Pen Review: Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen

May 19, 2018

When we last heard from Inventery, they had launched their Mechanical Pen, a retractable rollerball that made my list of favorite new pens from 2017, and has since found a regular place on my desk. Jeff from Inventery recently reached out and asked whether I wanted to review their new Pocket Fountain Pen, and of course I said yes. I enjoy pocket pens, and the one thing that's eluded me over the years is a pocket fountain pen that's small enough to conveniently carry in my pants pocket, while still offering an adequate combination of durability and a comfortable writing experience. Inventery's latest offering may get me there.

Three versions, from left: Brushed Chrome, Brass, and Onyx.

As with the Mechanical Pen, the Pocket Fountain Pen is made of brass. If you tend to avoid brass pens because of that metallic smell they leave on your hands, read on, because Inventery offers two options in addition to raw brass: Onyx (black) and Brushed Crome. While the base of these pens is still brass - giving them weight and durability - the pens themselves have been coated.

Inventery has great packaging. Pictured is the kit for the Pocket Fountain Pen with Extender, in Onyx. I've opted to swap in the Rollerball tip, with the clip, but you can see the options for fountain pen nib, clipless cap, stylus cap, and keychain … — Inventery has great packaging. Pictured is the kit for the Pocket Fountain Pen with Extender, in Onyx. I've opted to swap in the Rollerball tip, with the clip, but you can see the options for fountain pen nib, clipless cap, stylus cap, and keychain cap, as well as the extender with converter.

The main selling point of the Pocket Fountain Pen is customization. If you opt for the base model, the Pocket Fountain Pen comes with an interchangeable cap system, allowing you to swap out the clip for a clipless look, or add a stylus or keychain option. Perhaps most intriguing to me is Inventery's decision to include a .5mm PRS "interchangeable ballpoint head," which will transform the Pocket Fountain Pen into a rollerball pen that accepts fountain pen ink from either short international cartridges or a standard converter. In order to use the converter, you will need to purchase the "extender," which screws into the barrel to give the pen additional length, much like that featured on the Kaweco Supra.

Inventery-Pocket-Fountain-Pen-Writing-Sample

Overall, the Pocket Fountain Pen offers a quality writing experience. Inventery has chosen Schmidt nibs - always a solid and reliable choice - and I found the length, weight, and balance of the pen to be excellent. The cap posts securely, attaching to threads on the end of the barrel as with the Kaweco Liliput. (Note: I found that posting the cap on the "extended" pen made it too long.) The rollerball option surprised me the most. In the past, rollerball pens that accept fountain pen ink cartridges have tended to either leak, clog easily, or scratch the paper like a nail. I've had this one inked up with the same cartridge (Kaweco Ruby) for over a month, with no issues. I will note that since fountain pen ink is water-based and very wet, the .5mm tip will write wider than an equivalent gel or ballpoint pen, as fountain pen ink spreads more on paper than gel or oil-based ink. Think more "Uniball Vision Elite."

The one aspect of this pen that I didn't really like was the clip, which has no tension and isn't particularly functional, at least not in the traditional sense. This isn't a pen that will attach securely to your shirt pocket, though it will hook onto the edge of your pants pocket or a pen slot inside a bag, which may have been the idea.

I keep the clip on to use as a roll-stopper. Otherwise, I'd probably choose to go clipless. Kudos to Inventery for providing you with the option.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I really enjoyed using the Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen, with my one quibble being the clip. That said, if you are truly carrying this as a "pants pocket" pen, or clipping the pen to the front of your jeans, the clip may work just fine. You also have the option to go completely clipless. Pricewise, the Pocket Fountain Pen is comparable to the Kaweco Supra, which I've reviewed before, and from a functionality perspective the Pocket Fountain Pen has an edge on the Kaweco Liliput because it feels more substantial in-hand and has a bit more girth and weight to it.

The pens have minimal branding, and the "I" logo on the cap is a nice touch. Don't forget to check out Inventery's line of leather pen sleeves, available in three sizes. (The medium size fits the Mechanical Pen.)

You can purchase the Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen, as well as the Mechanical Pen and a range of great accessories, directly from Inventery's online store. The kit shown here, which includes the Pocket Fountain Pen, extender, .5 PRS interchangeable rollerball/ballpoint section, and various interchangeable clip/stylus options, is priced at $165. Without extender and converter, the price drops to $135. As mentioned above, color options include Onyx, Brass, and Brushed Chrome.

