Otto Hutt uses very simple, minimal branding on their pens, and I find their matte finish both gorgeous and comfortable to hold.

Pen Review: Otto Hutt Design 06

October 5, 2016

Germany has several high-end pen companies whose products rarely make it to this side of the Atlantic, and if they do, they are imported in such small quantities that they are difficult to find and rarely reviewed online. Retailers who stock some of these brands don't promote them heavily. I'm talking about brands like Otto Hutt, Cleo Skribent, Diplomat, and - until recent years - Kaweco, Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell. I was contacted a couple months ago by representatives of Pen Heaven, a UK-based online retailer, asking whether I would be interested in collaborating with them on a review. The design of the Otto Hutt pens intrigued me, and they agreed to send me one of the pens for review.

Background and Brief History

Otto Hutt packaging is very functional, and somewhat similar to Lamy (though not as minimalist). There are no flashy wood or metal boxes, just cardboard/foam packaging that is sturdy enough to protect the pen while looking nice.

As I mentioned, Otto Hutt is a German pen manufacturer based in Pforzheim, a town known for its jewelry. According to the Company's website, Otto Hutt has been in business since the 1920s, and originally specialized in writing implements made from silver. The current Otto Hutt lineup features seven fountain pens ("Design 01" through "Design 07"), along with ballpoint and rollerball offerings. The pen I'm reviewing here is "Design 06", which is one step below the "flagship" of the Otto Hutt line, the "Design 07."

Nib

I found the detailing on this nib really attractive. I like the understated Otto Hutt logo.

The nib is the star of the show here. Otto Hutt uses nibs said to be manufactured by Peter Bock AG, which are stamped with the Otto Hutt logo. The nib on my pen is exceptionally smooth, and even has a bit of softness to it. Normally, there's no mistaking a steel nib for a gold nib, but this one could easily pass for a two-toned rhodium-plated gold nib. Even better, the alignment on the nib was perfect, and there were no variations in ink flow during multiple all-day writing sessions. The nib writes what I'd consider to be a "true medium" line.

Build

The pen's compact design and good balance helps offset the weight of the metal construction.

The Design 06 sports a compact, Bauhaus-inspired design (per the Otto Hutt website), and I've enjoyed the classic matte black / chrome color scheme. The pen also comes in red and pink, with the pink pen featuring rose gold trim. The latter color combination is especially pretty.

The finish and tolerances on this pen are top notch. The cap and body line up perfectly flush with each other, the pen has no rough edges, and the lacquer finish is flawless. All of these place my Otto Hutt a notch above pens I've used from Diplomat (or even Lamy). Perhaps my favorite thing about this pen is that the threads are cut so that it takes only a single turn to screw or unscrew the cap, which closes securely. The pen also has a spring-loaded clip, which easily attaches to a shirt pocket.

Otto Hutt has its roots in metalworking, so this is a metal pen. The section is polished stainless steel, and has an hourglass-shape to prevent slippage. The body of the pen is also metal (probably brass or steel), and is coated in a thick matte lacquer. Unlike other metal pen bodies I've reviewed in the past - the Lamy Studio is the one that comes to mind - the matte black coating is thickly and evenly applied, so there appears to be little risk of it chipping or flaking off. I can't find a single flaw in the finish on the Design 06. I consider it a step up from pens like the Studio and the Diplomat Aero. While I like those models, I'm often able to find flaws (chips, flaking, scratches, etc.) in the finish of otherwise brand-new pens.

Because it's metal, the Design 06 is a relatively heavy pen. But despite its heft, the pen is still very comfortable to use. My review notes and initial draft of this post took me over an hour and spanned three handwritten pages (Clairefontaine French-ruled paper), yet I had no hand fatigue. I found the pen to be exceptionally well-balanced, even when posted.

