tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80387128777195541842024-02-18T23:52:28.488-06:00The Penny Writer.Pens. Pencils. Paper. Pa-kow!
Join in on the fun of working with pens, pencils, paper - for work, play, journaling, art, creative expression, recording history, and just plain fun!TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-9228603869558274672010-07-15T09:53:00.001-05:002010-07-15T09:54:30.002-05:00Rhodia Bloc No 12 Paper Pad Review<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time for our first paper/pad review! You have probably heard of Rhodia before, but if you haven't, they are a French company that produces great stationery and paper pad-like items. They are known for their superior paper, great pad size configurations, and they are also eco-conscious to boot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There's quite a few styles in their line-up, but for today we are going to look at the Rhodia Bloc No 12, my first Rhodia pad ever (notice that it is a little beat up, but still in amazingly good condition, though it's been bouncing around in my backpack for three months):</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RNJpmV0i0b_aaQqazTbSSTHXwfumsiZZRRgs9Mm7XVJLv8pZS714TC0zTcWaGwzhL9vRXdsD7ohB7gszNqYaGuX-iPdPMtBmqznR4z-ZbI5enX_ACmF7UPvqsPLT-qQe25M4YpXzhdmO/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RNJpmV0i0b_aaQqazTbSSTHXwfumsiZZRRgs9Mm7XVJLv8pZS714TC0zTcWaGwzhL9vRXdsD7ohB7gszNqYaGuX-iPdPMtBmqznR4z-ZbI5enX_ACmF7UPvqsPLT-qQe25M4YpXzhdmO/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(0).jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On the back we see a bunch of neat info about the pad:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuhNeO5pgdgjVlSBu3SIMekCVYkFCmgXgsPjjXOGhuqsMdlCwFajwY83WhEoihkzmKhZcJKeLHUwF-QnwiuFWi1hdiZfn8BFQUbtwS8FY2AawGqVXOh5NJ8TTUujx611R6mA8UEtPG29R/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuhNeO5pgdgjVlSBu3SIMekCVYkFCmgXgsPjjXOGhuqsMdlCwFajwY83WhEoihkzmKhZcJKeLHUwF-QnwiuFWi1hdiZfn8BFQUbtwS8FY2AawGqVXOh5NJ8TTUujx611R6mA8UEtPG29R/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(8).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The size is 3.3 x 4.7 inches, the "5 x 5" signifies that it's a squared pad (i.e. "graph paper) with 5 squares per inch (which is slimmer than standard US graph paper, usually 4 x 4 - I like the slimmer squares of the Rhodia!). "Bloc-Rhodia" is the name of their line of paper pads, and the all come with 80g paper (which is short for 80g/m^2, i.e. a square meter of this paper weighs 80 grams), in a vellum finish. All of the above is held together with a waxed, cardstock cover (making it resistant to damage from accidental water spills!) and a hefty staple through it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Just for fun, took some pics of the pad next to a ruler. Yup, the dimensions definitely seem to match the description:</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-aBxhVpjj-gFYOQ3HYcVtaedu7M0dUp_01smzQvp0UwX_4m-HOOQuPWVx9EMOzMNqPDK5NsplnHrVA_8qi_stNcORk34vPNQjJwMantaeibHrA7kg9dcdgnUIQwHDBkUCh-ZXL_2DSLcL/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-aBxhVpjj-gFYOQ3HYcVtaedu7M0dUp_01smzQvp0UwX_4m-HOOQuPWVx9EMOzMNqPDK5NsplnHrVA_8qi_stNcORk34vPNQjJwMantaeibHrA7kg9dcdgnUIQwHDBkUCh-ZXL_2DSLcL/s200/Rhodia+No+12+(2).JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3-kcqc-Bg6hStffMbIcAp842Yjd0yrjR2BmiREcVwm3grWjq1U0oDtB9thUIC0z2jVwOKuoAa9quljQ3blXSVnIvzSHi0eauNMZiozBmwRxhGYvMjJM8Ih_ZkORaoXDnLqUHRDBnXT9m/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3-kcqc-Bg6hStffMbIcAp842Yjd0yrjR2BmiREcVwm3grWjq1U0oDtB9thUIC0z2jVwOKuoAa9quljQ3blXSVnIvzSHi0eauNMZiozBmwRxhGYvMjJM8Ih_ZkORaoXDnLqUHRDBnXT9m/s200/Rhodia+No+12+(1).JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What really makes these pads shine is that nice, smooth 80g paper:</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlABpxdT_FcOgrG-eYyxEnUqdhhCBpC1zuWDcwVvgUQ9vZ798tH8ZCODh3FHVx5UNXdoIPcvW5VT0NP169iReacSy0d6xc1ITtoui6HB-NdTWecDUZe7Y8ccnA-blOSAiAPuyZ-HhaJVK/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlABpxdT_FcOgrG-eYyxEnUqdhhCBpC1zuWDcwVvgUQ9vZ798tH8ZCODh3FHVx5UNXdoIPcvW5VT0NP169iReacSy0d6xc1ITtoui6HB-NdTWecDUZe7Y8ccnA-blOSAiAPuyZ-HhaJVK/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(3).JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not only does the finish lead to a very smooth writing experience, regardless of implement, but it also is of substantial enough weight that fountain pens (unless very wet writers) don't bleed through! Yay! Standard notebooks and even journals (like the pricey ones you can get at brick and mortar bookstores) can't really handle fountain pens, so this is a huge boon. In fact, aside from Rhodia and other Clairefontaine-related manufacturers, unless you get expensive specialty paper (like Crane etc.) and bind your own pads, I don't know where you can get fountain-pen friendly notebooks or pens in the US.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a writing sample:</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HG5z6y74cYRHUV6yv7f9Eazl3uYl2NsbIgBbyDNPt4wEeMXX-babsT8sKNEamF9aNQ-nCLYJyLpQLmk7TLcPagRDBueJY82-dLg8s2rT0QSTKKC8vAezlbtEcOFZWZy0JpEyJS9L_GMd/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HG5z6y74cYRHUV6yv7f9Eazl3uYl2NsbIgBbyDNPt4wEeMXX-babsT8sKNEamF9aNQ-nCLYJyLpQLmk7TLcPagRDBueJY82-dLg8s2rT0QSTKKC8vAezlbtEcOFZWZy0JpEyJS9L_GMd/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(4).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really, whatever you try to write with, it's always a pleasure on the Rhodias. Above, I wrote with pencil, a gel pen, a flexy fountain pen, highlighter, and a Sharpie. The only one that bled through (which is distinct from 'shadowing' which is inevitable with darker inks, unless you write on a piece of wood or something), was the Sharpie, which is notorious for this of course, being a permanent marker:</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFyfa0Y75XpldXBceXdlZhG8N53W76_D1odB0tUhdZXtg2sp4OUQLL8ejFaUqD6JlGNgt3yqHDUyxJrg6_RvaprJeWPv5UxeK6hc70Hr1FrqHZWKkKdiTy_loZ5Eq6Xj8xuqkrcUO6ndP/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFyfa0Y75XpldXBceXdlZhG8N53W76_D1odB0tUhdZXtg2sp4OUQLL8ejFaUqD6JlGNgt3yqHDUyxJrg6_RvaprJeWPv5UxeK6hc70Hr1FrqHZWKkKdiTy_loZ5Eq6Xj8xuqkrcUO6ndP/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(5).JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually there's a tiny dot or two in the line of the fountain pen writing, where it bled through. It's places where I lingered a bit longer than I should have.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall verdict: Rhodia pads are awesome, and while this was about 3~4 bucks, which I thought at first was pricey, it's been really great as a scratch pad, something to practice my calligraphy on in a portable fashion, and has lasted me three months and I still haven't used it all. Of course, I have other doodle pads too, which contributed to the longetivity of this one. But it's definitely a good deal for what you get, and on top of that, there's no other places you can get a similar pad with similar quality, for any price period.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, the pages are perforated, but if you don't like ripping pages out (like me), the perforations are small enough and the paper strong enough that there doesn't seem to be any danger of the sheets detaching on their own. Mine feels like a regular pad of papre. Moreover, I love how the cover has score marks to neatly fold around to the back, and the perforations are lined up exatly with the top-most score line. The Rhodia is filled with little hallmarks of precise design and manufacture like this.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, I'd like to share a little tip that you might find useful. I hate it when journals half-open in my backpack, and then I mash another book down into it and the pages bend. Oh, the sadness. So I took a fat-width rubber band, one that needs to be stretched a bit to fit (so that it sits snugly), and place it at the bottom of the pad, to keep it closed in the bag:</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXnWB10eTiDq3e7A0h8h_WsdFcBGohiXMJPkrgalxPoihn6_MrC_5cCc7I_CS5ZNJKU_MKGnN227kXJuww8PuK8bIyqwzoBgBxZdrNqUga7pBY6eJCKYUS028YglPH98Y-KB9Z1PLV1Nb/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXnWB10eTiDq3e7A0h8h_WsdFcBGohiXMJPkrgalxPoihn6_MrC_5cCc7I_CS5ZNJKU_MKGnN227kXJuww8PuK8bIyqwzoBgBxZdrNqUga7pBY6eJCKYUS028YglPH98Y-KB9Z1PLV1Nb/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(6).JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it's worked pretty well as a cheap way to hold the pad closed! The neat thing is that you can use the same rubber band to hold the cover and top sheets back as you're writing:</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24RBnvRw8GXnsXdtrVZipMhttCxRswY-tvqslq_3EVrgf4XLzApwJK9OMKcAZpFyebThgrAyVE0lPEVlSlu3Z28ft4oHNJmKvm_Q1Ih4hODduGo2maVq5829FmUOiq3OWOce6QL_UR_Mg/s1600/Rhodia+No+12+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24RBnvRw8GXnsXdtrVZipMhttCxRswY-tvqslq_3EVrgf4XLzApwJK9OMKcAZpFyebThgrAyVE0lPEVlSlu3Z28ft4oHNJmKvm_Q1Ih4hODduGo2maVq5829FmUOiq3OWOce6QL_UR_Mg/s320/Rhodia+No+12+(7).JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That helps a lot so that you don't have to use your off hand to hold the paper back.