My Top 10 Blackwing Volumes Pencils

Most stationery subscription services haven’t stuck with me. Around this same time last year, I wrote an article titled “Are Stationery Subscription Services Worth It?” in which I looked at the pros and cons of having a steady stream of new releases automatically coming to your mailbox. Personally, nothing much has changed since then in terms of my own situation. I still subscribe to both Blackwing Volumes and C.W. Pencil Enterprise’s “Pencil Box” subscription service. Though I considered resubscribing to Field Notes in light of the great releases they’ve put out over the past year, I don’t use enough pocket notebooks to justify it. (Anyway, now that I’m both a Field Notes and Write Notepads retailer, this isn’t such a big deal, as I have an endless supply of notebooks if I see an edition I like or I somehow run out. In many ways, the problem is worse, because I have this constant temptation to raid the store inventory for my personal stash, but that’s a story for a different time.)

So what keeps me coming back to Blackwing Volumes? It’s not as though I’m using up a dozen of each release on a monthly, or even an annual, basis. Honestly, it’s more about supporting the brand’s creativity and guaranteeing that I’m able to enjoy each of the releases, which can sell out quickly. If there’s one I don’t particularly like, or if the pencils pile up to the point where I can’t use them all, pencils are easy to give away, and I have a school-age child.

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It’s easy to see which Volumes get the most use.

What I realized while waiting for Blackwing Volume 3 (Ravi Shankar) to arrive, is that I’ve never done a deep dive and talked about my favorite Blackwings, and with so many special editions having been released over the past few years there are some exceptional pencils to choose from. As a relatively long-term subscriber, I have most of the editions in my personal stash, with the exception of the very early ones. Here are my favorites:

1. Blackwing Volume 344: Dorothea Lange. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I have a half gross of these tucked away. The combination of the deep red burgundy barrel, red imprint, and bright red ferrule - well, other than maybe the upcoming Volume 3, I’m not sure there’s a pencil that’s a better fit for my personal taste.

2. Blackwing Volume 211: John Muir. I don’t have many 211s left, but I honestly prefer the standard release Blackwing Natural, with it’s grey eraser and extra-firm graphite. (I actually think I only have a single 211 left, and I couldn’t find it, which is why the Natural appears in the photo at the top.)

3. Blackwing Volume 10: Nellie Bly. An underrated release that doesn’t get enough love. The simplicity of the matte grey finish, inspired by newsprint, makes this a pencil I could use everyday.

4. Blackwing Volume 73: Lake Tahoe. The raised texture on this pencil gets me. Plus, this one features Blackwing’s softest graphite found in the original Blackwing MMX (now the “Blackwing Matte”).

5. Blackwing Volume 24: John Steinbeck. I love this pencil not only for the blacked-out color scheme, but because it’s the first Blackwing pencil to feature their “extra-firm” graphite, which is an excellent choice for drafting and long-form writing. I sometimes swap out the black eraser for a pink one, just to add a little contrast.

6. Blackwing Volume 16.2: Ada Lovelace. I’m not a computer programmer, or even that technologically adept, but I love the combination of the white barrel and black ferrule.

7. Blackwing Volume 1: Guy Clark. The first (and to date, only) Blackwing Volumes editions to feature a round barrel. While I’m a Nashville native, and maintain some familiarity with country music, I’ve never been a huge Guy Clark fan, but I certainly appreciate how they pulled this one together.

8. Blackwing Volume 155: Bauhaus. Of course this one was going to make the list. My collection of Bauhaus-inspired writing instruments increases yet again.

9. Blackwing Volume 530: California Gold Rush. The second Blackwing pencil to feature the extra-firm graphite, this model was a tribute to California Historical Site No. 530, where gold was first discovered. The banded ferrule added another unique touch to a pencil that’s a favorite for many.

10. Blackwing Volume 4: Mars. Volume 4 was somewhat controversial due to the gritty texture of the paint, but the combination of the dark orange barrel, gunmetal ferrule, and the soft MMX graphite keeps this one in my rotation.

All pencils pictured here are from my own personal collection. As of 2024, The Gentleman Stationer is now an authorized retailer of Blackwing, so you can purchase directly from us and show your support!

The Sad, Strange Saga of Crane Stationery

Amidst the turmoil that has enveloped the country since March, it’s understandable that the travails of stationery companies wouldn’t receive much attention in the mainstream national press. Still, Crane & Co.’s decision to drastically reduce their workforce by 200+ individuals and close their North Adams, Massachusetts manufacturing facility is notable not only because it’s a cautionary tale for those stationery companies that fail to adapt to modern realities, but also because it marks yet another end of an iconic American stationery manufacturer with more than 200 years of history behind it.

