Are you looking to protect your precious pens when on the go? Or maybe looking for larger storage capacity for all of your favorites? If so, then Girologio leather pen cases are what you need.

For daily carry, Girologio offers two and three pen case configurations, made from soft, supple, and chemical-free leather. Each case features full-length, lined, dividers and a reinforced frame, giving you maximum protection. The fold-over magnetic flap keeps your pens safe and secure, while allowing for easy access. And the slots are designed to handle large pens, such as the Montblanc 149.

If you want to go big - and I know you do - Girologio offers cases with a 12, 24, 48, and yes, a 96 pen configuration. Even someone as obsessive as me can find a case to hold all of the things! Ok, maybe two of those big cases. For starters.

What case will you start with? Girologio has you covered, no matter how many pens you want to carry and store safely and securely. To see all they have to offer, head over to Girologio, and be sure to check out where you can buy these fine goods.

My thanks to Girologio for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

When I saw the latest Smithsonian collaborations from Retro 51 there was one that stood out for me over the rest: Amelia Earhart’s Vega. The red lacquered barrel with acid-etched rivets along the “panels” of the airplane design are the standout feature, and matched with the gold pinstripes and antiqued brass hardware, it makes me want to get out there and fly!

My friends at Goldspot sent this over for you wonderful readers. I have one to give away, so read the rules below and get to entering!

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Over the past five years or so, I've collected numerous Leuchtturm notebooks of various sizes, colors, and paper types. I'm a big fan of the notebooks and use them as part of my job to take notes and keep on top of projects. Despite owning several and having almost an entire shelf dedicated to full notebooks, I've never tried their Composition notebook.

The Composition notebook is a softcover notebook that's a bit larger than the standard A5 notebooks they offer. Leuchtturm calls it a Slim B5, and that's a perfect description. It's a 10" x 7" notebook with all the niceties you've come to expect from Leuchtturm. As far as I can tell, the only thing missing in these notebooks is the inclusion of a "Date" line at the top of each page. Instead, each page is simply full-bleed dots, lines, or plain paper.

The soft cover is also a really nice touch considering the size of this notebook. I can imagine that a hardcover book might be a bit harder to handle and pack than the malleable softcover on the Composition notebook, and I'm already a big fan of the A5 softcover notebooks.

With 121 sheets, there's plenty of space to write, draw, doodle, and dream for quite a while. The paper is the standard 80 gsm that you'll find in any Leuchtturm notebook, and it handles different ink types fairly well. Fountain pens with larger nibs do tend to show through a bit on the back of the page, but it's not so bad as to prevent me from using the back page for most things. As far as bleeding and feathering, I've never had any issues with that regardless of pen and ink combo.

As you might expect, the Composition book also has a convenient pair of ribbon bookmarks that are color coordinated with the cover, and you also have a matching elastic closure band to keep the notebook closed when not in use.

Leuchtturm also includes a large pocket in the back that contains an assortment of label stickers and some literature about the brand. I normally store this stuff in the back pocket in case I need it, but you could certainly toss them if you don't think they'll be useful for you.

The front of the notebook contains a front page for you to write your personal information, and it also contains a few pages for a table of contents or an index based on the page numbers. And yes, all the pages are numbered in this notebook, making it easy to keep track of where things are.

Another thing I love about this notebook is the number of options you have when purchasing one. You have an assortment of colors to decide on, and you also have your pick of plain, dotted, or ruled paper with each color. The best way to view all the available colors is to check online, but you can usually find Black, Anthracite, Pink, Nordic Blue, Navy, Orange, Army, Azure, Berry, Emerald, Fresh Green, Ice Blue, Red, and Sand. Phew. What a list.

Finally, at just under $24, the Composition notebook is a great value considering the size, paper quality, and page count. These are high-quality notebooks that will suite you well, regardless of what your pen of choice happens to be this month. If you're in the market for a larger notebook, you can't go wrong with the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover Composition notebook.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I often see Pen Addicts across the globe in search of sticky notes and memo pads with fountain pen-friendly paper. Well, hey, here's some good news: Kunisawa has recently released these memo pads, and they're the best I've used to date when it comes to liquid inks. They aren't perfect--if you've got a firehose of a broad nib with lubricated ink, you're still going to get feathering and show-through, maybe some pinpoint bleed-through, but for your typical usage, these work great.

