More from the Bargain Bin: KACO Retro Fountain Pen

So, Joe, why have you been reviewing so many inexpensive fountain pens lately? Why have you been scouring Amazon and eBay for $20 pens when you presumably have cases and drawers full of perfectly nice, much more expensive and higher-quality fountain pens at home, not to mention a zillion other things to review?

Fair questions, all of them. And ones I can easily answer: with a few notable exceptions, I'm getting bored with what the old "mainline" pen companies have been releasing (or not releasing), especially where enthusiasts are being asked to pay ever-increasing prices for products characterized by what I view as a general lack of creativity and innovation. So, as I see new Chinese pen companies moving well beyond the "$1.99 eBay pen" market or Montblanc knockoffs and releasing their own original designs, with legitimately good nibs, I've begun to enjoy exploring the so-called "lower-end" of the market.

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Each color version of the pen ships with a different color plastic ball

Some brands stand head and shoulders above the rest. Two of my favorites are Wing Sung and KACO, which in my opinion make some of the better inexpensive pens on the market, to the point where some U.S. retailers are starting to carry them as part of their regular stock. I recently reviewed the KACO Edge, a Makrolon fountain pen that vaguely resembles something that Lamy might have made had they foregone the misguided Aion and created a product for those of us who don't want to write with a metal nightstick. At the same time I purchased the Edge, I picked up the KACO Retro, an even less expensive hooded-nib pen that I think I actually prefer.

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Ink window! A nice touch at the price point.

Why do I like this pen so much? For starters, I like hooded nib fountain pens, for both their design and functionality. With the Retro, KACO actually made an effort to design a pen that's not just another inexpensive Parker 51 clone (there are already plenty of those out there). The name "Retro" fits the pen well, from the hooded nib to the injection molded mid-century modern design to the colors that come straight out of the 1960s. I even like the minimalist wire clip, with a contrasting plastic ball acting as the "keeper" on the end.

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The hooded steel nib arrived with both the feed and the tines properly aligned, which can be a problem-area with low-cost hooded-nib pens.

The KACO Retro definitely isn't a fancy pen. It feels lightweight and inexpensive, uses a generic yet sturdy plastic converter, and at this price point is something you could give to an older child or just throw in your bag to use as a work or travel pen. But it also writes quite well, better in fact than not only all of the cheap Parker 51 clones I've tried, but better than many of the Parker Super 21 and 51 Special fountain pens I've used. (For those of you who are not vintage pen aficionados, the Super 21 and the 51 Special were lower-end, alloy-nib versions of the Parker 51 that Parker released at a lower price point.)

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Sure, it’s a generic plastic converter, but it seems pretty sturdy compared to what I’ve seen on other cheap pens. I do find it odd that this pen comes packaged with a converter, but the KACO Edge (which is more expensive) does not.

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The stainless steel nib writes a slightly wider and wetter line than the nib on the Moonman N3, comparable to the KACO Edge though it’s a different nib.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

The KACO Retro isn't going to become my daily writer, but it's a good enough pen that a student or budget conscious fountain pen lover could easily use it as one. Fans of vintage-style hooded-nib pens might consider the KACO Retro as a travel pen, for those who don't want to deal with the risk of using their vintage pens on an airplane, or worry about losing a prized pen at conferences or in an office or hotel room. The barrier to entry is very low, and I have no problem recommending the Retro given the price point.

I purchased this pen from Amazon, and it arrived quickly because it was Prime-eligible. Of course, I went with the orange version, but there are turquoise, burgundy, blue, white, black and turquoise pens available as well.

If companies such as KACO, Moonman, and Wing Sung keep this up, and can sustain a decent level of quality at their current price point, Lamy, Pilot, Pelikan, and a few others will have something to worry about with their mid-tier and entry-level offerings, especially since the trend has been towards higher pricing and spottier quality control. If nothing else, it adds variety and a bit of competition to a segment that traditionally has been dominated by a few pens - not just a few companies - and in my opinion more choice for the consumer is always a good thing.

Editor’s Note and Follow-up

I'm going to take a minute here to supplement my review of the KACO Edge and my thoughts on lower-end pens in general. 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. A far cry from the service you would get when you used to receive a bag of five $2 Jinhaos, and you were lucky if two of them actually wrote.

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.

