Tornado™ Vintage Metalsmith - Roosevelt Rollerball Pen

Kept hearing about Retro 51 pens on the Pen Addict podcast. I've always had an affinity for different ink pens, but this podcast sort of opened my eyes to the world beyond the local discount or office supply store for pens. Looked up some of the Retro 51 offerings on Amazon and this Tornado model in the Roosevelt finish really caught my eye. Upon receiving the pen, I can totally see what the hype was about. Just the packaging and weight of it immediately tell you it's a quality writing utensil. Comes packaged in a tube that's shrinkwrapped in plastic. Inside you'll find the pen wrapped in protective plastic as well, and stored in foam inside the tube. Not exactly something I'd use for an every day pen case, but it's great for shipping and presentation. The pen itself has an awesome texture to it, both on the barrel and on the twist mechanism at the top. The pen has a nice copper patina to it. I scribbled down some test notes with the pen and found it to be quite literally one of the best rollerballs I've used. Super smooth, effortless writing. Will definitely pick up other designs in the future.

I bought my father a Retro 51 Tornado as a gift. He loved it...until someone decided to walk off with it.I'm more into fountain pens myself, but when I found I needed a rollerball or ballpoint for some things at work, I looked to Retro 51 myself. I love the acid-etched barrel. It's a heavy pen, with a very solid brass barrel. The mechanism that operates the refill is very robust. I'm sure it will work for years. The refill that comes in the pen is super-smooth. I did swap it out for a blue refill though (not a fan of writing with black ink). I can see why people love collecting these!

I love all types of pens (except ballpoint) and appreciate a nice writing rollerball when a fountain pen won't work for the situation. This pen is made with quality, and it looks/feels very cool! I am a big fan of the ink cartridge from Retro 51. This pen puts down a nice wet, bold line. I love the way it writes! I also love the value you get with Retro 51. I have many pens worth much, much, more money, but they don't write any better than this one. The best part about the Retro 51 pens in general, is that if you lose it or break it, you are out $50 or less. I can't say that about my MontBlanc pens.

It's a wonderful pen, and being able to choose between rollerball and parker refills is a great touch. Hefty in the hand and a little top heavy but well worth it in my opinion.

I love the Tornado pens, as a line, but this is my very favorite! Goes well with any suit, and adds class to the document. The inks that work for this as original or refills are excellent. I prefer a blue, so I got the Lanier refills, and have found them long lasting and great on a mix of papers. But the Tornado cylinder is key to comfortable and effective handling. This pen also makes an impression on those who see it.

Dont put this pen in your pocket, your body heat will cause the ink to bleed out...but it sure is purty.

Absolutely love this pen. I am so crazy particular about the pen I use, and I have never spent more then $10 on a pen.. but this time it was well worth it. The smoothest writing pen I have used, the ink does not smear or glob or stick, but the writing is a little thick for my taste. I was going to see if I could find a refill for a smaller size.Entire pen is glazed over to give it a smooth finish. Not a single detail was looked over on this design, even the locking method is so smooth. I cannot say enough about this pen.

On time, good looking, well made, interesting.The tactile feel of the design is pleasant. The rollerball is wet, so keep it retracted when not in use.

Love the weathered, aged look. I found the pattern on the body of the pen a bit too 'sharp', so I took a sanding foam block to it just to make it smoother while still keeping a great grippy texture. Now, she's perfect. Comes in a super nice tube with foam, so great for gift giving.