Both pads are A7 size, or roughly 3 x 4 inches. Small enough to fit in a pocket, but large enough for a note of substance. The memo pad features 80 pages of perforated 2.5 mm grid paper. It's a lovely cream color with very fine grey printed grid lines that are not too obtrusive but also work well as writing guides.

The sticky notes are plain cream paper, also 80 pages. The adhesive is strong, so your notes will stay put, but it doesn't leave a gluey residue behind. There is some coating present, of course, so that the notes will stick to each other--so when I wrote with fountain pen along the top edge of a note, it beaded a bit, but it still wrote and the ink didn't smear at all. The sticky note pad also has snazzy copper foiled edges, so the world will know that your note is super important.

Both pads have a sturdy grey cardboard cover with the Kunisawa motto, "i do not seek, i find" debossed inside. The front cover has the Kunisawa brand and three-legged crow, "Yatagarasu" the god of guidance, stamped in copper foil. The whole effect is minimal but elegant and perfectly embodies the upscale business accessories vibe that Kunisawa embraces.

Despite that upscale look, the prices are reasonable. The sticky pad costs 900 yen (about $8) and the memo pad is 350 yen (about $3). It's a lot more than a pack of Post-it notes, sure, but the notes are much bigger and the paper is much, much better. They're certainly not priced for student use, or even frequent willy-nilly-notetaker use, but if you've got a snazzy business office in need of snazzy accessories, these should fit the bill. Or if you just really, really need pen-friendly memo notes. And who doesn't, right?

(Kunisawa provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Marj’s pen

I think every new notebook product landed on my desk this week, or is arriving today. Myke and I break down all of the awesomeness before getting into a very interesting Kickstarter project. Plus, I admit things.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code PENADDICT at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

Kane 11: Premium socks in precisely your size. Sign up now.

Harry’s: Quality shaving and grooming products, at a fair price.

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Récife is a specialty shop in Paris that carries leather goods, accessories, and writing instruments. Today I’m reviewing a soon-to-be released fountain pen in the Récife Special Edition Artis collection. These pens are meant to evoke the works of Claude Monet. My pen utilizes the colors found in Monet’s work, “Le Jardin de l'artiste à Giverny”: purple and pink (Récife calls the color Violene). Récife craftsmen make each pen by hand, so each pen is unique.

I’m not sure if the pen is made of resin or acrylic, but it is extremely lightweight, regardless. It is 5.5 inches (140mm) capped, 4.75 inches (121mm) uncapped, and 6.25 inches (159mm) posted. I found the pen to be unbalanced posted, but I do not usually post pens, so your experience may vary.

The cap’s final and clip are one piece of metal with an art deco motif. The cap band is inscribed with “Modèle Recife déposé Paris,” which means “registered Recife model, Paris.” The cap screws onto the barrel with a few twists.

The grip is made of metal, but it doesn’t add much heft to the pen.

My pen came with a standard international-sized black ink cartridge but no converter. I didn’t see any converters advertised on the Récife website, but it’s likely that a standard international converter would work with the pen.

The nib is a steel medium with scrollwork, “Récife Paris,” a logo (I can’t tell what it is), and the nib size inscribed on it.

The tines are perfectly aligned and the writing is smooth. However, I experienced hard starts whenever I uncapped the pen to write a new page.

The Récife Special Edition Artis Traveler Fountain Pen is an interesting pen with a palette based on Monet paintings. It sort of reminds me of the Visconti Van Gogh pens, but the Récife is definitely not in the same class as the Visconti pens which are made of resin, have magnetic closure caps, and sport much thicker metal trims (they are also more expensive). The violene color is not my cup of tea, but there are other marbled colors in shades of black, gray, green, blue, and red in the collection. I also think the pen is much too small and light, but that is because I prefer heavier, large pens.

You can purchase Récife fountain pens from Récife Paris. The Traveler model is ordinarily 50 euros (= $57.00), but the Special Edition Artis models will be more expensive (around $90.00).

(The US distributor for Récife provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

No matter how few, or how many, pens you have to protect, Girologio has you covered. With case size ranging from two pens to 96 (!), they are certain to have what you are looking for.

For daily carry, Girologio offers two and three pen case configurations, made from soft, supple, and chemical-free leather. Each case features full-length, lined, dividers and a reinforced frame, giving you maximum protection. The magnetic flap keeps your pens safe and secure, while allowing for easy access. And the slots are designed to handle large pens, such as the Montblanc 149.

