Retro 1951 - Collection Highlights

Hi all and welcome back to Duck’s Doodles.

I’m sure by now, you’ve heard the news that Retro 51 as we know it is going to be no more. What exactly is happening is unclear, but things are going to change.

Retro 51 pens are just something special. They’ve been made for the last 30 years by pen people for pen people.

Retro was my entry into the pen world, and it became something to bond with other collectors over.

 It’s so rare to have something universally loved by a community, but Retro has certainly done it.

They’ll be missed, and I hope that someone can pick up the brand to carry it on (seriously, Retro folks if you’re reading this please consider selling it to Brad and Myke)

I thought what better way to celebrate this brand than to go through some of my favorite pens. 

So let’s take a look at some of my favorites in my collection to celebrate this amazing company

The Pen Addict Collaboration

The one that started it all! My first review on this blog was this pen. It’s special to me, as Brad has always been a welcoming mentor to all in the pen community. It was the first Retro I purchased, and a kind collector in the community sold it to me for an amazing price because they were just thrilled to have someone else in the hobby.

Paris Skyline - Goldspot Collaboration

You guys know I’m a sucker for all things dogs, and the French Bulldog in the beret cheers me up every time I see it. Plus, Goldspot was kind enough to include my review of this pen in one of their email newsletters. 

The Pulp Pens (Detective Edition)

This isn’t a typical Tornado that I collect, but dang these Pulp Pens are fun. They’re decorated with various Pulp Magazine cover- the three I have are a detective story, a biplane dogfight and a monster stealing a damsel in distress. The Detective is my favorite of the three, so I’ve included it here. 

Cioppino

Honestly, this pen is just downright the most gorgeous pen I own. When I think of Retro’s slogan ‘Life is too short to carry an ugly pen’, this is what I think of. This pen was a gift, and honestly it’s one I’ll cherish.

Thanks for reading everyone, I sincerely appreciate all that the Retro 51 company has done for the world of pens- creating an innovative brand with a dedicated community isn’t easy, but Retro has done a fantastic job.

And remember, life is too short to carry an ugly pen. So let’s celebrate the life of one of the best pen companies to have ever existed and carry only the best. 

Karas Kustoms - Retrakt V2 - Review

Hi all and welcome back to Duck’s Doodles- I’ve had a flurry of new stationary goodies recently, one of which I’ll be taking a closer look at today- Karas Kustoms Retrakt model, V2.

Karas Retrakt v2 with the County Fair edition of Field Notes

A quick note, I don’t have the V1 but off of Karas site it seems the key differences between V1 and V2 would be the improved o-ring; they’ve built this model with a more secure o-ring to keep the parts from unscrewing on their own while in your pocket.

So let’s get to it!

Packaging

Karas packaging  

The packaging design is very reminiscent of a retro electronics box. Even the Karas Kustoms logo looks like something that might be found on the front of a 1960s radio

The packaging itself is just a cardboard box with some inserts to hold the pen in place during transport, simple yet durable, which generally reflects all of Kara’s items.

Also they send you a pretty cool sticker with it, and I’m a total sucker for stickers.

Pen Design

For those who don’t know, Karas Kustoms specializes in machined items. They offer a variety of pens, including fountain pens, and some other products like a pen holder and the occasional toy top.

This batch is offered in a variety of colors and body materials- the two toned options (half silver and half color) are all anodized aluminum, the all black is aluminum and there are brass and copper options.

I chose the aluminum because I like the two-toned look, plus I write notes frequently throughout the day and was concerned about the about sheer heft of other metals would work for my purposes.

For weight comparison, the Retrakt site lists the pen material weights as Aluminum Weight – 27.7g / 0.97 oz, Brass Weight – 61.8g / 2.18 oz and Copper Weight – 65.1g / 2.29 oz.

The top of the pen has a sizable band of knurling (the official word for that crosshatch pattern), which really adds to the pen looking “finished” in my opinion.

The clicking mechanism at the top is made of stainless steel, which I suspect is because it’s the most manipulated part of the pen and the Karas folks wanted to give it some more durability.

Clip

A close up of the bolted clip

I’m a big fan of pens with clips- I like to use them to stick the pen I’m using to the front of my notebook, to the inside of my pen case and frequently to my clothes. As such, I like a clip that’s nice and tight and will stay that way through being manipulated.

