Deals & Drops: New TWSBI Fountain Pens, More Midori, and Clairefontaine Looseleaf Last Call!

February 3, 2022

Well that was a week! I had a bunch of stuff waiting when I returned from vacation, including a small batch of TWSBI Vac700R “Iris” Fountain Pens, the new TWSBI ECO Jade, and a restock on Midori! A very special addition this week is the “B” grade version of the Tombow 2558 woodcase pencil, which is the exact pencil I used to discover this particular brand, all the way back in 2013. It’s just as smooth and well-behaved (i.e. non-smeary) as the HB, only a touch darker, for those of us who love our softer graphite. Happy Shopping!

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TWSBI Vac700R Fountain Pen. Over the years, TWSBI has reworked the Vac700R to improve ink flow and reliability, and also introduced the unique “Iris” finish with the blue-purple-holograph-like anodization on the trim. Vacuum-fill fountain pens work exceptionally well for travel, since you can take advantage of the “shut-off valve” to protect yourself from burps and cap leaks.
TWSBI Vac Mini Fountain Pen. In addition to the full-size Vac700R, I’m happy to offer the Vac Mini, a pocket-sized version of the Vac700R that posts. Looking for a high-capacity pocket fountain pen that features the same shutoff-valve filling system? Read my review of this pen here.
TWSBI Diamond Mini Fountain Pen. Another pocketable favorite! The Diamond Mini is compact when capped, yet expands to full size when posted and keeps TWSBI’s excellent piston filling system.
TWSBI ECO Jade Fountain Pen. The latest ECO release is a beauty! The ECO Jade features a pale green cap and finial in a slightly translucent light green hue.
Tombow 2558 Woodcase Pencils. As mentioned above, my favorite yellow (or orange) No. 2 pencil is now available in “B” hardness! Sold individually and by the dozen.
Midori MD Diary Stickers. Turn any notebook into a planner! These dated and undated planner stickers adhere to a page of your notebook of choice, and since they use Midori MD Paper, they’re fountain pen friendly. We have small and medium sizes.
Midori MD Fountain Pen. A simple pen with an excellent nib, adjusted to a slightly downturned angle to offer a smooth writing experience, especially for those new to fountain pens or who write with a bit of a heavy hand.
Hightide Sandglasses. These multicolored hourglasses are one of my favorite desk accessories, offering a gentle analog alternative to a buzzing timer or cell phone alarm, especially when you want to work in intervals. Available in 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute increments.
Hightide Folding Metal Book Stands. The demand for these things continues to amaze me! I use mine daily, and it folds flat to easily fit in my briefcase for portability between the home office and work.
Clairefontaine Looseleaf Paper. It’s almost last call for this shipment! I still have packs of the A5 looseleaf and A4 booklets (50-ct). Definitely bringing this one back!

Deals & Drops: Write Notepads Restock!

January 21, 2022

After you all wiped us out over Christmas, we had to do a post-New Year’s restock on Write Notepads products, and our shipment arrived yesterday! We now have a additional Landscape Notebooks, Weekly Planners, Meeting Notebooks, Engineer Notebooks and Memo Pads, and more. January is a great time to stock up on your favorite workhorse stationery products for the New Year, and we’ll keep alerting you to more new arrivals and incoming new products.

Write Notepads Landscape Notebooks. These lined wirebound notebooks use a landscape-style orientation for those who like to have a notebook sitting beneath their keyboard, or who otherwise just want to avoid having your hand rub against the spiral binding. .
Write Notepads Weekly Planner. It’s been a while since we’ve had these in stock, but we recently received more of the Write Notepads undated weekly planners, which allow you to plan out a week on two pages. The planner is undated, meaning that you can use it every day, or just when you need it.
Write Notepads Meeting Notebook. Fans of Cornell-style notetaking will love the Write Notepads Meeting Notebook (and for those who don’t want a bound version, Meeting Memo Pads are also available).
Write Notepads Classic Hardcover Notebook. I personally use one of these hardcover notebooks as my commonplace book. They’re now available in both lined and dot grid paper.
Write Notepads Paper Notebook/Journal. We were finally able to bring these back, at least in some of the colors. These slim A5 paper notebooks are infinitely useful, for those who prefer a more slender format.
Write Notepads Engineer Notebooks and Engineer Memo Pads. Prefer grid paper? Love the smell of wax on your waterproof notebook cover that will travel with you into the field? You won’t want to miss these.
Kokuyo Perpanep Zara Zara A5 Notebooks. These A5 notebooks from Kokuyo feature fountain pen friendly “Zara Zara” paper and come in a wide variety of rulings, including grid and dot grid in multiple widths, as well as a steno ruling!
Kokuyo Sketch Book and Trip Book Hardcover Pocket Notebooks. Durable, colorful, and useful for anything from list-making to journaling, these have largely replaced softcover pocket notebooks in my own rotation.
Rhodia Webnotebook. A true stationery classic, especially if you’re looking to update your classic “Black A5 Notebook” game. Rhodia makes some of the best all-around paper available.
Clairefontaine French-ruled Looseleaf Paper. We still have some Clairefontaine A5 looseleaf sheets and double booklets available! This was an import order so it may be a while before things come back in stock.

