Karas Kustoms Starliner Xl - First Impressions

[KellyMcJ]

Holy cow I love this pen...love love love it! This is my first Karas...the first of their designs that really appealed to me...and when I saw it I knew I had to have it and stalked the website until I could order it, and stalked the mailman until I had it in hand.

 

The size and shape are perfect, and the finish is really smooth. It's very comfortable posted and posts well. Extremely well built.

 

Nothing fancy at all - it's a pen, and it does what it's meant to do very well. Nib is a Bock stainless steel nail and writes very well. It's a cartridge converter pen. Everything about it is built solid, I think I could run it over with my car and it wouldn't be worse for wear. It's an extremely solid well made pen that's got some serious nerd appeal. I might prefer it to my Sailors and that's really saying something!

 

 

 

 

[IndigoBOB]

How do you like the feel of the tumbled aluminum?

[graystranger]

Funny you should comment about driving over the pen with your car. Here is a video of Brian Goulet doing just that with a Karas Kustoms Fountain K aluminum pen:

 

Go to 3:37 to see it being driven over, but the whole video is wonderful. This was made before the Starliner pen was designed, but they are made to the same quality and ruggedness.

 

I have 3 Fountain K pens and love them. The Bock nibs are wonderful writers. You got a great pen from a great pen maker.

[KellyMcJ]

How do you like the feel of the tumbled aluminum?

I like it. It's smooth and incredibly light- lighter than some of my plastic pens- the tumbled finish has JUST enough texture to be a little bit grippy but is by no means rough, it's just not slippery.

[IndigoBOB]

Thank you very much. It sounds like it has a great balance that hits the bullseye TBH.

 

They did a great job on this.

 

Karas Kustoms has always stood out with excellent designs, but these are the first pens of theirs I am really gravitating to with out a sense of uncertainty.

 

I have kind of shifted to Rollerballs and schmidt easyflow9000 ballpoint refills so I might go with the Galaxie XL, but it doesn't use easyflow9000's nor those capless p812x refills, so I'm crossing my fingers they'll make a reaktor version that does that isn't a tiny pocket pen nor something too heavy.

 

I love the section shape. You don't see many rollerballs or ballpoints which such a contouring section shape so I'm excited to see such innovations and what they will come up with next.

[KellyMcJ]

Thank you very much. It sounds like it has a great balance that hits the bullseye TBH.

 

They did a great job on this.

 

Karas Kustoms has always stood out with excellent designs, but these are the first pens of theirs I am really gravitating to with out a sense of uncertainty.

 

I have kind of shifted to Rollerballs and schmidt easyflow9000 ballpoint refills so I might go with the Galaxie XL, but it doesn't use easyflow9000's nor those capless p812x refills, so I'm crossing my fingers they'll make a reaktor version that does that isn't a tiny pocket pen nor something too heavy.

 

I love the section shape. You don't see many rollerballs or ballpoints which such a contouring section shape so I'm excited to see such innovations and what they will come up with next.

 

It's really an amazing pen and the new slip cap innovation really takes the cake..there aren't enough truly serviceable slip caps out there in my opinion, and this one uses an O ring that can be replaced, making it last potentially forever.

 

You should ask about the refills- they are "made for" G2 refills but the ones you like may fit. Karas just confirmed for me that Uniball Signo refills fit so I'm sure they'd be happy to test a Schmidt refill for you.

[IndigoBOB]

 

It's really an amazing pen and the new slip cap innovation really takes the cake..there aren't enough truly serviceable slip caps out there in my opinion, and this one uses an O ring that can be replaced, making it last potentially forever.

 

You should ask about the refills- they are "made for" G2 refills but the ones you like may fit. Karas just confirmed for me that Uniball Signo refills fit so I'm sure they'd be happy to test a Schmidt refill for you.

 

 

That might be interesting to see if the Signo refills work. My only experience with them were with one I got from Jetpens and it had a spotty flow so I never returned to them, but I wouldn't buy a Galaxie XL to use a Pilot G2 with.

