L.A. Pen Show Friday and Saturday Recap

The Los Angeles Pen Show is definitely one of the more interesting shows I’ve visited. Most notable is that three out of the four show days are trader days, meaning that the show is open to the public only on Sunday (and therefore crazy). This is the exact opposite of how most pen shows run, with nearly all others being open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday typically being the “dead” day where things really slow down in the afternoon. As I write this, I’m mentally preparing myself for the Sunday rush in L.A., since I’ll be behind the Vanness Pens table helping out. If you’re at the show, come see me! In the meantime, here is a photo-heavy recap of some of the things I saw on Friday and Saturday. I should have some additional pictures later this week and some additional reporting on the show once I see how Sunday goes.

This year the entire L.A. Pen Show was held in a single downstairs ballroom. It remains to be seen how the new venue will handle the Sunday crowds, and there were already a few issues with the aisles being very narrow. I will say, however, that the lighting in this recently refurbished space was excellent - some of the best I’ve experienced.

One of the most exciting things I got to see this weekend was the launch of the Vanness/Shawn Newton production-line collaboration, The Pinnacle, which comes in two sparkly colors: Sassafras (on the left) and Wild Blackberry (right). Like Shawn’s famed Shinobi model, the cap has a single facet that acts as a roll-stopper.

I got to handle a Sylvester Stallone Chaos Pen at the Montegrappa table! I have to say that despite all my past skepticism this pen was impressive to hold in person.

Pierre from Desiderata Pens was set up, with a full stock of pens that included his latest Soubriquet model that features a vacumatic-style filler. I acquired the red and beige ebonite pen pictured in the gallery below. Pierre made his name selling pens that accept Zebra G Calligraphy nibs, but you can also purchase them with JoWo nibs.

The Montegrappa “Grappa” set, complete with - wait for it - a bottle of Grappa!

Mike Masuyama was present, and he changed things up at his workstation! I had two pens tuned today, nothing fancy!

And, of course, Brian Anderson showed me some rare Esterbrook “V-Clip” and Relief pens that he had “under glass” at the table. The kind of stuff you can only see at a Pen Show!

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

Deals & Drops: L.A. Pen Show Travel Edition

On the road again, to Los Angeles, for the first pen show of the year! (Well, at least for me, since I missed Philly.) I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone, since my life has been a pen show desert since D.C. last August. This week’s Deals & Drops highlights some of the things I’ll be looking for at the show this weekend. Current plan is just to look, no buy, but we all know how that goes at pen shows….

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. Please see our Privacy and Cookie Policies for additional information.

1. Aurora 88 Nettuno (via Pen Chalet). Aurora is getting ready to release the Neptune-themed “Nettuno,” the latest release in their line of special edition pens based on the Planets. Kenro typically has prototypes at shows, even if the pens aren’t for sale.

2. Pelikan M101N Blue-Grey (via Pen Chalet). Another pen that I want to see in person before making a decision. I’d love to add a M101N to my collection, but is this the one?

3. Pelikan M815 (via Pen Chalet). One of Pelikan’s 2018 releases that I’m still considering, as the understated look of this particular pen appeals to me and Pelikan’s metal-striped barrels are always really well-done.

4. Colorverse Ink (via Vanness Pens). Vanness is making the cross-country road trip from Little Rock to the LA Pen Show, and I’m sure they’ll be bringing their “wall of ink” with them, including a selection of Colorverse sets.

5. PenBBS Official Store (via Etsy/PenBBS). I’m hoping to see a PenBBS pen in person at the L.A. Pen Show. Some of their acrylics and other materials look interesting, but I’ve never written with one or even seen one in person.

6. Sailor King of Pen (via Anderson Pens). Ok, I’m finally intrigued enough to check out Sailor’s K.O.P. series, and I’m sure Anderson Pens will have one or more at the Los Angeles show. I hear Sailor also sometimes appears with their own booth.

7. Pelikan M120 Gift Set (via Goldspot). Goldspot is still running a promotion in which you can grab a significant discount on the Green-Black Pelikan M120. Check out my review of this excellent vintage-inspired pen here.

