REVIEW: GRAVITAS SENTRY BIG DROPPER & DELRIN FOUNTAIN PEN

Yes, it's no surprise that Gravitas has quickly become a sort of personal catnip for me - every new release looks more impressive than the last, and for the life of me I can't keep my wallet shut whenever I see a new Instagram post from Ben... When would this be considered an addiction?

Perhaps you're thinking: "Another Gravitas review? Didn't he publish a review of the Gravitas Sentry just a month ago?" And you'd be absolutely right! But at the dizzying pace that Gravitas produces fantastic new releases, with new products around the corner seemingly every week, I can barely keep up buying them... let alone getting them reviewed! 

L to R: Black Delrin, white Delrin, Polycarbonate 'Big Dropper', Stainless steel Sentry

In an effort to keep up, I figured I'd bundle two of the more recent Gravitas products together since they share most stats anyway, differing only in the material they're made of. So in this review, we're taking a look at two additions to the Sentry lineup: the Gravitas Delrin and Big Dropper fountain pens. 

For those of you that liked the design of the Gravitas Sentry, but were put off by the sheer weight of these solid metal pens, these two might be right up your alley. The Big Dropper and Delrin fountain pens follow very closely on the design of the Sentry, carrying over the flattop design with pointed finials, curvy cap, and elegant long tapered body.

The real difference obviously comes from the use of clear translucent polycarbonate for the Big Dropper, and Delrin for the... well, Delrin version. 

The Big Dropper is made from clear translucent polycarbonate with a matte frosted finish. The machining and frosting is very uniform and provides a pleasant texture to the pen. As the name suggests, the Big Dropper lends itself perfectly to eye-droppering. I typically stay away from eye droppers (I don't care for the potential discoloration on clear pens, and I rarely ever need or want the ridiculous large ink capacity they provide), but this pen comes fully prepared, should you wish to eyedropper yours. 

O-rings ready for eye-droppering!

They even added o-rings to the threads on both the section and cap to ensure an airtight seal (though you might want to add a dab of silicon grease on the section threads, just to be safe). It's difficult to say how the stainless steel section will react to prolonged contact with ink, but I'd assume it'll be fine as long as you don't go for very acidic iron gall inks or the like.

A subtle detail separates the regular black Delrin on the left, from the Delrin orange Cerakote on the right.

The Delrin option is perhaps my favorite (at least until I get my hands on the new Ultem version!). Delrin is a rather unique 'engineering plastic', meaning it has special characteristics and high durability that make it useful in industrial applications. It is slightly more dense, and has a super-slick and smooth (Delrin is often used as a liner in moving parts, because it's low-friction) feel in the hand. Just like the Big Dropper, the Delrin version comes outfitted with o-rings, ready to be eyedroppered!

The two standard colors of Delrin are opaque black and opaque white (interestingly, the white Delrin is the only pen without an etched Gravitas logo on the cap, because the material doesn't work well with laser-etching!). For a hint of color, there's also a black delrin version with an orange logo on the cap (though the color is quite faint) and an orange cerakote section. If you want even more color, Ben has also found a way to dye the Delrin into whatever color you like. If you've already bought a Gravitas pen before, you're automatically a Gravitas member and have access to a members-only area on their website where you can find some of those more experimental and flashy finishes! 

The one downside of Delrin is that it is highly susceptible to scuffs and scratches, so you might want to look elsewhere if you want to keep your pens looking pristine! This is especially noticeable on the black delrin, scuffs are harder to see on the white version.

L to R: Namisu Nova, Ensso Piuma, Gravitas Pocket, Gravitas Delrin, Gravitas Sentry, Gravitas Entry, Gravitas Flagship, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

Dimensions - at least on the outside - are identical to other variants of the Sentry, with a capped length of 14.6 cm/ 5.75", and 13.9/ 5.47" cm uncapped. At the widest point of the cap, the Sentry measures 15.5 cm/ 0.61" in diameter, and the barrel is 14 cm/ 0.55" at its widest. 