 

I did ask about the easyflow 9000 and the Schmidt p812x's and they said they don't fit. I'll keep my ears open, but I may have to go with the Baron Fig Squire or Squire Click instead of the Galaxie XL : (

 

I understand that Karas Kustoms even doesn't really like the Pilot G2 and was just going with it due to popularity, but it may be more popular because people just haven't tried the Easyflow9000 or p812x's. I haven't tried the p812x's because there aren't many pens that can carry it and the ones that do are usually too heavy for me.

 

My family members all used the Pilot G2 refill, but when I gave them a Parker Jotter with an Easyflow 9000 their faces lit up and they fell in love with that pen. Then I gave them a different pen, but with an Easyflow 9000 that worked just as well and they said they preferred the way the first pen they tried the easyflow9000 with: love at first write, you know?

[IndigoBOB]

I Love your pictures of the Starliner XL by the way.

[KellyMcJ]

I Love your pictures of the Starliner XL by the way.

Thanks!

 

I'm using the 0.28mm Signo in my TiArto (heavy pen, a bit hard to handle, at least with this refill. Thankfully it's for forms not long writing.) I've found this refill needs to be held near vertical to work properly. (Which makes sense if you think about the tip size! ) Signo is the most permanent ink I've seen outside of fountain pens.

 

I haven't tried the schmidt...but my reason for opting for the TiArto is the fact that it takes many refills...so I'll for sure try the schmidt at some point.

 

I'm not big on gel/ballpoint/roller pens but sometimes you need one.

[IndigoBOB]

Thanks!

 

I'm using the 0.28mm Signo in my TiArto (heavy pen, a bit hard to handle, at least with this refill. Thankfully it's for forms not long writing.) I've found this refill needs to be held near vertical to work properly. (Which makes sense if you think about the tip size! ) Signo is the most permanent ink I've seen outside of fountain pens.

 

I haven't tried the schmidt...but my reason for opting for the TiArto is the fact that it takes many refills...so I'll for sure try the schmidt at some point.

 

I'm not big on gel/ballpoint/roller pens but sometimes you need one.

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I might have to skip on that idea of using the signo at least for regular writing.

 

If you get the Schmidt refill, you want to order straight from Lanier pens. When I first looked for easyflow9000's on amazon I found there are options that say "sold by Pens By Lanier & Fulfilled by Amazon" and there there are options that say "Sold and Fulfilled by Pens By Lanier".

 

I got a set of duds from the ones fulfilled by amazon, so I contacted Lanier and they directed me to the options that are "sold and shipped by Lanier". Lanier told me they test every refill going out, and in my experience direct buying like this from them has been great.

 

For me the easyflow9000 can be so good that I prefer to use it over fountain pens that were tuned by nibmeisters. It's so smooth, lasts a long time, writes a dark extra fine to fine line, and writes effortlessly without skipping under the weight of the Rotring Tikky and Parker Jotter I have it in. But I think it would be optimal to use it with a pen with a tad more heft... which is why I'll be picking up the Baron Fig Squire and Squire Click.

--------------------------

 

I liked the Ti Arto a lot, but I don't like it lol. The threads were too sharp for me and the upper threads used for posting the cap dug into my hand terribly. I think they have good ideas, but I don't think they can design a pen yet that is close the design of the Karas Kustoms pens.

 

I loved how the Tactile Turn Shaker and Mover pens were weighted, bottom heavy towards the tip, but I'm not a fan of the grooves, nor do I like the click mechanism, which made quite a scraping sound every time, and the ergonomics weren't conducive with the heavier weight for me to use for longer periods of time.

 

I do love the Slip Cap Retention System of these Reaktor pens, because it can offer a great air tight seal. I think these pens are fabulous, but the refill options are failing to hit what provide an optimal writing experience and I think that's where Karas Kustoms has stepped on their own feet IMO: "do we provide whats popular (pilot G2) or do we provide an optimal writing experience?"

