Customer Reviews
I have discovered the Retro 51 Tornado pen from JetPens 'Choosing the Best Metal Pen' blog, and the allure of a full steel body with a unique knurling twist mechanism had me searching for their homepage. Finding out that there was a local retailer for these babies, on Particle's store, there it was. A Retro 51 Tornado with a "Cat Rescue" theme, hued in blue. I figured this was a fantastic gift for my mom, who loved this color, and is an avid rescuer of stray cats. It was a no-brainer purchase, and after she received it and I took a gander it myself, I knew I had no regrets.
First of all, the themed, cylindrical tube container that housed this pen was very compact and can serve as a secondary home to the pen if you don't have a pen case. On top of that, part of the sales go to a charity for homeless animals in America, to help house them until they find an owner willing to keep them. I also love their motto of "Life is too short to carry an ugly pen!". The folks over at Retro 51 know how to make you feel good about their purchase, for sure.
Now, onto the pen itself. A full, stainless-steel body (with metal (brass) threading on both the nose-coned tip and the barrel that is adorned with the aforementioned design filled with cats and coated in light blue, a sturdy metal clip, the Tornado logo, the knurl twist mechanism iconic to this very pen, and the cute "cat&dog" pair silhouette coated in red at the finial. It feels hefty to hold, as is expected of a full-metal pen. The twist mechanism feels comfortable, and the clip attaches to shirts and pockets really well.
The Tornado is very versatile in how it's both a Rollerball pen AND a ballpoint/gel pen thanks to having compatibility with Retro51's Rollerball ink and the G2 (Parker-style) refills that include ballpoint, gel and hybrid/low-viscosity ballpoints. It has a back-weighted feel to when you're writing wtih it, which can be a mixed opinion. Personally I had no problem with it as while it was heavy, it was very manageable to glide the ink with.
Long story short, she's using it as her main pen now, and I couldn't be happier that she was happy with it. Thanks, Particle!
