Thursday Drops: Caran d'Ache Restock, Washi Tapes, Penwells, and More!

Well, I’ll kick off this Thursday’s “Drop” announcement with the news that everyone’s been waiting for: Grown-up Washi Tape is back in stock, as are many of the other patterns in our Washi Tape and Pins section! If the past is any predictor, the “fun” Washi Tape will be gone by sundown. :) The next round of T.G.S. Special Edition Penwells will arrive and start shipping on Saturday, so if you’d like to reserve one of these from a relatively small batch, pre-orders are available. To read more on what went into designing our first exclusive product, check out this post.

As noted below, we recently received a restock of many of our core Caran d’Ache products, including the 849 Rollerball and the woodcase pencils. Finally, don’t miss out on the most recent TWSBI releases, especially if you’d like to pair a Glow Green with the upcoming Glow Purple! Happy Shopping!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brand sold, and T.G.S. is entirely supported by shop sales and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which comes with early access to Gently Used sales, meetups, and more.

1. Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball. We recently received fresh stock of the Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball Pen, including additional pens in the matte grey, white, and black finishes. We also received more of the excellent CdA Rollerball refills in both black and blue ink, which are Parker-style cartridges that fit many different pens. You can read the full writeup on the Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball here.

2. Caran d’Ache 849 Standard Ballpoint. We also have a full restock of the standard 849 ballpoint pens in most colors, including the popular sapphire, dark blue, and my personal favorite, matte anthracite grey. Matching mechanical pencils are also available.

3. Caran d’Ache 2022 Limited Edition Dark Violet and Pastel Yellow 849 Ballpoints. The Dark Violet pens sold out extremely fast, so we ordered more and they recently arrived. The Pastel Yellow, however, is a sleeper. The colors are designed to complement one another so why not make yourself a set?

4. Caran d’Ache Claim Your Style Edition No. 4. What’s your favorite of this year’s Claim Your Style pen? The two blue options are outstanding - especially the Polar - but “Frozen Lemon” and “Clay Green” might make their way into my own growing accumulation of 849s.

5. Caran d’Ache Ecridor Racing Ballpoint and Mechanical Pencil Sets. The Ecridor Racing might be my favorite of Caran d’Ache’s higher-end releases, with the matte-black coated finish paired with a bright red racing stripe.

6. Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Pencils. We have Swiss Wood pencils available individually, in packs of 10, and in prepackaged gift sets perfect for the upcoming holidays. Most other Caran d’Ache pencils have been restocked as well, including the standard yellow office/school pencil and the wonderfully smooth 3B Edelweiss.

7. Caran d’Ache “Color Treasure” Postcard Sets. I took a flyer and stocked some of these, and it turns out I absolutely love them. Part of this year’s holiday collection, these postcards are printed on thick watercolor paper that allows you to color with anything from colored pencil to fountain pen ink!

8. TWSBI ECO “Cerulean Blue” Fountain Pen. Easily my favorite solid-color ECO fountain pen that TWSBI has released in the past couple of years (MAYBE with the exception of the discontinued Yellow), the Cerulean Blue is a vibrant dark turquoise that sets off the red finial. You can have a lot of fun with fountain pens for $32.99!

9. TWSBI ECO “Glow Green” Fountain Pen. Apparently the glow-in-the-dark “Glow Green” ECO has kicked off a trend, because TWSBI just announced the “Glow Purple,” which glows blue and will launch on Halloween with pre-orders available a few days ahead of time. Be sure to check out the pics below!

10. Platinum Preppy Wa Limited Edition Fountain Pens. This year’s Preppy Wa release features six new patterns drawn from Japanese tradition. Choose your favorite or collect all six for less than $50!

11. Platinum Plaisir “Aura” Fountain Pen. I’ve been enjoying the pearlescent finish on this year’s limited edition Plaisir, and I’m liking it even more now that I’ve figured out that you can swap the fine or medium nib in the Plaisir for the sweet extra-fine nib sold in the Platinum Desk Pen!

View fullsize

View fullsize

Thursday Drops: How to Spend Your Vacation Discount!

I’m going to keep reminding people that if you’re placing large paper orders this week, please use the “VACAY10” coupon code at checkout to get your 10% off paper! Orders will start shipping Saturday and Sunday, and all will include something extra to accommodate any delays. (I should be getting another round of T.G.S. stickers and buttons in stock any day now!)

If you’re looking for ideas on how to spend your discount, be sure check out the following eligible items:

1. Traveler’s Notebooks, Refills and Accessories. Looking to break into the Traveler’s Notebook System? Now is a great time to pick up a Starter Kit as well as the refills you need to set your notebook up for exactly how you’ll use it.

2. Soumkine Undated Planners. I suspect that these hardcover planners, which have a long-narrow format that many people love, will not be around for much longer. Currently we have the Charcoal and Rose covers in stock.

3. Lochby Tomoe River Refill Notebooks. Speaking of paper that may not be long for this world, the Lochby Notebook inserts feature 68gsm Tomoe River paper. While these notebooks are designed to fit the Lochby Field Journal, they are standard A5-sized.

