Sheaffer-Star-Wars-Fountain-Pen-Rollerballs

Star Wars Stationery Extravaganza!

November 4, 2017

It's a good time to be both a Star Wars fan and a stationery enthusiast! With the impending release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi coming up on December 15, you've probably seen "Star Wars" swag of all sorts on sale anywhere from Target to Office Depot. Here, I'll take a quick look at two products that have received a lot of press: the Cross Townsend "Star Wars" Limited Edition in Stormtrooper white, and the Sheaffer Star Wars fountain and rollerball pens that you may have even seen at your local Office Depot.

Cross Townsend

The Cross Townsend Star Wars special edition pens received a lot of press at their initial release, in connection with Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015. While most commentary directed at these pens focused on the (too high, IMHO) price point, I found the designs well-executed, especially the "Stormtrooper" and "R2D2" pens. Goldspot was kind enough to loan me a Stormtrooper to review, and while I didn't feel comfortable carrying a loaner pen of this value "out in the wild," I did write with it for a bit and have some initial impressions.

The only branding on this pen is the Imperial logo with a small, tastefully executed "Star Wars" imprint (with LFL trademark, as was probably required).

What I liked:

Design: The Star Wars theme is understated and not at all gaudy. As you can see from the pictures, a small Imperial logo appears on the back side of the cap, and I love how the limited edition run ends at "1977." The pen is a pleasant shape, and comfortable to use either posted or unposted, though when posted the cap wiggles and rattles a bit.
Nib: The medium two-tone 18kt gold nib on this pen is an outstanding writer - wet and smooth, though the pen writes more like a broad than a true medium. While Cross makes most of its nibs in-house (with nibs on certain models made by Sailor Japan), this nib both looks and feels like a Pelikan nib. Why? Because apparently Pelikan is also making nibs for Cross. Pelikan is not an inexpensive brand - in part because of the craftsmanship that goes into their excellent nibs, and I suspect that drives up the price on these pens. (More on that below in "What I did not like").

Look familiar? The nib on the Townsend looks remarkably similar to a Pelikan M400 nib, though it's 18kt instead of the standard Pelikan 14kt. (It's also an exceptional writer.)

What I Did Not Like:

Price. While it's a nice pen, the $575 price bumps you into Pelikan M800 territory. I'm aware that die-hard Star Wars fans who also love fountain pens have snapped these up, but I likely will take a pass because $575 is a LOT of money. Even once you factor in the Pelikan nib, the comparably-sized Pelikan M400 starts around $350.
Cap and Clip. Not the design, but the construction. The cap is friction-fit, and there's a bit too much wiggle, both when the pen is capped and posted. The clip isn't spring-loaded, and the folded metal construction looks like a minor upgrade from those used on much less expensive Cross pens. The fit and finish here doesn't rise to the level of a nearly $600 pen.

The clip design and construction on the Townsend didn't exactly blow me away.

Overall, the pens that I would consider comparable to the Cross Townsend would be the Aurora Ipsilon, the Parker Sonnet, and - with respect to the nib - the Pelikan M400. All of those pens are excellent, and the Parker and Pelikan are personal favorites, but they sit at a price point well below what Cross is asking for here.

Cross recently announced the release of three new limited edition Townsend pens in the following themes: Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Boba Fett.

The Sheaffer Star Wars Pens

Though I'm a semi-die hard Star Wars nut, I probably couldn't justify the purchase of the Townsend. Sheaffer, on the other hand, knocks it out of the park with their latest release, coming in at just over or just under $20, depending on whether you go with the rollerball or fountain pen version.

Why did both Cross and Sheaffer decide to jump in on the "Star Wars" pen game? For starters, they're the same company. Cross acquired Sheaffer from Bic in late 2014, so it's a fair assumption that these two pens are part of the same overall branding strategy/collaboration between Disney (which now owns the rights to Star Wars) and Cross.

I love that Sheaffer has now decided to include the white dot on all their pens, resurrecting an iconic trademark that used to appear only on high-end models.

Personally, I think the Sheaffer is the better pen of the two, all things considered. It's an inexpensive pen, yet at the same time feels well made. When I first saw pictures of these pens posted online, I expected cheap, thin plastic fountain pens with a cellophane/plastic wrap decoration applied to them that would flake and peel off over time. Not the case. The Star Wars detailing is either painted or a well-applied decal. Sure, it might wear away over time, but it's a $20 pen. Construction-wise, the plastic on these pens feels pleasantly thick and sturdy, and probably would withstand minor drops onto a hard surface.

