REVIEW – Retro51 Tornado Pen
// February 8th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Review
Life’s too short to carry an Ugly Pen.
-Retro 1951
Good writing tools are hard to come by, especially for the traveler. Many people swear by the Fisher Space Pen for it’s ability to write on almost anything, and in any direction, even upside down, thanks to a pressurized ink cartridge. I have two, so even I love that pen. Some people choose to write in a journal, and so go with a fountain pen because of it’s smooth writing and good looks. The traditional ball point pen is ubiquitous and reliable, but kind of boring. And rollerballs leave great lines but tend to dry a bit slowly, depending on the paper. It can really be a challenge to find the a great pen for your travel kit, one that melds great writing with a stylish look. Enter the Tornado from Retro 1951.
Retro 1951’s Tornado is a pen that combines style, comfort, and smoothness into one fine package.
photo courtesy Retro1951.com
STYLE – All of Retro 1951’s pens are styled in a slick 1950’s aesthetic. Reminiscent of appliances your parents and grandparents had in their kitchen, the stainless steel pen sports a skinny point that screws into a tapered cylinder body. Wider at the top of the pen, the a partially split pocket clip connects to the body by a ferrule that sports the words “Tornado by Retro 1951.” A knurled twist top end cap serves as the mechanism by which the ink cartridge is pushed from the body.
The Classic Laquer series comes in a variety of colors, ranging from stainless, black, and blue, to orange, kiwi, and peacock. The company also offers other collections, including crossword and sudoku pens, and a pen whose cylinder is made from bamboo.
Aside from the Tornado, Retro 1951 offers a wide assortment of pens, all with this similar styling, but with different cylinder designs. They offer a mini version, the Tornado Elite; a fountain pen; and even pencils.
WEIGHT – The Tornado is by no means a lightweight pen, by which I mean it will never compete with a Bic ballpoint. But the Tornado is a good competitor when compared to more heavyweight pens like those from Visconti (not only in weight, but in price as well, which I’ll get into later). The balance of the pen is a bit awkward at first, with most of the bulk of the pen residing at the top near the twist top end cap. The pen’s mechanism rides there, causing it to be a bit top heavy, but after a lot of writing with the pen, you come to appreciate the extra help in moving the pen across paper.
The Retro 1951 Tornado
INK – My only complaint about this rollerball pen is its standard ink cartridge. Many writers love rollerball for its portability and lack of leakage compared to a fountain pen, and it’s writability as compared to a ball point. I’m still unconvinced about rollerball’s writing ability, especially when I use it in my Moleskine notebook, which has fairly high quality paper in it. The ink tends to bleed into the paper, creating spiderwebs along the fibers. Standard gel ink cartridges (like the ones for Pilot’s G2 line) were were slow to dry and didn’t fit in the Tornado’s body. Fortunately, after speaking with a sales clerk at Paradise Pen, we came up with the idea of using a Visconti gel cartridge, which fit perfectly in the pen and writes wonderfully on the Moleskine paper.
OVERALL the pen is something that not everyone will love, but those who do will find it difficult to let go. The most surprising factor of the Retro 1951 Tornado is its price. Retailing for about $22 in most good pen stores, the Retro 51 Tornado is both stylish and affordable. Paired with a pocket Moleskine notebook, you feel transported to another, more nostalgic time, heading out on some travel adventure to the far reaches of the planet. Now that’s a pen you’ll want in your pocket.
Showing professionalism and courtesy, the guides – Paul and Moe – introduced themselves and went over some safety rules and the process for getting into the kayaks. After some group introductions, we were fitted with paddles, PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices; a.k.a, life vests), and watershoes. A short hike through a small pasture led us to a grass outcropping where Paul went over proper paddling technique while Moe readied the kayaks. A few minutes later, we were on the dock climbing into the slim, colorful plastic boats. With everyone in the water, we shoved off and began our trek.
As we made our way downriver, a high pitched chirp pulled our attention to the treeline. A large brown Osprey thrashed from its perch about 100 yards in front of us and soared over our heads as we approached. Though it’s never guaranteed, wildlife is usually a part of these tours, and Bald Eagles have been known to frequent the area from time to time. Though we didn’t see any eagles this time, the Ospreys provided a great – albeit short – step into the wilderness.
Hey there! My name is Chris, and I am the Part Time Vagabond. Why part time? Well, while I'm based in the great city of Portland, Maine, where I live and work, I also love to travel. Unfortunately, I haven't yet figured out how to drop everything and travel full time. Meanwhile, I whittle away the hours creating videos, doing social media work, and playing outside. So welcome to Part Time Vagabond, the intersection of travel, outdoor life, and good craft beer. 
