Retro51 x @GoldspotPens Introduce the Coffee Tornado @Retro1951

Retro51 and Goldspot Pens have teamed up and created a pen that I wish was scented. Fresh-roasted coffee. Hot coffee. Delicious coffee. I like coffee, ok? Who doesn't? I like real coffee, hot, black. Mmmm. If these pens were scented though... Oh man.

This one has textured, acid-etched barrel and antique metal accents. The barrel is beige colors, to give the look and feel of a burlap bag that would hold roasted coffee beans. Nice touch!

Retro51 x Goldspot Pens Coffee Tornado

This is not a sponsored post.

Retro51 LE Terabyte Tornado for @AndersonPens @Retro1951

I'm a fan of Retro 51. They're affordable, have great designs, great packaging, and I can justify collecting them when a new design comes out and I just can't convince myself I don't need it. Don't judge.

Anderson Pens are launching an AP-exclusive Retro 51 called the Terabyte Tornado. The name is well chosen, don't you think? There are only 500 pens. The base color is the classic green from their Tornado line up, which I love (and do not yet own... both would look fantastic next to each other, wouldn't they?), and the metal is matte black. I love.

Check out their blog for more information on the pen, and click here to pre order.

This is not a sponsored post. There are no affiliate links. 

Sunday Reads: September 20. 2015

Stuff I Looked At Elsewhere:

• DIY book jackets, at Fellow Fellow.
• Apple fritter rings, at Just A Taste. I fantasize about food a lot.
• Constrained by the limitations of Soviet-era architecture, at Colossal. WOW.
• Anatomy of a creative habit, at Sketch Book Skool. I don't think I have any creative habits/routines, but things would probably be a lot easier if they were routines instead of random occurrences. I should work on that.
• Inspiring books to get you drawing, at Shutterbean. I think I need to pick up some stuff like this!
• The $250 Neiman Marcus cookie, at Brown Eyed Baker. This might just be a story, but the cookie looks good. Have you ever made this recipe? IS IT GOOD?
• Montblanc launches a platinum 149 and 147... so now there is platinum, rose gold, and yellow gold, at Anderson Pens. 
• A Goldspot Pens giveaway!
• Designing a popper, on the Retro 51 blog.
• JetPens campus crush giveaway!
• SBRE Brown reviews, well, SBRE Brown. 

A bunch of deals on Massdrop:

• Pilot Fountain Pen Starter Set
• Pelikan Special Edition M200 Café Crème Fountain Pen
• WOLF Custom Display Case for 24 Pens
• Quo Vadis Habana Pack
• J. Herbin Calligraphy Set

Stuff I Apparently Did This Week:

• Ink Shot Review: Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
• Coming Up: Tilburg Pen Show 2015
• Wordless Wednesday
• Review: Lamy Logo Cliff Grey Fountain Pen
• Scriptus Pen & Writing Show 2015
• Review: Faber-Castell Ambition OpArt Aqua Fountain Pen

Stuff I Read This Week:

• Torey Hayden - One Child

Please check out my sponsors, because they help make all this possible! < Discount codes here. I'm also on Patreon!

      

Do a gal a solid and if you fancy any of these and want any item of your own, use my affiliate links :)

Sunday Reads: September 6. 2015

Stuff I Looked At Elsewhere:

• Review of Bloom Daily Planners and giveaway, at My Purpley Life.
• The Oliver Sacks Reading List, at The Atlantic.
• Sometimes I post on the Go Pens blog - have you seen my music nib blobs?
• I love watercolours of birds. Check out this post at Watercolours With Life to see some! I think this fox is beautiful as well.
• Wood products that grab attention, at Woodworking Network. That chest is beyond cool. Have a look at the Kinetic Cabinet, too.
• Monarch butterfly metamorphosis timelapse, at Colossal.
• Sesame peanut butter bars, at Bon Appétit.
• Hatch chile mac and cheese, at Brown Eyed Baker. I heart these chilies. 
• Japanese paper notebooks featuring vintage science illustrations merged with hand-embroidery, at Colossal.

