There's a special place in my heart for Noodler's inks. These inks come in a wide variety of colors and are very affordable. Noodler's Black fountain pen ink was the first bottled ink that I've ever purchased. I Googled "best fountain pen ink for beginners" and landed on a Fountain Pen Network post that mentioned Noodler's, specifically the bulletproof black ink. I was drawn to Noodler's quirky branding, high ratings, and affordable price, and bulletproof black has long served as a staple in my daily fountain pen rotation.
Noodler's Black ink is considered to be bulletproof, which means that it's water resistant and archival. This is the kind of ink that you'd want to use for love letters, messages in bottle, or labeling precious photographs. I typically don't water test inks, but it's important for an ink that claims to be water resistant to hold up well against a drip test. I dripped water on the word card below immediately after writing on the card, and the results were phenomenal. There were zero smears or bleeding, meaning that Noodler's Black passed the waterproof test with flying colors.
Although the archival quality of Noodler's Black is a big plus, the ink does tend to cling to everything it touches, including nib surfaces, converter walls, pen grips, and especially fingers. I'm wary of leaving any ink in my pens for long periods of time, but I'm especially careful with this ink. I should note that I've experienced zero permanent staining with Noodler's Black, but it does take extra effort to clean, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. Unfortunately, this problem is made worse by the ink's tendency to creep. I commonly find ink pooled around my fountain pen grips, around the air hole in nibs, and inside of nib caps. This is certainly better with some pens than others, but it is an annoyance nonetheless.
Noodler's Black fountain pen ink is a great choice for first time bottled ink buyers who are looking for a solid performing black ink with archival and waterproof qualities, but there are better alternatives for those who don't need these bulletproof qualities. Noodler's Black certainly has its quirks, but it counters these with an extremely affordable price, unique branding, and great color intensity on the page.
Kickstarter continues to be a place for new and innovative pen designs. I reviewed the Tactile Turn Gist a few weeks ago, which is an impressive fountain pen built for everyday carry. This week, I have the pleasure of offering a sneak peak review of The Pen, an ambitious everyday carry Kickstarter pen, created by the folks at RIIND. RIIND provided several pens, at no charge, for the purpose of this review.
The Pen is intimidating, at first glance. It's larger than most of the pens that I own, and I initially expected it to be heavy and hard to use. Despite my initial concerns, The Pen is incredibly light. The body is made from anodized aluminum, which is very durable but lightweight. Even though The Pen is longer and thicker than the Retro 51 Tornado Slim that I traditionally carry, it actually feels lighter in hand.
From top to bottom: RIIND Pen, Pilot Vanishing Point, TWSBI Diamond 580AL, Retro 51 Tornado Slim
The Pen's twist mechanism is easily the most interesting part of its design. A half-turn in any direction extends or retracts the tip. While it's easy enough to twist the cap with a thumb and index finger, the mechanism stays firmly in place, with a satisfying click. I do wish that there was less play in the twist mechanism, since it wiggles with pressure, but it's well designed and stable overall. The twist nob has a knurled finish (scoring), which allows fingers to easily grip and twist. This design is shared by The Pen's grip and does an excellent job of preventing finger slippage. While the design provides excellent grip, it doesn't protrude enough from the barrel to be painful or leave marks on the hand. I did notice some finger fatigue after longer writing sessions; however, the writing experience was pleasurable overall. I traditionally prefer slim grips, so I was surprised by just how comfortable The Pen is to hold.
I have a confession to make; I hate pen clips. They're a necessary evil but often seem to be afterthoughts in pen design. The Lamy 2000 is a pleasant exception to this rule, but I don't love the clips on my TWSBI 580 nor Tactile Turn Gist. I say this so that the next sentence carries more weight. I simply love The Pen's clip. The asymmetrical clip design fits in well with The Pen's overall machined look, but also serves an interesting mechanical purpose. Unlike some stiff-as-nails clips, the clip is easy to move and has incredible range, but still keeps the pen firmly clipped and secure. I prefer the black pen body with matching clip; however, the other color combinations look great as well.
The Pen is manufactured with incredibly tight tolerances that make for a great writing experience. The tip unscrews smoothly to reveal access to the ink cartridge, and The Pen accommodates an impressive number of different cartridges. It includes a G2, which sits snuggly in the barrel, with zero wiggling or clicking when writing.