Disclaimer: Inventery provided me with the pens featured in this review free of charge. Many thanks to Inventery for making this review possible!

First Look at a New Release from an Old Brand: Pineider Avatar

May 12, 2018

Pineider made waves in the stationery community last year by announcing that Dante Delvecchio, formerly of Visconti, had joined the company to focus on its fountain pen line. Pineider itself is not a new brand: based in Florence, Italy, they've been selling high-end writing paper and other stationery goods since the late 1700s, but only recently joined the contemporary fountain pen resurgence. Over the past year, Pineider has released a few different models: La Grande Bellezza, The Key of Heaven, and the pen featured here, the Avatar. The first two are higher-end models outfitted with 18kt gold nibs, while the Avatar is the lower-priced, steel-nibbed offering.

Pineider pens ship in a leatherette box containing a small assortment of Pineider stationery.

Design and Build

Most of the Pineider models sport a similar design: a swirled or marbled acrylic body, a sculpted metal section, an engraved cap band, magnetic "soft" closure, and Pineider's signature "feather" clip. On the Avatar, Pineider refers to the resin as "stone effect," and it comes in four different color options: Pacific Blue, Saffron Yellow, Coal Gray, and Lipstick Red. I believe Pineider uses Bock nibs, based on the design of the feed, but I haven't been able to confirm this one way or another.

The cap band features Pineider branding and what I understand to be the Florence skyline. The hinged feather clip might be my favorite detail on this pen.

In terms of a writing experience, the Pineider Avatar is a comfortable pen to hold. Resin cartridge-converter pens are typically very light, and the Avatar is no exception. The metal section front-weights the pen a bit, making for a good balance that I enjoyed. The standard stainless steel medium nib on this pen wasn't particularly exciting, but wrote well out of the box and would make for a perfectly nice daily writer.

Since giving up my "death grip" on my fountain pens to ward off RSI issues, I've had better luck with metal sections not slipping out of my hands.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Avatar is a nice pen, and I don't have anything "bad" to say about it. At the same time, it didn't get me excited about Pineider as a brand. It's impossible to avoid the inevitable comparisons to Visconti, given the Dante Delvecchio connection, and the Avatar reminds me, somewhat, of the Visconti Rembrandt (priced lower) and the Visconti Van Gogh (priced slightly higher). I do think that the two Viscontis seem more "finished" with their artist-inspired themes, while the Pineider Avatar seems to lack unique design cues that might justify paying a premium for the pen. That doesn't mean they're bad pens - they're not at all - it's just that Pineider has pursued a luxury price point, and I suspect they will have a difficult time distinguishing their current three models enough to gain a significant foothold in this market segment. I've seen a lot of Pineider Pens on sale recently.

You can purchase the Pineider Avatar from our sponsor Goldspot Pens, currently priced at $224. As I alluded to above, this price strikes me as a bit on the high side for this pen, though I've heard rumblings that Pineider's steel nib offerings might see a price drop as new models are released and production scales up. The pens are well-made, and if Pineider can hit the right combination of price/value they could become an interesting option.

Disclaimer: Goldspot loaned me the pen featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes, and is a paid sponsor of this blog. Many thanks to Goldspot for making this review possible!

Pen Review: Karas Kustoms Decograph

May 5, 2018

Most seasoned readers of this blog will be familiar with Karas Kustoms, the Arizona-based manufacturers of machined pens such as the excellent Render K and the Ink fountain pen, among others. Last year, Karas launched a new "Signature Line" of pens under the mark "Karas Pen Co.," the first of which is the vintage-inspired Decograph fountain pen. I purchased one around Christmas to check out, and have been putting it through the paces of my review process for the past several months.

The Decograph ships in an aluminum tube that pays tribute to Karas Kustoms' heritage as a machine shop. A very nice touch, though it likely adds to the cost of the pen.

Design and Build

As you would expect from a shop of experienced machinists, the Decograph is a very well built pen that doesn't skimp on the details. (I'd point you to the Karas logo on the end cap, the faceted clip, and the machined aluminum tube that serves as the packaging.) True to its name, this pen exudes an art-deco, vintage vibe that you don't see very often in modern fountain pens. Since it's made entirely from thermoplastic and grade 6061 aluminum, the Decograph is also incredibly light - the designer intended this pen to be used as a daily writer.