A bunch of deals on Massdrop:

• Franklin-Christoph Pocket 40 - Massdrop exclusive
• Pelikan Streseman M805 Fountain Pen
• This is Ground Leatherback Writer 3
• Kaweco Liliput
• Levenger Unifier Desk Organizer
• Porsche Designs TecFlex
• Rhodia Unlimited Pocket Notebooks
• Ti2 TechLiner Pen
• Levenger Leather Pen Cup
• Retro 1951 Tornado Custom Edition Fountain Pen

Stuff I Apparently Did This Week:

• Ink Shot Review: J. Herbin Blue Myosotis (Forget-Me-Not Blue)
• Wordless Wednesday
• Review: Montblanc Meisterstück Solitaire SE Classique Fountain Pen
• Review: TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen

Stuff I Read This Week:

• Cathy Glass - Please Don't Take My Baby
• Cathy Glass - Run, Mummy, Run

Please check out my sponsors, because they help make all this possible! < Discount codes here

      

Do a gal a solid and if you fancy any of these and want any item of your own, use my affiliate links :)

Review: @Retro1951 Tornado Lincoln EXT Fountain Pen - Medium @JetPens

I'm a fan of Retro 51 pens. I've reviewed several of them here - the classic lacquer Tornado in kiwi, the green crocodile Tornado, the Tornado in stainless steel, and the Tornado in natural bamboo (yes, the panda face one). No surprise I ended up with the fountain pen as well, right? Here is the very cool, antique-looking Tornado Lincoln EXT fountain pen from JetPens.

ABOUT

Body Material: Metal (antiqued copper)
Trim: Antiqued copper (thanks Keith!)
Length (capped): 0.54"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 0.48"
Length (posted): 0.63"
Barrel Diameter: 0.47"
Section Diameter: 0.39" - 0.47"
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 32 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Price: $50.00USD
Where to buy: JetPens

PACKAGING

The Lincoln EXT arrived in the classic Retro 1951 packaging; a very cool 1950s diner-looking cardboard tube. Pop the top off and the pen was inside, held in place with foam. I like the packaging - it's fun, unique, and minimal. Plus, if you really don't want it, you can just recycle it. But it's quite cute, so chances are you're going to want to keep it.

APPEARANCE

The Lincoln EXT is an antique looking fountain pen but feels solid and tough. It's a metal body pen with blunt ends. It's not very thick and the whole body has a brushed antique copper finish. The body is smooth and the clip matches the finish of the body. The finial is very simple, flush with the flat end, and looks like brushed nickel.

The top of the cap has the classic Retro 1951 knurling that I love. Uncapped, the grip section is fairly short and is black plastic. I don't care much for plastic grip look but at least it's a small portion.

Overall, I am a fan of the appearance and despite having read a few negative reviews on this pen (based on nib performance), I went ahead on picked this from JetPens because I love Retro 1951 pens and I loved the appearance.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is large and fits the pen perfectly. Anything smaller would have looked silly. It's a Schmidt steel nib in medium. It says iridium pointon it and has some simple flourishes on it. I inked it with the obvious: Diamine Ancient Copper! I didn't flush it or tweak the nib at all. I wanted to see how the nib would perform straight out of the box. Er. Tube. To my very pleasant surprise, it was great! It was smooth, reliable, consistent, and fairly wet. It doesn't skip and it's not scratchy. It's hard to complain about that. I would love if there was a broad nib available, but the medium is pretty solid. The nib is not flexible and although you could squeeze a little bit of line variation out of it, it's not really designed for that.

The pen I received dispelled my concerns of previous reviews I had read. Either I lucked out or the other bloggers received duds. This Lincoln EXT is pretty great.

IN HAND

This isn't a particularly huge pen, nor is it all that heavy, so unposted, I find it very comfortable to write with. It has good weight and balance. Even posted, I am able to write comfortably with it. After awhile, it becomes top heavy, but in general, I don't write with my pens posted anyway.

I like the metal warming up in my hand, and I enjoy the smoothness of the body in my hand. The threads of the section are very smooth and not at all uncomfortable while writing. I find the plastic grip to be a little slippery in my grip

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

I've had a very positive experience with this pen, so I do feel comfortable recommending this to others. I've never had anything but a positive experience with Retro 1951 pens and this one is no different - although this is my first fountain pen from the company. At $50.00USD, you could pick it up, and should it need some work, follow some online tutorials to tweak the nib (because at most, I think you would just need to make the nib wetter, or smooth it a little, and you could follow a guide on fine tuning and adjusting a nib).

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.

Giveaway at @JetPens @Retro1951 @Exaclair

JetPens is giving away two prize sets: one of a Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Lincoln EXT and Retro 51 playing cards, and the other of a Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Black Acrylic and Retro 51 playing cards. Giveaway is open to US residents only and closes June 27th, 2014 at midnight Pacific. Click here for details!