Should you back this pen? That's the question that probably brought you here. I had two main qualms with The Pen, the slight wiggle in the cap and the price. The first isn't worth a second thought, but at $125, The Pen is an expensive investment. It's certainly within range of other projects, like the Pen Type-B, but it's worth asking yourself if this is a pen that you plan to use all the time. If the answer is yes, then absolutely back it. If The Pen seems too expensive for you, then I have some great news that may change your mind. In response to criticisms regarding The Pen's price, the folks at RIIND have lowered the entry pledge from $125 to $95. If you were on the fence, this may well push you over the edge, and it should, in my opinion. Kudos to RIIND for listening to feedback and making changes based on community recommendations.
If you like the overall design and listed features of The Pen, I can assure you that it lives up to the promises and claims on the Kickstarter page. Yes, you can even squeeze a sideways penny underneath the clip. The Pen is well designed, durable, and would make a great everyday carry addition. I'm not typically a fan of larger pens, but The Pen hits a few sweet spots for me. The grip is certainly thicker than, say a Retro 51 Tornado, but it's comfortable and won't slide if it gets wet from the environment or sweaty palms. The quality is top notch, and the twist mechanism and clip are pretty dang cool. Considering these features and the recent price drop, I'd absolutely recommend backing The Pen, if its size and overall design appeal to you. Thanks again to RIIND for letting me preview their latest creation. If you're interested in backing this project or learning more, please visit The Pen's project page on Kickstarter.
Still not sure? Check out these other RIIND Pen reviews:
Last week, I took a look at the Tactile Turn Gist fountain pen, an excellent Kickstarter pen that's now available to the general public. The Gist comes with Bock nib material options, steel, titanium, and gold, and I thought that it would be fun to try a titanium nib. This is my first titanium nib, and I chose the fine version. Unlike the shiny stainless steel nibs, the titanium has a darker, tarnished color. This pairs well with certain pens and compliments the distressed look of my Gist's copper grip and finial. Bock nibs are etched with the Bock logo and intricate spiral designs. These are beautiful on their own, but the designs really shine when ink smears on the nib and fills them in.
The Bock titanium nib has significantly more flex than a steel nib, resulting in a moderate amount of line variation with different writing pressure. The fine-nib version still functions well as an everyday writer, even though it can be pushed to offer a significant amount of flex. The flex does cause the nib to burn through ink very quickly, which doesn't pair well with smaller-capacity converter-fill pens, such as the Gist. Expect to fill the converter every few days or so, even with only a moderate amount of use.
The titanium nib glides smoothly across the paper, with minimal resistance. Although the nib is smooth, I occasionally experience skipping and hard starts, after longer writing periods. There were several occasions where I even had to unscrew the barrel to push ink through the converter and prime the nib. The issues were frequent enough to break my writing flow and cause annoyance, which makes it difficult to recommend the nib without reservations. This can be alleviated, somewhat, by choosing an ink that flows easily.
The Bock titanium nib is fun for short bursts of stationary writing. Its flex is enough to leave moderate line variation without gushing ink onto the page. The nib falters during long writing sessions, and the soft titanium material makes it a poor choice for an everyday carry pen that may see unstable environments or even the occasional drop. Although I don't plan to fill my pen arsenal with titanium nibs, I'm glad to have one in rotation. Most don't choose fountain pens because they're incredibly convenient and versatile, and there's something to be said for the titanium nib's unique performance and aged appearance. It's certainly worth a try, even if it isn't destined to travel with you on a daily basis.
So this is all well and good, but how do I buy one? Here are a few links to pens that offer Bock titanium nib options. Most offer separate nib purchases, in case you already own the pen itself. This isn't all inclusive, since many pen manufacturers use Bock nibs.
Conid Minimalistica - The large capacity is perfect for satiating a titanium nib's ink hunger. Great review from The Gentleman Stationer. Don't look unless you're prepared to drop $400.
Don't forget to check out my original review of the Tactile Turn Gist.
Quillidyllic: THE BLANC ET NOIR on the ROUGE ET NOIR - Like the Hemingway, the Rouge et Noir is delightfully orange and significantly out of my price range. Why must all of the best orange pens be so expensive?