 

----------

If I could mix the balance of the Tactile Turn Shaker/Mover, with the section shaping of the Reaktor pens (or even something like the Ink), and at the weight of the baron Fig pens, having it use the refills the Baron Fig pens use (easyflow9000/parker G2/Schmidt (p)812x's), that would be a bullseye, and I'd love it with a slip cap retention system, but a click pen ain't bad either.

----------

 

I love fountain pens and they'll always be my favorite, but they can be a pain in the @$$, and these Schmidt refills have changed everything, creating actual fountain pen alternative writing experiences that are congruent and sometimes better.

Edited July 31, 2018 by IndigoBOB

[eciton]

I got this pen to review (https://ukfountainpens.com/2018/06/13/the-karas-pens-starliner-is-ruining-my-reputation/) and I too was really impressed with it, especially for a relatively inexpensive pen. There's something about the seamless swoop of the section that makes it just really comfortable.

 

Mine had the smooth anodized finish and I didn't find it slippy; the tumbled finish looks like it would be a bonus in terms of grip though.

 

I was very reluctant to give the Starliner back so I can understand why you're so excited!

 

Holy cow I love this pen...love love love it! This is my first Karas...the first of their designs that really appealed to me...and when I saw it I knew I had to have it and stalked the website until I could order it, and stalked the mailman until I had it in hand.

 

The size and shape are perfect, and the finish is really smooth. It's very comfortable posted and posts well. Extremely well built.

 

Nothing fancy at all - it's a pen, and it does what it's meant to do very well. Nib is a Bock stainless steel nail and writes very well. It's a cartridge converter pen. Everything about it is built solid, I think I could run it over with my car and it wouldn't be worse for wear. It's an extremely solid well made pen that's got some serious nerd appeal. I might prefer it to my Sailors and that's really saying something!

 

[KellyMcJ]

IndigoBOB:

 

I actually got the hang of writing with the TiArto/Signo combination and I like it a lot more now. I found the angle I need to hold it at for the best writing experience and it's no longer a problem...of course the refill has had time to break in as well.

 

Eciton, I wouldn't have wanted to give it back either!

[Karas Kustoms]

For most of our pens we have striven to make them as modular as possible with how many refills they accept, designing and manufacturing spacers and semi-permanent functionality adapters. It made sense for a fountain pen that was priced at $80 dollars to have the capability to easily and inexpensively purchase a rollerball kit that allows for swapping to rollerball. It also made sense that a $60 dollar ballpoint/rollerball would have the ability to utilize different refills regardless of size and shape. So we really pushed for that on the Karas Kustoms line of pens.

 

When we sat down to create the Reaktor line, we wrote down a bunch of goals on what this line would accomplish that our other pens didn't. Two main things jumped off the page right away: end price to customer and customer provided feedback. We received enough feedback from survey participants that weren't current customers, but were heavily interested in our product as well as a big chunk of feedback from current customers. The first group predominantly said they loved our designs but just didn't have the budget for our products right now. From the current customers we heard three main things: postable cap, no visible threads, and no step on the barrel. If we were going to accomplish all of the feedback, we'd have to shave costs every chance we got.

 

Limiting refill compatibility in the design phase and focusing on just one refill, is a huge time saver. Initially we were only going to design ONE pen in this line to release this year. It would be a slip-cap, rollerball that only used the Pilot G2 or 110mm refills. The ease in which we were able to design the pen when focusing on specific elements both functional and aesthetically allowed for a very quick design process before we started running physical prototypes.

 

This allowed us to speed up the second pen in the line a fountain pen, with similar functionality but different aesthetics again largely due to user feedback.

 

We added the two pocket variants later after analyzing our current "pocket" pens and noticing some glaring problems with them.

 

All of the steps we took in the design and prototype phase was to get our end price as close to $40 dollars as possible. That was the benchmark for the process. Without sacrificing quality and keeping as much manufacturing in house, could we get a fully machined aluminum pen complete as close to $40 bucks as possible.