And boy oh boy, is this clip here to stay. It’s actually just bolted onto the pen, so it’s as secure of a clip as you can get.

Clicking mechanism

One of my favorite parts of any pen is the capping/retraction noise. I like to hear a satisfying ‘pop’ or ‘click’. And with a name like ‘Retrakt’ I thought for sure I was in for a really great clicky noise from this pen.

Alas, the clicky noise never appears. The clicking mechanism doesn’t so much pop into place as it slides into place, so when you click the pen you get a brief, sliding, metal- on-metal noise. Not in a grating or unpleasant way, but not in the traditionally satisfying clicky way.

Writing Experience

This pen is very well balanced- when I saw the clip was bolted on I was afraid it would have a bit too much weight and “tug” the pen in the back but the size of the barrel does a good job counteracting that so it’s a comfortable writing experience.

The barrel itself is pretty thick, but no so thick that I’ve found it uncomfortable.

When you order a Retrakt you can choose the default refill option that your pen will be loaded up with, but the way the folks at Karas have designed this pen is that with a little bit of provided material you can accommodate different size refills.

I opted to get the Pilot G2 setup, since I’m a G2 fan and have plenty of extra refills lying around. The smoothness of the G2 refill flows really well with the balance of the pen, and overall has a nice writing experience.

Verdict

I like this pen, I really do. It’s not without fault, but nothing is ever perfect. I enjoy the writing experience and colors available are beautiful.

I can’t weigh in on if the V2 o-ring makes a difference, but it is a very secure connection when you reassemble the pen.

I enjoy the variety of refills you can have in this pen, it’s a unique feature to have a pen be designed with more than one or two types of refills in mind so this pen ends up being whatever you need (or want) it to be.

It’s expensive for sure, at $70 for the aluminum model. But you’re paying for a handmade, durable product made entirely in the USA. Plus you get a cool sticker, so it’s a win win.

If you’d like your own Retrakt you can order one here.

Here’s the cool sticker you get for ordering from Karas Kustoms

Lamy Safari Pikachu Limited Edition - Review

Hi and welcome back to Duck’s Doodles!

Today I’ll be taking a closer look at Lamy’s China exclusive, Limited Edition Pikachu set. I was incredibly lucky to get my hands on it, and was able to thanks to Massdrop (Non-Referral Link).

Pokemon is one of my favorite game franchises of all time, so I was particularly excited to be able to snag this kit.

Packaging

The kit comes in a red and white box with a clear window that allows you to see the Pokéball clamshell box that the set comes in. This outer box has “Pika!”, pokeballs and lightning bolts all over and is colored like a pokeball.

Outside box featuring a sleeping Pikachu and the outside of the set’s box  

I actually really like this outerbox, it feels like it fits with the the Pokémon franchise that often proudly puts Pikachu front and center on all their marketing. It’s pretty thin though, which is a little surprising considering the thickness of the pokeball case.

The pokeball clamshell case that holds the kit itself speaks when opened up, which is a very neat feature that feels like it fits with the fun nature of the product.  

Accessories

This kit comes with the Pikachu Pen, two clip figures, a Pokeball pen holder, and a travel case.

The kit itself- the pokeball holder, the Pikachu figures, the pen and the travel case

The pen clip figures are of Pikachu’s face and one of a sleeping Pikachu. These figures are ADORABLE! The face clip has a bar around the back that you just slide the clip onto, and the sleeping figure has a small plastic saddle piece that goes under either side of the parallel pieces that make up the clip. The sleeping figure is a little trickier to get on so I think for now I’ll stick with keeping Pikachu’s face on here. Additionally, there are instructions included to help you have the sleeping figure clip into the pokeball stand if you would prefer to have it there.

The Lamy Safari with the Pikachu face clip in the Pokeball holder  

The Pokeball pen holder is shockingly hefty. I’m pretty sure it’s made out of solid plastic, potentially with some weights at the bottom. The Safari fits perfectly in the slot in the top, and the bottom has a small flat spot to give the ball a surface to stand on. This pen holder is a pen accessory I didn’t know I needed until I had it in my possession. I can’t quite explain it but there’s something satisfying about grabbing a pen out of its designated holder instead of just out of a drawer or off your desk.