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I bought my Rhodia from a local art store, but you can also get them at decent stationery/card/paper stores, from your local college bookstore, and also of course <a href="http://www.jetpens.com/search.php?q=rhodia">JetPens</a>. Definitely worth a look if you haven't tried these pads out!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-24383330146612398082010-07-12T12:00:00.003-05:002010-07-15T14:49:57.219-05:00'Smoothie' Dollar Store Gel Pen Review<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In keeping with the tradition of using cheap implements if they are sufficient for the job, I found this four-pack of gel pens at my favorite store, for $1:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8Pw796AU45AojTaJJR0wYcyciBivGTAdHIhLcKpB-9bQTsm9r_VtsdOEz7wUaqHc0t06ldh_ZpzpT0GzCo24nGRLJWXY22KOj6FEbGVdQVQr0fLS10QGbaj09utPRWYED7Eellh3IeJv/s1600/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8Pw796AU45AojTaJJR0wYcyciBivGTAdHIhLcKpB-9bQTsm9r_VtsdOEz7wUaqHc0t06ldh_ZpzpT0GzCo24nGRLJWXY22KOj6FEbGVdQVQr0fLS10QGbaj09utPRWYED7Eellh3IeJv/s320/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(0).jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Made by the FamilyMaid line of the "Dollar Empire" brand from California, the pen's name is the "Smoothie", and has some bold claims on the back of the packaging (backaging?):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Check out these beauties - where else can you get four gel pens for $1? I love dollar stores, and by extension, Chinese factories, and the mass distributers.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkoFc_ERC3ASOrLJJ1K_paAYq0PFgsA3nCLjar3Kl2hN3YbsRpIE7bBR6ZnOwyQEKUT7LpIRogi8iRYIdTh2OtLb3CLB76mMl6t6ZOR8jbb_jeFjiGlyDB-_nrQGR7_0WmizX6HV4aEGb/s1600/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkoFc_ERC3ASOrLJJ1K_paAYq0PFgsA3nCLjar3Kl2hN3YbsRpIE7bBR6ZnOwyQEKUT7LpIRogi8iRYIdTh2OtLb3CLB76mMl6t6ZOR8jbb_jeFjiGlyDB-_nrQGR7_0WmizX6HV4aEGb/s320/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here is the pen, posted. Looks nice - frosted clear body, large size (fountain pen users might even be tempted to call this a 'magnum' gel pen), and good amount of ink in the tube. But, does it live up to the "Writes Smooth With Gel Pen" claim? First, a look at the tip:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UDvZCVxWqyLlwmCFyM7n7dlY9UhDPpm5TVnTv42oWqI2Xmn6s0rgeySmWFjlJRTKpL25rp3b3KOZgJw_b848E226RO4-yVX0vQiQ4gkR6mC6-Hj68YjXph9Gen2-ShWAMs4-K-YySyKI/s1600/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UDvZCVxWqyLlwmCFyM7n7dlY9UhDPpm5TVnTv42oWqI2Xmn6s0rgeySmWFjlJRTKpL25rp3b3KOZgJw_b848E226RO4-yVX0vQiQ4gkR6mC6-Hj68YjXph9Gen2-ShWAMs4-K-YySyKI/s320/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(4).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">which looks, interestingly enough, like a dead ringer for a ball-point pen. But unlike some other times where the dollar store item's packaging was not reflective of the actual product held within, this pen is indeed a gel pen, as evidenced by the writing of the sample:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMYgAOPwd91XV4z3TxE2j1q5KOUyo9i0Z8vZ2AwhI8IPCVTIRU4ZnIhZQj7VzuiHbTG4lN1TPiYSxakO2Ltg2zzMIIAiCO_QyWYwP57-PTTyME0d55KuUQhLjMPas-9-hiZRQ2KskNgIq/s1600/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMYgAOPwd91XV4z3TxE2j1q5KOUyo9i0Z8vZ2AwhI8IPCVTIRU4ZnIhZQj7VzuiHbTG4lN1TPiYSxakO2Ltg2zzMIIAiCO_QyWYwP57-PTTyME0d55KuUQhLjMPas-9-hiZRQ2KskNgIq/s320/Dollar+Stor+Gel+Pen+(5).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">(sorry for the underexposure, forgot to set EC). It is indeed, very smooth writing! The line is consistent, no skipping, and a very nice writing experience. The oversize body and rubber grip definitely helped in this regard - I like Dr. Grips as well, and it's all because larger size bodies cause you to strain your hand muscles less, allowing you to use a more relaxed grip. Less pain, less fatigue, more writing fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The line is also a .5mm, which is pretty rare among gel pens sold in the US in general, and definitely at the dollar store. Most pens, ballpoint, gel, or otherwise, I have found to be .7 or thicker. Sometimes that's nice and all, but generally I like thinner lines as I think it looks nicer, and you also can fit more on the page. Only thing is that they only had it in blue, whereas I prefer black, but that's just a preference thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, there you have it folks! The dollar store comes through again. An incredible gel pen for 25 cents - definitely rivals other gel pens I've used. I bought a few more interesting items on the same dollar store run, and will share about those in the future. Happy, er, dollar-store-ing!</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-59806082518378717582010-07-08T08:55:00.003-05:002010-07-08T09:02:25.377-05:00Frixion Point Erasable Gel Pen Review (brown)<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember those horrid erasable pens from grammar school? Or elementary school, depending on where in the US you grew up =) They only came in black and blue, were the only pens that were allowed for use in class (at least at my school), and the ink was thick, gooey, and smeared easily. My poor left-handed friends' hands were perpetually smudged navy blue. And whlie they erased ok, sometimes if the eraser got 'clogged' it would smear the ink around in the most nasty way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We kids still thought it was the coolest thing ever - a pen that erases! and I got my mom to dish out the extra $$ for these pens. Regrettable, now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Aside from the classic pumice-like hard and sandpaperish erasers that have been around for a while, that work by actually removing the top layer of paper along with the pen (but have the bonus of being able to be used with any pen - though not that well), there haven't been many innovations to the erasble pen in the intervening years - until recently, with the Pilot Frixion line of pens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Up for consideration today, then, is the Pilot Frixion Point erasable gel pen, in brown:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKlDZ1_7tSASlWz8aGFa2rie18MI47UCHx8QbVZot0H_rqCb4e-xJXojpcSCfjQ7LUqzRUFWZpg0zUBKh5-TFjpXdU__BtlGrbNmq48xfKrvJA6IJtst3PCsFCDHtbwMJEInImyr3SNfT/s1600/Frixion+Point+Brown+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKlDZ1_7tSASlWz8aGFa2rie18MI47UCHx8QbVZot0H_rqCb4e-xJXojpcSCfjQ7LUqzRUFWZpg0zUBKh5-TFjpXdU__BtlGrbNmq48xfKrvJA6IJtst3PCsFCDHtbwMJEInImyr3SNfT/s320/Frixion+Point+Brown+(0).jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This remarkable pen line uses thermo-sensitive ink (like the old school <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercolor">Hypercolor shirts</a>) that, once laid down, can be erased with the application of heat. How does one generate the heat? Good question! And the answer is: an eraser that is not an eraser:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxyndW7mWKs9VsEpMcbzc4XPlHcjsDJRHNZMdLwnNOYUC79r6xHq5ldyLo5kyJ51fjIYlZL0Jl5Hy1Mb-w5P1uppavMzk2pTEnG9rxdPqaHjStrxFhiUlhyphenhyphenjGr2kxqb6zTskChdVO9GRv/s1600/Frixion+Point+Brown+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxyndW7mWKs9VsEpMcbzc4XPlHcjsDJRHNZMdLwnNOYUC79r6xHq5ldyLo5kyJ51fjIYlZL0Jl5Hy1Mb-w5P1uppavMzk2pTEnG9rxdPqaHjStrxFhiUlhyphenhyphenjGr2kxqb6zTskChdVO9GRv/s320/Frixion+Point+Brown+(3).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The semi-transparent rubber doodad at the end of the pen, is the 'eraser' - but unlike standard erasers, it doesn't work by rubbing off bits of itself. It stays intact, and instead the micro-contours of the rubber (or silicon, as is probably the case), provides friction (hence 'Frixion,' which probably also makes for more targeted Google searches, heh) when briskly rubbed over text. Neat-o!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">First, a little comment about the tip, before moving on to the writing quality. The Frixion line comes in several flavors - .7mm gel pen, a 'colored pencil-like' line, and also a newer addition, a needlepoint in .4mm gel pen. The latter is denoted by an '04' on the barrel, and is the one I bought as I like fine tipped pens.