The nib selection is excellent, as long as you like medium! Each design is also available as a rollerball pen, which accepts Sheaffer's "Gel Rolling Ball Refill." This refill may be proprietary - I've not found another refill among my collectio… — The nib selection is excellent, as long as you like medium! Each design is also available as a rollerball pen, which accepts Sheaffer's "Gel Rolling Ball Refill." This refill may be proprietary - I've not found another refill among my collection that fits but check out Ana's refill guide for possibilities.

The Sheaffers also offer a great writing experience, especially at the $20 price point. The round section is soft rubber, so it's grippy and very comfortable to use. These nibs won't win any awards for character, but for a workhorse stainless steel nib on a cheap fountain pen, the quality was consistent across both pens that I tried, with the Sheaffer writing a wet line without any skipping. The pens are a bit long posted but they're also very light so I could go either way. Well done, Sheaffer!

Writing Sample, in black gel and fountain pen ink. The Sheaffer fountain pen comes with one Sheaffer proprietary cartridge.

If you're interested in ordering online, Goldspot has the full range of Sheaffer Star Wars pens in stock, in both fountain and rollerball. Many thanks to Goldspot for making this review possible!

Further Shopping Options

Finally, if you're a fan of Bic products, or simply want to spend even less money to scratch your "Star Wars" itch, you'll want to check out the Star Wars-themed Bic ballpoint pen, Bic Multipen, and Bic Mechanical Pencils. Oddly, I've not seen these carried in any office supply stores - and I've looked pretty hard - so you may be limited to ordering online. (The other day, I could swear I saw a Star Wars-themed Bic cigarette lighter that said "Join the Dark Side," but now I can't find it anywhere. Must've ruffled a few feathers and been pulled.)

Disclaimer: The Cross Stormtrooper pen and the Darth Vader Sheaffer fountain pen were sent to me by Goldspot for review purposes (the Stormtrooper pen on loan). This post contains affiliate links.

Pen Review: 3952 X800

October 30, 2017

Several weeks back Ron at Pen Chalet reached out and offered to send me a pen from a new line out of Taiwan, “3952,” for which Pen Chalet is the exclusive U.S. distributor. As always, I quickly agreed, since I’m ever on the lookout for pens from brands that I’ve never tried - something that’s rare these days.

3952 is a division of BonArtek, a Taiwanese writing instrument manufacturer. I have no prior experience with any pens by BonArtek, and to the best of my knowledge, until the release of the 3952 pens, they have not sold any pens under their own mark or the “3952” brand in North America or Europe. “3952” derives its name from the height of Mount Jade, the highest peak in Taiwan at 3952 meters high. The initial batch of 3952 pens includes three models: a rose wood pen with a metal cap, an abalone shell model, and the X800, which is a larger black and chrome metal pen featured here.

First Impressions

3952 has done a nice job with the presentation and packaging on the X800, which looks high end without appearing ostentatious or wasteful, and is appropriate to the price point of the pen.

The pen itself definitely has that a certain “metal pen look”, which you either appreciate or you don’t. The barrel feels like coated brass with an engraved “twist” pattern, and features a smooth chrome section. My pen appears to be very well-machined, with none of the dings, chips, or manufacturing flaws that you see on cheaper metal pens. The smooth section itself is quite comfortable to grip and I haven’t had any issues with it becoming slippery. (As I think I noted in a previous review, one of the ways in which I’m trying to improve my handwriting and overall penmanship is by loosening my “death grip” on the pen. As a result, metal sections haven’t bothered me as much because my hand gets much less sweaty/oily, but I digress.) The pen does post, but the hefty metal cap will make this pen too unbalanced for most people, save those who have very large hands. While I prefer to be able to post my pens, the X800 has a nice balance to it unposted, with the metal section front-weighting the pen.

My favorite feature of the X800 is the cap and magnetic closure. Many modern pens use either a threaded cap, which screws onto the barrel and takes time to deploy, or a friction-fit “snap” closure, which often utilizes a plastic inner cap that can loosen (or even crack) over time. 3952 has chosen to use a magnetic cap that closes very securely with a quarter twist. I also appreciate how the clip is incorporated into the overall design of the pen, similar to the Karas Kustoms Ink. The clip itself is tight with very little wiggle, while still allowing you to slip the pen into a shirt pocket or clip it to a pen sleeve in a bag.

