Wingback Fountain Pen Capped sitting on Galen Leather Pen Rest

Expanding the Pocket Fountain Pen Lineup: A First Look at the Wingback Fountain Pen

September 16, 2023

Pocket fountain pens are hard to get right. For starters, it’s extremely difficult to design a pocket fountain pen that works for for a broad swath of the market, because once you start reducing the size and weight of the pen to so-called “pocket-sized” you limit the number of people who can use it. On the other hand, if you make a “pocket” fountain pen too big, it may no longer be truly “pocketable.”

Wingback is a UK-based designer/manufacturer of writing instruments and personal accessories, and I’ve previously reviewed their Mechanical Pencil that won a 2023 Red Dot design award. A hallmark of Wingback’s design is their ability to avoid the pitfalls of so many manufacturers who attempt to work with heavier materials such as brass and stainless steel, by striking a near-perfect balance of width, length, and weight. I now have a full set of the Wingback writing instruments - Mechanical Pencil, Mechanical Pen, and Fountain Pen - and all of them are exceptionally useable in addition to being beautiful design pieces.

Wingback Fountain Pen and Mechanical Pen — The Wingback Fountain Pen in stainless steel, shown next to the Wingback Mechanical Pen in black stainless steel. Both come with a nice cotton sleeve that you can use for pocket carry. I plan to review the Mechanical Pen in the near future.

The Wingback Fountain Pen, which recently launched on Kickstarter, adopts the cylindrical profile that’s probably familiar to many pocket pen enthusiasts, but in a size that’s somewhat uncommon and, in my opinion, fills a need in the market. For example, I loved the idea of the Kaweco Liliput, but that particular pen ultimately ended up being too small for anything more than quick notes. I’d place the Wingback Fountain Pen between the Liliput and the larger Kaweco Supra size-wise, which could be a sweet spot for those who love this type of design but have had a hard time finding a pocket pen that balances well in their hand.

Wingback Pocket Fountain Pen Showing O-Rings

The Wingback Fountain Pen adopts a minimal, streamlined design with no branding other than the subtle “Wingback” engraved on the cap. Diamond knurling is perfectly centered on the barrel when the pen is capped, and well-executed in the sense that it’s comfortable to hold this pen for long periods of time. (More on that below.) Finally, both ends of the section feature an o-ring on the threads, which protects the user from any ink leakage and prevents the nib from drying out. Interestingly, Wingback implies that this pen can be eyedroppered, stating that with the o-ring, “you can convert the pen’s chamber within its body into a reservoir for your ink of choice,” and that “we have tested and approved the stainless steel for corrosion resistance to inks, and are currently testing brass and titanium in longer long term trials.” I don’t personally eyedropper metal pens, but I do know people who have done so without incident, and as long as the metal resists corrosion long-term you should be fine. I lump this one under the header of “proceed at your own risk.”

Wingback Fountain Pen, Mechanical Pen, and Brass Showing three finishes — Three of the four finishes. Sorry, I don’t have an example of the titanium (yet).

The Wingback Fountain Pen is available in four materials/finishes to start: stainless steel (pictured here), brass, tungsten-carbide coated black stainless steel, and titanium. Custom laser engraving of up to 50 characters is also available, if you would like to personalize your pen.

Wingback Fountain Pen Bock Nib Knurled Section

Nib and Overall Writing Experience

The Wingback Fountain Pen uses a standard Bock 076 stainless steel nib, and the one I received (a fine?) arrived perfectly tuned. According to the Wingback Kickstarter page, five standard nib options will be available, including extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, or double/extra-broad. I would consider the Wingback a pure cartridge pen - while one of the mini converters from Kaweco or Monteverde might fit, those don’t hold much ink and you’re likely better off refilling a standard short international cartridge via syringe if ink choice is important to you.

Wingback Fountain Pen Shown Unposted — *The Wingback Fountain Pen measures 95mm unposted / 135mm posted.*

Though I personally find them well-balanced, some have remarked that the Wingback Mechanical Pencil and Mechanical Pen are a touch short. The Wingback Fountain Pen is indeed quite short unposted, but offers a workaround since the cap posts, much like the Schon DSGN Pocket Six or the aforementioned Liliput. While the Wingback Fountain Pen might be just long enough to jot quick notes unposted, longer writing sessions will probably require posting the cap unless you have very small hands.

Wingback Fountain Pen Posted Shown In-Hand

I’ve been using the Wingback Fountain Pen for the past two weeks, and haven’t experienced any of the hand fatigue that sometimes comes with machined metal pens of this weight. The knurled grip eliminates any slippage, while remaining subtle enough not to hurt your fingers. This pen will stay in my pocket pen rotation, and I’m considering whether to back the Kickstarter for a Black Steel or Titanium version.

Details on How to Get the Wingback Fountain Pen

As of the date of publication of this post (September 16, 2023), you have 19 days remaining to back the Wingback Fountain Pen on Kickstarter. While pledges are listed in £, they start at around $120 (which may fluctuate a bit due to the exchange rate). Wingback estimates that this will represent a 25% discount off the eventual retail price, which seems about right since both the standard versions of the Mechanical Pencil and the Mechanical Pen currently retail for around $158 USD.

