[Pen/Pencil Review] ARGGGHHHH FenCon Week
It’s FenCon Week.
That should tell you EVERYTHING. And, alas nothing. I had grand plans to get a blog post done today. Day Job meeting got in the way — and threw everything off. Then the giant TO DO list reared up and some tech stuff is frustrating me… so RERUN week. Whoops.
This is the Pelikan Garnet Edelstein Ink from 2015
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my awesome Conklin Duragraph Fountain Pen from Pen Chalet – which is still awesome. However, what’s not as praiseworthy was the Pelikan Edelstein Ink Cartridges.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the Garnet color. It’s a super deep red – kind of like a blood red that works for a certain element. Since I write a “Death” character, I was enjoying the color – especially when I started critiquing some short stories/novel excerpts for a science fiction convention.
These are, theoretically, an international standard “long” cartridge. I have bought Pelikan long (or giant) cartridges before and love them because of the length of time to enjoy the ink. The first cartridge was fine, maybe a little tight in the Duragraph barrel, but fine… until it was close to time to change the ink. The next cartridge seemed to seat in the nib, but was tighter going in. When I tried to check it, the nib came free and the pierced cartridge stayed stuck in the barrel.
This is a problem. Because I tried to work with this, hoping with the nib back in place, everything would be fine. It was not. The cartridge would never reseat, stayed stuck in the barrel, then leaked around the nib – making it look like I cut the crap out of my finger (I did mention BLOOD RED, right?). I tried my best to seal the cartridge with wax and save it, these are not cheap.
I was away from home, so when I got back, I attempted another pen barrel with the half cartridge of ink that was left. This time I picked my Padrino demonstrator (so I could see the ink levels without removing the ink). The cartridge didn’t fit. There are stops near the bottom of both barrels, this cartridge was a few millimeters too long and a few millimeters to wide to fit comfortably in the barrel.
I looked online for another long/giant manufacturer. Colorado Pens makes a long refill that’s smaller than this one by a hair. A visual inspection (I know it’s not scientific) made the Edelstein look just a touch bigger than even the other Pelikan giant cartridges I have.
Fortunately, I do have a Pelikan barrel that I can use this gorgeous ink in, because I’m not risking it in another pen brand – even though Pelikan hasn’t said their ink is proprietary. This ink is too lovely and too expensive to waste, even if the barrel I have really isn’t worthy of it. It’s a “junior”/Beginner barrel, and this ink deserves the Duragraph, too bad it doesn’t work with the cartridges. Maybe I’ll break down and get a bottle and use the converter, but that’s expensive, too.
Grading:
1. How does it write? – 1 – This is a rich and amazing ink. It looks fantastic on the page and flowed really well through the nib.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – TECHNICALLY this should be “Not Applicable” but there is sometimes a feel to ink – if not a grip – This ink FEELS good you write with it. Even, rich, smooth.
3. Material – 0.5 – Yeah, bleck. The plastic cartridge is a shade too long and wide to fit in traditional barrels, even though it had a standard neck to meet the nib. It should be better.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – Yeah, bleck. The plastic cartridge is a shade too long and wide to fit in traditional barrels, even though it had a standard neck to meet the nib. It should be better.
5. Price Point – 0 – Pelikan is proud of Edelstein. In some ways, it’s worth it (gorgeous, but pricy). The cartridges are $7.95 on JetPens.com – for SIX cartridges. That’s what? $1.25 – $1.50 a cartridge. The bottles? $26.50. These are not for the faint of heart, no matter how gorgeous.
Overall – 3 Bronze Pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] The Early Days of the Zombie Apocalypse
Prompt: The Early Days of the Zombie Apocalypse
Words: motherboard, buffalo, Eiffel Tower, raven, motorcycle, envelope, tulip, moon, reflect, sycamore
Story
Kirk checked the address on the envelope before knocking the kickstand down and securing his motorcycle. He shook the sweat from raven hair as he tucked the helmet under his arm. He took off at a jog, moving from shadow to shadow, trying to remain, at best, unnoticed.
His destination lay across an open space. No cover. He’d be as noticeable as a buffalo at the Eiffel Tower if he weren’t careful. As it was, he risked notice just by being here…
“Oh…MOTHER…board!” Kirk caught himself from curing in the Samuel L. Jackson style. Someone…something moved in the shadows. He ducked behind a sycamore tree to wait. The shadow shambled into the square, dragging something with it.
The moon reflected off the glass building, illuminating the figure. The zombies made it all the way to the center of the city. Kirk had no way of knowing if his intel was still good, but he couldn’t turn back now.
