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

Not long ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing a retractable rollerball pen from a small company called Inventery. It was an impressive pen that featured a minimal design and hearty materials, and I still really enjoy using that pen today. Just recently, I've been using a new pen from Inventery called the Pocket Fountain Pen. The model I have is made of brass and also includes some additional goodies that change the size and functionality of the pen. In all, it's a pretty exciting offering that I've been fairly pleased with.

All the features

The official name of the product I have is the "Pocket FP + Extender in Brass." There's a lot included in the "+ Extender" designation. To make it easy to follow along, here's a list of what's included in the box:

Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen with a gold-colored Schmidt nib
Additional section to extend the length of the pen barrel
Schmidt standard international converter
Schmidt ballpoint section that can be swapped out for the fountain pen section
Four different finial components that screw into place on the cap:
- Clip component
- Flush component
- Stylus component
- Lanyard component
Plus a bunch of short international cartridges with black ink (nine carts, to be exact)

All I could think when I opened up this package was "Wow." There's a lot going on here, and it's all shiny brass. Very powerful first impression. With a price tag of $165, this will be a difficult purchase for some, even when considering this is a machined brass pen. Do all the unique features and customizations make up for that price? Well, like most things, it depends on the user.

Look and feel

After assembling the pen in my favorite configuration (extended section with the fountain pen section and clip component to prevent rolling) and inking it up with some Iroshizuku Murasaki Shikibu, I was delighted with the performance of the F nib out of the box. Smooth as silk, responsive, and well fed. Schmidt nibs can be a bit fussy out of the box, and I was happy to find no such issues with a pen of this price. Being made of brass, there's a considerable weight to adjust to. At 39 grams, it's not a light pen, but this isn't new territory for machined pens. Either way, it feels great in the hand. Despite the weight, it's still a really small pen. It's somewhere between a Kaweco Liliput and Supra in size, but with the same form factor.

Given the extension that you can use in the body, you can change the feel of the pen quite a bit. As such, I found it comfortable to post the cap if the extension was not in use. With the extension, posting the cap made the pen too long for my hand, which threw off the balance when trying to write. The pen wanted to flip over the back of my hand during certain strokes.

This is all well and good — being able to control the length and weight of the pen is a good thing. But that customization is a moot point if you plan on using the included converter. You must use the extension to make room for the long converter. I've been perfectly happy holding the cap in my other hand while writing with the long version of the pen. This allows me to use what ink I want instead of being limited to the cartridges I have on hand. If you prefer cartridges, this limitation won't impact you.

Being made of brass, there's certainly a metallic odor associated with this pen after minimal use. Depending on what day it is and what side of the bed I woke up on, I either don't mind this smell or I really can't stand it. For that reason, I'd probably stick with the plated options that Inventery offer. You can choose either "Black Oxide" or "Brushed Chrome" if you don't want the raw brass option. They're all the same price, and they're all made of brass. The added benefit of the plated versions is that you don't have to deal with the natural effects of oxidation on brass.

The included finial components are more of a gimmick in my mind. It's all about customizing the aesthetic of the pen. I've never enjoyed pens that include a stylus, so it's great that they've left that decision to me. The flush finial looks great, but the pen rolls around. The lanyard finial seems like a good idea, but I don't use any pens with a lanyard. The clip finial is my favorite, but I don't like that the clip doesn't actually rest against the cap. It rests about 2mm away from the body of the pen, making it ineffective at actually clipping it to things. As long as gravity is on your side, the pen will be secure. If anything gets turned upside down or jostled too much, it will fly right out.

Swapping out the different finial components is incredibly easy since they are all threaded.

Build quality

The build quality of the Pocket Fountain Pen is on par with the other pen I've used from Inventery: it's fantastic. The main thing I want to point out is that Inventery have included a brilliant feature on the inside threads of the cap. Instead of brass-on-brass threads, there's a thing plastic lining on the inside of the cap. This means that when you unscrew/screw on the cap, you don't have the tactile feedback of scraping metal or the abrasive sound. The thin lining makes the experience incredibly smooth and quiet. I'm not sure how long this lining will last over the years. The lining is included on the cap threads as well as the interior threads of the section extension piece. I can't stress enough how much I appreciate this feature.

Tolerances are tight with this pen. It has a very slim profile, so that means that there are no visible gaps between the pieces and that the cartridge converter barely slips into the body of the pen. There is no room for larger converters or cartridges. They machined this pen exactly for the standard cartridge converter. This shouldn't be a problem since that size is very common, but it is interesting to see how that works when assembling the pen.

The fountain pen section and ballpoint section each unscrew from the grip section with ease. This is identical to how the Kaweco fountain pens operate, making nib replacements a breeze.

Writing performance

This is really two pens in one, so I'll start off with the fountain pen section. Like I said earlier, the Schmidt nib operated beautifully out of the box. The flow is great, the nib is smooth on paper, and I really enjoy writing with it. Given the smooth but contoured grip section and the weight of the pen, it's a joy to write with. As long as you can tolerate the smell of oxidation that comes with brass pens, it's a fantastic experience.

I've never used a ballpoint or rollerball pen that uses a fountain pen cartridge or converter, so this was a new experience for me. I'll start off by saying that the plastic ballpoint component does detract from the overall look and fell of the pen compared to all the brass. The Schmidt nib is also gold-colored, which fits in nicely with the color scheme. Not knowing what to expect, I popped in a J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir cartridge and started writing. After a few seconds, the ink started flowing beautifully. The 0.5mm tip is very fine and makes a great line. Cleaning it is also fairly simple; I used the same process as the fountain pen section, but it didn't take as long to clear out and dry. When the ballpoint section is installed in the pen, it's also a joy to write with. Like I said, though, it doesn't look as nice as the fountain pen section due to the black plastic.

