Posts filed under Ballpoint

LAMY noto Teal Ballpoint Pen Review

As a long-time LAMY fan, not even I have tried all of their pens and pencils, but I’m getting one step closer with this review of the LAMY noto.

In my mind, LAMY does entry-level as well as anyone that’s not looking to dominate retail shelves with three-packs of pens, or office supply cabinets with dozen-count boxes. Entry-level in their case means a single pen made well, and for a fair price. The noto ranges from $12-16 depending on the color (this Teal model is a “Special Edition” and runs $14,) and places itself in the popular “upgrade from my first pen” category.

Is it an upgrade, though? Let’s take a look.

The noto (I’m having a hard time not capitalizing “noto,” but that’s how LAMY lists it,) is a plastic barrel, retractable, ballpoint pen. Designed by Naoto Fukasawa, it is the only LAMY creation by what seems to be quite a prolific designer. The noto fits the LAMY aesthetic, so I’d say they nailed the design brief.

The standout design points of the noto are the triangular grip section, and what I’m calling an inset clip that appears built in to the barrel. These features are also ones that can be divisive for anyone interested in buying the noto.

While the triangular grip is less intrusive than the molded grip section used on their Safari and AL-Star lineups, it can still pose a problem for non-traditional grips. It’s comfortable for a standard tripod grip like mine, and I can even rotate the barrel when writing without the clip hitting my hand way due to its design. I also like the monotone matching throughout the Teal barrel.

The clip design … I just can’t get behind it from a functional perspective. It looks good, and it is unobtrusive, but it requires a little extra if you want to clip it to something. Maybe you have to tilt your paper at an angle, of maybe it takes two hands to attach. Whatever it is, it’s extra. It’s a form over function design. I like the form, and don’t use the function.

The refill used by the Noto is their classic M16 ballpoint. I must be an outlier in that I enjoy this refill, because it does get some grief. As far as standard ballpoint ink formulations go, it is up there in quality and performance. This Black Medium refill is dark and smooth, and the tip stays clean. Maybe one day LAMY will allow customers to easily upgrade to the uniball Jetstream-filled LAMY M17 refill, but today is not that day. Regardless, I think it writes great as-is.

To answer the “upgrade” question above, I’ll be direct and say that the LAMY noto - or other entry-level LAMY ballpoints like the XEVO - cannot compete on pure refill performance with any uniball Jetstream ballpoint. No ballpoint can, to be clear, so why consider the noto? It looks fantastic, feels great in the hand, writes well, and is fun to use. At $14, it makes for a good personal, portable option, and would make a good gift, especially give the range of color options.

The LAMY noto makes me smile, and that’s as good of a reason to own it as any.

(Goldspot Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 27, 2026 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

rOtring 600 Ballpoint Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

rOtring are very well known for their iconic mechanical pencils. The signature look evokes serious-business design. It's a plain sort of elegance, but jazzed up by the fun new colors available in the 600 line. The ballpoint version of the 600 has the same look as the pencil.

This pen is in the newer “Chocolate Truffle” color, which is a burgundy-brown that I absolutely love. The smooth matte finish gives it a very elegant look. It's also available in blue, black, dark stone (grey), gold, silver, green, red, pearl white, and rose gold. They all look good enough to make choosing difficult.

The body of the pen is brass. It's still lightweight, but feels very solid. The body is hexagonal, so it doesn't roll, and the grip section is the gritty knurled tube that rOtring is known for. It has a very sturdy metal clip. The click knock has a very satisfying clunk, but it's surprisingly silent. You can click to your heart's content without annoying your coworkers. The nosecone is narrow and elongated, designed to let you see the tip of the pen better as you draw or write.

The grip section unscrews to allow access to the refill. The refill included is a rOtring oil-based, parker-style ballpoint. And it's not great. It's fairly pale, railroads, and it smears, even long after writing. It's still perfectly useable for a practical purpose. I've been using it at work for a few weeks now, and it's been a pleasure to use. But it could be so much better. Fortunately, there are many better options that will fit. The Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, the Uni Jetstream, and the Fisher Space Pen pressurized ballpoint refill are all good options.

The rOtring 600 Ballpoint sells for $41.60 at Vanness Pen Shop, marked down from the list price of $52. It's a lot for a ballpoint pen, but the prestige of the brand is part of what you're paying for, here. For the good quality build, easy refill access, and timeless look, I think it earns its sticker price. It's one I keep reaching for. It's a convenient staple that makes the experience of everyday writing a bit better.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 9, 2026 by Sarah Read and filed under Rotring, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Caran d'Ache 849 Germanier Ballpoint Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Having lived in Switzerland, I have a soft spot in my heart for Caran d'Ache. As a Swiss brand, it dominated the stationery store, and I had no complaints about it. I've admired their special editions a lot--they're all gorgeous--so I was very excited to try out this lovely 849 Germanier Ballpoint.

The pen comes in an aluminum presentation box with the colorful pearl pattern on it. The box has a hinged lid and the pen sits in a cardstock cubby inside. The pen itself is also aluminum. It is an eye-searing neon green color decorated all over with the signature pearl design of Swiss fashion designer Kevin Germanier. The collaboration has a number of exciting designs (designer-bedazzled pencil sharpener, anyone? Um, yes), with this ballpoint as one of the more accessible features.

The lilac pearls on the bright green background highlight the blend of natural and futuristic elements in Germanier's aesthetic. The overall effect, for me, reminds me of eco-horror science fiction like Jeff Vandermeer's Area X series, which is one of my all-time favorite reads. It's like space lichen. I mean that in the most complimentary way.

As an art object, it's fantastic. As a pen, it's decent. The body has the hexagonal shape of all Caran d'Ache pens, with its angular metal clip and silent click-nock. The refill is the medium black Goliath cartridge. It writes like a typical ballpoint. The ink is not a deep black, but the charcoal grey of most ballpoint black inks. It also does that glob-smudge thing when the ball shifts directions. The globs have a tendency to smear. But the ballpoint ink writes on darn near everything and never bleeds, so it's perfect for coated papers like receipts or sticky notes, or on thin or fibrous papers that would be incompatible with liquid inks.

While the writing experience runs more practical than fun, the pen design is way more fun than practical. It's a good balance, in the end. The Caran d'Ache 849 Germanier Ballpoint pen sells for $70 at Dromgoole's, which is more than twice what the standard Caran d'Ache 849 ballpoints cost. That's a pretty steep premium for the limited edition, even if it is a fabulous design. It's definitely eye-catching. I've had it clipped to my shirt collar at work, and it gets lots of comments! It's a great design on a good pen, though it is a bit overpriced. The blinged-out pencil sharpener doesn't even have a price listed on it. It's priceless.

(This product was purchased from Dromgoole’s at regular price.)

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