Pricing and Value

Otto Hutt pens featuring a steel nib are generally priced anywhere from $100-200, while gold-nibbed pens run in the $400-800 range. The pricing is fairly standard for German pens of this quality, and I would say that it's comparable to the pricing on Graf von Faber-Castell pens. Caran d'Ache is another pen company with a similar pricing structure, though CdA is based in Switzerland and not Germany.

Takeaways

This pen is a big winner for me. Normally, I'm not a fan of steel-nibbed pens making their way north of the $130 mark, BUT I will make exceptions where the manufacturer clearly has put a significant amount of effort into making a nib both write exceptionally well and look good. That is certainly the case here, and this pen is as nice a writer as any gold nib pen that I own - out of the box and without any modifications, I might add. Otto Hutt pens are not cheap, but I'd be willing to pay the premium for quality. Given how good of an experience I had with the Design 06, I'm already looking to add another Otto Hutt pen to my collection.

There is a bit of a "step-down" from the barrel to the section, but since I tend to grip my pen towards the front (i.e., at the nib-end of the section), the step didn't bother me.

As a side note, I think I may be the first pen blogger to review an Otto Hutt pen! In case you haven't noticed, I was excited to write this review. As fountain pens experience a bit of a "renaissance," and more and more people pay attention to pens online through blogs, forums, etc., it's increasingly rare to find lesser-known high-quality brands.

Where to Buy

Very few, if any, U.S.-based retailers carry the full Otto Hutt line. As I mentioned above, Pen Heaven, a UK-based retailer, graciously sent me this pen for review purposes. Pen Heaven stocks all of the various Otto Hutt models, along with pens from Faber-Castell, Graf von Faber-Castell, Lamy, Kaweco, Diplomat, and more. The pen arrived beautifully wrapped and packed, along with a personalized note, which is a touch that I always appreciate.

If you're interested in ordering the same pen featured in this review (Otto Hutt Design 06), the link can be found here.

Disclaimer: Pen Heaven provided me with this pen free of charge, for review purposes.

Two Kaweco pens that have pleasantly surprised me: on the left, the Kaweco Brass Sport, and on the right, the Kaweco Supra. Check out the patina forming on that brass!

Top Brass: the Kaweco Brass Sport and the Kaweco Supra

September 21, 2016

Kaweco dominates the “pocket fountain pen” category. While other pen companies dabble in the space, Kaweco is really the only one that's devoted significant resources to mastering it. I’ve tried the full range of Kaweco’s offerings, including some full size models, yet I keep coming back to Kaweco’s pocket pens. Today, I’m going to take a look at two newer models of Kaweco portable fountain pens in brass: the Brass Sport and the Supra.

Kaweco Brass Sport

The modern Kaweco pen company is a relaunch of a classic German pen manufacturer that passed through several bankruptcies and ownership changes before folding in 1981. The company was most recently resurrected by the Gutberlet family in the mid-1990s, and is by all accounts very successful in its most recent incarnation. The Kaweco Sport has driven much of this success, and is itself a reimagining of a classic model of Kaweco pen, though the vintage Sports were piston fillers (which can still be found, but not for cheap). In the past, I’ve reviewed Kaweco’s AL-Sport and AC-Sport pens, which I like, but my favorite Sport model is the one featured here: the Brass Sport.

The Brass Sport has the same form factor as the standard Kaweco Sport. It's heavier, but I've found the pen very well-balanced. Much more so than other all-brass or all-stainless steel pens.

When they first see the Brass Sport, most people, myself included, worry about weight. The standard Kaweco Sport is plastic, so it’s very light, and AL-Sport and AC-Sport models aren’t much heavier since they’re primarily made from aluminum. But with this pen, the weight doesn’t bother me. Like the other Sport models, because of the shorter length, the Brass Sport is well balanced because it isn't top-heavy. I can comfortably use the pen posted rather than unposted, as I prefer. That said, if you absolutely hate to post your pens, the heftier metal construction makes the Brass Sport more comfortable to use unposted than your typical Kaweco Sport. The Brass Sport also uses the same #4 Bock nib as most other Kaweco pens, so it offers a familiar writing experience. There’s nothing really new to say here with respect to the nib, other than that Kaweco now sells 14k gold nibs that fit the Sport series (sold separately by select retailers). The rumor is that Kaweco will be introducing rhodium-plated gold nibs sometime this year.

