The Kikkerland Retro Ballpoint Pen with Stylus
The Kikkerland Retro Ballpoint pen with the stylus tip was – and to some extent still is – a pen I wasn’t sure I was going to like. Jimmy and I found this at World Market in December while Christmas Shopping. It was in the stocking stuffer section. And shocker…it ended up in my stocking because it was halfway green, kinda cool looking.
And it is cool looking. The point of it being “retro” is that it’s the old ballpoint style from the 60s and 70s. The body is pretty solid. It’s a nice hard plastic that almost feels like enameled metal but at the price, it’s got to be plastic. It has a green top and an off white bottom. The clip is brushed metal for satin look and feels pretty solid. The pen is 5.25″ with the point retracted and 5.5″ with the point extended.
The pen has a twisting retractable mechanism. The mechanism is a bit stiff, but that’s fine by me. It means it won’t be likely to come “open’ in a pocket, purse, or bag. The pen is a ballpoint that’s probably a 1.0mm – the packaging didn’t say, but that does seem to be the default any more. The ink is black and dark with limited glopping or smearing. On shiny paper there will be some smearing until it dries.
The stylus actually does work with an iPhone and iPad. It does require pushing and smushing the stylus tip, but it does work. Which is rather surprising for the price of the pen. I just don’t remember to use the stylus part very often, though it’ll be a pen I take with me when I use Square at book selling events, or (if I remember) if I use someone else’s device.
The Numbers.
1. How does it work? – 1 – It’s better than I expected for a ballpoint. It’s decent ink and flow. It’s wider than I like.
2. Look and feel – 0.5 – It’s a little short and narrow for my comfort. It’s not a bad pen, but just a little on the small side. It’s slick and has no ergonomics.
3. Material – 0.5 It’s plastic. It’s got a soft rubber stylus. I’m not sure what the life span is on this one. For the price, the materials aren’t stellar.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It is a great retro looking pen with a high tech application. That’s a pretty cool design that works.
5. Price Point – 1 – This is not a cheap novelty, but it’s fairly inexpensive for a high tech gadget. You can find them on Amazon for $5. I think that’s about what we paid for it at World Market.
4 out of 5 bronze pencils.