Sickening slurps and crunches punctuated the night. The zombie dragged its dinner to darker shadows, perhaps not to share. Kirk used it to his advantage and dashed across the square. He ducked down the stairs and pounded on a door.
“Password?”
“Tulip.”
Hands dragged him inside and slammed the door.
“I bring medical supplies.”
But Kirk was too late.
Word Count: 217
Written: 8/21/18
Black Cat/White Cat 2 pack Rollerball Pens
This is another purchase from the impulsive trip to Kinokuniya and Daiso in Carrollton. I WANT to call them the “Good Idea/Bad Idea” Cat pens… but being that they’re pens with cats on the cap? There’s probably no “good” idea there. But they do remind me of the cartoon angel/devil on the shoulders. Super adorable.
These are long, stick pens in basic clear plastic with the ink sheathed in black and white plastic halfway down the barrel and plastic crystal beads in the lower half of the barrel. The white cat pen has clear crystal beads. The black cat actually has red crystal beads. These pens are 6.25″ long capped and 6.75″ long with cap posted. The cats are plastic and are draped across the cap. The barrel is slim in diameter and have no grips whatsoever. The tip of the pen is faceted in a cool and unusual star-like pattern to hold the needle point tip.
The inks are gel-based roller ball in 0.5 mm tips – needle tip – both in black ink. The needle points are smooth – and not scratchy – with a good line. The faceted tip can be a challenge and the cats pop off occasionally – as cats do – but for what it is… I find them wonderful.
These were super cheap – like maybe $2 for both – they come in a set. You can get them on the Daiso website in lots of 10 for $16.80. So even with some mark up, they’re super inexpensive. For the price? They’re super cute and highly functional.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works well for what it is. There are no ergonomics and the cats come off.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – The only ding is that the barrel is kind of narrow for my comfort and there are no ergonomics. Technically it’s a bit on the long side, but doesn’t feel too ackward.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic stick pen. It’s all plastic. It’s good for what it is.
4. Overall Design – 1 – This set is the both adorable and a bit weird, but in a good way. It’s also surprisingly functional and decent.
5. Price Point – 1 – These are adorable and super cheap. I want to say they’re about $2 for THE SET. A set of 10 2-packs of these lovely pens on Daiso are $16.70.
That’s 4.5 bronze pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] The Main Character has Amnesia
Prompt: The Main Character has Amnesia
Words: antiquarian, satellite, cinnamon, fortune, cookie, harbor, cedar, invitation, soccer, annual, speaker
Story
“Would you, please, stop orbiting me like a freaking satellite?” I demanded of the antiquarian doctor in a white coat. “There’s been no change in my condition.”
“Do you remember your condition?” the idiot asked.
“Only because people keep reminding me.”
“You understand we have to check. We can’t have another scandal…”
“You’re asking me to be a speaker at the annual Safe Harbor Conference. You have to make sure the invitation isn’t going to a fraud. Is that about it?”
The doctor hemmed and hawed but had the good sense to look embarrassed. I was right. “Okay. Look. Yes. All right? We were bamboozled once by a soccer player who theoretically survived multiple lightning strikes. Total horse hockey. Once bitten. Twice shy.”
“Then do your research on me and my case. Call,” I checked a note. “Cedar, my assistant, when you decide. We’ll go from there.”
The doctor poked, prodded, and asked annoying questions for a while longer until I couldn’t stand him, or his cinnamon breath mints another minute. Maybe I didn’t want to do this after all, but I’d already agreed.
Cedar came back with Chinese food for lunch, which I apparently loved. The fortune cookie read, Save your voice. Now is not a good time for speaking a lot.
Word Count:
Written: 8/16/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Hello Old Friends 3-Color Multi-Pen 2 pack
Several weeks ago, we had the impulsive trip to Kinokuniya and Daiso in Carrollton. One of the many purchases was this adorable 2 pack of 3-color ballpoint pens with bears on them waving and saying, “Hello” on one side and “Hello my old friends” on the back – and there is a front and back because the bear has a face on the “hello” side and the back of the bear on the other side. It’s a 2-pack set – black barrel and white barrel.
These are long, bullet-shaped pens in basic plastic with a rubberized grip just below the bears. These pens are 5.75″ long retracted and 6″ long with ink out. The clip is molded plastic to the top of the barrel with some detailing. It’s solid and will take some doing to break. It’s also a good diameter for comfort.
The inks are gel-based ballpoints in 0.7 mm tips – needle tip – in red, blue, and black. The inks have slider plungers and retract by clicking another color. Because the inks are gel-based, they’re dark and rich in color. The needle points are smooth – and not scratchy – with a good line.