Based on the limited media coverage and my own discussions with knowledgeable sources, the January bankruptcy and closure of retailer Papyrus - Crane’s largest distributor and retail footprint - threw the Company into a precarious financial situation from which it simply couldn’t recover once COVID-19 forced the shutdown of the North Adams facility in March. What followed was a series of apparently ham-handed efforts to manage the fallout, which saw the company get embroiled in a dispute with the local officials over their attempt to re-open as an “essential business” in alleged violation of local COVID-19 guidelines, followed by an announcement that the “reopening” would be temporary, and that 200+ Crane employees would be laid off on June 19, and the North Adams manufacturing facility closed.

Indeed. #feelingrightnow #dowagercountess #penaddict #fpgeeks #crane #cranestationery #stationery #finewriting #downtonabbey

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It’s unclear whether this is the end of Crane as a brand. Parent company Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. has stated that they plan to relocate an unspecified (i.e., small) number of employees to their main facility in Cohoes, New York. Other sources say that all remaining employees will be laid off by September. As of now, the Crane website is still live, and their COVID-19 statement still emphasizes that “Crane products are exclusively produced in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and have been for 2019 years. We are inextricably connected to the wellbeing of our community, and its wellbeing will always be our top priority.” In my opinion, not the best look given everything that’s occurred, and one would think that clearer messaging might be in order. Then again, I’m not sure whether Crane’s “core consumer” cares as much about the history behind the company and American stationery traditions in the same way readers of this blog might.

Regardless of whether “Crane” stationery continues to technically exist, the end of a storied 200-year run of making stationery in the Berkshires will be sad to see. I have the Crane engraving plates for the personal stationery for three generations of my family, as do, I suspect, many in this community. I’ve not paid much attention to Crane outside their (well received) efforts a couple of years ago to expand their business beyond wedding invitations and formal stationery, but when I visited their setup at the National Stationery Show in January, the company seemed poised to branch out further with some new licensing deals and collaborations designed to appeal to a more modern consumer. I presume that going forward, Mohawk will continue to fulfill orders for wedding invitations and personal stationery via Crane’s existing retail footprint, but it will be interesting to see whether any effort is made to grow the brand further. They could continue to build on 200 years of tradition, or Crane could simply go the way of Eberhard-Faber and other former stationery “greats” and become just another label. This will likely be a story I continue to follow, so stay tuned….

How To Choose The Best Pen For You

By far, the most common question I receive through the website and via social media DMs is "I want to buy my first nice pen. What kind of pen should I buy?" It's also one of the most difficult question to answer, because it depends on so many variables: personal aesthetic preferences, how you plan to use the pen, and of course, your budget. I firmly believe that if you're going to buy a pen that you will use everyday, it's worth it to take some time, carefully consider the purchase, and spend what you need (and can comfortably afford) to get the right tool that actually works for you. Don't set your heart on an expensive fountain pen simply because other people think fountain pens are the only option for "real" pen enthusiasts. For many people, ballpoints, rollerballs, and gel pens are infinitely more practical solutions, and you can find great pens of all types at every price point.

When considering a purchase, I'd encourage you to ask yourself the following questions. If you choose wisely, you'll get years of enjoyment from your new companion.

What Type of Writing Do You Do?

Are you writing mostly at a desk, where ink can take time to dry and things like water resistance are less important? If so, you probably have a lot of flexibility. Or do you spend your days "in the field," jotting down notes in a pocket notebooks or otherwise writing while standing up? Then it might be hard for you to use a fountain pen, especially one that you have to cap/uncap one-handed while simultaneously holding a notebook or a clipboard. When I'm away from my desk, I find myself reaching more and more for a ballpoint pen, gel pen, or a woodcase pencil, which are not only easier to deploy but also withstand things like rain and coffee rings.

Are You Right or Left Handed?

For lefties, choosing the proper pen can be tricky, depending on how you hold the pen and whether you tend to smudge ink that doesn't dry quickly enough. Many fountain pen inks can take as long as a minute to dry, and even more if you use slick paper. I'm right-handed, but the other two members of my household are southpaws. One is an "underwriter" who can use pretty much any pen comfortably, including fountain pens. The other can't, and sticks to ballpoints and quick-drying gel pens. For lefty-related questions, I would refer you to Ana over at the Well-Appointed Desk, who has published a wealth of helpful information on considerations for left-handed writers.

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Do You Have a Favorite Type of Paper?

