The design is a multicolor screenprint in lush greens on a black background with animals hidden in the greenery including showy parrots, sloths, monkeys and wild cats (my animal identification might be incorrect so if you know more accurate descriptions, please leave them in the comments).

My favorite part is the frog end cap. He’s such a cute little guy who peers at you every time you open your pen case or sticks out of your pen cup.

The classic Retro51 Tornado design with its Schmidt rollerball refill is always a go-to at the Desk for on-the-go writing and especially for gateway gifts for loved ones. If you have a friend or family member who loves the tropics and rainforest conservation, grab one of these before they are gone.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Luxury Brands of America for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Mini-Review: Retro51 Rainforest Trust appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Sharpie S-Gel ($1.75, available in 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 1.0mm in black, blue and red) features a knock mechanism, plastic clip and conical point. The S-Gel pen also features a hard rubber grip section and was probably the only thing I wasn’t thrilled about. The etched grooves and hard rubber surface pressed into my hands noticeably. However, the writing experience was excellent. The ink was smooth flowing and consistent, even for this janky lefty.

I got a 0.5mm red as that was all that was in stock when I ordered and the color was a clean, readable red.

The Sharpie Roller 05 ($2.25, available in black, blue and red and also in 0.7mm) features a snap cap with a metal clip and a needletip point. The ink was super smooth and a rich dark black. The pen reminded me of the gateway pen of my youth — the Pilot V5 — it was a delight. The V5 had a tendency to collect paper lint but in the writing I did, the Sharpie Roller seemed a bit smoother and maybe less likely to get clogged with paper fibers and gummy on the end. Longer testing will have to occur to determine for sure.

So far, the Sharpie Roller is a delightful writing experience and I’ll be the first to tell you that rollerballs and I DO NOT GET ALONG. I am a lefty who tends to overwrite which causes me to push the tip and that will inevitably choke a pen feed. But not this rollerball. The longer I wrote, the smoother it felt. The smooth barrel did not have any bumpy grip section either so — surprise, surprise! — I think I like the Sharpie Roller a little more the S-Gel. I know… stunned me too.

As expected, the smooth gel ink in the Sharpie S-Gel is not waterproof or even particularly water resistant but the ink in the Sharpie Roller is highly water resistant when dry.

If you’ve been looking for a new Big Box pen to grab or add to your office stationery cupboard order, I highly recommend the Sharpie S-Gel and Roller. They will not make you groan when you have to pick up a pen off the conference room table or add to your sharing pen cup. But someone else might walk away with them — and that’s okay. You may have started someone down the path to better pens.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Pen Review: Sharpie S-Gel and Roller Pens appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The TRU RED Expert Notetaking Collection was designed to expand and enhance the process of note taking. Studies of all ages have shown that taking notes with pen and paper is often more effective than taking notes digitally. For some reason your brain seems to remember and retain more through the process of physically writing. Taking notes by hand also allows you to doodle, sketch and add a little more creativity to the process. When developing the TRU RED line, the development team spent two years studying note taking techniques used by thinkers like Leonard da Vinci, Charles Darwin and Richard Branson to incorporate the best practices into the notebooks. The result is a line including Pocket, Starter, Explore and Mastery options to help you map, chart, and take great notes. They’ve also added some rollerball and gel pens to help you in the process (and add a little color coding).

I was sent quite a few products to review, and some duplicates for giveaways, so away we go!

The TRU Red Mastery Journal + Pocket Journal ($19.49)

The Mastery Journal has been designed for the “experienced notetaker.” The notebook is a simple black canvas hard cover journal, measuring 8.5″ x 10.25″ (the paper is 8″ x 10″), has approximately 96 sheets/192 pages of narrow ruled white paper. The front inside cover has an envelope for holding loose leaf notes. The first full page outlines the features of the book including: elastic closure, room between the pages and the edges of the journal for a pen, and three different colored ribbons for marking your place (red, black and white). Pages in the journal are numbered and include an index at the front, highlighted top corners for easy bookmarking, small tick marks to aid in adding lines to a page (for creating easy columns), and handy reminder tips at the bottom of the pages. The last pages of the book include a wrap-up section to summarize the contents of the book and highlight anything you might want to explore further.