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Z7gLnGXgk-CWn9fAwDbcAICU7X7kYgnpF7zuQ5yrHvJiBHEth8vbmzI0VDIieIi2rVpHp7BiBBxZJGgW8g5fgt-GmemSurRNA_QZ2WnZ0ouTaE7PQCGJCl9bGRzvj9mNwaTvgftuWyw8/s1600/Frixion+Point+Brown+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Z7gLnGXgk-CWn9fAwDbcAICU7X7kYgnpF7zuQ5yrHvJiBHEth8vbmzI0VDIieIi2rVpHp7BiBBxZJGgW8g5fgt-GmemSurRNA_QZ2WnZ0ouTaE7PQCGJCl9bGRzvj9mNwaTvgftuWyw8/s320/Frixion+Point+Brown+(1).JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;">The one on this .4mm Frixion is reminiscent of the .4 Hi-tec C (unsurprising since it's the same maker, but it's not exactly the same of course) and the barrel itself is pretty trim and slim. The cap is larger in proportion, but it looks nice and adds a different touch to the pen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The grip has rubbery surfacing, similar in material to the eraser. and overall the design is very nice, right on down to the stylish logo. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, on to the writing sample:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga190GvM4FRyXgUkN6uToTdCT1VmXOqq8OMvPwgQO5ox3LNifK42MBB-kL43-edBq4qkezdQVmqsUUQ2WoFYVqd_SCG5kWcS7v2efMNKJjOgI-_TZ9QO76KZbuS80tkfVcN4HceOFP8w0l/s1600/Frixion+Point+Brown+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga190GvM4FRyXgUkN6uToTdCT1VmXOqq8OMvPwgQO5ox3LNifK42MBB-kL43-edBq4qkezdQVmqsUUQ2WoFYVqd_SCG5kWcS7v2efMNKJjOgI-_TZ9QO76KZbuS80tkfVcN4HceOFP8w0l/s320/Frixion+Point+Brown+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As you can see, it writes very well, and while this brown color is almost like a copper in some respects, it lays down a nice thin line with sufficient flow. Some others have said that they found the Frixions to put down a lighter shade than normal gel pens; I find this brown a touch lighter than my other brown gel pens, but it is very legible and I wouldn't let that be a detractor at all, especially since it's probably inherent to the erasable ink. It is a very smooth writer btw.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, on to the erasure (and I don't mean that popular 80's band)! See if you can identify all the parts that got erased =)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp0Lfq6a1B8Kkjx0JWx06CALlXgr8ZH-QfamVA60hXhfMIeNmN7p4iRi4T3B9gZo-Z3y5fVTUCY_Vvk6VlN6GV6SrZlwLfQuQSZlRB8o_mgIg3vh-vmGHjUn90fbvCIvdb8DrVWmgAVWz/s1600/Frixion+Point+Brown+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp0Lfq6a1B8Kkjx0JWx06CALlXgr8ZH-QfamVA60hXhfMIeNmN7p4iRi4T3B9gZo-Z3y5fVTUCY_Vvk6VlN6GV6SrZlwLfQuQSZlRB8o_mgIg3vh-vmGHjUn90fbvCIvdb8DrVWmgAVWz/s320/Frixion+Point+Brown+(4).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hard to tell? Notice how the 'Erasable gel pen' text, and every alternating horizontal line, has been completely erased. As in gone, poof, nada is left. Amazing stuff, it's like magic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So there you have it. It'd be great for so many uses: I use it for marking up books so that if I underline some text and my line is crooked (as it often gets), I can simply erase and re-underline. Use if you want to mark up a textbook and return it to pristine condition afterward. Use it to write secret notes to friends. And so on. Note though, that using this to write important documents is not recommended, as for instance leaving in a baking car may fade the text, and also putting an erased bit of writing in the freezer can reappear some of it (though not as vividly).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Frixion Point is available <a href="http://www.tokyopenshop.com/erasable-frixion-point-p-178.html">here from TokyoPenShop</a>, which is where I got it. The proprietor there knows her Japanese pen stuff, and is a really cordial correspondent to boot, so I heartily recommend that shop. Quick shipping too. The Frixion line also even has highlighters, which I need to pick up one of these days and review.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy erasing!</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-75251105284459462182010-07-03T13:24:00.001-05:002010-07-03T15:39:39.268-05:00Dollar Calligraphy Fountain Pen Review<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the name, the Dollar Calligraphy Fountain Pen does not, in fact, cost a dollar. But it doesn't cost much more than that, about $5-6. For those not privy to this great budget pen from Pakistan, the <a href="http://www.dollar-stationery.com/">'Dollar'</a> company has been making fountain pens for many decades in that part of the world, and many in and near the Asian subcontinent have grown up using these pens in school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Dollar company makes several versions of regular fountain pens, but today we are considering the 'Calligraphy' pen, which has some interesting features not often found in pens in the US, and definitely not at the same price point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The pen in uncapped and posted position:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQd7TjelGZdoGcRtZcBzWZIjW4AihkvnQOu-EeYrPXp2JQmB8z0UygbZsBgwu0LBPGvwc7dMBqI5JrAsBCn0vPRMJS6t5l3kjko9hvHkJN_K7qEVtRE7LcWztKTTHmg6caiomXVZhrVz4/s1600/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQd7TjelGZdoGcRtZcBzWZIjW4AihkvnQOu-EeYrPXp2JQmB8z0UygbZsBgwu0LBPGvwc7dMBqI5JrAsBCn0vPRMJS6t5l3kjko9hvHkJN_K7qEVtRE7LcWztKTTHmg6caiomXVZhrVz4/s320/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(3).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Close-up of the logo:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHscH2nL60h40a41w8bJd03I7hwWBAobEhUdEuWRKSvG3E8JoWNNy_lxMZgCrM0MLLBueregfXTbX-BKbAcep2A7PcvfW2W9AHOutTIUn1DUzAMRJPJulZE2M5rCwVuL5RVG3PBhmG-tPy/s1600/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHscH2nL60h40a41w8bJd03I7hwWBAobEhUdEuWRKSvG3E8JoWNNy_lxMZgCrM0MLLBueregfXTbX-BKbAcep2A7PcvfW2W9AHOutTIUn1DUzAMRJPJulZE2M5rCwVuL5RVG3PBhmG-tPy/s320/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(1).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And here is the pen with all caps removed:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIfnT5aT8VyFJscAnzxr57vrxu5ncVoft72clAGxs4M_Ursb40tu-5DX8OFn-uYhGXjxiRxLbRlkW28aFEeC2Xg0SOFBCXI9q-eMr35yeBT9pq1FFjWJZZ53RC6Zv6HTV7d8oG6fwXsKD/s1600/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIfnT5aT8VyFJscAnzxr57vrxu5ncVoft72clAGxs4M_Ursb40tu-5DX8OFn-uYhGXjxiRxLbRlkW28aFEeC2Xg0SOFBCXI9q-eMr35yeBT9pq1FFjWJZZ53RC6Zv6HTV7d8oG6fwXsKD/s320/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(4).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One awesome feature of this pen is that it is piston-fill (just like the Pelikans, yeah!), with a blind cap and the piston knob hiding beneath. The pen therefore has a large ink capacity, almost 2~3 times that of other conventional cartridge converter pens. It also has a nice ink window (the black band just behind the section in the picture above - looks black because of the black ink within). Btw, the cap is a screw-on type, nice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's a shot of the nib:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5pEHemls9XRJCcGey6fhWXJaq0Is7QkL2bRV_AN6cdmNM2aYOAFU0E151fhaVjw75qS-1cPI2fAmQYTjVYYslKvhCfDZE1qkIxjQnRDMkXOzuDb6AMQ9oaB4FEkdAJN6a79Oyik8oGfV/s1600/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5pEHemls9XRJCcGey6fhWXJaq0Is7QkL2bRV_AN6cdmNM2aYOAFU0E151fhaVjw75qS-1cPI2fAmQYTjVYYslKvhCfDZE1qkIxjQnRDMkXOzuDb6AMQ9oaB4FEkdAJN6a79Oyik8oGfV/s320/Dollar+calligraphy+pen+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Notice how the nib tilts down to the left, like a right-oblique (er, left-oblique, depending on who you talk to!)? I thought it was just a very severe right-oblique, so tried to write in the standard nib position for that, and had mixed results. Then I read somewhere, that these pens were designed like an 'Arabic script' nib (which come in many different shapes), and turned out that was true! In other words, the pen is designed to be written with the nib turned 90 degrees from the way we normally hold fountain pens - i.e., the edge of the nib is intended to sit on the paper in a vertical orientation (line).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This makes for a uniquely writing calligraphy pen. You can tell it's a calligraphy pen, either a cursive italic or even almost like a stub, with good line variation - but there's a subtle different due to the 90 degree offset orientation. See the writing sample below, with hatches and line-width samples too:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Note at the bottom of the sample, I have tried to replicate the text that was below the logo. One can see even in that (very poorly done I'm sure) imitation, how in Arabic/Urdu/etc. type scripts (please note I am not trying to offend anyone here, but using terms that I think best describe it) this nib orientation really works well. It looks very capable of producing the right kind of script that I see in middle-eastern magazines and shops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The pen runs for around the eponymous dollar, in Pakistan and India, but is not readily available here. However, user 'smeden' at the <a href="http://fountainpennetwork.com/forum/">Fountain Pen Network</a> is able to procure them and you can contact him for info.