Kaweco Supra

Shortly after launching the Brass Sport, Kaweco introduced another brass pen, which is a different take on their tiny Lilliput fountain pen. The standard Kaweco Lilliput is so small and light that I can’t use the aluminum version for more than jotting a few lines of notes. (Kaweco has since issued brass and stainless steel models of the Lilliput, which I haven’t tried but which have garnered excellent reviews because the added heft makes them easier to use for longer writing sessions.) Kaweco’s “Supra” is a larger, all-brass pen based on the Lilliput’s design. The Supra features the same compact, capsule-like shape as the Lilliput, but I found it much more comfortable to use.

Unposted, the pen is unusably short, but Kaweco intends for you to thread the cap onto the end of the barrel to put the pen in “writing mode.”

Like the Brass Sport, the Supra is very well balanced, and I didn’t notice the weight of the Brass much at all. But the best part about the Supra’s design is that you can adjust the length of the pen. Included in the box with the Supra is a small brass tube that you can thread onto both the section and the barrel, turning the Supra from a very small pocket tool into an almost full-length pen. I had fun playing with the Supra at both lengths, but at the end of the day I prefer it without the extender. The longer version was too top-heavy for me to use posted, and for a pocket writing tool I don’t want to have to worry about dealing with the cap.

The Kaweco Supra in it's "extended mode". Check out the patina that's developed on the "used" portion of the Supra compared against the unused extender insert.

As someone who generally dislikes all-metal pens, both the Sport and the Supra have pleasantly surprised me. I’ve been “on the go” a lot lately, whether traveling for work or family obligations, so much of my writing has been with whatever pen I happen to have with me in my pocket. I’ve come to appreciate these brass Kawecos because you can toss them in a pocket without worrying about whether the pen will get scratched by keys, cracked, etc. - they’re essentially indestructible. The fact that they have some heft also makes them harder to lose, because you’ll notice if the pen falls out of your pocket. While Kaweco nibs can run a bit on the dry side, they are, on the whole, reliable, serviceable writers.

The thing that I really like about the Kaweco Supra is that it uses a larger #6 nib. The bigger Kaweco nib is much smoother and has better flow than the #4 nibs used in the Sport series.

And finally, a few shots of what I consider the best thing about brass pens: they don’t stay shiny as you use them, but rather develop a patina with age. In my case, it didn't take very long at all. Here's a gallery of some shots that I think show off the patina pretty well.

Where to Buy

I purchase almost all of my Kawecos from Pen Chalet, which stocks the full range of Kaweco products at great prices. The Brass Sport retails for $100, and the Supra retails for $140. While certainly not inexpensive, these prices are consistent with the pricing on other all-metal brass fountain pens.

Disclaimer: The pens featured in this review were provided to me free of charge for review purposes. Many thanks to Kaweco for allowing me to try out the Supra, and to Pen Chalet for sending me the Brass Sport.

The .38mm Pilot G2 is widely available and comes in colors other than black and blue.

The Pilot G2 Gel Pen Review: Personal Favorite

September 10, 2016

I've experimented with different brands of gel pens over the years, but I keep coming back to the Pilot G2. The G2 is one of those pens that people either love or hate - I think a lot of the hate comes from the fact that Pilot advertises it as the "world's most popular pen" or something like that, and people (especially on the Internet) love a good takedown of whatever's popular. But there are many reasons this pen deserves that title: it's widely available (including in drug and grocery stores), it's comes in various tip sizes and ink colors, and it's a dependable writer that doesn't dry up or skip.

One thing I appreciate about the G2 .38mm is that it's still a fairly wet writer despite how fine the line is.

