortable to use and easy to clean. If you don't enjoy smooth grip sections, this pen likely isn't for you. If your fingers have any moisture on them, this pen will become slippery. For most indoor writing situations, this shouldn't be a problem.

The EF nib on this unit is exceptionally smooth, and I've really enjoyed using it. The nibs used on the Studio are the same nibs you find on the Safari and AL-Star, making it easy to swap out for other sizes. The pen also includes a converter along with the standard blue cartridge, making it easy to pick your own ink right out of the box. The flow from the nib is smooth and plentiful without being too wet. I've been really pleased with the performance of this pen.

It's a shame that Lamy released Racing Green as a limited edition. I would love to see it offered alongside the standard black and Imperial Blue pens available year-round. If you're interested in finding one of these pens, your best bet is checking out the used markets and pen shows. But, if you're interested in the Lamy Studio, you can't go wrong with the standard colors.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Lamy, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Modernizing the Esterbrook FJ Ballpoint

If you have been following me for any length of time, you will have heard me discuss the cigar box pen storage I use on my desk. They are made by a friend of mine named John, better known online as Bamapen.

John is a tinkerer at heart, and a lover of pens of all types. These two things came into play with the latest toy he sent me: A 3-D printed adapter to allow D1 refills to be used in the Esterbrook FJ ballpoint pen.

It took me a while to get to this review (sorry John!) and I’m sorry I waited so long because this is a fun pen to use, and a part of what makes this hobby of ours so great. There was a time not so long ago where pens like this Esterbrook with proprietary refills were a lost cause. With the advancements and accessibility of 3-D printing technology over the past several years, enterprising writers can get their old favorite pens up and writing again.

John did just that by designing an adapter based on the original Esterbrook refill, and making it compatible with a common refill from the modern market - in this case the D1 sized refill. The D1 is commonly used in mini pens and multi pens due to its short, skinny format. It has become popular enough that many top manufacturers, such as Uni-ball, have added them to their product lineup using their best ink formulations, like the Jetstream.

I’m using a black 0.7 mm Jetstream refill with the Esterbrook adapter in this FJ pen, and it works like a champ. The fit is perfect, almost as if it is the original setup. That’s kind of the point, right? The original pen, with a modern writing experience.

Using Shapeways, or other 3-D printing services, has become a great way for us to get old pens back in action, or make changes to modern pens - like adding clips - to better fit our respective styles. The growth and popularity of services like these can only benefit us all.

Maybe I need to 3-D print one of my old favorite pens, The Pilot Explorer, and get it back into the market.

My thanks to John for entrusting me with his creation. I may just need to buy this one off of him.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!