Recently, I was approached by Wingback, the London-based company behind the brass ballpoint I reviewed about a year and a half ago. They asked if I would be interested in being one of the first people to test out a new pen of theirs, the Journeyman Pen, slated for release on the first of October. Given that the original Wingback I received has been a faithful companion since I got it, I agreed and spent three days obsessing over the DHL tracking page. This was not helped by the document I was then sent which highlighted the features of the new and improved pen, along with some early product photos!
The Journeyman promises ‘new features that Wingback customers have been after since the launch of the original.’ This includes:
Four metal options available: brass, stainless steel, black steel and titanium
● Longer barrel to accommodate any G2 ink cartridge
● New milled clip slots into the crown
● Engraving available on the Journeyman Pen clip and top of the Pen Rest
● Comes in newly designed packaging
The Journeyman is intended to be ‘a travel companion that you are able to clip onto clothes or notebooks, to stay with you throughout your journey.’ All this sounds very grand, but does the Journeyman live up to the high standards Wingback has set up for it? I finally got to find out once the searing yellow DHL package landed on my doorstep.
While this is a new product, I will make some comparisons with the original Wingback. I will do this as there have been some improvements in the packaging and design, and I like to highlight where brands have made an effort to progress. The presentation of the pen has vastly improved – instead of being shipped in a sleeve and padded envelope, you now receive your new pen in a smart cardstock box embossed with the Wingback logo. Extra points for biodegradability, and I’m also informed that it is made from recycled coffee cups! The addition of the box makes the unboxing experience feel much more special. Also, if you’ve been with KraftyCats for a while you’ll know about my love of coffee and I fully approve of making use of discarded java cups.
You still receive a sleek pen sleeve, though slightly redesigned so that the pen clip peeks over. The fabric of the sleeve is smoother than that of the original sleeve and appears to pick up a bit less dust too. Alasdair, the founder of Wingback, informed me that they now use ‘offcuts of waxed cotton’, left over from producing their new luggage collection. I like that some fabric that would have otherwise gone to waste is being used here. In terms of design, I personally preferred the sleeve when it had only one long seam (I think it looked a bit neater), but it’s well-made and will protect the pen.
And now for the most important part – the pen itself. The most notable change to the design of the Wingback is the addition of a clip. This will surely be music to the ears of anybody who loved the original but likes to affix their pen to a pocket or bag. The 3.5cm clip is integrated into the bolt-action mechanism, which is honestly one of the main reasons I love Wingback pens. I have found the tolerances to be very tight and flawlessly machined, making the mechanisms work perfectly every time. Also highly distracting, because who wants to work when the bolt-action mechanism is so fun to twist?! Maybe giving someone with a predisposition to distractibility something that essentially acts as a sophisticated fidget toy wasn’t such a good idea…
Fine, I’ll put the pen down and get the article finished. In just a few more minutes…
When I saw the addition of a clip attached to a bolt-action mechanism, I wondered if Wingback were going to fall into a notorious pitfall I’ve seen others encounter. When a clip touches the barrel of the pen, twisting the top results in the clip dragging across the barrel. This shortly leads to a shiny, worn-down line across your pen. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of this. Happily, this appears to have been taken into account during production since the clip is a good millimetre away from the barrel. It’s also solid enough that it’s not going to be pushed against the barrel unless on purpose, but still springy so that it can be clipped to a pocket or bag. I’m glad that a badly-designed clip is not something I had to highlight!
Bear in mind that this is a pre-production pen so there are still aspects that should be improved before the final release. My main gripe would be that there is still some finishing left to be done. The edges of the clip, for example, are so crisp as to be sharp. You’re not going to slice your fingers to shreds but it certainly detracts from what is otherwise a very tactile, hefty pen. This is one of the main things I mentioned to Alasdair when I received the pen and he’s already taken steps to address this issue so nobody else will encounter it. His reply was ‘I completely agree – it’s a balance between displaying those super crisp machined edges but not being too sharp to touch. I’ve put a radius on the bottom point (of the clip) for production and we’re going to soften the other edges a touch for the production run.’ I’m glad to hear that issues are being addressed before the final release. Pens that can give paper cuts are rarely appreciated!
That said, I appreciate that the knurling is toothier than that of the original Wingback, whose knurls are quite flat in comparison. I personally prefer having a more textured grip on both the section and the knock, so I hope that feature makes it into the production run.
I only had one more issue with the finishing of the pen, which is entirely aesthetic rather than detrimental to the use of the pen. Something about that little bolt in the the clip bothers me. I’m not sure if it’s the colour, which is a steely grey that doesn’t match the brass. It could be the fact that it doesn’t sit flat and is inset. Whatever it is, I’m not a fan!
