Review: Retro 1951 Tornado

Yesterday, an exciting parcel from Retro 1951 arrived...

I hope you like pens, because between two posts I will be reviewing four of them!

In the package, there were two fountain pens and two ballpoints, but in this article, I will be reviewing the former.

They arrived very well packaged, in several layers of bubble wrap, which is how I like to see new writing instruments arrive. They certainly weren't carelessly tossed into the box!

If you have read my earlier reviews of other pens, you know that I am slightly obsessed with good packaging. If the pen is worth over £30, I want the packaging to be functional, aesthetically pleasing and reusable. Retro 1951 have definitely ticked all these boxes, and then some! The thick cardboard tubes are bright and fun as well as sturdy. Even without bubble wrap, I highly doubt that the pens would have been damaged in transit.

I lifted the top of one of the tubes off, to find that the bottom of it functions as a pen holder! This is the kind of design feature that I love. The small stands coordinate with my desk perfectly, and they make the pens stand out even more.

When I opened the tube, an ink converter and manual fell out. The manual contains full care instructions for all Retro 1951 rollerballs, ballpoints and fountain pens, as well as a guide on how to register your pen for the one-year warranty that comes with all their products. The ink converter is your average screw-plunger type, but is good quality. It doesn't come full of ink - I did that!

I repeated this process for the other tube, which was cheerfully adorned with prints of vintage cars. This led me to expect a pen with a similar design, but as you can see from a picture further up the article, a beautiful raw brass pen appeared in front of me!

OOH SHINY!

I couldn't decide whether I preferred the pewter-coated Frederick Douglass pen, with its unique and immensely hypnotic pattern, or the atonishingly bright shininess of the brass. I decided to try out the Douglass first.

The second I picked it up, it felt sturdy and reliable. The whole pen, apart from the section and feed, is metal. Yet this doesn't make it tiring to write with, because while it is weighty, it is comfortable to grip. I am writing this whole article with it, and my hand does not feel at all fatigued.

When I unscrewed the lid (which has a nice springy clip and is topped by the face of Frederick Douglass) a lovely medium steel nib was revealed. It has a very attractive pattern, a small 'M' indicating the size, and '51' in a circle representing the brand name.

Since I always use bottled ink, I unscrewed the barrel in order to insert the converter. A deafening squeak issued forth from the threads...

It was very easily fixed - a drop of silicone grease resolved the issue and the threads are very smooth. The squeak wasn't surprising given that the pen had never been used before!

When the barrel was removed, two ink cartridges fell out. I don't tend to use cartridges, buying bottled ink is more economical, but I'll carry the spares with me in case I ever need a quick refill in an emergency.

I inserted the converter and filled it with some black Pineider ink. Once the barrel (now silent) had been screwed back on, it was ready to start writing!

One of the tines was very slightly misaligned with the other - oh, I know it is picky but I am particular about nibs and I inspect the pen very thoroughly! It initially made the writing experience, but now that I have used it more, the offending tine seems to have settled into the correct position.

So I can now say that this is a very pleasant nib indeed! It is the correct thickness for a medium, laying down a firm line on the paper that is not too wet nor too dry. It glides easily over the page.

The cap can be posted, but not very securely and it makes the pen top-heavy. It feels better in the hand when the cap is left off. It has a pleasant weight to it, with a comfortable grip section. It also happens to be the perfect length for my hands, which makes it a very ergonomic pen, for me at least.

I've focused mainly on the Douglass pen so far, but the raw brass one performs just as well. It too has a lovely steel nib (medium), and the tines on this one weren't misaligned at all. The barrel didn't squeak, and all the threads in the pen are very smooth. The sleek polished metal is very pleasant to hold, and the green cap jewel coordinates well with the golden colour.

I like the knurled top that is characteristic of all Retro 1951 pens, and I appreciate that they refrained from pasting the brand name all over the pen. There is just a little metal band on the cap reading 'Tornado by Retro 1951'.

From my experience of them so far, these pens are stylish, sturdy and reliable. I have had no hard starts or skipping and the ink capacity seems good since I still haven't run out of ink while writing this review. I adore the designs and the strong metal construction of the pen. The packaging is how I would expect it to be for a high-value pen, and overall, I am delighted with them both. I can see why some fountain pen collectors are huge fans of this brand!

Also, since I have only used these pens for a day or so, I intend to post a review update next month, because it is hard to fully review a product as soon as you recieve it! I post the initial review going off my first experiences with the pen, and because I don't like to keep companies waiting around for a month. But products have to consistently perform well, so stick around for the update. I will now be doing this for all products I review!

That was actually my Dad's idea. Don't ask me why I never thought of it before!

For anybody who is curious as to who Frederick Douglass was, he 'was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman' (thanks Wikipedia!). I can't post his whole history here, so I'd recommend you search online for more information!

Disclaimer: These pens were sent to me for review by Retro 1951. This does not affect my review and all opinions expressed in it are my own.