Deals & Drops: Introducing Pelikan Stone Garden, Just in Time for Pelikan Hubs!

Why not get a head start on Pelikan “Hubs Day” by spotlighting all the new upcoming Pelikan releases, as well as some old ones that are hanging around, sometimes at very good prices? I hope to see everyone who registered for this year’s Nashville Hub tomorrow night, and then for a special event on Saturday afternoon with Vanness Pens in Nashville! Be sure to keep up with the Vanness Instagram Feed for location and details!

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1. Pelikan M800 Stone Garden Fountain Pen (via Appelboom). So the Renaissance Brown nearly drew me in, but I figured that at the end of the day, I didn’t need another M800. Then I saw this one, which jumped to the top of my “to by” list. Available for pre-order now.

2. Pelikan Special Edition M205 Olivine (via Pen Chalet). Again, the best special edition M205 that I’ve seen from the Company in years. Available for pre-order now.

3. Pelikan M205 Clear Demonstrator (via Pen Chalet). Another winner! If you’ve been wanting a clear Pelikan demo, but don’t want the larger M800 size (with the larger price tag), check this out.

4. Pelikan M600 Turquoise White Fountain Pen (via Pen Chalet). This pen is a steal, the way it’s currently priced. One of the few special/limited edition options in the mid-size M600 model.

5. Pelikan Ink (via Vanness Pens). Whether it’s Pelikan’s standard 4001 line, or upscale “Edelstein” series, Pelikan makes great ink that’s safe for most pens. Don’t miss Olivine, the 2018 Edelstein “Ink of the Year,” - and you’ll probably have a bottle coming your way if you’ve signed up for this year’s “Hubs” event.

6. Pelikan Souveran 205 Classic Highlighter Do Pen Set (via Amazon). I haven’t seen this one in a while - the Yellow M205 demonstrator paired with highlighter ink. A good price to boot.

7. Pelikan M205 Transparent Blue Demonstrator (via Amazon). I missed out the first time, but not the second. This one is getting more scarce, so if you want one, I’d act quickly while stock remains available at scattered vendors and Amazon sellers.

8. Pen Wraps from Written in Rice (via Etsy / Written in Rice). Claire has restocked her Etsy store and has a small number of her pen wraps available.

9. Baron Fig Slim Bifold Leather Wallet (via Baron Fig). I’ve reviewed Baron Fig leather goods before, and I’m glad to see they’re expanding the line. This bifold wallet I’m testing out has far exceeded expectations!

10. Tarumi Apricot Sailor Pro Gear Slim (via eBay/Cool Japan). Readers of this blog will know that sometimes the only way to get Japanese store exclusive special edition pens, like this one with retailer Nagasawa is through eBay or a reseller. I’ve ordered from Seller Cool Japan before with success. There are other colors as well, designed to match the Kobe-Nagasawa inks, like Suma-rikyu Rose and Gakuen-toshi Fresh Green.

11. Rikyu Moon Yellow Sailor Pro-Color Nagasawa Exclusive (via eBay/Cool Japan). Sailor has brought a very limited selection of their steel-nibbed Pro Color fountain pens to the U.S., but of course Japan has more.

12. Platinum 3776 Urushi Maki-e Galaxy Starlight (via Anderson Pens). Wow, this pen looks gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of the Platinum 3776, and I’ve probably not written enough about it here. The pricing for this Urushi/Maki-e work is a (relative) bargain as well.

13. Conklin Nozac Special Pricing (via Goldspot). Goldspot has dropped the price of the Conklin Nozac as part of their “weekly dip” promotion, including on pens featuring their stub and “omniflex” nibs.

14. Build-Your-Own Custom Leather Cover (via Etsy/One Star Leather). Looking for a unique leather cover for your new Hobonichi or favorite brand of notebook? Keegan will build one especially for you. Check out my review here.

15. Galen Leather Pencil Case (via Amazon). Sometimes simple is the best, especially with leather products. For some reason, this pencil case/carryall caught my eye. Check out my review of Galen Leather notebook covers.

Pen Review: Montblanc M Ultra Black Fountain Pen

Once again, I’m a bit late to the party here in reviewing a pen that’s been out for a while - the Montblanc M by Marc Newson, a collaboration between the venerable (and somewhat staid) German brand and the industrial designer, most recently known for his status as a senior member of Apple’s design team. The version featured here is from Montblanc’s “Ultra Black” series, which means matte black resin and ruthenium trim - a combination that’s a personal favorite of mine. (This isn’t the first “Ultra Black” pen I’ve reviewed. You can check out some shots of my 146 Ultra Black here.)

