MSI Pen 2, a stylus that can write on paper

 

Recently MSI has announced the stylus MSI Pen 2 which apparently has a graphite tip that can write on paper. The MSI Pen 2 uses the same graphite tip on the screen as well. This is quite an innovative technology. Not quite sure how well it will do on paper, but it is very interesting.

From the pictures released by MSI, it seems the tips are "refills" and you would have to replace them once used. I don't think you can sharpen them. Because of this, after a little use they will lay down a thick line. But it would be interesting to see how exactly they perform in real life.

For the moment, I do not think it will replace the traditional pencil. The presentation is focused on the digital abilities of the pen, while the writing tip, is the latest and greatest gimmick. I think for now the pencil tip is intended for a few scribbles here and there, in case you really need to jot something on a piece of paper.

On the website it is specified it comes with two tips, one is the graphite lead and another which is a sharp point similar to a fountain pen.

Link to MSI Pen 2 website

2022 year in review

King Charles got ink on his finger from a leaky pen, probably from a Montblanc Meisterstück Le Grand Solieteir Silver. Frustrated that this happens "every stinking time". It is not clear from the images and video the exact make of the pen, but what is visible is that it is a silver / metal body with a plastic grip and screw on cap.

In a picture of the desk, posted by the Daily Record, mentioning an ink well received as a gift from his sons, the finial of the pen seems to look a lot like a Montblanc.

I assume that the queen was a far more practical person, using a Parker 51, a workhorse of a pen, built to last a lifetime and more. I bet she also had far fewer problems with her pen.

Anyway, it is reliving to find out that this is not a struggle just for me.

I had a fair share of funny accidents with inks. One of them took place during university almost in the morning, after I worked all night at a project, I was ready to print it with my ink jet printer. The project was due in just a few hours, and of course everything that can go wrong will... So I ran out of ink in the printer and I tried to refill the cartridge at 4 a clock in the morning with a syringe. The only sensible thing I did, was that I tried doing it in the bathroom. Because I have seen too many doctor movies, I wanted to get the air out of the syringe before refilling the cartridge. Why? Don't ask! I had a sticky syringe that wasn't moving, so I did the obvious and pushed harder. The ink splashed my face and head. Of course, it didn't come out completely, but the important thing was that I managed to print the project.

 

Lamy 2000 gets competition from Chinese pen companies, Moonman (Mahjon) Ti500 a titanium piston filler similar looking fountain pen, and maybe from Jinhao that came up with a plastic model 80, that takes a lot of design features from the very popular and appreciated Lamy 2000.

Apparently, Moonman (Mahjon) was not impressed by the efforts of German pen makers (Kaweco) and continued borrowing design elements from iconic writing instruments.

The all body titanium pen comes has two body options, brushed or shiny. The body seems in pictures to be well machined and transitions are very smooth looking.

It has a partially hooded nib. The cap clips on the top part of the pen instead of having the ears that Lamy 2000 has.

Lamy Safari special color edition for 2022, strawberry (a lighter red compared to the standard red color) and cream colors.

On a more personal note, the writing instrument that I used the most in 2022, is the Koh-I-Noor 2 mm clutch pencil Versatil 5216. All metal pencil inspired by the traditional Versatil line but now comes in more colors.

I like the pencil quite a lot, it is comfortable to hold, sturdy and reliable, and the color is very nice. I like the dark purple combined with the vintage aspect of the pencil.

Daco fountain pen (writig set or solo fountain pen)

This is not a known brand, but it is one of the no name that are available around where I live. The most common, the DACO products, are available as gift packs with a ballpoint pen and a fountain pen. They offer low cost products that look decent, usually metal construction, and can make a good gift that does not cost an arm and a leg. Probably for the most people who are not big into fountain pens, a heavier pen might be associated with a quality one, made out of good materials. And because we are right around the time of the year when Santa is doing his thing, I am going to share my thoughts on this kind of giftable writing sets that usually come with a fountain pen and a ballpoint. (not an actual gift from Santa).

The price range for a DACO pen is around 10 - 25 euro, which is not a lot but at the same time the upper models get in the same price range as more known brands, like Pilot or Faber Castell.

I do not know the name of this model and I do not think it would be very relevant, it was part of a set with a mechanical pencil and a ballpoint pen. It is more a review of how does a pen like this holds up to a more reputable brand.

 

The fountain pen as I mentioned is all metal construction. It feels nice in hand, not too heavy, not too light. The body is a dark gray / olive that looks classic and nice. The metal cap has a couple of rings on it to break the monotony of the shiny metal. The first place where you can tell this is a budget pen is the clip, which is not that great. Once you pop off the snap cap, you can see underneath the tip of the clip the name is branded. It is not that visible. 

Once you remove the cap, you are greeted by a decorated fine nib and a shiny metal grip section that has the same couple of circles for a more interesting design and for better grip. The grip is not that bad, taking into account the section is made out of shiny metal. What I am not fond about is the small diameter of the section. It is not the easiest to get along with if you plan to write more than a page.

 

At the opposite end, the body has a shiny plain metal finial that is well integrated in the overall design of the pen.

 

The threads on the body are well-made. The pen takes international cartridges, long or short, which is convenient. Especially for people who are not that deep in the fountain pen hobby. Changing the cartridge when you are out of ink is a great, hassle free operation. The cartridges are widely available. And if you want, you can always get a converter for the pen and use bottled inks

For testing purpose, I used Pelikan 4001 black ink. It is a quick drying ink. The pen lays a fine and dry line. But it does write nicely. It doesn't need pressure and there is almost no feedback. On standard paper you can feel a hint of feedback, but on a quality paper the pen glides effortless. I would say this particular model is smoother than my Faber Castell Loom or the Metropolitan.

Even though this pen writes really well, I don't know if this applies to all their pens, or it is a wheel of fortune. I can imagine that producers like this one don't have the same quality control in place as bigger brands.

For a casual writer, a drier pen is great, as it means you can use it on any kind of surface.

If you want to gift someone a writing or a fountain pen like this, I think it will be fine, especially if the person you are giving it is not an enthusiast. The pen writes well out of the box, no intervention on the nib is required, the materials are of good quality and for most people a metal pen might scream quality opposed to a plastic/acrylic pen which will just feel plastic. The fine nib is great, as the pen can be used in any scenario, even in a regular office where quality paper is rarer than a pink unicorn.

Faber Castell 1112 HB pencil

The Faber Castell 1112 HB is a classic looking wooden pencil perfect for taking notes and writing. It is what most people would expect from an affordable wooden pencil. 

It is 18.5 cm in length, the body is hexagonal, painted black and at the end it has a white eraser hold in place by a yellow faded gold trim that gives it some contrast.

On the black body with silver letters it is written the model number followed by the lead hardness which are printed along with the Faber Castell logo and name.

The first thing I noticed when picking this particular pencil in my hand was the warped body, which I don't think is supposed to be a feature. I do not know how common this is, but it makes me feel that the quality of the pencil is not quite top of the market. It does not affect the writing, in any way, though.

 The lead of this model is HB. I would say it is a softer/darker lead than I had expected from it. Being a lower cost model, I expected the lead to be harder, and more scratchy, but it is a decent writer. I would say in comparison with Faber Castell Grip it is not as smooth, and possibly it is a fraction darker. Over all, I would say it writes good enough for most.

The writing doesn't smudge when you drag your hand or fingers over the page. It also erases well from the page, the first test is a light single pass over the hatching. The last test row is testing the residue left on the page after a firmer pass of the eraser. Compared with the Faber Castell Grip it is just as good.

The wood is soft and can be easily sharpened.