4. WMS & Co. Undated Planner Desk Pads and Oversized Notepads. These large pads of paper are fountain pen-friendly and come in a range of colors. Be aware that YMMV with the “ColorPads” (those that contain colored writing paper) if you want to use fountain pen ink, though I’ve had success with the grey version.

5. Write Notepads Spiral and Hardcover Notebooks. Write Notepads makes some of the best overall writing paper out there, especially in the spiral notebook format. We currently have standard spirals in dot grid, lined, landscape, meeting, and “Weekly Planner” format, as well as the Classic Hardcover Notebooks.

As always we continue to stock standbys and favorites such as Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Life, Midori, and Maruman Mnemosyne. You can visit our full range of paper here, and our offerings of pens, inks, desk accessories, and washi tapes by visiting the main store page. Many thanks for your support!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Thursday Drops: Vacation Edition

It’s been a busy few weeks in the shop, with multiple products arriving and more on the way. We need a break, and are headed out of town tomorrow for the fall school holiday, traveling Friday, October 7 through Saturday, October 15. All orders placed before noon tomorrow (October 7), U.S. Central Time, will ship the following week. As is usual when I’m on vacation, I’ll plan to include some free samples and “extras” with your orders! I also plan to be running a giveaway (or two) over the next week so stay tuned.

In the meantime, feel free to peruse our latest arrivals and restocks, and be mindful of the shipping cutoff if you’re looking for this to arrive next week!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold (with the exception of any gently used or secondhand products).

1. TWSBI ECO in Cerulean Blue. TWSBI’s latest release is an absolute stunner. “Cerulean” is a rich turquoise that’s incredibly difficult to photograph and looks almost electric.

2. TWSBI ECO in Glow Green. We’re fully restocked on TWSBI’s first glow-in-the-dark pen, which as sold faster than any pen we’ve ever stocked.

3. TWSBI ECO in Transparent Yellow. Of all the ECO color demonstrators we’ve ever stocked, this one is my personal favorite (fan of yellow pens and all).

4. Nahvalur “Original Plus” Fountain Pen. The pen company formerly known as Narwhal re-released it’s “Original” series equipped with a vacuum-filler mechanism, in four new acrylic patterns. You can read a full write-up of this pen here.

5. Nahvalur Nautilus in Stylophora Berry Ebonite. We have several of these pens available, including in the broader nib sizes that are perfect for customization. Smooth writers with lots of tipping. Read the write-up here.

6. Anderillium Ink Cephalopod and Avian Series Fountain Pen Inks. We’ve made an effort to expand the range of bottled inks we have available, as we now offer mostly piston-fill and vacuum-filler fountain pens.

7. Traveler’s Company 2022 Limited Edition “Traveler’s Airlines” Notebook. Exactly one left in stock! If you’ve had your eye on one of the 2022 limited editions, now’s your chance. We have all of the standard Traveler’s Notebooks covers and accessories in stock as well.

8. Lochby Cases and Covers. We have the full range of Lochby cases in stock, including both the popular Field Journal notebook covers (capable of holding up to six A5 inserts), as well as the Quattro four-pen case.

9. Mark'style Tous Les Jours Needle-tip Ballpoints. Looking for an excellent needle-tip ballpoint to annotate books you’re reading and/or write small in your planner? Consider these hexagonal woodcase clicky pens that use a needle-tip Ohto refill.

10. Gently Used Items in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Occasionally we offer for sale gently used pens, inks, and other stationery products from the “review side” of the site. Currently available options includes a first-run Leonardo Momento Zero in “Primary Manipulation”.

Thursday Drops: Launch Day for the TWSBI ECO in Cerulean Blue, and a Glow Green Restock!

TWSBI Ecos in Cerulean Blue start shipping today! If you missed it, the Cerulean Blue ECO is the latest solid-color ECO, on the heels of the glow-in-the-dark “Glow Green” and in the wake of the retirement of the TWSBI ECO Lilac. (Note: We still have a few of the Lilac pens available, if you missed out on this release!) Along with our shipment of ECOs in Cerulean Blue, we also received a fresh restock of the TWSBI Glow Green fountain pens in all nib sizes. Finally, a reminder that our Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) promotion ends tomorrow, with a free ink sample shipping with each new purchase of Nahvalur fountain pens. No coupon code necessary.

Happy Shopping!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. TWSBI ECO Cerulean Blue Fountain Pen. The latest solid-color Eco release arrives in “Cerulean.” What ink are you going to choose to match with this one?

2. TWSBI ECO Glow Green Fountain Pen. The TWSBI Glow Green sold faster than any pen we’ve ever stocked, and for good reason - it’s the glow-in-the-dark TWSBI ECO that everyone has been demanding for years, and TWSBI absolutely nailed it.

3. Nahvalur Fountain Pen Ink Sample Promotion. Through September 30 (tomorrow!) we’re offering a complimentary ink sample with any purchase of Nahvalur fountain pens, including the new Original Plus as well as the Nahvalur Nautilus. Check out the review of the Original Plus, published yesterday.