This package also included a small pocket journal, measuring 3.5″ x 5.5″. The pocket journal has a soft red canvas cover, and contains approximately 24 pages of the same white paper.

The verdict: This is a reasonably priced journal with lots of freedom for note taking, journaling and recording your ideas. If you’re interested in keeping your notebooks longer term (as opposed to taking notes and tossing when you’re done), this is a nice choice. The slim line will be easy to store on shelves and keep things neat and tidy. I do like the metal reinforcements where the elastic loop fits and think they add a nice design touch, as well as a way to keep the edges of the notebook from getting bent with use. The paper is these notebooks is not bad (no specifics – just labeled as white premium paper). The rollerballs and gel pens that are part of the collection worked well, as expected. The paper did handle some fountain pen inks as well though I noticed some feathering of the Colorverse ink. Overall not much bleed through on any of the options. I’d say if you’re a fine to medium nib user and have a light hand (which I do not), you’ll get away with using your fountain pens with this one.

TRU RED Starter Journal ($17.99)

The TRU RED Starter Journal is designed for the notetaker who wants to accomplish their goals. This is a  textured grey hard cover journal, measuring 8.25″ x 10.25″ (the paper is 8″ x 10″), and has approximately 96 sheets/192 pages of narrow ruled white paper. The front inside cover has an envelope for holding loose leaf notes as well as some tips on how to best use the book for note taking. Other features include an elastic closure at the bottom right corner and an elastic pen loop at the spine. Pages in the journal are numbered and come in a variety of formats: plain, narrow-ruled pages for note taking, and every 5 pages a perforated edge for to-do lists, or blank pages for idea sketching.

The verdict: This journal is kind of a mixed bag in terms of what you could use it for. If you find yourself needing to take notes, make to-do lists and occasionally sketching out creative ideas this book might be a good fit for you. The paper in this journal is the same as that up above, albeit with slightly different formatting. Rollerballs and gels work just fine, use some caution with your fountain pens.

TRU RED Graphed Journal ($13.99)

The TRU RED Graphed Journal is a journal for those who love graph paper! The synthetic leather cover is a cross between a soft and hard cover – it has definite form, but it doesn’t feel like there is a harder bit of cardboard inside. The inside front and back pages are a grey and black graph design, and the remainder of the pages are ivory. The book contains 128 sheets/256 pages. There is also an elastic loop for closure, and there are two ribbon bookmarks in black and grey.

The verdict: This is probably the best format for me, mostly because of size and flexibility in taking notes, although of course I’m a dot grid girl. To me this is the perfect book to throw into a purse or a bag; large enough to take decent notes and sketch a design idea, and small enough to be portable. The paper in this book is slightly different, and I found a lot of bleed through with both the Rollerballs and the fountain pen inks. This book might be best for gel pens and ball points.

TRU RED RollerBall Pen (Assorted Colors, 3-pack, $5.99)

These are pretty standard RollerBall pens with a 0.5mm tip, available in Red, Blue and Black. I got one of each in a three pack. The pens are marketed as airplane safe, and have a black matte finish with a steel clip. One bonus is that they do have a small ink window so you can see when you’re running out of ink!

TRU RED Gel Pen (Assorted Colors, 5-pack, $7.29)

These might have been my favorite part of the package because I’m a sucker for a gel pen in fun colors! All of these were 0.7mm and are available in the standard red/blue/black as well as assorted color packs. My 5 colors were red, orange, lime green, teal blue and purple. The green is a bit light, and I didn’t feel like it showed up as well on the ivory paper, but I enjoyed these and will definitely keep using them! They were included as part of this collection so you can color code your notes (I’m totally nerdy enough to love that).

