Retro 1951 Tornado Rollerball Pen, Stainless Steel (VRR-1315)

Context: My Bic clicker of some years was finally running out of ink and I decided to get an upscale replacement to serve writing duty at my desk. I wanted a thicker pen for better comfort that didn't have a click mechanism or a cap. I have somewhat large hands (roughly 4" by 8" with my palm outstretched and fingers kept together).The Retro 51 Tornado is surprisingly well-weighted and balanced for its size. At just under 5", it's the shortest writing utensil I have in my possession, 1/4" smaller than my Cross Century mechanical pencil. It weighs more than my aluminum and brass lead holder, and that weight is centered right before the end of the clip. The base of the cone protecting the rollerball is roughly 9mm across, and the barrel widens from that point up to the other end of the pen.All of the properties listed above make the usage of this pen one of the most comfortable writing experiences I've yet to find in any writing utensil. The center of gravity is placed right at the base of my index finger where I pivot the pen, making it easy to maneuver despite its weight. The taper allows me to hold the pen with minimal force without worry of sliding.The fit and finish is excellent. Nothing rattles and the twist action is smooth and well-weighted. The barrel is quite stiff and doesn't flex when I try to bend it. It takes roughly 2 pounds of force deflect the clip 1mm.The included rollerball cartridge delivers ink much like how I would expect a fountain pen to do so. The ink flows freely and a small amount of pressure is enough to produce a full-bodied stroke. In a 100 letter writing test, all of the characters came out plainly legible and I did not have to redo any strokes. Some strokes outside of that writing test did appear thin, though I'm not sure if that was simply the result of bad writing angle or an actual hiccup from the rollerball.I wouldn't recommend this pen for use with thin paper. At least with my example, the ink often bled through common college-ruled stuff.I like this pen a lot. All the features and properties seem to fit my use case and I look forward to writing more with it. The overall workmanship of the pen points to it lasting a very long time in my possession. I'll update this review when I reach a milestone or if anything changes with the pen.07/09/2020 Update: I recently tried writing a page with this pen on some softer, heavier weight acid-free paper, but I found the rollerball struggling to consistently deliver ink, especially over areas on the page where I've rested my hand. The pen still writes fine over thin paper, however. It seems the ball is getting caught on the thicker paper, preventing the cartridge from dispensing ink properly. Writing lighter and at a more perpendicular angle seems to help, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this pen for use with soft, thick paper. I still like this pen a lot, but if I am to exhaust the cartridge, I will have to reconsider what cases I will use this pen for. No big deal. It's about time I got a fountain pen anyhow.Post-script:Besides being immediately less fiddly, the twist-action prevents the coil spring from ever decompressing at its maximum return speed. Only time will tell how long the mechanism will last, though I felt this would at least be more reliable than some click mechanism designs.In researching and selecting a pen I was more concerned about the quality of the enclosure and cartridge compatibility than the included cartridge itself (actually, the fact that it appears to be functioning so well is a little bittersweet. I wanted to try filling it with fountain pen ink, but I guess that'll have to wait some months).For everyday carry, I probably wouldn't take this pen—or any pen that doesn't have a solid cap for that matter. Ball pen cartridges in general don't seem as reliable as fountain pen reservoirs. I don't think failure will happen anytime soon with my example, but I'm not going to take any chances on my favorite dress shirt, at least not yet.

Yeah. When I thought the perfect pen didn’t exist, I hadn’t held this one yet. It has a very nice weight to it that makes it feel substantial but not too heavy to hold and right with for an extended period of time. The ink is amazing. It flows so smooth and looks Very pigmented. The most amazing thing is though, it doesn’t smear. I was amazed. We were buying a car, and the car salesman had one of these. We got to talking about pens and how very different each pen is to each other. He told me to wait and went into his office and got this for me to try. It changed my right wife. I immediately went to Amazon that moment and purchase this. Now I have one for my desk, and one to take around with so that I can share it with other people. This pen would make a lovely gift, because as the brand says, life is too short to carry an ugly pen. The brand has lots of cool designs, although they can be pretty pricey. I would highly highly recommend this pen.

This is a Beautiful Pen!! I needed a Rollerball to join my Fountain Pens to make my Everyday Carry Pen Case complete. The pen feels good in the hand. Writing for long periods of time does not strain my hand using this pen. I Love this pen!.. and it’s very easy to get refills for the pen!

This pen is very very nice. Great quality, has a nice little heaviness to it , and I love the fact that you can use Parker refills.

This is actually pen number two for me. The first I bought at a comparable price at a nice pen store. I've recently taken up my aunt's mantle and started writing family and friends as a more nostalgic, memorable way to communicate with them in the age of digital communication.The pen is far heavier than most I've tried, but not uncomfortably so. The weight feels good in the hand. It's substantial and you're not likely to forget it is or isn't there on your shirt pocket. The construction is basic and very straightforward. What you CAN'T see in the photos is that whatever color enamel is on the body of the pen, the top has a ring in the same color of enamel. It's a nice little touch.Some people have complained about the pen frequently needing replacing on the cartridges. I was told that Parker cartridges will fit this pen, but I seriously enjoy the feel and way that the Retro Tornado 51 refills flow. They probably run out faster, but I get a very bold line that shows a lot more than just words, and an emotion of sort comes through. I find them well worth the purchase and personally go to a local dealer for a more instant type of gratification. Some people may see the life of the cartridge as a downside, but the benefits far outweigh them for me.A downside also to this pen could be user error. It's a twist cap. If you're going to carry this on your person, please make sure that you twist it to retract the pen every single time. I didn't one day, and thankfully my chef's jackets are all black, as is my undershirt, so no stains are visible. The only way I knew that it had leaked out was that (a) the pen just suddenly didn't work very well but I *KNOW* I had just replaced the cartridge a day or two prior.... and (b) at the end of my day, when I was changing into my street clothes, I had an ink stain on my arm where my shoulder pocket is.... (a) + (b) = user error. I don't blame the pen for this. So I won't knock any stars off for that.I'm buying a few of these pens as Christmas Gifts and I see myself acquiring a few more so I've got even easier access to them. They're a rather pleasurable experience for writing.