Adventures in the Bargain Bin: Moonman N3 Fountain Pen

May 1, 2019

Up on the blog today: more adventures in the online stationery bargain bin, with this entry examining a recent release out of China, the Moonman N3. I discovered this pen via Frank’s “Chinese Pen News You Need to Know” update for January and February, and the blue striated material, which Moonman refers to as “celluloid,” jumped out at me. Despite some immediate skepticism of the claim of “celluloid” at this price point - confirmed by the fact that I have seen this particular material used elsewhere and NOT labeled celluloid - I bought one because I wanted to see if Moonman could justify the (slightly) higher price than the sub-$20 market of the M2 eyedropper.

Let’s get this out of the way first: this pen is definitely not “celluloid,” despite how it’s described in the listings, but to be honest I didn’t expect to spend $35 and receive a real celluloid fountain pen. I suspect this might be more of a translation issue than anything else, because in other listings I’ve seen Moonman pens labeled as “celluloid resin acrylic” or “celluloid acrylic",” which just doesn’t make any sense. In any event, the material is still nice, and appears to be the same acrylic used in more expensive pens like the special edition FPN “Blue Pearl” Bulkfiller from Conid, as well as Monteverde’s “Giant Sequoia” pen.

I understand that Moonman uses mostly Chinese-manufactured nibs, none of which are labeled the typical “Iridium Point Germany,” but rather have a custom Moonman imprint. The Moonman nibs I have used have all been excellent and well-tuned out of the … — I understand that Moonman uses mostly Chinese-manufactured nibs, none of which are labeled the typical “Iridium Point Germany,” but rather have a custom Moonman imprint. The Moonman nibs I have used have all been excellent and well-tuned out of the box.

Product description issues aside, Moonman has done a nice job with the N3. The fit and finish exceeds that of much more expensive pens in my collection, and the nib comes well-tuned, which is something of a Moonman hallmark and uncommon at this price point. Note that the N3 is on the slimmer side - I’d personally prefer a wider-diameter barrel, but the pen has a nice balance, posts ok (though a little long), and is lightweight. The generic converter is just that - generic - but I haven’t experienced any inkflow issues.

Even the somewhat generic pen box feels much nicer than what typically comes with pens at this price point.

Moonman continues the trend of Chinese pen companies targeting a segment of the market that previously has been dominated by TWSBI and neglected by other companies: the $20-50 range. It’s certainly rare to see a pen with a more traditional, “professional” design cost this little money, and for it to be of decent quality, well, that’s even more uncommon. At least two other Moonman offerings take this same approach: the M200 and the M300, which hit a slightly higher price point and apparently feature Schmidt nibs.

The Moonman Logo on the cap finial adds a bit of class, and makes this pen look more upmarket.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’ve been favorably impressed with every Moonman pen I’ve tried. From the original M2 eyedropper to the slightly more elaborate N3, these pens easily outperform their price point. I also appreciate the fact that they aren’t “homage” (much less knockoff) pens, and that Moonman appears to be attempting to do something original with their designs. Given that I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, it’s only a matter of time before Moonman makes its way into the mainstream. Depending on their distribution chain, it’s easily a brand that pen retailers should consider stocking.

Currently, you can purchase the Moonman N3 and other Moonman pens via various eBay sellers. While the N3 is slightly more expensive than the company’s other offerings, the pen is nicely finished and the nib is well-tuned. This one will stay in the collection.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use.

New from Inventery: Interchangeable Mechanical Pen and Pencil

April 24, 2019

I’ve reviewed many products from Los Angeles-based design house Inventery over the years, starting with their Mechanical Pen. which still sits on my desk years later. I’ve also had the opportunity to test out their Bolt Action Pen and Pocket Fountain Pen, both of which continued Inventery’s trend of great design and high-quality manufacturing. Yesterday on Indiegogo, Inventery launched a follow-up: the Interchangeable Mechanical Pen and Pencil, which allows you to swap out the internal components and alternate between a retractable pen and a mechanical pencil.

Two great refills: the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 ballpoint refill and Schmidt’s .5mm mechanical pencil refill.

The aesthetic and functionality of the Interchangeable Mechanical Pen/Pencil is very similar to Inventery’s previous products. It features a removable clip, and the clip design is the same as on the Bolt-Action Pen, which has more spring and tension than the clip on the Pocket Fountain Pen. For its pencil option, the Interchangeable Pen/Pencil uses a .5mm Schmidt mechanism that threads securely into the pen body, and otherwise accepts Parker-style pen refills, shipping with the excellent (and inexpensive) Schmidt Easyflow 9000 ballpoint refill.