Keep reading for the Giveaway!

So if you’ve read through the reviews, now it’s time for the giveaways. Staples.com was generous enough to send us extras for two prize packages which are:

Prize Package 1 (above):

• TRU RED Starter Journal
• TRU RED Graphed Journal
• TRU RED RollerBall Pen

Prize Package 2 (above):

• TRU RED Graphed Journal
• TRU RED RollerBall Pen
• TRU RED Gel Pen

THE DETAILS: Two lucky winners will be selected from the comments on this post to win their choice of either of the above prize packages.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell us which prize you’d prefer to win and which journals/pens you find the most interesting in this review! Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by midnight CST on Friday, May 21, 2021. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Saturday. Winners will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 7 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purposes of this giveaway by Staples. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Notebook Review & Giveaway: TRU RED Notebooks and Pens appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I love your blog! I had a pen that used Schneider topball 850 refills. I liked that pen but it has been damaged so I’m looking to replace it with something similar that uses the same refills.

Do you know how I would find pens that fit the Schneider topball 850? I tried googling it to no avail.

The Schneider Topball 850 is a standard Euro Rollerball refill that is about 110mm long so there is a lot of options available for pens that would accept that refill.

BigiDesign would be a good option for a pen. They make several pens that would hold the refill including the Ti Arto, Ti Pocket Pro, Ti Arto EDC, and Ti Click EDC. Monteverde Rollerball pens will usually take the standard Euro refills and most high-end rollerball pens from Montegrappa, Aurora, Visconti and Diplomat. Pelikan rollerball pens and refills are listed as being 111mm so they are really close.

Custom pen makers will design their rollerball pens to take either a standard Euro refill or the Schmidt 8126 (not what you want) 90% of the time, Kickstarter projects being the exception where there is a lot more customization for specific types of refills.

If price is an issue, I’d lean towards a Monteverde pen but the BigiDesign is the most compatible should you decide to use a different refill in the future.

Mike asks:

Looking for a ball point refill for a Montblanc Meisterstück Platinum High Detail Solitaire Doué Signum Ballpoint Pen. Originally manufactured in the 90’s. My recent refill purchase came up short, in a very literal way. Seems that I need a refill more on the order of 4.5 inches versus the 3 15/16″ current refill. Any suggestions? Beautiful pen, would love to use it. Thanks.

Mike, whenever I have a question about pen refills, I visit Refillfinder first. In your situation, I’d look in the size guide. While in your case, this did not prove helpful, it usually gleans some useful info.

After some further research, I came across this Ebay listing for a modified refill that will fit older Montblanc pens. Looking at it though, it appears to have a plastic cap added to the end of a modern Montblanc ballpoint refill.

My inclination is, rather than to pay $14 per refill ($7 for the refill and $7 for shipping), to modify an existing modern Montblanc or Monteverde for Montblanc refill by adding a plastic plug to the end of the refill. I suspect this could be done using a plastic cap that comes over the tip of a refill. In a pinch, a drinking straw might work if its sturdy enough (maybe from a child’s sippy cup?) or maybe a sleuthing trip to a local hardware store or hobby shop that specializes in model building for a small diameter dowel. This might be a little too much DIY.  If so, I’d say just buy a few refills from the Ebay vendor and then see if you can pop that plastic cap off and reuse it on future refills. Happy refill hacking!

Dina asks:

I have an old Uni-ball 500 pen. I can’t find refills anywhere. Do you know if there are any compatible refills? The last I one I have is a “Uni ball refill for Uniball 500 and uniball Exceed UBr5-P or UBR 7-P.

In my hunt to find a rollerball replacement for your pen, I found a dead link for a Pentel refill that claimed to fit “Fits Pentel’s EX25 Excalibur pen, Waterman rollerball pens and any pen using Uniball Exceed (UXR-5), and Sheaffer Rollerball II refill.” That leads me to believe that your pen may take a Sheaffer Slim refill ($6.50, available in blue or black) or Waterman Rollerball ($8, also blue or black). I’m making educated guesses here and the refill might not fit but it may be worth trying.