The clip is integrated into the design of the cap. It's not coming loose anytime soon.

Writing Experience

3952 Pens use a cartridge/converter filling system with stainless steel Bock nibs, which are generally smooth and reliable, but they won’t show you much in the way of line variation or overall “character.” I personally tend to find steel Bock nibs slightly dry. This one was no exception, though skips or hard starts were rare, coming mainly after I had left the pen sitting for over a week.

Factory standard medium nib and section. If you look closely, you can see how 3952 incorporated a curved metal "lip" at the base of the section, which serves as the "threading" for the twist closure.

Out of curiosity, I pulled the stainless nib and swapped in a Bock titanium nib and feed from another pen, which worked perfectly and now this pen is what I would call an insanely good writer. This, of course, is entirely a matter of personal preference, since I prefer more ink on the page than most steel nibs offer "out of the box" and lean towards moderately wet gold nibs for most of my writing. (I typically modify my steel nibs to write wetter than the “factory setting.”) Though 3952 does not offer nib upgrades (at least not yet), you can pull the nib from the X800 and swap in another Bock nib and feed "borrowed" from another pen or purchased separately from a source like fpnibs.com.

If you want to swap a Titanium nib into this pen, you probably will want to use the feed that came with the Ti nib unit, since Titanium nibs generally have heavier flow and the feed channels are cut differently.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

3952 makes a solid fountain pen. The X800 is a comfortable, well-balanced writer with a reliable German stainless steel nib from a reputable manufacturer. The magnetic twist closure on the X800 is probably the trait that most distinguishes the pen from its competition, and one I wish that other pen companies would incorporate, given that slip caps tend to loosen and/or crack over time.

As I mentioned above, through the end of the year you can purchase 3952 fountain pens from Pen Chalet as the exclusive U.S. distributor. The MSRP on the 3952 X800 is $187. Street price, after incorporating standard discounts/coupon codes, is around $135, which places the X800 in the same price bracket as brands such as Faber-Castell, Diplomat, and Otto Hutt. One pen that the X800 might be comparable to is the Diplomat Excellence. Diplomat pens use JoWo nibs, and the 3952 pens use Bock. JoWo and Bock both make a good nib, but they do have a different feel to them, with Bock nibs typically writing slightly drier out of the box, in my experience. While the X800 holds its own in terms of quality, I suspect that 3952 may gain the most traction with their other offerings such as the Rose Wood and Abalone Shell fountain pens, which are somewhat unique designs at this price point and have received good reviews.

Disclaimer: The pen featured in this review was sent to me by Pen Chalet for review purposes, free of charge. This post contains affiliate links.

Pen Review: Visconti Van Gogh "Vincent's Chair"

October 21, 2017

Visconti’s “Van Gogh” Impressionist Collection receives scant attention, at least as compared to the Italian company’s other flagship pens such as the Homo Sapiens and Divina. That’s a shame, because of all the Visconti pens I’ve had the opportunity to test out, this might be my favorite. (Sorry, Homo Sapiens Dark Ages.)

Each pen in the Van Gogh series is cast from an acrylic resin specially mixed to match the palette of colors found in a Vincent Van Gogh painting, in this case, Vincent’s Chair. (Pens based on the works Starry Night, Shoes, Irises, and one of his self-portraits are also available, among others). Each piece is unique, and even those pens based on the same painting will still feature different swirls and patterns in the acrylic.

The Van Gogh packaging includes a reproduction of the original artwork on the inside flap of the leather box, so you can compare the colors in your pen to the painting that inspired it.

This particular Van Gogh features a very nice steel nib - actually, one of the best Visconti nibs out of the box that I’ve used. As I’ve mentioned in prior reviews, Visconti nibs can be supremely frustrating because the company’s quality control is all over the place. These pens sit at a very high price point, and of the three Visconti Pens that I’ve reviewed (Homo Sapiens Dark Ages, Rembrandt Back-to-Black, and this Van Gogh), all three required some sort of nib adjustment out of the box. Not exactly what you would expect when you are shelling out anywhere from $150-700 for a fountain pen.

The stainless steel nib on the Van Gogh is quite attractive, with the crescent-shaped breather hole and scrollwork.

In the case of this Van Gogh, the “nib work” required to get the pen in writing order was fairly minor: the tines were misaligned but I was able to easily push them back into place with my thumbnail after straightening out the feed. After this ten-second adjustment, the pen wrote exceptionally well: a wet medium line with no hard starts or skipping.