Inventery’s clip design has progressed, including increasing the tension and adding a small ball to the end to make the clip “grippier.” Also, check out the engraving on the inside with the numbering of the pen! A nice touch.

Like Inventery’s other products, each Mechanical Pen/Pencil is engraved with the “I” logo on the top of the knock. And, as with Inventery’s other products, the Interchangeable Pen/Pencil is available in three finishes: brass, brass with a black oxide coating, and brass with a nickel coating.

Some assembly required: it’s not as hard as it looks!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’m a fan of Inventery’s writing instruments, particularly because they allow you to customize the pen to fit your needs. For example, most of their pens allow you to easily remove the clip, and certain models (Pocket Fountain Pen and Bolt Action Pen) either let you adjust the length using extenders or come in different sizes. The only possible drawback is the brass construction, which adds weight and can be too heavy for some, though the black and nickel coating does keep your hands from smelling like brass. I’d also note that the stock mechanical pencil lead that shipped with the pens broke very easily, probably due to the extra stress and pressure the brass pen body added, so you’ll need to be sure to use high-quality, durable leads. I swapped in some Pentel Ain Stein .5 lead in “B” hardness, which worked like a charm.

You can back the Interchangeable Mechanical Pen and Pencil on Indiegogo, with rewards for a single pen/pencil starting as low as $42. I consider this excellent value for a pen/pencil of this quality, with pricing below any of Inventery’s other offerings to date. As of the time of writing, Inventery has already doubled its funding goal of $3000 with 29 days left! If crowdfunding sites aren’t your thing, check out the Inventery store, where you can purchase their other products, and presumably the Mechanical Pen/Pencil once the Indiegogo campaign closes.

Disclaimer: Inventery provided me with the pens featured in this post free of charge, for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

Pen Review: KACO Edge Fountain Pen

April 17, 2019

I don’t know much about KACO as a Company - what little I do know comes from reading Frank Dong’s (Frank Underwater) series of articles on the best Chinese fountain pens on the market, many of which not only good writers, but extremely inexpensive. According to Frank, KACO is based in Shanghai and is a relatively longstanding stationery manufacturer known for their gel pens. I must say that they make a mean fountain pen as well.

KACO makes three fountain pens that are readily accessible in the U.S., through either Amazon or eBay: the KACO Sky/Sky II, the Retro, and the Edge. (New models are appearing every day as KACO expands its offerings, but these three have received the most attention so far.) While I’ve owned a KACO Sky the longest, my personal favorite thus far is the KACO Edge: a funky looking Makrolon fountain pen with a “blade” clip (hence the name).

KACO’s packaging looks clean and sophisticated, while still remaining appropriate to the price-point of the pen.

For those unfamiliar with the name “Makrolon,” it refers to a polycarbonate material known for its strength and light weight. Most notably, Lamy has manufactured it’s iconic “Lamy 2000” pen from Makrolon since the 1960s, but for some reason other manufacturers have shied away. Tactile Turn featured the material in its initial run of Gist fountain pens, but apparently had trouble sourcing quality raw material and ended up substituting Delrin, a durable plastic with a similar aesthetic.

Brushed Makrolon (polycarbonate) is comfortable to hold and may offer a bit more grip than stainless steel.

So what do I like about the KACO Edge (besides the price point)? Several things spring to mind:

The Brushed Finish. One of the things I love about the Lamy 2000 is that the finish is brushed, not just matte, and the KACO Edge incorporates that same technique. I wish more pen manufacturers would explore this technique, as it provides a comfortable, secure gripping surface.
Makrolon Grip Section. If you’ve previously passed on the Lamy 2000 because of it’s metal grip section, but appreciate the overall look of the Makrolon pen, the KACO Edge offers you an all-Makrolon alternative. While I ultimately prefer the brushed metal grip on the Lamy 2000, I’ve found the Edge to be a very comfortable pen to use as well.
Good Balance and Securely Posting Cap. The KACO Edge is well-balanced and comfortable to write with either posted or unposted. The cap closure uses small metal teeth (like the Lamy), which provides a secure friction fit, with the cap posting securely as well.
Schmidt Nib. By far the riskiest proposition for most inexpensive fountain pens is the nib, which can be maddeningly inconsistent from pen to pen. I’ve written with two or three KACO Edge fountain pens, and all three feature a smooth-writing Schmidt nib that has worked well every time. The fact that the pen uses a German stainless steel nib is what sets this pen apart from a $3 Jinhao, and it’s easily worth paying the (relatively small) premium.
General Quality Control. While there will be some minor quality control issues at any price point - and especially as you move towards the lower end of the spectrum - I’ve found the quality of KACO pens to be surprisingly consistent. As I noted above, I own three KACO pens, and have tried many more lent by friends, and all of them write very well.

