First Impressions: Spoke Pen with Uni Signo UM-151 (DX) Refill

March 13, 2019

One of my pickups from this month’s Baltimore Pen Show was a Spoke Pen prototype that Brad was kind enough to give me for review. I opted for red (of course), and all of the prototypes Brad brought to the show had titanium grips, which was just fine with me because it makes this pen a perfect match for my red/titanium Spoke Pencil Model 4. While my personal interests focus on fountain pens, I regularly use a handful of others, including two Montblanc rollerballs, my Lamy 2000 multi pen, a Ti Arto Universal Refill Pen, and a few Baux Pens loaded with Bic Cristal refills. The Spoke Pen is a unique addition because it’s the first machined pen designed specifically for the Uni UM-151 (DX) refill, an excellent fine-tip gel pen that until now has been restricted to my Ti Arto. Since this pen is a prototype, and since I’ve only had it in my hands for a couple weeks, this post will take the form of a shorter “first impressions” piece.

On the left, the Spoke Pen. On the right, the Spoke Pencil Model 4.

By far my favorite feature of any Spoke Design product is the grip section.

Things I Like

Design. I’ve owned a Spoke Pencil Model 4 for the past year or so, and also backed the Baux Pen 2 (which comes from the same “family”), so I’m a fan of Spoke Design. The Spoke Pen definitely shares the same DNA in terms of durable feel, great balance, and a modern, industrial look that appeals to me. I like the look of what I refer to as the “mixed metal” pens, combining an aluminum barrel with a titanium grip section. It makes for a durable, yet lightweight writing instrument.
Magnetic Closure. Brian also runs the “Strong Like Bull” magnet company, so of course the Spoke Pen was going to feature a magnetic cap closure. The cap closes firmly with very little play. Due to its strength, the magnet will attract little metal items on your desk like paper clips, etc., just be warned!
Grip. Though it’s part of the overall design of the pen, the grip on the Spoke Pen warrants separate mention. In my opinion, Spoke Design has perfected the grip of a machined metal pen. Rather than traditional knurling, the Spoke Pen, Spoke Pencil, and Baux Pen all use tightly spaced rings around the section. This sort of grip is quite comfortable to use over long periods of time, and doesn’t leave pressure marks on your fingers. The Ti Arto features a similar grip, but Spoke spaces the rings closer together, which I prefer.
Refill. The Signo UM-151 (“DX”) refill is one of the more popular fine-tip gel refills on the market, mainly because of the wide range of available colors and tip sizes. While my prototype came loaded with a black .5mm refill, I swapped that out for a .38mm red-black refill that I picked up at Kinokuniya in New York. I can’t say that the Signo DX is my all-time favorite gel refill, but it’s up there and does an excellent job. As I mentioned, the selection of colors is unparalleled.

The magnetic cap snaps shut firmly, and the clip is tight. Apart from the finish, which will wear on any metal pen, the Spoke Pen should be a highly durable writing instrument that will give you years of long-term use.

Potential Issues

I only spotted a couple of issues with the Spoke Pen, and it’s too early to say whether these are points that actually will end up bothering me over the long run, since this particular pen (1) is a prototype and (2) has only been in my hands for less than two weeks.

Posting. The Spoke Pen doesn’t post. Two years ago this would have been a deal-breaker for me, and I wouldn’t have backed the project, but I’ve recently expanded my horizons into some larger, non-posting fountain pens so it may end up not being an issue. Since this is a gel pen, I’ve been able to leave the pen uncapped on my desk while I’m using it without experiencing any skipping or drying out.
Anodized Finish. I’m withholding final comment on the finish, since this is a prototype, but I’ll note that there are a few spots of wear on the black clip, and places on the edges of the cap and around the “jewels” where the anodizing is already starting to wear away. With respect to the cap edges, that’s entirely predictable because you have a metal cap sliding onto a knurled metal section and there’s no real way to prevent it. Plus, it’s not noticeable when the cap is closed. Wear to the finish will eventually give the pen a “stonewashed” look, which you may or may not like depending on your personal preferences.