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's a great pen, very decently solid construction, especially at this price point, and provides a writing style/look not readily available with other pens. The nib itself is very smooth and smeden actually inspects the pens before shipping them out. Comment back or shoot me an email if you have any q's about this unique international pen!! Will post another Dollar pen review in the future.</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-53207367401905206732010-06-30T19:21:00.001-05:002010-06-30T19:22:11.532-05:00Sheaffer Viewpoint Calligraphy Pen Review<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first tried my hand at calligraphy in elementary school, but back then I was still trying to figure out handwriting, period! So it ended up being just kind of a fun thing to try out once and that was good for me. But then more recently, as I became interested in learning how to be more expressive in my writing, I decided to snag a calligraphy fountain pen. The cheapest out there seemed to be the Sheaffer Viewpoint Calligraphy - was able to pick it up at a local store for under $5, but is also available through this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sheaffer-Viewpoint-Calligraphy-Fountain-Fine/dp/B001Q5JYMI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1277942642&sr=8-2">Amazon vendor here </a>for about $6. Given the price of fountain pens in general, not a bad price.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here is the pen itself:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfbVIST805S-2W9B1wsWYJZ3SUsuho3lBbz2aZQGAZUOfMXH-F8oosdNjYAQ3Hyjy_u9YbDa74VrT7IkOYbCkVXcEexAyxE0kNn8opy3FZhHK9vfX8f3ZqnXdMb55xeOOxG7Hx8y3CCrO/s1600/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfbVIST805S-2W9B1wsWYJZ3SUsuho3lBbz2aZQGAZUOfMXH-F8oosdNjYAQ3Hyjy_u9YbDa74VrT7IkOYbCkVXcEexAyxE0kNn8opy3FZhHK9vfX8f3ZqnXdMb55xeOOxG7Hx8y3CCrO/s320/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(0).jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Looks pretty distinguished, even for an all-plastic construction (excepting the tip of course). You can make out the famous Sheaffer 'white dot' at the top of the clip.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gQoeLaPMhvJtzYYg878QNJ8MfZ2t3-mJJAr8jTCRTtUSa-i-tGTtohjSQObgtGAsV7DoYS34rCwyTNyQJqZ2DGh6LsXxKaFWOTa3S6nkrA6oVdxRc6CRoAAyI_U2pjeYnKhX4azKOFCl/s1600/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gQoeLaPMhvJtzYYg878QNJ8MfZ2t3-mJJAr8jTCRTtUSa-i-tGTtohjSQObgtGAsV7DoYS34rCwyTNyQJqZ2DGh6LsXxKaFWOTa3S6nkrA6oVdxRc6CRoAAyI_U2pjeYnKhX4azKOFCl/s320/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(1).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Viewpoint Calligraphy pen comes in three nib widths, and the one I have is a B - Broad, or 1.8mm wide.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-L87Og4i199g-6R-xJya6zLt8VWbdfEUeVmY-gsyN-lKu9wPcfCzuGnwqPv1R1wzx2BmSXk8YoMarXnHDhpk5q3yGGEFtrQdL3d1Pfkm4STm49cj2d9_ZsczexpXEOeXu32DG-MCz5aXN/s1600/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-L87Og4i199g-6R-xJya6zLt8VWbdfEUeVmY-gsyN-lKu9wPcfCzuGnwqPv1R1wzx2BmSXk8YoMarXnHDhpk5q3yGGEFtrQdL3d1Pfkm4STm49cj2d9_ZsczexpXEOeXu32DG-MCz5aXN/s320/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The pen is a crisp italic, meaning sharp edges and potential risk of getting caught in the paper if one is caught unawares. Definitely it takes a little more care than a ballpoint, but it's not as bad as some people out there make it out to be, especially if you have a little coordination. Just concentrate on keeping your nib / pen in the same orientation throughout your strokes and you'll be fine =)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqktNpqjw17j2Tk50GgsQslbpj34C3KKzzbZcjBjVAazbOPj9wg0rrFQWiLg5CJCGKXN8K1FWd-UfSBGOaXQ1CHLIBDN8FkmsZmFvb4CU_0m9smDXbnYyIVdN4tHnCdhzUJmboguXu-4XU/s1600/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqktNpqjw17j2Tk50GgsQslbpj34C3KKzzbZcjBjVAazbOPj9wg0rrFQWiLg5CJCGKXN8K1FWd-UfSBGOaXQ1CHLIBDN8FkmsZmFvb4CU_0m9smDXbnYyIVdN4tHnCdhzUJmboguXu-4XU/s320/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(3).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here is the pen posted; it has good balance in this arrangement. You can also see the namesake of the pen, on the bottom part of the barrel - it's a large cutout in the body, that lets you see the link level in the cartridge (the pen comes with 2, of different colors - mine came in a blue and a black). Pretty neat design, which often one finds only in higher-end pens, with their view-windows and such.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Btw, the pen is a pop-cap, and not a screw-down - though of course the section and the body connect via screw threading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On to the writing sample!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUmZS_tKXCx6dCtfhmo5C5ghctj5gKYbS0frFDSg35hW674rZas9hwE-aypuOgN6B381mU-GrkpTa_Y1trjW1dDFUpbZhCLaHzUs-FrcoXXbkcmR6Hx1-ugLZbFc_7UMk2bAeGzGH5mcU/s1600/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUmZS_tKXCx6dCtfhmo5C5ghctj5gKYbS0frFDSg35hW674rZas9hwE-aypuOgN6B381mU-GrkpTa_Y1trjW1dDFUpbZhCLaHzUs-FrcoXXbkcmR6Hx1-ugLZbFc_7UMk2bAeGzGH5mcU/s320/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(4).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It pretty much goes without saying but I'm very amateur when it comes to calligraphic / italic writing. I love some of the stuff I see out there, and I have an old calligraphy book that I'm planning to learn from. But it definitely takes time to learn new letterforms, and training my hand to keep the nib at the typically requisite 45 degrees. Even still, it's fun to play with, and both cursive and print come out with a fun, new flair. Definitely a worthy (and some may say even necessary) addition to one's pen stable if you want to get into ornamental writing. Consider that many ancient books and Bibles for centuries were written in the same styles that calligraphers use today! Neat stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A final shot of the pen in 'exploded' form:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwln4bD0Z67QYoV7P_2TRCVkg1Oom8HtgBdNGdabNQLl3OZBR_37ZL9p9dE8lNL-Q79LCFdeAE_n92m1N5JOpQvPK6cxc5XRKOBW1hVG_OAH3Y1ZCJrZLFITTA5GBiLb8e2jTUolWWg0GR/s1600/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwln4bD0Z67QYoV7P_2TRCVkg1Oom8HtgBdNGdabNQLl3OZBR_37ZL9p9dE8lNL-Q79LCFdeAE_n92m1N5JOpQvPK6cxc5XRKOBW1hVG_OAH3Y1ZCJrZLFITTA5GBiLb8e2jTUolWWg0GR/s320/Sheaffer+Viewpoint+Calligraphy+(5).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I would check at your local art store to see if they have this italic fountain pen out, it might be cheaper than Amazon, but if not, check the link at the header of this post. Happy calligraphying (er...)!</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-35461331425878528522010-06-29T14:05:00.001-05:002010-07-01T09:30:47.780-05:00Pilot Hi-Tec C Ultramarine .3mm Gel Pen Review<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn3esyls9Rp8UlKmJc4U3QwH2LgoqaQUBpj9qDTNpPJLkyk9o7Hp6jme8NhObDmhrizl4hLXQyb6verXhf4k19mK2yn7xO7Pje8SAPWEFThflCPpgolluRa0_2iAH-fZs1GiaCMK34L_U/s1600/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn3esyls9Rp8UlKmJc4U3QwH2LgoqaQUBpj9qDTNpPJLkyk9o7Hp6jme8NhObDmhrizl4hLXQyb6verXhf4k19mK2yn7xO7Pje8SAPWEFThflCPpgolluRa0_2iAH-fZs1GiaCMK34L_U/s320/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(0).jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favorite pens of all time, and one of the earliest gel pens I ever used, was the Pilot Hi-Tec C. Known for their needle-point tips and amazingly thin lines, the design and construction of the pens themselves are simple, utilitarian, yet redolent with classic style, and full of design touches that I recognize immediately every time I pick one up, things that combine to set it apart from other gel pens. The six-panel stick design, reminiscent of wooden pencils; the clear body; the understated ring-grooved grip; the instantly recognizable metal needlepoint tip; the squared yet tapered off cap that posts as well as caps with a satisfying 'click.' It's a wonderful pen series, and if you have never tried one, it's definitely worth a look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've used these pens for the past ten years and so I figure it's about time I reviewed one =) The pen under consideration today, is in a color I only recently have begun to use, 'Ultramarine.'</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFf1BH_8fovQvmEYmIOs7OQy7xbBUn9JTjcMt7AT2S0w8lSoXmrmKx9qn7bqhM_cX0QXyNgBrv9gGoDRVZyB54SvMTqb2Ng55s5P8kaV_qQu5gS3DI9zp4Jq2y5fDWDtGFqN9juGgKPloi/s1600/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFf1BH_8fovQvmEYmIOs7OQy7xbBUn9JTjcMt7AT2S0w8lSoXmrmKx9qn7bqhM_cX0QXyNgBrv9gGoDRVZyB54SvMTqb2Ng55s5P8kaV_qQu5gS3DI9zp4Jq2y5fDWDtGFqN9juGgKPloi/s320/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(1).