REVIEW: STILFORM ARC GEL PEN

Stilform. By now, you've probably heard of this German-based minimal design brand, born in the cradle of crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Certainly, if you frequent this little space on the interwebs, you've come across one of my reviews of their earlier Kickstarter projects: The Stilform Kosmos pen, or Ink fountain pen. Their latest design follows in Stilforms - by now well-known - style, with more magnetic mechanism action of course, but built around a different style of refill: We're looking at the Stilform Arc gel pen. Stilform sent one over for review and I've been playing with it for the past couple of months now, so I think it's about high time I give my opinions on it!

The Arc can still without a doubt be classified under the minimal design moniker, no surprises there. Designwise, the Arc utilizes elements we've seen before on Stilform's Ink fountain pen: a straight cylindrical overall shape, two large flats that run the entire length of the pen, pronounced chamfered edges, and a rounded cap finial. 

The featureless -almost monolithic - design of the Arc is interrupted slightly by the introduction of a functional design element at the back of the barrel: a noticeable step-down, and a short cylindrical part (also with nicely chamfered edges, of course!) protrudes from the barrel to seat the cap securely when posted. Interestingly, with the cap removed, the front and back of the pen are almost perfectly symmetrical...with the exception of the pen tip that extends out the front, of course.

Stilform being Stilform, the barrel has magnets too, so the cap is held on magnetically even when posted...and it aligns with the flat sides too! Attention to the small (and sometimes hidden!) details is the name of the game with minimal design, and Stilform provides with surprisingly complex engineering under the hood, especially for a pen that looks so deceivingly simple from the outside! The magnets in both the cap and the barrel finial are adjustable to make the cap align both when closed, AND posted. If you order just the pen itself, that should be a non-issue, as alignment is checked during assembly (For what it's worth, my pen came perfectly aligned out of the box).

However, the Arc can also be purchased with a magnetic ruler that acts both as, well... a ruler, and a desk pen-style base. I didn't receive the ruler add-on to try out, so I can only say that it looks kind of cool from the pictures (although we've seen a couple pen+ruler combos from various brands on Kickstarter, and I've never felt too strongly about any of them, to be honest!). The magnet of the ruler can be misaligned out of the box, so they include a tool to adjust the magnets of the pen. Clever!

The aluminium version I was sent has an anodized finish in the Night sky blue finish. The finish has held up very well in the few months I've been using it - and I've used it quite a bit, I have to say! Some very minor wear spots are beginning to show at the edges where cap and barrel meet... probably because I'm quite a fan of fidgeting with the magnetic mechanism, so some wear is to be expected!

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Stilform Kosmos, Stilform Arc, Stilform 'old' Kosmos Ink, Stilform New Ink, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Stilform Arc measures 14.3 cm/ 5.61" closed, and 12.3 cm/ 4.84" open. With the cap posted (I found myself using it like this most of the time) it's still a very comfortable size: 14.9 cm/ 5.87". This aluminium version has a pleasant 25g total weight, while the titanium version comes in at a more hefty 37g. 

The Arc is notably quite slim, with a diameter of 10.5 mm/ 0.41" that goes down to 9.2 mm/ 0.36" at the thinnest part because of the flat sides. Compared to the new Ink fountain pen that was made a bit thicker and larger overall, the Arc is a bit of a departure and my hand required some adjusting to it, finding a comfortable way to grip it. The way you hold the pen is also obviously influenced by the two flat sides that run the entire length of the pen, where I found it most natural to rest my thumb on one of the flats. Unlike the Ink fountain pen, where a completely round section underneath the cap provides you with a comfortable grip, The Arc doesn't have a dedicated section, so you hold the pen somewhere along the barrel instead.

That said, the design does make sure that you can hold the pen as far up the barrel as you desire, and the fact that the cap posts so securely (the satisfying posting mechanism makes it one of the select few pens that I use posted almost exclusively!) makes it a lengthy pen so you have all the freedom to hold it as you please. 

