Stationery Trends: Subscription Services Today, Do You Still Use Them?

A few years ago, subscription services were all the rage, and it seems like every stationery company had one. Field Notes started the trend, originally known as the “colors” series. Write Notepads and Baron Fig got in on the game, launching a separate subscription service for each of four different product lines (pens, pencils, and hard and softcover notebooks). Blackwing launched its “Volumes” series, where they would issue a quarterly limited edition pencil that subscribers could receive before anyone else had a chance to buy. Supposedly, the rationale behind these subscriptions was that they would allow small makers to have a guaranteed revenue stream up front from subscriptions, which they could then use to make smaller runs of more experimental products that would otherwise be too speculative or cost-prohibitive. Originally, this was a good idea. It allowed Field Notes to test ideas for pocket notebooks beyond the original Kraft Paper design, and now the special and limited run products make up a majority of the Field Notes line. Similarly, the Volumes program allowed Blackwing to “field test” different pencil finishes and graphite grades that eventually made their way into the standard lineup. (Hello, Blackwing Natural and the Extra-Firm graphite!)

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The last four editions of Blackwing Volumes, from left in no particular order: Blackwing 3 (“Ravi Shankar”); Blackwing XIX (“19th Amendment”), Blackwing 6 (“Neon”), and Blackwing 223 (“Woody Guthrie”).

So where do things stand today? Honestly, apart from Blackwing and Field Notes, it seems like the subscription model could be losing momentum. Write Notepads and Baron Fig discontinued their subscription programs after 1-2 years, in favor of releasing special editions on their own schedules. This could partly be due to the businesses stabilizing and becoming established in the industry, and there for no longer needing to rely on subscriptions to fund their manufacturing, but I can’t help but wonder whether the market for this sort of subscription product is saturated by one or two companies. For example, how many pocket notebooks or pencils does one person actually need? I’m sure there are people out there who go through six or more notebooks and a dozen-plus pencils per quarter, but it can’t be the majority of subscribers. Plus, as companies like Field Notes and Blackwing become established (if not omnipresent in mainstream retailers), the key rationale that drove many to subscribe - that you have to support your favorite small brands through a “guaranteed revenue” program - becomes less compelling. I’m sure that both Field Notes and Blackwing continue to have legions of hardcore fans and healthy subscriber bases, but given how large some of these recent runs are, I do wonder whether the majority of the sales from the special editions comes through retail channels or direct sales to non-subscribers. Are even the Field Notes and Blackwing programs becoming less relevant?

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Field Notes recently released “Fifty,” their fiftieth limited edition release. (Disclaimer: The Gentleman Stationer does retail select Field Notes Products)

Personally, the only subscription service to which I still belong is Blackwing Volumes, but even that I’m questioning. Not that I don’t like Blackwing, it’s just that I have so many pencils I would prefer not to receive them by default and only purchase those editions that really strike me as special. My recent favorite special editions have actually been the Blackwing store-exclusives, “Eras” releases, and non-Volumes “Blackwing X” collaborations, such as the Third Man Records pencil and the “Hardest Job in the World” edition. While I think the last four Blackwing Volumes pencils have been “good,” I can’t help but wonder why they are moving so much good stuff outside of the subscription program, away from those who are, presumably, their most devoted fans?

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I’d be curious to know how many of you still subscribe to stationery subscription services. What do you like and dislike about the option to subscribe? What keeps you coming back?

(This is not “market research”, just genuine curiosity. I have no desire to launch or participate in any sort of subscription service, so I’ll get that out of the way up front. As you all know, I’ve previously written on what sometimes feels like the stationery industry’s fixation on limited and special releases, so this post is intended to continue the discussion along those lines.)

Mid-Year review: Personal Favorites

While I thought I wasn’t going to get any time off this summer, the opportunity came up, due to some cancelled meetings at work, to take several days and visit family I haven’t seen in over a year. So, this week I’ll be finishing my mid-year “recaps”, as I originally intended, though you may notice that the schedule is a little different. With that out of the way, the second part of mid-year review takes a look at five of my favorite posts from the first half of 2021, in addition to those featured in Part I, Reader Favorites. Don’t take these as any sort of ranking - they appear in no particular order.