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The 'UM' at the end of the model name signifies the color, and the little '200' in the box after that, is the price in Japan - 200 yen, or about 2 bucks. I believe ten years ago they used to be 100 yen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here is the famous needle tip; this is a .3mm (which differs in construction from the .4mm):</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4mmxl4ipxN12lv1bsY8G_Nhi5zUeD8dM8Ap5Dtni6dm892fqYOw1bjt-5mXikAMfr2pjDt3obSY8Ys4VNYK02blqTL-ZA1jz2FFijAt8wPsg-DzEVKItEJIdW9XYZ_MX8SrhRb2UF_fT/s1600/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4mmxl4ipxN12lv1bsY8G_Nhi5zUeD8dM8Ap5Dtni6dm892fqYOw1bjt-5mXikAMfr2pjDt3obSY8Ys4VNYK02blqTL-ZA1jz2FFijAt8wPsg-DzEVKItEJIdW9XYZ_MX8SrhRb2UF_fT/s320/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Note the precision engineering that must have gone into such a product. The stepped levels keep getting smaller and smaller, starting from the retaining cap, on down to the main body of the tip, then on to the needle-point and finally to the very tippy tip, which houses an actual tiny, stainless steel ball. Amazing stuff. Here is a quick pic of the pen posted. It's got very nice balance in this configuration:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQjuvaZFCgtby0FY6R23ka7-Je1OUzRf6xhYpoQkCy6AU26275Q5Z9eOTU2ivgobiXOxsZQ76crgbJ4QXDazb1znJ2xhl2ks-GtXeFTy4xRakOG_4LC9E_6uG6kOvOKSl5yYINEcFVd38/s1600/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQjuvaZFCgtby0FY6R23ka7-Je1OUzRf6xhYpoQkCy6AU26275Q5Z9eOTU2ivgobiXOxsZQ76crgbJ4QXDazb1znJ2xhl2ks-GtXeFTy4xRakOG_4LC9E_6uG6kOvOKSl5yYINEcFVd38/s320/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(3).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, on to the writing performance. As you could imagine, writing with such a thin tip means if you're not careful - i.e., pressing too hard, using cheap paper - you could get some scratchiness, even paper rips. But for someone with a light touch (as most fountain pen users tend to be), or with some usage and attention to one's grip, this is really not a problem. One orentation that I've found helps, is to angle the body back toward oneself, almost like one would use a fountain pen. This lets the pen glide across the paper easier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here is a writing sample. You can write really, really small with this guy!:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqUo60buevvTH58DbUhjC_K1n92bn93_NkOA__CKzPHlNNdeCd_IhnVbVmO-HTe-Gf_I9sqlz2Pq-vlbthdBMtzB95dpH1oZfFkQ4D6P-loWq1K4wOKfG-1jboW6lw47xMJvIwpH3oQXI/s1600/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqUo60buevvTH58DbUhjC_K1n92bn93_NkOA__CKzPHlNNdeCd_IhnVbVmO-HTe-Gf_I9sqlz2Pq-vlbthdBMtzB95dpH1oZfFkQ4D6P-loWq1K4wOKfG-1jboW6lw47xMJvIwpH3oQXI/s320/Hi-Tec+C+-+Ultramarine+(4).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And as I note in the sample above, these pens are also really nifty for sketching and doodling, especially on smaller pads like Post-it pads and Rhodias. This sample was written on a Clairefontaine 90g paper (small wire-bound pad).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As for the color itself, the ultramarine is a (to use utterly subjective terms) smooth, calming blue with a hint of green. Not as 'dark' (as in emotion) as turquoise, but not as rich as a royal or cerulean blue. It's really great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.jetpens.com/search.php?q=hi-tec+c">JetPens</a> sells these, as does <a href="http://www.tokyopenshop.com/hitec-c-p-18.html">TokyoPenShop</a> (they were recently featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine for the Hi-Tec C's, actually). Both great retailers, who I've bought from and corresponded with, and excellent prices, support, and speed. The Hi-Tec C's come in other varieties than the .3mm - they also come in a .4mm as already mentioned, a .25, a multi-pen variant called the 'Coleto,' as metal-bodied upscale pens, and even a mini version in Pilot's 'Putimo' line. We'll review those in the future too. In the meanwhile, check out these classic pens and enjoy the microscopic writing pleasure =)</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-33994853744995206582010-06-27T19:38:00.002-05:002010-06-27T19:40:06.142-05:00Bazik 'Mileno' Fountain Pen Review<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a bargain-hound at heart, and so I from time to time visit the dollar store, especially if I'm out to get some cheap tools, wrapping paper, and other odds and ends. Some dollar stores have interesting stationery items from time to time - erasable highlighters, three-packs of Sharpies for a buck, and other ones that will be the topic of future posts.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">But under consideration are these little gems:</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5DVuXEr89YfaOL_juJNAajTIpV1PAwjVwKIQvh59Kc1XkUIVR75gJacChUJw5v_jXfuSTrDO1bh_c1ZMcuycBH0tCEZTRCYYbTJRvOD55CaoFz_i-8a2k3jKqNbj-dgQodIdVq7_P2I2/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5DVuXEr89YfaOL_juJNAajTIpV1PAwjVwKIQvh59Kc1XkUIVR75gJacChUJw5v_jXfuSTrDO1bh_c1ZMcuycBH0tCEZTRCYYbTJRvOD55CaoFz_i-8a2k3jKqNbj-dgQodIdVq7_P2I2/s320/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(0).jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are the 'Bazik' branded, 'Mileno' model fountain pen. And, they were a whopping $1.29 each, including three ink cartridges apiece. What a deal! But were the fountain pens usable? Because even a $1.29 bad pen is, well, a bad pen.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let's take a closer look at the pens (in the packaging):</span><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">They came in a dark blue and a maroon, and I picked up one of each. The packaging looked decent enough, and on the back, there's some Spencerian-ish script, directions on how to use the cartridge, and decent descriptions about the fountain pen (it got cut off in the pic but it mentions a feed, a nib, and so on - so the people who made this weren't totally clueless regarding fountain pens, thankfully!).</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are some pics of the maroon pen, out of the package:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxcXWNuIYg7tQWZ6UQI1RA49OGyw-UdbtMp2eLGnZbT55IZCW9_eE_F6mzJjwVztDFJhJBAKO2YXhg6xirMFGC8SN3Y_N7x0REYHrV2hGEpU0Fzh1jmbzveZfHmnMhBX5tTPbKgGufJh5/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxcXWNuIYg7tQWZ6UQI1RA49OGyw-UdbtMp2eLGnZbT55IZCW9_eE_F6mzJjwVztDFJhJBAKO2YXhg6xirMFGC8SN3Y_N7x0REYHrV2hGEpU0Fzh1jmbzveZfHmnMhBX5tTPbKgGufJh5/s200/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(6).JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO51IH5iinokExCUw1F0LaJEYMsLpQP9wpIsaxrDTBR1w-Tt40WvSxTImvrdIVihOVJQLqEcgcwme9Zxm2EGB5J4O1mD4KuAe1A7I1fWpDUiTcZZCEzMoZRY5FgV74QVz5TtsVjb6eiZA-/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO51IH5iinokExCUw1F0LaJEYMsLpQP9wpIsaxrDTBR1w-Tt40WvSxTImvrdIVihOVJQLqEcgcwme9Zxm2EGB5J4O1mD4KuAe1A7I1fWpDUiTcZZCEzMoZRY5FgV74QVz5TtsVjb6eiZA-/s200/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(7).JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi055BsRKiw1f9Y3iuke2rxMv29m4MCiUWXbAhXXKOoaASbhieyyV2cHstQZnNz7lK8r2e93pen98-qsAx4VEjVy90XpEKwGYVqs3Hl0AN851bAkmS6zWADyLEtKkT7fnuJ1HoJaHmmbciJ/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi055BsRKiw1f9Y3iuke2rxMv29m4MCiUWXbAhXXKOoaASbhieyyV2cHstQZnNz7lK8r2e93pen98-qsAx4VEjVy90XpEKwGYVqs3Hl0AN851bAkmS6zWADyLEtKkT7fnuJ1HoJaHmmbciJ/s200/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(8).JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UFBxncoQwFnaEci1_J1jy_wGAGMlG_mGPXwEV1XvoxtAaorlQRJIrrRvVDC5wv-u5utmJ2tCefk2xFjliLc9Tghpkbvf50b9aPLL9NTRP9isu9ndzJ1Z1dQHUcrSikWxXgHy3AQJUbvP/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UFBxncoQwFnaEci1_J1jy_wGAGMlG_mGPXwEV1XvoxtAaorlQRJIrrRvVDC5wv-u5utmJ2tCefk2xFjliLc9Tghpkbvf50b9aPLL9NTRP9isu9ndzJ1Z1dQHUcrSikWxXgHy3AQJUbvP/s200/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(9).JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As you can tell from the pics, the construction seems very decent, and even though everything is plastic except for the nib and the clip (and the clip may be chromed plastic, even), it feels solid in hand, if a bit light (to be expeced), and frankly the Dollar brand pens from India don't necessarily have anything on these pens, from a construction standpoint. The cap is a pull-top one (not screw-in), and it pops open and closed with a reassuring 'click.