It's Sunday, which means it's time to pour a cup of coffee, snuggle up next to the pooch, and catch up on current events.
Tactile Turn is definitely making major waves in the fountain pen community with their Gist Fountain Pen Kickstarter. With four days remaining in the project, it’s time to make a final decision. I originally backed the stainless still grip and finial but, after much debate, decided to try something new and switched to the copper grip and finial. The early reviews of the Gist are in, and it’s a stunner. The question is no longer whether to back but what to back, and I found the following links incredibly helpful. I know that I’ve posted some of these before, but I wanted to collect them all in one place. If you’re looking for a specific pen configuration, the types covered in the reviews are listed next to the links.
- Gourmet Pens: First Impressions: Tactile Turn Gist Fountain Pen @TactileTurn - Full copper and titanium bodies, polycarbonate body with zirconium grip and finial. This post provides a great steel/titanium/gold nib comparison if you’re on the fence. This is the only review that shows how the copper ages with a bit of use.
- Tactile Turn Gist Fountain Pen / Kickstarter Launch UPDATED w/ COMPARISON | edjelley.com – Fountain Pen, Ink, and Stationery Reviews - Ed did all of the photography work for the Gist Kickstarter, and his preview features beautiful photos of the polycarbonate body with brass, Damascus Steel, and titanium grips and finials and full titanium body. He calls out the polycarbonate body with titanium grip and finial specifically. Ed also provides an awesome photo lineup of the Tactile Turn Gist next to several other popular pens.
- First Look: The Gist By Tactile Turn — The Pen Addict - Polycarbonate grip with Damascus Steel finial, brass grip and finial, full titanium body
- Everyday Commentary: Tactile Turn Gist Review - Damascus Steel grip and finial
- Tactile Turn Gist Fountain Pen - The Clicky Post - Polycarbonate grip with zirconium finial, titanium grip and finial, and full stainless steel and titanium bodies
- Gist Fountain Pen — Tactile Turn - This page shows every possible metal/nib combination, both capped and uncapped.
Other Interesting Reads:
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Writing is my escape. I can't claim to write well, but I always turn to writing when I need to work out issues or leave the worries of the day behind. My journey through the world of fancy pens was inevitable, as my obsession with the tools of the writing trade is insatiable. I've loved learning and writing about fancy pens and stationary over the last months, and I have no plans of stopping. I'm typically so excited to write my Tuesday post, but sometimes things happen in life that make it hard to want to write about its little joys. I've tried to throw something together to post today, but it's not up to snuff. If you've shown up for a Tuesday post, I apologize for this disappointing placeholder. If you're still reading, I would like to take this chance to thank you so much for your support. I promise to be back next week with 100% less sob stories, and I would appreciate it if you would come back to visit.
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The Noodler's Ahab Flex Fountain Pen is easily the weirdest pen that I've ever reviewed, and mostly in good ways. It's a lightweight pen that has a resin body, utilizes a piston-fill mechanism, and comes in many different color and design options.
The Noodler's branding is delightfully obscure. Various animals, including an Auspicious Catfish Dragon, adorn Noodler's ink and pen boxes. The Ahab comes sealed in plastic in Noodler's signature box. I ordered the Poltergeist Pumpkin version, since Halloween is my favorite holiday and it's now close enough to October 31st to celebrate without judgement from friends. I ripped open the plastic sleeve and a foul oder, somewhat reminiscent of grade school upchuck, hit me with full force. I thought that this may have been the "Poltergeist" in my pen, but it turns out that the pen is made of a biodegradable vegetal resin that has a natural stench. Fortunately, this smell goes away after a day or two, but it may be wise to turn your nose away when opening the pen. I've read about this odor in other reviews, but they didn't prepare me for just how bad the pen smells.
I was concerned that the Ahab would look/feel cheap, considering its low price, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the pen is a bit light for my liking, its design features are polished and intentional. The clip resembles a whale fin, while the piston converter resembles a pirate's peg leg. The pen comes with a detailed letter explaining the design choices, and I'll venture to say that Noodler's is one of the most creative pen/ink brands out there. The branding may be heavy-handed to some, but I love the its quirkiness, and the Ahab delivers quirk in full force. The Poltergeist Pumpkin design may not be the most sleek or creative design of the bunch, but it's fun, and fun is really what this pen is all about.