My personal favorite G2 tip size is the .38mm "Ultra Micro." Sure, the Pilot Juice .38mm (Japan only) comes in a broader range of colors, but I've not had the greatest experience with the Juice refill, finding anything smaller than .5mm skippy and scratchy. The G2 .38mm may not be the smoothest writer on the market, but it's rare that I've had a G2 skip or dry out on me. It's generally a very reliable pen. Even the "fine" .7mm G2 works better for me than the Uniball, Pentel Energel, or (gag) the Zebra Sarasa equivalents.

I've moved to the .38mm Pilot G2 as my gel pen workhorse.

As part of my recent effort to thin out my accumulation/hoard of stationery and "just go with the tools that work for me," a couple areas where I've cut back on my purchasing are pencils and gel pens. While I'll of course always keep a variety of pencils on hand, I tend to use either a Palomino Blackwing 602 or a Palomino HB on a daily basis. With gel pens, it's a G2 or a Hi-Tec-C, and when a ballpoint is necessary, it's Pilot's Acroball hybrid.

As I mentioned earlier, you can find the Pilot G2 in pretty much any brick and mortar store with a stationery aisle (including big box stores), but you can get some sick deals online, especially if you buy in bulk. A dozen G2 .38mm pens will run you a little more than a buck apiece. (The .5mm or .7mm are even less expensive.) Colors in the .38mm tip size are limited to blue, black, red, and green, though you can find some crazy colors in .7mm, like this fistful of G2s that I picked up this week at Bob Slate Stationer in Boston (Cambridge).

Yesterday's haul from Bob Slate Stationer in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That reporters notebook is almost identical to the Field Notes Byline in terms of dimensions, and it cost less than $2! (The paper is surprisingly good for an inexpensive noteboo… — Yesterday's haul from Bob Slate Stationer in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That reporters notebook is almost identical to the Field Notes Byline in terms of dimensions, and it cost less than $2! (The paper is surprisingly good for an inexpensive notebook.)

Pilot also offers G2 refills that you can use in a refillable pen body. I previously reviewed the Pilot G2 Limited, which is Pilot's "high-end" G2 pen body. I'll double down on that recommendation. I ended up gifting my previous G2 Limited to a friend and picked up another one for myself last week, and it's just as good as I remember it. The G2 refill also works in the Tactile Turn Mover, and if you enjoy pocket pens, the Machine Era pen.

For all these reasons, the Pilot G2 sits at the top of my list of recommended gel pens. If you haven't already checked out this recently refreshed page, please do so! I spent some time with it last weekend and had a lot of fun revisiting the various "best pen" lists I've published and getting them into an easier-to-use format.

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.

Pilot's Dr. Grip Full Black Retractable Ballpoint Pen

A Big Box Store Bargain: Pilot Dr. Grip Full Black

August 30, 2016

Do you ever have those moments where you discover something great that you had completely forgotten about? A year or so ago I threw a couple of inexpensive retractable ballpoint pens into my shopping cart during an Office Depot run, intending to keep them around as utility pens and, eventually, to review them on the blog. I discovered them again in my wife's car this past weekend while moving some furniture. One of them was this Dr. Grip Full Black, and I've been using it off-and-on since.

A close-up of the Dr. Grip section, featuring rubber/gel padding that makes for a very comfortable writing experience over long sessions.

The Dr. Grip Full Black is the "stealth" entry in Pilot's long running, and very popular, Dr. Grip series. Loved for their comfort more than their looks, Pilot advertises Dr. Grip pens as intended for "students, office workers, or anyone who writes a lot and requires a comfortable pen in their hand." The Dr. Grip series has also received an Ease-of-Use Commendation from the Arthritis Foundation, because it's "easier to use for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand problems." The central feature of the Dr. Grip series is the wide, comfortable rubber grip.