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Alright, by now you're wondering how it writes. Well, the long and the short of it - it writes perfectly fine, the two I have are very smooth and almost no scratchiness, and they flow well. Here is a writing sample:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk2zD7QSOjpDrJvcCBMDR0D4xMQ97n1N811RnpbEYxCnyWEAtUPSVGVUg8eNgrZjQYkRfjaplFlPD3EhZcC7MNjf7Po46S14C1Hh0R4t5r_MQIpTXI_i5ietHiZhOtSR3nQ7Ve2bth2z2/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk2zD7QSOjpDrJvcCBMDR0D4xMQ97n1N811RnpbEYxCnyWEAtUPSVGVUg8eNgrZjQYkRfjaplFlPD3EhZcC7MNjf7Po46S14C1Hh0R4t5r_MQIpTXI_i5ietHiZhOtSR3nQ7Ve2bth2z2/s320/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(12).JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">As the sample notes, the line width is about a medium-fine, and the included ink is a bit grayer than my Noodler's Heart of Darkness, but it is perfectly acceptable, though it required a bit of a good pinch on the cartridge to get the juices flowing the first time around. Another neat thing is that the third cartridge was inside the pen (the packaging looks like there's only 2 carts), upside-down - i.e., already in the standard position used to store the spare as well as help keep the installed cartridge from falling out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One surprising thing was that the nib is slightly semi-flex! You can see it in the sample above; the nib tines actually do widen. It takes a lot of pressure, but it's neat to think that a $1.29 pen does this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's another pic demonstrating the flex:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are a few more pics - the feed; a breakout shot; a posted pic; and the blue and red combo:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Overall verdict? A dang nice backup fountain pen, and one that you could use to load up with your less frequently used inks that you just can't bring yourself to get rid of (because we can't all have several copies of our favorite pen!), yet you'd like to use once in a while. The pens write nicely, and frankly as well as even $30~50 pens I've seen. Sure it doesn't have the cachet of a brand name (though, "Bazik" has that gourmet flair yes? ha.), or precious materials, but it flows smooth and works well, and you can afford to get a few of these for rough and ready use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not sure where all this pen is available, but I might just go ahead and do a couple giveaways on them soon. Keep your eyes peeled =)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One more last pic - here's a pack of refills, 12x for - you guessed it! - $1.29 =D</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJ-a_HXwtYqmDJX7JtKYlApQw4FHqUnG9vN-bygkqg5ytpLvrIMZ137s-VW_zdPw5LYCz_lsWhtqQVmcCOxkC2rG4GAkrCb6sebE67ZvjOGEY3JUdW1FYhDqj6vQeRJx4z7ItLHkcYT76/s1600/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJ-a_HXwtYqmDJX7JtKYlApQw4FHqUnG9vN-bygkqg5ytpLvrIMZ137s-VW_zdPw5LYCz_lsWhtqQVmcCOxkC2rG4GAkrCb6sebE67ZvjOGEY3JUdW1FYhDqj6vQeRJx4z7ItLHkcYT76/s320/Bazik+dollar+fountain+pen+(3).JPG" /></a></div>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-62729010912038250782010-06-23T12:04:00.001-05:002010-06-24T12:28:40.845-05:00TelePen Keychain Pen Review<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all have our favorite writing implements, and of course try to have that with us at all times. That neat gel pen, the medical sample ballpoint our doctor uncle gave us, perhaps a fountain pen. But, we are prone to lose things, misplace things (some more than others), and at those times, it's really convenient to have a backup.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'd searched about a bit for a useful backup pen - there's a couple out there, but are either really pricey, or really bulky. For instance, there's a titanium keychain pen that used to be available, for almost $60. Uh, sorry, but that's incomprehensible for a bush-league player like me =) And then there's for instance the R.S.V.P. mini's - which are fun to use but too big to feasibly put on your keychain (except maybe to use as a handle to swing your keys around like a flailing mace).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Step in, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/True-Utility-Telepen-Telescopic-Pen/dp/B002K9J26W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1277399060&sr=8-1">TelePen</a>, by "True Utility."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6ddLlCYKsLhLaTIIyGlimGljlWuA7cLHrxF9aemz18x_PfYnfu5PzSV_Wchq6_H6IPdcfxDbHXJZF5MZBIVwiiu70yU_kvPnko37DP4s7q4xEV7iwXCaRtpK8_qMmdaKfOsstadMYIpy/s1600/TelePen+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6ddLlCYKsLhLaTIIyGlimGljlWuA7cLHrxF9aemz18x_PfYnfu5PzSV_Wchq6_H6IPdcfxDbHXJZF5MZBIVwiiu70yU_kvPnko37DP4s7q4xEV7iwXCaRtpK8_qMmdaKfOsstadMYIpy/s320/TelePen+(0).jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This pen costs only $5.99 at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/True-Utility-Telepen-Telescopic-Pen/dp/B002K9J26W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1277399060&sr=8-1">Amazon.com</a>. It comes with what you see above: bubble package, telescoping pen, split ring, and three refills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A nice looking pen!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH0pFL-_m1qmplr1MptB2Epql2-CUe2zg1w9e1nWyAO2UO_FQhxyXoytcPAObIjEvvW3Ocb3IDN0bEf2bXOQE8uRONdkrHcn-MARo6_uV7Z_X7SN5c_pBiOqyppvx29mfE0owQIJaLnIC/s1600/TelePen+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH0pFL-_m1qmplr1MptB2Epql2-CUe2zg1w9e1nWyAO2UO_FQhxyXoytcPAObIjEvvW3Ocb3IDN0bEf2bXOQE8uRONdkrHcn-MARo6_uV7Z_X7SN5c_pBiOqyppvx29mfE0owQIJaLnIC/s320/TelePen+(1).JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And as the name implies, it telescopes out, much like an old-school car antenna, or a chart-pointer thingy (pre-laser days):</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yQtL4qV6yoxZjS3PXeVkoQpSW-kl_0pHkLBqiC2BsnPP-IHlN_GNRaD-EgLIo3yaboUy8SpEw7KNR13s5w6TnJ5-o_mgqagzW4mOTh9q1a3q8sLRvoFO-D8UuIZTwshOcVQaMSgJLUJc/s1600/TelePen+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yQtL4qV6yoxZjS3PXeVkoQpSW-kl_0pHkLBqiC2BsnPP-IHlN_GNRaD-EgLIo3yaboUy8SpEw7KNR13s5w6TnJ5-o_mgqagzW4mOTh9q1a3q8sLRvoFO-D8UuIZTwshOcVQaMSgJLUJc/s320/TelePen+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After telescoping to full length (about 4.25"), pull a little harder and the tip pops out of the cap:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN6P1pI95iU4YnLW50lY2DOoXbBjgYjkOBKtlFkl72vaaEEskPPzARM9ONLgHts8srzNML3ZLmdkPgckrZV8PhIRYNhPeCzGuRvWd7t_zPnIe3-DuYNQgX0jIovOpefNbTFk1jCWumbgh/s1600/TelePen+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN6P1pI95iU4YnLW50lY2DOoXbBjgYjkOBKtlFkl72vaaEEskPPzARM9ONLgHts8srzNML3ZLmdkPgckrZV8PhIRYNhPeCzGuRvWd7t_zPnIe3-DuYNQgX0jIovOpefNbTFk1jCWumbgh/s320/TelePen+(3).JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The ballpoint's writing quality is pretty typical; smooth and writes dark enough for everyday use. Here is a writing sample:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0RBqr140UQkcEK8XlwwyvTc8ZB3qm9GhAPOt3aOzViPgrs8YLoCjOEmzo1nGjKT2CFBvErdIbB6zb0FEo-Xvi6Uy9Sk0kG0-1_s601tAxVLOIpZhYAzqW5GXfX4AnTd_MK7knvIhS-f1/s1600/TelePen+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0RBqr140UQkcEK8XlwwyvTc8ZB3qm9GhAPOt3aOzViPgrs8YLoCjOEmzo1nGjKT2CFBvErdIbB6zb0FEo-Xvi6Uy9Sk0kG0-1_s601tAxVLOIpZhYAzqW5GXfX4AnTd_MK7knvIhS-f1/s320/TelePen+(4).JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To refill the pen, unscrew the tippy tip tip:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgkLvI0U5NXvBnMtkMRbH0CFYeuZ6kSuTGJbCpTjLWnzVtb3RMPEjbNCT45-o0tyNerQVweyySTv4L2iyVfK4hyw0YbPWmTevC1DsK3lj13yjaYsZNvPFbvFcgV2AS_22zyGoqasnTJl/s1600/TelePen+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgkLvI0U5NXvBnMtkMRbH0CFYeuZ6kSuTGJbCpTjLWnzVtb3RMPEjbNCT45-o0tyNerQVweyySTv4L2iyVfK4hyw0YbPWmTevC1DsK3lj13yjaYsZNvPFbvFcgV2AS_22zyGoqasnTJl/s320/TelePen+(5).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Neat thing is that the manufacturer saw fit to put an o-ring in there. Nice touch. More than waterproofness, it helps provide a snug fit of the tip to the body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As you can see here, the refill is pretty much like a snipped off piece of a standard ballpoint refill. The manufacturer even recommends doing just that, once the three extra refills are used up. However, I doubt you'll have to worry about this, since it's more of a backup/emergency use pen.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEDSI1YJb_0oVqGXIx5DcYl7H6AnhM1PVHNRgl6f4Z9nXSAks-N8Xx6N88F94chs9b3XjbKvIm_cPEVB3meJjkm5DVUP0kwbv7Nrgp0UlL_HlV7kwl8sOrEDFWvsY5hUM8qetu-pUJKMs/s1600/TelePen+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEDSI1YJb_0oVqGXIx5DcYl7H6AnhM1PVHNRgl6f4Z9nXSAks-N8Xx6N88F94chs9b3XjbKvIm_cPEVB3meJjkm5DVUP0kwbv7Nrgp0UlL_HlV7kwl8sOrEDFWvsY5hUM8qetu-pUJKMs/s320/TelePen+(6).