[Pen/Pencil Review] Moleskine Roller Pen Plus – Burgundy
Welcome to 2016, and the Year of Getting Stuff Done (version who-knows-which) – and starting with keeping up with the blog. And…we’re going to start with something I didn’t actually get for Christmas. It was an impulse buy in a Best Buy check out line. (Yes, that happens.) But I’ve been wanting/meaning to try these out for a while anyway… Win/Win…
Today I bring you the Moleskine Classic Roller Pen Plus in burgundy. This is called a “M†for medium point – it’s an awesome 0.7mm ink point. This pen is refillable with a Parker-Style refill that comes in several colors on Moleskine. A 0.5mm roller ball refill is available but the colors are severely limited (definitely interested in trying it though).
This pen is different. It’s rectangular with what I want to call a three-quarter wide wrap clip that lets you anchor the pen to the cover of a journal or planner (preferably, I’m sure, a Moleskine…though I also got it to work with my handmade leather journal). Currently it’s on the cover of my new Peanuts planner that will hopefully keep me more organized this year. The ink is dark, the ink flows well with little skipping or scratching. It’s better on less “slick†paper, but there’s nothing wrong with the function.
The pen is 5.5†long capped, 6.5†long with the cap posted, and not quite 5.5†uncapped. It’s a good length. The cap does post securely enough to feel like it’s not going to fly away. The grip tapers to the point and rounds out toward the tip. There’s some spring to the point that gives it some flex. I thought the rectangular body would be uncomfortable to work with, but it’s amazingly easy to work with, but I can see where it can throw some folks off.
If you’re an avid planner or journal person, it’s a good way to make sure you always have a pen. There’s a bit of a learning curve with the shape. It might feel a bit long to some people, but the balance is decent, so there’s a lot of good to the pen. It’s not cheap, so make sure it’s something you want to invest in before you do. The pen comes with stickers…probably to let you know what color is in the barrel, but I left them in the packaging, and I’m not really a sticker type person. So there’s that.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s better than I expected given the unusual shape. Good ink, that flows well and leaves a great line.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – There are no ergonomics. This pen is a solid plastic. The edges are rounded, but it is a rectangular pen – it’s an odd feel
3. Material – 1 It’s a decent quality plastic and metal pen with the option to open the far end to change out the refills. The metal parts are strong. The cap posts securely.
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s weird and odd and cool all at once. I wasn’t sure I would care for it, but for a rectangular barrel, I actually like it.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s expensive. These run between $14 and $15 – most of that is for the Moleskine name. The pen is refillable, which makes it an investment pen. You can change colors, point sizes, and use it for quite a while. But it’s not for the faint of heart.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