Of course, polycarbonate and Delrin - while both durable plastics - can't be machined as thin as their metal counterparts. This is apparent in the changes to the thickness of the cap, which meant that a slight redesign of the internals was necessary to make it fit together properly 

Sentry Delrin on the left, Sentry aluminum black anodized on the right

So while the section remains equally long to the one found on the Sentry, you'll notice that it is in fact a bit narrower (12mm at its widest point versus 13 on the metal version of the Sentry). This puts the Big Dropper and Delrin Sentries in between the Entry and (metal) Sentry in terms of section size, striking a good balance in my opinion. 

Those millimeter differences might not sound like much, but they do make the plastic versions to the Sentry feel noticeably less bulky in the hand. Also due to the increased thickness of the cap, there's a more visible transition from the barrel to the section, though in the hand it's still barely noticeable as it steps down very gradually from the tapered edge of the barrel to the rubber o-ring, then the threads, and finally the section. 

The plastic cap and barrel of course make for a substantially lighter pen. The polycarbonate big dropper weighs in at 29 grams (uncapped 26g), while the slightly more dense Delrin version weighs 32g (uncapped 26g). Since the metal section provides most of that weight, both plastic Sentries have a very clear balance towards the section, and feel much more nimble in the hand. I know a lot of people have strong feelings against metal sections, but Gravitas consistently implements them very well on all their pens, with a strongly pronounced taper and ridged machined texture to provide a comfortable grip.

I got these back when Gravitas still equipped their pens with JoWo nibs. There's no point in telling you how a JoWo nib writes (you probably know this already, anyway). BUT, the new nib units are still backward-compatible with JoWo housings, so you can swap them out with spare nibs you may have lying around. In my limited experience with the new Gravitas steel nibs, I was quite pleased with how they perform, they can certainly hold up against JoWo.

The Gravitas Sentry Big Dropper and Sentry Delrin are enticing new additions to the ever-expanding Gravitas catalog. They offer the same streamlined-yet-robust design of the Sentry, which I enjoy a lot. Will you mistake the Big Dropper or Delrin Sentry for a small pen? Probably not. But the combination of lighter weight and balance, and more average section width, definitely strikes a better balance if you're not that into oversized pens. 

They're priced fairly reasonably as well, at just 95€ regardless of which plastic version (polycarbonate, Delrin, or Ultem) you choose. As always, Ben Walsh has even more material options to choose from on the horizon (most noticeably, a Micarta version is currently in production), so there's no lack of options!

Some of the products featured in this review were sent to me by Gravitas. 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.

5 YEARS AGO...

...while reading through reviews of The Pen Addict, I thought: "Heck, I can do this too!" On a whim, I pieced together a so-so blog design, chose this terrible and rather irrelevant name (I have surprisingly few reviews of pencils, nor pencil cases), took some crappy pictures with my smartphone (smartphone cameras were definitely not what they are now!), and wrote my first review.

Fast forward a bit and here we are: today marks the 5th anniversary of The Pencilcase Blog! I've been blogging about pens for almost a quarter of my entire life now. That really does sound as insane as it is. I get funny faces when I tell people (non-penaddicts, that is) I write a blog about pens. On top of that, they usually get confused and think I write a blog about pants, which makes the situation even weirder (it must be my accent or bad pronunciation of the word pens).

Anway, I never really thought it would become such a big deal when I started, but almost 360 posts later you could say it has gotten a bit out of hand. So many things changed because of this silly little website: I met new people, made friends for life, got opportunities to see places and review unique products... It's incredible really. I'm infinitely thankful for all of it, and I hope I can contribute my part to this wonderful community for many more years to come!

This is also a good time to thank some people for supporting me from the get go, some of which I had the pleasure to meet in real life and became good friends over the years: Azizah (Gourmetpens), Stephen (SBRE Brown), Ed (Edjelley), Matthias (Bleistift), Mike (The Clicky Post), Brad (The Pen Addict), and I'm probably still forgetting a couple. Thank you guys! 

