Tombow Havana Zoom 505 Fountain Pen Review

[The Blue Knight]

Intro

 

There are few pen models these days that don’t have a long backlog of reviews. However, Tombow pens fall in this category. Tombow is mostly known for their art materials but they have made a small range of fountain pens with unique designs over the years I recently happened upon a Tombow Zoom 909 (shown below) fountain pen at a reasonable price and it peaked my interest. I have for a long time been looking for a good everyday carry pen the Havana looked suitable choice.

 

 

It’s unclear which pens of Tombows range are still being made however the Havana did sit in the middle below the Zoom 101 a futuristic carbon fiber pen and above the Object an anodised aluminium pen which was available in vibrant colours.

 

 

Design

The pen resembles its namesake a Cigar. With a rubber accent positioned where the label would be on the barrel. It is a large pen, larger then I was expecting. Seen next to a 51 and an Excellence A2 it is of similar size. The pen has a pleasant design. I wasn’t initially a fan of the Champagne colour the pen comes in however it looks better than the photos suggested. From the little information I could find about out about it. It won a red dot design award in 1990 and 30 years later the design is holding up well.

 

Top to bottom Excellence A, Havana, 51

Construction Quality

This is where the Zoom 909 exceled and where this one does as well. The pen has a heft to it which given the impression it could easily hold up to knocks and bumps from everyday use. Whilst not appearing heavy for the sake of it. I was a little concerned it narrowed down too significantly however it feels comfortable in the hand. The grip is plastic rather than rubber so I expect should hold up well with everyday use.

 

Nib Performance

I chose the broad nib and it writes well neither too wet or too dry an ideal nib for everyday use .

 

 

Filling and Maintenance

I was a bit disappointed it didn’t come with a converter as most pens do at this price. However it takes standard international refills

 

Price

The pen sits around £50 mark. There aren’t very many stockist with amazon having a limited range and the odd other eBay seller (suggesting it has been discontinued). It costs a bit more than other metal bodied steel nibbed pens never the less it’s an uncommon pen and doesn’t cost vastly more than other similar pens (Lamy Aion, Pelikan Pura etc). But prices do vary as with most pens.

The matching rollerball and pencil can be found below £15 each meaning a set can be made for under £75 which is significantly less then other similar pens

 

Conclusion

 

The question of what constitutes a good everyday pen never seems to end, the myriad of topics on this suggests it. The Havana in mind combines all the essentials of a good pen and it's definitely one of the better options I've tried.

My only gripe is that it would be nice if it was available in few different finishes

Edited January 13, 2020 by The Blue Knight

[basterma]

I have a Zoom 909 and it is an interesting pen. The cap on mine has a loose clip and doesn't screw on well to the body. The cap threads are plastic and are not enough to grip well. In many ways the pen seems like an experimental pen where they were figuring things out. It writes well and I like the fact that the cartridge level can be checked without uncapping the pen. II also have the Tombow Object, which seems like they learned their lessons and made a much better pen. The Object looks very similar. Your Zoom 505 sems to have the plastic grip and separator idea from the Zoom 909 with the rest of the Object.

[The Blue Knight]

I have a Zoom 909 and it is an interesting pen. The cap on mine has a loose clip and doesn't screw on well to the body. The cap threads are plastic and are not enough to grip well. In many ways the pen seems like an experimental pen where they were figuring things out. It writes well and I like the fact that the cartridge level can be checked without uncapping the pen. II also have the Tombow Object, which seems like they learned their lessons and made a much better pen. The Object looks very similar. Your Zoom 505 sems to have the plastic grip and separator idea from the Zoom 909 with the rest of the Object.

 

My zoom 909 metal threads on both the cap and section, interesting.

[WLSpec]

Nice! I don't have a Tombow, so this was interesting to read

[Braxfield]

Am I right in thinking that Tombow has abandoned the fountain pen? I see no trace in their current catalogue or website. There can be found here and there in Ebay and that seems to be it these days.

 

The 505 is a very pleasant rollerball. I have a Meta on order.

[The Blue Knight]

Am I right in thinking that Tombow has abandoned the fountain pen? I see no trace in their current catalogue or website. There can be found here and there in Ebay and that seems to be it these days.

 

The 505 is a very pleasant rollerball. I have a Meta on order.

 

It's not terribly clear but I think only the zoom 101 is being made.

[Braxfield]

Yes, that appears to be the case. Alas!

 

I recently purchased a used Tombow Object. I have to say, it's a fantastic little pen! I have seen one review that describes it as an over-priced Pilot Metropolitan. That is not my impression at all. In fact, I would not put it in that league at all.

 

The pleasures of a particular pen are both objective and subjective - questions of build quality and basic design on the one side, questions of hand-feel and, I suppose aesthetics on the other. What made the Object excel was the solid construction, the weight (not too much, not to little) and something much more elusive and hard-to-define... character. It's partly the unique shape (quite dragonfly-like, I suppose) but also the quite unusual and complex section. Add to that the way it fit in my hand and it quickly and unexpectedly zoomed to one of my favorite pens. I'm not sure I could have gauged how comfortable it would feel by looking at pictures.

 

 

If it is true that Tombow has abandoned these pens, then I think it is a shame. They are quirky, great little performers, and look like they could run forever.

 

If you get a chance too try one out, I would recommend you give it a go. Not for everyone, but if it fits, you'll love it!