As one would expect from the “Ultra Black” designation, this pen features a ruthenium/rhodium plated, two-toned 14k gold nib, available in fine or medium. The particular pen I’m reviewing here has a fine nib, which writes a relatively wet line with just a touch of tooth. I wouldn’t call it scratchy, just tactile. The textured ruthenium-plated section is comfortable to hold, and the metal ridges offer a nice gripping surface. The balance and overall ergonomics are also nice, though as I’ll discuss further below, you can’t post the cap.  

There is a fairly significant step-down from the barrel of the pen to the grip section, which isn’t sharp, but I can still feel it when writing. Note the orange highlight, which adds a pop of color and stands out nicely on the otherwise dark design.

Two aspects of the pen’s design might make this one a no-go for many people.  First, the Montblanc “M” Series is a cartridge-only fountain pen. While you may be able to find a shorter converter that fits the barrel, no converter ships with this pen and Montblanc markets this pen as cartridge-only. Second, there is absolutely no ability to post this pen due to the placement of the signature feature, the “plateau” on the back of the barrel emblazoned with the snowflake.

Where Montblanc has excelled, however, is the magnetic cap, which automatically aligns the clip with the “snowflake” logo on the “plateau.” It’s quite accurate, and fun to play with. The platinum-plated clip is different from what Montblanc normally uses on their pens, adds a modern, clean look, and has great tension so that it clips easily to a shirt pocket.   

A shot of the split-pronged clip and the two snowflakes. Design-wise, this is certainly a pen that’s grown on me.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Montblanc “M” series draws strong opinions - people tend to love this pen or actively dislike it. I think part of that is the fact that it’s such a departure from Montblanc’s standard line that the pen doesn’t appeal to the “purists” - those drawn to the more traditional Meisterstuck pens and the special and limited editions based off the Classique, 146, and 149 models.  On the whole, I like this pen, but it’s probably not one that will end up in my collection in fountain pen form. The step from the body to the section bothers me a little bit, and something about the form factor seems to lend itself more to a ballpoint/rollerball than a fountain pen. For longer writing sessions, I’m not sure that this pen would be my choice, but for short jottings at work with Montblanc’s excellent ballpoint and rollerball refills, I’m still considering picking one up.

Many thanks to site sponsor Appelboom for loaning me the pen featured in this review. The Montblanc “M” series currently retails at $540 for the fountain pen version, or $400 for the ballpoint and rollerball version.  Prices listed here are approximations and subject to change due to the EUR/USD exchange rate.  

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A size comparison shot, from left: Franklin-Christoph Model 20, Montblanc M Ultra Black Fountain Pen, Montblanc 146 Ultra Black, and Platinum 3776 Oshino Demonstrator.

Sunday Reading for September 16, 2018

1. On Craft, Appropriation, and Distance (via Leigh Reyes). Leigh has an excellent piece (as always) that everyone should read.

2. The Paper Series: Whitelines Pad Review (via The Looped Square). I haven’t seen Whitelines reviewed or sold in several years. I’m glad to see they’re back, and the paper quality looks good.

3. Looking Ahead to the London Writing Equipment Show (via UK Fountain Pens). Tony will be attending the upcoming LWES, and talks about the pens he has his eye on. Should be a good show, and one you don’t want to miss if you’re in London.

4. Goodies for the Pelikan Hub 2018 (via Bleistift). A sneak peak at what Pelikan is shipping out for the Hubs this year!

5. What I learned: Lamy Vibrant Pink Ink is a Higher-Maintenance Ink (via Fountain Pen Follies). If you have a bottle of Lamy Vibrant Pink, you should read this.

6. Composition Notebooks at Walmart (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). Les works her way through a haul of composition notebooks from Walmart. I’ve not tried any of these brands.

7. The Dogs of the SF Pen Show (via Hand Over That Pen). A pet-friendly Pen Show is a welcome sight. You sometimes see a dog or two at pen shows, but this really takes it to the next level!

8. How to Use an Opus 88 Fountain Pen (via Pen Chalet). Pen Chalet has another Q&A article on Opus 88 fountain pens and their Japanese-style eyedropper filling systems, including how to manage ink flow when writing.

9. EXACTLY What I Needed: Baron Fig’s Wander Dream Journal (via From the Pen Cup). While this product likely isn’t for me (my dreams aren’t typically that vivid), I love seeing how other people are using this product.

10. Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin (via Well-Appointed Desk). Chiku-rin is an ink that I really wanted to like, but ended up finding too dry and too pale for my taste. Other people love this ink, though!

Please Visit and Support My Sponsors and Affiliates! 

Please take a moment to visit these fine folks who help keep this blog going! It's next to impossible to keep up a steady stream of fresh review content without some form of sponsorship or affiliate relationship. I'm grateful to everyone who's helped me out along the way.    

1. Vanness Pens. Vanness Pens carries rare and hard-to-find inks from all over the world, including Colorverse, Callifolio, Akkerman, and the full line of DeAtramentis. You can check out my recap of a visit to Vanness here.