The translucent "Deco Green" thermoplastic is some of the prettiest pen material I've seen in a while. In certain light, it appears almost black, but can otherwise appear almost a bright "beetle green," as I've heard this color described elsewhere. … — The translucent "Deco Green" thermoplastic is some of the prettiest pen material I've seen in a while. In certain light, it appears almost black, but can otherwise appear almost a bright "beetle green," as I've heard this color described elsewhere. I also love the faceting on the clip.

All that said, there are a few design elements of the pen that prevent this from being an ideal "workhorse" fountain pen for me. First is the girth - the barrel of the Decograph is slightly too skinny for my personal preference, especially given it's length. I like to post my caps, and posting the fairly substantial Decograph cap onto the relatively slender barrel leaves the pen feeling a touch lopsided. Because the thermoplastic is so light, Karas could probably get away with a slightly bigger pen and a wider section. Recognizing that everyone's preferences are different, and many people find the Decograph perfectly balanced, perhaps we'll see this in another model added to the Signature Line in the future?

The small design details matter, and I think Karas nailed them here.

Nib and Writing Experience

Out of the box, the writing experience was a mixed bag. The Karas Decograph uses Bock nibs. As I've previously discussed here on the blog, most smaller pen manufacturers (and even some larger manufacturers) source their nibs from a third-party company, typically JoWo, Schmidt, or Bock. Of these three options, Bock nibs are my least favorite. In recent years, I've found the quality control to be spotty: the nibs write dry, the slits are cut unevenly, and the feeds are often misaligned. If you luck into a good Bock nib, or you purchase from a retailer who adjusts or resets the nib and feed themselves, you will get a perfectly serviceable pen, but I do wish Bock would get their act together as it causes problems for smaller companies who don't have in-house nib expertise.

My experience with the Decograph was no different. The original steel nib that shipped with the pen had the nib slit cut off center, so it skipped and wrote dry. I considered asking Karas for a replacement, but since I don't use steel Bock nibs in general, I swapped in an extra fine titanium nib from another pen and put the steel nib into the "teaching myself nibwork" bin. If you're interested in a Decograph, I would highly recommend paying the upgrade charge and going with a titanium or gold nib, especially since Karas's nib pricing is very reasonable. I've had better luck with Bock's higher-end offerings.

Once I got the nib issue sorted out, the Decograph is an exceptionally nice writer. I wasn't prepared to like this pen nearly as much as I do. The light weight makes this a pen you can easily use for hours, and it almost grows on you subconsciously - I find myself reaching for this pen all the time on my desk, even if I did wish the barrel was just a touch more substantial. I expected to purchase this pen for review and then sell it off, but this one will probably end up a keeper. If you're on the fence, I'd encourage you to borrow a Decograph from a friend or test one out at a pen show - this is definitely a pen that you have to see in person to fully appreciate.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Decograph represents a welcome step for Karas outside the machined metal pen market, and I look forward to seeing what they do with the line in the future. In addition to the standard colors ("Deco Black" and the "Deco Green" featured here), Karas periodically releases special edition colors such as the Decograph 1801 "Sleeping Beauty" edition. The pens can be purchased directly from the Karas Kustoms website under the "Signature Pens" category.

Price-wise, the Decograph starts at $140 for a steel nib, and you can add $25 to upgrade to titanium and $75 to upgrade to gold. While some have commented that these prices seem expensive, these are "small batch" pens made by an independently owned family company. Viewed in that light, and the higher per-pen cost of manufacture, the prices are reasonable and consistent with brands like Franklin-Christoph and the Edison Production Line.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection. I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Kickstarter Alert: Studio Neat Mark One

May 2, 2018

If you're not already in on this latest Kickstarter, you have just over two days left to back the Mark One, a new rollerball from Studio Neat. Described as a "minimal, durable, retractable pen," it's all of that, and a comfortable writer to boot.

I suspect a lot of people will look at this pen and ask themselves what the big deal is here. To be honest, I did too, until I spent some time with a Mark One Prototype. For me, what makes this pen great is the texture: the aluminum barrel is coated with cerakote, a ceramic-polymer coating that's not only extremely durable, but gives the pen a unique matte finish that I've not seen before, especially on a white pen.

The combination of the matte white barrel and the copper knock is stunning. While the Mark One is a round pen, it doesn't roll around as much as I expected, due to the way the pen is weighted.

Studio Neat launched the Mark One in two color schemes: a black cerakote pen with a brushed aluminum knock, or a white cerakote pen with a copper knock. When Studio Neat offered me a choice of prototype pens to review, it was a no-brainer. The white/copper version is unlike anything else out there at the moment, in terms of both looks and feel.