Let me know if you try either of these and if they end up working. Good luck!

Kristin asks:

I have struggled with finding an effective way to sharpen my REALLY big pencils like the Faber Castell 9000 Jumbo, or the Koh-i-Noor Magic chunky pencils. None of the sharpeners I’ve found have an orifice big enough to accommodate this size. Do you have a suggestion about how best to sharpen them?

I ran into the same problem but Caroline at CW Pencil Enterprise had the answer for me: the Möbius & Ruppert Brass Round Double-Hole Sharpener ($8.25). It’s worked with just about every pencil I’ve thrown at it and has a sharpener for Bridge-sized pencils, large jumbo pencils, standard round and hex pencils. It has replaceable blades too. You won’t regret this purchase.

Alex poses a question, like a plant in the audience:

Do you carry any archival stamp ink pads along with your stamps? If not, which ink pads would you recommend for use when using stamps in conjunction with ink swatching?

Funny you should ask! I have been working to stock my favorite ink pads (Ranger Archival) in the shop and I’m happy to announce that some of them have arrived and are now listed in the shop. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, not all the colors and styles have arrived yet but I didn’t want to wait any longer to let everyone know.

Ranger Archival Ink pads (like stated on the proverbial tin) are archival making them acid-free, permanent and waterproof so they are perfect for using with your fountain pen inks, on envelopes and in your journals with other media. Because of their permanent nature, they can bleed through some papers so be sure to do a test either in the back of your notebook or on a scrap piece of paper before committing to a final design — just in case.

I will be stocking the “regular size” ink pads ($6) which feature a 3″x2″ raised inking area. I will also be stocking the mini sets of stamp pads ($12 per set) which offer four colors with small 1″x1.5″ raised pad surfaces. Unlike traditional stamp pads you might find at a big box office supply store, these raised surfaces allow for stamps larger than 3″x2″ to be inked on the pad by gently tapping the stamp across the pad until it is completely covered with ink.

The one color ink pad I desperately wanted to stock — BLACK! — is not in stock yet (Breaking news! I just got a shipping notification from Ranger that our black ink pads are on the way! I should have them in the shop by the end of next week), but we do have some regular-sized ink pads and some mini ink pad sets available. I had been holding off unveiling our ink pad offerings until I had the black pads in hand but you convinced to at least reveal my plans.

Ranger Archival inks also offer re-inker bottles so that pads may be reused for some time. I will be stocking black re-inking bottles but would be happy to add other colors in as demand requires.

Please let me know what colors and ink pad sizes you’d like to see stocked in the shop. And thanks, Alex, for being the question that broke the silence!

The post Ask the Desk: Refills, Sharpeners & Stamp Pads appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

So, let’s get started.

Non-Refillable Pens

I went a little heavy on brush pens and drawing-specific tools on my non-refillable list. These pens are harder to replicate is a refillable version, or no one has made a concerted effort to try.

