Retro 51 Tornado Stainless Steel Pencil Review

Retro 51 does make some pretty sweet products.  The Snapper?  Not so much in my opinion, but we won't really rehash that. 

I don't often write with pencils, nor do I own very many.  I'm pretty sold on ink... The Retro 51 Tornado pencil I thought might be cool, but never really had plans of acquiring one.  That was until I went to Scottsdale Pen about 6 months ago... 

While perusing the displays at Scottsdale Pen I noticed that Jay had a stainless steel gift set of both the rollerball Tornado as well as the pencil which caught my eye.  Upon closer inspection I noticed that the price on it was only $30 which I thought was crazy, but he may have just been trying to clear it out.  The wheels began to turn... I had plans of buying my wife a stainless steel Tornado soon anyway, and thought, "she could get the pen and I could get the pencil."  That logic seemed sound to me, so I went home with a new set to share with Mrs. Dudek.  Win-Win, right?    

The Tornado pencil is built solid like the regular rollerballs which I was very pleased with.  It feels great in your hand and has a nice weight to it.  It isn't a click mechanism pencil, but a twist.  The knurled section on the top spins and extends and retracts the lead and feels really smooth.  Essentially, if you've used a Tornado, this thing is identical; no shortcuts or changes, but just an eraser.  

The eraser on the top is pretty huge, but goes with the overall aesthetic of the pen I think.  It is nice and squishy and does the job well.  Retro sells both black or white erasers if you felt inclined to live a bit on the wild side... 

To be honest, as neat as this pencil is I don't know if I quite have a purpose for it.  This would not be a good every day writer in my opinion because the oddly sized 1.15mm lead (can we say proprietary?) is like writing with the blunt end of a stick.  I mean, this sized lead might be good for marking a scorecard or something, but it doesn't strike me as a size that would be comfortable to use for extended periods of time.  To keep a remotely clean line you have to turn this one pretty often to keep on the sharp side (if you consider 1.15mm sharp...). 

To load the lead is kind of an ordeal too as it works kind of like a lead holder.  No, popping out the eraser to shove about 5 leads in there to use for awhile.  You put a single piece of lead down into the tip and then twist the knurled section to retract it back until it is loaded.  I guess it isn't that weird considering it is a twist mechanism, but isn't overly convenient to store spares if you did opt to use it for writing. 

Retro still makes their Hex-o-matic pencils (nod to Rotring 600) in a 0.7mm which would make for a good every day use pencil.  It would be nice if the Tornado pencil had a thinner line, or at least the option of buying a Tornado in a 0.7mm or even a 0.9mm.

Very cool product that is well built; don't really have a use for it unfortunately. 

 

Lamy Noto Ballpoint Black - Pen Review

 I found this pen on Lamy's website and thought to myself, "how have I not seen this?"  This particular black one I purchased on eBay, but I also have an orange one (discontinued) that I found on clearance at Cult Pens  in the UK... follow up photos forthcoming when it arrives.

The Lamy Noto is actually a really cool pen!  Although they are just molded plastic, the design makes for a really unique choice for an "inexpensive" pen.   At a retail price of $14 (I didn't pay that much), its probably about as close to a disposable Lamy as you'll get.  Although, the plastic Tipo might be cheaper.

The barrel is actually triangular in shape and I really quite like it.  It seems that most things Lamy makes are on the edge of cool and weird.  I honestly think that this fine line, as well as their impecable quality, is what makes them so unique as a brand that draws people in and keeps them coming back for more.  

This pen is very sturdy and the molded plastic is very dense.  It does not feel flimsy or cheap in the least.  The knock doesn't actually have a "click" noise, but more squishes into place.  It is stiff and responsive though and doesn't feel awkward.  The spring on the inside is a little squeaky when you push in the knock.  

This pen takes the Lamy M16 ballpoint refill which is pretty good.  There is a Monteverde Soft Roll refill that is compatible which is also an option if the M16 isn't quite your favorite.  I don't mind this refill for a ballpoint though as it seems to be a pretty consistant writer. 

My only real concern long term with this pen is the clip.  The plastic in the clip is pretty flexible which I imagine will start to bend outward over time with use.  Again, for a cheaper pen this may not be a huge issue, but does limit the lifetime usage of the pen for someone if Lamy did decide to discontinue it completely. 

Overall, very happy with this one and I could see myself recommending it as an every day desk or carry pen for someone that wants a unique and fun instrument that they can enjoy, but not worry too much about.

If they only made a version in metal... 

Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen Review

A friend of mine kindly sent this little pen over to me after a discussion about the TWSBI Mini vs Kaweco AL Sport.  You know who you are and I want to again say thank you for sending me such a fine pen to enjoy.

Kaweco is one of the pen brands that is most fascinating to me.  Even more so because it is a very old brand that is less mainstream; less publicized or flashy than other brands like Lamy (whom I also love).  There is kind of a mystique to the brand (for me) that produces this unique faceted design that has withstood nearly the last century. 

I was interested in finding some history around Kaweco and discovered this really great presentation of slides from Kaweco.com.  There are a lot of pictures that go through examples of Kaweco pens over the last 100+ years.  Pretty awesome as they have held very true to their heritage.  If anyone has any vintage Kaweco pens that they would like to share images of or stories about, please do.

I really enjoy metal barrel pens and the Kaweco is no exception.  Although small, this pen feels amazing in your hand.  It is well built, sturdy, and frankly, beautiful.  The body finish is more of a matte and is soft to the touch in a rich blue color accented with a silver logo and white lettering.   

It is a small pen, but with the cap posted it extends pleasantly out to the right size and feels very well balanced.  Although metal, it is light enough (yet weighty enough) to feel comfortable writing with for extended periods of time. 

Also being a small pen, the nib seems a bit tiny (about the size of a dime) when compared to a more full-sized fountain pen, but the writing experience is not hindered whatsoever.  Don't let the small nib psych you out into thinking it will be strange to write with!  

This particular Kaweco came with an EF nib which made me a bit nervous at first because I generally prefer a wider line, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually like the finer nib.  It makes me slow down my writing a bit (and write smaller), but the ink flow was very good with the Kaweco blue cartridge and the line was nice and dark.  It made my handwriting a bit neater it seemed which is a plus.  I'm still putting it through its paces, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.  I did order an M nib from Jetpens and may do a follow-up review to compare the ink flow when this cartridge is out. 

My thoughts about why Kaweco pens are less mainstream are because there is a limited selection of pen types, it is a "unique" product in size and aesthetic, and the price barrier to entry may be high for people.  The Classic Sports run about $20-25, but to make the jump to an AL Sport pushes the price up to $70+.  Without using or handling one, this would be something to weigh pretty heavily on before buying one.    

After handling my AL Sport ballpoint and also this AL Sport fountain pen, the build quality is superb and, in my opinion, worth the money.  It is a special item that also has a value of ownership all of its own.   

All I know is that from my experience this will likely not be the only AL Sport fountain pen that I own in the near future.  The raw aluminum is pretty enticing...  Cult Pens even carries a capped rollerball version in the raw aluminum; for convenience and looks, (and the fact that it takes the Schmidt Cap-less Rollerball) that one almost has me pegged too.