The Tactile Turn Mover, in Anodized Red Aluminum

Pen Review: Tactile Turn Mover

February 13, 2016

I’ve gone through multiple machined metal pens over the past three years, including most of the major “Kickstarter” projects. Very few of them have stuck with me. The two that I’ve ended up using the most are the Karas Kustoms Render K, which houses my Hi-Tec-C refill, and the Tactile Turn Mover, which is my “click pen” of choice.

Tactile Turn: The Company

Tactile Turn is the brainchild of Will Hodges, a designer and machinist based in Richardson, Texas. In approximately three years, Will has created and brought to market two excellent machined pens (the Mover and its companion, the Shaker), as well as a series of gorgeous razor handles (the “Parer” and the “Pruner). He recently concluded another Kickstarter for his “Gist” fountain pen, which fully funded and should ship this month or next. Starting with the Mover, every Tactile Turn product I have tested has been of exceptional quality.

The Mover

The Mover strikes a perfect balance with respect to weight. Many machined pens that I’ve tried are simply too heavy for longer writing sessions. The Mover, which is made out of anodized aluminum, has good heft but won’t wear your hand out when you’re drafting multiple pages of notes. (For comparison purposes, it’s probably closest to the Karas Kustoms Retrakt, another favorite which some jack*&ss stole off my desk at work.) This pen might be too long for some people. Those who want a shorter pen should go for the Mover’s sibling, the Shaker.

The Tactile Turn Nock Mechanism is sturdy, but it probably won't withstand abuse (i.e. clicking the pen repeatedly as a desk toy).

The nock mechanism (i.e., “the clicker”) on the pen is well-made and reliable. It’s the same one that Karas Kustoms uses on the Retrakt. The stainless steel clip holds well to a shirt pocket, though some may find it a bit tight. All of the other aspects of fit and finish on my pen are pretty much flawless. This is a great machined pen, and to me sets the standard by which I typically judge all other entries into this market segment.

My favorite aspect of the Mover is the textured (ribbed) grip section. I don’t know whether or not it’s properly referred to as “knurling,” because it’s not the same as the grip on something like the Rotring 600 mechanical pencil—it’s more comfortable to hold and doesn’t dig into your fingers, even if you write with a heavy hand.

The Color

I’m a sucker for red pens, and my mover is a beautiful deep burgundy-red color. Tactile Turn offers some of the best anodized colors around, and it’s concerning that most of the anodized pens appear to be out of stock on their website. I hope it’s just a production backlog since all of Will’s attention is now (understandably) focused on the Gist Kickstarter fulfillment.

Compatible Refills

The Tactile Turn Mover disassembled:  There's no real art to "hacking" the Jetstream refill.  You'll need to cut it down, and apply some tape to the end to give the Nock mechanism something to latch onto. — The Tactile Turn Mover disassembled: There's no real art to "hacking" the Jetstream refill. You'll need to cut it down, and apply some tape to the end to give the Nock mechanism something to latch onto.

The Mover accepts a broad range of refills (some of which require "hacking"). Tactile Turn ships the pen with a .38mm Pilot G2 refill, a personal favorite and, IMHO, one of the best ultra fine gel pen refills that is relatively easy to find at your local office supply store. With slight modification, the Mover also accepts the hybrid ballpoint Uniball Jetstream refill. The .38mm blue/blue-black Jetstream refill is superb, and is what I have been using in the pen recently. Unfortunately, it's not sold separately, so you'll have to buy some disposable .38mm Jetstreams and scavenge the refills. If you’re a fan of Parker-style refills, then you’ll need to go with the Shaker.

Uniball Jetstream .38mm Writing Sample.  The refill is labelled blue, but the color ends up being more of a blue-black.  I'm increasingly becoming a fan of hybrid ballpoint inks.  You get the "write anywhere" qualities of a ballpoint … — Uniball Jetstream .38mm Writing Sample. The refill is labelled blue, but the color ends up being more of a blue-black. I'm increasingly becoming a fan of hybrid ballpoint inks. You get the "write anywhere" qualities of a ballpoint with the smooth, dark line of a gel pen.

A complete guide to Mover-compatible refills can be found here, and Shaker-compatible refills can be found here.

Takeaways

I’ve owned this pen for well over a year, and it’s been part of my EDC since it arrived. I write primarily with fountain pens, but I’m practical (most of the time), so I always carry at least one ballpoint on me, which gets daily use. More often than not, that pen is the Tactile Turn Mover. This one receives a “highly recommended” rating.

