Rolling Ball

Review: Lamy Tipo, Rollerball, Medium Point

by Andrew

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Lamy is a company known for their innovative pen designs, and you can tell by the look of it that this streak has continued with the Lamy Tipo. Like Lamy’s Dailog 2, the Tipo has a unique retracting mechanism, but unlike the Dialog 2, the Tipo is relatively inexpensive, usually selling between $10-$15. This is possibly the least expensive pen that Lamy sells, and so I was obviously interested in trying it out. But, unfortunately, that low price turned out to be a bad omen.

But first, the good: the Tipo has a rather slick design. It has a smooth plastic barrel and a ribbed plastic grip section that slowly tapers toward the tip. It comes in all sorts of colors, and it manages to feel high quality, even with its all-plastic construction. Lamy’s (proprietary) M66 rollerball refill is also very nice if you like thick, dark lines.

The clip and the retracting mechanism, however, drove me a little crazy. To eject the pen, the clip has to be slid down to catch a little hole on the side of the barrel. It’s simple and works fine most of the time, but you have to be very deliberate about it or it won’t catch, which can be mildly annoying.

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But the big flaw, in my opinion, is that the plastic clip is thin and flimsy. If it gets bent or if it breaks (which is what happened to me), then the pen is simply no longer functional. Without the clip, you cannot eject the tip of the refill.

In my opinion, Lamy should have made the clip out of a more durable material, even if it meant charging an extra dollar or two. This would have made the Tipo easier to retract/eject while also making it more durable. But designed as is, I cannot recommend this pen to anyone.

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Extra Links

  • There is an aluminum version, which might be more durable, but I cannot vouch for it.
  • A review over at Inkdependence has a good photo of Lamy’s clam shell packaging, which may honestly be the best part of the Tipo. I also like the look of that orange version. But, alas, this reviewer shares the same frustrations with the clip.
  • According to The Pen Addict, if you don’t like Lamy’s proprietary refill, you can substitute the Pilot G-2 refill. Worth considering if you end up purchasing this pen, as the G-2 has many more color and size options.

Retro Talk: Stealthy Terabyte 2.0

by Andrew

Back in 2015, Retro 51 and Anderson Pens released the original Terabyte Tornado as a limited edition of 500. I loved the design, and, having assumed it would be a hot item, I pre-ordered one immediately. It turns out that it actually took a couple of years to move all those pens, but it was apparently still successful enough to launch a follow up: The Terabyte 2.0

I like the barrel design of the Terabyte 2.0. However, as far as I can tell, it’s identical to the original – hidden Anderson Pen’s logo and all – except that the green motherboard color has been replaced with black. Beyond that, there isn’t much to say about this pen that I didn’t already mention in my write-up for the 1.0.

This disc at the top of the 2.0’s twist even popped off, just like it did for the original. Luckily, that’s an easy fix with some super glue.

I like the stealthy style of the 2.0, but Retro 51 and Anderson Pens probably could have done a little more to make it stand apart – acid etching or a new circuit pattern, for example. That disc at the top has a new bull’s-eye pattern, I guess, but that is hardly significant. It’s really more of a version 1.1.

So, if you feel that you missed out on the Terabyte 1.0, then you’ll be pleased with the Terabyte 2.0. But unlike the original Terabyte, the 2.0 isn’t a limited or numbered edition, so there’s probably no need to rush your order.

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Retro Talk: Yoshimi & The Pink Robots

by Andrew

Retro 1951 and Brad Dowdy (of The Pen Addict) have come together twice before to produce really nice designs for the Tornado, which is one of my favorite rollerball pens. But this latest collaboration, The Pink Robots Tornado, may be evidence in favor of the old saying, “the third time’s the charm.”

I’ll leave it to Dowdy to tell the story behind the pen — he wrote a great post in which he explains it all. But, in short, the design that wraps around the barrel is an illustration created by Matthew Morse, which is an homage to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, the song and album by The Flaming Lips. If you haven’t heard it, I encourage you to check it out. It’s good!

