Appelboom Pens and Stationery (sponsor)

Appelboom is a pen retailer that has been serving the Netherlands for over 20 years and has a fantastic reputation for customer care and value. I've made several purchases from them myself and I always receive my pens promptly and well packaged (gift wrapped actually!).

They carry an extensive variety of pens from our favorite brands like Sailor, LAMY, Kaweco, and also carry luxury brands like Montblanc. I've personally found several unique models that I've not seen carried by other retailers, so definitely take a look at their lineup.

For buyers outside of the EU, the pricing removes the included 21% VAT (value added tax) which can often translate into big savings for more expensive pens with Appelboom's competitive pricing.

Also, when placing an order use the promo code FRIEND for 10% off of your purchase* for more savings.

Thanks so much to Appelboom for sponsoring The Clicky Post! 

(*The promo code is not applicable for Montblanc pens due to their non-discount policies, but is available for all other brands.)

Baux Pen Part II - Not just your ordinary BiC

This one is taking us way back (well, way back for The Clicky Post) to 2013 when I was contacted by a pair of brothers that said they wanted to make a cool metal barrel for a standard BiC pen…

Of course I was intrigued!

I love when makers come up with new, unique ideas (even when they sometimes make you question whether they make sense…even better) and Dan and Brian have done this more times than once over the last few years.

The reason this is Part II is because the guys decided to revisit their original design of the Baux Pen (pronounced “box”) to make it more refined and to give it an overall facelift. Over the last couple of years I’ve watched as they’ve progressed their machining and design prowess on another product line of theirs, the Spoke mechanical pencil series, and it has been awesome to see their new products hit the scene.

Baux II vs Baux I

They’ve brought Baux Part II again to a Kickstarter campaign which has already funded and is still running now.

The original Baux Pen was very simple. Machined from one piece of aluminum with just a few options for color, and their logo was hand stamped with a hammer onto each pen. Still, super fun and super cool.

What we have on Part II are pens that have three individual pieces that are machined with more precision and refinement as I mentioned above. This isn’t a knock on the original by any means, but is meant as a compliment to call out how nicely their products are being made today with the shop they work with. Progression and improvement are amazing qualities that I love to see from companies that send me products to review.

The three pieces are the grip section, main barrel, and end cap. All of these parts unthread and, with this new Kickstarter, allow for more mixing and matching which is fun.

The grip sections come in both aluminum and titanium options, but the barrels and end caps are limited to aluminum.

There is almost a joke within the pen world of “oh, I won’t use just any BiC pen” like a derogatory statement against the simplicity and disposability of the humble Stic or Crystal. This is primarily why I love this project so much since the guys turned that on its head. In essence they’re saying, '“No, you love that BiC. OWN the use of that BiC. And, make it look snazzy in the process.”

One thing that a lot of people might not know is that many incredible artists create their works using just a simple BiC pen and, by volume, BiC produces the most pens of any company in the world. So, yeah.

To refill the pens, you can simply buy big multipacks of the BiC Stics and Crystals you like and then swap in the parts and you’re good to go.

One interesting thing about the Baux pen is the fact that it uses the BiC cap to close the pen rather than machining their own. Not only does it cover the tip when not in use, but they machined the pen with tapers on both ends to also allow for posting.

I consider using the original cap as a nod to the BiC as well, but also helps to cut down on cost for these too I’d wager. Although, a fully machined pen and cap would be cool… or even a BiC Clic version?

The grip section on the pens have 21 machined grooves spaced a couple millimeters apart which are quite comfortable and help a considerable amount with keeping hold of the pen.

Another thing they added to this project is the ability to customize the pen with your own name or phrase which is neat.

From a cost standpoint these are considerably cheap. For the standard aluminum versions they start as a 3-pack running just $9 per pen body which is pretty cool. The prices do go up as you get into titanium, but not too bad.

And, the finish and quality in these are fantastic at such a reasonable price. Bravo guys.

These are projects I love to see happen and I think it is a lot of fun what they’ve produced. Even though they sent me a few samples, I’m definitely going to back the project for a few more. I did this with the original Baux Pen and found I gave a few away to friends that liked them too.