1. Pilot Futayaku Double-Sided Brush Pen: The model I have is a combination of black ink on one end and grey ink on the other. Both tips are a stiff medium felt-tip brush. It’s a great option for getting a lot in one package. The ink dries a bit more slowly than some others but the black is a dark black and the ink is water-resistant so it can be combined with watercolor, water-based markers or fountain pen ink without bleeding. ($3.30 from JetPens)
2. Uni- Mitsubishi Dual Tip Pocket Brush: For shame! When I selected this pen, I didn’t realize it was impossible to find in the US. It’s a brush pen I found at my local Artist & Craftsman Art Supply store. It’s a soft felt tip-style brush pen with a broad tip on one end and a fine tip on the other. The felt material does lose its point over time but it has good spring and the combination points make it a good pen for lettering, sketching, and linework. It’s waterproof too. The closest comparable pen is the Uni Mistubishi Double-Sided Fine Broad Bush Pen which appears to have a similar combination of points and is listed as water-resistant too. ($4.95 from JetPens)
3. Kuretake Fudegokochi Brush Pen: Shown above is the extra fine version of the pen but I’m a fan of the regular width as well. I haven’t tried the grey but it’s on my list. Even if you’re not into lettering or drawing, the extra fine Fudegokochi Brush Pens are firm enough to give a taste of brush pens without making you feel like the nib is bouncing all over the place. ($4.25 each at JetPens)
4. Sharpie Water-Based Poster Paint Pen (White, Extra Fine Point): This is the BEST opaque white paint marker. In this case, the water-based version from Sharpie far outperforms the oil-based version for most purposes. If you are trying to add those last little highlights, sparkles or other embellishments to lettering or artwork (two words: eye lights) than this is the marker you want. Because its water-based, if you don’t get your eye light of highlight just right, you can use a water brush to lift it out. Look at your local art supply or craft shop to find this particular model. Other colors can be fun too like the fluorescent colors but the only one you really need in the white.
5. Uni-Ball Signo Broad in White: The Uni-Ball Signo Broad in white is the OTHER white pen you might want to add to your pen collection. What it offers that the Sharpie does not is a considerably finer point for even more detail work and it is waterproof when dry. ($2.55 from Jet Pens)
6. Sharpie Pen: If you check below for the Honorable Mention, you’ll see that my husband favors the original Sharpie Marker but I like the Sharpie Pen. It is about the equivalent of an 0.7mm technical pen, the tip is relatively durable and the ink is pretty water resistant. If I’m not using a refillable technical pen or fountain pen with permanent ink, then I am probably using a Sharpie Pen. The cap-off time is pretty good too. It’s inexpensive and widely available making it a great gateway pen. (available in most office supply stores, big box retailers, pharmacies, etc)
7. Copic Multiliner SP: Okay, technically, the Copic Multiliner is a refillable technical pen but I don’t actually have any non-refillable technical pens in the house anymore. I have given all mine away. So… it’s a stand-in for the Sakura Pigma Micron, the gold standard by which all other “felt-tipped” technical pens are measured. Is the Sakura Pigma Micron really the gold standard? It’s debatable. I have burned through more of those pens than I want to admit which is why I don’t own any anymore. The amount of waste I created was shameful. The thin pipes and tips warp and bend with pressure over time, often before all the ink in the pen barrel has been used with no way to repair the pen so the plastic barrel gets thrown away. So, why is it on this list? Because, if you have never used a technical pen before, investing in a refillable Copic Multiliner SP probably seems excessive. So, I recommend investing in one Micron, maybe two. Get a 0.25-0.35 and a 0.5. Sakura doesn’t align their numbering with the nib width exactly so if you prefer to try on of the other brands instead be sure to double check the tip sizing.
8. Caran d’Ache Fibralo Brush Pen: This pen in my top ten surprises me as much as you. I pick this brush pen more often than so many others. I only have this one and I’ve had it for a couple years. I got it in one of the Art Snacks subscription boxes. The felt tip has held its shape, the ink is still flowing smoothly and the hex shape keeps it from rolling off me desk. Not rolling away is a big thing with me. My floors must not be level because anything perfectly round rolls right off my desk and on to the floor and then under something else never to be seen again. For Caran d’Ache, this is a pretty reasonably priced pen too. ($2.25 each from JetPens)
9. Uni-ball Signo RT1 UMN-155 Gel Pen: If you’ve made it this far in the non-refillable list, you finally made it to the gel pens! This is my favorite gel pen. The Uni Signo black ink is waterproof and this retractable 0.38mm model is sleek, comfortable and my all-around gel pen of choice. ($2.85 from JetPens)
10. Pentel Energel (Clena Gel Pen – 0.4 mm): My second choice in the gel pen category is the Energel line. I prefer the Energel needlepoint models for a lifted-above-the-paper writing experience. Both the Energel and Signo are retractable pens which are great for the pocket, bag or backpack for quick notes, lists and other “oh, here, jot this down” moments. They are both good writing experiences and pens that you could easily pass along to a friend or colleague who says “oh, this writes really nice” and you can could then welcome them to the pen fold. (Energel Pens start at $1.80 on JetPens)