The KACO Edge features a stock Schmidt Nib that is quite a nice writer.

Like any good German steel nib, the Schmidt “EF” writes a broader line that you would expect from an “extra fine” nib. It’s more like a standard fine, or even some mediums. (The “Imperial Orders” pad is another Skylab Letterpress creation, available… — Like any good German steel nib, the Schmidt “EF” writes a broader line that you would expect from an “extra fine” nib. It’s more like a standard fine, or even some mediums. (The “Imperial Orders” pad is another Skylab Letterpress creation, available from either Skylab directly or from the Well-Appointed Desk shop!)

A Note on Design: I generally dislike pens that are blatant copies of something else, and in my opinion, the KACO Edge borrows from the Lamy 2000’s design aesthetic without ripping it off. Other than the combination of a Makrolon pen body and a brushed metal cap, these pens look nothing alike, and behave differently in terms of performance, so the Edge shouldn’t be dismissed as “just another knockoff.” The “blade clip” is actually quite distinctive, and will be something that people either love or hate. One potential issue with this pen is that it can be difficult to clip to thicker fabrics or into pen cases, as the clip isn’t springy at all.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The KACO Edge has impressed me so far, and I’ve also had positive experiences with my KACO Sky and KACO Retro fountain pens. Look for additional reviews to follow. You certainly can’t argue with the price point of any of these pens (generally the sub-$20 category), which punch well above their weight in terms of design, components, and overall writing experience. I would grade the KACO Edge as the best of the bunch, due to the materials used, manufacturing quality, and the fact that the pen sports a reliable Schmidt nib.

As noted, you can easily acquire the KACO Edge via Amazon, which is how I purchased the pen pictured here. Most KACO products are Prime-eligible (at least as of the time of this review), meaning that they will be in your hands a couple of days after placing your order, if not the same day. Note that the KACO Edge does not ship with a converter in the box, so if you’re interested in using bottled ink with this pen, you will need to purchase a Schmidt converter separately, or you can sometimes find sellers who will throw in a KACO-branded converter.

Follow-Up and Editor’s Note

Despite the overall good quality of both Wing Sung and KACO pens, I've experienced cap cracks with both, which I accept as par for the course in this price bracket. At sub-$20, you're going to have to accept a lower level of manufacturing quality control on the front end, and what becomes important is the extent to which the retailers and manufacturers will support their customers on the back end. In the case of the KACO Edge, I was warned by a reader to be on the lookout for cap cracks, and a week or so after finalizing my review, I found one. I reached out to the Amazon Seller (who I assume is affiliated with KACO), who literally responded within 5 minutes offering to mail me a new cap, and requesting that I send her a photo of the crack with details of its location so she could share with the factory. I was quite happy with this level of service!

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use.

Tactile Turn Gist Revisited: Titanium Gist 2.0

April 13, 2019

I initially reviewed the Tactile Turn Gist fountain pen back in 2016, following the close of the Kickstarter project. The Gist Kickstarter can only be considered an unqualified success for Tactile Turn, raising $129,000 in pledges and cementing their status as one of the premier manufacturers of machined “EDC-style” pens. The “Gist 1.0”, as I’ll call it, garnered generally positive reviews. Most attention focused on the Gist’s pairing of a lightweight Makrolon (polycarbonate) pen body with a textured metal section made from either common or rare metals, including copper, brass, bronze, Damascus Steel, zirconium, and titanium. All-metal versions were also available, though they could be quite expensive due to the difficulty of machining pens from certain materials (i.e. zirconium, which has a tendency to combust and do inconvenient things like destroy machinery).

Will changed quite a few things with the Gist 2.0, but the signature Tactile Turn texture remains intact!

As I noted in my initial review, the Gist 1.0 was not without a “few hiccups,” most notably the Makrolon’s propensity to crack around the cap lip, and for the nib to dry out due to some caps not sealing properly. The pen body was also too short to accept a standard Schmidt international converter, so you had to use a different one supplied by Tactile Turn which, in my opinion, wasn’t as good since it had lower ink capacity and ink flow issues. None of these issues made the Gist 1.0 a “bad pen” - to the contrary, I enjoyed the weight, balance, and overall look. I know several people who still use their Kickstarter Gist as a daily writer more than two years later, and issues are to be expected with any “version 1.0” product release. How a company progresses from version 1.0 to version 2.0, incorporating feedback from customers, is more telling about the Company’s future prospects. From my experience with the Gist v. 2.0, the future looks bright for Tactile Turn.