The Arc is a gel pen, and as such it comes stock with a Pilot Juice Up needlepoint-type gel pen cartridge. With the Pilot Juice critically acclaimed as an excellent refill, it's not a strange choice, although it is interesting to see something other than Pilot's G2 (even though it's no secret that I love that refill to bits!). The Juice Up is supposed to be a hybrid between needlepoint and a traditional gel refill, but that's mostly down to how the tip looks. Using the G2 0.5 mm refill as a benchmark, the black ink of the Juice Up - also 0.5 mm, although of course other line widths and different colors are available - looks a bit less pitch-black compared to the G2's, and the line width is essentially the same. 

After some experimentation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, besides the Juice and Juice Up, a wide variety of refills can actually very easily be made to fit: from Pilot's own G2, and other G2-sized rollerball or gel ink refills (This website very handily presents all refills in terms of size, the 111.1 mm length refills on this page should fit), even Parker-style ballpoint refills (and all the variations that exist on that type of refill) work if you put a short spacer (a piece of an empty gel ink cartridge works fabulously to 'hack' refills!) behind it to make up for the difference in length.

I have to say, Stilform continues to impress me with every product they create. That's not surprising of course, their formula of minimal design and magnetic mechanisms, combined with a keen eye for the smaller details, simply works. At a certain point, I hope they'll also dare to stray from the beaten path and create something completely different... but for the time being, I think the Arc is an excellent pen, and a good addition to Stilforms growing product catalog. The Stilform Arc is available at an MSRP of 80€ (not including the 20€ ruler base). The titanium version is substantially less friendly on the wallet (MSRP of 130€) - as is expected for most titanium pens on the market. Overall, the Arc leans towards the pricier end for a metal pen like this, but I feel like Stilform provides the quality and cool-factor to justify the price. 

This product was sent to me by Stilform, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: NEW STILFORM INK FOUNTAIN PEN

 

Stilform is back with another Kickstarter campaign - this time with a new and improved version of the (Kosmos) Ink fountain pen. The German design brand has made quite a name for itself in just a few years. They chose a style and brand concept, and embraced it in their entire product line - I can appreciate when a brand knows the direction they want to go in. Also, it doesn't hurt if your signature style is as sleek, modern, and minimal as Stilforms' - yes, I am quite a fan! 

What's even better: they are dead-set on improving their products along the way. I've seen them do multiple updates on the original Kosmos pen (which was good to begin with, but was made more durable in later updates), and now the Kosmos Ink fountain pen (review HERE) gets a refresh (and is also no longer called the 'Kosmos' Ink, to differentiate itself from the Kosmos ballpoint model I suppose!). Did it really need a refresh? No. But did they make some interesting changes? Yes... So let's have a look! 

Top: new Ink, bottom: old Kosmos Ink

The design of the Ink remained largely the same: it's still a monolithic, pill-shaped pen with perfectly rounded finials. Two large flat sides along the entire length of the pen make it sit still on your desk.

Crisp machining and flawless finish

Where other pens go for a seamless transition between cap and barrel, the Ink embraces it with a nice double chamfer that mates the two parts perfectly. The polished finish on the chamfered edges breaks the matte, sandblasted finish of the all-titanium pen (the same contrasting finish can also be found on the anodized aluminium finishes). The new version of the Ink can also be had in a special, ultra-durable DLC-coated black titanium version, which looks really cool!

Top: new Ink, bottom: old Kosmos Ink

The main aesthetic difference can be found underneath the cap, where they refined the section design to hide the magnet. On the original Ink, the magnet was exposed and its shiny finish contrasted with the matte surface of the section. The new design incorporates the magnet in a housing that matches the material and finish of the rest of the pen, and also provides a slightly more pronounced flared shape. I don't completely understand why they chose to make the cover over the magnet a separate piece from the rest of the section, instead of integrating it into a more seamless, single piece (I suppose it has to do with how the pen is put together?).

The cover over the magnet also serves a functional purpose: It protects the magnet from ink and wear and tear, which apparently caused the magnet to rust on the original pen. The front of the magnet is still exposed though, so I'd suggest to fill the pen from the converter instead of dunking the entire section into ink, just to be safe. 

