(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 check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
I think it's wonderful that we're still getting fun, funky, and classic pens from Retro 51. I'd put the Vintage Metalsmith Raw Brass in the classic category, and while it's quite plain by Retro 51 standards, I think it's graced with a practical vintage elegance and I love it.
This pen has all the fantastic features of a Retro 51 Tornado--the sleek torpedo shape, the perfectly bendy but very secure clip, the knurled twist top, and the bold REF5P/REF57P refill. The decorative disc at the top is a perfect vintage green color. And while the body is brass, it isn't noticeably heavier than my other Tornadoes, weighing about 28g. It's heavy for a rollerball, maybe, but it feels perfectly balanced and never burdensome.
In contrast to the wild and wacky look of most of my favorite Retros, this one is all elegance. It looks like the sort of pen you'd find on a 1940s detective's desk, or tucked inside a ship captain's log. Because the brass is not sealed, it is slowly taking on a patina, enhancing that vintage look. It can also be polished back to the bright new brass it came as, if you don't like the patinaed look.
The only two nitpicks I have about the pen are that the raw brass makes for a very slick grip, so I do find my fingers slipping down the barrel if I'm writing more than a quick note. And the seam at the nose where the nosecone unscrews from the barrel is not as flush as it could be, so there's a little bit of a ridge there. It's really not bad, and not uncomfortable, but it's noticeable on a pen that's otherwise practically perfect.
There's something magical about the Retro 51 appeal. This pen will look entirely at home in the board room, and still fit in perfectly with my other Retros, alongside ghosts and skeletons and garden gnomes. At $42, it's a little bit more expensive than some Retros, but still very reasonable and in a good range for a nice gift for someone classy. I think this is another winner from Retro 51.
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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