Luckily, this is something else that should be rectified before the stationery community get their hands on one. Alasdair informed me that custom bolts are being machined for future runs that will sit flush with the clip. Initially steel and black bolts will be available, with scope for brass bolts to be introduced in the future. This will be part of the customisability promised by Wingback, the ability to make the pen entirely your own by selecting the material used for each component. I suggested that a black bolt be used for the brass pens in the meantime, as I feel that this will look better than grey steel does next to brass. If you don’t like the look of black against brass, you can hold me personally responsible for that one! Hopefully the brass bolts work out so customers will have more options.
I’ve gone in-depth on the appearance of the pen, but how does it actually write? The Journeyman comes equipped with a Schmidt easyFLOW 9000 M. Previously, Fisher Space Pen refills manufactured specifically for Wingback were used. While the original has always been a good writer, I do think I prefer the new refills. The Schmidt feels smoother, though it does occasionally have issues when I begin to write with it. After the initial dryness, however, it is a pleasure to write with, with little to no skipping. I’d like to see the pen equipped with a refill with no initial skipping when beginning to write, but it can be difficult to find the perfect ballpoint and there is always the option of substituting your own if it gets too annoying thanks to the adjustment in barrel length. Any international standard G2 cartridge should do the trick.
As previously mentioned, the toothier knurling makes the section of the pen very easy to hold. That’s especially important when you consider that the brass version of this pen weighs in at 52g. That’s almost double the weight of the titanium Wingback, which weighs 31g. For the Goldilocks out there who don’t want their pens to be too heavy or too light, there’s also the black stainless steel version which offers a happy medium of 49g. I was very tempted by the stainless steel since the black finish appealed to me, but I ultimately went for brass to see how it compared to its older counterpart. In case you’re curious, here’s the original versus the Journeyman. Sadly you can’t quite see how much the brass on the original has aged, turning to a deep antique gold colour that the camera refuses to capture! In real life, the pen on the left is a much deeper gold.
I’m not sure if I prefer the fresh, shiny look or the aged appearance – I think they’re both equally charming. The document that I was emailed states that ‘if you want to get it back to its original lustre, you can give it a clean using a microfibre cloth and a brass cleaning solution.’ I like having the option, I don’t think I will – that perfect patina took time to develop on my original pen!
You can also see that the size difference. The Journeyman is 12.7cm long to accommodate all standard refills, but it’s still well within the realms of being a pocket pen and fits my hand perfectly. The clip doesn’t rub against my hand when I’m using it and the weight is perfectly balanced as I write. Something I always mention, especially when reviewing pens that are on the heavier side, is whether they’re likely to fatigue my hand during use. This is especially important to me since I didn’t write for much of this year due to a hand issue. While said issue thankfully resolved itself, my hand’s still a bit weaker than it used to be and I can’t write for quite as long at the moment. Happily, I can comfortably use the Wingback for long writing sessions because all of that weight is so well-balanced as I write. This is something I’ll no doubt appreciate even more as I write more often to gain back those writing muscles.
Since I’ve now covered the most important points of the pen, it’s time to mention all those random things that don’t quite fit anywhere else, mostly design elements surrounding branding. If you read my review of the original pen, you may remember that the Wingback name was engraved in capital letters near the bolt-action mechanism. I usually dislike any obvious branding, but this was done so neatly and discreetly that I felt it didn’t detract from the appearance. I still stand by that opinion, but the branding has been integrated even more seamlessly into the new design. The new Wingback logo is embossed into the top of the mechanism on the Journeyman, in such a way that you wouldn’t necessarily know it was a logo unless you know the brand. It simply looks like a neat little design element, which I prefer over the text that was embossed on the original pen.
A final note on customisability, as well as having the option to mix and match the metal of all the components, you can have custom text engraved on the barrel. You can engrave up to 35 characters on the barrel of the pen and the same goes for the pen rest (sold separately), adding another lovely element of personalisation.
I’m personally just as impressed with the Journeyman as I was with the first Wingback I reviewed, if not even more so. I think that Wingback have indeed lived up to the expectations they have set for themselves and I have no doubt that the final product will be flawless given the prompt and informative replies I immediately received from Alasdair regarding any potential issues. As a result, I feel confident in encouraging any of you who are interested in the Journeyman to support the Kickstarter that is running from today, the 1st of October to 2nd of November. You can find a link to the campaign below if you wish to do so – as always, I don’t receive any funds if you use this link, this is simply to make it easy for you to find!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maclainedesign/the-journeyman-pen-by-wingback?ref=3yqk90
What do you think of the new design? If you decide to support the Journeyman, let me know in the comments section what you thought about it. I’m curious to hear your opinion on the new Wingback!
DISCLAIMER: All opinions contained in this article are my own. For more information on my review process, please refer to KraftyCats’ ‘Ethics’ page.
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