i n k l o d e

fountain pens, inks, paper and more

Posts in the fountain pens category

Sheaffer 100

Sheaffer100_01

Even after all of the pens I’ve acquired, I still find myself drawn to affordable pens that give great performances. I had heard many good things about the Sheaffer 100, and a sale at my local pen shop finally convinced me to pick it up.

The pen comes in a variety of colors, including versions featuring design patterns printed on the barrel. You can also get the pen in either gloss finish or matte finish, depending on your tastes. While the matte finish really appeals to me, I decided to go with the classic, glossy black & gold version of this pen. I was not disappointed. The pen is striking and has an air of class to it that I think is lost on a lot of other pens in its price range. The construction is solid. There are no loose or wobbly parts that I could find. The cap eases onto the body with a soft, satisfying click. Even though the barrel is made of stainless steel, the pen does not feel too heavy. The grip section on the black & gold version is a polished gold, but I did not have any problems with my fingers slipping. It performs its duties as a grip section just fine. My only complaint is that it obviously attracts fingerprints like a glass mirror, but that is to be expected. Included with this pen is Sheaffer’s converter. It holds a decent amount of ink and works reasonably well. The only potential issue I could see is that it slips out of the pen rather easily, so just be careful that you don’t accidentally pull the converter out of the pen while you’re filling from the bottle or trying to flood the feed with a bit of ink.

One of the shining features of this pen is, of course, the nib. The nib is very wet and very smooth. Flow is excellent and can keep up with fast writing very nicely. Considering the cost of the pen, I think the nib is spectacular. The only other feature that might outshine the nib, in my opinion, is the weight and balance of the pen. I love my resin pens, and I have to admit that switching between metal barreled pens and lighter weight resin pens after long periods of time can feel awkward and ungainly. However, there is something about the heft and balance of this pen that really appeals to me. Un-posted, the pen feels extremely comfortable in my hand. The balance feels almost perfect, to me. Since the cap is also made of metal, posting the pen makes it feel a bit too back heavy for my taste, but the cap posts quite deeply so it isn’t as bad as some other metal pens I’ve used. One thing I did notice is that the clip is incredibly tight and I had trouble slipping it over some pockets, but your experience may vary.

Overall, I am really pleased with this pen. It is well constructed, writes wonderfully, and is very affordable. The durability and price could make this a great every-day-carry pen for anyone’s arsenal. Definitely recommended!

Nib material: Steel

Cap: Snap

Filling mechanism: Cartridge/Converter

Overall Length: 138 mm

Weight: ~31 g

Like what you see? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Sailor HighAce Neo

Sailor HighAce Neo

The HighAce Neo is a low-priced, entry-level fountain pen offered by Sailor. In many places, it can be purchased for under $20 (USD) and comes in black, red, green, or blue barrels. The section and cap are always the same color. My first impression was that this pen feels very off balance. The cap is made of a lightweight metal, but the barrel of the pen is made of a super light, cheap plastic. It took me some getting used to, but writing with such a light pen soon became rather effortless and I finally began to appreciate the qualities of the pen that stood out to me.

One of the best parts of this pen, for me, is the nib. I am a big fan of Sailor pens and I am glad to see that even their low-priced, entry-level pens are really smooth writers right out of the box. The steel nib is very plain, but its cheap appearance belies the writing experience it can provide. There is little to no flex with this nib as it was not designed for flex writing. The nib itself is clean with only the brand, the nib number, and size.

Sailor_HighaceNeo_03

One feature I liked was that the cap can snap on to both the front and back ends of the pen alike so you can be sure it is securely attached. When posted, the pen becomes heavily off-balance due to the cap being made of metal. I found the weight difference to be perturbing enough to disrupt my writing experience. The pen is comfortable enough to write with sans posted cap. The barrel of the pen looks really narrow, but surprisingly the pen is still quite comfortable to hold. The grip section is made of smooth plastic as opposed to the rest of the body which has some texture to it, but I had no issues with slipping or losing my grip. Personally, I prefer pens with a larger barrel diameter so extended periods of writing were not ideal in comfort.

That being said, the Sailor HighAce Neo is a great, affordable, entry-level fountain pen that still manages to bring a smooth writing performance. It may not be the most durable or long lasting pen in your arsenal, but for a quick pen to toss in your bag for every day writing, I think it can stand on its own.

Nib material: Steel

Cap: Snap

Filling mechanism: Cartridge/Converter (Sailor)

Overall Length: 136 mm

Weight: ~10.6 g

Like what you see? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Lamy Safari

 

Lamy Safari

To many, the Lamy Safari is one of the quintessential “starter” pens for those seeking to step into the wide world fountain pens. It is affordable, well constructed, and has a relatively high availability in most countries. My own Lamy Safari is a bit weathered (well, at least the nib is), but it is still going strong!