Pen Review: The Newton Shinobi

February 3, 2016

I’ve written a lot recently about consolidation, and reducing the number of things that I own, especially pens. This year-long process started after last year’s Atlanta Pen Show, when I had the opportunity to hold and write with dozens of pens, the majority of which had been designed or customized by their owners. I quickly realized that my sprawling collection of mismatched cheap and midrange pens wasn’t bringing me much satisfaction. I was buying pens on a monthly basis, and purchasing whatever my budget allowed that month, rather making less-frequent, well-considered purchases of nicer pens that would bring me more long-term satisfaction. Long story short, after Atlanta, I sold off over a dozen items from my collection and ordered two custom pens: A Scriptorium Balladeer and a Newton Shinobi. I’ve already reviewed the Balladeer, but it’s taken me a while to collect my thoughts on the Shinobi.

Who is this man, Shawn Newton, and what is the Shinobi?

Shawn Newton is the (one) man behind Newton Pens, one of the most innovative pen makers active right now, and an all-around good guy. Shawn is a former art teacher who, in addition to making pens, funds student scholarships via donations and the sale of postcards on his website. Since leaving his teaching job to focus on turning pens full-time, his business has expanded exponentially. Now, not only does Shawn turn all of his pens completely by hand on a lathe, but he's taken the next step and offers intricate filling systems (such as piston fillers and button fillers) in addition to the cartridge/converter systems that come standard with almost all custom pens.

The origin of the Shinobi fountain pen has been discussed in much more detail elsewhere, so rather than rehash all that I’ll focus on my impressions of the pen. But in short, a member of the fountain pen network reached out to Shawn with the idea for the Shinobi, and the design proved so popular that it's taken on a life of its own. Apparently there was much pent-up demand for a cylindrical pen with flat ends and a single facet to act as a roll-stopper.

The Design

The design of my Shinobi is not original. I became enamored with the pen as originally conceived by its designer: a black-matte ebonite pen with a red section, but I didn’t want bright red. Instead, Shawn managed to source some deep, blood-red alumilite. I love the result: From a distance, the pen appears almost solid black, yet up close and uncapped the burgundy section stands out just enough to give it character.

There is a barely perceptible band of deep burgundy alumilite around the middle of the pen.

My Shinobi became the first ebonite pen in my collection. Ebonite is vulcanized hard rubber (the same material they use to make bowling balls). It's highly durable, and was one of the original materials used in fountain pen manufacture. Normally, you see ebonite with a heavy shine. I requested that Shawn not polish the finished pen because I prefer a matte finish, and the result is exactly what I wanted.

A close up of the matte finish on my Shinobi.

Note: one of the first thing you'll notice about ebonite is its distinctive smell. It's hard rubber, and it smells like rubber. Think "car tires". The smell fades after you've had the pen for a while, but be forewarned. Another cool fact is that if you look at a cross-section of ebonite (such as the end of a Shinobi), it looks like a vinyl record.

So far, I've only used this pen with the included converter. Ebonite pens make great eyedroppers, however, and I'm sure that once I've found a suitable ink, I'll go that route. I'm still waiting to decide on an ink that I won't get bored with. This is a rather large pen, and whatever ink I decide to use will be with me for a very long time.

The Nib

Shawn's nibwork is excellent.  I asked him to grind a medium stainless steel nib to a cursive italic.  The ink is Emerald of Chivor, which appears dark here because the nib writes fairly wet. — Shawn's nibwork is excellent. I asked him to grind a medium stainless steel nib to a cursive italic. The ink is Emerald of Chivor, which appears dark here because the nib writes fairly wet.

Shawn uses German JoWo nibs, available in either 14K gold or stainless steel. These are the same nibs used by Edison, Franklin-Christoph, and Scriptorium. (Unless you are providing the penmaker with a specific nib you want them to use for your pen, JoWo nibs are really the only quality nibs that are readily available to small-scale penmakers.) While I have never used a JoWo 14K nib, the steel nibs are consistently very good. They may not offer the most exciting writing experience, but they are dependable writers that also serve as a solid base for nib modifications. See, in addition to being a talented penmaker, Shawn Newton also does nib work. I had him grind the medium stainless steel nib on my Shinobi to a medium (.6mm) cursive italic. The nib provides great line variation while still being a fairly wet writer: perfect for my writing style.