If you want to go big - and I know you do - Girologio offers cases with a 12, 24, 48, and yes, a 96 pen configuration. Even someone as obsessive as me can find a case to hold all of the things! Ok, maybe two of those big cases. For starters.

Check out all of the cases at Girologio.com, and be sure to check out where you can buy these fine goods.

My thanks to Girologio for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Amelia Earhart’s Vega is my favorite of the newest batch of Retro 51’s. They really nail all of their flight-related designs, and this one is no exception. I had one of these pens to give away, and the winner is:

Congrats John! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— The Graphic Art of Incredibles 2 (Josh Holtsclaw)

— Mom’s Manga Sketchbook (Notebook Stories)

— Intro to Vintage Esterbrooks (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— A Weird and Wonderful Tour of the Japanese KitKat Factory (Core77)

— Shizuoka Orange (Hello Sailors!)

— Could Lego's latest range help reduce stress and anxiety? (It's Nice That)

— New Parker Jotter (My Supply Room)

— Ink Review #504: Robert Oster Campfire (Mountain of Ink)

— What Are Your Home Studio Must-Haves? (Core77)

— Inside the maelstrom (UK fountain pens)

— Yard-O-Led Perfecta Victorian Mechanical Pencil Review (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

— Kyonooto Bengarairo (Wondernaut)

— The Art of Letterlocking: The Elaborate Folding Techniques That Ensured the Privacy of Handwritten Letters Centuries Ago (Open Culture)

— Phidon Pens 10th Anniversary A Leap of Faith Ink Review (Gourmet Pens)

— Courtney Barnett discusses her love for illustrators, animators and her own creativity too (It's Nice That)

— Review: Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Resin Fountain Pen (The Pencilcase Blog)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to mechanical pencils. Give me a classic design over most anything. Bonus points if it is an engineering-style mechanical pencil, like my beloved Rotring 600.

That’s what has kept me away from the Retro 51 Mechanical Pencil for so long. Not that this isn’t a classic style with it’s twist mechanism. In fact, it may be more classic than the standard click mechanism. But the twist pencil is no longer the expectation for mechanical pencils, nor has it been for decades.

It took Retro 51 to design one to get me interested. The Dmitri, named after Dr. Dmitri Mendeleev, the father of the Periodic Table, is not only a great bit of scientific history, but is beautiful to look at.

Unfortunately, that’s where my joy with this product ended.

Retro 51’s Tornado mechanical pencils are designed around 1.15 mm graphite diameters. I like larger diameters, regularly using both 0.9 mm and 2.0 mm varieties in various products I own. But, the graphite has to be good. I’m not sure this graphite is good. It has a more plasticky feel than I would like. That makes it smooth and firm, but it has no character. No depth. No darkness.

With a more standard lead size I would happily swap in a different brand, like I do with ballpoint and rollerball refills. 1.15 mm is such a peculiar size that it makes swapping the lead out more difficult than with other mechanical pencils. Quick Googling shows a dearth of options.

Even the times I am content with the lead situation in this pencil, I’m not content with the mechanism. It works fine extending and retracting the lead, but when I’m writing and the tip hits the page between words, the lead scoots back into the barrel slightly. Not every single time, but enough to be noticeable. It’s like there is some play in the twist, allowing it to backtrack if it’s hit in the right spot.

And finally, the eraser. It erases fine, that’s if it remains in place long enough to get the job done. I figured out immediately that if I erased in a left to right fashion, the eraser would pop out of the barrel. If I erased in an up and down fashion, it stayed in place. End of the world? No. Annoyance? Yes.

Does the style of the pencil outweigh the annoyances I had with it? No, it doesn’t. There is no doubt it is a stunner, and would make a great gift for the right person. But if you aren’t looking for a gift and instead want a great writing experience, you should look elsewhere.

(Retro 51 provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Chad Doane has released a batch of Hot, Fresh, Now goods over at Doane Paper, including the fantastic new Dot Plot Idea Journal. He sent me over a few products to test out, and I wanted to be sure to share them with you as well.

I’m giving away one small Dot Plot Idea Journal, plus a single of the new Boxcar notebook from the pack I just opened. Read the rules below and enter away!

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Faber-Castell Essentio ballpoint pen is a classy pen with a stylish carbon fiber body that looks great with any outfit or carry.

There's a lot of pens available today that use the popular Parker style cartridge, which means that there are plenty of options in the way of third-party refills. This is always an interesting genre to me because I know that I can choose a pen based on aesthetics or feel and know that I can completely control most of the writing experience by replacing a refill.

