INVENTERY MECHANICAL PEN REVIEW

My fascination with machined metal products continues with this new brand, Inventery, and their take on the minimalist pen, simply called the 'Mechanical Pen'. Inventery is a minimal design brand with a small, curated selection of everyday goods and accessories. My thanks to Inventery for sending these over for review!

Before I talk about the actual pen, a few words about the packaging are justified I think. Some brands go to outrageous lengths to provide an impressive unboxing experience, but then it sometimes starts to feel as if the packaging cost more than the pen itself. Inventery provides that same wow-factor, but in a more balanced fashion. 

The simple cardboard box that houses the pen is packaged in a drawstring pouch and includes a polishing cloth. Inside the box you'll find a card with the pen design embossed in gold foil, and the website information on the other side. Everything is embossed with the Inventery logo in gold. The all-black theme with the gold accents is super classy, and the pouch and polishing cloth are actually useful accessories. Yet despite the features and very nice finish, the packaging remains compact and simple.

VERY minimal branding

Some of you probably couldn't care less about the packaging, so let's move on to the actual business: the Mechanical Pen! 

The more minimalist a product is, the more I like it. But at the same time, it becomes increasingly difficult to talk about it. The Mechanical Pen is VERY minimal. 

The straight cylindrical shape and short conical tip are as basic as it gets, and are made from a single piece of brass (all finishes have a brass base, but more on that later). The Schmidt mechanism screws in at the back, and provides a color contrast with its chrome plated finish. The relatively short length of the pen gives it a more stout and robust appearance, yet the overall shape is sleek and clean.

The pen is available in four surface finishes: black oxide, polished chrome, brushed chrome and raw brass. All of which are applied to a brass base. The matte black looks sleek, and the matte texture gives the slightest amount of grip.

The brass base subtly showing through the brushed chrome plating around the edges

The brushed chrome version has a very subtle brushed finish. I expected it to be a bit more pronounced. Something I quite enjoy is that it shows the brass base on the edges and corners. Where the chrome plating has worn down from applying the brushed finish. But then again, the finish is not 'rough' enough to provide grip. Last but not least, the raw brass is -as always- a personal favourite. Even though it can be quite slippery at times, I do enjoy the nice patina it creates. 

Attention to detail: each pen comes individually numbered (Though it is not a limited edition)

On a simple design like this, every flaw is immediately noticeable. Luckily I couldn't find any on the three pens I received. Attention to detail is high, as it should be. The edges are machined precisely, and the surface finish is smooth and even. No machining marks are visible. Except for on the brass version, but of course that's what you get with a 'raw' finish, and I quite like the industrial look it creates. 

The most important design aspect, and the feature that sets the Mechanical Pen apart from other minimal writing utensils, is the flat side. The profile of this pen is not completely round, instead a flat side is machined along the length of the body. It's very subtle, visually, but it's a surprisingly functional feature. 

You see, the decision to go clipless is an obvious choice when making a minimal writing instrument. But it's always a downgrade in terms of functionality. The flat side partially takes over the functionality of the clip, namely making it less likely to roll away on you. But of course it doesn't help when you want to attach your pen to something. A clip design like the one from Karas Kustoms, or schon DSGN wouldn't have looked misplaced on a pen like this I think. That being said, Inventery does explicitly market this pen as a 'desk pen'. If you want to carry your pen around with you, they suggest using a case or pen sleeve.

L to R: Karaskustoms EDK and Retrakt, Inventery Mechanical Pen, Retro 51 Big Shot tornado, Kaweco Steel Sport, Lamy Safari

As I already briefly mentioned, the Mechanical Pen is not overly large. It measures in at 12.5 cm (5") long, and has a diameter of 1.1 cm (0.43"). It's roughly the equivalent of a pocket pen like the KarasKustoms EDK or Baron Fig squire, but it feels a bit girthier. I always say the sweet spot for a fountain pen is 5". Same applies here, so for me it's full-sized enough to be used comfortably.

Weight is an important aspect of these pens, as they are all made from solid brass. This of course means that you can expect a heavy pen, coming in at 57 grams. The weight, in combination with the rather slippery body, isn't the best combination in terms of comfort. Definitely something to keep in mind.

The Mechanical Pen utilises the -almost industry standard- Schmidt click mechanism. There have been reports of the mechanism wearing out after extended use, but so far I haven't had any issues with it (and it's also easily replaceable if needed). The mechanism is silent and acurate. The tip is machined to a tight tolerance, which means there's no annoying clicking or rattling sound when you write.

It comes loaded with a Schmidt P8126 rollerball refill, which is another excellent choice in my book. The refill lays down a fine, crisp line. And the ink is black and consistent. It remains one of the only rollerball refills that actually works well for me, so no complaints there.

The Inventery Mechanical Pen showcases some of the most pure and minimalistic design that I've seen in a long time. The build quality and presentation is spot on, and the incorporation of a flat side is a clever feature that keeps it from rolling away.