Some people absolutely love Field Notes, Moleskines, composition books, and yellow legal pads, or want the flexibility of being able to use whatever their office stocks in the supply closet or printer. The problem is, most fountain pens and many rollerballs tend to feather and bleed through most thin or inexpensive paper, leaving you with ballpoint, gel pens, or even pencil as your most plausible "cheap paper" options.

Writing with a fountain pen or rollerball will likely force you to more carefully consider your paper choices. Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Leuchtturm, and house favorite Write Notepads all make excellent and more widely available paper that handles water-based ink quite well, but the paper may be more expensive than what you are used to. If you churn through lots of notebooks or legal pads, this is something to keep in mind.

For additional guidance on all things paper, check out my recent five part series, "The Best Paper for Everyday Writing," in which I discuss Hardcover Notebooks (Part I), Softcover Notebooks (Part II), Spiral Notebooks (Part III), Pocket Notebooks (Part IV), and other things like pads, notecards, and looseleaf paper (Part V).

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A fountain pen requires more cleaning and maintenance than a rollerball, ballpoint, or gel pen, but would you really miss out on the hundreds of colors offered by brands like Diamine?

Is "Low Maintenance" Important to You? How Do You Feel About Filling a Pen from an Ink Bottle?

It doesn't get much easier than popping a new refill into a ballpoint, rollerball, or gel pen once the old one runs out of ink. If you value convenience and refill availability above all else, these are obvious choices. The downside is that you miss out on the range of colors available to fountain pen users, especially those willing to fill from an ink bottle! Sure, ink can make a mess, and I've stained my share of clothes, carpet, and desktops, but there's something timeless and almost meditative about taking the time to clean and re-ink a fountain pen that I would never give up.

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Are You Prone to Losing Things?

If so, consider a nicer "disposable" pen, or, if you want to keep pens out of the landfill, an inexpensive pen that still gives you the option of refilling. Platinum's "Preppy" fountain pen is a serviceable writer that costs less than $5 and uses Platinum ink cartridges. Similarly, the Pokka Pen ballpoint was conceived after the owner tired of losing expensive Fisher Space Pen "bullet" pens. You get the same compact functionality in a disposable pen that can still be refilled if you wish. Personally, I don't worry too much about losing my nicer pens. I've always found that if I spend at least a little more money I'm more conscientious about the purchase and less likely to misplace or damage it. I've been in the pen hobby for nearly 10 years, using a LOT of pens, and I think the value of pens I've lost over that time is well under $100.

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The Lamy Safari ballpoint offers an excellent (and versatile) writing experience that you can find for less than $20.

What’s Your Budget?

Of all the considerations on this list, price is the least important. Excellent pens exist at every price point, and just because you might have less than $20 to spend doesn't preclude you from getting a good pen that meets your needs, especially if you're willing to consider a ballpoint. I recently reviewed the Lamy Safari ballpoint, and Fisher Space Pen makes a wide range of products to hold their excellent pressurized refills. What I would encourage, however, is to spend as much as you can comfortably afford to get a pen that actually meets your needs. Chances are, you'll be happier with the purchase and won't be as tempted to "try more pens" to find something better.

I maintain a list of "Best Pen" recommendations that I update annually, with pen recommendations at a variety of price points. Also, TGS has more than four years of archived content, including reviews, lists, and guides focused pens and stationery for all budgets.

I hope you've enjoyed this article. If you have further questions about a pen you're considering, please don't hesitate to drop a question in the comments, using the "Contact Me" link, or directly emailing me at joe(at)gentlemanstationer.com. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Please be advised that many of the links to purchasing options here and elsewhere on the site are to paid sponsors and affiliates, and in certain cases my own Curated Shop, which is how I support the site and keep things running.

Pen Show Prep 2020 and My One-Pen Challenge

Pen Show Season is here, and I’m about to kick things off by heading to Philadelphia late Thursday night for the 2020 Philly Pen Show! Philadelphia is the first show of the year, and I’ve never been able to attend despite hearing great things. What am I looking forward to the most? Just hanging out and walking the show. I’m not working for anyone this time, and while I plan to make time to meet up with readers and Patreon supporters, I don’t have any set obligations, much less a list of anything specific that I’m looking for. The lack of a plan, of course, can be a recipe for disaster at a pen show, but this year feels different.