Honorable Mentions:

• Sharpie Marker: The Sharpie Marker (the classic alcohol-based permanent marker) is my husband’s absolute most-used tool. He spends his days labelling cardboard boxes and other large industrial tasks and Sharpies get the job done. There are not a lot of other options that fill this niche as handily. Everyone needs at least one black Sharpie in their pen cup.
• Pilot Juice Up: First there was the Pilot Hi-Tec C then the Pilot Juice and now the smoother Juice Up pens. These are the premium gel pens. If you want some fun, smooth, retractable gel pens for your bullet journal, then these may be what you want to consider. They are a close second to the Uni Signo line for me. ($3.60 from JetPens)

Refillable Pens

Much of my ballpoint, rollerball and gel pen love has moved from non-refillable pens to more durable, refillable pens. In this category, I’ve included a couple multi-pens as well.

1. Pokka Pens: The Pokka Pen is a recent discovery for me and a very happy discovery. In the era of “please don’t make me use your pen!” the Pokka Pen is the perfect solution for having in your car, in your bag and everywhere you might be required to sign a document or receipt in our new era of social distancing. It is refillable and takes a fairly standard ballpoint refill that writes surprisingly well. So, if you’re having to fill out paperwork at the DMV, your kids’ school or anywhere else, make sure you have one of these in your pocket so you don’t have to use the one on the counter with the daisy attached. There’s no telling how many people have touched it before you. (3-pack for $8.45  from Gentleman Stationer Shop)
2. Fisher Space Pen Bullet: Whether the Fisher Space is the original pocket pen or not is debatable, but it is probably one of the smallest pocket pens. It will easily slide into the pocket of your jeans or spacesuit. It is steely-eyed missile man sleek. It takes the Fisher Space Pen refill, a modified version of the Parker refill, with a pressurized cartridge designed to write in the harshest of conditions. My biggest problem with the Fisher Space Pen is that it tends to go into a pocket like it’s dropped into a black hole and its months before I find it again. It has always resurfaced but be warned, these little guys have a tendency to wander. (starting from $26.35 at Goldspot Pens)
3. Baron Fig Squire Click: There are lots of fans of the Baron Fig Squire and I do like it but I prefer the Squire Click. I like the quiet click mechanism and the slightly more slender barrel of the Click model. It takes the same Schmidt style refills beloved by so many that Retro51 uses which means it will also accept standard Parker style refills like the Retro51 Tornado does. I’m nothing if not a shameless pen hack. ($45 from Baron Fig)
4. Retro 51 Tornado: While many of us are aware that the end of an era is upon us, there are still many places to acquire a classic Retro51 Tornado, even one in a classic lacquer. This pen is an icon of an era, accepting both the Schmidt P8126 capless refill (branded as the Retro51 refill REF5P) and the regular Parker-style ballpoint refills (see the refill guide for the whole list) and becoming the template for hundreds of different designs in their Popper and Limited Edition series for various retailers. Some people love the wide stubby shape of the Tornado pen but there’s no denying that it’s become a classic and an icon. (available at your favorite online pen shops)
5. Uni Style Fit Multi Pen (pictured is a very old Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto. I think my Uni Style Fit multipen is still in the boxes from my packing my office): The Uni Style multipens are available with 3-component or 5-component bodies and 215 possible refill options to choose from. You are not even limited to using just Uni brand refills either Pilot Acra, Zebra Sarasa and the Uni Style Fit (which is basically Uni Signo gel ink) all fit into the Uni Style Fit multipens. You can also add a mechanical pencil (I always add my mechanical pencil on the clip knock) so one pen can really rule them all. The slender gel refills will run out pretty quickly but somehow it feels a little less wasteful to only throw away the refill rather than a whole pen and these multipens have such a huge variety of color options and tip sizes. It’s possible to outfit a multipen with a range of tip sizes all in one color of ink and another multipen in a range of colors. Maybe one multipen in cool colors (blue, green and purple) and another in warm colors (red, orange and pink). This is getting expensive, isn’t it? I’ll stop now. (pen bodies start at $4.20, components start at $1.65 from JetPens)