 

That being said, the EasyFlow 9000 can be used in the Starliner XL with a fashioned spacer. I trimmed the back off a G2 and used it as the spacer to make an EF9000 work. It's not sexy. but it can be done.

[IndigoBOB]

 

 

That being said, the EasyFlow 9000 can be used in the Starliner XL with a fashioned spacer. I trimmed the back off a G2 and used it as the spacer to make an EF9000 work. It's not sexy. but it can be done.

 

 

A Starliner XL ballpoint/Rollerball?!?! Don't stop.

 

OMG

 

I think you guys have hit a home run with these designs. You can't find many rollerballs and Ballpoints with contouring grips like this nor at this lighter weight. They're all heavy with straight grips that slip around easily when writing for long sessions.

 

I love fountain pens with contoured grips like the F-C Marietta, Aurora 88/optima, Ranga Model 3, and the way the facets of the Lamy safari's flare out (though I'm not a fan of the faceted aspect), TWSBI ECO, Pelikan M800(and others)... makes longer writing sessions easier in my opinion.

 

But there aren't enough ballpoints/rollerballs like that. And I find the weight of lighter metals just right for adding that effortless pressure congruent with the effortlessness of a fountain pen.

[KellyMcJ]

For most of our pens we have striven to make them as modular as possible with how many refills they accept, designing and manufacturing spacers and semi-permanent functionality adapters. It made sense for a fountain pen that was priced at $80 dollars to have the capability to easily and inexpensively purchase a rollerball kit that allows for swapping to rollerball. It also made sense that a $60 dollar ballpoint/rollerball would have the ability to utilize different refills regardless of size and shape. So we really pushed for that on the Karas Kustoms line of pens.

 

When we sat down to create the Reaktor line, we wrote down a bunch of goals on what this line would accomplish that our other pens didn't. Two main things jumped off the page right away: end price to customer and customer provided feedback. We received enough feedback from survey participants that weren't current customers, but were heavily interested in our product as well as a big chunk of feedback from current customers. The first group predominantly said they loved our designs but just didn't have the budget for our products right now. From the current customers we heard three main things: postable cap, no visible threads, and no step on the barrel. If we were going to accomplish all of the feedback, we'd have to shave costs every chance we got.

 

Limiting refill compatibility in the design phase and focusing on just one refill, is a huge time saver. Initially we were only going to design ONE pen in this line to release this year. It would be a slip-cap, rollerball that only used the Pilot G2 or 110mm refills. The ease in which we were able to design the pen when focusing on specific elements both functional and aesthetically allowed for a very quick design process before we started running physical prototypes.

 

This allowed us to speed up the second pen in the line a fountain pen, with similar functionality but different aesthetics again largely due to user feedback.

 

We added the two pocket variants later after analyzing our current "pocket" pens and noticing some glaring problems with them.

 

All of the steps we took in the design and prototype phase was to get our end price as close to $40 dollars as possible. That was the benchmark for the process. Without sacrificing quality and keeping as much manufacturing in house, could we get a fully machined aluminum pen complete as close to $40 bucks as possible.

 

That being said, the EasyFlow 9000 can be used in the Starliner XL with a fashioned spacer. I trimmed the back off a G2 and used it as the spacer to make an EF9000 work. It's not sexy. but it can be done.

Wow, thanks for this feedback! That's really cool. (If I decide I need another ballpoint/roller I know where I'm heading lol).

 

Keep up the great work. You guys really did hit it out of the park with this one. I haven't wanted to use any other pens since I got the Starliner XL!