1. Filling Systems: Pros and Cons of Piston Fillers, Vacuum Fillers, and Cartridge/Converter Fountain Pens. What draws us to certain filling mechanisms? It really depends on why you write with a fountain pen in the first place. For example, if you value ink capacity, you’ll prefer higher-capacity piston and vacuum fillers (or maybe even eyedroppers). On the other hand, if you’re a serial ink changer, you may be fine sticking with a cartridge/converter.

2. Review Revisited: Is the Pilot G2 Still a Good Pen? One of my major “themes” for the blog, now seven years old, has been revisiting past reviews and opinions to see whether they still “stick”. Here, I took at look at what had previously been my favorite gel refill - the Pilot G2 - and confirmed that it’s still a great option.

3. Take Five: Favorite Traveler’s Notebook Refills. I haven’t used many notebooks other than My Traveler’s Notebook system this year. I’ve enjoyed having everything in one compact place, and not having to worry about whether the paper will be good or not, since my favorite refills use the excellent Midori MD.

4. Organizing a Pen Collection: Pulling It All Together. This year, another theme has been one of consolidation and appreciation rather than additional accumulation. I’m in the process of pruning a lot of unused pens, pencils, notebooks and other stationery from my supply, and thinking hard about what it is that I want to keep.

5. Scribo Feel Fountain Pen and Scribo Ink Reviews. Every year I tend to discover one new brand that sticks with me, and this year it may be Scribo. While I wasn’t much of an OMAS fan, I’ve found myself drawn to Scribo, a “legacy” company founded by former OMAS employees. I’ve especially enjoyed their inks and ink bottles, and have more inks from that line in the queue for review.

A Note on Shop Orders: Due to my travel schedule, orders placed between Friday 6/4 and Saturday 6/12 will ship on 6/13, after my return. Thank you for understanding, and I’ll be sure to thrown in a little something extra for your trouble.

Mid-Year Review: Popular Content from the First Half of 2021

Every year around this time (which is typically when I go on vacation, in normal times), I take a week to reflect on both (1) the most popular post from the first several months of the year; and (2) my favorite posts from the first several months. These recaps serve a couple of different purposes: They let new readers and those who’ve fallen behind catch up on posts they may have missed, and give me an overview of where I’ve spent most of my time and whether I want to change direction at all. There’s a nice mix of content here, including updated Top Five lists, personal reflections, and pen and ink reviews, and it’s generally reflective of the site’s new direction. Happy reading!

1. My Five Best Pencils for Everyday Writing, Five Years Later. With T.G.S. having celebrated it’s seventh anniversary in April, one of my major goals was to revisit popular “Best of” or “Top Five” lists from the early days of the site, many of which had grown woefully out-of-date. First up was this “Best Pencils” post - a solid reader favorite. You can still read the original here, to see what changed and what stayed the same.

2. A Closer Look: Best Notebooks for a Commonplace Book. All that time spent at home during 2020 really allowed me to restart my reading habit, if not in number of books consumed, then in the depth at which I read. I’ve regularly kept a commonplace book (a collection of quotes, notes, and “to read” recommendations) for the past year and a half and found it to be a fulfilling hobby.

3. First Impressions: Hands-on with the New Parker 51 Fountain Pen. Of course this one got the page views. (And the comments. Oh yes, the comments. They still keep coming.)

4. Mini-Collections and Under-Appreciated Pens: The Parker Sonnet. I guess I’ve spent the first part of the year on a bit of a modern Parker kick. I keep coming back to the Sonnet as an all-time favorite, as there’s something about the pen’s classic design that makes it a potential “desert island” writer for me, along with the Lamy 2000. As I discuss in that post, I’ve unconsciously accumulated a small “mini-collection” of Sonnets over the years.

