Retro 51 Tornado "Surfin" Review and Giveaway!

Retro 51 has done it again! Actually, I received two Retro 51 Tornados in the same week... the newest "Surfin" Tornado Popper and the Joey Feldman and Vanness Pens Artist Series. Both are super awesome.

A couple of years ago Retro came out with a wood grained "Vintage Surf" edition which people went wild over (and still do apparently). I owned and enjoyed one of them and eventually sold it to a buddy that was on the hunt for one, but I think I like the new "Surfin" edition a bit better... it definitely pops and is more fun in my opinion.

Although I've reviewed several Tornados on the blog over the years, I'll do a bit of a recap on the main points:

- Rollerball refill is the Schmidt P8126 (or Parker Style ballpoint)
- Twist mechanism on top to extend the tip
- Mostly metal construction (good weight)
- A great "gateway" pen...

What makes the Tornado stand out for most people is the seriously amazing refill it comes with. The Schmidt P8126 lays down a nice dark line and is pretty smooth. It is one of those refills people write with and say, "oooh, I like this pen!" Wherein they promptly try to walk off with it....

For those not initiated into the pen obsessed world, the Tornado is also a pen I recommend if someone is looking to buy a gift or get something that is nicer than the standard office junk. Its the type of pen someone can spend $30-50 on that turns a pen from something disposable into a possession that they cherish which is pretty awesome.

The styling of the new "Surfin" edition is spot on. The smooth and glossy acrylic barrel is a vintage off-white color that is adorned with brown and teal colored stripes, a surfer dude logo, all of which wraps up nicely into a package reminiscent of a freshly waxed surfboard.

The knock and tip are a nicely antiqued silver color and the end of the pen is capped with a nice blue translucent disc making a nod undoubtedly to the ocean water where you'd be catching a wave. It is perfect.

The Tornado Popper series is usually limited to around 500 pieces, but this time they released 1261, so there are likely a few still floating around at various retailers.

Retro 51 was kind enough to send me TWO "Surfin" Tornados... one for review and one to giveaway to a reader of The Clicky Post! Thanks Retro 51!  

Up for grabs is #1107 and see the details below of how to enter.

CONTEST RULES (the "fine print"):

- Contest will run through Sunday, May 8th and will end at 11:59pm Arizona Time, USA

- To enter, leave a comment below (limited to one entry per person; no cheating!): What was your first pen you considered to be a "nice" pen (that you would have been sad to lose)? It doesn't have to be an overly expensive pen, but maybe one that has sentimental value? No right answer!

- I will arrange the entries in numerical order and randomly select a winner.  The winner will be announced on the blog on Monday, May 9th and will need to connect with me within a week to claim their prize. 

- This giveaway is open to both US and International readers.

Announcing The Morse by Dudek Modern Goods - Limited Edition

I'm so pleased to announce a collaboration between my Dudek Modern Goods brand and artist Matthew Morse (@heymatthew on Twitter and Instagram) that has been in the works for almost a year!

We're calling it very appropriately, The Morse.

Matthew has been featured on The Clicky Post before to discuss his work as a graphic artist as well as to share more about his very unique and popular folded nib lettering style. I respect and appreciate his work so much and knew that we needed to work together on a creative project.

What we came up with together is a solid walnut dip pen work station that holds two small amber bottles of your favorite ink, a rest to place your current dip pen, as well as some space to store two additional nib holders. We expect that through years of use these pieces will eventually be splattered and inked up to develop some character of their own. 

To be included with each of the walnut stands, Matthew created 20 original pieces of his work (not reprints) in the form of a quote by Leo Tolstoy:

"If you want to be happy, be."

I feel it a huge privilege to have had the opportunity to work with Matthew on this and we hope they will be enjoyed by their new owners. This is a limited edition run of only 20 pieces so they should go pretty quick! Thanks for taking a look.

Montegrappa Copper Mule Fountain Pen Review

Even though I have owned and used A LOT of pens, the brand Montegrappa is one I've yet to have experience with. They recently released a copper version of their Fortuna series called the Mule and their US distributor, Kenro Industries, were kind enough to send me one for review.

Montegrappa would be what I consider to be a luxury brand. Some of the pens they offer are very ornate and elaborate, but the Fortuna is one of the more conservative models.

Although the shape and overall look of the Fortuna is a bit simpler than their other models, sheathing it in solid, raw copper and brushed stainless steel created a stunner with the Mule.

Being made of heavier metals like copper, the pen has some pretty considerable heft. That being said, I don't find it to be overly heavy and in a range that would deter a lot of potential customers. Although, even though the cap does post I find that writing with it on the pen makes it a bit too heavy.

Also, being a raw copper pen it attracts all kinds of fingerprints and develops a patina super quick. If this bothers you, this may not be the right choice.

As a bit of a crown on the cap, there is adhered a metal emblem with "1912". This inherently doesn't mean anything to the average consumer as it isn't the brand name or logo, but represents the year the company was founded in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. They have an interesting video on their website about the history which may be fun for you to check out.

As mentioned above, the Mule is a bit of an eye catching pen. Since I've been carrying it for the review over the past few weeks, you'd be surprised at how many of my non-pen colleagues and friends have reached to take it out of my front pocket. It's that little bit of copper shining right above the fabric that seems to call out that something interesting is there...

The pen itself isn't made from all copper like variations of the Karas Kustoms Ink pen and does have plastic/resin internals. The copper outside I'd imagine is drawn out through a die rather than machining, but fits snugly over whatever is holding it altogether underneath. The build quality itself feels extremely solid overall for the pen. Nothing is loose, misaligned, "thrown together", or amiss.

I really like the chunky threads look...

I own a few of what I would consider to be "expensive" pens like a couple of Montblancs, Sailors, higher end Pilots, etc, and the common thing among them all is how solid they feel. Not sure if this is really what you're paying for sometimes, but it seems to help. The Mule isn't a cheap pen coming in at a retail price of $375 (street price a bit lower), which puts you into Pelikan M405, full size Sailor pens, or even a couple of nice Pilots.

The difference is that these other pens come with gold nibs while the Mule comes with a steel. Now, steel nibs can actually be quite awesome if not better performers than gold sometimes depending on your preferences, but the issue of price is usually always tied to material. Usually gold nib = more expensive while steel nib = less expensive. Not so much the case with this particular Montegrappa, but could be understandable with the copper, etc.

The nib has quite a bit of feedback (maybe a bit on the scratchy side) and tends to write a little dry. No real issues with slow starts or skipping, but it isn't really my preference. Initially I thought it was going to make the experience with the pen a bit rough, but I became more acclimated to it.

I love the look of the brushed stainless steel section against the copper. It looks amazing! Although I did find it a bit slick from time to time after longer writing stints. 

The clip is extremely sturdy and matches the other accents of being a brushed stainless. It also has a little wheel to make pocketing easier and to add some visual texture.  

Like I said, the Montegrappa Mule is a total stunner. In the looks department we're talking a 10/10 in my opinion. The nib being a little scratchier and drier than I'd like lowers my writing experience a bit, but is still a really cool pen to write with nonetheless.

Thanks again to Kenro for sending it my way to check out.