Though somewhat difficult to see, you can vaguely make out the matte texture of the cerakote in this photograph.

As you might expect with a retractable rollerball pen, the Mark One comes loaded with the excellent Schmidt P8126 rollerball refill, but also accepts any Parker-style ("G2") refill. This gives you some versatility: I currently have mine loaded with the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 hybrid ballpoint refill, and I recently learned about these Premec fine-point gel refills that should fit not only the Mark One, but other retractable rollerballs such as the Baron Fig Squire and the Retro 51 Tornado.

The Mark One is well-balanced, and clearly intended to be a durable minimalist workhorse. The pen has been seeing regular use over the past several months.

Where to Buy

The Mark One pen is available exclusively via Kickstarter. Studio Neat launches all of their products on the Kickstarter platform, and they're pros, so you should feel confident that this project will be well run and you'll get your pen. The Mark One starts at $50 for Kickstarter backers, with an intended retail price of $65, placing it at roughly the same price point as the Baron Fig Squire. Backer rewards include options for one or two Mark One pens, as well as an option for a Mark One pen and a Studio Neat Panobook notebook, which I reviewed last year. The Panobook had it's own successful Kickstarter launch, and is now sold separately.

As I mentioned earlier, you have two days left to back the Mark One, so if this pen piques your interest and you want to get in on the Kickstarter pricing, act now. If you happen to miss the Kickstarter, no worries, because Studio Neat should have the Mark One for sale on their website in the near future.

Disclaimer: The pen featured in this post is a prototype provided to me free of charge by Studio Neat for review purposes. While I understand that this prototype is substantially final, there may be slight differences between this pen and the Kickstarter reward you ultimately receive. Many thanks to Studio Neat for making this review possible!

Workhorse Pens: Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black Review

April 25, 2018

The Faber-Castell E-Motion is a pen that I initially reviewed on loan, but always wanted to revisit after an extended period of usage. So, I purchased the model that appealed to me - the E-Motion "Pure Black" edition - and the pen has spent the better part of a year in heavy rotation. Everything from my initial review still applies to this pen: the fit and finish are high-quality and top notch, the nib is sublime, and I like the unique chunky design. But what tips the E-Motion Pure Black over the top into "daily workhorse" territory, when I don't think the standard E-Motion would have caught on nearly as well?

Three "pure black" workhorses, from the top: Lamy 2000, Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black, and Montblanc 146 Ultra Black.

The texture of the barrel. The Pure Black model may have a metal barrel, but it doesn't feel like it. Faber-Castell has coated the barrel with some sort of PVD material, engraved with a subtle guilloche pattern, which gives the pen a soft feel and makes it extremely comfortable to hold. Frankly, I'm surprised at how easy it is to write with this pen for long periods of time. It's somewhat counterintuitive since the Pure Black is a very heavy pen, but the E-Motion has good balance, even posted, and is a perfect example of how metal pens don't need to be unwieldy. Sure, the design looks a bit "unique," and people tend to have strong opinions about the aesthetics, but I count myself a fan, and you can't argue with results as a daily writer.

The only drawback to this pen from a "workhorse" perspective is ink capacity. Like nearly all Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell pens, the E-Motion is a cartridge-converter pen that will hold far less ink than, say, a piston-filler. That said, this nib writes a true medium line, and it's not overly wet, so I've never had a situation where I've run out of ink during the day, even during periods of heavy writing. The Faber-Castell converter has decent ink capacity, similar to a standard Schmidt.

Faber-Castell's understated nib design. There's no breather hole, which is a hallmark of Faber-Castell's nib design, and doesn't affect ink flow at all.

Despite it's weight, I prefer to use the E-Motion posted. Another selling point on this pen is the clip. The lever-action is tight and easy to use, and the pen will clip on to basically anything.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Faber-Castell makes some of the best true "workhorse" pens out there, mainly because their nibs are so good. I've never had a Faber-Castell nib that required work or adjustment, and the ink flow always seems to be moderately wet - perfect for the type of writing I like to do. Though the pens tend to be more expensive than your typical steel-nib pens, you get what you pay for, and in the year I've had this pen I've never once regretted shelling out for the E-Motion Pure Black.

You can purchase the Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black fountain pen from our sponsor Appelboom Pens. Appelboom carries a wide range of Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell pens, at very reasonable prices. They also have quick international shipping.

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

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Design and Build

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Design and Build

Nib and Writing Experience

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Where to Buy

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Further Reading

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