The back of the barrel now reads 'stilform' instead of 'KOSMOS', the font is quite large

Talking about the magnet: It's less strong on the updated Ink. Apparently, some people found the original too strong, but I liked the fact that it could only be opened by twisting the cap to make the magnets repel. The new Ink still stays closed well enough most of the time, but the cap can be pulled off more easily, and I've had a few occasions where I ended up with just the cap in my hand after trying to get it out of a pen case. The weaker magnet also makes the flat spots a bit less inclined to self-align perfectly when capping the pen. It's not a huge deal, but ideally I would've preferred if the magnet strength was somewhere in between the new and old version.

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Stilform Kosmos, Stilform Arc, Stilform Kosmos Ink, Stilform New Ink, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

While I think the enclosed magnet is a nice aesthetic upgrade over the previous version, I don't think it's the new Ink's biggest merit. The larger overall size, however, is. The new Ink measures 14.5 cm/  5.71" capped, and 13.6 cm/5.35" uncapped. It's slightly wider overall, too, with a barrel diameter of 1.35 cm/ 0.53". Especially the slightly wider section (1 cm/ 0.39" at the thinnest part) is a welcome improvement and is a comfortable diameter to grip. With a larger pen also comes a bit more heft: the new Ink adds about 5 grams to the existing design, to make for a total weight of 43 grams - it has a reassuring density that I appreciate in most titanium pens. Logically, the aluminium version will be a good bit lighter, if that's your jam. 

To put those numbers in perspective: The new Ink is just 3 mm longer, and .7 mm thicker. While those differences may sound negligible, it does in fact give the pen a noticeably larger appearance and feel. Especially the wider section makes it a bit more comfortable for my hand, and I like the heft of the all-titanium construction. 

One thing I miss on the new version, is the addition of a #6-sized nib. The updated Ink design is more than large enough to accomodate a larger nib, which would make it more proportionate to the rest of the pen IMHO. Functionally, I have no complaints about the maller Bock #076 nib (Which is a slightly wider nib on the feed of a #5 nib, similar to those found on a TWSBI 580, for example). My test pen came with a steel nib in medium, and it has performed flawlessly out of the box. It's a very smooth, wet writer. I was especially surprised by how it doesn't dry out at all, even after more than a week of not being used, it picked up right away. One final detail about the nib that I quite appreciate: the nib unit is attached internally to a separate part behind the section, so that it can always be aligned to the facets on the barrel of the pen. 

The new Stilform Ink is currently on Kickstarter, with backer pledges starting at 65€ for the aluminium version, and 119€ for the titanium (about 20% off the future MSRP). That makes it all but the cheapest pen you'll find on the crowdfunding platform. But they don't feel overpriced either, especially since there's simply quite a lot to like about them: Stilforms ultra-minimalist aesthetic. Finely detailed machining. Unique use of magnetic mechanisms. And last but not least, Stilforms continued effort to improve their products... the Stilform Ink enjoys the same recipe that has made their products some of the most succesful Kickstarter pens around. Take a look at the current Kickstarter campaign, and you'll know I'm not kidding - almost 900 backers and over 100.000$ collected already in the first three days of the campaign! 

This product was sent to me by Stilform, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: STILFORM KOSMOS TI PEN

My first encounter with the German brand Stilform -a couple months ago when I reviewed the Stilform Ink (read my review HERE)- was a very positive one. And it got me really excited to try out the ballpoint pen version of Kosmos as well! 

The names of both the fountain pen and ballpoint pen are quite similar, which makes sense because both the Kosmos and Kosmos Ink are based on the same concept: to build a pen around a magnetic mechanism! The design language of both Kosmos products is also quite similar. Both are characterized by a minimal design, rounded finials and cleanly chamfered edges... The result is a simple but very well-executed design. 

Contrary to the Ink, it lacks the flat sides that prevents it from rolling, which I actually think could've been helpful because it rolls around like crazy (needless to say this one saw some abuse, and visited the floor a couple times). Stilform does offer a walnut pen rest, but you have to buy it separately and it's not particularly travel-friendly.

