Pen Review: Morning Glory Mach 3 Liquid Ink Rollerball

September 2, 2017

I enjoy the fine, precise line that a needle-tip pen offers, especially when I'm annotating legal documents at work and (1) need to write very small or (2) need to write on crappy paper. Sometimes both. I've previously preferred the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, which is my go-to needle-tip gel pen, but that pen can be finicky and tends to skip and hard-start more than I like. Apart from my Coleto multi pens, I find myself using the Hi-Tec-C less and less. After one particularly frustrating experience in which I had to throw out an orange .4mm Hi-Tec-C that, for whatever reason, I simply couldn't get to write, I took a flier and ordered a few of the Morning Glory .38mm liquid ink rollerballs in blue and orange. Now I might have found a great all-around needle-tip pen that works for me.

The textured grip of the Morning Glory Mach 3 prevents the pen from becoming too slippery.

Before reading this review of the Mach 3 over at The Pen Addict several years ago, I'd never heard of the brand "Morning Glory." The pens have received positive reviews, but liquid ink rollerballs generally aren't my thing. They can feather and bleed just as badly as fountain pens (and sometimes worse) on "office quality" paper once you get above the .5mm tip size. Would a .38mm tip be the sweet spot for this type of pen?

So far, yes. The Mach 3 may become one of my standard "office pens," and it will certainly make its way into my "highly recommended" category. I've test driven the Morning Glory for the past two weeks, and I've reached for this pen nearly every time over the Uniball Vision Elite, which simply can't write the extremely fine line that I often need. And while the Morning Glory may not be quite as smooth or vibrant as the Hi-Tec-C, I've found it more reliable. (No skipping!)

Takeaways and Where to Buy

If you're a fan of needle-tip pens, or wish that your liquid-ink Vision Elite or Pilot Precise V5 wrote a finer line, then you should check out the Morning Glory Mach 3. I'm not aware of another liquid ink pen that comes in a .38mm tip size. Though it's relatively inexpensive, the Mach 3 can be hard to find. Jet Pens will sell you single pens in more uncommon colors (like the orange one shown here) for around $2.50 per pen. If you're a fan of the more conservative blue, black, or red (and Morning Glory's blue is great), you can purchase packs of a dozen at a much lower cost via Amazon.

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

Pen Review: Tombow Zoom L104 Multifunction Pen

August 30, 2017

When I published my Guide to Multifunction Pens back in January, my friend Leigh immediately reached out and asked why I hadn't yet tried one of Tombow's multi pens. Though I had purchased a LOT of multi pens in preparation for that piece, I had missed Tombow entirely, probably because they are not easy to find here in the U.S. Leigh was kind enough to send me (via Dan the pen mule) a Tombow Zoom L104 multipen, in metallic orange.

The Tombow branding is minimal, and blends into the finish. You might even miss it if you don't look carefully.

Tombow is a well-known Japanese stationery company that makes a wide range of excellent products, from high-end woodcase pencils like the Mono line to multifunction pens and mechanical pencils to fountain pens. The Zoom L104 is no exception. It's a sturdy, utilitarian writing instrument that still manages to look interesting. I especially like the combination of the metallic orange pen body with the matte black clip.

One drawback - the coating on the matte black clip tends to scratch, so I'll have to ding Tombow a little for that. Still, it's held up pretty well, considering how hard I've used this, slinging it around in bags and pockets. — One drawback - the coating on the matte black clip tends to scratch, so I'll have to ding Tombow a little for that. Still, it's held up pretty well, considering how hard I've used this, slinging it around in bags and pockets.

If I had to compare the Zoom L104 to another multi pen on the market, it would be Zebra's Sharbo X. The Zoom is ever-so-slightly longer, and a bit heavier, which gives it a nice balance. The Sharbo, while it makes a great "planner pen," can feel a bit light and short. I've used the Tombow to take pages of notes in meetings and found this a very comfortable pen in the hand.

Both the Zoom and the Sharbo have three refill slots - two pen refills and a mechanical pencil. While the Sharbo X requires that you purchase separately Zebra's excellent (but expensive) D1 gel refill, the Tombow Zoom L104 ships with two Tombow .7mm ballpoint refills that remind me of the Sailor refills in the Imperial Black multi pen. These Tombow ballpoint refills write smoothly and are all-around excellent D1 ballpoint refills, if you can find them. That said, my favorite D1 refill of all time remains the .5mm Uniball Jetstream refill, which gives you the smooth writing experience of a gel pen with the write-anywhere reliability of a ballpoint.

Pull off the bottom part of the barrel to expose the refills. D1 refills are universal, so any pen that accepts them is exceptionally versatile.