5. Exploring Iroshizuku, Part I and Part II. I tend to shy away from doing a lot of ink reviews, since I find today’s ink market (1) intimidating due to its sheer size, and (2) a bit of a hype machine designed to encourage people to constantly acquire more ink than any person could ever use in a reasonable lifetime. I do, however, enjoy well-made, beautiful ink that’s suitable for everyday writing, such as Pilot’s Iroshizuku line. In these two posts, which form part of a larger work-in-progress, I look at six different inks, many of which are long-time favorites.

A Late Addition to the Commonplace Book Post….

I don’t recall exactly where I picked this tip up, but sometime during 2020 I started sticking “library pockets” in the back of my books, that I would use to hold index cards for notetaking while I was traveling or reading. I’d later transcribe my notes from the notecards into my commonplace book. The habit has stuck (especially for books I can’t or don’t want to annotate or mark up), but I WAY over-purchased library pockets, and accidentally ordered more than a hundred of them. I don’t want to just throw them out, so I’m giving them away. If you order a notebook from the Curated Shop (hopefully for commonplacing but it’s not necessary), I’ll throw in a couple of these pockets, free of charge. The promotion will last until I’ve exhausted my excess supply. (Just to be clear, you’ll receive two pockets per person, per order, not two pockets per notebook.)

What Makes a Great Anniversary Edition: Kanilea Pen Company Honokalani Maile Lei

I’ve spent the past week or so writing about my frustration with the constant stream of “special” and “limited” edition pens flooding the market, seemingly without a lot of thought or meaning behind each release. But I can gripe all day, and it doesn’t make any difference unless I (1) offer some sort of alternative myself; or (2) offer my thoughts on what makes a good special edition product. Today I’ll open door number two, using the recent release from Kanilea Pen Company, their Fifth Anniversary Honokalani Maile Lei fountain pen, as an example of how a company can do things the “right” way. After thinking on these issues, I’ve come up with four key points that, to me, make a legitimately “special” limited or special edition pen:

1. It’s made to commemorate an actual event, or otherwise represents something with special meaning.

2. The design ties to the “theme” of the special edition in a meaningful way.

3. If the price point of the special or limited edition product is significantly higher than the company’s standard product line, there is something to justify the markup.

4. If the product is heavily marketed as “limited” or “special”, the actual availability reflects that, especially if the company relies heavily on “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) to promote the release.

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So How Does Kanilea’s Fifth Anniversary Pen Get It Right?

For starters, it’s a fifth anniversary pen, and it’s more than appropriate to issue a special release to commemorate something like the fifth anniversary of your company! The Kanilea Pen Company officially launched in August 2016 at the Washington, D.C. Pen Show. While I was in attendance, I didn’t have the opportunity to actually buy a pen because they sold out so fast. Since then, Kanilea has grown its lineup deliberately, typically releasing one or two new pens per year, all in keeping with their original company “theme” - places and locations in Hawaii. The Honokalani Maile Lei is no exception, named after the black sand beach on the island of Maui, with the custom-blended, proprietary acrylic designed to reflect the blue water swirling over the black sand.

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Between the custom acrylic and the handcrafted design, no two Kanilea pens are identical. Each pen will have a different pattern of swirls and colors, and for that reason I often enjoy purchasing my Kanilea pens in person at pen shows. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to do that again soon!

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Per Kanilea, Honokalani translates to “Harbor of the Chief,” and “Maile” refers to a sacred Hawaiian plant with fragrant, dark green leaves. The workmanship on the silver “Maile Lei” band is gorgeous.

Yes, the “Maile Lei” pen is a bit more expensive than a standard Kanilea, reflecting a markup of approximately $160. But you’re not just paying for a “special” or “limited” moniker - the Maile Lei features an Argentium Silver cap band with a three dimensional design depicting a lei of maile leaves. According to the materials provided by Kanilea with my pen, “[a] maile lei expresses many meanings and is used to celebrate important life events or even given as a sign of friendship. Traditionally, a maile lei is worn draped around the neck, open ended, but closed maile leis are also made.” The Konokalani Maile Lei fountain pen is only available in a single design profile, the Classic, which, in my opinion, perfectly showcases both the acrylic and the custom silver band.

