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The Gentleman Stationer

Vintage Living in the Modern World.
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Weekly Drops: Tono & Lims Inks, Kakimori Restock, and More!

January 2, 2026

We’re happy to announce that we’ve received three new lines of ink from Tono & Lims, which is now available for purchase both in shop and online! Those familiar with Tono & Lims know that the brand is the result of a Japanese-South Korean collaboration between Japanese fountain pen enthusiasts and the South Korean ink producer Lim’s Lab. Tono & Lims loves to experiment with color, sheen, shimmer, and inside jokes, so the inks end up being a lot of fun (especially the names). We’ve swatched these inks on multiple papers to showcase how they can look different depending on which specific paper you use!

My personal favorite. A shimmer red with black sheen and a great name.

As noted in Tuesday’s post, we have also restocked products from Kakimori and Object Index, including the Kakimori dip nibs and a new line of miniature nib holders that are slightly smaller than the traditional calligraphy nib holder.

Our Nashville shop will be open from 1-6pm on Friday January 2, and from 10-6pm on Saturday January 3 (normal hours). We’re looking forward to getting back into the swing of things after a busy holiday season!

  1. Tono & Lims Standard Line Inks. The standard line of Tono & Lims inks, with the numbered colors. To start I’ve picked a handful and we will be bringing in more as we get a sense of what people like.

  2. Tono & Lims “Friendship” Line Inks. Ok, so I added some shimmer inks to the T.G.S. curation! This particular ink series is inspired by friends of the Tono & Lims brand, whether that’s collaborators or partner shops or others. There are some particularly interesting color combinations, and shimmer and other special properties are not overwhelming.

  3. Tono & Lims “Adult Night” Inks. No, there’s nothing inappropriate going on here. This line of inks - mostly lightly scented - is themed around coffee, tea, and chocolate, with a touch of insomnia thrown in. (And Dynamite?)

  4. Kakimori Dip Nibs. We’ve received a restock of the Kakimori conical metal nibs, as well as the standard writing nib which functions much like a fountain pen only there is no feed and is intended more for writing.

  5. Kakimori Nib Holders. The standard Kakimori nib holders are available again in the Sakura wood finish. This is the longer nib holder in the classic shape.

  6. Kakimori Mini Nib Holders. These “mini” nib holders are slightly smaller and more compact than a traditional nib holder, making it perfect for travel, portability, and those with smaller hands. It’s also a fun range of colors!

  7. Object Index Modular Marker. We’ve brought back a selection of Kakimori’s popular “Object Index” line of high-end office supplies, including these “Modular Markers” that allow you to build a set of customizable fineliners and highlighters that stack in a way that lets you easily cycle through different tip sizes.

  8. Kakimori Colour Liners Fineliner Markers. Kakimori first popularized fineliners that you can fill with your own inks to create a truly custom set. Several different tip sizes are available, ranging from standard writing points to chisel-tip markers for highlighting or drawing.

  9. Pilot Prera Fountain Pens. The popular solid-color Pilot Prera fountain pens are back in stock, including the coveted Honey Yellow in both nib sizes.

  10. The Roterfaden Shop at T.G.S. We are restocked on most versions of the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter, including many different A5 designs and a handful of remaining TGS_25 in Grey. While we want to keep this special release in stock, there is no scheduled restock date at the moment on either the grey or green A5-Slim, and we are unable to take pre-orders or deposits.

Allex Desk Scissors from Japan are now available in four different formats. Black Fluorine version is restocked, and we also have Jagged Blade (for cutting vinyl, etc.) and Thin Blade (for fine detail work) versions available.

In TGS Curated Shop Tags Thursday Drops, Weekly Drops, Allex Scissors, Tono & Lims, Fountain Pen Ink, TGS Curated Shop
YouTube Five Favorite Things

Happy New Year: Here's My 2025 Year-End "Favorite Things" Video!

