Seeking What's Worth It
Karas Pen Co. have been in the machined-pen game for nearly 15 years. It all started with their first Kickstarter project, the Render K, back in 2011 and they have been producing quality machined writing instruments ever since. The success of their initial product line kicked off a series of unique and stylish pens under … Continue reading Everyday Karas Basik.001 Review
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I must have done some good deeds in a past life because the retractable fountain pen market is on the rise. This week we have the Ensso BOLT Retractable Fountain Pen: a Kickstarter project that launched back in January 2024 that secured full funding and completed fulfillment by the end of July. Not a bad turnaround for a Kickstarter. And sure, it was successful on paper, but how is the pen on paper? Well I've been using the pen for a couple months at this point, and I've got opinions. Let's take a look at the Ensso BOLT.
On a recent trip to Texas I came across a library book store selling Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel gel pen refills. At the time I was looking for something, anything to replace the Schmidt P8126 cartridge I was stuck with. Well, after a slightly rocky start, the Leuchtturm1917 refill was writing surprisingly well for a gel refill in the Parker-style format. I decided upon my return to California that I would seek out the full pen experience to get a better picture of the product.
The Poor Penman 