Overall Experience and Takeaways

The Shinobi offers a great writing experience. The balance and weight of this pen is perfect for me. Some people complain about the somewhat steep step-down from the barrel to the section, but this pen fits my hand perfectly. If the barrel/section step is something that you're finicky about, worry not. Shawn can customize every pen to your specifications, and I know more than one person who has asked Shawn to modify the section of the Shinobi to make the grip more comfortable for their particular writing style.

I plan on adding another to my collection sometime in the future, once my wallet recovers from 2015. While I have seen at least one Shinobi with a piston-filling system, as I dive ever deeper in to this hobby, I've come to appreciate the versatility of the cartridge/converter/eyedropper model and am glad that I went with the basic design. At some point I'll add a second Shinobi to my collection, and that pen will likely be clear acrylic, so that I can set it up as an eyedropper and watch the ink slosh around inside.

More so than any other pens I own, my custom pens from Shawn, Renee (of Scriptorium Pens), and Brian Gray (of the Edison Pen Company) are functional pieces of art. These pens are not only a pleasure to use, but they’re visually stunning and make me smile every time I see them on my desk. You can check out more of Shawn's work over at his website.

My Thoughts on Cheap eBay Pens

January 27, 2016

A common question that I get from readers, and one of the suggestions that appeared in response to my New Year's Giveaway was "Write a piece on Chinese Pens." By "Chinese Pens," most people are referring to pens sold under certain Chinese brand names (Jinhao and Baoer, among others) and can be purchased for very little money on eBay or Amazon Marketplace. This is something of a misnomer and can be misleading: Many pens are manufactured in China, including pens sold by well-known, established brands such as Monteverde and Conklin. Other pen companies use Chinese-manufactured parts. To avoid confusion, this piece is going to look at the first category (the cheap, mass-produced eBay pens), and give you my thoughts on why I think these pens aren't really worth your time and money.

Chipped enamel finish on Jinhao X450, purchased on eBay.

I've written about Jinhao pens before, when I reviewed the X450. My review wasn't exactly glowing. The main virtue of the Jinhaos (and Baoers, etc.) are the price: these pens are ridiculously cheap. You can find them for sale on eBay for as little as $3.99, shipping included. As you might expect, however, you generally get what you pay for. For under $5, they are, objectively, a "great deal," if you receive a serviceable writer and the merchant doesn't send you pen with chipped enamel finish and a bum cap. (You can guess what happened to me.)

Sure, you can ask for your money back, throw the pen away, pay another $5, rinse and repeat, but at that point I don't see why you wouldn't spring for a $12 Pilot Metropolitan, which in my opinion is the greatest entry level fountain pen available and could very well be the last fountain pen you ever need. Even the Pilot Kakuno writes better than the best-writing Jinhao I have tried. Also, one of the main reasons I am drawn to this hobby is because I don't like disposable pens. When you adopt the mindset that you are only going to purchase $5 fountain pens off of eBay so you don't have to worry about losing or breaking them, or can always throw them away when they stop working, you're forgoing one of the main benefits of using fountain pens: the pen is NOT disposable, but rather becomes something you use daily, and, if you want to foist the expectations onto your children or heirs, something you can pass on and have the next generation use as well. If you want a disposable fountain pen that writes exceptionally well, just pick up a pack of Pilot Varsities.

I think a lot of people, my past self included, see these inexpensive pens on eBay as a way to quickly build a "collection" of fountain pens and have some daily variety at a budget price. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, but I would venture that you can get more satisfaction--and save yourself a LOT of frustration, by growing your collection slowly and spending just a bit more money on a smaller number of pens. One or two slightly more expensive pens purchased from a merchant who can service the product is a better long-term bet than 10 cheap semi-disposable eBay pens.

That said, if you like the aesthetics of these pens (and the Jinhao x750 in frosted black is a nice looking pen), I would recommend that you pay slightly more money and purchase the pen from a merchant like Goulet Pens or HisNibs, which typically inspect the pens before they ship them to ensure they are not defective, and will allow you to do an easy return if you are dissatisfied. (I have not purchased from HisNibs, but the retailer appears to be popular on various pen forums, and the website claims that they fill, test, and, if necessary, adjust all pens prior to shipment.)

Final Note: As to the argument that certain pens available on eBay "look exactly like Montblancs" or "look exactly like Lamy Safaris" at a fraction of the price, as a general matter I don't support trademark infringement, and won't recommend that you purchase those pens for that reason. Nor will I link to those pens directly here. As to why these pens are so cheap, and the implications of supporting the economic model that allows this sort of lowball pricing to exist, I would recommend that you read this article from Fountain Pen Economics.