Deals & Drops: We Have Pencils!

January 13, 2022

Before the New Year, I placed a restock order on pencils, to ensure that pencil enthusiasts still have an easy option for purchasing the high-end graphite that they love, particularly from Caran d’Ache. Included in the restock were the Caran d’Ache Edelweiss 3B, which sold out nearly immediately the last time I had them. I have plenty this time around. I also received more Swiss Woods, Midori MD pencils in both graphite and color, and the Caran d’Ache Bicolor pencils that I love so much for annotation. Happy shopping!

Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Gift Set. Looking to try out the Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood, or to give a gift to someone who you think might enjoy it? This gift set has three pencils, a sharpener, and an eraser. Swiss Woods are also available individually and in packs of ten.
Crayons de la Maison Caran d’Ache. We have one or two luxury Caran d’Ache gift sets in stock, featuring four high-quality CdA pencils in exotic wood finishes.
Caran d’Ache Edelweiss 3B Pencils. The last time I had these pencils in stock, they sold out almost immediately. I recently received a ton of them, and have them available both individually and by the dozen.
Tombow 2558 Pencils. Probably my personal favorite for a standard yellow No. 2 pencil (though it has almost an orange hue), the Tombow 2558 also features an impeccable eraser.
Mitsubishi 9850 Office Pencil. With their dark burgundy finish and white eraser, this is simply one of the best-looking standard No. 2 pencils that I’ve seen, with a smooth and relatively dark core.
Midori MD Pencils. Do you enjoy the Midori MD aesthetic? We do! Checkout this set of matching eraserless pencils in dark “B” grade graphite, featuring the signature cream Midori MD finish.
Midori MD Color Pencils. Do you like to journal or take notes in color? Midori also makes a set of color pencils in light blue, grey, and orange.
M+R Brass Sharpeners. In my opinion, German manufacturer M+R makes the best handheld brass sharpener on the market, and the best part is that you can purchase replacement blades for all of them, including the more expensive long-point Castor and Pollux.
Caran d’Ache Bicolor Highlighter/Graphite Pencils. These dual highlighter/graphite pencils from Caran d’Ache form a core part of my workflow, whether I’m reading for work purposes or my own enjoyment.
Caran d’Ache Bicolor Red/Graphite Pencils. Similarly, I always have a couple of these red/graphite pencils sharpened up for annotation purposes. We sell both these and the Highlighter version individually or by the dozen.

Deals & Drops: Back to Basics, Every Year

January 6, 2022

At the beginning of every year, I take stock of all of my “productivity tools,” whether that be my planners, notebooks, pens, pencils, computers, tablets, apps, etc., and review what was useful over the past year and what was not. I’ve mentioned before that I’m going on ten years of serious involvement in this community and this “hobby,” and while for the first five or so I did what many people do and cycled through various brands, formats, and paper types, I’ve largely settled on what I like and my setup doesn’t change much from year to year. You can read more about that here. Today I wanted to take a moment to discuss the philosophy behind the small curated retail shop we’ve built, which focuses on well-made products that aren’t fancy, but will serve you reliably and offer something to keep coming back to over the long haul. Case-in-point: Brands such as Midori, Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Maruman, Life and Write Notepads may not be trendy, but they all contain quality paper at a reasonable price point. Similarly, TWSBI fountain pens may strike some as “boring,” but in my opinion it’s hard to find better value out there, whether you’re a fountain pen newbie or an experienced user.

If you have the time, and are looking to restock your stationery supplies this New Year’s season, please consider supporting us by visiting the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Every week we highlight new arrivals and featured products, in addition to the regular T.G.S. reviews and editorial content. Curated Shop “Best Sellers” can be viewed here, and we recently restocked on the following:

Write Notepads Dot Grid Notebooks. This is my favorite spiral notebook currently on the market. I love the absorbent, bright white paper that allows ink to dry quickly while still showing off the color and special properties. The covers now come in a wide array of colors including pistachio (my fave), black, kraft, blue, and red. Also available in lined ruling.
Maruman Mnemosyne Spiral Notebooks. An oft-overlooked workhorse brand, Maruman makes the “Mnemosyne” spiral notebooks with their classy black plastic covers. Their graph/grid notebooks are set up to be used in landscape format (more on this below).
Write Notepads Landscape Notebook. I sometimes like to work with a notebook or notepad underneath my keyboard, and it helps to have that notebook be in landscape format. Write Notepads makes a landscape version of their lined spiral notebook.
Clairefontaine French-Ruled Notebooks. The paper that started it all for me is still a favorite. I find Clairefontaine’s Seyes-ruled paper to be incredibly versatile in that it allows you to do to anything from practicing cursive or calligraphy (using the ruling as guides), to writing really small.
Rhodia Webnotebooks. Want to upgrade your big-box leatherette notebook to something that better handles fountain pen ink? The Rhodia “Webbie”, in dot grid or lined ruling, is hard to beat. (The orange and silver covers look great.)
Rhodia Writing Pads. For the absolute best combination of quality and value, it’s hard to beat Rhodia. Their legal-style writing pads are a staple of my work desk.
Write Notepads Classic Hardcover Notebook. Featuring quality Write Notepads paper, these hardback notebooks are now available with dot grid paper.
Kokuyo PERPANEP Zara-Zara Notebooks. Don’t let the crazy name turn you off from these excellent Japanese softcover notebooks. The “Zara-Zara” paper handles fountain pens well, and comes in a wide range of rulings, including a .6mm “Steno” layout as well as graph and dot grid rulings in various widths.
Traveler’s Notebooks and Accessories. These have been flying off the shelves recently, as people move into new notebook systems for the new year! We are fully stocked on all colors, sizes, refills and accessories!
TWSBI Fountain Pens and Inks. Whether you’re looking for the Diamond 580 with interchangeable nibs, the colorful ECO demonstrators, or the recently released cartridge-converter Swipe, you can’t go wrong with a TWSBI.

Deals & Drops: Holiday Shipping Update/Cutoff and Last Call on Low-Stock Items

December 9, 2021

Now that we’re about two weeks out from Christmas, I probably should provide an update on where I am, shipping-wise. I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to stay on top of orders despite being historically busy (thank you, everyone!) and have mostly managed to get everything out the door within 2-3 business days of an order being placed. If you have not received an order confirmation, let me know. That’s likely due to the Amazon Web Services outage that took place earlier this week, that prevented my shipping software from sending automatic updates. It didn’t actually affect me getting anything out the door so your orders should be on the way.

While I of course can’t guarantee that a carrier will deliver anything by a certain date, I suspect that all orders placed by early to mid-next week will arrive by Christmas. In addition to the new arrivals from Life Stationery and CW+T, I wanted to highlight in today’s post some low-stock and last-call items that are either going away forever because they’re limited, or may be subject to a lengthy restock period. You’re also doing me a solid by clearing some of the older special and limited editions out to make room for new arrivals, since I’m already having to start my buying for 2022! In addition to the items featured below, please check out the 2021 T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide!

Platinum Preppy Wa Limited Editions. I am down to the last few Preppy Wa limited edition pens, in a few of the colors. If you’ve been sleeping on these, what’s left is all there is, though I do hope that Platinum continues to issue limited edition versions of the Preppy fountain pen in the future.
Caran d’Ache Ecridor Racing Mechanical Pencil. The Ecridor “Racing” series is one of the best-looking releases from this past year, combining black chrome with a red racing stripe in an automotive-inspired design. I have exactly one mechanical pencil remaining in stock.
T.G.S. x Sunderland Special Edition MK1 Rollerball Pen. I won’t be restocking these until after the first of the year, so if you’ve had your eye on one for the holidays, or don’t want to wait, I only have a few left.
Most WMS & Co. Reading and Desk Accessories. While these are favorites of mine and I will certainly restock them, I’m currently low due to this entire range making exceptionally thoughtful holiday gifts for readers and home library enthusiasts. Last year I did almost all of my own Christmas shopping from the WMS & Co. lineup. (and the gifts were a hit!)
Mazzuoli Nobile ITALIA Ballpoint/Mechanical Pencil Combination Set. My favorite from the Giuliano Mazzuoli lineup, the ITALIA combines history with with a practical design. The pen/pencil ships with three different Schmidt Easyflow ballpoint refills and a .7mm mechanical pencil insert for maximum versatility.
Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 Swiss Cross Edition. The Infinite series is one of the better-kept secrets in the Caran d’Ache lineup and a surprise best-seller, and the Swiss Cross version might be my favorite. I have a couple of the mechanical pencils left in stock. Check out the standard Infinite series here.
Field Notes “Fifty” and “Trailhead” Editions. We tend to be selective in which Field Notes editions we stock, and these are two of the best that we’ve seen in a while. (“Trailhead” might be my favorite from the past couple years, actually.) We didn’t buy many of these and once they’re gone, we won’t restock.
Wilco x Field Notes Box Set. Know any Wilco fans who might appreciate this collection of six Field Notes pocket notebooks designed in collaboration with the members of the band? I have exactly one and probably won’t restock this one.
Penco “Perfection Light” Pocket Ballpoints. While the Penco “Perfection” Brass Bullet Pen has been popular, we’ve been selling a lot of the lightweight plastic version, which also takes a universal D1 refill. We’re down to two colors and will try to restock in the future, but it may be a little while.
Traveler’s Company “Travel Tools” Special Edition Refill. This special edition cover uses high quality Midori MD paper, perfect for all Traveler’s Notebooks and “Traveler’s-sized” covers. I picked up a bunch of these while I could, but haven’t done a great job of putting them out there. I love the cover design!