The Kosmos comes in two metal options: aluminium or titanium. I received the Kosmos Ti to review, which has a bit more heft than the aluminium option, and it comes in two finishes: polished or matte. The polished version I received is sleek and shiny, and has a very space-age feel to it. Being mirror-polished, it does pick up scratches and scuffs quite easily. After a few months of playing around with it, it's quite battle-worn, so if you don't like that, the matte version is supposedly more resistant to scratches. The two titanium parts (front section and barrel) are spaced with a black metal inner sleeve, which is part of the mechanism. When the pen is opened, it retracts, and the chamfered edges of the two titanium halves meet neatly.

L to R: Baron Fig Squire Click, Karas Pen Co. Retrakt, Stilform Kosmos Ti, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Kosmos is a nicely sized pen. It feels small in comparison to other ballpoint pens, but in reality it is far from small. Measuring 13.7 cm (5.4") 'closed' and 13.4 cm (5.27") 'open', it's a decently sized pen in the hand. The profile is fairly slim, with a constant diameter of 11 mm across the entire barrel, the front section narrowing down towards the tip of the pen. The slick finish of this particular polished titanium finish in combination with the streamlined profile makes this pen somewhat slippery to hold at times, which I think may be better with the matte aluminium or sandblasted titanium options. The Kosmos Ti feels solid in the hand, at 42g. I personally like heavier pens, but if you don't, the aluminium version is a good bit lighter at 26g.

The way this pen works is really cool. They have a diagram on their Kickstarter page (unfortunately I couldn't find it on their website) that shows the guts of the Kosmos, and it's actually surprisingly simple: a magnet connected to the front section and the black 'inner tube' is pushed and pulled by magnets on either side that are fixed to the barrel. When operating the mechanism, the magnets pull on the moving magnet and keep the barrel in either extended (closed) or retracted (open) position. When it works, it works really well. The magnets are really strong and you need a tight grip to open and close the pen. The action works with a very satisfying (and very loud) snap. 

But unfortunately... it doesn't always work. I tested one of the pre-production prototypes of the Stilform Ti about a year ago, and the mechanism failed after a couple days so I never got around to actually reviewing it. Luckily they seem to have fixed the issue in the production model that I have in my hands right now, which has clicked satisfyingly for months and still works just fine.

Writing with the Kosmos pen is smooth and hassle-free. I have a strong suspicion that they utilize Schmidt easyflow 9000 Parker-style refills, but it's just branded 'Kosmos' so I'm not entirely sure. In any case, it's an extremely pleasant refill, and it actually made me want to use this pen all the time. It's dark and smooth, lays down a consistent medium line. 

The Kosmos Ti is an interesting piece of functional design. It's a pure, minimal pen, built around a really interesting and unique mechanism. It ticks a lot of the right boxes for me. The polished titanium finish is perhaps a bit too slick for my liking, but the excellent refill (and compatibility with a bunch of other refills) pulls the whole experience up a notch. 

The Stilform Kosmos Ti comes in at a retail price of 120€ (136$), which is exactly double the price of the aluminium Kosmos. I'm usually a big fan of titanium pens, they are strong, have a nice heft and look good while at it. But in this case, while I think the aluminium Kosmos is a pretty good deal for what you get, the premium for the titanium version might be a bit steep. 

This product was sent to me by Stilform, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: STILFORM KOSMOS INK FOUNTAIN PEN

Stilform is a relatively new German design brand that creates original and innovative pens, while maintaining an ultra-minimal aesthetic. They create pens that are right up my alley (I'm a sucker for good design), but for some reason they have completely flown under my radar in the past couple years. Recently, I got the opportunity to try out the new Kosmos Ink fountain pen that is currently on Kickstarter (The Kickstarter campaign is now closed!). Having had a prototype in my hands for the past couple weeks, I must say I'm impressed! 

While writing this review, I was wondering how I could best describe the Kosmos Ink to give you an idea of what this pen is all about, and all of a sudden it struck me! Basically, Stilform created a pen similar to the Montblanc M, but one that actually does manage to combine form and function properly! If you read my review of the Montblanc M (Link), you'll know that I was not all that enthusiastic about the design. The flat side was pointless, the section was too short and the step from section to barrel annoyed me. 