Note: I’m experienced with fountain pens, and consider a tine adjustment to be “minor” and something I can handle myself. I recognize that someone spending $200 on their first expensive fountain pen might not be so brave. For that reason, I generally do not recommend Visconti as a brand for beginners. Regardless, if you are considering purchasing a Visconti, purchase from a reputable retailer (like Goldspot) and specifically ask them to inspect the nib for you prior to shipment to avoid any problems on the front end.

The Van Gogh pens feature the patented Visconti clip, and have the name of the painting that inspired the pen engraved around the cap band.

So what keeps bringing people back to Visconti, despite the temperamental nibs? The design, which always has a lot of personality to it and inspires strong opinions (positive and negative), particularly surrounding Visconti's larger clips. Those who enjoy Visconti design, however, demonstrate exceptional loyalty to the brand, and Visconti collectors/enthusiasts are well-represented in the pen community. Personally, I like the Visconti “Bridge Clip,” and the polished version here works especially well on the smaller, faceted Van Gogh pen. Yellow pens also tend to be hard to find, and I found this color combination on the “Vincent’s Chair” pen, with its swirls of blues and greens, especially attractive on the faceted barrel. The silver trim also sets off the acrylic nicely.

The Van Gogh also features a secure magnetic closure on the cap, and is compatible with Visconti’s “My Pen” personalization system, if that’s something that interests you.

The Van Gogh might end up as one of my preferred Visconti models. The compact size, light weight, and excellent nib (once adjusted) combine to form an extremely comfortable daily writer. The pen also posts well. While the pen has a metal section, I didn’t end up with a slippage problem, and this is something that bothers me less and less as I learn to not grip my pens so tightly.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

You can purchase this Visconti Van Gogh Vincent’s Chair fountain pen, as well as the other pens in the Visconti Van Gogh Impressionist Collection, from Goldspot Pens. The Van Gogh sits around the midpoint of Visconti’s pricing scale at $289, which admittedly is on the high side for a steel-nibbed acrylic pen. That said, the effort required to mix and pair each resin with a particular Van Gogh painting likely took work and drove up the cost, so when viewing these pens from a cost/value perspective, it’s probably more appropriate to compare them to a custom pen like an Edison or a Newton, which sits around that same $300 price point.

I've posted this pic before I know, but to give you a sense of the size, here's the Visconti (far right) compared against (from right) a Pilot Vanishing Point, a Ryan Krusac Legend L-14, and a 3952 X800.

Many thanks to Goldspot for loaning me this pen for review. Overall, I’m sad to have to send this one back, but a Vincent’s Chair and/or Starry Night pen might be making its way into my collection in the future.

Disclaimer: Goldspot loaned me this pen free of charge for review purposes.

Pen Review: Retro 51 Retro Collection Desk Set

October 7, 2017

Regular readers of this blog likely already know Retro 51, the maker of the “Tornado” line of rollerballs, fountain pens, and pencils. Their special editions - including the most recent “Zodiac” pen - sell out quickly, and fuel a lively sub-group of Retro 51 enthusiasts and collectors within the larger pen community. For today’s post, I’m going to take a look at a pen from Retro 51 that doesn’t receive the attention it necessarily deserves: the vintage-style desk set.

Retro 51 has clearly modeled the vintage-style desk set after the classic Esterbrook version that became a fixture at banks and post offices in the mid-20th century. While this modern desk set features a rollerball and not a fountain pen, it maintains the “vintage” look and truly does class up your workspace. Plus, it’s a Retro 51 product, so the build quality is solid.

The dark black cherry lacquer is gorgeous. I'm a sucker for anything red-black, so when I saw that this color was available... you know the rest. The only branding on this set is a small imprint around the pen holder on the base.

My desk set has been beautifully finished and looks great on my desk. Per the manufacturer’s specs, the base is made of poly resin and coated with polished lacquer, which on this particular desk set is "Black Cherry," a dark red-black color. The bottom of the desk set sports a felt pad, so it won’t slide around or scratch your desk. The pen itself is made of metal and coated with the same lacquer as the base - I would guess it’s aluminum, given the extremely light weight. Despite the metal barrel, the pen is not noticeably heavy, and in any event the length and tapered design lends it exceptional balance. Since I received this pen in the mail, I’ve alternated between it and the Inventery Machined Pen as my tool of choice for working things out on my Baron Fig Mastermind desk pad. Both sport the same excellent Schmidt liquid-ink rollerball refill, and also accept the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 ballpoint refill.