Wingback Fountain Pen in the Plotter Pen Holder — Yes, for those of you who will ask, the Wingback Fountain Pen does fit in the Plotter Pen Holder!

Wingback is a company with a long track record of successful Kickstarters, so I have no concern about backing this one, but anyone considering backing a crowdfunded a project should of course be aware that Kickstarter offers no guarantee of timely delivery (or of any delivery, for that matter). Projects do hit delays, and by funding a project you are supporting the project itself, as opposed to “purchasing” a unit. That said, this project already has raised nearly $78,000 of its $2,500 funding goal, so I wouldn’t anticipate any issues here.

Disclaimer: Wingback sent me the Wingback Fountain Pen pictured here for review purposes, free of charge. T.G.S. has not otherwise been compensated for this review and is not being paid for referrals or advertising. T.G.S. is supported financially via purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Good Made Better Writewell with two integrated Penwells, a brass rollstop, and the Reader’s Kit book holder.

Kickstarter Alert: Hands-On with the Good Made Better Writewell

December 3, 2022

Because I sit at a desk in front of the computer for most of each workday, I try to mix things up “after hours” with my journaling and other personal writing by moving to a standing desk or a more comfortable club chair. I own several different standing, lap, and writing desks, making me something of a self-proclaimed connoisseur of this particular niche in the office supply world.

The Good Made Better Writewell, shown pictured here atop my standing desk in “writing slop” mode, with two fountain pens installed in the Penwells.

And it really is a niche, because there aren’t that many options out there, which is why I was so excited to see that Good Made Better had brought a prototype writing desk, the Writewell, to the D.C. Pen Show in August. Given how busy the show was, I didn't have much time to talk to Dan, but I could see how excited he was about the prototype and he promised to send me one when it was ready for review, prior to the Kickstarter launch.

The underside of the Good Made Better Writewell. The wood grain on this product is beautiful, and the craftsmanship top notch. Not only is it going to make working on this surface every day a joy, but you’ll see the Writewell featured as a backdrop to a lot of TGS product reviews and photos.

The Writewell fills two roles for me. First, it’s a lap desk, which was the original idea behind the product. While the underside of the Writewell includes no padding, I haven’t had any issues with comfort, and the Writewell rests both comfortably and evenly on my lap regardless of whether I’m sitting with my legs crossed or uncrossed. (This is a personal observation, so YMMV.)

An antique writing slope from my personal collection, which I thought might be fun to post here.

Second, the Writewell functions as a desktop writing slope, allowing me to angle the paper slightly upwards when I’m working at my standing desk. I use the Levenger Sit-to-Stand Rolling workstation, which I like, but I also find the work surface slightly too low, even in standing mode. By adding the Writewell, it’s at a perfect height. I’ve always enjoyed portable writing desks and writing slopes, and have had several antique models in my collection over the years. (Pictured above). The Writewell is a modern take on this age-old concept.

The Writewell with a journal set up in the “Reader’s Kit” add-on. The Reader’s Kit is a two-piece adjustable book stand that features a brass book rest and an acrylic page holder. While the version I have is a prototype, I have had no issues getting most books and journals to fit.

In terms of accessories and add-ons, the Writewell sent to me for review features two integrated Penwells, which allows me to alternate between two different fountain pens while I’m journaling or taking notes. This solves a key problem with my previous go-to lap desk, an older Levenger model sort of like this one, which uses an elastic band/pen loop system. While the Levenger lap desk itself is comfortable and offers a large work surface, I vastly prefer the Writewell’s integrated Penwell system as it makes it much easier to cap/uncap pens by holding them securely. Even more convenient is the “Reader’s Kit” add-on, which can be used as a book, pad, or tablet holder that’s especially useful when transcribing passages into my commonplace book or cleaning up notes I’ve taken elsewhere. (I don’t necessarily use book-holders when I’m actively reading, as I rarely read at a desk.) Other customizations and add-ons are available, including brass and wood roll-stops and recessed niches, which hold pens and the Bookfellow book weight. You can even change the number and location of the Penwell - the standard Writewell comes with one, but you can add an extra and/or change the orientation from right to left.

My next challenge to Dan: A portable writing box!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Good Made Better Writewell is currently available on Kickstarter with 12 days remaining in the campaign. Pledges start at $179, with add-ons and modifications such as additional Penwells, a brass or walnut roll stop, recessed niche, and reading kit available at extra cost. The “as-reviewed” model shown here would cost approximately $275, which honestly, given the quality of construction and lack of any truly comparable product on the market, represents excellent value. A writing desk like this won’t fit a need in everyone’s workflow, but the versatility of the Writewell in allowing me to move from “lap mode” to “podium mode” makes it a must-back for me. I’ve ordered a second one, which I plan to pair with my second standing desk that I keep at the office.

While of course there are no guarantees that any Kickstarter project will be successful, Good Made Better is an experienced maker with an excellent Kickstarter track record. I would encourage you to visit their website and check out their other products, including the Penwell pen holder, the Bookfellow book weight, and more. I’ve been proud to collaborate with Dan on our own T.G.S.-exclusive Penwell, which features an “Aged Red” finish that you currently can only get via the T.G.S. Curated Shop.

