Lamy present in Capitan America Civil War

Watching the marvel movies again I saw in the movie Capitan America Civil War that Capitan America likes Lamy inks.

On the desk, he has a Lamy ink bottle, and some fountain pens I assume even though the fountain pens can't be identified by the shoots.

I have to say the look of the Lamy ink bottle works really well with the somewhat modern office design.

In the same movie Tony Stark "Iron Man" offers Capitan America a set of fountain pens to sign a document.

These fountain pens look more like dip pens. Cool look but I can't figure out who makes them.

Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen review

There is a lot of talk about a cheap and very good fountain pen, the Pilot Metropolitan. So I decided to try it out as it was a good deal online. I ordered it and the packaging was a nice surprise. I usually don't care much about the way the fountain pen is presented, and the boxes usually are put to storage in a drawer but, for an affordable pen it was surprising to receive it like this.

The box came in a nice gift bag with Pilot name on it and some creepy animals. 

My box came with a brown snake print which is not the print and color of the fountain pen. This is a small minus, and I do not know if this happens because of the retailer or Pilot not match the box to the fountain pen theme. 

I also saw these fountain pens coming in plastic see trough cases.

I bought the leopard blue / purple fountain pen (more purple than blue). The color and finish are nice, even though I am not a big fan of animal patterns. But this makes an interesting combination between a classic shape and a more bold design.

The body and the cap are made out of metal and feel nice to the touch. The nib section is made out of plastic and has a tapered shape.
The nice and fine lines of the body are interrupted in the middle by the print and a chromed ring that delimits the cap from the body. Pilot Japan is printed right above the ring.
The cap is a pop fit and I find it secure enough. Though the pop is not very satisfying.

The thing that might put off people is the steep step between the grip section and the barrel. In certain hand positions, it might be problematic, but this wasn't the case for me.

I do not like to cap fountain pens but if you do then don't worry as it caps very nice and secure.

This version takes international standard cartridges, which is a plus (proprietary is a no-no).

The nib is not very decorated, just Pilot Japan and the letter M. The Medium nib writes very fine and it is smooth. I didn't do anything to it, just as it came it writes well. You can get it with a fine as well.

I appreciate that Pilot created a fountain pen that is affordable without cutting too many corners. The Metropolitan writes well, it has a classic shape that appeals to many people but with a twist of modern prints colors and designs, a body made out of metal and, this version at least takes international cartridges. A small drawback is the fact that it only comes in two nib sizes, Fine and Medium. But because the fountain pen is for general use "entry level", I consider it to be just fine.
More recently I have seen a very big price increase of the fountain pen locally. Probably people are more interested in Pilot's Metropolitan Fountain pen.

Parker 51 fountain pen reissue 2021

I have just seen that Parker will reissue the famous model 51 in 2021. The rumor about a reissue of the Parker 51 appeared in late 2019, and now you can buy it from several online stores. So if you are interested in old news stay tuned :D

This is not the first reissue of the fountain pen, a previous special edition was released around the year 2000 with 2 pen variants.

The new Parker 51 is a redesigned model inspired by the original. And I am happy to see that Parker is capitalizing on its own success. Because many fountain pen manufacturers have over the years filled in the void left by Parker. At the same time, Parker has reasons to thank them as they kept the style in the hands and hearts of users.

The new Parker 51 comes in a good range of colors similar to the traditional ones and two. The stainless steel one is the budget option priced at around 90 - 100 eur and while the gold plated cap is about three times the price of the first. The gold plated cap Parker also has an 18K gold nib and the cap is not smooth it has some grooves giving it a more refined look.

Both variants, the stainless steel cap, and the gold plated cap have bodies made out of resin. the only part which is not resin is the joint of the body which is metal and thus should increase the durability of the body.

The cap now screws in, compared to the original one which was a snap cap. It is a bit of a trade-off, you probably will bet a better seal but it will not be as friendly with taking quick notes. I am not saying it is a good or bad thing, I am just saying it is a bit different.

The most iconic feature besides the look is the hooded nib which was kept. The nib as mentioned previously is steel while the gold cap version has an 18k gold nib. They come in size Fine or Medium.

The filling system was updated to a converter.

  

I am very curious about what hardcore fans of the old Parker 51 have to say about these new releases, and if they would get the new models. The originals are considered very reliable pens, very good writers. A workhorse fountain pen that will last several lifetimes, and at the same time it has the appeal of owning a part of history, the original and not a reissue. Time will tell if these will lift up to their own name.

Uni Jetstream ballpoint

This review will be about the Uni Jetstream ballpoint pen. I do believe this is the best ballpoint pen on the market and I encourage you to give it a try, even if you are not a fan of ballpoints. I think you will find enjoyment in using it.

"In 1887 Niroku Masaki founded the company UNI in Tokyo Japan. In 1979 it became the UNI Mitshubishi Pencil. The name UNI comes from the word unic."

The company has in its portfolio a variety of rollers and ink pens. The Jetstream is part of the "hybrid" line, combining the technology from ballpoints and from rollers. It writes more like a roller and the writing is water resistant.

There are multiple pens in the Jetstream line but I will be talking about the SXN 101 which is available in size 0.5 and 0.7 mm line width.

The writing sensation offered by the Jetstream is incredible. It is smooth, it writes consistently, no hard starts and no skips and it keeps up all the time. I would say the most important thing for the pen is the writing experience. I am using the 0.5 mm version and it feels very nice. 

The pen is nothing fancy but it feels good in the hand.  It is all made out of plastic, the body is translucent and has the color of the paste inside. The Jetstream is available in a number of interesting colors besides the standard blue, black and red. 

The grip is made out of rubber, and it has a very pleasant feel. It is long-lasting, it is smooth and hard at the same time, and it is very solidly attached to the body, there is no movement. The drawback of it is the fact you can not see the level of the refill.

I can't say that the clip is the most solid, and it feels like it is going to break without too much effort but it is reasonable for the price you pay. I would like it to be a bit stronger as this is a reusable pen, but taking into account the pen costs just a little more than a refill in case it brakes you can just get a new one. The action of the mechanism is very solid and feels good when used.

As I already mentioned this is a reusable pen, the tip unscrews thus allowing you to change the refill.