There are pens that write, and then there are pens that become companions.
The Kolo Tino Pen was created to be the latter: a compact, beautifully-made tool that joins you everywhere your ideas might go.
This is the story of why we made it.
A Pen for the Impossibly Creative
Creative people move. They travel. They explore. They think while walking. Ideas arrive in cafés, museum benches, airplanes, park benches, sketchbooks on flights, kitchen counters at midnight.
We wanted a pen that belonged in that world; compact enough to disappear in a pocket, yet satisfying enough to feel like a true instrument when in hand.
A pen that could live among keys and coins, yet feel perfectly at home on fine paper.
Many small pens are convenient, but few are inspiring. The Kolo Tino was designed to change that.
A Family of Two. Related, Not Identical
The Kolo Tino is not a single pen. It is two siblings:
Tino Fountain Pen
- Uses standard European short cartridges, giving you freedom of ink and refill access.
- Designed for expressive, fluid writing.
- Features a precision press-fit (“suction”) cap mechanism that closes with a confident, satisfying click, akin to the closing of a luxury car door.
Tino Ballpoint
- Uses compact ballpoint refills, immediate writing whenever the moment strikes.
- Ideal for lists, travel, quick notes, everyday carry.
- Mirrors the same profile, materials and design language as the fountain version.
They share the same DNA: the same clean Austrian profile, the same transformation from pocket to full writing mode, the same honesty of material, the same emotional presence.
But each serves different needs.
“They’re like fraternal twins, clearly from the same family, yet each with a unique gift.” Says Peter Dunn, co-founder of Topdrawer and Kolo.
Why a Sport-Category Pen?
The sport fountain pen category, for example, has long been admired: short in the pocket, full in the hand when posted. Yet very few of these pens feel elevated; they tilt toward casual objects: convenient, often cheap, rarely cherished.
We saw an opportunity: elevate the form.
We asked:
- Why not stronger and more bespoke materials?
- Why not push the envelope of raw materials and treat pens almost like jewels?
- Why not better balance?
- Why not a pen that writes beautifully and carries well?
- Why not a pen that feels worthy of the ideas you capture?
In short: a compact pen that writes and feels like a “real” pen. Not a novelty. Not a toy. A genuine instrument for the creative life.
Designed in Vienna: Industrial Poetry
The Kolo Tino was created in Vienna with the product-design studio headed by Tino Valentinitsch and managing partner Michael Bauchowitz. Their design language balances precision mechanics with warmth. The result: a pen that looks engineered, but not cold; a pen that feels designed, but not decorative.
Key features:
- Clipless profile
- Machined surfaces refined to a soft touch
- Clean geometry with subtle transitions
- Dimensions calibrated for hand, pocket, and travel
Everything serves the writing experience.
Two Closure Philosophies, One Intent
Tino Fountain – The Suction-Seal Close
Instead of a screw cap, the Tino Fountain uses a press-fit cap finely tuned to produce a satisfying, soft “tchhk” closing sound and feel. It’s more like the door of a refined automobile than a pen. That moment of closing is a ritual. It signals a beginning, a pause, a readiness to write. When the cap is posted, the pen extends to the perfect size for fountain pen writing.
The fit also creates a reliable seal, important for travel and ink reliability.
Tino Ballpoint – Immediate & Ready
The ballpoint version mirrors the design but simplifies the experience: no cap ritual, no ink drying concerns, just pick up and write. For the moments you move fast, the idea must land quickly.
Both models speak the same visual and material language; two siblings built for different modes of thought.
Why Materials Matter
We rejected standard plastics and superficial finishes. Tino’s materials are direct and honest:
- Raw Aluminum: Light, matte, evolves through use with a subtle patina.
- Solid Brass: Grounded, warm, rich, developing deep character.
- Italian Acrylic: Polished, expressive, color-rich, giving the design an emotional variant.
Each material gives the pen a distinct personality, but all share the same design intention. And all Kolo Tino pens have brass as a part of their makeup. Durable, beautiful, meaningful makeup. Brass itself is a naturally antimicrobial alloy due to its copper content, which kills microbes through this effect.
The Fountain Pen, Built for Expression
With standard European cartridges, you are free. No proprietary system locks you in. Select your ink, choose your color, personalize your writing. Kolo’s proprietary ink cartridges are made in Austria.
The posted length and balance allow full-length comfort when writing; yet when capped (posted) and carried, the pen is compact.
The Ballpoint, Built for Daily Carry
For the rapid-thought, the fleeting idea, the travel checklist, the field sketch, the café note, pick up the Tino Ballpoint. Same profile, same intention, immediate readiness.
Compact, Not Small
Both Tino siblings share a transformation: pocket-small when closed, full-length when posted and ready. This duality is mission-critical:
- Easy to carry
- Comfortable to write with
- Reliable anywhere
The pen’s proportions and balance are tuned so the hand never compensates. No wobble, no awkwardness, just write.
A Pen That From Here on Lives With You
Whether you’re transporting ideas on a train, journaling in a café at dusk, jotting in a meeting, sketching a street scene in Kyoto, or writing a postcard from a quiet travel stop, the Tino wants to go with you.
It is ready. It is discreet. It is companionable.
A Tool of Ritual
Removing the cap. Posting (or not). That satisfying click of the suction seal. The first contact of nib or point. The moment your pen arrives on the page.
These small gestures matter. They prepare the mind. They mark the transition from thinking to writing.
There is intention here.
Why We Made It
Because our tools should keep up with our lives, not slow them down. Because compact should not mean compromised. Because writing by hand still matters. Because movement, travel, thought, pause….they deserve better.
Because creative lives don’t wait. They move. They evolve. They respond. And they deserve tools that join them. Because beauty in design is important.
This is why the Tino exists; as two siblings in the same family, one for expressive writing, one for ready action.
We hope one (or both) of them becomes part of your story.