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The grip is of course nothing like say a Dr. Grip or Jellfit, but is comfortable enough to write with - though by necessity being very thin at the tip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If needed, though, you could telescope it down one section, trading overall length for a little more girth in the barrel:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Or even two sections, if you're feeling adventurous...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaLUBzGl1Q6GYHHHBpGbbtXMapNXzmkN5VCussPsSp8tcx1wWv3AbdVG69_t-QmF90MLWoN4nDoeptvMilJl7gjdiE5mDLPN7aeK72rasPN76Fag7WDV4Lz1s-2pxFS8SjoFub5Aem530/s1600/TelePen+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaLUBzGl1Q6GYHHHBpGbbtXMapNXzmkN5VCussPsSp8tcx1wWv3AbdVG69_t-QmF90MLWoN4nDoeptvMilJl7gjdiE5mDLPN7aeK72rasPN76Fag7WDV4Lz1s-2pxFS8SjoFub5Aem530/s320/TelePen+(10).JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">...but that's as far as you can get, because if you collapse the last section, it becomes a little stub that you can't hold like a regular pen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The build is stainless steel, and feels pretty tough. Well-designed, and comes with a split ring too, so that you can add it to your keys right away. A backup pen is invaluable when you need to endorse a check, write down some important notes, scribble directions for someone, and you don't have your regular pen with you. This one definitely fits the bill and at a very affordable price point. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/True-Utility-Telepen-Telescopic-Pen/dp/B002K9J26W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1277399060&sr=8-1">Check it out</a>!</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-77505792642457569682010-06-21T12:05:00.000-05:002010-06-24T12:00:13.825-05:00Stainless Steel Sharpie Review<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Home/default.html">Sharpies</a> are a wonderful thing. Permanent ink (great for labeling your clothes in the dorm environment), wonderful design (the gray, the black, the recognizable shoulder of the tip, the integrated clip), the smell, the 'pop' sound when opening and 'click' when closing - all of these make for a unique and dare I say 'American' experience. Sanford truly hit a home run with the design and utility of this item. I keep it around for writing on CDs, for construction work, for touching up black shoes and my camera, the list can go on and on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, Sanford took a classic and made it even better. Of course, there have been other Sharpie newnesses - various Sharpie pens, mini-Sharpies, double-headed Sharpies, Sharpie highlighters, and more - but this one is a particularly nice and eye-catching evolution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We speak of course of the Stainless Steel Sharpie:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0xwFYIVVwoOcmQzi3k9MqIimtas9FVUnr12SozNkg5zKaaADuUZQ0Gk3GJBJuWixwwr3s5I7TVtQP_1RO29eE71o_NndsiE_TPVe3qpGxIREP3hqC2vKSuFn2KyjdRMMwI5ieh8DlWLY/s1600/SS+Sharpie+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0xwFYIVVwoOcmQzi3k9MqIimtas9FVUnr12SozNkg5zKaaADuUZQ0Gk3GJBJuWixwwr3s5I7TVtQP_1RO29eE71o_NndsiE_TPVe3qpGxIREP3hqC2vKSuFn2KyjdRMMwI5ieh8DlWLY/s320/SS+Sharpie+(0).jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The body of this SS Sharpie, is all stainless steel. It feels very tough in the hand, and would provide a good hard poke to someone if it happened to be the only self-defense implement you had with you. The cap pops down with a reassuring 'click,' too. The 'Sharpie' logo is laser-etched on, so no paint to wear off. The finish has held up well despite banging about in my pencil case for a couple months now.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidU1ZdqsV2kD4MZzxsHVBvKeT4SlEaMiP15ToVXhqDDYnQdXPV6M9IMhrvhj4cvDcpq_ARZv_RKs9nBQtOmO9j77Y72kOd_QbQx-gRg9W3vGKU_lEez0KhFZkpRIMOR8blSeURNB6QsJdR/s1600/SS+Sharpie+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidU1ZdqsV2kD4MZzxsHVBvKeT4SlEaMiP15ToVXhqDDYnQdXPV6M9IMhrvhj4cvDcpq_ARZv_RKs9nBQtOmO9j77Y72kOd_QbQx-gRg9W3vGKU_lEez0KhFZkpRIMOR8blSeURNB6QsJdR/s320/SS+Sharpie+(1).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Sharpie's writing bit is as far as I can tell, the same as the original, so probably not much need to discuss much here. Just be careful about bleed on thinner papers (probably cardstock is the way to go if bleed is a big concern), and enjoy the thick, dark line it lays down.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmEBinN5ai0vUQpWBcCJAV-TwZmac9jR9Cvp_Zpsxe9_cWM3Xms_wg9K3k0GUlJvVPlZZt-9BbGIF4W47d8RRjl_YGrq-Y9K2ANIxg2vgZgFsoRBhKVx_A65_sjZ0BO1RqGz40AfKM9bh/s1600/SS+Sharpie+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmEBinN5ai0vUQpWBcCJAV-TwZmac9jR9Cvp_Zpsxe9_cWM3Xms_wg9K3k0GUlJvVPlZZt-9BbGIF4W47d8RRjl_YGrq-Y9K2ANIxg2vgZgFsoRBhKVx_A65_sjZ0BO1RqGz40AfKM9bh/s320/SS+Sharpie+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The neat thing about this Sharpie that is worthy of mention, is that it is refillable. The black thing you see in the picture above, is the refill. Assuming the whole barrel is filled with ink, it's got a considerable reservoir, and when its done, you can hang on to the stainless steel shell and pop in a new refill. This is especially nice since the felt tip usually degrades after a while, and then you'll get a new, sharp tip, while still retaining your old barrel. The refill screws in via square threads (nice touch), and additionally, the threading on the receiving end of the barrel is, of course, stainless steel - so they'll last pretty much forever without getting cross-threaded, etc., since the threads on the refill are plastic (much softer).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, this is a definitely good buy, and nice upgrade on the original Sharpie - especially if you need one that will hold up to greater use and abuse. It's a little thicker than the original Sharpie but not obtrusively so. I bought mine at Walmart for a little over $5, much cheaper than at the big box stationery stores.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Btw, for ideas on how to use it, head on over to the neat <a href="http://blog.sharpie.com/">Sharpie blog</a>. Cool ideas there.</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-13143693012223585792010-06-19T12:10:00.004-05:002010-06-22T17:04:06.760-05:00Kum "PenCut"<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Browsing JetPens, I came across this neat item:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuIuPsKVmxqWtTYEWPDseBcm-Y6-r8WAZbQs6wMC25nUQxwCTkghK-8qd3qHO8KzQJ92JPOFCESU5P__P2DR-7buKZm_1G3YX2rDghkAveb3FE9CI8bo2GRAzMjEURjkFdNx3QqKogXjh/s1600/PenCut+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuIuPsKVmxqWtTYEWPDseBcm-Y6-r8WAZbQs6wMC25nUQxwCTkghK-8qd3qHO8KzQJ92JPOFCESU5P__P2DR-7buKZm_1G3YX2rDghkAveb3FE9CI8bo2GRAzMjEURjkFdNx3QqKogXjh/s320/PenCut+(0).jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It's the "<a href="http://www.jetpens.com/search.php?q=pencut">PenCut</a>," made by Kum. Kum is a German stationery manufacturer, who has been making quality writing and art implements for a long time. This is one of their newer items: a safety set of pen-sized folding scissors! And is very cool, almost James Bond-ish.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are the folded blades:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiePQXxcuWc-izFI7yy1NwFiFiZpIzBtNfQolaLR8F4PhPZFJd-OfQDsaau8BQg0ncdpb_X2n-_SfIZdnBeFPh9xwzWjr71zKlHw0-HjonZhJ3VE0XdBXmNeEIrQSYhvc5Cit0OBdGgx4b/s1600/PenCut+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiePQXxcuWc-izFI7yy1NwFiFiZpIzBtNfQolaLR8F4PhPZFJd-OfQDsaau8BQg0ncdpb_X2n-_SfIZdnBeFPh9xwzWjr71zKlHw0-HjonZhJ3VE0XdBXmNeEIrQSYhvc5Cit0OBdGgx4b/s320/PenCut+(1).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And here are the neat flexible nylon fold-away handles:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwSIFLNUNJQjrgbanU1WDp01fmkPEzd6Uw4rWlz2b0ZLZcTLIQsklN33tWDYG5dszSSqDucQ-0BJXgz2jhvI09fGAe5uAkvG6QNnJiypOssnzBVtnF6d52gYQVTu8k2nkP6P16U36MZtc/s1600/PenCut+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwSIFLNUNJQjrgbanU1WDp01fmkPEzd6Uw4rWlz2b0ZLZcTLIQsklN33tWDYG5dszSSqDucQ-0BJXgz2jhvI09fGAe5uAkvG6QNnJiypOssnzBVtnF6d52gYQVTu8k2nkP6P16U36MZtc/s320/PenCut+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And here are the scissors fully open:</span><br />
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Note the full tang on the scissors. The metal extends<br />
from scissor tip all the way to the end of the handle.<br />
