[Pen/Pencil Review] J. Herbin Refillable Hybrid Roller Ball – Medium Point
Today’s pen is something a little different. It’s a J. Herbin refillable roller ball pen – medium point. This is a pen I picked up from my last JetPens.Com order along with the current ink – also from J. Herbin. You’d think there’d not be anything special about a refillable roller ball – well, this roller ball refills with fountain pen ink, making it a sweet hybrid pen.
I know using fountain pen ink in a roller ball pen isn’t new. I think Pelikan had one for a while, which I wore out, I think. But I wanted to try a new one, and I needed to round out an order. This is a “demonstrator” style, which means the barrel and cap are transparent, and in this case actually clear. The only embellishment is the “J. Herbin” name on the cap and a stainless steel cap accent and clip. The cap posts securely. I haven’t flung it across a desk yet.
The pen is 4.6″ long capped and about 5.5″ with the cap posted. It makes the pen seem short, but with the cap posted, it’s long enough to be pretty comfortable. It’s just under a half-inch in a diameter – which is slender but runs that fine line of being too narrow. The pen takes the short international ink cartridges and the Monteverde mini converter to use whatever ink you like. It does not come with an ink cartridge, you’re on your own there. The ink does fit into the mechanism securely. I’ve not had any issues with leaks or drips.
Which is why I went ahead and started with a J. Herbin ink. This is Lie de Thé (Tea Brown). The roller ball mechanism shows through as a black insert to the tip. The roller ball is smooth and stainless steel. I haven’t had problems with skips or clumps. And it seems to “conserve” ink. I swear I’ve gotten more use of the initial cartridge than I have with regular fountain pens using the same size/style. So that’s cool.
This is a good pen if you like the look and feel of fountain pen ink but don’t want to deal with nibs and such. I kinda want a couple more (or at least the style) so I can play with colors more.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – I like it. The roller ball is smooth and clean. The ink fits securely to prevent leaks. The cap fits securely on both ends of the pen.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – There are no ergonomics. It’s all smooth plastic with a little bit of an edge. The pen is borderline to short which may or may not be uncomfortable to some.
3. Material – 1 – For a demonstrator, it’s awesome. The clear plastic is what it is. It lets you see exactly how much ink you have left in the cartridge. The stainless steel accents are nice. 4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s a classic design, especially for a demonstrator. The logo doesn’t take anything from the overall looks. The use of roller ball and fountain ink is a lovely hybrid.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I can only find these on JetPens, and probably some other online retailers. It was $8.75 – which is a bit expensive, but not overly so, especially with the options for refilling. It feels sturdy enough to last a good $8.75 worth, but it’s definitely NOT disposable.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