2. Pen Chalet. Pen Chalet has a wide variety of available pens and offers unbeatable value on pens, inks, pen cases, etc.

3. Anderson Pens. In addition to having one of the largest offerings of bottled ink in the world, Anderson Pens is an authorized retailer of a wide range of brands, including Sailor, Aurora and Faber-Castell. Check out the sponsor profile I published here, and don't miss out on their new special edition Sailor Pro Gear in Slate Blue.

4. Appelboom. Please check out Appelboom's extensive selection and excellent pricing on a wide range of brands, including Montblanc pens such as this Classique 145 I reviewed.

5. Goldspot Pens. Goldspot regularly offers excellent promotions and specials! Check out their "Weekly Dip" section for details.

6. Paul's Paper & Pens. Paul features a well-curated selection of fountain pens, multi pens, notebooks, and more, including some very uncommon Pilot Vanishing Points and Decimos that we don't see here in the States.

7. Pokka Pens. Pokka Pens makes high quality, portable ballpoints that make for a great EDC option. Check out my review here, and don't forget to use the code GENTSTA to get 10% off your purchase!

8. TGS Amazon Page. I run across many more items (pens, pencils, books, accessories, etc.) in my online "travels." I can't feature them all on TGS, but Amazon has an option where I can set up an affiliate page to host product recommendations and earn fees on referrals. Amazon does not sponsor or endorse this blog in any way.

In Case You Missed It...

This week on the blog I reviewed the recently released TWSBI Go fountain pen, and also looked at some inexpensive Wing Sung demonstrators that I purchased for testing inks (and which ended up far exceeding my expectations). Finally, don’t miss this week’s Deals & Drops, which features some 2019 Planner releases as well as some Sailor imports from Japan.

Happy Sunday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Testing Out "Tester Pens": What's the Role of the "Cheap" Fountain Pen?

You may have noticed that I’ve been trying to reintroduce ink reviews on the site by - well, reviewing more inks. A couple things make this a challenge for me. First, I do use my pens regularly outside of the work I do here on this blog. I have a writing-intensive job with an output that regularly exceeds 20 (typed) pages per day, and the way I work/think involves a lot of longhand note-taking and sketching out ideas before I even start on the computer. These notes are frequently shared among colleagues, and handwritten markups of documents scanned and e-mailed to clients. That’s a long way of saying that whatever ink I use in my daily writers needs to be something that I know is reliable and works well on cheap recycled copy paper, which limits my opportunities to experiment with new inks that I don’t know much about, not to mention properties like sheen and shimmer.

Wing Sung 3001 Demonstrators

At the same time, I don’t like to write ink reviews based on a swab and a couple lines of writing with a dip pen. That doesn’t give me any sense of how the ink truly “performs,” and whether it’s something I could legitimately recommend for daily use - which is what I try to keep the focus on here. But I also don’t want to ink one of my favorite writers up with an “unknown” ink and just have it sit indefinitely (or stain, clog, melt, etc. if the ink turns out to be not-so-nice). So what to do? Enter the low-cost tester pen.

Wing Sung 3010 Demonstrators

Earlier this year I discovered Wing Sung demonstrators. These inexpensive Chinese piston fillers were some of the best cheap pens that I’d used to date, and that impression has not changed. Even better, Wing Sung continues to release a steady stream of new models, often sold in packs of four or five pens that gets the price down to a few dollars per unit. This eliminates any risk of testing out “higher maintenance” inks in my nice pens.

Wing Sung 3008 Demonstrators, which I first learned about at this year’s DC Pen Show.

So right now I have a dozen or so Wing Sung demonstrators inked up with an equal number of inks I’m testing, sitting in a cup on my desk at home. Four of them are loaded up with various Colorverse “glistening” inks (Ham, Hayabusa, Brane, and Gluon).  The rest contain various Noodler’s permanent and quick-drying inks and some highly saturated Private Reserve Colors. Surprisingly, the extra fine nibs on all of these pens are good writers, and I’ve found myself reaching for them at home quite a bit when I’m working at my desk there. If the inks turn out to be serviceable, I’ll slip one of the tester pens into my pen case and take it to work for the day, giving it a more extended “audition.” If I don’t like it, and it sits so long that it clogs or stains, so what? I’m liking my new system.

So Which Pens Am I Talking About, Exactly?

I’ve purchased all of my Wing Sung pens via Amazon, and the Sellers don’t always make the model number clear, so it can be difficult to know exactly which pen you’re buying.  The piston fillers that hold the glistening inks are the Wing Sung 3008, which are sold in packs of four and feature different colored aluminum caps and trim. (I first learned about these because Ana had them at the 2018 DC Pen Show.) The rest of the pens are Wing Sung 3010 and Wing Sung 3001 demonstrators, which are cartridge-converter pens that feature a surprisingly good converter. (So good, in fact, that I’m going to see if this converter fits other pens. It seals really well, and includes a small spring in the barrel which breaks surface tension, ensuring good ink flow.)