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Rhodia Drive is giving away 15 No. 13 Rhodia Ice notepads! Giveaway is open to US residents only and closes June 24th, 2014 at midnight EST. Click here for details!

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Review: @Retro1951 Classic Lacquer Tornado - Kiwi @JetPens

Hey-ho! This pretty kiwi pen came over from Richard at Retro 1951 after a contest on their Facebook page (a great reason to follow them on social media, by the way). There was an error in the contest that I pointed out, and although I wasn't the actual winner, Richard was ever so kind as to send me a Tornado anyway as thanks. That is some pretty awesome customer service. You know what I LOVE? Awesome customer service. So although I was already a fan for life, I'm an even more of a loyal fan now. Thank you, Richard!

ABOUT

Price: $21.00USD
Where to buy: JetPens

PACKAGING

One of the best things about Retro 51 pens is the fun packaging. The Kiwi Tornado came in this cardboard tube with foam inside. The packaging is very fun; should you wish to recycle the tube, you can. You can also reuse the foam for shipping stuff to a friend. Or you can use the whole thing as a pen stand for your desk.

APPEARANCE

The Kiwi Tornado is a nifty pen, and Tornado is a suitable name as that is what the pen's shape is. The top of the pen is wider and it narrows towards the tip. The barrel is lacquered in a smooth glossy kiwi colour. The clip and knurled knob (more on this in a jiffy) are shiny chrome. Ok. The knurled knob: a highlight of Retro 51 pens: the knurling on the knobs. The mechanism for extending the tip is a knob that you twist and the knurling is gorgeous, sharp, clean. I love it.

PERFORMANCE

The pen ships with a Retro 51 refill, but I always use my go-to ballpoint refill - a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000. With this refill, I am completely content. It's very smooth, and it flows consistently and doesn't blob. If you get a dud, don't be disheartened. It happens. Schmidt will probably swap it for you. Anyway, nevermind that. The point is this Tornado is great. It's not too heavy, it's comfy, it writes very well, and it has a clip that secures snugly to papers and pockets.

PROS

• Cute.
• Knurled knob.
• Many colours available.
• Affordable.
• Great gift.
• Easy to get refills (and various refills).
• Reusable and useful packaging.

CONS

• Well, none.

OVERALL

I have reviewed my Natural Bamboo Tornado and the Crocodile Tornado, neither of which have disappointed me. Yes, the Croc is weird, but that's what I love about Retro51s. They are weird, and unique, and fun. I love these pens because they are fun and cute and come in great colours. I highly recommend Retro51 pens!

Sunday Reads - May 25. 2014

• Inktronics reviews the Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen.
• Shades of Neon - some pen p0rn over at A Penchant for Paper.
• Pens! Paper! Pencils! review the Palomino Blackwing Pearl pencil. Check out the review for a great sketch as well. Have a look at Ian's review of Pilot Iroshizuku's Ama-Iro, too.
• The Clicky Post talks about why the Retro51 Tornado is a great "first pen", which I agree with. They're addictive, but they're also encouraging. 
• What else to do with ink bottles?
• Everyday Carry Essentials: Keychains, at Gear Patrol. Ooooh the EDC bug is chomping...
• FP Physicist reviews Organics Studio's Join or Die Sepia, which is a very peculiar colour!
• The Pen Addict reviews a white Lamy Pico, which I have been curious about for a long time - small pen, portable, adorable refill (although proprietary), ballpoint...
• Are you against wildlife trafficking? You don't have to answer. But this is worth a watch. 
• Want to order a Clicky Post Dudek Modern Goods tee?
• SBRE Brown reviews this ridiculously cute Peter Pan micro fountain pen. 
• Write To Me Often reviews the adorable Sailor Sapporo Mini fountain pen with a zoom nib. 
• The Gentleman Stationer does a mega review of the Nock Co. cases - Part I, Part II, and Part III.

And don't forget you can get 10% off at Pen Chalet until the end of the year on your purchases! (Not an affiliate link!)