The Dr. Grip Full Black uses Pilot's Dr. Grip "Center of Gravity" ballpoint refill, which from what I can tell comes only in a medium point. Though a touch wide for my taste, it's one of the smoothest standard ballpoint refills out there on the market, and it writes a consistent dark black line. The "Center of Gravity" line of Dr. Grip pens claims to be better balanced than the standard Dr. Grip, and I suppose it is. Taking into account the cushioned grip, overall balance, and light weight, this is a very comfortable pen to write with.

A size comparison between the Dr. Grip Full Black against the Fisher Space Pen (far right), the Kaweco Supra (second from left) and the Kaweco Brass Sport (far left)

The Dr. Grip Full Black falls into the category of pens that I think of as "cheap refillables": non-disposable pens that are inexpensive ($10 or less) and readily available. Previously, I reviewed the Pentel Energel Alloy, and the Pilot G2 Limited, both of which are excellent options if you need a sturdy pen body, enjoy a specific refill, and don't have a lot of cash to burn. These pens are all readily available at big box office supply stores, and most are Prime-eligible on Amazon. The Dr. Grip Full Black and its sibling, the Dr. Grip Pure White, are available via Amazon as both stand-alone items and lower-priced add-ons. There's even a Dr. Grip Full Black "Shaky Pencil," which I've not tried.

I've always believed that you can get an excellent writing experience in an non-disposable pen for around $10, even at the big box stores. I'd highly recommend you give the Dr. Grip Full Black (or any of the Center of Gravity Pens) a try, especially if you value comfort and ergonomics.

(Note: A few years ago there was a rumor that Pilot was discontinuing the Dr. Grip series. I don't think that's the case, since they are still widely available and Pilot has been introducing new models.)

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds for my own use.

The Pilot Custom 823 Vacuum-Fill Fountain Pen

Pen Review: Pilot Custom 823

August 27, 2016

The Pilot Custom 823 is one of those pens that sat on my “to purchase” list for a very long time before I actually pulled the trigger at the 2016 Atlanta Pen Show. Once I inked this pen up, I silently kicked myself for waiting so long. I could have saved myself a lot of wasted time and money by paying a little extra for the pen I knew I would like, rather than embarking on a futile quest to find a lower-priced substitute. (Yes, I’m talking to YOU, circa 2015 TWSBI Vac-700.)

Design and Build

While I’m not sure Pilot has a “flagship” pen, the Custom 823 sits atop the mainstream Pilot lineup, both in terms of size and price point. At $288 from almost all retailers, it’s definitely one of the most expensive pens sold under the Pilot mark that is readily available in the US. Only the Pilot Justus, which sports a nib that adjusts from firm to semi-flex, costs more.

The Pilot Custom 823 with gold trim and transparent amber acrylic. The pen holds a massive amount of ink, and it's fun to watch it slosh around inside the barrel.

First impressions: I’m typically not a gold-trim guy, but I find the gold trim very nice-looking here, as it complements the amber acrylic. You don’t see transparent demonstrators in this color very often at all (I struggle to even think of another example). In keeping with the light brown color scheme, the section, blind cap, and cap finial are solid brown.

The Pilot Custom 823 is a big pen. Given the length, I’d imagine that most people would want to use this pen unposted, and certainly those with smaller hands. That said, the pen is lightweight (the amber material is acrylic, after all) and the cap posts deeply, so I often post this pen when I’m on the go and don’t have a safe place to rest the cap. I’ve never had an issue with the weight.

Pilot ships this pen in a standard presentation box with a large bottle of Pilot/Namiki standard blue ink. I’ve not used the ink yet, but it gets excellent reviews, and I’m already a fan of Pilot Blue Black.

