I am not a big ballpoint pen fan. As a lefty, I always feel like ballpoint pens were made to annoy me. They don’t write smoothly when you push your pen, not pull it. This issue is part of why I fell in love with fountain pens. But there are always moments when I need a ballpoint. I need to write on glossy paper stock like a receipt or I just need a pen I can leave in a bag for those grocery lists or other quick notes. That’s where the Anterique Mach Ball “Brass Edition” Ballpoint Pen ($29) comes in. I have used other ballpoints with various level of success but I’ve been using the Anterique for a couple weeks and the weight of the brass barrel along with a really nice refill make this a genuinely usable ballpoint pen, even for a lefty.
The Brass version of the Anterique Mach Ballpoint ships in a test tube container which is a fun packaging option. I can see reusing the tube for storing other items.
I tested the pen, in high humidity/heat advisory Midwest so dry times may be affected by the weather as well as the overhanded lefty writer. I used (from left to right) Midori MD, Cosmo Air Light and 52gsm Tomoe River.
Surprisingly, Cosmo Air Light had the most smudging issues but the toothy nature of the paper helped to slow the gel ink down a little.
With Tomoe River, I had just one smudge towards the top but otherwise I had no issues with the Anterique ink on Tomoe. If you’re looking for a classic look ballpoint to pair with a Hobonichi, this is definitely a good combo. Lefties, be warned about dry time issues but otherwise, go forth!
The last paper I tried was my favorite paper, Midori MD which worked splendily with the B6 Grain Notebook. This is a notebook I’ve been keeping next to my computer for jotting random tidbits and combining it with the Anterique Brass Ballpoint is a great pair. And there was no smudging issues even for this sloppy overwriting lefty.
Overall, I love the classic look of this pen and the brass definitely makes it feel more luxe. IF you want to try an Anterique ballpoint but are on a tight budget, there are simple plastic models ($5.50 each) also available in an array of colors and now there is a mini version as well!
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