The L104 and the Sharbo X also use the same style of "shifter" to switch between refills. As you rotate the lower part of the barrel, a different refill unit clicks into place. If I had one critique of this design, it's that there's no secure way to retract the refill for "safe" carry (for example, when you're carrying the pen in a shirt pocket). To retract the tip, you rotate the barrel halfway between refills and basically leave the pen in "in-between" mode, which raises the risk of accidentally extending the refill and staining your shirt, or purse, or pen case, etc. This isn't so much an issue with a ballpoint refill, but if you swap in gel refills, consider yourself warned.

And, like many multi pens, you unscrew the end cap to expose the eraser. You can also get a glimpse of the shimmer on the metallic finish here.

Where to Buy

The Tombow Zoom L104 typically runs around $30, and you may have to hunt for it. If you're in the U.S., Amazon is probably your best option, as there are multiple Japanese sellers who stock the pen. The Zoom L104 is a solid multi pen option, and this one has won a spot in my rotation as a reliable workhorse. Many thanks to Leigh for my first introduction to Tombow products - I wish they were more widely available over here!

Pen Review: The New Wahl-Eversharp Skyline Technik

August 26, 2017

There are good ways and bad ways to relaunch vintage pen brands. We all know the bad, but I don't see a lot written about brand revitalizations done correctly. In 2013, Syd Saperstein did just that - acquiring the rights to and manufacturing pens under the name of a vintage brand that he had collected and loved for years: Wahl-Eversharp. I won't go into a full history of the brand here, but Wahl-Eversharp was a major American pen brand until the advent of the ballpoint in the 1950s, at which point it failed to keep up, fell by the wayside, and ultimately disappeared.

Potentially the most impressive pen packaging on the market, though I don't believe the lacquered boxes still feature the wood inlay.

The new Wahl-Eversharp chose to launch with the Skyline collection, an updated version of the vintage pen of that same name. For those unfamiliar with vintage pens, the Eversharp Skyline features iconic 1940s design, taking inspiration from city skyscrapers, hence the name. Skylines are great little pens - I've restored several myself - though as the years go by the plastic on these pens becomes brittle, and many people dislike having to deal with the often temperamental sac and lever-filling system on the original.

Here, the new company has taken the Skyline's original design and modernized it. They retained the oversized cap and slim, tapered barrel, but have utilized modern materials such as anodized aluminum and transparent acrylic (though they also have a gorgeous series of celluloid pens as well). The pens use a cartridge-converter filling system, and the barrel accepts the long Waterman-style ink cartridge.

Unfortunately the blue Skyline Technik is no longer available in rhodium trim, only gold. The rhodium pairs better with the blue, in my opinion.

Ceramic Coated Nibs and Optimized Feeds

The new Wahl-Eversharp nibs have drawn much of the attention around the brand. The nibs are stainless steel, but they've been treated with a ceramic coating that makes the nib not only super smooth but gives it some bounce. The company describes these nibs as "semi-flex," and claims that they writes from a fine to medium line. I'm not a flex-pen aficionado in any sense, but I'd caution against expecting a true "flex" experience - if that's what you're looking for, save up for a Decoband. Regardless, the nib on this Skyline has some nice variation, and I would describe the fine-to-medium range as accurate.

Wahl-Eversharp-Skyline-Ceramic-Coated-Nib

Wahl-Eversharp also pairs these nibs with a specialized "magic" feed. I'm not exactly sure what exactly the company has done to the feed to optimize the ink flow, but the result is impressive - I experienced no dry writing or railroading, and the nib wrote a pleasantly wet line throughout my test-drive of this pen.

Not the best writing sample, but this will give you some idea of the bounciness of the nib. The nib is NOT a dry writer - this particular ink looked a bit washed-out when it dried.

Overall Takeaways and Where to Buy

Pros:

If you're a fan of the original Eversharp Skyline's design, but don't want to mess around with often-temperamental vintage lever-fillers, you now have a cartridge-converter option.
Sturdy construction
Smooth stainless steel nib that's on the softer side - not flexible, but most should be able to coax out some line variation
Gorgeous presentation in a lacquered box

Cons:

The slim barrel might make this pen too small for some to use comfortably over longer writing sessions.
This particular pen (the Skyline Technik) sits at a high price point, though other versions of the Skyline fall into the $160 range.

I can absolutely appreciate the new Wahl-Eversharp Skyline: it's more than a tribute pen or an homage to the vintage brand - it's a full-on modernization of an iconic piece of 20th century design, which arguably retains the best aspects of the original and improves upon its faults. It's a well-made pen that writes well, especially if you like a little bit of spring in the nib.

At the same time, I probably won't be acquiring one of these pens, for the same reason that I'm not a big fan of the original Skyline - the look of the oversized cap paired with the tapered barrel just doesn't do it for me, and I find the pen a touch small for my hand, especially since this nib is one that I'd want to use for longer writing sessions. Now, if Wahl-Eversharp ever makes a normal-size version of their oversized Decoband, or brings back the faceted Doric from the 1930s, then I'm all in. (I've heard rumors on the pen show circuit that both are in the works, but it might just be wishful thinking on the part of Wahl-Eversharp enthusiasts.)