The pen case that comes with this set is yellow on the outside (of course!) and brown on the inside. The case has Pikachu’s face stamped on the front, “Lamy” stamped on the back and has a zipper in the shape of pikachu’s tail. It’s a nice sized carrying case to fit the pen, with pockets on either side with a smaller mesh net pocket on one side. This set comes with instructions for pen care as well as a certicificate of authenticity, which are tucked away inside the travel case.

Outside of the case

Inside of the case

I’m not sure how much use I’ll get out of this pen case but I do appreciate it being included as an accessory for those folks who travel with their pens. It feels like it’s made out of durable soft vinyl material, making it viable to use everyday rather than just a novelty. 

Pen

The pen itself is a standard Lamy Safari, but is in an exclusive Pikachu Yellow color, with a red clip and a tail design on the cap.

Backside of the pen featuring the Pikachu tail

I have written about the Lamy AL Star, which is the aluminum version of the Lamy Safari so I already knew what to expect in terms of writing comfort and performance. For folks who are unfamiliar with Lamy pens, they’re comfortable and sturdy writers perfect for every day use that are often referred to as the work horses of the fountain pen world 

The pen comes with a converter so you can use bottled inks or a standard Lamy cartridge will work. I had no issues writing out of the box with this pen. 

Verdict

This is just an awesome kit. This isn’t just a bunch of cheap Pokémon items thrown together with a yellow pen. It feels like every item in this kit was thought about deeply and was only included if it was functional and matched the fun, whimsical tone of this set. There is not one thing in this set that feels like it was cheaply produced. I think Lamy knocked it out of the park with this one.

It is a bit frustrating for fans that it’s a regional exclusive but I’m glad there are vendors who make it possible to snag one of these beauties. Let’s hope they make kits for the other starters, I’d love to have Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle themed pens too!

Note- I am not affiliated with Massdrop in any professional relationship at this time, just a customer.  

Retro 1951 Tornado - Cake and Pie editions Review (Goulet Pen Exclusive)

Welcome back to Duck’s Doodles! Today we’ll be taking a closer look at Goulet Pens exclusive Retro 51 Tornados- the Cake edition and the Pie edition 

For folks who are new here, I collect the Tornado line, so as soon as Goulet announced these I snatched them up!  

So let’s jump in! 

Design

The pie version features a teal colored background  with cartoon versions of all sorts of delicious looking pies, including pumpkin, key lime, blackberry and cherry pie.   Interestingly, instead of having the same teal color the top cap features a dark blue background and a heart with “Pie” in the middle 

The cake counterpart features a dark blue (the typical “Goulet Blue” that the Goulets use in their branding) background with cartoony cakes- some of them are chocolate forest cake, bundt cake, red velvet cake and strawberry shortcake. Since the top cap of the pie version featured the shade of blue on the barrel of this pen, I was surprised that this top cap didn’t feature the teal color on the barrel of the pie pen. Instead, the cake version has an orange background and a heart with “Cake” in it. 

A closeup of the topcaps  

A closer look at the pie and cake designs  

Both editions have nice, shiny chrome hardware which compliments both designs well.  

Additionally, both come packaged in the typical Retro 51 tubes, with their designs being mimicked on the outside and the tops featuring the Goulet signature.  

Writing Experience

One of the reasons I collect Tornados is because I love the writing experience. If you’ve ever written with a Retro 51, you know just how smooth these pens are. They come loaded up with Retro’s standard rollerball refill but there’s many other compatible refills out there, so feel free to mix and match. 

I also appreciate how well balanced the Tornado design is- the clip provides a nice counter balance in your hand.  

Verdict

I’m a complete sucker for sweet treats- I love baking. So when two of my interests collided, it was an instant buy for me. So, if you like Retro 51s or are a fan of sweet treats, either these are good pens for you.

Both these editions are limited out of 500, and both are still available (as of writing this post) for $46.60 each on Goulet’s site- here’s the cake and here’s the pie . 

In the interest of clarity, I’m unaffiliated with either Retro 51 or the Goulet company.

Pilot B2P (Bottle 2 Pen) Review

Hi all, welcome back to Duck’s Doodles! Today I’ll be talking about Pilot’s B2P line. 

I found these while poking around in my local drug store (because let’s be honest, if a store has a stationary aisle I’m legally bound to at least browse).  

I found these mixed in with Pilot’s other pens, and figured I could give these a shot. 

