A.I. Friedman on West 18th Street has a great selection of Moleskine products, including many of their bags and other accessories (sunglasses, small cases, and the specialty Passion journals). Among their stock is the Moleskine Rollerball Pen, both the black plastic ($14.95) shown above and the metal rollerball ($49.95) which comes in its own crafted case.
It's a great design that will fit on many journals, the pen cap is open on one side to slip onto the edge of the journal cover.
This is one of the darkest black inks I've every used (and it is proprietary to Moleskin); while it goes on very wet (you can see the shine as you write) it dries within a few seconds. I was surprised that the ink leaves a shadow on the Moleskine paper, so while there is no bleed through you still may not be able to write on both sides. The pen comes in a 0.7mm wide and the one I'm using, a 0.5mm fine tip. The line seems about right, not too wide or unwieldy.
The pen itself is slim and rectangular, reminding me of a carpenter pencil. It feels a bit strange in the hand, too wide and hard-edged rather than round with a soft grip like my other pens.
A side view of the way the pen looks attached to a Moleskine journal. It's slim profile and matte black plastic actually allow this pen to blend into a black journal like the Moleskine. As it disappears, you don't notice it until you go looking for a pen to write with.The Moleskine Rollerball is certainly priced competitively with other higher-end rollerballs, and is made specifically to attach to a journal--the one time you really need a pen at hand. Definitely a fun product with an elegant design, take a look if you are thinking of adding to your collection.
Just bought a Moleskine journal, this pen will go great with it! Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteVERY cool! I'll link to this tomorrow. ;-)
ReplyDeleteCurious if you have seen the Ecosystem journals before? Similar to Moleskins - got a photo of them on my blog - http://dinitro.blogspot.com/2011/07/cool-new-journal-for-notetaking.html.
ReplyDeleteThey are similar to Moleskins you note above and from my historical use of Moleskins and other brands these are really nice. I am looking for a place to buy more of them since I bought all the ones I found at the store near me.
Speedmaster, thanx for the link.
ReplyDeleteYochanan, it's a classy looking pen and not too expensive, so it's a great addition to the Moleskine lineup.
DiNitro, I use the Ecosystem journals and like them a lot. Was going to photograph the pen on my Clementine hardcover Ecosystem, but decided to go with a purely Moleskine look. :) Thanks for the link.
DiNitro, you can find Ecosystem at Barnes & Noble, but they also have a website and are on Twitter (@EcosystemLife) if you want to get in touch with them. They are very responsive, especially as you've reviewed them on your website. :)
ReplyDeleteUnderstand the need to maintain "brand" consistency! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJust saw your 2nd comment to me after I wrote my last response - thanks for the leads. Haven't seen them at B&N here in Boston, but maybe soon; will need to take another look. Otherwise it will be to their Twitter account or website. Thanks.
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