From left, the Ti Arto Universal Refill pen, which is the only other pen in my arsenal to accept the Signo DX; the Spoke Pen, and the Spoke Pencil 4.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Like all Spoke Design products, the Spoke Pen is well designed and well made. If you’re looking for a machined pen specifically designed to house your Signo DX refill, you may not have many choices out there, but you’ll be hard-pressed to do better than this one. I’ve personally gravitated to Spoke products over the past couple of years (Spoke Pencil/Baux Pens) due to the grip, which I find much more comfortable than other options on the market. I ended up backing the Kickstarter project for the “two pens” reward level, and will likely end up using these similar to how I use my Baux Pens: to house various colors and tip sizes of specific refills that I like to use for certain purposes.

Unfortunately, the Spoke Pen Kickstarter has now closed, so if you didn’t back you’ll have to wait until Brad and Brian finish project fulfillment and officially launch the project before getting your hands on one of these. In the meantime, if the design appeals to you and you’re a fan of mechanical pencils, you can purchase an excellent Spoke Pencil, which now comes available in Model 4 and Model 5.

Disclaimer: Spoke Design and Brad Dowdy provided me with this prototype pen for review purposes, free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and have separately backed the Kickstarter project.

First Impressions: Aurora 88 Unica Nera

February 13, 2019

I didn’t explore Aurora as a brand that might seriously interest me until last year. Sure, I’d previously reviewed a few pens on loan from Kenro, the Aurora distributor, or that I’d borrowed from friends, but I hadn’t invested any of my own resources in the brand. That changed when I acquired the “Black Ops” Talentum released last year. Since then, I’ve picked up a few more, including an 88 Sigaro Blu, an 88 Minerali, and this year’s “stealth” release, the 88 Unica Nera.

The trim on the Aurora 88 Unica Nera and the Talentum Black Ops is quite different. I like them both, but I might prefer the lighter “gunmetal” look.

The Unica Nera is a natural follow-up to two other pens already in Aurora’s lineup, the Aurora 88 Satin Black, and the 88 “Ottantotto” demonstrator. Aurora’s latest combines the matte black barrel of the Satin Black with the Ottantotto’s black-plated trim. The result should please fans of “stealth” or “blacked out” pens, and on the whole the Unica Nera is a great pen, but there are a few nits that I think are open to critique.

A size comparison between the Talentum Black Ops and the Aurora 88 Unica Nera. The pens are actually close to the same size, but the Talentum feels bigger due to the larger cap.

What Do I Like About The Unica Nera?

Like the Aurora 88 Satin Black, it’s a lightweight pen, despite being a piston filler. The Unica Nera is also well-balanced, and I could write with this pen all day posted. I say posted because the Unica Nera is so light that I need to post the cap as a counterweight. The cap posts deeply and doesn’t make the pen too long.
The matte finish on this pen looks impeccable and the texture feels great in the hand. There are no no injection molding lines or visible flaws in the finish on either the cap or the barrel.
The Aurora 88 has a very large ink capacity, and the piston turns smoothly without sticking. Aurora pistons can sometimes be difficult to flush clean, but I’ve changed inks in this one a couple times with no issues.
The Unica Nera features the same 14k plated nib as the Talentum Black Ops, and in my case, both are fine nibs. The fine nib in my Unica Nera writes a much finer line than my Black Ops, despite having the same nib designation, though it writes smoothly and with perfect ink flow. In my experience, Aurora nibs have some variability in terms of line width (they’re made in-house), and are known to write with a bit of “tooth.” In a couple of cases, I’ve found the “toothiness” to cross the line into “scratchiness” due to ever-so-slight misalignment of the tines, though I’ve always been able to fix the issue with nothing more than a loupe and my fingernail.

Both of these nibs are black-plated fine nibs, though one writes much finer than the other. The Talentum nib is more of a medium.

Things I’m Not Sure About / Small Criticisms

The Unica Nera is an extremely lightweight pen. Part of me wishes that this one had a bit of additional heft to it. Sometimes when I’m writing with this pen I find myself thinking that it’s just a touch insubstantial.
The matte black clip and the shiny black cap band don’t match. This could be a design choice, where Aurora tried to add some contrast to a pen that would otherwise be one-dimensional, but I’d rather see them do this by varying the tone of the plating on the trim, which brings me to….
I prefer the look of the trim on the Talentum Black Ops, which has a more traditional ruthenium/gunmetal tone than the plating on the Unica, which appears to be identical to the trim used on the “Ottantotto” black demonstrator. All three pens use the same nib, which has the gray/gunmetal hue.