The Kosmos Ink looks futuristic, sort of like a monolithic object that came from outer space (the name Kosmos starts to make sense!). It's a simple, straight cylindrical design with nicely rounded cap and barrel finials. Cap and barrel meet into a cleanly chamfered edge. The inside of the cap lip is chamfered slightly as well, to ensure that the cap and barrel meet nicely when closed. 

Nicely chamfered edges give some visual separation between cap and barrel

The Kosmos features flat sides too, just like the Montblanc M. However, on the Kosmos you can find one on either side, and they extend all the way from cap to barrel. In practice, this means that the Kosmos Ink won't have that nasty habit of rolling around, a feature that is particularly useful because the pen is designed to be clip-less (although a clipped version might become available as a stretch goal). The design is kept clean and simple. Apart from the word 'KOSMOS' engraved on one of the barrel's flat sides (the marking will be on the flat side of the cap in the final production model), you won't find any other engravings. 

The main feature of the Kosmos Ink is the magnetic cap. It's not the type of closing mechanism you come across every day (The Montblanc M or some of the lower-end Visconti pens come to mind, but not much else). It's interesting because it's different, and the capping action is fun and playful.

It's a tricky mechanism to get right though, because those two flat sides have to align when closed. Luckily, Stilform worked some magnet magic and it works a treat! The cap closes with a reassuring, rather loud snap, and it requires a good amount of force to pull it off. Rather than yanking the cap straight off, you have to twist the cap about a quarter turn, which aligns the poles of the magnets in cap and section, pushing the cap off. Putting the cap back on is simple, as the magnets automatically align so that the flat sides always line up (and in practice they DO actually lign up fairly accurately!).

 

L to R: Kaweco Brass Sport, Stulform Kosmos, Ensso Piuma, Stilform Kosmos Ink, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

In terms of dimensions, the Kosmos Ink is a rather large pen, but doesn't necessarily feel like that in the hand. It measures 14.2 cm (5.6") closed, and 13.8 cm (5.44") uncapped, the cap does not post. The diameter of the cap and barrel is a constant 1.3 cm (0.51"), and the section is a bit narrower at an average of 1 cm (0.39"). The aluminium version feels balanced in the hand, thanks in part due to the low weight of just 24g total. There's also a titanium version available which has a bit more heft (37g).

What about comfort? Again comparing the Kosmos ink to the Montblanc M (not really a fair comparison, however more expensive doesn't always mean better!), the Ink has a much better section IMHO. It's fairly long and tapers down a bit. The diameter is slightly narrower than what I'm used to, especially near the nib, but it's quite a comfortable fit in the hand. There is a step down from the barrel, but the chamfered edge makes the transition a bit less harsh, and the section is large enough so there is plenty of space to comfortably hold it. 

 

The Kosmos Ink comes with a rather interesting choice of nib: the Bock 076. This size sits in between #5 and #6 in terms of size (#5.5?), and is the same as the nibs on the TWSBI 580. I think the slightly larger #6 nib would've looked good too on a pen of this posture, but the 076 doesn't feel out of place here. 

In terms of performance, I tend to prefer Bock's larger nibs. This 076 works quite well though, the fine nib is a smooth writer with a balanced flow. It starts right up when it hits the page, even though I did notice an occasional skip with fast writing (when writing a signature for example). 

As of July 3th, the Kickstarter campaign ended with a total funding surpassing 250.000$! You can pre-order the Kosmos Ink through Indiegogo, and afterwards buy them directly via the Stilform website.

My final say? I'm really quite impressed with the prototype they sent me. I think they nailed the aesthetic, and implemented the magnetic closure perfectly. Compared to the much more expensive Montblanc M (which was a bit of a letdown), the Kosmos Ink fares a lot better. With Kickstarter/pre-order pricing starting at 65€ / 69$ (with a titanium option available at a premium) the Kosmos Ink is definitely worth a look, but you'll have to hurry because the funding ends in just a couple days!

This product was sent to me by Stilform, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.