[Pen/Pencil Review] Retro 1951 Tornado Fountain Pen – Pen World Edition
Welcome to Part Two! This week is the Pen World Retro 1951 Tornado Fountain Pen. Pen World Magazine brilliantly partnered with Richardson, Texas, based Retro 1951 to create their classic Tornado style fountain pen with their name in various fonts in black on the relatively unique Retro 1951 white background which – if you’ve seen their skeleton model (which my primary care doctor has) GLOWS IN THE DARK. This is serious cool.
I want to love the Tornado fountain pen as much as the rollerball. These are solid pens with good heft and balance. The fountain pens come with a range of nibs from 1.1 mm broad to Extra Fine. I was given for Christmas the fine point fountain pen nib. The pen is longer than the rollerball (out of necessity). It’s 5.5†long capped and just over 6.25†capped. The cap has a sturdy scrolled metal clip and a top that has the same pattern as the rollerball. The cap screws on but doesn’t post quite as securely as I would like. It can slip off.
The nib is metal with lovely scroll work and the size just under the etched 51 on the body. And here’s where I don’t love it as much as I would like. I need to get another nib for it. This one isn’t very flexible (and I do like a flexible nib apparently). When I put the first cartridge in it (it came with 2 standard short cartridges and a converter) I couldn’t get the ink to flow. I put Edelstein Onyx in the converter and was able to get the ink to flow, but it’s very skippy. I’ve had to dip it in water to help it get going a time or two.
Retro 1951 does have replacement nibs, and I’m probably going to have to get one. I think this one has something going on with it, but I don’t necessarily want to go bending the prongs too much – these might be too close together. I like the size of the line and grip. There are a few ridges around the screw threads that might dig in, but it’s still pretty comfortable.
It’s a good solid pen, but it’s not super cheap. Actually, it’s not cheap at all. These run $95 – because it’s a limited edition — and Pen World does have a set going for $120 ish which is a a bit of a discount from buying them outright. Which we did because the fountain pen wasn’t yet available and my darling husband and enabler bought it for me for Christmas.
The Numbers.
1. How does it work? – 0.5 – This is a solid pen. Good length with a variety of nib sizes. However, my nib has some issues that I will either somehow figure out how to fix or replace. This one skips and scratches.
2. Look and feel – 1 – It’s a classic Tornado design. It has good weight; the design is lovely. And did I mention IT GLOWS IN THE DARK!
3. Material – 1 – It’s a solid metal pen with secure clip. The design is like a resin wrap—maybe vinyl? But doesn’t feel like it’s going to chip or peel.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It’s a good length and diameter. The weight is solid. It’s a good-looking pen. The nib issue is one that I’ll have to correct, and I’m not sure how much that’s going to cost.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – For a collectible, it’s reasonable—and this a limited edition For an everyday pen? It’s not cheap. This is not limited edition and runs $95. It is refillable by either cartridge or the converter so you can put any good ink it.
3.5 out of 5 bronze pencils.
[Write the Story] A Hermit is Forced into a Crowded Place
Prompt: A Hermit is Forced into a Crowded Place
Words: typewriter, water bottle, lenient, clerk, render, runner, soil, sewn, chauffer, waterway
Story
Isaac gripped his water bottle until his knuckles nearly glowed white. His heart and breathing billowed like a long-distance runner after a race, even though he knew he was over-reacting—maybe.
“There you go, sir, the bellhop will take it from here.†The chauffer gently lay the vintage typewriter case on the top of Isaac’s duffle bag, tipped his hat and bolted for his car.
Isaac stared up at the Waterway Grand Hotel marquee and dug out his cell phone. “What have you done to me, Scott.â€
“You’re here! In the City!â€
Isaac pulled the phone away from his ear. Scott’s exuberance was about to render him deaf and if not Scott, then the cacophony of students in the lobby of the hotel would finish the job. “Do you know what’s going on at this hotel you booked me in?â€
“It’s a nice, boutique hotel…â€
“That’s currently being overrun with teenagers,†Isaac interrupted.
“It can’t be that bad. Now go inside and check in before you soil this lovely day. I will see you at the Sewn Shoe Theatre at seven for your play.
