While using up a gift certificate at one of my favorite local art/office/pen stores, Wet Paint, I took a chance on this Retro 51 Hex-O-Matic ballpoint.
Yes, when I see a list that says 'Value' or 'Precision' on it, it usually gets my attention. In this case, the marketing worked on me.
As a nerd and fan of technical imagery, the blueprint of the pen also helped to secure the purchase.
It wasn't just the cool packaging that resulted in this pen coming home; As you can see, this is a pretty sharp looking pen. I love writing instruments made of metal, and the drafting pencil look is timeless as far as I'm concerned.
Here are some of the other metal implements I own, all of which have a knurled grip of some sort. At the top is a Zebra F-701 .7 mm ballpoint. The one below that is a Pentel Graph Gear 1000 .5 mm mechanical pencil. Next is a Staedtler Silver Series 2.0 mm lead holder. And the Retro 51 Hex-O-Matic is on the bottom.
I think the Hex-O-Matic looks most like the Rotring 600, which is good in that the Rotring 600 is wonderful to look at - a design classic - but it is not very 'Innovative' as indicated on the box.
Either way, the pen is still gorgeous, but I always worry about how disappointing the next ballpoint is going to be, and it all comes down to the refill.
The Hex-O-Matic comes with a Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 cartridge, one I had read good things about in reviews of super-smooth ballpoint inks.
The cartridge is pretty sizable, too. It has Retro 1951 on it, but it will be a Schmidt if you are trying to find refills. The pen also takes Parker refills, so I will be looking forward to using this refill up to try out a fine point gel, a format I typically prefer over ballpoint.
In the writing sample, I made a complaint about the construction of the push button and the clip. It is not completely obvious from this image, but the clip is bent slightly to the right. The push button and clip are made out of a relatively thin aluminum.
I hate to say it, but the sturdiness of a soda can comes to mind when using those two components.
I hope this image isn't too hard to read. I still don't have the best lighting situation.
So, the final verdict? If you really like pens for their design, this is a very cool option. I do feel that it is overpriced for what you get, and the construction absolutely needs improvement at this price point; the three other metal/knurled I showed in one of the images are all $12-$27 cheaper than the Hex-O-Matic, with the Zebra F-701 being available, at times, for as little as $5.00, and that feels much sturdier than this.
I may very well feel different about this pen once I get a different refill in it, because this one had a lot of white spots and inconsistencies, but it was, to its credit, a very smooth ballpoint refill.
I can't say that I would jump out there to get this one, and I should have gone with one of the Retro 51 Tornado rollerballs instead of this one.
Oh well. At least it will look cool sitting on my desk.