[Pen/Pencil Review] Just Mobile AluPen Pro Pelikan Ink
I have my good friend, John Husisian, for this week’s review. This is the pen he bought me for my birthday at Paradise Pen Company during the last pilgrimage. He gifted me with the Just Mobile AluPen Pro ballpoint pen and stylus. It was slightly overshadowed by the Vanishing Point, but no less appreciated.
The Just Mobile AluPen Pro is a solid pen, which you’d pretty much expect from a pen made from ALUMINUM. The pen is tooled to be hexagonal – like a pencil, but that gives the pen both a classic design and the ability to not roll off the desk (there’s something to be said about that). In fact, between that and the capacitive stylus, it actually looks like it should be a nifty mechanical pencil.
However, it’s not, it’s a very functional ball point pen. The ink and refill for the AluPen Pro is from Pelikan, so it’s a solid ink. The pen takes Pelikan’s refill 38 – which is a mini ink – and is a 1.0mm point, but it doesn’t fill thick and gloopy like other 1.0mm do. This is a decent metal conical point that extends and retracts through a twist mechanism at the tip. The stylus is set into the hex end and comes with a replacement. The stylus is secure and works well on my iPad, my iPhone, and my touchscreen laptop screen.
The only minor downside is the length. The AluPen Pro is just under 5.25″ long both retracted and extended. It’s shorter than I would like, but well-balanced for the weight. And it does have some weight, but not so much as to be uncomfortable.
It’s not cheap but it’s not overly expensive. It runs about $30 online, but are also available from Paradise Pen Company stores. If you’re both high and low tech, this is a solid pen to pick up.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – This is a solid pen. It doesn’t feel like a 1.0mm point and the stylus is responsive on a variety of screens.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – The grip is hexagonal aluminum. There are no ergonomics and if you don’t like hexes for the ridges, this is not for you. And it’s short.
3. Material – 1 It’s a solid aluminum. Can’t beat that.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s solid. It’s very good looking with a high tech feel. The ink is dark, rich but not smeary or gloppy, and the stylus does what you want it to.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s not cheap. These pens run – if you don’t find them on serious sale – about $30. But with the solidness of the pen and the stylus (with a replacement) it’s a decent tech pen.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