Special thanks again to Dan and Brian for sending these my way to check out and definitely go take a look at their Kickstarter campaign which wraps up soon.

Reissue of the rOtring 600 Ballpoint - Return of an Icon

If you’ve followed the blog for a few years, you’ll know that for a period I had somewhat of a rOtring obsession. (putting it mildly actually…) “New” rOtring products didn’t quite fit my fancy, but more of the “vintage” variety of the discontinued 600 series ballpoint, rollerball, fountain, and multipens. I couldn’t get enough of them.

My unreasonable collection at one point…

In a way, I have a sort of reverence for the rOtring 600 series. To me it is a line of products that stand out as truly unique and influential design pieces that really haven’t been evenly matched when an engineering/technical type of aesthetic is desired. And, I never get tired of them.

They certainly stand the test of time for me, and as we all saw on the secondary market, these pens rose in prominence and price. To get your hands on one of the now discontinued ballpoint pens would easily cost more than $100, and for fountain pens and rollerballs upwards of $200 or more.

The history of rOtring gets a little blurry over the years… sometimes things were produced in Germany, sometimes in Japan, with logo or no logo. Ultimately the company was acquired by Newell-Rubbermaid, the parent company of brands like PaperMate and this is when we saw a dramatic decline in the 600 series.

The odd thing is that they continued to produce the beloved 600 pencil series without pause, all while fans were anxious to get their hands on pens that were becoming rarer and rarer. Very strange.

Well, sometime within the past year I caught word that rOtring Japan had officially done a reissue of the 600 ballpoint and I knew I needed to get my hands on some. Initially these were somewhat tough to get your hands on, but now they are starting to hit more mainstream buying sites (you can even get them on Amazon Prime in the US) which I’m so pleased about.

How does the new pen compare to the original?

I can honestly say they did a stellar job in the reissue and I’ve been carrying the new ones just as much as the old (since I’m also not afraid now to beat them up!).

In comparison to the original there are some definite variances, but nothing to me that would make a true fan outcry in anger as they didn’t skimp in producing a great pen.

Like the original, the entire pen is made of brass which gives it a sturdy heft. This is one of my favorite things about this pen is just how solid it feels. It is what I’d consider a thin pen by comparison to others, but its weight gives it a substantial feeling while writing.

On the new they kept the proportions exactly, but the subtle differences I noticed were that the edges of the hex are just slightly rounder than the originals and the knurling is a smaller, tighter pattern. If you weren’t looking at them side by side, someone probably wouldn’t notice.

One major difference is the removal of the spinning color indicator sleeve that sits right below the knock on the original models. While this adds interest to the pen, it was one of those features that I’d say the majority of people wouldn’t really use too often and I don’t consider it a tremendous loss. I DO appreciate that they removed it so that vintage collectors can still tell what is new and what is original by a quick glance.

600 vs 800 Models

In the past there was only the “600” that had two variations: the simpler, fixed pipe model with a click knock and the fancier “gold” versions with a fully retractable tip and twist mechanism.

Today, we refer to the “gold” models as the 800 series and these have been available in pencil form also even up through modern issue.

In addition to the re-releasing of the 600 ballpoint, rOtring Japan also sprung to recreate the 800 model which is pretty fantastic. More so than the original “600s”, the retractable gold versions are more rare and can fetch close to $300 or $400, out of reach for most fans. Luckily, I scored my originals in some auctions that let them go for a fair price, but I was excited to see that these were done too.

The 800 series is slightly larger (just slightly..) and is bit more front heavy due to the thicker, polished brass fixture on the end, but doesn’t outweigh the 600 by much, just 0.1 or 0.2 oz. It feels different in the hand though.

Being a bit more involved and fancier, the 800s do fetch a premium over the 600 that may not be worth it to everyone. I’m really glad they opted for these so that people that have had a desire to get one for a long time can now get their hands on them.

Like the 600, I find the 800s match up in quality to the originals nicely and fans won’t be disappointed.

If you’ve been hoping to get your hands on an original rOtring 600 ballpoint but couldn’t stomach the $140 to get one in the past off eBay, do yourself a favor and go buy one of these new models. I’m confident you’ll get the same enjoyment out of it as you would a vintage one.