And now we get to the filling system, which probably serves as both an incentive and disincentive for people to purchase this pen. The Pilot Custom 823 is a vacuum-fill pen, not a cartridge/converter or piston filler. The pen fills when you retract and depress a metal plunger, creating in a vacuum that sucks ink into the pen on the downstroke. The pen holds an absolutely massive volume of ink, making it the perfect pen for someone who writes a lot for long stretches without an opportunity to refill. I haven’t measured, but my understanding is that completely full, the pen holds 2.2ml of ink. Writers or compulsive notetakers need to seriously consider this pen. Along with the Conid Bulkfiller, it’s my weapon of choice when I’m headed out on the road and only want to take 1-2 pens with me. Between the two of them, they hold at least a week’s worth of ink. Note: A vacuum-filler is different from the vintage “vacumatic” filling system, which is a pump filler. (See my previous review/explanation of the vacumatic filling system here.)

The filling system also makes the Pilot Custom 823 an excellent traveling companion because it's essentially leak-proof. When the blind cap is closed, it seals the ink in the reservoir, preventing leaks caused by pressure changes on an airplane, in a hot car, etc. If you are going to use the pen for longer writing sessions, however, you will need to loosen the blind cap slightly to open the seal and allow ink to flow freely. With the blind cap closed, the feed holds enough ink to get 1-3 pages of writing, depending on the size of the nib and your handwriting.

The Nib and Overall Writing Experience

I rarely have a bad experience with Pilot nibs. On the high end pens that I’ve tried such as the Custom 74, the Custom Heritage 92, and now the Custom 823, the nibs need little-to-no-tuning. Unless you order directly from Japan, the Custom 823 is available only in Pilot's stock fine, medium, and broad 14k nib. It’s a large, stiff nib, labeled “No. 15” size, which is roughly the equivalent of a German No. 6.

Pilot’s stock nibs run slightly wider than Japanese nibs made by Sailor and Platinum. Had I purchased a stock nib with the intention of writing with it unmodified, I probably would have gone with a fine. However, since I acquired this pen at a pen show, I purchased the medium so that I could have Mark Bacas add an architect’s grind.

For those of you unfamiliar with specialty nib grinds, an architect’s grind is best described as a “reverse stub” or “reverse cursive italic.” These two grinds have wide downstrokes and narrow cross-strokes, whereas the architect’s nib features a wide cross-stroke and a narrow downstroke. (See the writing sample below, and I’ve written more on this here.)

Writing sample of a medium architect's grind

So what do I think? Every time I write with this pen, it fills me with joy. It’s a true “writer’s pen”, and has made my list of pens that I always have inked and at the ready. I can’t stomach the thought of this pen wasting away time sitting in storage, and when you’re as big of a pen-hoarding crazy person as I am, that says a lot.

This Pen is NOT a Good Fit For…

Serial ink changers or neat freaks. 2.2ml of ink will last you a loooong time. You’re not going to be “writing through a fill” in an afternoon, unless a sudden attack of hypergraphia sets in. Furthermore, vacuum filling systems are somewhat difficult to clean. Sure, you can flush most of the ink out fairly easily, but you’ll always have just a touch of residue around the seal and caught in the silicone grease that seals the threads. Unless you’re extremely sophisticated with pen repair and assembly, I’d recommend learning to live with this and NOT taking the pen apart, which voids your Pilot warranty.

Where to Buy

The Custom 823 currently retails for $336 (as of 2023). While it’s a not-inexpensive pen, the combination of the filling system and larger 14k gold nib still makes this pen a relative bargain, especially once you consider how easily most gold-nib fountain pens jump above the $400 mark. Until recently, one of the drawbacks to living in the United States (or, really, “outside of Japan”) was that you didn’t have access to the Custom 823 in any color other than Amber. While that’s changed somewhat as of the date this review has been updated (2023), in that Pilot now sells the “Smoke” black demonstrator in the U.S., U.S.-based retailers still don’t have access to the clear demonstrator version, or the special colors released through Japanese retailers such as Bungubox.

Background and Brief History

Nib

Build

Pricing and Value

Takeaways

Where to Buy

Kaweco Brass Sport

Kaweco Supra

Where to Buy

Design and Build

The Nib and Overall Writing Experience

This Pen is NOT a Good Fit For…

Where to Buy

Further Reading

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