I've been carrying my Saga every day for around a year, and absolutely love it. I work in a brewery where the mechanism of the pen is regularly exposed to sticky fluids and dust, and has only become smoother. I haven't tried to clean out the mechanism, but I would imagine it could be flushed out with alcohol fairly straight forwardly, should it ever need it. It is also entirely possible that I've been trying to justify the $300 I spent on a pen.
Grimsmo is offering Saga pens on their site with pretty frequent drops (maybe weekly?). It's still maker's choice, but at least you don't need to be drawn as long as you keep an eye on their site. Same goes for the Norseman.
I'm a "pen guy" and my EDC pens are the Machine Era Classic and an early version Ti Scribe Bolt. I like the pilot G2 size refills (actually Pentel Energel, same size but better writers). Thanks Nick.
Only being available as a maker's choice isn't entirely true. You can also get drawn for a "curated collection" on the saga. Which basically means you can choose from a selection(around 20 or so) of Sagas that the Grimsmo team selected that day. While still not as good as a "Buyer's Choice" it does make it more likely that you'll be able to get the pen in a configuration that you are happy with.
The thing is, on the secondary I bought a nearly identical pen for $210. On secondary these are much closer to a reasonable price. Also, to the Maker vs Customer build…there are over 3000 of these now, it’s pretty easy to find the make you want. Mine is a logo-less rip with the twist mechanism, and the twist is in bright blue. It’s exactly what I wanted and it look me less than a week to find it and it was $260 to my door.
Totally appreciated your no BS and honest review of this pen 👊🏻 I think it looks incredible but yeah, that $300 is hard to justify BUT, so is every Apple price I’ve ever paid, so with that being said, I’d be willing to pay it I think. 🙂
Glad you like it & the OTT machining & the feel of the clicker perhaps makes it a bit like a Grand Seiko. But especially for someone out of the US/Canada like me, the price & makers choice kill it. I also just much prefer the look of the USG pens & it's neat that they are both cheaper & I can choose what mine looks like! You'd also have to be someone who doesn't lose pens or for whom US$300 is like a coffee for most of us.
Sorry, any system where I can't just hop online and order in the variety that I want is deeply ugly to me. That applies to their knives too. North Arm has a long wait on the waitlist but you ultimately are guaranteed to eventually get to order the knife you want. That's a much better system for the customer than lottery based systems and drop based systems.
Is it more expensive than a Mont Blanc acrylic ball pen? I’ve been using the same one for over 30 years. I’m sure this would last just as long. So at less than 3 cents a day, is it so much?
My issue with expensive pens in general is that they tend to write just like every other pen with the same ink insert. Only the ink insert touches the paper, so it kind of feels like spending $300 for a knife handle that contains the exact blade as a $50 knife. Then again, I’m cheap so what do I know?
I've had mine for a number of weeks now, and I think my only gripes are I wish it were 10% bigger in all dimensions and that there was some kind of texturing or CNC'ing on the length of it. The grimsmos know how to do good cnc work, and its a shame we don't get to see and feel a good texturing on it. Depending on the design, I think it would be much easier to justify the price (imagine crosshatch). I think since Tactile Turn exists, there's no real reason to have this. But when have we ever been reasonable. I don't regret my purchase if thats any consolation.
“The blade is much larger on the knife because this is a pen” your quips always make me smile.
Nick is no longer remorseful for the theft of the Hampton Inn pen.
I've been carrying my Saga every day for around a year, and absolutely love it. I work in a brewery where the mechanism of the pen is regularly exposed to sticky fluids and dust, and has only become smoother. I haven't tried to clean out the mechanism, but I would imagine it could be flushed out with alcohol fairly straight forwardly, should it ever need it. It is also entirely possible that I've been trying to justify the $300 I spent on a pen.
"I own this guy free and clear." Says something about the price of a pen these days! 😄
I love watching your content. You deserve some kind of a RUclips award. Thanks
Grimsmo is offering Saga pens on their site with pretty frequent drops (maybe weekly?). It's still maker's choice, but at least you don't need to be drawn as long as you keep an eye on their site. Same goes for the Norseman.
I'm a "pen guy" and my EDC pens are the Machine Era Classic and an early version Ti Scribe Bolt. I like the pilot G2 size refills (actually Pentel Energel, same size but better writers). Thanks Nick.
$300 buys a lot of groceries.
"Because this is a pen." Every Shabazz video has a moment where I almost spit coffee on the screen from laughing. Love it!
Only being available as a maker's choice isn't entirely true. You can also get drawn for a "curated collection" on the saga. Which basically means you can choose from a selection(around 20 or so) of Sagas that the Grimsmo team selected that day. While still not as good as a "Buyer's Choice" it does make it more likely that you'll be able to get the pen in a configuration that you are happy with.
The thing is, on the secondary I bought a nearly identical pen for $210. On secondary these are much closer to a reasonable price. Also, to the Maker vs Customer build…there are over 3000 of these now, it’s pretty easy to find the make you want. Mine is a logo-less rip with the twist mechanism, and the twist is in bright blue. It’s exactly what I wanted and it look me less than a week to find it and it was $260 to my door.
Totally appreciated your no BS and honest review of this pen 👊🏻 I think it looks incredible but yeah, that $300 is hard to justify BUT, so is every Apple price I’ve ever paid, so with that being said, I’d be willing to pay it I think. 🙂
Glad you like it & the OTT machining & the feel of the clicker perhaps makes it a bit like a Grand Seiko. But especially for someone out of the US/Canada like me, the price & makers choice kill it. I also just much prefer the look of the USG pens & it's neat that they are both cheaper & I can choose what mine looks like! You'd also have to be someone who doesn't lose pens or for whom US$300 is like a coffee for most of us.
You didn't compare it to a Spiderco Delica. I'm totally lost.
Sorry, any system where I can't just hop online and order in the variety that I want is deeply ugly to me. That applies to their knives too. North Arm has a long wait on the waitlist but you ultimately are guaranteed to eventually get to order the knife you want. That's a much better system for the customer than lottery based systems and drop based systems.
Is it more expensive than a Mont Blanc acrylic ball pen? I’ve been using the same one for over 30 years. I’m sure this would last just as long. So at less than 3 cents a day, is it so much?
My issue with expensive pens in general is that they tend to write just like every other pen with the same ink insert. Only the ink insert touches the paper, so it kind of feels like spending $300 for a knife handle that contains the exact blade as a $50 knife. Then again, I’m cheap so what do I know?
I've had mine for a number of weeks now, and I think my only gripes are I wish it were 10% bigger in all dimensions and that there was some kind of texturing or CNC'ing on the length of it. The grimsmos know how to do good cnc work, and its a shame we don't get to see and feel a good texturing on it. Depending on the design, I think it would be much easier to justify the price (imagine crosshatch). I think since Tactile Turn exists, there's no real reason to have this. But when have we ever been reasonable. I don't regret my purchase if thats any consolation.
Beautiful pen with one huge caveat. Oh, and "Maker's Choice" is a bad idea unless you're literally producing one off pieces of art.
Sir. Do you still have the CASIO OCW-S5000? How is that going 2y after your original review?