You can purchase the Wahl-Eversharp Skyline directly from the company itself, or through retailers nationwide. Anderson Pens currently offers most of the Wahl-Eversharp product lines, including the Skyline Technik Collection featured here. Price-wise, the various Skyline models range widely from $159 for the "Skyliner 50 Collection", to $280 for the aluminum Technik Collection, to $289 for the "Empire Celluloid Collection". There are even more expensive special/limited edition models, some of which have crazy cool packaging, but those are beyond the scope of this review.

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Anderson Pens for making this review possible. Brian Anderson loaned me this pen from his personal collection. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

Notebook Review: Say Nice Things "Flipflop"

August 23, 2017

UK stationery company Say Nice Things has expanded their product line over the past year. Back in January, I reviewed their "Curtis" and "Cadence" notebooks and journals, and in the meantime they've released pencils and a smaller pocket-ish notebook, the FlipFlop.

The Flipflop, a new "reversible" A6 notebook, is so far my favorite. While some might characterize it as a "pocket notebook," the Flipflop's slightly larger size distinguishes it from your typical Field Notes or Write Notepads 3.5" x 5.5" book. For those unfamiliar with notebook size designations, A6 is the same size as the Hobonichi Planner, and I've been tucking one of these notebooks into the back of my Hobonichi cover as a way to add some extra blank paper.

I tested the paper with a medium nib fountain pen and Robert Oster ink, and experienced no bleedthrough or feathering. That makes the paper more than good enough for my daily use, at least as far as pocket notebooks are concerned.

The Flipflop features a sturdy kraft paper cover and fairly minimal design, which likely helps keep the pricing at attractive levels. Each notebook in the three-pack features a different color cover and matching stitched binding, along with cream-colored, 90gsm paper that has a pleasant tooth to it. The main selling point of this notebook, however, is the ability to "flip" it over - one-half of the book contains lined paper, and the other half reticle grid. You just rotate the notebook to change rulings. Ever wanted a two-subject or multi-section pocket notebook? Well, now you have an option!

The center of the book, with lined ruling on the left, and reticle grid on the right. You "flip" the notebook, depending on which type of paper you want to use. The Say Nice Things Logo should appear at the bottom of the page.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

There's a lot to like about the Flipflop: the paper holds up quite well to fountain pen ink, especially for a pocket notebook, and I can appreciate the versatility of having two kinds of rulings. I'm not sure how much I would use the "reversible" feature, but if you organize your notebooks by subject matter or use different rulings for different purposes, this would make it easier to keep a multi-subject or multi-section notebook. Note that due to the larger size A6 size, the Flipflop will not fit most "pocket notebook" size cases or covers, such as the Bellroy leather notebook covers or the Field Notes "Everyday Inspiration."

You can purchase the Flipflop notebooks directly from the Say Nice Things website, for £6.99 (or roughly $9 US) for a three-pack, or £2.99 for a single notebook (roughly $4 US). The three-pack is obviously the better value, though international shipping outside the UK is apparently calculated on a case-by-case basis and will almost certainly increase cost. I hope Say Nice Things finds a way to make these notebooks available through U.S. retail channels.

Disclaimer: Say Nice Things sent me these notebooks free of charge for review purposes, and also sponsors this website. Many thanks to Andy and the team for making this review possible. This post contains affiliate links.

New Product Alert: Introducing the Benu Pens Supreme Collection

August 21, 2017

Just in time for today's total solar eclipse (in Nashville, at least), Benu Pens is running an Indiegogo project to launch their new "Supreme" collection. One of the designs they sent me is the aptly named "Nebula" pen. I'll be inking this one up and using it at work today, assuming (1) I can actually get to work with all the eclipse-watchers on the road, and (2) the traffic doesn't kill me on the way in. While I've previously reviewed Benu's "Minima" and "Essence" collections, the new Supreme has a completely different feel. The Supreme has a clip, for one thing, and the tapered barrel should also allow you to post the cap, though it's a rather long pen to use posted.

The designs and colors on the Supreme Nebula pens (far left and far right) are gorgeous. Pictured center is the new Bird of Paradise pen from the Essence collection, available for purchase now on the Benu Pens website.

Check Out Benu Pens on Indiegogo

The Benu Supreme is currently available through crowdfunding site Indiegogo. Prices range from $98 for a solid color pen to $180 for the "Nebula" designs. The pricing is higher than Benu's regular collection, probably reflecting the increased cost of the "Nebula" material. The project closes on September 10, 2017. Per Indiegogo, it has a "flexible funding" goal, so if the project doesn't reach its $10,000 target, Benu will still receive all amounts raised.

Disclaimer: Benu sent me these pens free of charge for purposes of this post. Many thanks to Kate and the rest of the team!