[IndigoBOB]

I'm glad they had another opportunity to push their designs to a new level because this is really quite a large step forward in providing cohesive new aspects, regardless of the price, that create a great all around writing instrument. And then you have that low price for a pen that is built to last a lifetime. This really stands out

Edited August 1, 2018 by IndigoBOB

[Karas Kustoms]

In my typing haste I put Starliner XL, and meant to write Galaxie XL. However, the grips from the Galaxie XL can be swapped onto the body of the Starliner XL and the caps are interchangeable. Due to the depth of the O-ring being at different places in the cap, there is some length differences. The Galaxie XL however cannot accept a Starliner XL grip and converter, the internal bore is not deep enough, but it could be used with a cartridge or one of those off brand shorter converters. I apologize for the confusion I may have caused.

[IndigoBOB]

In my typing haste I put Starliner XL, and meant to write Galaxie XL. However, the grips from the Galaxie XL can be swapped onto the body of the Starliner XL and the caps are interchangeable. Due to the depth of the O-ring being at different places in the cap, there is some length differences. The Galaxie XL however cannot accept a Starliner XL grip and converter, the internal bore is not deep enough, but it could be used with a cartridge or one of those off brand shorter converters. I apologize for the confusion I may have caused.

 

 

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait....

 

I can fashion a Schmidt easyflow.9000 into a Galaxie XL?!? Does it click around when you write or can it be fastened to fit as securely as the Pilot G2?

 

Cuz I'm imagining putting a spacer in with some kind of foam at both ends for a secure insertion. If this can be done effectively with no clanking or clicking around when writing, I'm sold.

 

Can maybe the Schmidt p812x be fastened as well in the same manner?

 

I do understand, especially based on your input why you went with the G2. It makes sense. It's much cheaper and easier to get and what the majority of "non-fine-writing-instument-users" use (I sound like such a snob ), as did I. But I will say that what I like about the easyflow9000's is that they last a long time IME and work across all environments.

[Karas Kustoms]

So I'm attaching a few pictures of the quick hack I did.

 

1. Use a G2 refill and "measure" the Parker style next to it.

2. Trim off the bottom of the G2 refill that is excess length from the Parker Style.

3. Turn the trimmed piece around so the flat is facing up and drop that piece into the barrel of the Galaxie.

4. Insert Parker style refill into the barrel with smaller size spring (not provided with Galaxie purcahse but the spring from an actual Pilot G2 pen will work)

5. Put on the grip section.

 

The refill doesn't move much, but there is some TINY movement at the spring, which is strange but likely due to the fact the inner diameter of the grip section is wider to allow for the G2 to be used. There isn't much modification that can be done for this, except putting some tape on the Parker Style taper right before the tip tube starts, but that might not work correctly either. Using the P8126 will likely work better as it is closer to the diameter of the G2 refill.

[IndigoBOB]

Well I think it's worth a try and I'm sold. Tumbled Aluminum Galaxie XL it is.

 

But I will say, I have done some thinking about this: I think if you were reducing costs on the Galaxie XL and had to pick either the Pilot G2 size or the Parker G2 size, either way is solid IMO. Your always going to have differences of opinions such as mine with choosing either or.

 

But if you are going for more affordability, I think you guys were right about choosing the Pilot G2 refill type. Pilot G2 refills are more affordable, and you can also use the very affordable Pilot Precise V7/V5 refills which do provide a solid rollerball experience, and IME the V7 is congruent with the Fountain Pen experience (as you may be able to tell, I prefer Medium and Broad nibs) and I'm sure others would say the same about the V5 base on preferences.

 

This gives people who couldn't afford a fountain pen a similar, if not congruent, experience.

 

Not only that, but this allows the use of Pentel Energel refills, also highly affordable, also solid refills, and especially so for lefties. It is THE LEFTIE refill I can gift out to people, and now that you have an affordable and lovely option for that refill, this opens up options for gifting to lefties, and since the pen doesn't cost an arm and a leg, it moves into more easy "gifting territory".

 

Not only that, but your Capping System optimizes the prevention of drying out, which is great for all refill's longevity, but especially helpful for the Schmidt Fineliner, which is just an all around fun and solid refill, but one that requires a capped pen.

 

Has Karas Pen Co created an "Iconica of Americana" with regards to pens? Maybe : )