Disclaimer: Good Made Better sent me the Writewell Writing Desk for review purposes, free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and I do not receive any commissions or affiliate fees if you back the project via Kickstarter. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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!

Pen Review: The Wancher Dream Pen in Dark Blue Urushi

January 31, 2018

The big news of the past week (at least in the pen community) has been the wild success of Wancher's “Dream Pen,” a Kickstarter project that launched last Thursday. Wancher is a Japanese pen company that has been around for some time, but the Dream Pen is their first high-profile product release. So far, the Kickstarter has been successful by any measure, raising more than $215,000 from 550+ backers in less than a week, with 29 days still to go.

The prototype Dream Pen sent to me is a dark blue urushi. It's a gorgeous color.

The goal of the Dream Pen is to make the Japanese urushi and maki-e artistry available “without the luxury markups.” In other words, Wancher is taking aim at a lower-cost market segment disregarded by the likes of Platinum and Nakaya, whose urushi pens start around $700 and move very quickly into the thousands for the more intricate and complex designs. While the Dream Pen is certainly not inexpensive, Wancher’s pricing ($350 Kickstarter / $450 retail) is more in line with what you would pay for a custom Edison or Newton pen with similar specs.

Since this was a relatively expensive loaner prototype, I was careful in terms of how hard I used this pen and where I took it, but I did have the opportunity to "test drive" the Dream Pen. So far, I’m impressed. I found the pen extremely comfortable, lightweight and well-balanced, though like almost all urushi pens it can only be used unposted.

The nib on this particular prototype is one of the better JoWo nibs I’ve used, and I suspect that it’s due to the ebonite feed. Nibs fitted to ebonite feeds tend to be wet writers, so while I loved this broad nib, I’ll likely opt for a fine or medium nib on my final Kickstarter reward.

The Dream Pen features an ebonite feed, which are increasingly uncommon on modern pens.

So should you back the Wancher Dream Pen? It’s a lot of money, so here are the pros and cons, from my perspective:

Pros:

The price point, especially at the Kickstarter price. Well-executed urushi pens with gold nibs and ebonite fees can easily run $700-plus, so if you’ve been considering a similar pen from Platinum or Nakaya, the Wancher should be on your radar.
The Dream Pen features a JoWo nib and non-proprietary cartridge/converter compatibility. I’ve seen some comments to the effect that a JoWo nib is a drawback, in that it’s “boring” and there isn’t any detailing like on Nakaya's gorgeous nibs. Fair enough. But the drawback to Nakaya nibs is (1) the price, and (2) that you're locked into the proprietary Platinum converter, which I don’t necessarily like, and the proprietary Platinum cartridges.
The construction and the build on the Dream Pen are high-quality. The spring-loaded cap was a surprise, and creates a very secure closure. I could not locate a single flaw in the Urushi finish. The pen feels great in the hand and is very well-balanced.

Cons:

Price. Regardless of how this pen compares to other urushi offerings, $350-450 is a LOT of money to spend on a pen - especially a Kickstarter project where you won't have the reward in your hands until late summer, early fall (assuming no delays in production).
Non-lacquered threads. In an effort to keep costs down - which is completely understandable - the Dream pen features non-lacquered ebonite threads. I personally like the contrast, but some may think that they make the pen look unfinished.
JoWo nib. See above. Some people don’t like how they look or write, but as I've said before, it's unrealistic to expect smaller companies to offer a house-made nib and still keep pricing reasonable.
As of now, the Dream Pen does not give you the option of adding a clip, and, like most urushi pens, the Dream Pen does not post.

I ended up deciding to back this pen, and I really hope that there is a yellow urushi option at some point. I’ve been going back and forth on a Nakaya Portable Writer in Nanohana-Iro (yellow) for the past couple years, but I’ve had trouble justifying the $700+ price tag for the pen that I want. I owned a standard black Portable Writer a few years ago, and while I enjoyed the pen, I ended up selling it mainly because it hadn’t spoken to me in the way it would have needed to in order to justify keeping that much money invested. I’m more comfortable with the Dream Pen as a price/value proposition.

The size of the dream pen is roughly equivalent to a Montblanc 146, though slightly fatter and longer. Both pens shown here in a Wancher leather two-pen case.

The fact that this project, to date, has raised over $200,000 in less than a week leaves me somewhat speechless. It definitely speaks to the number and market power of pen enthusiasts around the world, because prior to this, I would have thought “Japanese urushi fountain pens” to be the definition of a hyper-niche market. Wancher has struck a chord, and hopefully this project turns into a massive success and serves as the debut of an exciting new player in the international fountain pen market.

Disclaimer: Wancher loaned me this pen free of charge for review purposes, to be returned upon completion of the review. The pen case pictured in this review was provided free of charge, for review purposes.

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!

Nib and Overall Writing Experience

Read More on Pocket Writing at T.G.S.

Details on How to Get the Wingback Fountain Pen

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Where to Buy

Check Out Benu Pens on Indiegogo

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