8. Armando Simoni Club (via ASC Pens). Even though most of their pens approach (or exceed) the top of my price range, I love what they’ve done with old-stock Omas celluloid. This is always a fun booth to visit at a pen show!

9. Leonardo Officina Italiana (via Bittner Pens). Bittner carries the Leonardo Momento Zero (along with a selection of ASC Pens), and I hope they have them in L.A. I’d like to see some of these resin/steel Momento Zero pens in person.

10. Pelikan M1005 Stresseman (via Appelboom). This is more like wishful thinking, since I don’t think these have been released yet, but I can always hope!

11. Sailor Pro Gear Cocktail Tequila Sunrise (via eBay). One of the reasons I want to go to the L.A. Pen Show is because of all the special and limited edition Japanese pens that tend to appear at that show. I’d love to snag a Tequila Sunrise right now (and I’m only partly referring to the pen).

12. Bellroy Classic Pouch (via Amazon). My absolute favorite travel accessory that is currently sitting beside me in the airport lounge. Highly practical, and it looks great to boot.

First Impressions: Aurora 88 Unica Nera

I didn’t explore Aurora as a brand that might seriously interest me until last year. Sure, I’d previously reviewed a few pens on loan from Kenro, the Aurora distributor, or that I’d borrowed from friends, but I hadn’t invested any of my own resources in the brand. That changed when I acquired the “Black Ops” Talentum released last year. Since then, I’ve picked up a few more, including an 88 Sigaro Blu, an 88 Minerali, and this year’s “stealth” release, the 88 Unica Nera.

The trim on the Aurora 88 Unica Nera and the Talentum Black Ops is quite different. I like them both, but I might prefer the lighter “gunmetal” look.

The Unica Nera is a natural follow-up to two other pens already in Aurora’s lineup, the Aurora 88 Satin Black, and the 88 “Ottantotto” demonstrator. Aurora’s latest combines the matte black barrel of the Satin Black with the Ottantotto’s black-plated trim. The result should please fans of “stealth” or “blacked out” pens, and on the whole the Unica Nera is a great pen, but there are a few nits that I think are open to critique.

A size comparison between the Talentum Black Ops and the Aurora 88 Unica Nera. The pens are actually close to the same size, but the Talentum feels bigger due to the larger cap.

What Do I Like About The Unica Nera?

• Like the Aurora 88 Satin Black, it’s a lightweight pen, despite being a piston filler. The Unica Nera is also well-balanced, and I could write with this pen all day posted. I say posted because the Unica Nera is so light that I need to post the cap as a counterweight. The cap posts deeply and doesn’t make the pen too long.

• The matte finish on this pen looks impeccable and the texture feels great in the hand. There are no no injection molding lines or visible flaws in the finish on either the cap or the barrel.

• The Aurora 88 has a very large ink capacity, and the piston turns smoothly without sticking. Aurora pistons can sometimes be difficult to flush clean, but I’ve changed inks in this one a couple times with no issues.   

• The Unica Nera features the same 14k plated nib as the Talentum Black Ops, and in my case, both are fine nibs. The fine nib in my Unica Nera writes a much finer line than my Black Ops, despite having the same nib designation, though it writes smoothly and with perfect ink flow. In my experience, Aurora nibs have some variability in terms of line width (they’re made in-house), and are known to write with a bit of “tooth.” In a couple of cases, I’ve found the “toothiness” to cross the line into “scratchiness” due to ever-so-slight misalignment of the tines, though I’ve always been able to fix the issue with nothing more than a loupe and my fingernail.

Both of these nibs are black-plated fine nibs, though one writes much finer than the other. The Talentum nib is more of a medium.

Things I’m Not Sure About / Small Criticisms

• The Unica Nera is an extremely lightweight pen. Part of me wishes that this one had a bit of additional heft to it. Sometimes when I’m writing with this pen I find myself thinking that it’s just a touch insubstantial.