These were super cheap – like maybe $3 for both. You can get them on the Daiso website in dozen lots for $20 and change. So even with some mark up, they’re super inexpensive. For the price? They’re super cute, highly functional, and work pretty well.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works well. It feels solid and has good ink in three colors.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – The pen is on the long side by a bit for a typical retractable, but it’s still well-balanced. It’s got a rubberized grip that is a nod to ergonomics – it’s pretty comfortable.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic retractable pen. It’s all plastic. It’s good for what it is.
4. Overall Design – 1 – This set is the most adorable thing ever with the happy, friendly bears saying hi all over the place. It’s also surprisingly functional and decent.
5. Price Point – 1 – These are adorable and super cheap. I want to say they’re about $3 for THE SET. A dozen sets of these lovely pens on Daiso are $20.16.
That’s bronze pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] High School Hierarchy
Prompt: High School Hierarchy
Words: pyramid, cowboy hat, amateurish, angle, ripple, cheese, jersey, blister, odyssey, reorder
Story
“We’re going to have to reorder the pyramid.†Brandi pouted as she and the other girls bent over the chart on the table.
A blonde wearing a bedazzled cowboy hat nibbled on a square of cheese. “By why? It was perfect just the way it was.â€
“With that amateurish attempted coup by the band nerds? No. We can’t leave things the way they are. The science geeks might start getting ideas.â€
A ripple of laughter from Brandi’s group urged her on. Brandi was the Queen of Odyssey High School, and she would do anything to maintain her status. No angle was off limits. She wouldn’t let anything put a blister on her reign. Brandi whipped her worker bees into a frenzy and sent them out to do their petty worst.
When everyone was gone, Brandi made her way through the darkened halls of the school to the seal in the center of the basketball court. With great care she set up a Bunsen burner, a bowl, and lit candles.
She chanted softly as she sacrificed the jersey from the football team’s quarterback. The smoke formed into a vague spirit shaped and descended around her. With a poof, the sacrifice was consumed, and Brandi felt like she was in hell, but of course, it was only high school.
Word Count: 217
Written: 8/6/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Uni-Ball Signo RT 1 Blue-Black 0.28
Welcome to the “Rhonda’s at a Conference†edition of this week’s pen blog. I will also be going on a brief road trip just as soon as I’m done with the conference. So this is going to be quick and in the blue family – because I’m in Florida, it’s going to be in the blue family.
This is a pen I picked up at Kinokuniya in Carollton, but it’s also available through JetPens.com. This is the UNI Signo 0.28mm retractable pen in Blue Black. I’ve apparently used and reviewed a black one of these before (which makes the review a bit easier to put together while conferencing (it’s a word).
The ink is good for so fine a point. You’re going to lose some depth/darkness in an ink tone the finer the point. But this feels thicker and darker than it should. The conical tip means it’s not as scratchy feeling than some needle points. The blue/black feels more like a dark teal to me–or turquoise according to my writing sample. But it’s a nice color.
These pens run just over 5.5″. The mechanism is smooth. The rubber grip is not textured and seems to be only a slight nod to comfort. The barrel is fine but not EXCEPTIONAL – the barrel has a transparency to it and the grip is slightly rubberized for a nod to ergonomics. It’s a cool pen for what it is, which is a good editing or notation pen if you need something easily transportable and super fine.
Let’s see the numbers…
1. How does it work? – 1 – it works well. The ink dries quickly – especially being such a fine point, but it doesn’t feel that fine and has a solid width with a slightly transparent barrel.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – The length is typical for a retractable pen. The barrel is slightly rubberized. But there are no real ergonomics.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a plastic retractable pen. It’s all plastic. The retraction plunger is kind of cool.
4. Overall Design – 1 It’s a decent design for a plastic retractable pen. The ink is decent and dark for a 0.28mm, it’s a smooth decent line. The mechanism works well. It does what it’s supposed to do.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – For a retractable gel pen, the price is…MEH… it’s $2.50, but it’s a 0.28, so that’s not all that common. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s not the most expensive.
That’s 4 bronze pencils out of 5.
[Write the Story] A Young Child Makes a Discovery
Prompt: A Young Child Makes a Discovery
Words: Superman, ginkgo biloba, cavern, clicker, aloe, moviegoer, stretch, furry, yardstick, makeup
Story
I blame the ginko biloba. I know it’s a stretch, but there’s no other explanation of why I’m suddenly remembering…everything. It couldn’t be the aloe, that’s supposed to heal, not pull the scabs off.