January 1, 2026

So the heat was out at the shop/office yesterday, and frozen fingers early in the morning don’t necessarily lend themselves to typing long recap posts, so I decided to do a video instead! In this YouTube installment I talk about five favorite things that I acquired in 2025, across several different categories including fountain pens, non-fountain pens, paper, and desk accessories. I actually picked up far fewer fountain pens in 2025, and focused instead on more practical "work" stationery, including nicer notebooks and planners. This year was also notable because I dove even further into my fineliner obsession, and discovered the Pentel Tradio, a pen that's been around for seemingly forever but which I've never used until discovering it as part of the Craft Design Technology lineup. Here are the five items I chose to feature in the video:

  • Pilot Decimo Nagasawa Kobe Harbor Gradient Special Edition. The one fountain pen is a favorite that I acquired from Vanness Pens. It has a fine-medium nib, and while I believe this particular special edition finish is sold out, Vanness regularly stocks other Nagasawa special editions including the annual Decimo release.

  • Craft Design Technology Pentel Tradio. The Tradio is a classic piece of Japanese stationery, and while it’s marketed as a “plastic fountain pen,” it’s really a fineliner. And a good one at that. I’ve been using it to lay out my 2026 Wonderland 222 Planner and I must say that it’s an exceptionally good planner pen.

  • Brelio A5 6-Ring Binder. Lisa Vanness brought back some Brelio leather products from Japan and I’m enjoying the slightly larger size and multiple pockets stitched into the cover. I still use my Plotters for individual projects but Brelio’s layout is a bit more practical for everyday work carry.

  • Craft Design Technology Memo Rolls. I love these rolled sticky notes, also from CDT, which you can cut to size and move around since they are reusable. They work especially well on coated papers.

  • Zenith Staplers. Perhaps I’m a bit peculiar here, but I’ve become enamored with these Italian plier-style staplers. They take next to no pressure to use and I love how easy it is to angle the staple in a practical (and yes, aesthetically pleasing, way). I did an entire video on this product and it did about as well as one could hope a video on staplers would do. :)

The Pentel Tradio (blue ink!) and Pilot Decimo Nagasawa Kobe Harbor Gradient edition have been my constant companions.

Please Note that Our Nashville Shop is Closed Today and We Will Open Normal Hours Tomorrow

We are doing an inventory count in-store today, finishing up listing new arrivals, and trying to take maybe half a day off, so the Nashville location is closed today for New Years. We will reopen tomorrow (Friday, January 2) for normal hours 1pm-6pm, and on Saturday, January 3 from 10pm-6pm.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee!

In Editorial Tags Year-End Review

In addition to brass and stainless steel, Kakimori metal dip nibs are now available in Copper!

New Arrivals: Kakimori Mini Nib Holders, Dip Nibs, and Colour Liners!

December 30, 2025

If you enjoy ink, you’ve probably heard of Kakimori and their conical metal nibs, which many love for drawing, writing, and ink swatching. We recently received a restock of the Kakimori dip nibs, including the new copper finish and the standard “pen nib”. We’ve also added the Kakimori Mini Nib Holders to our lineup, which are a shorter version of Kakimori’s standard dip nib holder (also back in stock).

Finally, we’ve brought back the Kakimori “Colour Liner” refillable fineliners, in four different tip sizes. You essentially create your own marker by filling the included wick with your ink of choice. While technically disposable, these markers last a long time - I have several going for well over a year. Check out these and other Kakimori and Object Index products in our shop!

For those who want to use their nib holder strictly for writing, Kakimori also makes a standard pen nib!

Please note that we are not open on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day this week, as we are finishing up shipping and counting inventory at year-end. We will be open normal hours Friday (1-6pm) and Saturday (10am-6pm).

In TGS Curated Shop Tags New Arrivals, Kakimori Colour Liners, Kakimori Brass Nib, Kakimori

Sunday Reading for December 28, 2025

December 28, 2025
  1. Year in Review: What Happened with My 2025 Stationery Intentions (via A Gathering of Curiosities). A really good recap of what I’d certainly consider a successful year of intentions!

  2. Ranking My Top 5 Notebook Systems and Top 5 Papers of 2025 (via dwrdnet). The year-end recaps have started! Derek gives us his favorite notebooks and papers from the past year.

  3. Diamine Inkvent 2025 Summary (via Writing at Large). I agree with much of this reaction. Can we dispense with so much “Extreme Sheen” next year? I’m not hearing many positive reactions.

  4. 2025: Some of My Fountain Pen Highlights (via Fountain Pen Blog). An interesting set of acquisitions, notable for showcasing a breadth of interest.

  5. The Transformative Power of a Planning System (via Philofaxy). Some great advice for those looking to add a planning system to their lives.