And because no blog birthday is complete without celebration, expect to see not one, not two, but five (!) GIVEAWAYS coming up really soon! I'll also be doing a Q&A post later on (you can send in any questions you have for me through comments, via email or on Twitter or Instagram)

I honestly don't know what else to say, other than thank you. 

PS: I have to send some love to my five wonderful sponsors as well! These five pen shops are all amazing, and they have stuck by my side for a good part of this blogging adventure. Give them some love if you want, and don't forget the discount codes! 

 

See you around,

Dries

OHTO MARUTA SHARP MECHANICAL PENCIL REVIEW

I rarely review pencils here (I probably should've picked a different name than 'The PENCILcase Blog'!), but that doesn't take away the fact I can often enjoy a nice mechanical pencil, leadholder or even woodcased pencil from time to time! The one we're looking at today is quite an interesting one: the Ohto Maruta 2mm mechanical pencil! Thanks to Papier & Stift for sending it over!

Why is it interesting? Well it's basically a mechanical pencil, disguised as a woodcased pencil. I suppose the reasoning behind this design is quite simply to create a different aesthetic. It could also be a sneaky way to trick die-hard woodcased pencil users into buying a mechanical one, although I doubt that?

The Maruta, which is Japanese for 'log', looks and feels like a generic jumbo-sized woodcased pencil with a round profile, silver ferrule and pink eraser. But push the eraser, and a 2mm pops out from the front! 

For a 10$ pencil, Ohto put a surprising amount of effort in the details. This genuinely looks like a woodcased pencil from afar. All the metal parts are nicely machined and have a satin finish. The tip of the pencil is actualy 'sharpened' into a cone, which transitions into the metal tip. The wood received a clear coat of laquer, and the brand and model name are stamped in brown paint near the ferrule. The overall product is simple and clean, just like the average #2.

Top to bottom: unsharpened Blackwing 602, Ohto Maruta, Lamy Lx, Lamy 2000, David Hayward hexagonal leadholder.

In terms of size, the Maruta is short for a pencil, but normal sized compared to other pens or mechanical pencils. It measures 13.6 cm (5.35") without the lead extended. The diameter of 1 cm (0.39") is comparable to the dimensions of a jumbo pencil, which makes it easier and more comfortable to grip than a normal woodcased pencil.

It's lightweight, but not as light as a pencil due to the metal parts at the front and back of the pencil (It's slightly back-weighted, but not to the extent where it's actually noticeable in use). The wood has a very nice, smooth satin finish. While this is nice to look at, it's a bit slippery in the hand.

As I already said, the machining on the metal parts, such as the 'ferrule' is actually really nice, especially for a 10$ product. Everything fits nicely, but the metal push button does rattle quite noticeably. The button can be pulled out to refill leads (or you can just push a new lead in from the front), and the eraser can be replaced.

The knock mechanism advances the 2 mm lead by approx. 1.5 mm each time. The lead has little to no play inside the metal tip. 

As far as the writing goes... The choice of 2mm leads is useful for drawing or sketching but I also like to write with pencils like this because the leads are available in a wide variety of grades (I prefer HB or B for general writing, a balance between smooth, dark lines and point retention). The Maruta comes with one HB lead in the pencil, which I found kind of soft for HB, and rather dark. I swapped it out with my favourite 2mm lead: Staedtler Mars Carbon HB. Of course there's plenty of other lead options, you could even get some coloured leads in this size to play around with! 

For just under 10 euros (via Stift & Papier) which translates to about 12.5 USD), the Ohto Maruta is a fun pencil that won't break the bank. It's very well made (Japanese quality!), especially given the price. And I like that it takes 2mm leads, which is something else from the usual 0.5mm mechanical pencils. 

Note: This product was provided by Papier & Stift, 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.