Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel Bullet Journal Edition: A Special Pen With Real Character

Introduction

Leuchtturm1917 is a German stationery maker founded in 1917, originally as a small workshop producing binders for stamps and similar collections. Since the Notebook Collection launched in 2005 under the Leuchtturm1917 name, the brand has focused on notebooks designed less for casual writing and more for organizing and preserving information. Its Drehgriffel ballpoint line now includes a Bullet Journal Edition, a collaboration with the Bullet Journal method created by American digital product designer Ryder Carroll.

This edition is pitched as a special pen, and after spending time with it, the special treatment shows up in more places than expected. The price in Japan is 7,150 yen, which puts it firmly in the treat-yourself category rather than the everyday-spare category. Here is how it performs.

Design and Build Quality

The first thing to understand about this pen is the size. It is compact, similar in scale to the Caran d’Ache 849, and the two even share a visual family resemblance. There is a fun bit of history here too: the Drehgriffel design itself existed by 1920, while the Caran d’Ache 849 arrived in 1969, meaning the Drehgriffel predates it by roughly 50 years. Part of the appeal of this pen is that a design nearly a century old still looks current today.

As a collaboration model, the specification differs from the standard Drehgriffel. The color is a black-and-gold combination not offered on regular versions. The aluminum hexagonal barrel carries a matte coating with a slightly textured, gritty feel that reads as genuinely premium, and it also adds grip. The Bullet Journal logo is printed on the barrel, with the brand name, product name, and the German word “Eins” (meaning number one) on the reverse, since the ballpoint is number one and the mechanical pencil is number two.

The twist mechanism is also metal, with a lightning bolt mark laser-etched into it, a detail reserved for this edition. Twisting the mechanism deploys the tip with a clearly defined click feel, so you always know it is locked. Vertical grooves on the barrel give extra purchase during the twist, and because the barrel is short, one-handed operation is easy.

The One-Piece Nose Cone

The biggest change from the standard model is the nose cone. On regular versions, the metal fittings split into two stages partway down. On this edition, the nose cone runs as a single piece all the way to the tip, which changes the impression of the pen entirely. It measures about 2.6 cm long, so this detail will divide opinion.

If you habitually grip close to the tip, you will likely end up holding it on top of the cone. That said, since the barrel itself is short, even a grip near the very back does not feel far from the tip. The cone is solid, uncoated brass, which means it will age: a patina had already begun developing shortly after unboxing, which is either a charm point or a maintenance point depending on your taste.

Writing Performance

The included refill is the original black gel ink, made in Japan as noted on the cartridge. As a gel, the flow is generous: not to the point of bleeding through, but there is plenty of ink on the page, and the line is very smooth and satisfying to draw with. The pen sits light and low-centered, so despite a slim, short barrel, the balance is surprisingly good.

The one caveat is the tip. Gel ink comes with a faint scratchiness as the point moves across the paper. It is not a bad feel, exactly, but the slight grit is noticeable. Interestingly, rotating the pen slightly as you write lets you find a sweet-spot angle with no scratchiness at all, so writers bothered by it can simply locate that point and write there.

Refill replacement is flexible: you can unscrew either the nose cone or the back of the barrel to swap the refill. The mechanism takes G2-size refills, which means the Uni Jetstream works in it, giving the pen strong long-term versatility.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Two issues are worth weighing before purchasing. First, the packaging: the pen is not fixed inside the box, and ours rattled around noticeably before opening. The laser-etched mark on the twist section had visibly faded, apparently from the pen moving against the packaging during transport. For a pen sold as a special edition at this price, that is a genuinely disappointing detail.

Second, the faint tip scratchiness is inherent to the gel refill, and the longer-than-usual nose cone is a matter of personal preference. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both are worth knowing about in advance.

Buying Advice

If you are drawn to the black-and-gold colorway, the one-piece nose cone, and the idea of owning a design with real history behind it, this pen delivers on all three. The G2 refill compatibility also means you are not locked into a single ink, which softens the initial refill complaint about scratchiness. If you prioritize a tip-fixed box, careful transport handling, or grip near the pen tip, it is worth inspecting on arrival and possibly testing the standard version first.

Conclusion

The Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel Bullet Journal Edition balances romance and practicality: a compact pen whose design has stayed relevant for roughly a century, finished here in a matte black and gold collaboration spec with a striking one-piece metal nose cone. Add smooth gel ink, good balance, and easy G2 refill swapping, and the appeal is clear. The loose packaging and fading of the etched mark on our unit are real blemishes on an otherwise thoughtfully made pen, but if the design wins you over the way it won us over, it is easy to recommend checking it out.