  6. Top 10 Beautiful Nibs (via Figboot on Pens). David walks through the 10 best-looking nibs in his collection, looking at the visual artistry.

  7. How to Fix a Stuck Mechanical Pencil Mechanism (via Vanness1938). A useful video on how to fix a mechanical pencil mechanism, shown on a Kaweco Sport mechanical pencil.

  8. Iroshizuku Rikka (via Inkredible Colours). Rikka didn’t get as much attention when it was released this year, probably because the Iroshizuku line already has so many blues. But it’s a nice color all the same.

  9. Meet Your Maker: Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Pen Company (via Pen Addict - Caroline). I enjoyed reading about the backstory behind Carolina Pen Company and how Jonathon got started.

In Case You Missed It….

I got a bit behind, but I finished up my recap of the 2025 Inkvent and Colorvent Calendars in two installments: Days 11-20 and Days 20-25. I also filmed a YouTube video walking through my business planner of choice for 2026: the Wonderland222 A5 Core S. This week look for more 2025 Recap content as well as announcements on 2026 plans!

The NJK No. 211 Long Lead Pencil Sharpener is the latest addition to our shop!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

The day-after-Christmas craziness continues through the weekend, with new arrivals from Craft Design Technology leading the way. In addition to the new CDT pen releases, we’ve introduced their Pentel mechanical pencil collaboration and Camel pencil set, as well as a bunch of new paper items (including fun sticky notes), as well as scissors and leather pen cases! I’m also testing out a lot of these items personally as I add them to the shop, and I’ve enjoyed exploring this line. It’s clearly been designed by people who love stationery and each of the various items thoughtfully chosen. We’ve also restocked this week on Roterfaden Taschenbegleiters (which now have their own shop page), Musgrave pencils, and NJK Pencil Sharpeners!

Craft Design Technology
Craft Design Technology
Musgrave
Musgrave
Roterfaden
Roterfaden
TRAVELER'S Company
TRAVELER'S Company

How to Support T.G.S. and Our Various Projects

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail”.

In LInks Tags Links

Closing Out Colorvent and Inkvent: The Last Few Days and Overall Conclusions

December 27, 2025

Now that we’re past Christmas Day, another year of Inkvent/Colorvent ink Advent calendars has come and gone! This year was, overall, a good year for both Diamine and Colorverse in terms of the inks they chose for the calendars, but for my own personal preferences I would still give the edge to Colorverse. Why? Simply because most of the colors they chose to include are inks that I could see myself using on a regular basis, whereas the Diamine inks tend to be more “festive” and holiday-themed. That’s not bad by the way, and is actually the reason many people choose the Diamine calendar. Here’s a run-down of the last few days:

Yes, I know this was actually Day 22. I got lost when I started playing catch-up so I stopped numbering them. I really enjoyed the Diamine Pineapple Spritz, btw, more than I thought I would, with its combination of pigment and shimmer.

Colorverse Lunar Black and Winter Wonderland were both interesting: I always enjoy black/dark grey inks that offer subtle undertones of other colors like blue and purple, and I felt that Winter Wonderland struck a good balance of shimmer and sheen.

The last few Diamine Inkvent Inks I didn’t find all that interesting. “Let It Snow” felt like a single-tone shimmer ink, and while Antler had some interesting shading that will appeal to some, the color didn’t do much for me. This year’s large 30ml bottle, “The Myrrh the Merrier,” was a shimmer/sheen combination but as with most of the Diamine sheening inks, I found the red sheen overpowering.

Takeaways and Overall Conclusions

I’ll likely always work my way through both calendars, because I find it to be a fun way to celebrate the holiday season and the calendars always have at least one or two inks that showcase each brands’ creativity. My favorite inks from this year’s calendar were probably Colorverse “Erebus Crater”, a multishading blue grey, and Diamine “Nostalgia,” a multishading red/purple/grey from the Chameleon collection. Diamine always releases the entire line of Inkvent inks as standard releases, while last year Colorverse picked three of the most popular to add to the standard lineup. Apparently they are doing the same for 2026, so we’ll eagerly await this year’s choices. Be sure to vote in the poll via the QR code on the back of your Colorvent Calendar box.

Colorverse Erebus Crater (right).

Diamine Nostalgia.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee!

In Ink Reviews Tags Diamine Inkvent 2025, Colorverse Colorvent 2025, Diamine Inkvent, Colorverse Colorvent
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