Lamy Safari

The Lamy Safari comes in a wide variety of colors. Some of those colors are actually limited editions made for one specific year (though some of those colors are repeated in later years), but the simple format of the pen itself never changes. There is also a clear (demonstrator) version of this pen which is often referred to as the Lamy Vista. My personal color of choice was the charcoal gray with matching trim. The body is made of a hard resin that has been given a textured surface (note: most Safari models are not textured but rather smooth plastic) which helps you keep a good grip on the pen and also adds a bit of character to it as well. Along the sides of the pen is an open-air ink window on either side, and the words, “LAMY” on one side. The pen is light, but it does not feel cheap. When posted, the pen feels a bit back-heavy and I find it more comfortable to write without the cap. The resin feels strong and does not flex if you squeeze it. Unlike some of the cheap knockoffs, the Lamy Safari feels like a pen that is built to take some abuse.

The nib is made of steel and can be very smooth if you find the sweet spot. Deviate too much, though, and it can give a lot of feedback depending on the type of paper you are writing on. There is really no flex to the nib at all, and it definitely was not meant to be flexed. One of the great features of these pens is how incredibly easy it is to switch nibs. Simply grip the nib from both sides and give it a gentle tug away from the pen and it slips right off. Lamy sells replacement nibs in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, 1.1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 1.9 mm.

Lamy Safari

One of the more polarizing aspects of the pen, for some people, is the grip section. The grip section is molded to aid in keeping a proper writing grip on the pen. Some people like it, others do not (personally, I don’t like it). However, overall the Lamy Safari has made quite a name for itself and it continues to be among the first pens suggested to beginning fountain pen users (for good reason). I think it is a great pen and a stepping stone into a larger world.

 

Nib material: Steel

Cap: Snap

Filling mechanism: Cartridge/Converter (Lamy Z24)

Overall length: 144 mm

Lamy Safari nib size comparison

 

Like what you see? Subscribe to our newsletter!

TWSBI Diamond 580

TWSBI_580_01

After much deliberation, I decided to purchase the TWSBI 580 Diamond with a 1.1mm stub nib. TWSBI is known for having good quality pens at affordable prices, and despite the numerous reports of quality control issues and breaking parts (of which I have had none), I am really enjoying this pen. The body is a crystal clear plastic with a sort of angled diamond pattern to the barrel. This gives it an almost prismatic effect which becomes virtually invisible when filled with ink. The piston filling mechanism works well, and the pen can hold almost 2 ml of ink, which is very rare at this price range. TWSBI sells different nibs for this pen separately and they are easily swapped out with their modular nib/feed system. TWSBI even sells special ink bottles that allow you to fill the pen without getting the nib covered in ink.

The 1.1mm stub nib can be a bit finicky about the angle at which it is held to the paper, but when you get the hang of it the nib is a very smooth writer and lays down a fat wet line. If you’d like to see additional writing samples, see any of my reviews posted before (and probably after) this post. I am very happy with this purchase, and I was actually a bit surprised at how nice the build quality of the pen felt. I can see why this pen is so often recommended to people looking to move away from the baseline entry-level pens. Recommended!

Nib material: Steel

Cap: Screw

Filling mechanism: Piston

Overall length: 142mm

 

Like what you see? Subscribe to our newsletter!

The Morita Original Sailor Pro Gear Slim

Sailor Professional Gear Slim Morita Exclusive

I recently made a pilgrimage to the Morita Pen Shop in Osaka, Japan and picked up one of Mr. Morita’s exclusive pens. This Sailor Professional Gear Slim is in a unique color taken from the roof of the Salzburg Cathedral, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized and later performed. The color is a soft, robin’s egg blue that I really enjoy.

Morita Fountain Pen Shop

It was my first time visiting Osaka, but the Morita Pen Shop was quite easy to find. The shop itself is a bit small, but it still has a hefty selection of beautiful pens and inks adorning the walls. Mr. Morita himself doesn’t speak much English, but he is incredibly helpful and will let you test out any pen you are interested in trying.

The prices are generally lower than shops you’ll find in western fountain pen stores, and even competitive with online shops from around the world.

Other than the color, the rest of the pen is identical to the standard Pro Gear Slim. I purchased the 14k gold nib with rhodium plating in MF and it is beautifully smooth, though not as smooth as the larger 21k gold nib on my Sailor 1911. Initially I was afraid that the Professional Gear Slim would be too small for my liking as I tend to prefer larger pens, but when I was pleasantly surprised with how well the pen feels when it is posted. Without posting, the pen feels too light and off-balance, but when posted it feels perfect. The grip section isn’t too narrow and the acrylic body provides a modestly comfortable writing experience.

I inked it up with Sailor Kobe Sannomiya Pensée  which I picked up from a Nagasawa Pen Shop during my day trip to Kobe. I like the way it looks with the pen. Inkflow was great. The feed keeps up and the nib is very smooth with just a tiny bit of feedback on the paper. It is definitely a smooth writer, though not as smooth as my Sailor 1911L with 21k nib, but it holds its own.

left to right: Lamy Safari, Noodler's Ahab, Sailor Profit 1911 L, Sailor Pro Gear Slim
left to right: Lamy Safari, Noodler’s Ahab, Sailor Profit 1911 L, Sailor Pro Gear Slim

The shop also carries a regular Professional Gear in the same color fitted with a 21k gold nib with rhodium plating. If you are ever in Osaka and have some time to stop by, I highly recommend checking out Mr. Morita’s pen shop!

Overall, it’s a lovely pen that I’m happy to have part of my collection.

Like what you see? Subscribe to our newsletter!