So let’s get on to it! 

Pilot’s B2P packaging- front

Packaging

A closer look at the back of the B2P packaging

These pens come in a set of three colors- black, blue and red. They’re packed in some standard cardboard and plastic packaging that was designed to be displayed on a hanger. The front is a vibrant green color, that features a plastic water bottle with the “B2P” name on the bottle’s label. Also on the front these pens claim to be the first pens made from recycled bottles - neat! 

The cardboard packaging is thinner than some other similar packages, which is likely by design to play into the recycled theme of these pens.

The back lists some facts about the pens out, including that they’re made of 89% recycled “content”- I can only assume that this says content and not plastic because it might extend to the spring or label paper and not just the pen body. Additionally, there is a nice illustration on the back showing the recycling of a bottle and the bottles becoming the pens in your package. It all feels like it’s meant to drive home the recycled aspect of these pens.

Pen Build

A detail of the B2P pen- you can see the “water bottle lines” as well as the label clearly here

As advertised, this pen is made entirely of plastic. The pen body itself looks like a water bottle; in an adorable display of detail- there’s a label with the “B2P” logo and the pen itself has those indents that you often see on plastic bottles when companies are trying to minimize the plastic being used in their products. 

It features the classic (and satisfying) hefty click of the Pilot G2 line and a clip that ‘s similar to the G2 (B2P’s clip is straight instead of curved), but as this pen does not have a grip the B2P line feels a bit lighter than its G2 counterparts.

I’d say this pen achieves what it wants to- it’s essentially the eco-friendly, lightweight younger sibling of the G2 pen.

Writing Experience

As stated above, this pen does not have a grip. However, the bottom of the pen curves to form the tip in a wider way than the G2, so for folks like me who grip low on the pen the lack of grip would be less of a problem. I don’t mind writing with pens that lack grips, but for folks who write all day it might be uncomfortable and is something to take into consideration. 

The G2 refill in .7 mm is one of my favorites- this ink just glides out of the pen. There’s a good reason that the G2 is one of the most common pens, even among those who are not as deeply into the pen universe. 

A writing sample with the B2P pen

Verdict

These pens are an eco friendly take on a classic- I always appreciate when a company tries to offer new options, and doubly appreciate it when these options are eco friendly. Pilot didn’t reinvent the wheel, they just made the wheel out of fewer materials but it still gets the job done. 

I don’t see these pens usurping the G2 any time soon (and they certainly aren’t ending plastic use) but I do hope they become more common- they’re good, light pens that offer a well known writing experience in a fun way.

In an ideal world, Pilot would actually make all of their pens out of recycled plastic- I’m sure a standard G2 made out of recycled plastic would be a hit. But, until the post-consumer G2 becomes a reality, you can pick up the B2P pens in the gel roller form (in colors or in the clear shown in this post) or in a ball point form.

Note- the links above lead directly to Pilot’s US site for convenience- I am not affiliated with Pilot in any way. You can pick these pens up in most office supply stores.

Retro 1951 Tornado Review - London Skyline edition

Welcome back to Duck’s Doodles!

Those folks who have visited here before know that I collect Retro 51s, so today I wanted to discuss one of my most recent acquisitions- Goldspot’s exclusive London Skyline!

Let’s jump on in!

The London Skyline pen with the latest XOXO Field Notes edition

The packaging tube features a seal letting you know this is a Goldspot pens exclusive

Packaging and Pen Design

A detail of the pen

The thing I love about Retro 51s pen tubes (other than that satisfying pop sound you get when opening it) is that it really gives you a chance to admire the detail of artwork on the pen. This is especially true on the skyline series, since so many little details are included on these pens.

This pen features some key London landmarks- Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the Shard, the London Underground (complete with people…and a little dog!) and a bunch more.

It also features some ‘distinctly London’ details- the naming of the boat “Victoria”, the red phone-booth and the blue police box/Tardis and has 6 Union Jack flags scattered around the pen. (Well I found six, let me know if you can find more!)

I really appreciate that so many things are packed into the barrel design, and it doesn’t look overcrowded

A closeup detail of the best top cap ever!

Top Cap and Hardware

So now we come to my personal favorite part of every Retro 51’s design- the top cap. The top caps just feel like they complete the pen. Some top caps are just plain colors, but others are specifically themed around the pen. And boy oh boy, is this one themed.