My One-Pen Challenge(s) and the Year of Reducing My Stationery Hoard

Why? As I previously mentioned, I spent some time around the New Year sorting through my pen collection/accumulation and cutting things hard. I have all sorts of pens, inks, and paper queued up to list for sale throughout the year, and I don’t regret any of it. One of my main themes for 2020 is to acquire and hold onto less stuff, which in my case necessarily involves taking a deep dive into the dozens of pens that remain in my collection and figure out what I want to keep before I cut even more. It bothers me to have pens I like sitting unused for over a year, simply because there’s no feasible way for me to rotate through them. Committing to a quarterly sale, and having a hard backstop like Patreon supporters who have paid to participate in these sales in a timely manner, will keep me honest with myself. My goal is to eventually get to 12-24 pens in my personal collection.

So how do I decide to thin the herd? The only way, in my opinion, is to spend extended periods of time with a pen, compared against a pen that I know I love and will always have in my collection. Here’s what I plan to do:

• Limit the Number of Pens Inked. I have to do this, otherwise, it gets stressful because I feel that I have to write each pen dry and I flit back and forth between a dozen different pens and don’t focus on anything. Having no more than 5-6 pens inked at any given time, and carrying no more than 3 with me on a daily basis, will allow me to focus better, not just on evaluating my own pens but on providing more in-depth review content here.

• The “One Pen” Challenge. Have one pen that’s with me all the time, all year long, and use this pen as the baseline against which I evaluate others. For me, that pen is going to be a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib, probably my Blue Bauhaus 100th Anniversary edition since it has the best-writing nib in my small collection of Lamy 2000s.

• The “Monthly Pen” Challenge. Choose one pen that will stay with me for the month and not get swapped out of the six-pen rotation, even if the pen runs out of ink. For the month of January, that pen is the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Arlecchino.

• Monthly Change-Up. At the end of the month, clean and ink 5 new pens, including a “monthly pen.” Take note of what pens I’m using, what pens I’m not using, and why. If a pen doesn’t work for me anymore, it goes on the block in the next quarterly sale.

Pen Show Goals for 2020

So what am I going to be up to at pen shows this year? Hanging out with people. Taking pictures and checking out new review items for the blog. To the extent I acquire anything, I love the idea of picking a single model of vintage pen that I can use to create a “mini-collection” within my personal collection, as Jacklyn discusses in her recent blog post. I may take a class or two with Salman and Azizah of the Toronto Pen Company, which is something I’ve never done before at a show. As with most pen shows, you’ll find me in the hotel bar most nights, and I’m signed up for the Pen Mixer at 6pm on Saturday. I’m still pulling together pens I’m taking to Philly for Pen Show Show-n-Tell, so feel free to send me a message if there’s something in particular you want me to bring.

My pen show travel over the rest of the year is also starting to take shape. In addition to Philly, I plan to attend the Baltimore Pen Show (Feb. 28-March 1); Arkansas Pen Show (March 13-15); Atlanta Pen Show (April 3-5); D.C. Pen Show (July 30-Aug. 2), and since D.C. is early this year, possibly the San Francisco Pen Show (August 28-30).

So What Am I Going To Do With All The Pens I’m Selling?

The TGS “Gently Used” Sale will go live to the general readership on February 1, 2020. Currently, the sale is open to Patreon supporters as one of the benefits they receive through that program, along with progressive discounting depending on the level of support. Pens listed for sale include some special edition Pilot Vanishing Points, a matte black Leonardo Momento Zero, an Esterbrook Estie, and nearly three dozen bottles of ink, most of which have had 1-2 fills taken, max. I’ve priced all of these items aggressively, with the goal of giving my readers and supporters as good a deal as I can while still accomplishing my goal of shoring up blog finances for the year ahead.

I hope to see you all in Philly, and if you’re headed to the show, safe travels!

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

My 2019 Retrospective

What an epic year to close out a decade! 2019 was not only one of the best years I’ve had on the blog in terms of traffic and overall reader engagement, but I was able to visit more pen shows than ever before and truly feel like I engaged with and made an impact on the community. Today I want to recap the last year and share some of my own reflections and travel plans for 2020.

2019 Pen Shows

I was able to attend the Los Angeles, Baltimore, Arkansas, Atlanta, and D.C. Pen Shows in 2019, and enjoyed meeting many more readers in person. Overall, pen show attendance seems to have stabilized, and smaller shows like Atlanta continue to grow in popularity. By far the highlight of my pen show year, though, was Baltimore. Timed to take place a the end of the dreariest part of the year, just before spring, this well-run and friendly show could eventually steal D.C.’s place as the premiere East Coast pen event. To its credit, the D.C. Pen Show seems to have resolved most of the logistical issues plaguing the past couple of years, and from behind the Vanness Pens table, still seems as well-attended and busy as ever. On the other end of the spectrum, the local community-focused Arkansas pen show in Little Rock offered a refreshing change of pace, including an after-hours meetup at Vanness Pens.

