October 2011
1 post
3 tags
Lamy Studio Black
I’ve been testing the Lamy Studio Black fine nib with Noodler’s Walnut for the past 2-3 weeks. This is my second favorite pen of all-time (behind the Jetstream).
Grade: A+
The superlatives are innumerable. This is one of the finest pens in the world.
First, the pen has a awesome, classic look. Like something from the 1940s. Just check the link above. The black matte finish feels...
September 2011
4 posts
TWSBI Diamond 540
For the last two weeks, I’ve been testing the TWSBI Diamond 540 inked with Noodler’s Blue. I tested both fine and medium nibs.
Grade: A-
This is a crisp, cleanly designed demonstrator with a piston fill mechanism. It writes extremely wet. With Noodler’s Blue there was a lot of feathering on cheap paper. On higher quality paper, it delivered a deep saturated wet line.
The pen...
3 tags
Kuru Toga
The Kuru Toga is my new favorite mechanical pencil.
Grade: A
The key innovation is its new lead advancing mechanism that rotates the lead to always keep the graphite sharp. It works perfectly.
The pencil is light and made of a high quality plastic. The grip is clear so that you can see the rotation mechanism work. It writes pretty smoothly.
The only weakness is that plastic used in the grip is...
3 tags
Parker IM
just tested a Parker IM in a medium nib, inked with Parker Quink Black.
Grade:C
This is a really disappointing pen. First, the pen writes like broad nib. Second, the pen’s grip is slippery and too small. Third, the ink laid down by the pen is not smooth. There is a lot of skipping.
Some positives of the pen are that it has a nice weight and is made of a high quality durable...
4 tags
Lamy Safari Vista
I just picked up a Lamy Safari Vista in a fine nib. It’s my first foray into fountain pen. All I can say is that I love it.
Grade: B+
The pen has a cool see thru outer plastic. It has smooth writing and a nice ink flow at the nib. The default ink included with the pen is not the greatest (I picked up some Noodlers Air Corps Blue Black. I’ll use it when the default ink runs out).
The...
December 2009
1 post
3 tags
Pilot Easytouch Pro Medium
This is Pilot’s version of the well regarded uni-ball Jetstream RT. It comes pretty close. I give it a B+.
I tested a blue ink RT. Very smooth inkflow (just a touch less smooth than the Jetstream). No skipping. Solid crisp line. The barrel is nice. It’s rubberized and fits well in the hand.
I have one complaint. The barrel does not have a window to see the ink level. Any premium...
June 2009
1 post
4 tags
Uniball Signo Bit 0.7
A+
I tested the needle point. It’s just a great pen. No bleeding. Nice control. The grip is great (except that it’s a little too narrow).
There not much to say except that I love this pen.
The ink is a smear proof gel ink. It produces a nice skip free, consistent thickness line. No ink bleeding. Nick thick ink. The needle point feels very sturdy and won’t break under fast,...
May 2009
2 posts
4 tags
Pilot Precise V7 RT Needle Tip
This pen gets an A. I tested the blue needle tip. I really love this pen. I am normally not a fan of needle tips, but this one has caught my attention. It produces an even, skip free line. The movement over paper is reasonably smooth for a needle tip. The grip is rubberized and is comfortable. The barrel length is standard. The pen styling is fairly conservative and reasonable for the office....
5 tags
Bic Triumph 730R 0.7mm
The Bic Triumph get an A-. So, I am not as enamored with this pen as many other bloggers. I tested the 0.7 roller in black. Let’s talk about some of the good things about the pen. First, the ink flow is smooth and consistent. It lays down a nice thick powerful line. Second, the pen is absolutely gorgeous. It looks great. It’s the perfect length. It’s got nice metal accents and a...
April 2009
7 posts
4 tags
Bic Z4 Rollerball
The Bic Z4 0.7 Roller is a B+.
I tested the green roller from Staples. It was on sale for Fifty cents.
I like the pen. The ink flow is pretty consistent. It skips slightly if I try to write fast. If I write at regular speed, though, the line is even and skipfree.
The ink is watery. It easily bleeds through the paper. It gets absorbed quickly enough that I think that lefties could use...
4 tags
Pentel Energel RT 0.7
This is a pretty good pen.
The inkflow is really great. I tried the black ink and ink flow was consistent. Skip free. The problem is that the ink is really watery. It takes too long to dry. For those of you who are lefties, you are going to hate this pen. It’s gonna smear. Another problem is the ink soaks right through the paper.
The pen feels good in the hand. But the barrel is standard...
4 tags
Bic Velocity Gel RT
The Bic Velocity Gel is an A+ gel pen.
First, the ink flow is smooth dark, with a consistent width line with no skipping. When you write there is no resistance. No scratchiness It’s a perfectly effort free writing experience.
Second, the pen is perfectly comfortably in the hand. The grip is perfectly positioned. It’s contoured nicely to fit a writer’s fingers. The length is...
4 tags
Zebra Z Grip Max
This is a gel pen from Zebra. I tested in the medium (0.7) retractable version.
I was not impressed overall.
The inkflow was disappointing. It has a lot of skipping. The line width was not consistent. And, it felt like I was scratching the paper as a I wrote. It’s ink is really below average when compared against the top notch gel pens.
There is one redeeming point. The pen looks great....
4 tags
http://bictriumph.com →
I’m very eager to try this pen out.
4 tags
Uni-ball Jetstream: The World's Best
This is probably the world’s best ballpoint pen.
It’s got a smooth hybrid ink. The ink flows well and produces a skip-free dark line. The ink is a cross between a gel and a traditional ballpoint ink. I like the blue ink better than the black.
The rubberized barrel is the perfect length and weight. It has a professional look about it.
The pen is best experienced in the retractible...
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