It features a PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI. IN. A. CROWN. Seriously? That is the most ADORABLE thing ever! This top cap really ties the pen together, as Queen Elizabeth II has had corgis for her whole life. And honestly, she has DEFINITELY put a crown on one of them before.

The hardware is a lovely chrome, which goes well with the coloring.

Glow in the Dark

I am a total sucker for anything glow in the dark- I always have been! This pen has one of the strongest glows I’ve seen, and it hardly takes any time at all to charge up.

The clean design of the buildings on the pen really comes through on the glow.

A detail of the glow of Big Ben

The Big Ben landmark not glowing

Verdict

This pen really is a really great addition to any Retro 51 collector’s arsenal. The design is beautiful and the glow is amazing.

Even if you’re not a Retro collector, if you have a special love for London (or corgis with crowns!) this is a great item to pick up.

There’s only a limited amount (650- the number of members of Parliament) so if you’re interested I would act fast!

They’re currently $48 on Goldspot’s website.

Note- this post is not sponsored by Goldspot in any way. But I do recommend you buy from them- they’re lovely, helpful people.

TWSBI GO- Review

Welcome back to Duck’s Doodles!

It’s everyone’s favorite day….PEN REVIEW DAY!

Today I’ll be taking a closer look at the TWSBI Go in the Sapphire color. If you’ve been here before you’ll know my love of the color blue, so I had to pick this one up.

So let’s get to it!

Packaging

This pen comes packaged in a simple white box with a cardboard sleeve. The cardboard sleeve features the TWSBI logo. Inside the box comes the pen, kept secure and steady by a foam square as well as a picture instruction guide to loading this pen up with ink.

The packaging of the TWSBI GO

Pen Build

This pen is made entirely of plastic, with the exception of the nib and spring loading unit. This plastic feels very sturdy but is still lightweight.

A close-up of the TWSBI logo on the top of the pen cap

The pen is a bit more “stocky” than other similar pens, having a wider width than most of the others in my collection, giving it a hefty feel while writing. This heft also makes it a bit uncomfortable to post the pen, but the balance is otherwise perfect even with the spring loading unit.

The pen cap does not have a clip, but it does have a plastic loop that juts out to help avoid rolling. The cap also features the TWSBI logo embossed in red plastic. The pen nib sits within an extra plastic seal when it pops into the cap (and it is a satisfying pop), presumable to further help prevent drying. It’s a minor feature but it makes me feel like even on this affordable model, TWSBI really gave attention to detail.

As mentioned earlier in this section, this pen has a spring loaded piston for filling. Since this is a demonstrator pen you can see the loading unit within the pen barrel.

The grip of the pen is not much more narrow than the rest of the pen, and features some molding at the bottom. This is a pen that directs your fingers to hold it in a certain way because of these moldings. I hold my pens low and therefore this doesn’t bother me, but I can see folks who hold their pens higher or prefer entirely smooth grips being uncomfortable with this molding.

The TWSBI GO is only able to be filled by bottle ink as it is incompatible with ink cartridges, so this could be intimidating to new folks. But the amount of ink that can be held within the pen and the ease of the loading mechanism more than makes up for it.

Here is the TWSBI GO taken apart- you can see the extra plastic seal inside of the cap clearly here

A writing sample with the TWSBI GO

Writing Experience

This pen is a medium nib and definitely falls on the more fine side of medium.

This nib is pretty stiff- I could get it to flex some when proper pressure was applied but it wasn’t so flexible that as I was writing it ever flexed. I had absolutely no skips while writing, both in the pictured example and while I wrote with it throughout the rest of the day.

This nib is fairly smooth writer, I was honestly impressed at the quality feel of this nib given the price point of this pen. Additionally, the thicker grip helps prevent too much of that writing “feedback” that some pens tend to give.

Verdict

Do you like demonstrator pens? Do you like pens that load easily? Do you like having nice pens that are sold at low prices? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you should pick up this pen.

While certain features have been dropped (example- the clip) to make this pen the price point that it is, nothing is missing that’s so critical I feel that quality was scarified. The ease of loading it is an attractive feature for newbies and full on pen addicts alike.

I’ve not owned a TWSBI before, but given how much I enjoy this pen I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out to pick some up in the future.

As always, thanks for reading and happy writing!

-Duck