Machine Era Co Stainless Steel Pen Review

If you have read my review of the Machine Era Co Brass Pen, then you know I am a big fan of that pen. It is a well-designed pocket pen that can compete with the Fisher Bullets and Kaweco Sport series of pens. It’s stainless steel sibling is just as good, if not slightly better.

Besides the change in material, the pen itself has received a slight redesign since I reviewed the original brass pen. In the Pen Addict Slack room, I’ve referred to my brass model as the “old” original because the brass pen has received the slight redesign as well and Machine Era calls it the “Original” on their website. The barrel of the pen got slightly thicker in the redesign, so the cap sits flush against the barrel when capped. The cap doesn’t sit flush against the body when it is posted, but neither do the majority of posted caps.

The design of the barrel changed slightly as well, with four larger grooves instead of the three tiny groves that my brass pen has. I’m not sure whether this was a pure aesthetic design decision, or if it was done to help offset any weight that may have been gained by the slightly thicker barrel, but I like the end result. The other design changes aren’t as drastic, the end of the pen is more rounded and the vent holes have been removed from the end of the barrel and from the cap. The stainless steel pen also has “Machine Era USA” printed in one of the grooves, and that’s it for branding on the pen. My brass pen doesn’t have any branding on it, and the picture of the brass version on their site doesn’t show any branding. Whether they do or not, the branding is so subtle that I don’t think it matters either way.

The steel version of the pen is a little lighter at 1.3oz. than the brass version, which weighs in at 1.6oz. As I said in my review of the brass version, I find the brass version to be ever so slightly top-heavy but not enough to make it uncomfortable to write with. I find the steel version to be better balanced, and haven’t noticed the slight top-heaviness that I found with the brass version.

The product page for both pens says “Ink is delivered by the well-loved Pilot G2 cartridge (included)” “Also fits any standard size Uni-ball cartridge (jetstream, signo)”_ and this one of the things I love most about the pens. So in addition to the Pilot G2/Juice, you can use the Uni-ball Jetstream, Uni-ball Signo 207 refills. I tried a Pentel Energel refill and it fit as well. This means you should NOT have a problem finding a refill to use.

The price point for the Machine Era pens is another strong point for the pens in comparison to the Fisher Bullets and Kaweco Sports. The brass version is $38 and the steel version is $60, which are both great values. While these prices may seem high in comparison to the Fisher Bullets and plastic Kaweco Sports ($20 and $22.50 on JetPens respectively), when you compare the prices to the metal bodied Kaweco Sports, the value of the Machine Era pens becomes evident. The metal Kaweco Sports range in price from around $70 for an Al Sport to $85 for a Brass Sport. Machine Era had a black anodized aluminum “old” original design which was around the $35-$40 price point, and they are working on an aluminum model for the redesigned version and I would imagine the price point would be the same.

Machine Era has created a great pen at a great price point and if you can’t tell by now, I am a big fan of both the brass and stainless pens. If you are looking for a nice pocket pen, do yourself a favor and seriously consider one of the Machine Era pens.