Sunday Reads - February 23. 2014

• Homemade chocolate pudding.
• Sea salt, cashew, and milk chocolate chip cookies. 
• GIVEAWAY ROUNDUPS
•  Resor Shop
• Peninkcillin, Monteverde, and JetPens
• Pens! Paper! Pencils! and Pen Habit
• JetPens and Pilot 
• Resor Shop and Midori
• Cuteness level. These aren't new but they're so cute. Dik-diks!
• A Fool With A Pen reviews the Noodler's Ahab. Also check out the Franklin Christoph M40P Fire & Ice as an eyedropper. 
• On being introverted, shared by Mia on Twitter. Thanks Mia. 
• Oh the blue-green Lamy Al-Star is pretty. See it also at Write To Me Often. 
• Ed Jelley reviews the sexy rOtring 800 pencil. Dammit. Don't miss Ed's review of Diamine Ancient Copper either, one of my favourite inks. 
• From The Pen Cup reviews the Monteverde Artista Crystal Wild Stripe fountain pen. It looks like candy. I suppose this would be safe enough to taste. 
• Someone recently asked why anyone would bother carrying a pocket knife (after I posted mine on Instagram). Well, here's a good reason shared by Pencils.com: sharpening your pencil!
• That One Pen reviews the Retro51 Tornado Stealth. I like it. I really think I should just own at least one of each Tornado out there. 
• These Beautiful Pens reviews the very pretty Jinhao 650 Pearl. Le sigh. I fear I may need this one, too. 

Oh, and a happy birthday to our very own SBRE Brown! Have an inktastic, peneriffic day!

What have you been reading this week?

Sunday Reads - February 9. 2014

• Unwired, at Zen Habits. Wow. I wonder if I would have the guts to do this...
• Ian at Pens! Paper! Pencils! does great review of the Sailor Reglus fountain pen. 
•  "There has never been a sadness that can't be cured by breakfast food." - Ron Swanson. Oh Ron, you're so full of wisdom. On that note: croissant french toast.
• I love this - and it's a great way to use up ink samples that you may hate (or love). Ink as watercolour, at The Well-Appointed Desk.
• Office Supply Geek reviews the Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen Lincoln EXT with a fine nib, from JetPens. Want, purely based on its appearance.
• Mr. Guilt shares a looks at his 1890 John Holland eyedropper fountain pen. Very cool.
• Record Temperatures Freeze a Path to the Spectacular Lake Superior Ice Caves.
• Stones & Bones: Illustrations on Rocks and Skulls by DZO.
• Pens and Paper gives great tips on how to write a postcard!
• Damn you, Pen Addict. Another ink I covet. Brad's review of the Sailor Jentle Limited Edition Autumn Oku Yama Maroon Ink.

Sunday Reads - January 26. 2014

• The incredible underwater art of competitive aquascaping. 
• Oatmeal peanut butter cookie bars. I have a thing for oatmeal. And peanut butter.  
• IKEA cats: Part One, Part Two. Make sure you watch them in order! All cat owners will laugh at part two, nod, and say "yup, that sounds like a cat". 
• Super soft sugar cookies, anyone?
• Peter from Pen Envy writes an excellent post about InCoWriMo and letter writing in general. (To my pen pals that might be reading this, I still have your letters. For lack of better word, I'm not well. When I'm well, I will resume writing. I'm sorry. I feel like a tremendous pile of elephant poo.)
• The Clicky Post reviews the rOtring Lava multipen. ... Yet another rOtring to add to my list of wants. Thanks, Mike. Thanks.
• Interested in participating in The Great Pen Exchange? Maybelline from On Fountain Pens has all the details!
• A Maldives beach awash in bioluminescent phytoplankton, at Colossal. 
• The Pen Addict reviews the Retro51 Tornado black acrylic fountain pen. 

Giveaway Round Up @Retro1951 @edjelley @witte_alex @kaweco @JetPens @WeThePPIL

Visit Ed Jelley's blog to check out his review of the Kaweco ICE Sport Rollerball pen and to enter his giveaway! Giveaway closes October 29th, 2013. US residents only.

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Economy Pens is giving away a Retro 51 Hex-O-Matic ballpoint pen! US residents only, closes October 26th, 2013. Head on over to enter!

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Pen Paper Ink Letter is giving away a two-pack of Uni-ball Signo 207 Pink ribbon gel pens. It's for newsletter subscribers only so all you have to do is be a subscriber! Instructions to become a subscriber are on this page. Giveaway closes October 31st, 2013.

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JetPens is giving away a few goodies on their blog! Check it out and follow the instructions to enter! Closes October 30th, 2013. US residents only.

• 1 pair of Sun-Star Double Scissors
• 1 Sun-Star Paper Stitch Lock Staple-less Stapler
• 1 Uni KH-20 Hand Crank Wooden Pencil Sharpener
• 1 Kokuyo Campus MIO Paper A5 Notebook

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