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Finally, while the Honokalani Maile Lei is an “Anniversary edition” pen, and presumably won’t be available forever (though I could be wrong about that), you don’t see any desperate “buy-it-now-or-you’ll-miss-it” style marketing that’s become so characteristic of modern pen releases. Each Kanilea launch is accompanied by carefully assembled marketing materials explaining the story behind the pen, how the design choices relate to the theme, and how the pen fits into the overall Kanilea narrative.

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Your Kanilea pen arrives packaged in a black walnut keepsake box. I have several of these boxes, and each has found new life as a dresser valet, pencil box, or catch-all for office supplies.

Granted, I do want to point out that Kanilea isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison with other brands, because Kanilea isn’t a typical pen company. Their standard lineup of pens isn’t mass-produced. Each model is carefully tied to the company’s core theme, with each aspect of every pen, from shape to material, carefully selected to reflect its namesake. The pens themselves are designed and handcrafted by the small family team behind Kanilea. But I do think the comparison is still instructive, as one could even argue that what Kanilea does with their “regular line” is what more mainstream companies should be considering for their special and limited releases (at least if their goal is to foster the sort of loyal customer base that has allowed companies like Kanilea to flourish).

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Kanilea fountain pens feature an extremely comfortable grip section and reliable No. 6 JoWo nibs, each tuned and smoothed prior to shipment to ensure a good writing experience.

Why I Enjoy Kanilea Pens

Apart from the aesthetics, Kanilea pens are extraordinarily well-designed, ergonomic, and comfortable. The section, in my opinion, is one of the best out there, the pens are perfectly balanced, and Hugh’s skill at nib tuning continues to impress me. While a Kanilea fountain pen makes for an expensive purchase, the entire experience - down to the packaging - delivers a level of value that’s hard to find from any other maker.

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Where to Buy the Kanilea Honokalani Maile Lei

If you’re interested in learning more about Kanilea’s Fifth Anniversary Release, visit the Kanilea Pen Company website. As I noted above, the Honokalani Maile Lei retails at a higher price point than a typical Kanilea fountain pen ($555 for a steel nib, and $695 for 18k gold), though there is also a Honokalani model (no Maile Lei band) at the standard $395 pricing. Other Kanilea models currently available for purchase include the Mauna Kea, Aolani, and Nui Nalu, which I’ve previously written about as well as the newer Kona Snow and Kona Cherry designs.

Disclaimer: Kanilea Pen Company was kind enough to provide me with the pen featured in this review on a tryout basis. It’s not going to make it’s way back to them. While I did not receive the pen for free, I did receive a discount on the purchase of a gold nib version. Many thanks to Hugh, Karol, and the rest of the team at Kanilea for making this review possible!

Has The Market for "Limited Editions" Finally Jumped the Shark?

It’s a question I’ve been thinking about for a while, but a combination of things finally prompted me to write this post:

1. A question posed a few days ago on Reddit r/fountainpens about whether limited edition fountain pens appreciate in value, and looking for recommendations on which pens can be viewed as an “investment”;

2. The announcement of Lamy’s “Anniversary Edition” Lamy 2000 in Brown Makrolon, made available for pre-order at Canadian retailer Wonder Pens yesterday at a price point nearly 3x the standard version; and

3. The realization that I am experiencing extreme buyers fatigue, to the point where I can count the number of pens I’ve acquired this year on one hand.

It used to be that companies released “limited” or “special” editions once or twice a year, with “limited” denoting a small, fixed number of pens that are put on sale and then discontinued. “Special edition,” on the other hand, typically refers to a special release made in non-finite quantities for a fixed period of time or until sales drop off. These days, there’s not much that’s either “limited” or “special” about it. Seemingly every major pen company has embraced what amounts to a limited and special edition business model, releasing as many as a dozen of these pens every year supported by aggressive cycles of social media marketing. The point of this post isn’t to blame them for doing so: As long as people are buying the pens, it makes sense for them to do it, since presumably reissuing existing pens in different finishes and materials generates a higher margin that having to invest in entirely new product designs. My question is whether it’s sustainable, and drawing on my own personal experience, how long before the larger customer base starts to lose interest?