I like pens with ink windows. Here, the Unica Nera is showing off some Robert Oster FIre & Ice.

“So What About the Durability of the Trim?”

Ever since I published my initial piece on the Talentum Black Ops, I’ve had to field questions about the durability of the trim, and I will answer them here: No, I’ve not had any issues with the trim wearing off the clip, cap band, or any other areas. I did hear that there was a bad batch of pens with defective trim that I believe went to Europe, which caused a delay in the Black Ops’ global release, and some of those pens might remain in circulation, but I’ve personally had no problems. In general, I’ve had good luck with the trim on my stealth pens, including not only the Talentum but also my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black and Sailor 1911 Black Luster models.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Some people are tired of the “all black” look, but I’m not, especially where it’s well-executed. These understated workhorses are pens that I can use all day at the office, and look great without drawing unwanted attention. I’ve been using the Unica Nera at work for the past couple of weeks, and can confirm that it’s a lightweight, easy pen to write with for extended periods of time, and sports a firm fine nib that’s I’ve enjoyed using for planner notes and annotation. If you don’t have a black trim pen in your collection, the Unica Nera is definitely worthy of your consideration.

These pens are relatively new, and therefore still making their way to most retailers. Pen Chalet currently has them in stock, priced at $585, which is around the typical price point of an Aurora 88. The Unica Nera is slightly more expensive than the Satin Black but far less expensive than the Ottantotto demonstrator.

Disclaimer: I received the pen featured in this review directly from Kenro Industries, Aurora’s North American distributor and a sponsor of this blog, and paid with “store credit” that I received in exchange for sidebar advertising. This post contains affiliate links.

First Impressions: KOSMOS Ink Fountain Pen

June 30, 2018

Confession: I had stopped backing pens on Kickstarter a while ago, and honestly had lost interest in the platform, because I felt that a lot of the Kickstarter pens out there weren't doing enough to innovate and distinguish themselves from one another. So, I unfortunately missed the launch of the KOSMOS ink, the newest offering from German design house Stilform. When they reached out and asked whether I'd be willing to review their pen, I was pleased to see something truly different, in terms of both design and functionality. The original KOSMOS pen won a Red Dot design award back in 2016, and Stilform recently learned that the KOSMOS ink has won the 2018 Red Dot award!

Most of the attention this pen has received focuses on the KOSMOS ink's magnetic cap, and for good reason. The cap not only closes securely, but it realigns itself so that the facets on the cap line up with the facets on the body. To uncap the pen, all you need to do is twist the cap slightly and it pops off - magnetic force once again!

The manufacturing quality on this pen appears excellent. The facets line up, and the magnetic cap is shockingly accurate in terms of how well it orients the cap/body facets without having to be adjusted.

But my favorite aspect of this pen isn't the magnetic cap - it's the double-faceted body. I enjoy the streamlined design of clipless pens, but the "roll off the table factor" prevents them from being something I use regularly at work. The KOSMOS fixes this issue by adding facets on two sides. (Note, KOSMOS also offers the opportunity to add a clip to your pen, which also looks cool though I haven't seen it in person.)

I'll also add that the anodization on this pen is high quality. There are no visible flaws on my prototype and the texture feels great in the hand.

Since the cap and the body are the same diameter with no taper, the KOSMOS isn't going to post. I didn't find that to be an issue, since this pen has near-perfect balance. The section provides a lot of gripping area, without any cap threads to dig into your fingers. It's a very comfortable writing experience.

KOSMOS ink uses Bock nibs, which is a perfectly appropriate choice. I had no issues with the fine nib that shipped with my pen. The filling system is cartridge/converter, and the prototype I received included a Pelikan "long" cartridge.

Takeaways and Where to Buy (Updated)

The KOSMOS ink has now closed on Kickstarter, and with the project raising more than €260,000 with more than 2600 backers. That's an incredible performance for a fountain pen Kickstarter, and after having the opportunity to test this pen out for myself, I think the backers are going to be happy. The pricing seems fair as well, with aluminum pens starting at around $69 USD, and a titanium version also available for about $127 USD. While the Kickstarter project has closed, Stilform has opened up an Indiegogo page, and if this pen interests you, you can still back the project here. There are also several potential add-ons, including pen cases, stands, a converter, and a clip (as mentioned above).

Disclaimer: Many thanks to the team at Stilform for providing me with a review unit, free of charge.