So now I’m curled up in my cavern-like TV room, mindlessly using my TV clicker to not watch anything. If it weren’t for Moose, my delightful furry companion, Id be all alone with the memories flickering behind my eyes. Showing me the broken yardstick against which all expectations failed. Moose loved me though, with or without makeup. He loved me. That’s all that mattered.
Where did everything go wrong? I asked myself that a lot. Cue up the memory.
I was eight years old and already an avid moviegoer. This movie had a special appearance. I slipped away from my mom to go to the bathroom and got lost in the big old theater. I rounded a corner to see a guy that looked a lot like my dad. So, I followed.
Then…as I turned the corner, my whole world shattered. I had no idea how much it would affect me. I saw my father turn into Superman.
How does someone live up to that? Everyone grows up thinking their parents are superheroes. It’s hard to live up to them when they actually are!
Word Count: 218
Written: 7/24/18
[Pen/Pencil Review] Pentel V Feel 0.5mm Red Ink Retractable
Today’s pen comes from the impulsive trip to Kinokuniya a while back. It’s been something floating around in the pen bag but as I have quite a bit of editing and other writing to do, I have a feeling this will get quite a bit of use. It’s from Pentel but it’s also a bit of a mystery. The clip says “V Feel†– but I can’t find it online anywhere…so here goes.
I believe the “V Feel†is part of the Vicuna line of pens. The ink seems consistent with the Vicuna which is an extremely low-viscosity ball point ink with a very smooth ball point. The ink is rich for the fine point line – this pen came in my favorite 0.5mm point. There’s a tiny bit of smearing on smoother paper – but in the most cases it’s negligible.
The barrel matches the ink, but it’s a translucent plastic so you can see the ink levels (which is always a perk to me). The mechanism is smooth and secure. The grip is a slightly softer rubber, and the lines of the pen are comfortable. It’s about 5.75″ long – which is just a touch longer than a standard retractable pen. The clip a “push clip†like Sarasa is known for – with the spring like a clothes pen that I have found I really do like.
It’s a great workhorse of a pen. I will be using it a A LOT in the upcoming weeks. It’s a nice little pen. It was reasonably priced at Kinokuniya at $1.95, but you have to go to one of their stores. Like I said before, I can’t find these online – or I’m not looking at the right line or something. I do believe it’s refillable – but I’m assuming it’s the Vicuna line of refills. One can only experiment to find out. Might be worth it.
The Numbers.
1. How does it work? – 1 – This is a solid working pen. The ink is good. The point is solid. The retractor mechanism is pretty standard.
2. Look and feel – 1 – It’s a decent pen, but it has a good look and feel – good hand feel with a nod to ergonomics and balance.
3. Material – 0.5 – It’s your basic plastic retractable pen with a translucent barrel so you can see the ink. Decent grip.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s functional. It’s an average length retractable pen with some artistic details and a great clip. It’s got a good color ink and fine point. It’s a good point.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – This pen is affordable but not the cheapest pen ever. At Kinokuniya, they run $1.95. It is refillable. HOWEVER, I can’t seem to find this particular pen anywhere else, not even on Jetpens or Tokyo Pen Shop.
4.0 out of 5 bronze pencils.
[Write the Story] An Alien in Disguise Among Humans
Prompt: An Alien in Disguise Among Humans
Words: Aurora Borealis, paint brush, corn field, cluster, lineup, overlook, suspect, bridge, dome, dash
Story
No one would suspect. No one could pick me out of a line up. All I had to do was keep my project from becoming a cluster and all would be well. I would graduate and secure my place on the next Contact Team. At least that was the plan. IF only my partner weren’t quite the joker.
“Come on!†Wyse pointed to a spot below the cloaked ship. “It’s a CORN FIELD! We kinda have to do a crop circle.â€
“Isn’t that a tad cliché?†I asked Wyse had a rather banal sense of humor. “Let’s just do what we came to do and go home.â€
“So dull. It’s not like I’m suggesting we probe some cows. Dash in and out.†Wyse pointed out the control dome. “I mean, it’s right there!â€
The temptation was hard to overlook. So we didn’t . Wyse was right. It only took a blink, and we were back on the way to the Northern Land Bridge leaving a perfect circle behind.
When we reached the Great White North, we programmed the paint brush program and disembarked, holosuits in play. We infiltrated a whale-watching group as the invisible ship sent sparkling streams of light across the sky.
“The Aurora Borealis is spectacular tonight.â€
The tourists oohed and ahhed as we slapped “hands†and recorded the scene, proving humans were still gullible to alien graffiti and sky art. Hopefully, they never figure it out.
Word Count: 239
Written: 7/3/18
Note: Written before Roswell’s UFO Festival