Monami 153 Ballpoint Pen review

This is a bit of fun. I got one of these just to try it out. Bit of a classic design from over in Korea. You might have seen one of these pens before... probably branded with a company logo on it if you work in financial services or pharmaceuticals.

Basically instead of a press once to engage the nib and once again to retract you click once to engage and then knock the little plastic clip in to retract the pen.

I picked a 1mm version of the pen because it comes in a cool yellow colour. It writes...well... it writes like a 25p ballpoint okay! Get it over here.

It has that annoying slight flex that you get from all cheaper ballpoint pens. Being a bit of a fusspot I find that the end of the pen is a little too long for my tastes. I find I want to hold the hexagonal barrel for a little more grip but then it feels like you holding the pen miles from the end.

If a Bic is too basic for you and you want a little bit of a talking point around Korea's most popular pen then this is the one for you. Tell your friends that as of 2013 this pen had sold more than 3.6 billion units.

Personally, I couldn't possibly use this as a daily writer. It does make good chaff to keep my wife away from my more treasured stuff. :D

If you want an upgraded version you could be tempted by the 153 ID which has an all-metal body. I actually really like the matte black one. This one also uses Parker G2 refills so it should write a lot better.

Comments

Staedtler Norris Eco Pencil Review

Cool little pencil this one. It's made from extruded wood fibers. It's actually only 70% wood which obviously means they can get a lot more pencils out of a tree. Hence that Eco name. They use wood flour which is a by-product of the forestry industry... read about WOPEX here. They are literally making pencils out of the "sweepings off the floor". I'm actually of the opinion that if it's sustainable forestry what's the issue? But when I held this in my hand I noticed something I love about it. The weight... that fancy WOPEX stuff is dense! The branding and text really pops out of that black colour as well and has a much better finish than the Mars Lumograph. Honestly, not sure why the text rubbing off on that pencil sticks in my craw so much. It feels great - has a similar weight to the Caran D'ache Swiss Wood but this one is more of a normal pencil thickness. The writing experience is pretty much the same as the Staedtler Tradition really. Not great...

The Tombow Mono 100 Pencil Review

This is an extremely quick review of the Tombow Mono 100 pencil. Love this thing - the lead feels better for me in comparison to the Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood I have also reviewed. It's softer and darker. The paint finish is sooo shiny. Take a look at the end of the pencil too - the barrel is hexagonal but the end is actually round. Same as a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni - is it a thing? Hexagonal barrel + round end = quality? Price-wise you're looking at £2.57 at the time of writing over at Cult Pens - that really puts it in the high end. It puts it in the snatch it away from your wife-that's-gonna-chew-it end. They are made in Vietnam, you might expect Japan but it's Vietnam as per the stamp on the barrel. Sorry, you can't actually see that detail in my images - my phone camera is a bit old and besides half of it's sharpened off. It's supposed to have a darker more contrasting lead than comparable pencils but I'd say it was just comparable really, the eye of ...

e+m Workman Long Clutch Pencil 5.6mm Review

This is the fattest pencil I own, or should that be the chunkiest? No... most robust? It's good right! I got this as a really quick outlining sort of pencil - for when I'm mind mapping or jotting down process flows or something. And to show off a little bit at the office. Sue me. Call the cops. Why don't I start with what I don't like? The finish on the wood. I went for a black finish and it was wearing off before I knew it. Now I do have a little bit of a sweaty paw so this may have been the issue... but still. Have a look at the pics. The lead does need a little tickle up with a pointer (e+m do a really nice one which I have) You can see this as a pain in the backside or as part of the experience. There's something really therapeutic about pointing lead to me. What's to like about it? Well, that wooden barrel is just really nice to hold in the hand. The finish might be coming off but it gives great grip and a nice warmth. It's a heavy pencil with that ch...

A Gentleman of the Enlightenment

Search This Blog