The opinions expressed here are my own, and I understand that many people might disagree with some (or all) of what I have written. The purpose of this blog is discussion, and I welcome any comments or feedback. As always, thanks for reading!

DISCLAIMER: This post contains some affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase something from sites linked to in this article. While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks!

I Forgot I Had This Pen: The Lamy Studio

January 20, 2016

Have you ever put something down for years—whether it’s a pen, notebook, or something else entirely—only to pick it up later and think “what’ve I been doing with my time, that I would leave this sitting for so long?” Well, this week I had that experience with this pen, the Lamy Studio. This model is the “Ruby Red” limited edition with a 14K extra-fine nib that I picked up a few years back on the FPGeeks Classifieds section for $90. That, my friends, was a steal. The standard Lamy Studio with a stainless steel nib is a fixture on my “Top Pens under $75” list, but Lamy’s 14K nibs deserve more attention.

Build and Finish

This pen has a nice design. It’s manufactured from what I assume is aluminum, with a smooth stainless steel section. If you dislike metal sections, you will probably find this pen slippery and difficult to grasp. Personally, I like the section on this particular pen because the weight of the metal section offsets the cap when posted, giving the pen a nice balance while writing. The cap posts securely, with an audible "click" that lets you know the cap is firmly attached.

The Lamy Studio posted.  The pen has a nice size, and is well-balanced posted or unposted. — The Lamy Studio posted. The pen has a nice size, and is well-balanced posted or unposted.

My criticism of this pen is with the red matte finish. Namely, I'm extremely disappointed that in several very noticeable places, the red finish is rubbing off the pen. The worst wear is under the clip where it touches the cap, but there are also some problem spots where the cap joins the body. I’ve included pictures of both. I don't like to see this kind of quality control issue in a pen at this price point, especially where the pen hasn’t been carried all that much. The wear under the clip is inexcusable, and strikes me as something Lamy should have foreseen.

A couple things to note before you consider buying: the Studio is a cartridge/converter pen, and takes proprietary Lamy Cartridges. Also, the Lamy Studio takes a different converter, the Z26 Piston, than the Lamy Safari and the Lamy AL-Star, which take the Z24 Piston. Lamy cartridges and converters are durable and have decent ink capacity. No complaints here.

The Nib

The lack of durability—and, dare I say it, poor quality—of the finish on this pen caused me to come close to selling it multiple times. (I believe one time I actually listed it, but got no takers.) Over the past several months, I've been consciously paring down my pen collection to what I consider a more manageable number, and during that process this pen came up again. Out of curiosity, I inked it up, and despite the beat-to-heck look of the thing, I can’t see myself parting with this pen. The 14K nib is that good.

When most people think of Lamy's gold nibs, they think of the Lamy 2000, another personal favorite of mine. Lamy's "standard" 14K nibs are often--and, in my opinion, unjustifiably--overlooked. The extra-fine nib on my Lamy Studio is relatively wide for an extra-fine nib, and writes more like a “fine” from most other brands. The nib is, however, springy and smooth. It’s also slightly stubbish, in that it offers a touch of line variation and gives my writing an italic look and feel. To me, Lamy’s interchangeable stainless steel nibs offer good quality and exceptional value in entry-level pens, but this 14K gold nib has frankly blown me away. At around $150, both the Lamy 2000 and the Studio make great options for a “first gold-nibbed pen,” though I must say, I prefer the Studio’s extra-fine to the extra-fine on my Lamy 2000. I suspect it’s because the lack of a hood on the Studio gives the nib the additional springiness, making it very pleasant to write with.

Lamy Studio Writing Sample:  14K EF nib on Nock Co. Dot-Dash Index Card.  The ink is Lamy Copper Orange. — Lamy Studio Writing Sample: 14K EF nib on Nock Co. Dot-Dash Index Card. The ink is Lamy Copper Orange.

Takeaways

The Lamy Studio is definitely a legitimate player in the relatively sparse "best-fountain-pen-under-$75" product category, if you're looking for a reliable, comfortable writer that looks more "professional" than a Safari or an AL-Star. If you're up for spending a bit more money, I would recommend going for the gold nib. Setting aside the aesthetic issues with the finish for a moment, this is one of the best-writing pens I own.