Adventures in the Bargain Bin: Moonman N3 Fountain Pen

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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

Favorite Workhorse Fountain Pen Inks, as Determined by Actual Use

I’ll preface this post with the admission that I’m a serial ink changer and I have more ink than five people could use in a lifetime. That makes it hard to pick “favorite” inks, since I rarely use the same one twice in a row, and in the nearly ten years I’ve been active in this hobby have probably only finished a couple of bottles, though I have several that are close to empty. It’s these latter inks that caught my attention as I was sorting through my ink cabinets this past weekend. Despite changing inks frequently, I evidently keep coming back to these particular colors and brands.

1. Waterman Serenity/Florida Blue. The king of “safe” fountain pen ink, which represents the gold standard for testing at pen shows due to how easily this ink flushes out of pens. I also love how this ink behaves in daily use, finding that it flows well and typically won’t feather or bleed on most papers. While some people find the blue color washed-out, particularly after it dries, I think it lends your writing a retro/vintage look. Also, if you’d like to add some vibrancy to standard Waterman Blue, just mix in a bit of Waterman Purple, which creates a lovely ultramarine color that’s been dubbed “Blurple” in pen circles.

2. Waterman Tender Purple/Violet. I’ve gone through 3/4 of a bottle of Waterman purple over the years. This particular ink is a bit more temperamental than others in Waterman’s lineup, mainly due to its potential to stain, but I’ve always loved the vibrant color. As noted above, this ink mixes well, and another fun experiment is to mix this ink with Sheaffer Skrip Red to form a nice burgundy.

3. Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo. The first expensive bottle of ink that I purchased, back when Iroshizuku was considered a “luxury” ink and cost much more than the $20 per 50ml currently charged at retail. I loved (and still love) everything about the Iroshizuku lineup, from the glass bottle that looks great on a desk to the range of colors based on Japan’s natural features. Tsuki-Yo (“Moonlight”) is a blue-black-teal color reminiscent of the night sky, and the exact shade of this ink changes depending on lighting and whether it’s wet or dry. This is one I always find myself coming back to!

4. Iroshizuku Yama-Budo. The only magenta ink I use regularly. I don’t know what it is about this one, as pink-purples aren’t in my usual wheelhouse of colors, but Yama-Budo is up there as one of my favorite inks of all time. I think it has to do with the ink being just “loud” enough to be interesting, while remaining somewhat work-appropriate. It behaves well in most pens and on most paper. I’m down to less than half a bottle!

5. Aurora Black/Aurora Blue. Until last year, when Aurora went wild and released a blue-black ink, they had a simple lineup of two colors, both of which flowed extremely well and which have remained staples in my pens. Aurora Blue is a rich blue ink that has undertones of purple/violet, and Aurora Black is one of the best “pure black” inks out there. If you crave simplicity in your ink choices, and want to stick with a two-color rotation, you won’t go wrong with Aurora.

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I’ve also killed one or two bottles of special or limited edition inks, and am close to finishing a few more, but I won’t list those here because it’s not helpful to people when you can no longer buy the inks. Each of the seven listed above is a standard ink made by a pen manufacturer, which means that it’s not only generally safe to use in most pens, vintage or modern, but it’s also easily purchased at retail. You can buy any of the inks listed above from ink retailers Vanness Pens, Pen Chalet, Anderson Pens, Goldspot, and Appelboom.

New from Inventery: Interchangeable Mechanical Pen and Pencil

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Special Edition Ink Alert: Two Papier Plume Inks for the Chicago Pen Show

Every year, Papier Plume releases one or two special edition inks for the Chicago Pen Show. Building on last year’s Bootlegger’s Sacrament (a wine red) and “Da Blue,” (a Chicago Bears-inspired blue-black) this year’s inks include “Lake Michigan Winter,” (a turquoise/teal) and “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” (you guessed it).

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For those of you attending the Chicago Pen Show from May 2-May 5, you’ll be able to purchase these inks at Papier Plume’s table, and from their website after the show. Most of the Chicago Pen Show inks have always sold out quickly, however, and Papier Plume typically only makes a single batch, so if you want to get your hands on either of these you’ll need to find someone attending the show to hook you up or quickly place an order afterwards.

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Generally speaking, Papier Plume inks are unsaturated, so they play nice in most pens and offer good ink flow and shading. I’d compare them to Callifolio, Waterman, or standard (non-shimmer) Herbin, though the colors tend to have more pop than the Herbin inks. Papier Plume inks also offer good value, with the larger 30ml bottles costing $8 for the standard lineup of colors and $10 for special editions. You can also purchase smaller 15ml bottles of the standard colors for $5. Count me a fan!

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Papier Plume also specializes in wax seals, an example of which you will find on the caps of their special edition inks.

Disclaimer: Papier Plume provided me with these two bottles of ink at no charge for review purposes. Many thanks!