[Pen/Pencil Review] NIOA Pen Set
Happy New Year! Starting 2018 off on what is (hopefully) the right foot. I give you the first pen review of the new year with intent to stay on track this year. We’ll see how that goes. 😎 Anyway, I’m a member of a professional organization – National Information Officers Association (NIOA). They send a small gift with membership dues. Last year I think it was a thumb drive. This year it was a fairly nice pen set in an awesome box.
The pen set includes a ballpoint pen and a roller ball. The pens are wave etched chrome metal for the long part of the barrel and black lacquered tops with chrome metal clips. The ballpoint pen is 5.5″ long with the ink. The ink retracts with a twist mechanism that’s smooth and easy to use. The rollerball is 5.5″ long capped and not quite 6″ long with the cap posted. The cap posts securely on both the end and the barrel. The grip of the rollerball is black lacquer.
The grip is smooth on the rollerball with a slight lip where the cap meets barrel – which could dig into fingers. The ballpoint has a bit of grip to it with the wave etched barrel, but both are smooth and have no real ergonomics. They’re a good width for comfort for all sizes of fingers.
The inks are generic. The ballpoint has a typical Parker-style refill with a 1.0 mm point in black ink. The ink flowed pretty well and didn’t smear. Once this review is done, however, I’m changing the ink out for a gel ink Parker-Style refill with a 0.7mm tip that I got on Amazon – because preferences. The rollerball has a generic ceramic style refill – with a 0.7mm tip in black in. The inexpensive nature of the refill made the feel seem scratchy and not as smooth as it could be. I’ll probably be changing this out as well for a smoother ink.
But over all I’m very pleased with the quality of the pens NIOA sent their members. I’m not surprised, considering the organization is all about writing and communicating. The pens are solid – with a good weight and heft, but not overly heavy to be tiring to use. They’re also gorgeous, which would also put a professional communicator in good stead. I look forward to using these for years to come – even if the logo comes off over time – I believe they’re screen printed on, not lasered, but I could be wrong.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – They work fine. The mechanisms of use are solid – the retraction on the ball point is a twist mechanism. The cap on the rollerball is secure.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – There are ridges that can dig in on the rollerball. Both have smooth grips with little to no ergonomics
3. Material – 1 They’re substantial metal barrels with lacquered and etched accents. They’re nice quality of pen. A good weight and diameter.
4. Overall Design – 1 – They’re gorgeous and functional – the higher end promotional pen with a great, magnetic closure box. They write well with what ink came with them. It’s a very professional looking set.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I don’t really know, actually, but for a promotional pen set, it wouldn’t have been cheap, but since it’s a professional organization, it won’t be the most expensive thing either – probably in the $5 – $10 range per set.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