One quirk regarding the two writing components is the fact that you can't swap them out with the brass section without also removing the cartridge or converter. This usually isn't an issue, but in some instances you might have some ink spillage.

Overall

The Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen + Extender is an interesting pen with a lot of options and customizations. Doing it over, I'd probably go with a different color option to avoid the brass smell, but the pen is a great writer and unique enough to merit a look. Given that the Kaweco Supra is a bit larger, but still less expensive, I'd recommend you look there first and weigh your options. I love the rounded ends of the Supra, but that's another matter of personal taste.

At $165, this pen sits in a category that is extremely competitive and fully stocked. I wouldn't recommend this to someone as a first "premium" pen purchase due to the other options that are available in the same price range (or lower). If you're familiar with brass machined pens and this design grabs you, then you won't be disappointed.

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Inventery Mechanical Pen Review

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

Machined pens have always captured my interest, so I was pretty excited to open up the Mechanical Pen by Inventery. Minimal packaging, minimal pen, and big impact. That was my impression after opening the package, and it hasn't really changed since.

Inventery is a design house located in Los Angeles. I wasn't able to find much about the company, but based on their website, it looks like they design and sell unique lifestyle items to fit their aesthetic vision. Unlike other machined pens we've come to love, it doesn't look like these pens are manufactured in-house. Either way, the end result is a very nice pen.

So, what is the Mechanical Pen? It's machined from a single rod of brass and then coated with another thin layer of metal to achieve different colors. Today, they offer a brass, chrome, brushed chrome, and onyx (black) finish for their pens. While I enjoy a good brass or copper pen, I'm not overly fond of the smell of the metal or the oxidation that inevitably takes over the surface of the metal. Sure, they can be cleaned and polished to original luster, but I don't find much enjoyment in that activity. The model I have is brushed chrome, and I'm a big fan of the color and finish. Since it's brushed, it isn't as shiny as the polished chrome cousin. This dials down the shine factor a bit, making it look very similar to polished aluminum.

Inside, the Mechanical Pen is rocking a Schmidt P8126, aka the refill found in the Retro 51 Tornado. This is a fantastic refill, and another great design decision on the part of Inventery. You probably recognize the click mechanism as well, which is also made by Schmidt and found in many, many other retractable machined pens. It's a smooth, quiet, reliable mechanism, and another solid choice in design.

Being made of brass, this pen has a noticeable heft. After owning and handling many metal pens over the years, this isn't really a surprise anymore. Based on my own tastes, I know before buying a pen that I almost never prefer brass over a lighter metal. For me, brass is just too heavy for comfortable use. The same is true of the Mechanical Pen, but it's small enough to be comfortable for short writing sessions, notes, and scribbles. One thing is for sure — you can tell when this pen is sitting in your pocket, but it always falls to the bottom of a bag/purse due to the weight. The smooth metal finish doesn't have any texture, but it's still easy to handle when writing. My fingers haven't slid while using this pen. It's also a great size for writing, with a slightly larger than normal barrel diameter. It's actually exactly the same length as another favorite of mine: the Karas Kustoms EDK, which also uses the popular Schmidt P8126 refill.

The shape of the pen is simple, but it does feature a nice design detail to keep it from rolling away easily. There's a ~2mm flat edge that runs down the length of the pen barrel that acts as a great stabilizer when this pen is sitting on a flat surface. It's not as sturdy as a clip, but it definitely helps in keeping the pen in place.

Branding is extremely minimal on this pen. There are two markings on the body of the pen, and they are easy to miss if you aren't looking for them. Both markings are on the top of the pen barrel close to the click mechanism, and they are on opposite sides of the barrel from each other. On one side, there's a serial number. The other side features a small Inventery logo, which is an upper-case I in a circle. Like I said, minimal and easy to miss. Compared to other machined pens, this is 100% more branding than usual, but it doesn't stand out.

While I like the Mechanical Pen, there are some things that I wish were different or expanded on. First of all, I really like pens to have pocket clips. I don't always use the clip, but I feel like it should be there. Unfortunately, the Mechanical Pen doesn't have one, and that's a design choice that isn't easy to retrofit. I love the simplistic design, but I miss that clip.

I've also noticed that some of the chrome finish is missing around the tip of the pen where the cone meets the pen barrel, allowing some of the brass to show through. This is really hard to see without magnification (like a camera lens), but it's definitely there. I don't mind it all, but it does make me wonder if more of the chrome finish will wear or chip away over time and with use. This observation probably translates to the regular chrome and onyx finishes as well.

This is more of a "wishlist" item, but it would be nice if there were options outside of brass for this pen. I would love an aluminum version of this pen due to the simple weight reduction. It would also be fun to see a titanium or stainless steel version, as well as other colors and finishes. This would also provide different price points since brass tends to drive cost up compared to cheaper metals. More material (and cost) options would attract more buyers.

Overall, the Mechanical Pen by Inventery is a solid pen. It's minimal, elegant, sturdy, and features a dependable, well-performing refill that will satisfy pen enthusiasts and likely delight buyers who are new to the arena. The Mechanical Pen is $90 and available in chrome, brushed chrome, brass, and onyx finishes.

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

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