The Essentio is a bit on the larger side of the ballpoint pen scale, but it's also incredibly comfortable to use. The rubber grip section has a soft feel and a matte finish, which make it both comfortable and resistant to fingerprints.

The body is made of a carbon fiber (or something similar) material that lends a classy aesthetic as well as a light weight. It's shiny without being overly so, and there's a small and classy Faber-Castell logo toward the top of the body.

The clip is fairly light compared to most other pens I've used. I wish it were a bit stronger, but given the overall light weight of the pen, it does a great job of keeping the pen secured to whatever you attach it to. The clip has a slight curve that adds a bit of visual interest to the pen.

The click mechanism is smooth, reliable, and fairly quiet. The top of the nock has a concave surface that feels great on your thumb. While it's not loud or overly clicky, using the nock on this pen is incredibly satisfying and tactile.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, the Essentio uses a Parker-style refill. The included refill is a Faber-Castell bold refill that is actually stupendous. It reminds me quite a bit of the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 refill, which is high praise. It's incredibly smooth, dark, and dependable. When so many ballpoint refills can suffer from skipping or dryness, it's always a relief when the stock refill performs so well. Most of the time, I replace the refill with an EasyFlow, but that's not necessary in this case.

Writing with this pen is a great experience. The combination of the size, light weight, smooth refill, and comfortable grip section make for a great writer. At $35, the Faber-Castell Essentio a bit on the expensive side, but it still falls within the normal range for a well-performing ballpoint pen. There are lots of attractive options in this price range, and this one should be on your list for gifts and affordable ballpoints. It's a great value and excellent performer. And, if the included refill isn't your thing, you have so many options for replacement.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Making a “Best of” list is challenging, but it can be done. The rules and guidelines for the list need make sense, and be applied consistently throughout. When they aren’t, you end up with something like this Best 100 Pens list from The Strategist. In short, it’s bad. Myke and I break it all down this week, plus discuss notebook plans and Pokémon pens.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Kane 11: Premium socks in precisely your size. Get 20% off your first order.

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Blue Apron: A better way to cook. Use this link to get 3 free meals.

Doane Paper has some awesome new goods available, including the Dot Plot Idea Journal and Boxcar notebooks which I am giving away here. And it looks like this batch is headed to Germany!

Congrats Plg94!

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— Lamy's cp1 Multi Pen - Pencil Plus Highlighter In One (Bleistift)

— Pentel Group (My Supply Room)

— Christmas Metallic Inks 2018 (Mountain of Ink)

— The Desk Set: The History of the Open Office (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Jäh Division return with ‘Dub Will Tear Us Apart…Again’ (Dangerous Minds)

— Typodarium 2019 (We And The Color)

— Review: Pentalic Traveler (Comfortable Shoes Studio)

— A View From the Easel (Hyperallergic)

— Some pencils keep getting better (Writing at Large)

— The legends from the deep sea - Nettuno 1911 Tritone (The Clumsy Penman's InKfusion Site)

— Robert Oster Lake of Fire Ink Review (Gourmet Pens)

— The Impossibly Cool Album Covers of Blue Note Records: Meet the Creative Team Behind These Iconic Designs (Open Culture)

— The great puzzle of the Pineider La Grande Bellezza (UK fountain pens)

— About the all important 5% (Mateusz Urbanowicz)

— Artist Reimagines Everyday Objects As Spectacular Spaceship Designs (Design You Trust)

— New Ghibli Museum Exhibition Depicts the Color of Time (Spoon & Tamago)

— Twentieth Century British Art : Fifty Works by Fifty British Women Artists 1900 - 1950 (Liss Llewellyn)

— Moleskine Global Chief Marketing Officer Roberto Lobetti Bodoni Puts Pen to Paper (Augustman)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

ystudio has become one of my favorite brands to follow over the past few years. Their product designs are classic and functional, while adding modern touches with their choices of materials and finishes. And, they want you to use, love, and destroy your pen or pencil in the process.

Their latest release is the Portable Brassing Ballpoint, which features - wait for it - a gel ink refill. An exceptional Ohto 0.7 mm Parker-style refill at that. This one caught my eye because they added new barrel colors to the regular lineup, in this case red and white to go along with the standard black. They have offered red and white in special editions previously, and now they are part of the regular lineup.

