Monday, October 19, 2009

Lefties Unite! 2 of 3 Stabilo 's move


About two months ago I was making my way to the checkout counter of a nearby Dick Blick art store with my grip of new pens when my cousin gave a shout from the clearance table. Oh clearance table, why art thou so tempting! She knew my weakness for pens was only topped by my weakness for those same pens at a lower price. With new opportunities dancing before my eyes, I selectively plucked through the ripe vine of close-out goodies. One of the pieces from that day was this Stabilo 's move.

Yet another learning pen, this time from Germany. This particular pen is designed specifically to curve to a left hand.

Body: Obviously a very unique twist to the left handed pen. the light blue part of the pen is a smooth hard plastic. The darker portion is a smooth rubber that is a touch slick, but not enough to be annoying. It reminds me of the Tul grip minus the pits. The whole pen feels very sturdy and child-proof. The cap screws off and it cannot be posted. This pen's grip is pretty nice. I actually find myself gripping it properly with only minor discomfort and minimal distortion to my normal handwriting. Not bad at all. I believe the tip I purchased was 0.7mm.

Ink: This is the oddest ink I've come across. It is very wet. It is much more similar to a fountain pen then a liquid gel. Despite being a smoother writer then most, it is still not a fountain pen. I really like the way this ink handles on my Rhodia bloc 14. It still takes a bit to dry but is still faster then fountain pen ink. Truly a middle ground between an Energel and fountain pen ink. It is still a bit lighter shade of blue then I'd like. Another interesting note is that the package (I wish I'd have saved it.) advertised that it was eraseable ink. I tried rubbing the nub on the back of the pen, the cap as well, but no erasing. Not real sure what they meant by that. It does seem to have a problem putting out a consistent line as well. If you'll notice in the picture there are a couple of spots where the ink jumped and though I finished the letter, the ink did not.

Price: $5.37 from a place called Art store direct. I paid just under $2.00 for mine. The package came with a refill cartridge.

Lefty Bottom Line: A comfortable and unique looking pen. It comes in many colors and even different point sizes/pencil. It has difficult to describe ink but there were inconsistent lines yet no problems with smearing on my Rhodia pad. I wouldn't go out of my way to find this pen, but it's worth a look if you happen across one.

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