As Retro 51 puts it, 'Life is too short to carry an ugly pen'. And we agree. Their bright colours and cool designs have more than a hint of nostalgia about them, and all their pens are made with good old-fashioned values in mind.

The Tornado rollerball pen and mechanical pencil set features lacquered steel barrels, knurled twist-action buttons at the end and - in the case of the pencil - a large eraser too. They're supplied in a themed cylinder which doubles as a pen and pencil stand as well as a protective case.

The barrels, which features a representation of the Periodic Table in bright colours, are inspired by the work of Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, the 'Father of the Period Table'.

Refill the mechanical pencils with 1.15mm leads and the rollerballs with either a liquid ink or ballpoint refill.