The Noodler's Ahab is sturdy, in the sense that all of its pieces fit snuggly together, and there's no creaking or jiggling to be found. The pen can be posted and its comfortable to write with either posted or unposted.
The Ahab uses a piston filling system and is converter only. The provided converter screws snuggly into the pen body, meaning that there's little chance of leaks. Theres a tiny straw inside the converter that allows air to exit the converter, as ink moves in. The straw is small, so be careful not to lose it when cleaning! The plunger is hollow, so ink fills both the converter as well as the cavity of the plunger. This is great for ink capacity, especially for the thirsty flex nib, which lays down a thick generous line of ink on the page. Although the extra capacity is a nice touch, it's difficult to empty the excess ink out of the plunger without the use of a syringe. This is a major drawback, since I purchased this pen to try out new inks and plan to change them often.
The nib on the Noodler's Ahab is all about flex, and flex it does well. I couldn't let myself plop down $200 for a Pilot Falcon when all that I wanted to do was play with a flex nib. The Noodler's Ahab delivers substantial flex for %15 of the price of the Falcon. The nib and feed have a friction fit, which means that they can be slid in and out, independently in this case, of the pen body. Mine worked well out of the box, but it's very easy to adjust the nib and feed until a desired flow/flex balance is achieved. I would cringe at the thought of messing with the feed of a more expensive pen, but this pen begs to be played with and is easily replaceable. It's certainly not a throwaway pen, but it's nice to be able to push a pen to its limits without fear.
The Ahab's steel nib moves from a Twsbi-like fine line with little pressure to a generously wet stub-like line with a lot of pressure. The pen is a smooth writer but does tend to railroad when an excessive amount of pressure is applied. This varies with the lubrication properties of the ink used.
The Noodler's Ahab is a solid performer for the price. This pen isn't meant to be a daily workhorse, but it's an inexpensive option for those looking to doodle or practice their ink sketching or calligraphy.
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It's Sunday, which means it's time to pour a cup of coffee, snuggle up next to the pooch, and catch up on current events.
Interesting Reads:
Things that made me drool:
Purchases:
Thanks for checking out this week's issue of Casual Sunday. Check back in on Tuesday morning for a brand new blog post or subscribe to the RSS feed at the bottom of the page. Thanks for your support!
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The Kaweco Skyline Sport is a true pocket pen. I reviewed the mint version a few weeks ago and am still in love with the pen's design and performance. The pen is full-sized when posted but tiny when capped. The threaded cap ensures that the pen is leak free as it tumbles around in a pocket or bag. I usually throw my pen into my Timbuk2 Messenger Bag, which is full of cavernous pockets and pen slots. It's easy to lose the pen amidst the chaos of my bag, and there's no way to secure the pen for easy reach, since the Kaweco doesn't come with a clip.
I found a Kaweco clip while browsing JetPens, but the reviews mentioned that it slides around on the pen cap and is too loose to be trustworthy. The clip is also pretty plain looking, considering the beauty of the pen, and I wasn't prepared to pay for shipping for a three dollar item.
I searched around the net and found that there is a pen store in downtown Cincinnati that just happens to carry the full Kaweco line. I ventured downtown and asked the friendly store owner about the clips. He pulled a small plastic bag from under the counter containing the clips that I saw online, but he also pulled out a deluxe version. I splurged and walked away with the deluxe version, which looked to be much sturdier than the basic version and matched the pen in level of design and attention to detail.
I slid the clip onto my mint Skyline Sport and was on my way. The clip hasn't budged since. It holds firmly in place, and the clip itself is incredibly sturdy. It takes some effort to clip the pen to anything thicker than a piece of paper, but this means that the pen won't slide off during travel. I typically clip the pen onto a bag pocket, but I wanted a more rigorous test, so I wore it clipped to my pants pocket for an entire day. Eight hours later and my pen was still firmly attached and hadn't leaked a drop.
At six dollars, the Kaweco Deluxe Clip is a no brainer. Its elegant design and etchings match well with the cap emblem on the Skyline Sport, and the clip looks like it was on the pen all along. Just be sure to buy the right color to match your pen's logo, since the clip comes in several colors. I am extremely satisfied with the deluxe clip and think that it's a must-have for any Sport owner.
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