That being said, the very straight and industrial design will certainly not appeal to everyone. The price... well let's be honest: 90 USD is a steep price. It's a good chunk more than comparable pens, such as the Baron Fig Squire, or Karas Kustoms EDK. This is a pen you'd buy for the aesthetic, as a design piece for your desk. If you're looking for functionality, or a practical pen for everyday use, this wouldn't be my first pick.

Note: This product was provided by Inventery, free of charge, 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 affilate links.

QUICK LOOK: NAMISU NOVA COPPER FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Namisu has been on a roll in the last year, with tons of new products. In July, they did another Kickstarter -their most succesful campaign as of yet- for the Ixion (which is bound to arrive fairly soon!). And at the same time they released two new iterations of the popular Nova fountain pen. Earlier, around June, they came up with the stonewashed titanium Nova (that I reviewed HERE), and two months later they released the Nova in the long-awaited solid copper finish!

Well, I say long-awaited because I was pretty confident that, after the copper orion earlier this year, a Nova in the same finish would eventually follow... And here it is!

Copper, brass, titanium, titanium stonewashed, ebonite,... Yeah ok, I'm a hoarder!

As you may know, I've been very much into machined metal pens lately. There's something about them that makes me reach for these pens over all others. The craftsmanship, industrial machined look and robustness of an all-metal pen... It just really works for me.

On top of that, a lot of metal pen makers also incorporate a very distinct minimal aesthetic into their products. Which is a clear win in my book.

The copper nova may be one of the most minimalist pens out there. Namisu sticks loyally to their clean, clipless designs (to the frustration of those that would like to finally see a more pocket-friendly design with clip in their product lineup). It may not be the most practical design, but I'd call that determination. They have their mind set on an aesthetic theme, and they strictly hold on to it.

I, for one, am still partial to the clean cigar shaped design of the Nova. The bulkyness and gently curved line, the flattop design with the gently pointed finials... I like everything about the design, and I definitely think a clip would mess with the aesthetic (but then again, I don't really use the clip on any of my pens, so it's not a real loss for me).

The copper finish is pretty amazing. It's cool when it arrives all polished and shiny, but it gets a million times cooler after a few days of use. The patina on this pen is honestly some of the best I've ever seen. It's much stronger than with brass (presumably because the patina is oxidized copper, and brass is only partially made up of copper, but I could be wrong on that). And it shows a wide range of colors, from dark brown to red and even blue when you look closely!

PS: yes, this pen makes your hands smell like pennies! 

That patina though!

Comfort-wise, I like to hold this pen at a lower angle. Sort of in a more cradled position than I usually hold my pen. I think that's a way to support the weight of the pen, as it balances on the web of my hand between my thumb and index, instead of focusing all the weight in my grip. Make no mistake, this is a heavy pen (95g total, 69g uncapped!), so regardless of how you hold it, it weighs down considerably.

Yet because of the way I hold the pen, I do find that I have a more relaxed grip (which is a bit counterintuive with a heavy pen like this). I just guide the nib across the page with my grip, while the pen rests in the web of my hand...if that makes any sense. Perhaps with longer writing sessions the weigh could start to become a problem, but then again this is not a pen I'd recommend solely for extensive writing sessions. For full details on measurements, you can go back to my review of the stonewashed titanium, or brass Nova.

L to R: Kaweco Brass Sport, TWSBI Diamond 580Al, Namisu Nova Copper, Lamy Al-Star, Lamy 2000

Talking about writing... Of course the Nova Copper utilises the same #6 Bock nibs as all other Namisu pens. I've used and reviewed almost every steel and titanium Bock nib. I've had very good experiences with most, if not all of these nibs. They are smooth, wet and consistent writers straight out of the box. 

But there's no use in reviewing the same nib over and over again, so I thought I'd change it up a little this time: I ground the medium steel nib into a cursive italic. Of course a custom grind won't come with the pen, but it's a fast and affordable way to upgrade the writing experience and make the pen even more fun to use. There are a lot of really skilled nibmeisters out there who can do a much better job than I (Mike Masuyama, Nibsmith, Nibgrinder,...) so I'd suggest checking them out if you want to spice up one of your pens!

Closeup of the medium Cursive Italic grind

The medium curisve Italic grind is a step up from standard stub nibs. If you have some experience with stubs, but want more precise line variation at the trade-off of some smoothness. A cursive italic is sharper and less rounded off than a stub. This makes the line variation more pronounced and more consistent. Because of the sharper edges, you can't rotate the nib because the edges as it would make the edges of the nib dig into the paper. It's a nib with a learning curve, and it's not as smooth as a round or stub nib. But it's ideal for more advanced cursive writing or even calligraphy.