6. Zebra Sharbo X LT3 Multipen: The Sharbo X is a step up in materials from the Uni Style Fit in regards to multipens. Its a more rugged, metal body which holds 3-components. The most notable feature of the pen is that it takes standard D1 sized refills making finding refills easier. Zebra also makes some of the most coveted D1 refills with its 0.4mm gel and 0.5mm emulsion ballpoint refills. Add to those the 0.3mm mechanical pencil refill and the Sharbo X becomes the tiny writer’s favored multipen. ($28 for the body, components start at $2.65 from JetPens
7. Big i Design Ti Arto EDC: Since the release of the Ti Arto EDC pen, Big i Design has created several other iterations of their refill locking pen but I still like the original best. The pen barrel uses a chuck-locking design (like the way your drill locks onto you bit) to grip onto any refill you want to use. It’s the pen that puts an end to the question “Which pen will take my favorite refill?” This one. There. Done.($90 from Big i Design)
8. Parker Jotter Ballpoint Pen: What needs to be said about this classic click pen which take the most common refill? It’s available in tons of materials — plastic, metal, combination of the two. You can get it new or used because they’ve been making them forever. Chances are your parents probably have one tucked in a drawer somewhere that they got as a gift, maybe from their parents. (starting at $8.95 on Goldspot Pens)
9. Caran d’Ache 849 Ballpoint Pen: The Caran d’Ache 849 is a classic design. It’s more slender than the Retro51 or even the Baron Fig Squire Click. The pen takes its dimensions from the Caran d’Ache pencils which are slightly more robust than the average hex pencil. There is minimal branding on the pen, only the brand name, hidden under the clip. Caran d’Ache uses a refill similar to a Parker style refill but flat on the end so, with some slight modifications, it’s possible to get a standard Parker refill to fit but it can be touch-and-go. A similar mechanical pencil is available, the 844 for 0.5mm or 0.7mm or the Fixpencil for the lead holder model but these seem to be harder to find and not available in as many colors as the pen. Overall, the 849 is an icon and once you find one that strike your fancy, either for its brillance or its simplicity you too will be under its spell. (starting at $19.20 on Pen Chalet)
10. Lamy 2000 Multisystem: Reams of (digital) paper have been written about the Lamy 2000 fountain pen but not much gets said about the other iterations of the Lamy 2000 line. The Makrolon material alone used to create the original pens (and mechanical pencil) are noteworthy since very few other manufacturers have been able to maintain production with this type of fiberglass material for long. I like the weight-controlled multipen since it baffles my brain how it actually works. Tip the pen so the color bar you want is facing up and then click the knock on the top and voila! the refill you want is selected. To retract the refill, press the knock again. Repeat the process for the next color you want. Amazing. Then you add in the warming feeling of the Makralon, the smooth taper of the shape of the pen barrel design and the overal aesthetic of the pen and honestly, what’s not to love? Not a fan of Lamy’s refills? Remember those really good Zebra D1 refills I mentioned earlier? They fit in the Lamy 2000 Multisystem… just sayin’. (€€56.20 from Appelboom)

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Believe it or not, I’ve never tried a Baron Fig Squire, so when the latest limited edition, Adrift ($60), arrived for review, I was eager to play with it!

As many of you know, the Squire is Baron Fig’s understated, elegant rollerball. It comes in a variety of colors, as well as shorter limited editions. The pen body is made of aluminum in a sleek, smooth design that is a consistent circumference except right at the ball point. The Squire also uses a twist mechanism to open the pen.

