The Cuteness

I recently received a Hello Kitty Pilot Hi-Tec C pen courtesy of Jetpens (once again, you rock, Lily!).  The Pilot Hi-Tec C line is great for those pen users requiring that extra little bit of precision.  Jetpens offers a few different tip sizes: 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 mm depending on your preferences and demands.  I received a black 0.3 mm Hi-Tec-C pen affording a level of precision I wasn't quite used to as I've tended to be drawn to 0.5 mm and larger tips.  Perhaps due to my own lack of confidence in my handwriting I figured a larger tip, and thus a thicker line, would hide any imperfections in my handwriting.  (I blame the fact that I'm a lefty on my poor handwriting, but I digress.)  As such, it took a few words to get used to a thinner tip, but I must say I soon found myself using the Hi-Tec-C over a few of my 0.7 mm "ol' trusties."  The precision I was afforded was welcomed as my work sometimes requires me to write out structures of chemical compounds in small areas.  Instead of the usual blob that vaguely resembles the shape of an "O" (indicating an oxygen atom), I now had clearly defined atoms that were readable by fellow colleagues.  (In scientific research, reproducibility is key and if you can't read what your colleague wrote, it might as well be irreproducible!)  

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen is remarkably smooth, which surprised me because I had been used to the mantra that thicker tips write smoother.  As I understand, there's a tradeoff that as you go to a thinner tip, you have to sacrifice smoothness.  Poorly made pens with thinner tips can sometimes be pretty scratchy, so much so that I'd gotten turned off to thin-tipped pens.  The Hi-Tec-C, however, defies the laws of pen physics as the tip flows across the paper with ease.

My girlfriend has the 0.4mm Pilot Hi-Tec-C Putimo.  She offered it to me to try it out as I had initially complained about the 0.3mm tip of the Hi-Tec-C.  For me, the 0.4 is a nice compromise between precision and thickness.  Perhaps if I get another Hi-Tec-C it'll be a 0.4, but my mind isn't as closed as it once was on 0.4 mm and thinner pens.

Of course, I haven't yet mentioned what makes this pen "the cuteness."  Well, the pen came with a Hello Kitty figurine adorned on the top of the cap.  (The Limited Edition Hello Kitty Hi-Tec-C).  The figurine is removable and transferable to other Hi-Tec-C's so if you're not the Hello Kitty type but know someone who is, you can always give it to them.  Speaking of gifting, these pens would be a perfect gift for your niece/daughter/girlfriend with a special liking for anything Hello Kitty; they're super cute and, as an awesome added bonus, they write excellently!

Great products win games but...

... Great customer service wins championships.  

I'd just like to say that Jetpens.com has TOP NOTCH customer service, bar none.  For a recent purchase from their website, the warehouse missed an item in my shipment.  I contacted customer service and promptly received a response.  Due to the holiday crush, the shipment with the missing item took a little longer than I expected, so I sent an inquiring email as to the whereabouts and, again, received a prompt response.  The item arrived shortly thereafter which was followed-up by an email from customer service asking if it had gotten to me.  To me, it's not just that they rectified the problem by shipping the missing piece and being done with it, it's that personal touch you get when their customer service follows through with such thoroughness.

Thanks Lily and the rest of the Jetpens customer service crew!  You guys are top notch!

Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pen

I have never written a pen review, but this pen is absolutely the bombdiggityfoshizzy so I felt I had to write one.  First of all, the pen has a flair for the elegant.  At first, I was a little unsure as to the gold accents on the silver body, but it’s the right touch of class for a very sophisticated looking pen.  You’ll feel like a million bucks when you cradle the pen in your fingers.

The pen writes like a dream.  Granted, I have limited experience writing with fountain pens, the smoothness rivals that of non-fountain pens like the A.G. Spalding BRA157 Rollerball, Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier gel ink and the Pilot G-2 Pro, to name a few.  I would also say that it doesn’t “hang” as much as an A.G. Spalding blue-barreled fountain pen I have.  In other words, the nib flows right along the paper with little, if any, skipping.

My only (tiny) gripe is the fact that it’s a little light for my taste.  I like a pen to have some weight when I hold it and I don’t do enough extensive writing so I’m not overly concerned about hand fatigue.  Coming in at 0.5 oz, the Cavalier Fountain Pen is slightly lighter (~0.3 oz lighter) than the Hi-Tec-C Cavalier gel ink and the Ohto Fine Ceramic Roller Ball pens (which are both among my favorites).  Of course, this is a fountain and the other two aren’t, it’s like comparing apples to oranges, but I want to get around to trying the A.G. Spalding BRFT220 Fountain pens that clock in at 1.20 oz.

Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pens available at Jetpens.com

Jetpens, get more of the silver, they're HOT!

Welcome to The Pen Chronicles

Thanks for stopping by, World.  I've recently gotten hooked by the enjoyment of Pens.  All this time I had no idea how much better a "real" pen can feel in your hands compared to one of inferior quality.  So I decided to give writing about my pen experiences a shot.  I do have to give a big shout out to Jetpens (um, did I just use the phrase "shout out?" Who does that?).  They've got an enormous selection of pens and they've helped to quench (read: deepened) my newfound addiction to pens.  A lot of the pens I'll probably write about are available on their website.  Hope you enjoy my musings!  Stay classy.