Context: My Bic clicker of some years was finally running out of ink and I decided to get an upscale replacement to serve writing duty at my desk. I wanted a thicker pen for better comfort that didn't have a click mechanism or a cap. I have somewhat large hands (roughly 4" by 8" with my palm outstretched and fingers kept together).The Retro 51 Tornado is surprisingly well-weighted and balanced for its size. At just under 5", it's the shortest writing utensil I have in my possession, 1/4" smaller than my Cross Century mechanical pencil. It weighs more than my aluminum and brass lead holder, and that weight is centered right before the end of the clip. The base of the cone protecting the rollerball is roughly 9mm across, and the barrel widens from that point up to the other end of the pen.All of the properties listed above make the usage of this pen one of the most comfortable writing experiences I've yet to find in any writing utensil. The center of gravity is placed right at the base of my index finger where I pivot the pen, making it easy to maneuver despite its weight. The taper allows me to hold the pen with minimal force without worry of sliding.The fit and finish is excellent. Nothing rattles and the twist action is smooth and well-weighted. The barrel is quite stiff and doesn't flex when I try to bend it. It takes roughly 2 pounds of force deflect the clip 1mm.The included rollerball cartridge delivers ink much like how I would expect a fountain pen to do so. The ink flows freely and a small amount of pressure is enough to produce a full-bodied stroke. In a 100 letter writing test, all of the characters came out plainly legible and I did not have to redo any strokes. Some strokes outside of that writing test did appear thin, though I'm not sure if that was simply the result of bad writing angle or an actual hiccup from the rollerball.I wouldn't recommend this pen for use with thin paper. At least with my example, the ink often bled through common college-ruled stuff.I like this pen a lot. All the features and properties seem to fit my use case and I look forward to writing more with it. The overall workmanship of the pen points to it lasting a very long time in my possession. I'll update this review when I reach a milestone or if anything changes with the pen.07/09/2020 Update: I recently tried writing a page with this pen on some softer, heavier weight acid-free paper, but I found the rollerball struggling to consistently deliver ink, especially over areas on the page where I've rested my hand. The pen still writes fine over thin paper, however. It seems the ball is getting caught on the thicker paper, preventing the cartridge from dispensing ink properly. Writing lighter and at a more perpendicular angle seems to help, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this pen for use with soft, thick paper. I still like this pen a lot, but if I am to exhaust the cartridge, I will have to reconsider what cases I will use this pen for. No big deal. It's about time I got a fountain pen anyhow.Post-script:Besides being immediately less fiddly, the twist-action prevents the coil spring from ever decompressing at its maximum return speed. Only time will tell how long the mechanism will last, though I felt this would at least be more reliable than some click mechanism designs.In researching and selecting a pen I was more concerned about the quality of the enclosure and cartridge compatibility than the included cartridge itself (actually, the fact that it appears to be functioning so well is a little bittersweet. I wanted to try filling it with fountain pen ink, but I guess that'll have to wait some months).For everyday carry, I probably wouldn't take this pen—or any pen that doesn't have a solid cap for that matter. Ball pen cartridges in general don't seem as reliable as fountain pen reservoirs. I don't think failure will happen anytime soon with my example, but I'm not going to take any chances on my favorite dress shirt, at least not yet.