So far, I’ve been pleased with all of these pens. Of course, at this price point I don’t expect them to last forever. In particular, the pistons and converters will eventually wear out, or the plastic will crack after repeated capping/uncapping. But in the meantime, enjoy them for what they are: fun demonstrator fountain pens that you can fill up with the craziest of inks, safe in the knowledge that if things don’t work out, at most, you’re out a couple bucks.  

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Deals & Drops: Return of the London Fog Acrylic, 2019 Planners and More!

I was somewhat surprised to see Visconti resurrect what looks like the same (or very similar) acrylic from the limited edition “London Fog” Homo Sapiens released a few years ago. Also, 2019 planners from Hobonichi and Midori are available, and if you’re looking for a unique or limited edition cover, you probably want to act quickly. Finally, I somehow ended up with a bunch of links to limited or special edition demonstrator pens, which I love, and I’ve started to amass a small collection/accumulation of these beauties. Maybe a new feature in the future? Happy Friday! It can’t come too soon.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.

1. Visconti Ocean Breeze Fountain Pen (via Pen Chalet). Boy does this material look familiar. Fun fact: Apparently Visconti calls this “Acryloid,” because it’s acrylic mixed with celluloid swirls.

2. 2019 Midori Planners (via Vanness Pens). Looking for something special for your 2019 Planner? If so, it may be a good idea to act quickly, as some of the more unique patterns might sell out quickly.

3. Platinum 3776 Oshino Fountain Pen (via Pen Chalet). Ron’s deal this week on the Oshino is ridiculous, and if you’ve been looking to pick up a Platinum 3776 demonstrator, this one is outstanding. The acrylic on mine has been polished to perfection.

4. Baron Fig Limited Editions and More (via Vanness Pens). Vanness is now stocking Baron Fig products online and in store, including the new Archer “Elements” collaboration with CW Pencil Enterprise, and the Squire “Mysterium” collaboration with Harry Marks.

5. 2019 Hobonichi Planners (via Anderson Pens). The Andersons are stocking more Hobonichi products this year, including the A6 Hobonichi, the A5 Cousin, and the slimmer “Weeks” planner.

6. Sailor Profit Demonstrator with Black Plated Trim (via eBay). Sailor makes a wide range of fountain pens for Japanese retailer Nagasawa. It’s easiest to get in the states through a source like eBay, unless they come to the D.C. Pen Show like they did a few years back. This clear demonstrator with black ion-plated trim is great looking, and I need to review it soon.

7. Sailor Sapporo Pro Gear Slim (via eBay). Another Nagasawa exclusive that I picked up a while back and need to review. This is the short “Sapporo” version that no longer forms a part of Sailor’s regular lineup, at least in the States.

8. Graf von Faber-Castell Classic Wood Macassar Fountain Pen (via Appelboom). While we’re on the subject of black-trimmed pens, this is by far my favorite GvFC option. On the list!

9. Parker Duofold Centennial Prestige Pens (via Goldspot). Don’t miss this one! Goldspot is running a steep price reduction on the Burgundy Duofold as part of its “Weekly Dip” promotion.

10. TWSBI 580ALR (via Amazon). If you like TWSBI Pens, and you also like dark metal/matte trim, don’t miss the opportunity to pick one of these up. They’re great looking, and like all things TWSBI, you don’t know how long they will last.

11. Pens from Yoshi Nakama (via 18111com/Etsy). This “White Wisteria with Silver Wisteria Roll-Stopper on lavender blue - another incredibly beautiful pen. I’m not sure how he keeps coming up with these designs…

12. Colorverse Wisdom of Trees Series (via Pen Chalet). Colorverse has introduced it’s latest series, Wisdom of Trees, featuring tree-themed pairings that include Redwood, Methuselah, and Gingko.

13. Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pens (via Amazon). These are getting harder to find in-store, which is sad because they used to be an easy go-to when you needed a decent writing implement quickly. The Varsity is also a great way to test out the world of fountain pens for the first time.

14. TWSBI Eco Special Edition Colors (via Amazon). TWSBI has been rotating through different runs of the Eco. The current color is pink, and the upcoming color is a clear blue. As with the 580ALR, if you have you’re eye on a pink one, act quickly because I missed out on the first blue Eco T and still regret it.

15. New Acrylics from PenBBS (via Etsy/PenBBS). PenBBS keeps adding some great looking materials to their shop. I haven’t had the opportunity to pick one up (yet), but from what I hear the quality is good.