Thursday, January 29, 2015

Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect

The J. Herbin refillable roller ball pen takes ink cartridges! Thanks to Bureau Direct for providing this pen for review. 
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
Bureau Direct
ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: Metal
Length (capped): 4.6"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 3.75"
Length (posted): 5.5"
Barrel Diameter: 1.0"
Nib material: Metal
Weight: 8 g
Fill type: Ink cartridge
Price: £4.95
Where to buy: Bureau Direct

Free UK Delivery over £10

PACKAGING

This pen came in the Bureau Vintage Stationery Gift Bundle (green), which comes with a small Clairefontaine 1951 Le Carnet notebook, this refillable rollerball pen, and a tin of J. Herbin Vert Pré ink cartridges. Packaging will vary as an individual purchase.

APPEARANCE
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
This rollerball pen is really cute. It's pretty small and the scheme is cute. The It's a rounded pen with an entirely clear plastic body, except for the metal cap plug and clip, as well as a single metal ring around the barrel (that is very easy to lose, so be careful). There is also a secondary plastic slip cap inside the cap but you can still see the feed and tip through it. J. Herbin is written on the cap in capitals in red letters. I think it's very tasteful. Both ends of the pen are rounded off. The cap is almost as long as the barrel is, which I like the look of. The feed is grey and you can see it as well as the ink cartridge through the clear body.
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
PERFORMANCE
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
I had read many mixed reviews of this pen: some people had pens that clogged, some were so scratchy they couldn't stand it, some just didn't have good flow. Therefore, I was quite pleased (and a little surprised) when I popped an ink cartridge in - J. Herbin Vert Pré ink - and it wrote immediately. It has a little bit of a scratchy feeling, but nothing that a typical roller ball doesn't have. It also wrote consistently and the ink doesn't skip. After sitting for a few days, it writes right away again, without needing to be scribbled with to get the ink flowing again. This is a good ink with this pen. I think, based on how the pen/flow just feels, using a wet ink that flows well is the best idea. Dry inks or thicker inks (those with pigments) will clog your feed or slow the flow.
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
IN HAND

This roller ball pen is quite small unposted, so if you have larger hands, it's going to be a bit of a challenge to write with! For me, I can handle the small size, but it is more comfortable posted. The section is pretty small and although there is a plastic ridge that sticks out closer to the tip, I still find the section to be very slippery and my grip slides.
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
It isn't uncomfortable in terms of its weight and balance though. It is a nice shape, smooth plastic body that doesn't hurt the hand or the grip, and it feels nice to hold. With a good wet ink, there is little pressure required to write with the pen. A good combination is ideal.
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
PROS & CONS
Review: J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen @BureauDirect
OVERALL

This is a decent, inexpensive roller ball pen that is worth a shot, especially if you like fountain pen inks (and colours). Whether you like fountain pens or not, it's handy to have.

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.

10 comments:

edjelley said...

Mine made the WORST crunching noise as it wrote. Cleaning was also not very fun, but it's cool and cheap enough to have some fun with.

Eva Yaa Asantewaa said...

That's adorable-looking. It reminds me of the Chibi fountain pen from JetPens (which is great, btw).

Denise Skafica said...

I really like mine, got it from Bureau Direct with 3 sets of ink cartridges (love the little cartridge tins, too.) My pen started right up and is a bit scratchy but I don't mind. I don't clean it out, preferring to just pop in another cartridge, even a different color. I was thinking about getting a different pen for each color, but that would be overkill!

Lenaldo Rocha said...

Have you tried to use it as eyedropper? That would be awesome!

Tanja said...

It looks exactly like my j. herbin fountain pen, which, of course, has a fountain pen nib. It has no ring between the section and body, but I think I could make one and make it an eyedropper...

Peninkcillin said...

Here's the obvious question: do you think it can work as an eyedropper?

Azizah Asgarali said...

It has some holes in the back (I'm not looking at it right now, but I'm pretty sure..) so unless those are plugged, eyedropper is a no go. Bummer, because that was a missed opportunity by them!

Azizah Asgarali said...

I think that's marvelous. ONE FOR ALL THE COLORS. Amazing.

Azizah Asgarali said...

Oh noooo! I was worried mine would be like that. I must have lucked out. For once lol

Peninkcillin said...

Hmm too bad. I'm thinking... some epoxy maybe? I dunno, I just like the idea of hacking these cheap pens :)

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