• The matte black clip and the shiny black cap band don’t match. This could be a design choice, where Aurora tried to add some contrast to a pen that would otherwise be one-dimensional, but I’d rather see them do this by varying the tone of the plating on the trim, which brings me to….

• I prefer the look of the trim on the Talentum Black Ops, which has a more traditional ruthenium/gunmetal tone than the plating on the Unica, which appears to be identical to the trim used on the “Ottantotto” black demonstrator. All three pens use the same nib, which has the gray/gunmetal hue.    

I like pens with ink windows. Here, the Unica Nera is showing off some Robert Oster FIre & Ice.

“So What About the Durability of the Trim?”

Ever since I published my initial piece on the Talentum Black Ops, I’ve had to field questions about the durability of the trim, and I will answer them here: No, I’ve not had any issues with the trim wearing off the clip, cap band, or any other areas. I did hear that there was a bad batch of pens with defective trim that I believe went to Europe, which caused a delay in the Black Ops’ global release, and some of those pens might remain in circulation, but I’ve personally had no problems. In general, I’ve had good luck with the trim on my stealth pens, including not only the Talentum but also my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black and Sailor 1911 Black Luster models.   

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Some people are tired of the “all black” look, but I’m not, especially where it’s well-executed. These understated workhorses are pens that I can use all day at the office, and look great without drawing unwanted attention. I’ve been using the Unica Nera at work for the past couple of weeks, and can confirm that it’s a lightweight, easy pen to write with for extended periods of time, and sports a firm fine nib that’s I’ve enjoyed using for planner notes and annotation. If you don’t have a black trim pen in your collection, the Unica Nera is definitely worthy of your consideration.

These pens are relatively new, and therefore still making their way to most retailers. Pen Chalet currently has them in stock, priced at $585, which is around the typical price point of an Aurora 88. The Unica Nera is slightly more expensive than the Satin Black but far less expensive than the Ottantotto demonstrator.

Disclaimer: I received the pen featured in this review directly from Kenro Industries, Aurora’s North American distributor and a sponsor of this blog, and paid with “store credit” that I received in exchange for sidebar advertising. This post contains affiliate links.

Sunday Reading for February 10, 2019

1. Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover My Pen Collection (via Pelikan’s Perch). Everyone with a sizable pen collection should read this post, then review your homeowner’s or renter’s policy and talk to your insurance agent.

2. How to Improve Your Handwriting (via Fountain Pen Love). I personally moved to an all caps/italic style of writing a few years ago and I enjoy how my handwriting looks now. I‘ve purchased a couple of cursive books, but sadly have not had a chance to practice.

3. What I’m Writing With (via Mostly Pens). I’m considering adding a post like this to my weekly mix, especially since I’m trying to mix things up a little bit. (This is a GREAT set of pens, btw.)

4. A Little Star: Montblanc Le Petit Prince LeGrand (via UK Fountain Pens). I purchased the rollerball classique version of this pen and love it. I likely will add one of the fountain pens this year.

5. Hero 616 Standard “Bobby Launch” (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). Hero is a popular Chinese pen brand that I don’t have much experience with, though they have a reputation for very spotty quality control.

6. Mini Review: Nakaya Decapod Twist vs. PenBBS 380 (via Hand Over That Pen). Katherine has a mini-review on a new PenBBS Model “inspired” by one of Nakaya’s more beautiful designs.

7. Q&A with Richard Koehler, Art Director at Retro 51 (via Clicky Post). Mike has managed to snag a great interview that Retro 51 fans won’t want to miss, especially to get his thoughts on his favorite Retro 51 editions.

8. “Just Internet Friends” (via From the Pen Cup). Everyone needs to read this.

9. Robert Oster Pen Addict Fire on Fire (Well-Appointed Desk). Brad’s orange ink is finally out, and it’s a pretty color. I’ll probably pick up a bottle of this at some point in the future.

10. Write Notepads Zhu Winter Edition (via Pencil Revolution). The latest Write Notepads seasonal edition is out, celebrating the year of the pig! These will be popular, and they’re currently listed as sold out on the Write Notepads site.