Takeaways and Where To Buy

I’ve dabbled with collecting vintage-style desk pens over the years, and this has piqued my interest once again. You can purchase the Retro 51 Desk Pen from our sponsor Goldspot Pens. As with all Retro 51 Pens, the pricing is well below what I would expect for an item of this quality. Typically priced at $60 for the desk set, Goldspot has them on sale for $48, available in Turquoise, White, “Chalkboard Black” (matte), Stainless Steel, and the Black Cherry version reviewed here.

retro_51_-_retro_collection_desk_set_-_rollerball_pen__base_-_turquoise_1_1024x1024.jpg

Disclaimer: Goldspot provided me with this item free of charge, for review purposes. Many thanks to Goldspot for sponsoring the blog.

Pen Review: Aurora 88 Minerali in Azurite

September 30, 2017

One of the more interesting trends emerging over the past year has been the way in which Aurora has emerged to fill the void left in the Italian pen world by the demise of Omas, the suspected impending demise of Delta, and the leadership turnover at Visconti. 2017 saw Aurora launch a very well-regarded series of limited editions, including the 88 Nebuloso, the 88 Anniversario with the new “flexible” nib, and the 88 “Sole.”

The numbering of each Minerali pen is included on the cap, and done in a tasteful, understated way.

Through the end of 2017 and into 2018, Aurora will release five new limited edition demonstrators featuring a different color Auroloide trim on the piston knob, cap finial, and barrel. Dubbed the "Minerali" Collection, the first pen is the one featured here, the “Azurite” blue, with a new pen to follow each month. Other colors will include green, orange, purple, and red, and Aurora says that each version will be limited to 388 pieces, so it’s a true limited edition.

I also love that there's not much branding on this pen, other than the standard "Aurora" engraving on the cap band.

Build Quality

The 88 Minerali is one of the more attractive fountain pen demonstrators that I’ve had the opportunity to handle. The polishing and finish have both been immaculately executed, with no visible flaws in the clear acrylic. The blue “Auroloide” (Aurora’s proprietary name for their cellulose acetate material) really brings out the clarity. I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the pen, especially at the expensive price point, but now I want one.

A close-up shot of the blue Azurite material. I actually prefer the understated look of the demonstrator with Auroloide accents, to a pen made entirely of this material. I think this will be especially true with respect to the orange and purple, as … — A close-up shot of the blue Azurite material. I actually prefer the understated look of the demonstrator with Auroloide accents, to a pen made entirely of this material. I think this will be especially true with respect to the orange and purple, as both the Sole and Nebuloso contained a bit too much color for me.

I’ve heard some grumbling that the “Minerali” line is just a way for Aurora to maximize their return from the spare rod stock that they used in previous limited edition Optimas and 88s. (For example, it appears that the purple and orange will feature the same material used in the Sole and the Nebuloso.) I definitely didn’t get the sense that Aurora created this pen as an afterthought, much less a “spare parts” piece. And, even if that’s the case, if they can make a pen that looks this good in the process, I really don’t care.

I do enjoy the scrollwork on Aurora nibs.

The fine nib wrote exceptionally well out of the box - moderately wet, with just a touch of the tooth for which Aurora is known. The line width and wetness fit my writing style perfectly, and I could use this nib as an all-day, everyday workhorse. Did I mention the scrollwork is beautifully done?

The one nit I can pick with Aurora’s pen design is their piston, and how difficult it can be to clean behind the seal, especially in a demonstrator pen. (I noted the same issue in my prior review of the Aurora Optima Nero Perla.) It takes a LOT of flushing, shaking, and blotting to clean Aurora pens out completely. If I purchased one of these, I’d be leery of using any ink remotely capable of staining, and would probably stick to Aurora Black, Blue, and Blue-Black.

Where to Buy

Many thanks to Cary and the team at Kenro Industries for sending this pen over for review. You can purchase the Aurora 88 Minerali limited editions from any Aurora retailer, including site sponsor Pen Chalet. At $795 MSRP, it’s not an inexpensive pen by any means, but retail tends to be a bit lower and Pen Chalet always has excellent prices. If you’ve been waiting on an Aurora 88 demonstrator, and the Azurite trim appeals to you, act quickly before this one goes away. As I noted above, I’m personally holding out for one of the orange or red Minerali pens (the names of which are still unannounced, to my knowledge).

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.