And they are different, at least in the case of the red model I have for review. In the past, ystudio’s barrel finishes have been either raw metals, like brass and copper, or a satin-like black paint coating. All of these materials lended themselves to patina and wear - core features of the brand. The new ballpoints, however, have a glossy paint finish that I’m not quite sure what to make of yet.

It’s different, that’s for sure. And unexpected, based on my past experiences with ystudio. I like it, and it is beautiful, but will I be able to get the full brassing effects like with their other models? Do I even want to since it looks so nice right now?

Like the other brassing pens and pencils, this one ships with sandpaper to help you customize the look. This caught me off guard the first time I saw it years ago, and I still find it funny that a strip of sandpaper is included with each pen. You can see the effects of its use on my ystudio Brassing Ballpoint review. It is forced patina, if you will. And I don’t plan on forcing this one.

The name of this pen has “portable” in it, similar to the portable fountain pen, but I find it to be far less portable in reality. It is a twist barrel, which is easily manipulated with one hand, but the accessories that ship with it make it less usable, even though they may help with the dictionary definition of portability.

The top of the pen contains a built in brass loop, made to be used with the included leather rope necklace or brass shackle. The necklace accessory isn’t the right choice for a twist pen. Necklace pens are usually capped so you can remove the pen and write while keeping the cap safely secured around your neck. You would need to remove the necklace over your head every time you want to write with this pen, unless you are constantly writing at eye level.

I thought the shackle might be a cool accessory to add on to the back end of the pen, but when put in place is it so loud bouncing off the barrel when writing that it becomes a distraction. I guess you can attach it to a clip on a bag or purse (Portability!) when not in use, but that is the only benefit besides aesthetics that I can think of.

To me, the idea of a portable pen is one that I can carry in my pocket and can use easily when needed. The ystudio Portable Brassing Ballpoint tries to be portable with its added accessories, but in each case, it makes the pen more difficult to use. If anything, this is a desk pen or pen case carry pen. And a good one at that.

In a nutshell:

Is this a good pen? Yes.

Would it make a good gift? Yes.

Would you enjoy it? Yes.

Do I enjoy it? Yes.

Would I recommend it? Maybe.

Would I choose it over any other ystudio pen? No.

That’s what it boils down to. It is a good pen. Some will even find it to be great. I find it to be ystudio’s least interesting and least useful design. In fact, I think it goes against many of their design principles. The funny thing is, if they called it the Glossy Barrel Gel Pen and dropped the accessories it would make more sense based on what this product actually is.

(Kohezi provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

The TEC Accessories Ko-Axis Rail Pen is one of the more unique pens to cross my desk in some time. Its flat, rectangular shape makes for a slim profile while retaining a shockingly comfortable grip area. Speaking of which, the grip is a slider that deploys and retracts the refill. Not only does it work well, it is flat-out fun to carry and use.

My friends at TEC Accessories are providing one Ko-Axis Rail Pen in Black Aluminum for giveaway to Pen Addict readers. Check out the rules below and enter away.

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

I can honestly say that I've never seen a pen like the Stilform Kosmos, and that's a good thing. The unique design of this pen is something that makes people stop, pick it up, and ask about it. They want to know where it came from, how it works, and (most importantly) "can I have it?"

The idea of using a novel concept to extend and retract a refill inside a barrel is one that many companies have tried and successfully sold. Anything beyond the classic pen cap or click button nock mechanism is fascinating. I'm sure that other companies or individuals have employed a similar method as the Kosmos, but I haven't been lucky or observant enough to see one in action.

The Kosmos relies on strong magnets to keep the pen in either extended or retracted position, and the movement between those two modes is smooth and incredibly satisfying. Given the full-metal construction of the pen body and cap mechanism, there's a hefty "ker-thunk" when opening or closing it. The magnets are the reason that this mechanism works so well, and they're also the reason that it's so darn satisfying to use.

Inside the pen is a standard Parker-style refill. The included refill is a Stilform branded cartridge with black ink and a medium (~1.0mm) tip. It reminds me a lot of the Schmidt P900. It's smooth, but the ink is a bit light and grayish and can be a bit skippy at times. It also has a problem with starting after being unused for a few minutes. The ink dries quickly, and that can be an annoyance. Luckily, if you don't like the refill, you have hundreds of other options that can be swapped in effortlessly.

To replace the refill, simply unscrew the front section from the body to gain access to the inside. There's not much to see inside the pen, which maintains the mystery around the magnetic mechanism.

