Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen review
An estimated 9 billion pens are thrown away every year, with many of these ending up in landfill. "I became frustrated with the waste created by disposable pens," says Tom's Studio founder Tom Gyr. "They would pile up in drawers, waiting for a specific refill, or worse, end up in the bin despite being perfectly usable – if only they had ink."
Building on his experience of designing fountain and calligraphy pens, Tom decided to turn his attention to crafting a more environmentally friendly everyday writing tool. With the Wren, he has created a refillable, reusable pen that's designed to last. But will it replace our trusty biros and ballpoints? Read on to find out what we thought…
Jump straight to:
- Summary
- How we tested
- Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen review
- Where to buy Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen
- Our verdict: should you buy Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen?
- Looking for more?
Summary
With the refillable Wren, Tom's Studio has created a pen that's not only better for the environment, but writes beautifully too.
- Buy now from Tom's Studio on Etsy
How we tested
We set up the Wren by filling the ink reservoir following the instructions given in the user guide. The pen's performance and ergonomics were tested by using the pen on a variety of paper types to check for skipping or bleeding.
Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen review
Key features
- Length (capped): 80mm
- Posted (cap on end of pen): 120mm
- Pen barrel diameter: 13mm
- Weight: 20g
- Japanese-made writing tip (0.3-0.5 depending on pressure)
- Made from anodised aluminium
Ease of use – 5/5
Knowing that there are a few steps involved in setting up Tom's Studio's refillable fineliner, the Lumos, I was expecting a similar process for the Wren, so I was pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy it was to get started.
That's because while the Lumos is designed for a variety of uses, the Wren has been created with a single task in mind: basic, everyday writing. As such, it only has one tip – and filling it with ink is simple.
The pen is supplied with a 3ml sample of Midnight Ink. Simply dip the reservoir into the bottle, wait a few seconds, and capillary action takes the ink up to the tip. The pen was ready to go in moments, with not an ink-stained finger in sight.
Changing to a different ink is equally straightforward. You have two options: either gently rinse the tip and reservoir in warm water, leave to dry and refill with a new ink, or purchase extra tips and reservoirs, storing the spares in a sealed container.
The reservoirs can deteriorate with washing, so having a different one for each ink colour is preferable – and inexpensive, at just £1.95 for a pack of five.
Ergonomics and aesthetics – 4.5/5
Looking at the Wren next to my collection of disposables, the sleek design and lack of visible branding immediately mark it out as a luxury tool. It feels like one too, with its anodised aluminium having a weight and solidity that you just don't get from single-use plastic.
It comes in dozens of colours, with eight mix-and-match shades to choose from for the body and lid. I chose the popular Midnight shade for the body, paired with elegant Blush for the lid. Midnight has a matt finish that offers plenty of grip while writing and contrasts nicely with the lid's shiny surface.
It's worth noting that the 'lid' part of the pen isn't a lid as you'd find on a typical ballpoint: the writing tip is on the inside of this section, so you simply insert it into the body with the tip upwards to write, and downwards to protect the tip between uses.
This saves on space, producing a compact, travel-friendly tool that will easily fit into a bag or pocket for use on-the-go. The lid fits snugly and requires a firm grip to remove, so the pieces are very unlikely to come apart accidentally. I wonder, though, whether the small black rings that provide the friction may degrade or become damaged over time.
Performance – 4/5
The Wren writes beautifully, gliding smoothly and steadily across the page. The ink is consistent and I didn't experience any skipping or other issues with the flow. The colour of the ink came out closer to a deep grey than black (particularly noticeable compared to my Uni-ball Vision Elite), but it's an attractive shade that sets this pen apart. It dried within just a few seconds to a smudge-proof finish.
I found this pen comparable in feel to the Pigma Micron or even the Fudenosuke brush pen rather than a regular ballpoint. That's because there's no ball in the Wren to lay the ink onto the page – it's closer to a fineliner or felt tip.
This perhaps explains why you need a decent notepad to get the most from this tool: paper quality had a noticeable effect on how the Wren wrote. It was outperformed by my cheapest biro on basic printer paper, where the Wren felt much more scratchy and showed signs of feathering and blotching. On such thin paper, there was also slight bleeding at the back.
With Rhodia paper, on the other hand, it came into its own. With only a little ghosting on the reverse, the Wren wrote fluidly and evenly.
It felt comfortable to hold for extended periods, despite the body appearing short next to a standard ballpoint. The pen was also reliable at a variety of angles, and a little flexibility in the tip allowed for a small change in stroke thickness depending on pressure.
Value for money – 4.5/5
At £35, the Wren is an investment compared to a typical pack of biros, but we'd say it's worth the money. While the initial outlay is greater, the cost of replacement parts is low and the components appear to have excellent longevity.
In Tom's Studio's testing, the Wren wrote consistently for 344 metres without needing to be refilled – equivalent to 50 A4 pages. This compares well to the average disposable ballpoint pen, which writes for roughly 300 metres before it runs out of ink.
Of course, the Wren doesn't need throwing away when it's out of juice. Being able to replace the ink is not only better for the environment but also gives you the option of using the pen with a wide variety of inks.
It's compatible with any of the fountain pen inks in Tom Studio's colourful range, and they have just released (too late for our review, unfortunately) a dedicated Fibre tip ink designed especially for this pen. This gives you lots of choice over the colour, type, and price of ink you use.
Where to buy Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen
- Buy now from Tom's Studio on Etsy
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Our verdict: should you buy Tom’s Studio The Wren refillable pen?
If the only time you write is to jot occasional shopping lists on scraps of paper then the Wren is probably not for you – your trusty biro will do the job just as well, and much cheaper. However, for seasoned note-takers and regular journal-writers, this pen is a joy.
Not only does it write beautifully and comfortably, but it's also an environmentally conscious choice. We hope that, with their line of refillable pens, Tom's Studio is forging a path that other companies will follow.
In the meantime, they're working to make their current products even more sustainable. While we were testing the Wren, Tom's Studio released a new version, called Write Off, which is made out of reclaimed plastic from disposable stationery. Tom describes it as "a small act of rebellion against waste, and a celebration of creativity". Like its predecessor, it's worth checking out.
Looking for more pens?
With multiple different tips within the same pen, you can do even more with the Tom's Studio Lumos Pro refillable fineliner.