Copper usually demands a pretty substantial premium with machined metal pens. But as usual, Namisu is pretty mild with their pricing: the Copper Namisu Nova retails for 69 GBP (90 USD), which is ten pounds less than the titanium version, and the same as the brass. Prices vary a bit, depending on the currency value, but at 75 GBP/ 85 EUR/ 99 USD they are about half the cost of similar machined pens made out of copper. If one thing, Namisu has their price point down, with excellent value for the price you pay.

Note: This product was provided by Namisu, free of charge, 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 affilate links.

BARON FIG SQUIRE ROLLERBALL PEN REVIEW

"THE PEN IS A MIGHTY SWORD" - Baron Fig

Baron Fig's Squire (aptly named for the above quote), was the product with which they showed 'look world, we can do much more than notebooks!'. And indeed, just a year (maybe two) later, they've expanded their minimalist, modern product line up to what is now an impressive collection of products to write with, to write on, and the paraphernalia associated with those two things. 

But of course an immense product line wouldn't mean a thing if the products are no good, so let's find out if the Squire rollerball can live up to their reputation....

First of all, let me express my fondness for minimal design. I'm probably repeating myself, but I can't stress this enough because of course my opinions reflect my own opinion and preferences, as I explained in THIS POST. So now that that is out of the way: Baron Fig really did create a brilliant minimalist pen. I won't say it's perfect, but the shape, the size, the details (or the lack thereof),... I'm impressed.

First of all, the looks. What can I say? Baron Fig knows their stuff when it comes to making sexy, sleek-looking products! All the way from the simple cardboard tube packaging, down to the little sword logo that represents the Squire product line, every detail in the design is pretty close to perfection. The design, that tapers down from the section towards the rounded-off twist knob is easy on the eyes, and has an almost organic feel to it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just looks  and feels balanced.

L to R: Kaweco Skyline Sport pen, Karaskustoms EDK, Karaskustoms Retrakt, Baron Fig Squire, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

I'd call the Squire small, but that's not entirely correct. Indeed, when placed next to a fountain pen (as you can see above), it does look rather small. Even next to some other ballpoint/rollerball alternatives, such as the KarasKustoms Retrakt, it's on the smaller side of things. But especially the comparison with a capped fountain pen is quite deceptive because the Squire, with the refill extended, stands just a little taller than the Lamy Safari or Lamy 2000 uncapped!

With a length of 12.8 cm (5", tip retracted), and a width of 1 cm (0.4") at the widest part around where you grip it, this is not a particularly small pen in the hand, but it's also not too big if you want to carry it around in your pocket.

It's a pretty comfortable pen in the hand. As I said sizewise, it's not too small nor too big, the section has a comfortable girth near the tip where I hold it (there's no dedicated grip section so you don't necessarily have to hold it a certain way), and there are no sharp edges or threads that can get in the way. The lack of a dedicated grip section does mean that it can be a bit slippery at times. However I found that the texture of the anodized aluminium surface provides just enough texture to hold on to. I never felt like I was death-gripping the pen. In fact, I've put quite some use in this pen over the last couple weeks, and writing with it always felt balanced and comfortable.

People often say designing a minimal pen is the easy way of doing things, but I actually think it's the opposite way around. What you see is what you get. There aren't that many details, so naturally even the tiniest imperfection will stand out so much more. Machining is flawless, you can barely notice the lines from the CNC lathe, and the anodized finish (shown here is the Charcoal grey version) is smooth and even. 

Mind the gap

So far so good. I really like the Squire, but that doesn't mean it's entirely perfect. The one flaw I could find was a small gap between the barrel and twist knob. It seems like a small detail, but as I said even small details stands out on a minimalist pen like this. I assume the twist knob is press-fit to the mechanism, because I could actually get it to fit a little better with a firm push, but it still has a tiny bit of lateral play to it. 

Another detail that I would've liked to see differently -not necessarily a flaw but more a matter of personal opinion- is the engraving on the barrel. It says 'BARON FIG' on one side, and has the minimal sword logo on the opposite side. It looks clean, but in true minimal style I would've left one of the two off. Maybe just the sword logo would've looked even cleaner than it already does, but it's definitely not a deal breaker.

It seems that the Schmidt P8126 cap-less rollerball refill has pretty much become the industry standard for many pen manufacturers. And with good reason, Schmidt sure knows how to make a great refill! The fine (0.6mm) point is smooth and free-flowing, and it lays down a clean, consistent black line without stuttering. The P8126 is the same size as a Parker G2 refill (not to be confused with Pilot's G2 refills), so it can be interchanged with a wide variety of other refills.

The Baron Fig Squire retails for 55 USD, and is only available through the Baron Fig website. 55 seems to be around the average for luxury rollerball pens these days, it's not dirt-cheap but you get a quality pen for the price and the minimal design is top notch. Worth mentioning are the seasonal limited editions that Baron Fig also offers. There have been two limited editions so far, and they both sold out in no time, definitely worth looking into!

Note: This product was sent to me by Baron Fig, free of charge, 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.