Means very sturdy scissoring action!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's basically a set of child-sized scissors, but in a pen-sized format. It's about the size, roughly, of a standard Sharpie. MUCH easier to stow with your gear than a regular set of scissors, plus they won't poke other stuff (like you!). I used to carry a small set of 'safety' scissors, which was very useful, but always poking other stuff. Woe to the sad soul upon whom such a pair of scissors opens while in their backpack...!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now your scissor needs don't have to be scissor woes, thanks to this PenCut. The neat thing about it is that it can be configured for use ambidextrously. And it cuts well, as you can see from the following shots:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The nicely cut edge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The PenCut is available <a href="http://www.jetpens.com/search.php?q=pencut">here from JetPens</a>. If you're going to be doing some intense scissoring sessions, sure you need that pair of Fiskars at home. But on-the-go, I haven't seen as good a solution as this one yet.</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-53076887800928496092010-06-17T12:01:00.005-05:002010-06-24T12:04:05.248-05:00Pilot Namiki Falcon Review (modified by Mottishaw)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VnJ-Bzff2SdNEIm0J-gyG4r2OPUgNOUGKeoTtaSBodENPcC-tF2YNH__qAv_pV-FGWcmNjN65kNX1tQsl0L8aWv51WYkwplVXU9MZBbUbt4mfaMc2_ognfNmxH5V61aFFnDv33mERzNg/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VnJ-Bzff2SdNEIm0J-gyG4r2OPUgNOUGKeoTtaSBodENPcC-tF2YNH__qAv_pV-FGWcmNjN65kNX1tQsl0L8aWv51WYkwplVXU9MZBbUbt4mfaMc2_ognfNmxH5V61aFFnDv33mERzNg/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(0).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello! Here is the first review for The Penny Writer! Up for consideration today is a Pilot Namiki Falcon fountain pen, but with a twist: modified to extra-extra-fine and added flex, by John Mottishaw (of <a href="http://nibs.com/">nibs.com</a>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Falcon is well-known among fountain-pen users as a 'semi-flex' or 'soft' nib - it does indeed flex, though not quite in the same way as the classic flexible fountain pens. It has what Pilot calls a 'hooded' nib (though it is not hooded in the same way as say a Parker 51). The Falcon does produce a line of variable width with increased pressure, partly due to the spread of the tines, and partly due to a wetter line put down due to lifting of the nib tip from the feed. A fine pen from the factory, but with a little added touches, it's even better. Step in John Mottishaw, one of the best nib-meisters around!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR-5Fj0ho0OLXlABb17mK1i3b1IC9puVctoRZvDbqHqoBF8Pn4JmXKlyHQhbKbelidXiH7IEap1UHeaU0YTEbLibpBH1yVLDPcDfv0F0BMi4BoMaxEeSTKo8PNqguyYWECoqk16FypofZ/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR-5Fj0ho0OLXlABb17mK1i3b1IC9puVctoRZvDbqHqoBF8Pn4JmXKlyHQhbKbelidXiH7IEap1UHeaU0YTEbLibpBH1yVLDPcDfv0F0BMi4BoMaxEeSTKo8PNqguyYWECoqk16FypofZ/s200/Namiki+Falcon+(5).JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk4MOl2uVwdmLhhT_-fpsDa5MyIX5bj44ECwuq3O4njKxcrFtD79Fi7s_HVz3oeczmP5_q0Xpdk0HaFXplF-_A6Y7ZeduMwy39bNiNdHYpdUV-3tHuriaHYLuLZO_ERwZ2lKI9BYrHpzd/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk4MOl2uVwdmLhhT_-fpsDa5MyIX5bj44ECwuq3O4njKxcrFtD79Fi7s_HVz3oeczmP5_q0Xpdk0HaFXplF-_A6Y7ZeduMwy39bNiNdHYpdUV-3tHuriaHYLuLZO_ERwZ2lKI9BYrHpzd/s200/Namiki+Falcon+(6).JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mr. Mottishaw's handiwork took off some material from the bottom of the nib, for additional flexing, and also ground down the tip to an XXF point. Now it writes a line thinner than even my .3 Hi-Tec-C, but is able to flex to a med/med-broad.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21tds96NSitKI60-tC-6tUExzCfmcq12_MBk_8pU6sD9NBRNUdKO8fk2lg7NoZ-I8-M4tEz26aCVFpF-TiATmq1k4PyjaF9H9ZgqF-uxHrMMvhqrBazcO5FDwFmbWu9o_ST-WuYmMKUmR/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21tds96NSitKI60-tC-6tUExzCfmcq12_MBk_8pU6sD9NBRNUdKO8fk2lg7NoZ-I8-M4tEz26aCVFpF-TiATmq1k4PyjaF9H9ZgqF-uxHrMMvhqrBazcO5FDwFmbWu9o_ST-WuYmMKUmR/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(7).JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
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No flex.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKBin8ALExuTJIH9GRE7FauZaQRYl65ibVOBYizXbgLwGy-E4Iz_B1rGiJZYM4BVmmuJ0gQE9vYR3IQYEWTNrolZhsArao_xMDWPlqDIAK6wZJEeG5BsBvhirwfc4_lJJDPOs0OFwz_Qk/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKBin8ALExuTJIH9GRE7FauZaQRYl65ibVOBYizXbgLwGy-E4Iz_B1rGiJZYM4BVmmuJ0gQE9vYR3IQYEWTNrolZhsArao_xMDWPlqDIAK6wZJEeG5BsBvhirwfc4_lJJDPOs0OFwz_Qk/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(8).JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
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Flex!<br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial;">It took a while to get used to writing with, as this was the first flexible pen I used in a daily fashion. But after several weeks, my hand's muscles have an instinctual sense of how much to push down for non-flex writing (super-fine line, no variation - suitable for Moleskines for writing with no bleed), how much to push down and at what times for Spencerian-ish writing, and how much pressure to apply for more ad-hoc 'variable-line cursive' (that is not really any style but just my own handwriting with some flex).</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUEebAeVWgn8QXlGNFxMcUzZiTxDmKpHU27ZwZkK8Z0nE33m1wu8FaxnRTE4JagwDOZ6x4fua9Ua-q3bCBKgB1cb9858ifllTz5pz4SJUk7dpeupv4HHnkZjb4WyRvYcMgWQlt1zIqCqN/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUEebAeVWgn8QXlGNFxMcUzZiTxDmKpHU27ZwZkK8Z0nE33m1wu8FaxnRTE4JagwDOZ6x4fua9Ua-q3bCBKgB1cb9858ifllTz5pz4SJUk7dpeupv4HHnkZjb4WyRvYcMgWQlt1zIqCqN/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The combo of the original pen plus John's work makes for a wonderful pen! I use it daily for journaling, signing checks, writing cards, and many more uses. It's very versatile since you can write with it like a super-fine pen with fixed width, yet also bust out with the flex for fancy script.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfvpzGS46bKZ8wI__VeW7AHfCFJPYX5T720bEA-UW33JnRbkzETIPlPbumhxvDnfLN56jS1RklXR0U2UC0FdXBVjsCbgrqVA63ycs-ISCk7NpcK1mIesb250V2PJkFcTScv1QJjclbdPN/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfvpzGS46bKZ8wI__VeW7AHfCFJPYX5T720bEA-UW33JnRbkzETIPlPbumhxvDnfLN56jS1RklXR0U2UC0FdXBVjsCbgrqVA63ycs-ISCk7NpcK1mIesb250V2PJkFcTScv1QJjclbdPN/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(2).JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As far as ink goes - I very much like Noodler's Heart of Darkness, but I had a problem with excess flow with that ink, on this pen, and also feathering and bleed. I switched to a Pilot-brand ink, the Iroshizuku line, and then suddenly the pen rocked. No feathering, no bleed, very responsive in the think to thicks, and nice, emotive shading to boot. I'm a fan of mixing things up and getting the cheapest deals on things, but using Pilot ink on this Pilot pen seems to really be the solution. I had a hard time with the thin to thick transitions with the HoD ink.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ss7jo3UeXJZxB3IVXN-leWlvlZ7NDqM962l0kMIU2VLzwL755KJ0uIKuuWrhUo7HS3YHXDRpUVjwG68O_9Pe5cKmr_sXmbRjPKifdpaQCs4PBkk7sFn8LHIw-JNhIJZ9VRMc71Lp1upa/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ss7jo3UeXJZxB3IVXN-leWlvlZ7NDqM962l0kMIU2VLzwL755KJ0uIKuuWrhUo7HS3YHXDRpUVjwG68O_9Pe5cKmr_sXmbRjPKifdpaQCs4PBkk7sFn8LHIw-JNhIJZ9VRMc71Lp1upa/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(9).JPG" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Broken out view.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCSetVTo5Rt5kZu5hqK4N9S75Q8TfukOymmAdUfTT69KoedsyQ-u5lJrQn3rgEF8dQPLoN_T3fgJnFUc_dAMJjjFW0bskfrxp4gHCvd5d15WfZEDxfw8VjIJt2P8jRMvy693PPjae7xjx/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCSetVTo5Rt5kZu5hqK4N9S75Q8TfukOymmAdUfTT69KoedsyQ-u5lJrQn3rgEF8dQPLoN_T3fgJnFUc_dAMJjjFW0bskfrxp4gHCvd5d15WfZEDxfw8VjIJt2P8jRMvy693PPjae7xjx/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(11).JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgX0reK3zCg_iKGngG2HqxkV9sfNJsSiudrYJBUIj_LVs61wjrs4b8mUam_8Y4tmmcjCzxg3G0J3i-5U9ijM0ZMZTwu6Hfr_UcN4ykAxMoer_BmRPiE7pIRE52NJY9MYqwOlfYDhPilsDg/s1600/Namiki+Falcon+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgX0reK3zCg_iKGngG2HqxkV9sfNJsSiudrYJBUIj_LVs61wjrs4b8mUam_8Y4tmmcjCzxg3G0J3i-5U9ijM0ZMZTwu6Hfr_UcN4ykAxMoer_BmRPiE7pIRE52NJY9MYqwOlfYDhPilsDg/s320/Namiki+Falcon+(10).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Note the fine filigree work, and the beautiful text</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"Namiki" and "Japan." Hallmarks of great</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Verdict: This is an awesome pen, and John Mottishaw's work is awesome as well. Great buy that I am sure I will use til I am gray and old.</span>TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038712877719554184.post-41335689374588278502010-06-15T11:46:00.000-05:002010-06-22T16:37:22.028-05:00First PostAnd so begins a blog on pens, pencils, paper, and pa-kow! What's a pa-kow? I don't pa-know.TheWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16971830329599349534noreply@blogger.com0