I’ve linked to my recap of each 2019 pen show in the paragraph above. The current plan is to attend most the same shows in 2020, replacing Los Angeles with Philadelphia and possibly adding San Francisco. Since both D.C. and San Francisco are in August, I may have to choose one or the other and haven’t yet made a final decision. For those of you who back The Gentleman Stationer on Patreon, I am working on special pen show meetups for those shows where we overlap. See below for more details.

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My Five Favorite Pens of 2019

It was pretty easy for me to pick out the five pen reviews that I most enjoyed writing. All five of these posts discuss pens that I acquired for my own personal collection, and have used extensively over the past year. As I’ve mentioned recently, I scaled back my personal acquisitions pretty significantly in 2019, and will continue that trend into 2020. I still plan on reviewing pens on the blog, but I do want to mix in some different types of content and the main goal is not to hold onto things that I won’t use over the long-term.

1. Leonardo Momento Zero. What can I say? As someone who mourned the loss of Italian pen company Delta, the emergence of Leonardo filled a void in the market (and my own collection). I have Momento Zeroes at the high end (the “Maestro set”) and from the standard mid-range lineup, and they’re all excellent.

2. Lamy 2000 Bauhaus 100th Anniversary. I let Lamy have it a little bit here for their curious decision to severely restrict the release of this exceptional limited edition pen, and for pricing it at an inaccessible - and somewhat incongruous - price point. That said, I love my Blue Bauhaus, and it’s going to be the “one pen” for 2020 that’s always with me.

3. Aurora 88 Sigaro Blu. Though it’s easy to get lost in a seemingly endless flood of limited editions, the Aurora 88 is a classic fountain pen that’s one of the best workhorse tools out there.

4. Franklin-Christoph Model 20 Marietta. 2019 was the year that I finally settled on the Model 20 “Marietta” as my Franklin-Christoph pen of choice. “Winter Pine” for the win - bring it to the standard lineup!

5. Montegrappa Extra 1930. Montegrappa has really emerged as a major player over the past two years, and not just at the high-end of the market. While the Extra 1930 is an expensive pen, the craftsmanship and material are such that I don’t regret the purchase at all.

I have a few other favorite posts from 2019 that were not necessarily pen reviews. I particularly enjoyed writing this piece on my own thought process behind purchasing more expensive pens, which is the culmination of a year of thinking about how I want to frame my own interest in this hobby. I also wrote a bit about the direction of Chinese brand Moonman, which has taken a different turn recently that’s not altogether positive, in my opinion. Finally, check out my article on “Picking a ‘Workhorse’: How to Choose a Fountain Pen for an Everyday Writer.”

Anticipated 2020 Pen Show Calendar

I currently plan to attend the following pen shows in 2020:

• Philadelphia Pen Show (January 17-19)

• Baltimore Washington International Pen Show (February 28-March 1)

• Arkansas Pen Show in Little Rock (March 13-15)

• Atlanta Pen Show (April 3-5)

• DC Pen Show (July 30-August 2) TENTATIVE

• San Francisco Pen Show (August 28-30) TENTATIVE

In addition to attending shows, I hope to organize more meetups during my other travels. To that end, I will be in New York City at the end of the month to attend the National Stationery Show with the crew from Vanness, and we are targeting a meetup the night of January 31. Stay tuned for additional details!

Patreon Update

Many thanks to everyone who has backed The Gentleman Stationer on Patreon! Check out the Patreon page for full details, but I wanted to post a few quick updates. First, I am now able to offer backers a new benefit in the form of a special “thank-you” coupon for 10% off your order at Vanness Pens, in addition to other periodic promotions that will be exclusive to my Patreon members. As I discuss on the Patreon page, one of my longer-term goals is to be able to develop some exclusive products of my own that I can offer in partnership with retailers and manufacturers, but in the meantime I’ll be exploring other ways to bring value to the membership. Second, I will be attending the Philadelphia Pen Show next weekend, and since I’ve met the first Patreon goal I’ll be doing something special for any Patreon backers in attendance. I’ll post details on the Patreon page. Finally, I still have plenty of pens and ink available in my year-end clearance. Patreon backers get early access through the end of the month (in addition to discounts for certain tiers of support), after which the sale will be opened up to the general readership.

Many thanks to all my readers for a great 2019, and I look forward to making 2020 even better! I have my first review of 2020 lined up for Saturday, as we leave the last decade behind us for good.

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