11. Pelikan M101N Grey-Blue (via Pelikan’s Perch). I agree that this is a “wait-and-see-in-person” pen, though at some point I’d like to add a M101N to my collection.

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 bright red Diplomat Aero.

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. Pokka Pens. Pokka Pens makes high quality, portable ballpoints that make for a great EDC option, including a new pressurized “All-Weather” pen developed in partnership with Fisher and Rite-in-the-Rain. Check out my review here, and don't forget to use the code GENTSTA to get 10% off your purchase!

7. 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 published the second installment of a previous post on stock stub nibs, this time looking at some higher-end options. I also reviewed one of my favorite Kickstarter projects from last year, the Baux Pen 2, which is a machined pen body for the legendary Bic Stic/Cristal refill. Look for these to hit the open market sometime soon. Finally, this week’s Deals & Drops featured some new 2019 products that are finally starting to trickle out, including a stunning new pen from Leonardo Officina Italiana.

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

Who Backed the Baux Pens? This Guy.

I make no apologies for the fact that I’m an unabashed fan of Bic ballpoint pens. Whether it be the original Bic Cristal, the retractable Bic Clic, or those ginormous Bic multi pens that you carried in third grade, I have and use them all regularly. I consider them the ultimate low-cost, low-distraction, functional writing tool that will work reliably pretty much anywhere except underwater or upside down (which is when you would want to reach for your Fisher Space Pen or other pressurized cartridge).

The pens featured here are technically the Baux Pen 2, a follow-up on the original Baux Pen Kickstarter project from 2013, which launched and closed long before I was far enough down the pen-internet rabbit hole to be aware of it. The project is run by brothers Dan and Brian Conti. You might recognize Brian from his company, Spoke Design, which makes the excellent Spoke Pencil and the current Spoke Pen Kickstarter, a collaboration with Brad Dowdy from the Pen Addict.

The product itself is fairly simple: the Baux Pen is an aluminum stick pen with textured aluminum or titanium grips (shiny or blasted matte) that borrows the rest of the parts from the Bic pen itself. To replace the refill, you remove the plastic “collar,” the refill with the writing tip, and the cap from a Bic Stic pen and insert those parts into the Baux Pen body. It’s very easy and straightforward.

How to disassemble a Baux Pen to incorporate the refill: If you want to use the refill from a Bic Cristal, you will need to borrow the “collar” (pictured second from left) from a Bic Stic to seat the Cristal refill in the Baux Pen. You can then use the ultra fine ballpoint refills from pens like the Bic Cristal “Xtra Precision”, in all their multicolor glory.

One thing I love about the Baux Pen is the grip. I opted for blasted titanium on all three of my pens, and the combination of the matte texture and rings make this a super-comfortable pen to write with. Since titanium and aluminum are both lightweight, you don’t lose one of the best attributes of the Bic pens - their “go-anywhere” portability - and the Baux pen body has a nice balance. The end of the barrel is slightly tapered, allowing you to post the cap. Plastic Bic Stic caps, of course, add no weight whatsoever.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

When this Kickstarter Project was pending, I heard it characterized in many circles as “specialized” or targeted only to artists, designers, and others who use Bic pens for drawing in connection with their work. I disagree. Whether they want to admit it or not, everyone has Bic pens lying around their house, stashed in their car, or in their bag for those occasions when nothing else will work, such as writing on those shiny USPS shipping labels from the post office and all those multi-sheet forms you need to fill out when mailing a package.

If you like the feel and writing properties of a Bic ballpoint, but want to upgrade your daily writing instrument to something just a bit nicer looking, the Baux pen is a great upgrade that doesn’t cost much at all. I backed for three pens with titanium grips, and the price came to $36. The cost for backing a single aluminum pen is only $9. Now that the project has finished shipping, I hope that the Baux Pen gets a wider release (perhaps through the Spoke Design shop?) because it’s a great product that deserves wider exposure than the Kickstarter received. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a retailer where this pen is being sold outside of Kickstarter, but hopefully that’s because the creators wanted to fulfill Kickstarter orders first.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pens featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection. This post contains affiliate links.