4. Anderillium Inks: Cephalopod and Avian Series. Earlier this week we launched a new ink line, in order to be able to offer our customers more ink choices along with their fountain pen purchases. Anderillium is an excellent series of nature-themed inks, and I’ve been doing a lot of writing with “Colossal Squid Dark” from their Cephalopod series.

5. TWSBI Bottled Fountain Pen Ink. We’ve been out of stock of several colors of both the TWSBI 1791 Inks, and running low on standard workhorse favorites such as the Midnight Blue and the Blue-Black. All are restocked!

6. TWSBI Lilac Fountain Pen. This one’s going away, so get our remaining limited selection while you can!

7. Traveler’s Notebook “Airplane” Series Limited Edition Cover. The LAST ONE is in stock and available for purchase! If you’ve been holding out, now’s your chance. We’re also restocked on regular Traveler’s Notebook Covers, accessories and refills, including undated planner inserts.

8. Midori MD Notebooks in A4 Size. Those who appreciate a larger writing surface love the Midori MD paper in full-size A4. In addition to having the notebooks back in stock, we also have the full range of A4 covers, including paper and leather versions.

9. Midori MD Notebooks in B6 Slim Size. Similarly, we’re fully restocked on the popular B6 Slim “Cafe” or “Novel” sized notebooks in grid, lined, and blank rulings.

Yes, it really does glow like this in the dark!

Thursday Drops: Parting with Some Gently Used Favorites, Lochby Restock and More!

As we expand the shop and (as always) look for more items to review and write about, I periodically need to clear out pens and other items that I’ve acquired over the years, either for review purposes or personal use. Those pens sometimes make an appearance on the T.G.S. “Gently Used” page, where they are not technically part of the official Curated Shop, but can nonetheless be combined with orders of new products for shipping and checkout. This week I listed a bunch of pens, including some rare limited editions, and a few remain available. All of these will automatically qualify for free shipping.

The Nahvalur “Original Plus” in Gold Ocellatus

In addition to the Gently Used update, we have restocked on most of our Lochby cases after the August/September pen show rush, including the Quattro four-pen cases and the Lochby Venture pouches in all colors. Also, remember that for the month of September, to welcome Nahvalur to the shop, all purchases of Nahvalur fountain pens include a complimentary ink sample chosen to match the color of your pen! We’ve had a lot of fun selecting and shipping these out already!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands shown here.

1. Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Grande Primary Manipulation Series 1 (Gently Used). After much consideration, I’ve decided to let go of most of my Momento Zero Grande collection, and will be selling them off in the coming months. That particular model, while excellent and comfortable to use, doesn’t receive as much regular use as my standard Momento Zero fountain pens. I currently have the “Vesuvio” from the original run remaining for sale.

2. Cross Peerless 125 (featuring an 18k Sailor Nib) (Gently Used). Love Sailor nibs but wish the pens had a touch more heft and a higher-capacity converter? Consider the Cross Peerless 125, which I don’t believe is made anymore.

3. Visconti Van Gogh “Vincent’s Chair” Fountain Pen (Gently Used). The Visconti Van Gogh is perhaps my personal favorite of all the Visconti fountain pen options, and this one in particular was a bit hard to let go. It features a stainless steel fine nib tuned by Mark Bacas.

4. Nahvalur Nautilus in “Stylophora Berry” Ebonite. I’ve long admired ebonite pens, and wished that manufacturers would do more with this material in their standard lines. Nahvalur (formerly “Narwhal Pens”) has steadily released new versions of the Nautilus in different ebonites, including this gorgeous striated aubergine material that I’m happy to offer in the shop.

5. Nahvalur “Original Plus” Vacuum Filler. Nahvalur re-released the Narwhal “Original” with a catch - in addition to reworking the signature swirled acrylic, they switched the filling mechanism from a piston to a vacuum-filler. What has really surprised me about this pen, however, is how smooth the nibs are.

6. TWSBI Diamond 580 Iris Fountain Pen. TWSBI’s latest entry in the Diamond 580 series is arguably my favorite to date, pairing the iridescent “Iris” finish with the classic design and reliable, high-capacity piston.

7. Platinum Plaisir Aura Fountain Pen 2022 Special Edition. I’m glad to see these start to catch on, as the Plaisir is a spectacular everyday fountain pen with one of the best low-cost nibs on the market. The pearlescent finish on this special edition contains a slight hint of color to match the different sections.

8. Lochby Quattro Four-Pen Case. One of my favorite finds of the past year, the Lochby Quattro holds four pens in offset slots, so that they pens and clips don’t make contact when the case is zippered shut. Built from durable waxed canvas, the Quattro should protect your pens for years to come.

9. Lochby Venture Pouch. A combination pouch and zippered pen case, the Venture Pouch can be used as both a carry all for ballpoint/gel pens, document flags, clips, etc. in the top “pouch” compartment, while also offering several individual slots in a second, zippered compartment that can be used for larger pens or cables.

10. Hightide Hourglasses. The other day I wrote a short piece about the advantages of using an analog timer where you might otherwise use a cell phone. We have a stock of these Hightide Hourglasses in 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute intervals.