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.

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