I first saw this pen on… I think it was eBay, a very long time ago. I think I was looking for a white fountain pen for some reason. And, at the time, I don’t think I was very good at getting anything more expensive than a Lamy Safari, so I passed on it. Quite a few weeks ago now, maybe mid August, I was in TK Maxx when I came across this pen. For £5.99. Was I going to pass that up? I don’t think so.
I love the graphics on it. I’m so into florals and vines and pink at the moment, and I’m always into butterflies. It does come in a plain white, plain black and an Icy Blue, which is pretty and had I seen that one a few years ago I would’ve been all over it. There is a Violet, a Violet Pink and a Creamy Rose Pink too (I think I got those links the right way around), but those don’t seem to be on their website anymore. I’ve only ever seen those on Amazon and eBay. I feel that the one I have has a less… Busy design and I really like that.
This pen is a bit strange. The overall shape is strange, the end of the pen is strange, the nib section is strange. Let me show you what I mean.
So, here. This picture show you the end piece that I find odd. I haven’t seen something like that before. It’s perfect for when or if you want to post the pen, but other than that? Strange. (This picture also gives you an idea of the uncapped length of the pen next to a TWSBI Mini.) It does look a bit cool in its strangeness though, and I do really like the shape of the rest of the body.
Personally I don’t like to post this pen (I don’t really post pens anyway), because it makes the pen, in my opinion, a bit too top heavy. It’s a pretty weighty pen anyway, but if you’re used to metal pens then it might not be an issue for you. I use a lot of plastic pens so the weight was a bit more noticeable to me.
See that tiny black bit? On both the photos on the left and right? That’s the grip section. This is more than likely the smallest grip section I’ve ever seen in my life. I personally manage to get around this by holding the pen more where the cap joins the body, so the part of the body that flares out rests more comfortably in my hand. So, that’s how that works for me; your milage may vary entirely.
Back to the photo on the right. The amount of cartridge that’s in that silver section just seems really odd to me. I’m not sure why and I can’t put my finger on it despite the fact that I’ve been thinking about this since I got the pen. Due to the length of the tube below the threads where the section screws into the body, I feel like there should be more of the cartridge nestled up there. I don’t know, I guess maybe it doesn’t matter because the cartridge is still secure enough. And you will have to use a cartridge because there isn’t a converter for it and a regular standard one doesn’t fit. I think I read about a converter hack, but I haven’t tried it. (And typically, I can’t find it now I need it.) I don’t really have an issue with using cartridges or refilling the cartridges if I need to.
It took me a little while and a couple of different cartridges to get it to actually write, but I’m pretty sure that was down to me and not the pen – one of the cartridges I tried at first is one I’ve had problems with in several pens. It always takes a little while to get going. So, I’m almost certain that’s my fault and not the pen’s. The ink colour in the scan seems a little pale, and honestly I think that’s a combination of the ink (J.Herbin is a little more watery than most ink I’ve used) and the Staples Arc paper. The colour is more saturated when I use cheaper paper. On both types of paper however, the pen puts down a decent amount of ink and it writes pretty darn smoothly.
Overall? I like it. It’s pretty and it’s a little different. It adds a little while to my fountain pen collection and some more flowers. And, at the end of the day, it works – it puts ink on the page with little to no efffort from me, which, when you boil it down to the bare bones, is what I really want from a pen. I’m also not going to really complain for the price I got it for. Would I pay full price for it? I’m not sure. Maybe if it came in one of the fountain pen and ballpoint sets, but maybe not if it was just the fountain pen on its own. But for the price I got it for, it’s an absolute steal.
Four Words, Four Worlds 