New Materials, Different Specs

For the next iteration of the Gist, Tactile Turn made several notable design changes:

No More Makrolon! Tactile Turn stopped using Makrolon in favor of Delrin, a plastic used by high-end penmakers such as Conid. According to Will Hodges of Tactile Turn, the Makrolon he was able to source was not up to his standards in terms of durability, so he made the decision to switch materials on the non-metal pens. I think the Delrin pens look great, and they’re now available in white as well as black. As of now, metal sections are not available - you either go all-metal or all-Delrin.
A Longer Body. The Gist now accepts a full-size Schmidt international converter, and the added body length provides better balance, whether you write with the pen posted or unposted.
Shorter Threads. It now takes only 1.5 turns to cap/uncap the pen, as opposed to the 3+ on version 1.0. The threads also aren’t nearly as tight, reducing the risk of cracking the cap lip.
Plastic Cap Inserts on Metal Pens. You can now post the cap on the metal versions of the Gist without any unwanted metal-on-metal contact. I can’t speak to the other metal options, but the titanium pen posts nicely without too much added weight.

The Gist v.2.0 features Higbee thread starts, and the pen caps/uncaps in 1.5 turns.

This particular Gist sports one of the best Bock nibs I’ve ever used. I’ve had much better luck with Bock recently. I do think they’ve upped their quality control.

You can read more about the various design choices on Tactile Turn’s website, including specific details on the machining and engineering. Fans of the first Gist will be happy to know that the Gist continues to feature Tactile Turn’s signature texture, which serves a dual purpose of making a metal pen easier to grip (no slippage!) and hiding the small scuffs and scratches that polished metal tends to accumulate through everyday use.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

My Gist is a joy to write with, and I’m happy to report that I’ve written through three straight fills of ink since acquiring this pen at last month’s Arkansas Pen Show. The Gist presents a durable, well-priced option for a daily writer, and “Version 2.0” is everything I hoped it would be. The Gist comes in both fountain pen and rollerball configurations, with prices starting as low as $99 for a Delrin pen. The titanium version reviewed here runs $219 for the fountain pen, with copper and brass versions priced at $139 and $119 respectively.

The Titanium Gist was one of my purchases from this year’s Arkansas Pen Show.

Disclaimer: Will Hodges at Tactile Turn was kind enough to provide me with a discount on my purchase of the titanium Gist featured in this review, which I purchased with my own funds. Many thanks to Will for making this review possible! This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates (ink notes below).

So What About this Purple Ink?

The eye-popping purple ink that appears below, and that I’ve been using in this pen, is standard Waterman Violet (or, as it’s known now, “Tender Purple”). Surprising, I know! I recently broke out my Waterman inks after a long hiatus, and love them as much as I did when I first got into fountain pens years ago. They’re currently available for the bargain-basement price of $11 per bottle at Vanness Pens, making Waterman ink one of the best buys out there. The paper pictured in this review is, of course, the “Shit to Do” notepad from Skylab Letterpress. Ink swabs are done on Col-o-dex cards, courtesy of Ana Reinert and Skylab.

Tactile-Turn-Gist-Waterman-Tender-Purple

One note of caution: while Waterman inks are generally regarded as “safe” inks, the purple, in my experience, will stain celluloid and light-colored acrylics, as well as demonstrators and converters if you let the pens remain inked long enough. This isn’t uncommon among purple inks, but since Waterman ink has a reputation as being "safe for anything,” it’s worth mentioning.

Kickstarter Alert: 22Pen by Mario Shimodaira

March 29, 2019

I wanted to do a special short post this Friday to let everyone know that there’s just a little more than 24 hours left in the Kickstarter for the 22pen, a unique pocket pen that readers should be sure to check out. The pen holds two D1 refills in a flat format, allowing you to easily switch between two colors without clicking, and also allowing you to easily clip the pen inside a notebook. I have a review unit (in a prototype material) that I just now received, so I don’t have a full review ready to go, but my initial impressions are very favorable and I’m really looking forward to seeing how I can work the 22pen into my daily workflow, especially with pocket notebooks! I backed for the blue version. You can check out the full details of the 22pen here on the Kickstarter page. Many thanks to Mario for sending this pen over for review.

The 22pen may look a bit awkward, but it’s surprisingly easy to use.

The reverse of the 22pen features a clip to attach the pen to the inside of a notebook.

Disclaimer: I received the pen featured in this post free of charge, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review and I’ve backed this project with my own money.