While I’ve not seen it in person, pictures of the current “Wild Rubin” special edition Lamy Studio look similar to the Ruby Red, except the Wild Rubin has a glossy, red lacquer finish. (I suspect that the red lacquer finish is MUCH more durable than the matte finish on the Ruby Red, so I’d advise you to buy the newer pen rather than track down a Ruby Red on the secondary market.) Pen Chalet currently sells the Wild Rubin with a stainless steel nib) for $79, and Goulet Pens still has 14K version in stock at $164. Goulet sells the 14K version as part of a set that comes with a Z26 converter and a bottle of Lamy Blue ink.

Walkthrough Video

I put together a short walkthrough video with the Lamy Studio Ruby Red. Let me know what you think and if this sort of thing is helpful. If it is, I will consider additional videos for future reviews.

DISCLAIMER: The Gentleman Stationer is now supported entirely through purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. While the Lamy Studio Wild Rubin is no longer available, we carry various versions of the Lamy Studio in our own shop.

Monteverde Capless Gel Refill for Montblanc Ballpoint Pens, Featured Here in the Montblanc Classique Ballpoint

Hacking Ballpoint Pens: The Monteverde Capless Gel Refill Review

January 16, 2016

If you’re like me, and are known throughout your immediate and extended family as “the pen guy,” then you have a collection of ballpoint pens that people have given you over the years as gifts. Some or all of them may be monogrammed or personalized in some way, making them nearly impossible to pass on or sell (setting aside, for the moment, the difficulties in selling gifts that often have sentimental value).

Case in point: when I graduated from law school, I was given a Montblanc Meisterstuck Classique ballpoint, with the platinum trim. It’s a beautiful pen, if you’re into the Montblanc black and platinum/gold aesthetic. It’s engraved with my initials, fits nicely in my hand, and is extremely comfortable to write with. The only problem is that I hated the standard Montblanc ballpoint refill. I found that it skipped a lot and didn’t leave a dark enough line for my taste. Plus I found the refills obscenely expensive, costing $12 or more (unless you buy them in bulk, which I couldn't justify, seeing that I dislike the way they write).

Montblanc Classique Ballpoint with Platinum Trim

Enter Monteverde. Many people may not know this, but Monteverde manufactures a line of “capless” gel refills that fit ballpoint pens from many manufacturers, including Montblanc. I’ve outfitted the Classique with the fine blue/black Monteverde refill, and I’ve also upgraded a Parker jotter using Monteverde's Parker-compatible gel refill. Both are great pens, and they now appear in my rotation on a weekly basis.

One word of caution: Monteverde’s quality control can be inconsistent. For example, I have a Waterman retractable ballpoint that I also wanted to convert into a gel pen. A couple years back, I purchased some of the “Waterman-compatible” gel refills and they simply didn’t fit, despite there being no visible difference from the standard Waterman refill. Apparently, the Monteverde refill had an ever-so-slightly larger diameter, so somebody must've gotten the measurements wrong at the factory. (The store I purchased them from ended up allowing me to exchange them for the standard Waterman ballpoint refill, which is actually pretty decent.) Amazon reviews are also mixed. There are complaints about the Monteverde refills being scratchy, drying up, leaking, and running out quickly, though I have to say that has not been my own experience. (Note: if you are used to writing with a ballpoint pen, gel refills WILL run out quickly if you write a lot. There was one complaint from someone who claimed that he wrote a full page by hand every day and was surprised that the gel pen ran out after a month. That’s par for the course, in my experience.) In general, take Amazon reviews with a grain of salt—my personal favorite was a one-star review because the refill “does not fit fake Montblanc pens.”

I have had nothing but good experiences with the Monteverde refills. I’ve gone through two of them, and each has lasted me a fairly long time when used for light note-taking. For a pack of 6, they are much less expensive than a standard Montblanc-branded refill. They also come in blue-black (my favorite) in addition to the standard black and royal blue.

Monteverde Softroll Ballpoint Refill (Parker-compatible) in my Maxmadco Bolt-Action Stainless Steel Pen.

If gel pens aren’t for you, Monteverde’s “softroll” ballpoint refills are also quite nice. I have the blue-black refill in my Maxmadco stainless steel retractable pen, and I’ve enjoyed it. The company even makes a Lamy-compatible refill.

Tactile Turn: The Company

The Mover

The Color

Compatible Refills

Takeaways

Further Reading

Who is this man, Shawn Newton, and what is the Shinobi?

The Design

The Nib

Overall Experience and Takeaways

Other articles discussing the Shinobi

Build and Finish

The Nib

Takeaways

Walkthrough Video

Featured Posts