Scott hung up on Isaac. He had no choice but to heft his bags and shoulder through. The throngs of screeching kids did not put him in a lenient mood as he handed his ID to the harried clerk. But it wasn’t the staff’s fault he was about to claw off his skin. He couldn’t get to his room and bolt the door fast enough. What hell had he gotten himself into?
Word Count: 256
Written: 1/9/2020
[Pen/Pencil Review] Retro 1951 Tornado Rollerball – Pen World Edition
I now have a set of pens that I am probably going to have to do a two-parter on. Between the Dallas Pen Show and Christmas I have acquired the Retro 1951 Tornado roller ball and fountain pen built for Pen World Magazine. It mixes my two loves – reading about the pens and actually having the pens. I was going to do them together, but maybe I need to do them separately, because that would be fairer to the rating system – and that there is a price differential in the two pieces – they didn’t COME as a set. And I do love Retro 1951 because not only do they do amazing designs and collections – they’re local to me. Retro 1951’s headquarters are in Richardson – which is just north of Dallas.
This week will be the rollerball since I’ve had it longer. Then next week will be the fountain pen. Pen World Magazine brilliantly partnered with Retro 1951 to create their classic Tornado style rollerball with their name in various fonts in black on the relatively unique Retro 1951 white background which – if you’ve seen their skeleton model (which my primary care doctor has) GLOWS IN THE DARK. This is serious cool.
The Tornado rollerball pens are a little on the short side. They’re about 5†long retracted and just slightly longer with the point extended. The retraction mechanism is a twist of the cap – like a screw. The clip is metal and is a cuff the way around the top of the pen. There are no ridges to dig into the thumb web. It has a comfortable diameter and a good balance.
The ink is dark and rich in a 0.7mm black conical point and there’s little smearing or skipping. It comes with the Retro 1951 branded ink and you can get those from refill retailers, but Schmidt also sells a compatible refill. It’s one of the capless rollerball refills – not Parker style.
The Numbers.
1. How does it work? – 1 – This is a solid working pen. The ink is well-pigmented. The point is a solid conical.
2. Look and feel – 1 – It’s a classic Tornado design. It has good weight, the design is lovely. And did I mention IT GLOWS IN THE DARK!
3. Material – 1 – It’s a solid metal pen with hearty screw mechanisms and clip. The design is like a resin wrap—maybe vinyl? But doesn’t feel like it’s going to chip or peel
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s functional. It’s a little short but not uncomfortably so. It feels good in the hand diameter wise.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – For a collectible, it’s reasonable. For an everyday pen? It’s not cheap. This is not limited edition and runs $45. It is refillable and refill costs will vary depending on which refill you get where.
4.5 out of 5 bronze pencils.
[Write the Story] A Blind Date
Prompt: A Blind Date
Words: park bench, manager, beastie, honeydew, justice, manmade, placement, fabric, prevention, basket
Story
The manager’s advice on placement had been spot on. Everything surrounding the picnic scenario was perfect. The honeydew melon set at angles to the disposable dishware with the classic woven basket just there on the checkered fabric table cloth. There were no weird besties in sight of my manmade oasis in the middle of the wildlands decreed by environmental justice advocates for years – otherwise known as a park.
I had done everything I could to make this outdoor sanctuary ready. I’d even paid extra for the inclement weather prevention package. Nothing was going to spoil this moment for me. For us. Not with everything that had prevented us from getting to this point.
I saw Amaru coming toward me and my heart clenched with joy – with love. Then I saw Amaru stumble against a park bench. That’s when I realized. I ran toward Amaru, wrapping that wonderful spirit in my arms as tears fell on both our parts.
Amaru was blind now. The virus whipping through our community had reached home. I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. Our lives were intertwined forever. I would go through with my proposal. I wanted both of us to remember Amaru’s blinding date as something more than disease – but also joy. I would be a limited memory for both of us.
Word Count: 217
Written: 1/2/2020
[Pen/Pencil Review] Happy New Year – 2020 edition
We are all going to be doing “vision” jokes for the next year. I wish I could say everything was going to be on time and brilliant – because it’ll be one or the other, and sometimes neither, consistent might be a thing. But I promise to do my best. There will always be things to review.
Not only do I still have this group of multi-function pens from Korea (because of awesome friends), but there is this grouping of things to work through from the holidays (and it’s not all of it because I remembered there are a couple I’m missing.