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I’m not against limited and special releases, but can we do it with a bit more intentionality? To me, there’s a distinct difference between a well thought-out Anniversary release like the Kanilea Honokalani Mali Lei (top left) or a good homage pen such as the Virginia Woolf Writer’s Edition (bottom left), and most of what we are seeing today. While I could get behind the “Bauhaus Blue” Lamy 2000 as a one-off, I have issues with making this an annual thing, in which instead of expanding the standard range to include additional colors, Lamy will be releasing “limited edition” Lamy 2000s annually or near-annually, in effect selling a $200 fountain pen for $700 plus.

Personally, I’m Over It.

You may have noticed that I’m doing fewer reviews of special and limited edition stationery items on the blog. The main reason for this is that I can’t keep up, and I don’t have the personal bandwidth to follow all the different releases that are announced every week. Another reason, however, is a growing lack of excitement on my part. It used to be that the announcement of a new Montblanc Ink or Sailor Pro Gear was considered an event. Now, for example, five months into 2021, we’ve already seen at least three Sailor releases (that I know of) in the North American market alone, and the announcement of so many new inks that I can only throw up my hands. Years ago, you could be a collector of “limited editions” from a specific brand. Nowadays, most companies have released so many that unless you’re extremely well-heeled, that may be impossible.

Don’t worry - I’m not going anywhere and I’m not giving up the blog, but I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that the past year gave rise to an existential crisis of sorts. When I first got into pens, and fountain pens in particular, the search for a superior writing experience is what drove my experimentation and exploration. Somewhere along the way, I found myself caught up in this FOMO-driven “catch-’em-all” mentality, and perhaps even contributing to it by spotlighting every special and limited edition release on The Gentleman Stationer. Maybe it was the experience of being forced to spend my days working from home amid piles of hoarded stationery that will never get used, but about halfway through 2020, I realized that both I and T.G.S. needed a hard reset.

Going forward, I won’t be reviewing “all the things” but rather only those things that legitimately interest me or that I feel might be of significant interest to members of the community. That’s also why you are seeing a new revenue model featuring less retailer and affiliate advertising in favor of direct reader support via Patreon and my own Curated Shop. Yes, there may be some overlap between what I write about and what I sell myself, but it will be intentional. If I choose to carry something, it’s because I think it’s a quality product that is (1) a worth purchasing for actual, practical use, and/or (2) something interesting that the hype train has left at the station and that I think warrants further attention. So far, I’ve found this new approach far more fulfilling, and I’ve had more fun with T.G.S. in 2021 than I’ve had in years, mainly because I finally feel that I’m charting my own direction as opposed to constantly having to worry about responding to the FOMO and other market pressures.

Limited Edition Pens Have Always Been a Bad Investment. Now They’re Even Worse.

Look, I’m not going to quit buying (or even selling) special and limited editions altogether. Some of them are legitimately interesting, well-thought-out, and fun - especially collaborations with artists, brands from other industries, and community members. There will always be a place for that sort of product. But when the industry itself seems to be headed in the direction of one giant special edition subscription model, something feels off, and certainly a departure from what drew me to this community in the first place. I want to try something different, and if people follow me, great. If not, at least I’ll be having fun again!

And to get back to what originally prompted this post: If I could convey one piece of “wisdom” from my decade-plus in the pen community, please do not buy any fountain pen (or other stationery item, or consumer items in general, for that matter) as an investment. Yes, at one point you could flip that Montblanc Writer’s edition (Hemingway or Agatha Christie perhaps?) for a nice return, but these days there are so many of these pens, and the starting retail price for limited and special editions is so high, that there’s little room for any appreciation in value. Moreover, I’ve begun to see retailers having difficulty moving stock. You can often find these pens on deep discount months, or even years, after they were officially discontinued. Honestly, you’re probably better off buying Dogecoin (and no, that’s not an endorsement).

Editor’s Note: For those who are interested, here is some background on the English-language idiom “Jumping the Shark”.