This pen is a delight to use, but it isn't without flaws. Namely, the price.

The unit featured in this review is the Titanium matte finish, which sells for about $133. That's quite a chunk of change for a ballpoint, and one that I see a lot of people having major heartburn over. Luckily, there are several aluminum versions available as well for the lower price of $68. Still not cheap, but more in line with what most people consider a high-quality novelty pen or the infamous graduation gift. Personally, I have several other pens with unique mechanisms or magnets that cost between $40-$80. I'm not sure this one would make the cut for me. It's simply a bit high, but you cannot ignore the ingenious magnet closure system. It really is brilliant.

While the design of the Kosmos is the selling feature, it also introduces some usability setbacks. For one, it rolls away quite easily since the body is completely round. Also, due to the strong magnets inside the body, it can easily roll away toward a larger metal object (think a metal subframe under a wood top desk) or it can pull small metal objects toward it. This isn't a huge deal, but it has annoyed me.

Another design flaw with the retractable mechanism is that it's incredibly difficult to operate with just one hand. It's possible, but it's awkward. I've dropped it several times trying to open or close it one-handed, and I eventually gave up hope after dropping it a few times.

Aside from the price, the small design gripes, and the "meh" nature of the included refill, the Kosmos really is an astonishing pen. Pair this with a Fisher Space Pen refill, a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, or Moleskine gel ink refill, and you're off to the races.

In the aluminum category, you have color options of Night Sky, Warp Black, Rose Moon, Comet Grey, and Star Silver. In the titanium category, you can choose between matte (featured here) or mirror-polished.

I always look for the overall value with "all things considered" when reviewing pens, and the Kosmos just doesn't deliver on that front. It's a unique, delightful pen with plenty to love, but it will end up a non-starter for most shoppers due to the price and incredible competition in this category. If the design speaks to you and you can stomach the price, you can't go wrong with the Stilform Kosmos.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

How would you handle a wide Wookie?

Oh my. Did y’all deliver on the Pen Addict Horror Stories this time! We may even have our first inductee(s) into the Pen Addict Horror Story Hall of Fame. We also made a dent in the huge backlog of #ASKTPA. Keep the stories and questions coming!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Kane 11: Premium socks in precisely your size. Get 20% off your first order.

Harry's: Quality shaving and grooming products, at a fair price.

StoryWorth: The easiest way to share your story.

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

The Sheaffer Pop Star Wars Collection BB-8 Rollerball Pen might be a limited edition, but it isn't a collectible--the quality isn't high enough. It's a novelty item--a fun one. And sometimes fun is all a thing needs to be. So if you just want a fun Star Wars pen, this is a great choice, though it's a bit pricey for what you get.

The body of this pen is a lightweight plastic patterned with designs from the Star Wars character BB-8, runner-up for the cutest droid in the Star Wars movies. The designs look a bit off to me, probably because BB-8 is a sphere, and here he's presented as a cylindrical pen. It's still unmistakable, even with a quick glance, that this is a BB-8 pen.

The grip section is black silicone that collects dust like crazy. It's also the kind that deteriorates after time with exposure to light and moisture. So, while the pen is refillable, it won't last forever. The body designs are also not printed in a way that will last with wear and tear.

The refill is a 0.7 mm gel rollerball that writes a dark, smooth line. It writes really nicely and covers completely. With its lightness and this rich ink, it would be a great pen for long writing sessions. I had no trouble with skipping. And despite the seeming firehose of ink, it didn't bleed. I was pleasantly surprised by the refill.

The pen is short, so it may not fit larger hands. It has a snap cap that fits securely and posts well. The clip is metal and quite flexible and sturdy. It has the Sheaffer white dot that hearkens back to old Sheaffer traditions.

As a long-time pen hound, I have a conditioned response to that white dot--excitement! Because Sheaffer is a quality legacy brand. But I confess, to me, that white dot looks out of place on this pen. The Sheaffer company has changed hands and is certainly pursuing new brand directions. One of those directions is in these whimsical licensed properties. While this pen is cute and fun, I can't find it exciting. But I'm not its audience. Who is? My eleven-year-old, who can't wait for me to finish this review so he can have it. I suppose I better wrap this up--because he is definitely excited. If you're looking for a gift for a young Star Wars fan, this is a good bet. The $22.99 price tag is more than I would pay for a rollerball of this quality, but it's well within the window for a gift for a young pen addict. Or an older one with a young, fun heart.

(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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