And, one of my Christmas presents is a subscription box from Graphite Pencil + Paper which will be a quarterly surprise for the next year. We’ll have some adventures with that. Maybe I’ll do unboxing videos for those, just to have something different on the blog. That’s an idea.
We’ll see how this all goes.
[Write the Story] Escaping a Natural Disaster
Prompt: Escaping a Natural Disaster
Words: museum, exonerate, epicurean, senseless, literacy, software, solar, tear, coloring, quarry
Story
We stared up at the imposing classical-style building before girding our loins and going inside. “Why’re we here again?â€
“Because our literary software hit so big that we were given a night at the most exclusive restaurant in town. Come on. Let’s see how the senseless rich eat.†Joel shook his head.
Thus we entered the Saturn City Museum. The building was built from rock from a single quarry – in the quarry. The coloring rich in shades of pink and blue sparkling when the solar radiation hit.
“Welcome. Your table is right this way.†The maitre’d took us through empty tables. “We will tear apart any preconceived notions of epicurean delusions and exonerate your past culinary sins.â€
“I have no idea what he just said,†I said. “And where is everyone else? If this place is so fabulous, why is it empty?â€
Joel picked up the short menu page. “Holy cow!â€
“What? Expensive?â€
“Yes, but no. It’s literally Holy Cow – from India – on the menu.â€
I snatched the menu away and scanned it. “Come on. I know why this place is empty. We have to go.â€
The floor began shaking as we fled. Wind whipped everything everywhere. As we burst out the door, the roof was hit by lightning. We skidded to a halt and watched the museum be swallowed by every weather system and vortex ever.
Word Count: 227
Written: 12/27/19
[Pen/Pencil Review] Christmas Eve 2019 Edition
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all out there – and Happy Holidays to those who celebrate something else or nothing else. Being Christmas Eve and full of family and Santa tracking and the like, this is going to be a bit of a wrap up blog, with next week being the look forward/new pen haul blog.
I know this year has been somewhat sporadic about timing and such. I wish I could say that it’s going to be totally on time and on point going forward, but realistically? Good luck with that. I do promise to do my best. I will keep doing this blog. I love pens too much, as evidenced by the pile on my desk. These are my “holiday” pens. Red and green ink, the reindeer pen, and the beginning of the new pens.
The RESPECT pen is a basic retractable ballpoint with a stylus but it’s from the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum gift shop. I went to the museum for a meeting and want to go back to check it out. I know it’s going to be hard and powerful – which is the point. I wanted everything from the gift shop to help keep the history alive. I also just want to keep the pen around to remind myself to give to others AND RECEIVE from others the respect we all deserve.
This is a lovely tube of multi-function pens and a brush pen/marker from Korea. Our non-biological family is in town and they always bring me a handful of great writing instruments from whence they came.
So happy holidays this season. I wish you joy, peace, strength where needed, and rest if you can get it. See you in soon.
[Write the Story} The Main Character is Startled Awake By…
Prompt: The Main Character is Startled Awake by…
Words: subway, evergreen, core, emblem, wild, swine, poised, occupation, inspector, gate
Story
“Honey, wake up.†Candace shook Jeremy’s shoulder. “Wake up! I heard a noise.â€
“It’s probably just the subway,†Jeremy mumbled in his pillow.
“Not unless the Red Line started sounding like wild swine. Come on. Go check. Please?â€
Jeremy rolled out of bed and stumbled to the baby gate at the top of the stairs. He paused, poised to descend with Candace crowding behind him. He knew in his core there was nothing, but for Candace’s peace of mind he’d go sown so he could get it over with and back to bed.
He eased toward the living room when in a flash he was wide awake. A large person in red and white bent over their small, living evergreen decked out for Christmas.
“What the…?â€
The man turned, just as startled as Jeremy – and from the gasp behind him, Candace. “Oh my! Jeremy Dunn, occupation – postal inspector. Candace Dunn, occupation – owner Emblem Fashion Boutique. Both on the Nice List. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.â€
Then he was just…gone.
“But we don’t even have a chimney,†Candace stammered. “And we’re not…â€
“Children?†Jeremy finished.