Morse’s design for the pen wrap is similar to the original Flaming Lips album cover, albeit in a totally different style. It depicts a young Japanese Girl, Yoshimi, wielding a long, pink sword, ready to do battle with a couple of giant pink robots. The twist, clip, and tip of the pen are a all black, and, on the disk inset at the top of the twist, the “pen addict” logo is centered inside a hot pink background.

In my opinion, the best Tornado designs are the ones that adapt the work of artists, like the Bioworkz Edition and the Joey Feldman Edition, or the ones that tell a story, like the Tiger Shark or the Albert. This Pink Robots Edition manages to do both, which is probably why I like it so much. The bad news is that there were only 500 of these pens produced (I’ve got #156), and they sold out quickly. But with the success of this pen, there’s sure to be plenty of creative stuff coming next time Dowdy and Retro 1951 team up.

Squire Special Edition: Field Nuts

by Andrew

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It’s been nearly a year since Baron Fig shipped the final Squire rollerball pen from their now defunct Squire subscription service, but that hasn’t stopped them from pumping out the special editions. Since then, Baron Fig has released the orange Mysterium, the yellow Bolt, a Squire made of stainless steel, and, recently, one made of copper. Though a couple of those made me take notice, none of them enticed me so much that I wanted to place an order.

I have enough Squires, after all, and they all feature pretty much the same mechanics and refill. However, a couple months ago, this Field Nuts Edition Squire popped up for pre-order, and it broke my resolve.

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Unless you’re a crazed fan of Field Notes like I am, you’ve probably never heard of “Field Nuts.” Essentially, it’s online fan group for Field Notes users, mainly based on Facebook but also with some presence on Instagram and Twitter. A member of that community partnered with Baron Fig to make a special edition Squire that is painted with the Field Nuts logo. The community voted on the color – they went with this leafy green (reminiscent of the “gumdrop green” notebook in the Shenandoah edition) – and, boom, here it is.

I don’t expect that many of you out there will care much about this pen, but as a daily user of Field Notes, I find it pretty cool. Baron Fig wouldn’t say how many of these pens were made in total (probably somewhere between 50-150), but they currently seem to still have a few available. I think this will satisfy my Squire itch for a little while, but if Field Notes ever officially partners with Baron Fig, then I may as well just send them my wallet.

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Retro Talk: The System

by Andrew

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In April of this year, Mike Dudek of The Clicky Post announced that he had collaborated with Retro 51 to create an exclusive Tornado. Called The System, the barrel of the pen features a stylized, overhead a map of the sun and planets in our solar system (plus Pluto) on a black background. The design looked awesome, so I had to get it.

You may not be able to see it in the pictures, but The System also has glossy black (“dark matter”) strips curving across the barrel that add a little texture, making it a little nicer to hold. The clip, twist, and tip are painted black, and the disk inset at the top of the pen is colored a sun-bright orange. It doesn’t have any acid-etching or glow-in-the-dark elements like other recent Tornados, which may have worked well here too, but I still think it manages to be one of the best Tornado designs out there.

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It didn’t come without a small bit of drama, however. Initially 300 of these pens were produced, but this was described as an “open numbered edition,” which apparently confused a lot of people into thinking it was a “limited edition.” Like limited edition Tornados, each of these pens has a number stamped near the twist, but Dudek planned to keep making them as long as there was a demand.

While I don’t fully understand the point, the “open numbered” concept really doesn’t upset me. After all, Retro 51 did the same thing with The Flying Tiger. Ultimately, a total of 1,300 pens were produced, and I think the only real angry people were the re-sellers. For my part, I’m just happy to have a cool pen.

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If you missed out on this one, it unfortunately doesn’t seem like Dudek plans to produce any more – though you can get still get the pencil version, if that’s your thing. But definitely keep an eye out for whatever he does in the future. I know I will.