The Alpha Executive line of pens are among my most used, and most loved. I’ve had my Electroless Nickel model for some time now, and I still use it a ton. These pens offer a lot of great options for ink, as well as an excellent clip, and peace of mind with a secure screw cap — have no worries tossing it in your pocket or bag.
Recently, Prometheus announced a second version of the pens, with titanium being the first material. I jumped and bought one immediately. My favorite pen, is now even better than it was before.
Materials / Specs / Changes
This is 6/4 Titanium and 1.6oz for the pen (without cartridge). It will take a Montblanc Fineliner or Rollerball refill, or a Parker style refill using the included adapter (available for purchase for older models too).
The big change is the machining process, and thus the overall finish of the pen. The pen originally had the large ribs, with a smooth finish everywhere else. On the second version, where the pen was previously smooth, there’s been very fine machining done to create more ribs. The end result is creating a less smooth, and more textured, surface. Images show this best:
Writing
I’ll keep this rather short, but somehow this is even better, as the added texturing adds a lot more grip to the pen. I never felt that the grip on the first version was slippery, but after using the new pen the difference shows up in how you flex your hand to hold the pen.
On the original variants of the pen, most of your “stop the pen from sliding down” grip is being done by your index and thumb as they hold the actual grip of the pen. On this new variant that shifts slightly to also being everywhere the pen touches on your hand. For me, even with the titanium being heavier than the nickel, it feels like less effort and grip strength is needed to hold the newer variant.
This change also changes the overall appearance of the pen. It’s a bit of a mixed bag for me there, and I am looking at two different metals. But to my eye the pen looks more matte, less shine, in the new variant, while also resisting showing small wear in the form of nicks and scratches. Generally, I think the new variant offers a slightly better aesthetic than the old, but I bet most are going to be evenly split on this one.
The overall feeling of the new machining is very satisfying. It has a good tactile response, and feels great in hand. It does add a touch more friction if you are finding yourself sliding the pen in and out of slots, though that’s going to be very material dependent. Nylons and synthetics are unchanged, but I do notice more friction when using leather pen slots with the new version.
Previously I had only used the nickel and brass variants of the Alpha Pens. With the brass being really satisfying, but very heavy. The Nickel felt like the right pen for me. As I spend less time carrying a pen from meeting room to meeting room, and more time at my desk — I’ve found titanium to be a really nice balance between nickel and brass. It’s got slightly more heft to it, and feels more substantial in hand, while not being over bearing when you write.
I still prefer the Nickel when I slip a pen into the Papa notebook to head out of the house, but only barely. The titanium is a really pleasant surprise here, and something to consider for those who like a touch more weight with their pen.
Overall
I remain a huge fan of the Alpha Executive pen, and this update only makes the pen better. It’s a very small change, but it has a really positive impact on the overall writing experience with the pen.