Reviews Written by gwe...

  Better apparent quality..., May 5, 2012

Better apparent quality than the ubiquitous Staedtler Mars 780 (haven't tried the 925 available here) for less money, with more pronounced knurling on the grip. Nice "knock" system. One feature of the 780 that I don't really miss is the lack of sharpener in the cap: I'd rather carry something like the Sun-Star SharPits 2 mm, since that wouldn't leave carbon dust inside the holder barrell to get all over the inside of your bag! I do wish it had an adjustable indicator (like the 925) instead of color coded barrels.

  Just as good quality..., May 5, 2012

Just as good quality as the standard (non-calligraphy/non-italic) tips, which means excellent. It is smooth flowing without too heavy a flow rate given the width, and there is no snagging with the squared off tip. The narrower profile of the chisel tip is a little thick, compared to the tip of a Pilot Plumix; in line with the tendency of German brands of nibs being thicker than Japanese. However, there is still lots of contrast in line thinkness, given that the controlled ink flow rate doesn't lend itself to line "bleed".

  Actually a richer colour..., January 7, 2012

Actually a richer colour than the photo would suggest: went with it because the description was "Dark Red". The pattern looks to be woven from the picture, but is printed -- no matter, as it's printed very finely. Makes not only a great pen roll, but for other small items, such as crochet hooks!

  Bought this as a gift..., January 7, 2012

Bought this as a gift for someone who uses rollerballs, after having good experiences with the Sport fountain pens. I got to try it myself & find that, for smoothness, it can keep up with quality pens of either type. It seems to be getting hard to find affordable ballpoints that take cartridges, so this is a great way to give someone who's used to "normal" pens the opportunity to play with unusual ink colours. My only small criticism is that the inside of the cap has an insert of cloudy plastic (which is hard to see in the product photo) which makes it look a bit cheap compared to rest of the clear body: next time I'd probably go with black.

  Bought this to replace..., January 7, 2012

Bought this to replace a lost (beloved) Fine-nibbed one, in the hope that if it turned up, I'd then have each of the sizes. At first I regretted having ordered the EF, finding it a bit scratchy compared to my memory of the F, but after a very short "work-in" it turned out almost as smooth and just as reliable. The key is not to judge it by how it feels the instant ink starts coming through. I found that the F worked with any ink I could throw at it, and am hoping the EF won't be touchy either.

  Was a bit leery when..., April 29, 2011

Was a bit leery when I received the pen as it had astrip of dried glue stuck to it & the metal part of the nib was out of line with the black plastic part of the feed underneath. However, it was easy to straighten & hasn't drifted out of alignment yet. It also writes beautifully and smoothly with the included black cartridge. Not the finest of the fine nibs -- by Japanese-manufactured standards -- but doesn't bleed where others do. Looks & performs like a pen costing at least double. Yet to try it with the Ohto adapter...

  Perhaps fragile compared..., April 29, 2011

Perhaps fragile compared to the best leads (maybe Stein?), but when compared to no-name lead, this 0.3 is stronger than other 0.5.

  Works well, but looks..., April 29, 2011

Works well, but looks better! Love how the lead advance button works through the cap, though wish it wouldn't advance when the cap was in place on the front of the pencil. Not the best grip in the world, either. The gray has a nice brown/greenish tinge that doesn't show up as strongly in the picture.

  A bit flimsy compared..., April 29, 2011

A bit flimsy compared to a more expensive multi-pen: It can be a bit tricky to slide in refills & they retract accidentally a bit too easily. However, in my opinion, multi-pens are mostly a novelty, anyway & the options available for this 5-color make it the most fun multi available. I like to put the pencil, eraser & 3 bright colors in it & keep it on hand to mark up writing done with a "real" pen.

  Can't complain for $3,..., April 29, 2011

Can't complain for $3, but move up to one of many of the $15 fountain pens available on Jet Pens & you don't have to deal with the leaking and uneven flow. Good if you want to buy a huge number of pens for the minimum price in order to keep your entire ink collection at hand.