Retro 1951 Double 8 in Crimson

April 6, 2010

I just got this pen for my birthday and I realized that it has been several years since the last review. So, I thought it was time for the forum to revisit it. The current version seems to be quite similar to those described in the previous two reviews, but I am hoping my experience (short as it may be) will help you in forming your conclusions.

Packaging:

The pen now comes in a fairly standard box, heavy cardboard with a velvet holder inside. While nice it doesn't really say much about the pen nor does it raise any eyebrows. But, that is not the critical issue, we aren't writing with the box.

Appearance:

The pen itself is made from red “Crimson” cellulose acetate and has a good feel and balance. It is on the heavier side of pens, but that is the way I like them. It has chrome accents and all in all is very pleasing to the eye. The eight facets of the pen, advertised as being lucky as per Chinese tradition. When I first saw this pen in a catalog I was not impressed, but in person the color is much richer and pleasing to the eye. I think the pen is sober enough for business use, but has enough flare to stand out. You can see the pen at their website here.

Size:

The pen is 5 5/8 inches closed, just shy of 5 inches open and 6 ½ inches posted. I am not sure of the exact weight, but it is fairly substantial. The balance is good posted or not, and the octagonal shape makes it easy to hold and prevents it from rolling off the table.

Nib:

I got the fine nib (steel with iridium) it has two tones and looks good. The Nib itself is quite large (or maybe normal as I have been using a Cross Apogee for most of my writing). It writes smoothly, but in a way so you can feel the paper you are writing on (a bit of tooth I guess you might say). It is also a fairly dry writer which is a good thing, since my wife bought me some Private Reserve quick drying black ink a year ago which in all my other pens feathers something awful. In the retro, however, it is perfect.

Over all I am pleased with the pen, and would recommend it as a good everyday writer, especially if you have some ink that all your other pens are just too wet to use. As for the issues that the 2005 review brought up about the threading separating from the barrel I will have to see if that is still an issue. I'll try to update this again in about 6 months to see how it is holding up.