“I was going to say Believers, but that’s not true anymore is it?â€
“We can’t tell anyone, Candace.â€
“Why not? It’s the biggest mystery solved.â€
“And the greatest threat of all. Don’t risk us leaving the Nice List.â€
Word Count: 227
Written: 12/19/19
[Pen/Pencil Review] PaperMate InkJoy Green Gel – 0.5mm – Rerun for the Holidays
It’s a busy time of the year, so I’m going to rerun this green pen, which I love and am using a lot this holiday season.
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Today’s blog post is a revisit that isn’t a revisit – again. Today we meet the Paper Mate InkJoy GREEN GEL pen. This retractable pen is something that makes me happy -it’s a solid, dark, vibrant green ink this one in the 0.5mm. You know…for Spring.
The ink is really good. I do give Paper Mate that. I ended up with the 0.5mm 8-color set at some point. Pretty sureI picked this one up at JetPens.com. Not sure when, but I still love these.
The Paper Mate InkJoy gel pens are 5.75″ long retracted and extended. The barrels are slightly thicker than your typical retractable stick pen. The barrel is smooth and is mostly rubberized plastic for a comfort grip. There’s a clear-ish hard plastic front panel that lets you see the level of ink in the refill that also includes the clip – which could snap if you mess with it long enough. The tip is conical and metal, and so is the plunger on the retraction mechanism. The tip screws off to refill the ink and sets smoothly to avoid any ridges.
The deal with the InkJoy gel pens is supposed to be really smooth and quick drying – compared to Pilot G2 (which is a lofty goal – G2 is pretty much THE standard). So do they measure up? Actually yes, they do. These pens have good ink reservoirs with rich tints to the ink. The conical tips are smooth and lay down a solid line. The feel is good. The ink does seem to dry quickly – except in my moleskine calendar which has really slick pages. EVERYTHING smears on that. GREEN is a particularly difficult color for inks – most of the time they are LIGHT. Or fade easily. Or something that lessens their appeal. Not THIS ink. This is a serious green ink.
Finally an InkJoy that DOES bring me joy. If you don’t want to invest in multipacks, JetPens is selling 0.7mm individually for $2. I’ll be getting some more of these. They’re also at Staples and Office Depot -sometimes you can find them in the singles bins with the Sharpies and such.
To the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 The ink is AMAZING, and comes in decent point sizes. The retraction mechanism is solid
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s fairly basic retractable pen, but long like a stick pen. The rubberized plastic goes all the way around and up the back of the pen to give a comfortable feel for long-term use.
3. Material – 1 – It’s rubberized and translucent plastic pen. It’s solid for what it is.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s an InkJoy that I can get behind. The pen is colorful, comfortable, and solid.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – These run close to $2 a pop which is about on par but seems a touch high. They should be refillable, but I’m not seeing refills for these yet. If they do end up having the refills, then they will be a solid pen for everyday use. The 8-colors are about $15.
4.5 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] A Priest Hearing a Unique Confession
Well, I actually loaded this up last Friday…and forgot to hit publish. So…have a story THIS week. Oops.
__________
Prompt: A Priest Hearing a Unique Confession
Words: Chinese, crustacean, flash, bucket, vessel, notice memoir, brute, docile, cucumber
Story
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been…a while since my last confession.â€
“What would you like to confess, my child?â€
Cassie took a deep breath. “I stole a Shanghai Hairy Crab.â€
“You did what now?†The priest sounded like a n older man. Heaven knew what he was thinking.
“I stole a Shanghai Hairy Crab. You know, a Chinese Mitten Crab?†When the priest didn’t respond, Cassie continued. “It’s a crustacean. They’re a delicacy because they’ve been shipped back to Asia. I had an opportunity to grab some off a shipping vessel, and I just…did it. I saw the bucket and took it.â€
“What? Why?†the priest asked.
“I have no…yeah, that’s not true. I read about it in a memoir. TI was a bucket list thing. They’re supposed to be delicious with cucumber salad.â€
“And was it?â€
“I don’t know. I didn’t actually eat any. They were do docile – for crabs – in the bucket that I felt like a brute eating them.â€
“Then what did you do?â€
“I released them into Taylor Lake.â€
Before the priest could say anything, Cassie noticed a flash of light outside the confessional. “Notice! Cassandra Richardson, you are under arrest for ecological terrorism. Come out with your hands up!â€
Cassie sighed. “It was bound to happen. Thank you, Father.†She could hear the sputtering from the other side of the partition. Well, at least he had a good story.
Word Count: 237
Written: 12/5/19