[Pen/Pencil Review] Spoke Pen in Green with Black Ink
This week’s pen was an unexpected gift from Jimmy. He got it from the good people at Spoke Pencils and (now) pens. I think it was finally a replacement for the pencil he gave me a while back that I gave back to him because it works with his Pentel P-205 collection. This pen was designed with the guys at Spoke Pencil with Brad Dowdy from ThePenAddict.com and Nock cases. This may have been part of their Kickstarter because Jimmy’s a huge supporter of Brian Conti.
The pen, like the mechanical pencils, are machined aluminum with anodized satin colors – mine is (shockingly) green. The pen is 5.5†long capped, and 5.15″ uncapped. The cap has a solid magnetic fastener with a black steel alloy clip. The cap does not post. That’s the only drawback. The aluminum body is hexagonal with cuts that let you see the black interior barrel – so you have a color contrast. It’s tapered for a finger grip. It’s pretty well balanced – good weight without being “heftyâ€.
The grip is etched, ribbed shiny titanium – light and strong. The grip fits a standard gel pen refill – this one comes with a Uni-ball 0.5mm Signo UM-151 refill in black ink. The grip is long so you can grip it at several points without the ridge where the grip meets the barrel from digging in. And, honestly? DARNED COOL LOOKING. And apparently, they have stands? I don’t’ know if they come with, but hey, that’s something to keep in mind. But, they’re “artisan†pencils. They are not cheap.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – It’s a great. I might someday debate Brad Dowdy about the Uni-ball Signo UM-151 being the best ink refill ever, but it’s a really good ink. The cap is secure but easy to manipulate. It’s easy to refill. Everything you want in a pen.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – They fixed the grip problems with the pencil – they’ve been making the grips longer and better balanced without the ridge digging in. There’s nothing soft and squishy about the pencil – it’s all metal. They have made an attempt at ergonomics, but it is what it is.
3. Material – 1 This is high-quality anodized aluminum. It’s sturdy but light. The point and cap seem solid and bright. It does seem to be top notch materials.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – The knock is simply because you can’t post the cap. Otherwise, it’s very “engineered†looking. It’s sharp, it’s well-designed. It’s pretty while being utilitarian. BrianConti and Brad Dowdy put a lot of thought and work into this. They get credit for that.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – They Are. Not. Cheap. I got this one for a gift, so bear with me here. Jimmy was an early supporter – so I have no idea what HE paid – which probably isn’t what’s on the site. The website will sell these for $55-60 – if they’re available. I’m only knocking a half point off because they’re artisan. This is not something you can get in a store. They’re art work. Oh, and they have stands. If the stands come with them in price, then you do have a piece of functional desk art.
I give it 4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