Adrift is their ocean themed edition and the first to feature a full wrap around theme. From Baron Fig, the inspiration for the edition is:

Putting an idea on paper is like sending a letter out to sea—there’s no knowing where it will end up. Set your ideas adrift and discover the treasures they bring.

Here’s a quick rundown on the stats:

• Aluminum pen body
• Length: 5″/12.5cm
• Weight: 0.85oz/24g

I find the whimsical design charming and I can’t decide if my favorite is the sea turtle or the octopus!

The Squire is a smooth writer and wrote beautifully with minimal pressure.

The Squire is a beautiful pen, there’s no denying that. I think when compared to Retro 51 (the closest competitor I can think of in the industry), it comes down to aesthetics and ergonomics. The Squire is elegant and minimalist with a touch of whimsy, whereas the Retro 51 is more classic (retro?) and employs a variety of designs and textures. Both have balanced bodies, and while the Squire is sleek and ergonomic, the Retro features a tapered body, which I confess I find slightly preferable when I’m holding it in my hand. Both are beautiful choices to elevate the writing experience with a roller ball!

• Papers: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50)
• Pen: Baron Fig Limited Edition Squire: Adrift ($60)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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The Retro 51 news hit me hard.  If you haven’t heard yet, Retro 51 announced that they would be retiring and closing the business at the end of the year. I’ve loved Retro 51 pens since I first became enamored with pens and the first two pens I purchased in a brick-and-mortar pen store were both Retro 51 pens. Over the years I have purchased more of these collectible treasures and sold many, but the two original ones have stuck with me.

When working on this article, I broke up my collection into four groups. The first group consists of pens that have special meaning only to me. Below are my first Retros (the teal and pink) and my Amazing Find Retro. I found three Retro 51s together, still in their presentation boxes, and tucked away behind a massive amount of knick-knacks at a flea market one day. This is one of the bunch I kept for myself.

The next group consists of my Space Retros. Retro 51 has designed many AMAZING space-themed pens over the years and I have purchased those that have caught my eye or those containing a design that is meaningful.

The black pen shows our solar system and the orbits of the eight planets. But if you look closely, Pluto is shown – all alone and with no orbital path.

On the far right is a Retro showing the astrological signs in both stars and drawings. Plus the stars glow in the dark! Of course, so does the solar system pen, although I didn’t know that until after my purchase.

The two pens on the left are the Apollo 11 and the first steps on the moon, both produced last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of that historic event. What an amazing time!

I believe in you, Pluto! You’ll always be a planet to me!

Group three are Retro 51 pens that don’t really fit into another category but are still treasured. The 2018 Christmas special edition Retro was a retro theme – Retro retro! I love how it was paired with antiqued brass furniture to push that retro feel even farther. Then there’s the Bomb Pop pen. This was designed by a good friend, Michael (a former co-host of the BYOB Pen Club podcast). Plus, I love Bomb Pops. Brad Dowdy (Pen Addict) sold these and was even nice enough to send #23 to me.

Group 4. Ok. I know that it contains one pen that was already part of the Space group but ROSE GOLD. This deserves its own category no matter how many groups these pens are in.

Again, the Apollo 11 pen is here, showing its eye-catching rose gold furniture. Cioppino is the name of the second pen – paneled with abalone shell and black lacquer. This is from the reissued Cioppino release (unlike Laura’s amazing vintage find) and is my most expensive Retro 51. The weight of the pen differs from other Retro 51 fountain pens and I love it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of my Retro 51 pens. I will miss the thrill of waiting to see their newest releases and the hope of finding a certain pen that has special meaning. I wish the best of luck to the owners! Thank you for all of the pens over the years. Not that I am giving up hope, though! I may or may not have a few more coming to me as I type and I will continue to support you until the closing is final.

DISCLAIMER: All of the items included in this review were purchased by me. Please see the About page for more details.

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