Thanks for checking out this week's issue of Casual Sunday. Check back in on Tuesday morning for a brand new blog post or follow A Better Desk on Twitter or via RSS feed so that you don't have to. Thanks for your support!
Kickstarter can be a scary place. In a world full of Scribble Pens and fancy coolers, it's hard to want to plop down $100 or more for a product that may never be. That's why I waited nearly three weeks before backing the Tactile Turn Gist fountain pen. Fast forward more than six months, and I'm happily handwriting this article with one of the best pens in my arsenal, wondering why I had ever given it a second guess.
The pull-sleeve packing for the Gist is pretty slick.
The Tactile Turn Gist is a rugged fountain pen that holds its own against other $100 pens on the market. It's the first foray into fountain pens for Tactile Turn owner Will Hodges, and it's an impressive entry into the market. While its looks are professional enough to carry into a business meeting, its sturdy design makes it an excellent contender for an everyday carry pen.
The Gist comes in hundreds if not thousands of configurations. I chose the makrolon polycarbonate body with copper grip and finial and paired it with a titanium Bock nib. I should note that I'm just covering the Gist in this review and will go into more detail on the titanium nib next week. Makrolon is the same material that's used for the barrel of the Lamy 2000. It's lightweight but durable and will last for decades. The Gist's entire body is ridged, so that it's incredible easy to grip and manipulate in hand. The ridges give the pen a soft matte finish, which is nearly impossible to capture in a photograph. The pen does develop a sheen after significant use, but it doesn't get nearly as shiny as the Lamy 2000.
The copper finial on the Gist provides a teaser of what's under the hood. As the copper develops a patina over time, the finial begins to look like an old penny, a look that's enhanced by the Tactile Turn logo. The finial is machined with the rest of the polycarbonate cap, which results in a flawlessly smooth transition between copper and polycarbonate. The finial holds the clip in place, which sits in a notched slot in the polycarbonate. While the clip is incredibly sturdy, it is easily my least favorite part about the pen. Its look simply doesn't match the rest of the pen design. Fortunately, Kickstarter backers had the option to order a pen without a clip, so hopefully Tactile Turn has extended the same option to new customers.
The Tactile Turn Gist uses Acme threads to securely cap the pen. These threads are much larger than traditional cap threads and provide a secure seal, while requiring minimal twisting to uncap, less than three full turns to be exact. Perhaps there's a reason why more fountain pens don't use this type of threading, but these threads offer a dramatically better uncapping experience than threads on any of my other pens. Uncapping the pen reveals the beautiful copper grip, which is also ridged to prevent slippage. I can't overstate just how much I prefer the ridged grip to traditional smooth grips. The ridges allow for comfort during long writing sessions and prevent slippage caused by sweaty hands. The pen also posts, although it's plenty long enough to use unposted, which I prefer. The copper does leave a faint smell of pennies on my hands. At first, I avoided choosing copper for this very reason, but the smell is so faint that it's hardly noticeable, unless you jam your fingers up your nose, which I certainly don't recommend. The copper grip develops a patina over time, just like the finial.
The Gist includes a converter, which compares to a traditional international converter but is somewhat shorter. Simply unscrew the bottom section of the barrel to access the converter. The barrel, nib, and grip are all threaded, to ensure that the pen fits tightly together and does creak or wobble. Converter capacity is adequate for steel nibs, but I burn through converter fills with the titanium nib. The flex in the nib causes it to use much more ink than the tough-as-nails steel nib. Those who are accustomed to using piston fillers may certainly miss the added capacity.
Here's a closeup of the Acme cap threads and the pen's ridged surface.
As an everyday carry pen, the Tactile Turn Gist fountain pen is sturdy, grippy, and delivers on everything that it promises. This is the pen that I would take onto the machine shop floor, if I had a machine shop that is. There's something special about the copper and the way that it shows its age. It reminds me of all of the writing, scribbling, and sketching that I've done with it. Unlike traditional steel or titanium, the copper holds the history of its owner. Sure, it's easily possible to return the copper to its original glory, but perfection isn't why people purchase copper pens. The Tactile Turn Gist is a testament to Will Hodge's manufacturing prowess. It's not just an excellent Kickstarter fountain pen, it's an excellent fountain pen period.
