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Great review. I have a 616 that I bought maybe three years ago, and I have made it my go-to Baystate Blue pen, in which capacity it is serving very well. I found it to have a rather small "sweet spot", and the nib is so well hooded that I had trouble aligning it properly when I went to write. I solved that problem by carefully aligning the the clip on the cap with the back of the nib when I post the cap. That tells me right away where the "sweet spot" is, and I have had no more trouble. As for bang-for-buck, the 616 is right up their with the Varsity, and the 616 is a lot easier to refill.
As for the ink, I could tell as soon as you started writing that Gruene Cactus will not be one of my ink purchases. I don't like smearing my beautiful writing when I go to fold my letters :p
Nice review!
All my pens are the extremely affordable type, but I haven't tried this one. Nice to see the pros and cons of it, such as the filling mechanism details, as well as just size and writing sample. I've skipped this one so far because I've heard mixed reviews of the quality, and frankly I don't like the aesthetics of hooded nibs. That filling mechanism kind of turns me off it too. I don't mind piston fillers that can be dismantled, or pens that take standard cartridges, but this reminds me of pens that I was forced to use as a kid, which vomited ink everywhere at the least convenient moments.