How hard can it really be?

“If want to change the world pick up your pen and write…”

Martin Luther

Retractable ballpoint pens have are a dime a dozen. They are cheap enough to be mass produced, work effortlessly, have reliable mechanisms and are as dull as dishwater. If you are using one from a hotel chain or drug company, I am afraid you have lost all my respect. The attraction of a pen that can be thrown into a pocket, has no cap to deal with or indeed lose, and can be operated with a single hand, is obvious to all, even me. The Mt Everest of fountains pen design has been to produce a really good, ergonomic retractable system for the pen nib units. The issues are keeping the nib airtight when retracted, not allowing the pen barrel to become too bulky, finding a practical way to fill it with ink, and dealing with a clip that in order to keep to nib upright needs to be right where you grip the pen. The only real success has been the Pilot Vanishing Point. The VP is essentially unchanged since it’s release in the 1960s and to be honest has never really dealt with the clip issue, just hold it between your fingers when writing and suck it up. This entrant is the 2024 Nahvular Eclipse. It deals with the problem of the clip by not having one. The nib retraction mechanism has led to a very fat pen that needs two hands to operate and virtually no grip section. Filling with ink is about as straightforward as quenching a nuclear reactor. Reviews of this pen are decidedly mixed to say the least. #wecanputamanonthemoon #letsmakelemonade