Sunday Reading for October 23, 2022

1. Colorado Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Though a smaller regional show, the Colorado Pen Show always receives good reviews, and if you’re West of the Mississippi it should be on your list of shows to attend.

2. Edison Pens Collier Grande with #8 Nib (via SBRE Brown). Back when it was first introduced, the standard Collier fountain pen was considered huge! Today, not so much. The Collier Grande features a huge No. 8 nib that many people I’ve spoken with have enjoyed.

3. Meet Your Maker - Tim Crowe, Turnt Pen Company (via Pen Addict). I’ve enjoyed reading this recent Pen Addict series of profiles on independent makers

4. Esterbrook Premium Camden Northern Lights Manitoba Blue (via Macchiato Man). This year Esterbrook released “Premium” models of their Camden fountain pen, with colorized nibs from Hinze Pens. As always, Yagan has a quite thorough review.

5. Endless Recorder Regalia vs. Cosmo Air Light (via Well-Appointed Desk). Endless, unfortunately has had to move away from both Tomoe River 68gsm (gah!), but their Regalia substitute looks excellent. I’ve not tried it myself but it’s received good reviews.

6. Sunshine: Penco A5 College Ruled Notebook (via A Fleeting Ripple). As you all know, we sell Penco products in our shop, but I’ve been somewhat hesitant to stock their notebooks given that I don’t know much about performance. Since Penco as a pen company is mainly known for their ballpoints and mechanical pencils (which are great) it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the paper isn’t designed for fountain pens.

7. New Pen: New Moon (via Fountain Pen Blog). Delike apparently has a writer’s Fude nib on the market, with only a slightly upturned tip, making it excellent for writing?

8. Sailors’ Dilemma (via The Poor Penman). I managed to successfully avoid Sailor’s North American “Don’t Miss the Boat” sale (mainly because I was out of town), but you could get some absolutely insane deals! To this day, I’ve never owned a Sailor Zoom nib, but I am intrigued a bit because they’ve been getting a lot of attention lately.

9. Blackwing Soft Handheld Eraser (Well-Appointed Desk). Blackwing has worked on building out their accessory lineup, with the latest being a larger handheld eraser based off the iconic Blackwing ferrule.

10. M1000 Maki-e Phoenix Limited Edition (via Pelikan’s Perch). I always admire the artistry on teh M1000 Maki-e edition, even though the pens have always been more than a bit out of my price range.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog things got back into a bit of a rhythm following my return from vacation. I published the fourth installment of my “Guide to Notebook Systems,” this time looking at single-book systems (or “Non-System Systems”), using Midori MD as an example. I’ve enjoyed writing this series and it’s almost complete. I also reviewed two inks from Anderillium: Colossal Squid Dark and Green Kingfisher Green, both of which are darker green-black/teal-black colors that make for excellent workhorses.

This Week in the TGS Curated Shop: T.G.S. Exclusive Penwells Are In Stock and Shipping!

Our collaboration with Good Made Better - the T.G.S.-exclusive Penwell in the “Aged Red” Finish, is back in stock after a two-year hiatus! For this run, we’ve managed to keep the pricing the same, and Patreon members qualify for a special discount + free shipping, so members should check the Patreon site for details. We also restocked some favorite Washi Tape patterns, and added nearly a dozen more from iLootPaperie, which you won’t want to miss. You can check out the full new releases post here, as well as an update regarding the latest special editions from Caran d’Ache, the “Colour Treasure” editions.

Platinum

Caran d'Ache

Anderillium

Washi Tape!

Many Thanks for Your Shop Support, and Please Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve been surprised at the level of enthusiasm and support for our curated retail strategy over the past couple of months, and after careful consideration are beginning to build out our inventory with more brands and product categories. I love managing this aspect of T.G.S., as it offers me the opportunity to directly put great stationery - including brands I feel are underappreciated and underemphasized - into your hands. For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those pens which made it through Patreon are now available to the general readership!)

Sunday Reading for October 16, 2022

1. Rituals: Galen Leather The Old School Molded Pen Case for Five Pens (via A Fleeting Ripple). I love the Galen old-school cases, and I’ll echo that their packaging and presentation is top-notch.

2. RIIND The Compact Pen (via KraftyCats). I really enjoyed the original RIIND pen, though some found it a bit large. The “Compact” version is worth checking out.

3. My Personal Pens: Gravitas Blue Fountain Pen (via SBRE Brown). I’ve also enjoyed getting to use the larger Gravitas model. If you appreciate larger, heavier pens, check this one out, and look for my own review soon.

4. The Plot Is Afoot (via Pen Addict - Sarah). I can’t believe NaNoWriMo is here already. I want to do SOMETHING to commemorate the occasion, since I love the idea, but I’m overwhelmed as it is and this year a novel just isn’t going to happen. Be sure to check out Sarah’s choice of pen.

5. Hieronymus XH5 Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). 120gsm paper tends to be extremely thick for me, but at this thickness it often can’t help but be fountain pen friendly.

6. The Tale of the Lady and the Scholar: My London Autumn Pen Show 2022 (via Fountain Pen Blog). I had originally intended to try to make the London Autumn Show, but life events intervened. On to the Spring? Semikolon’s new line of products intrigues me.

7. October 2022 London Pen Show (via Dapprman). A great pictorial recap of the London Pen Show!

8. Cypress Eggshell Series Dandelion (via Rachel’s Reflections). I love these eggshell designs, but I’ve not tried a pen from Cypress. Should I pick one up? (Also check out Part II of this post.)

9. Sheen with Purpose and Ink Mullets (via mnmlscholar). I’m going to submit “Ink Mullet” to the dictionary for 2022 new word of the year.

10. Ferris Wheel Press Curious Collaborations: Paper Tree (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ferris Wheel Press is killing me with all these new collaborations….

In Case You Missed It…

I was on vacation this past week! No, seriously, I probably had about five different posts noting this fact, so hopefully it didn’t take anyone by surprise. In the meantime, I did a wrap-up post discussing the 2022 Pen Show Season, since both the Colorado Show and New York Metropolitan Shows are currently ongoing. While there are a few more this year, my own pen show season has likely come to a close.

This Week in the Shop

Despite me being on vacation, a lot of new arrivals hit the shop this week! For starters, the second round of Platinum Preppy Wa fountain pens are now available for purchase, and - wait for it - the T.G.S. x Penwell exclusive “Aged Red” model is now available for preorder, with the Penwells likely arriving and shipping out sometime later this week. We are also restocked on most of our Caran d’Ache pens and pencils. There is MUCH more on the way in the near future, so stay tuned! Since I’m back in town, there should not be further delays in orders shipping, and anything placed while I was away should ship by tomorrow.

Platinum Preppy Wa

Nahvalur

Marks

Gently Used

Many Thanks for Your Shop Support, and Please Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve been surprised at the level of enthusiasm and support for our curated retail strategy over the past couple of months, and after careful consideration are beginning to build out our inventory with more brands and product categories. I love managing this aspect of T.G.S., as it offers me the opportunity to directly put great stationery - including brands I feel are underappreciated and underemphasized - into your hands. For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those pens which made it through Patreon are now available to the general readership!)

Sunday Reading for October 9, 2020 (Vacation Edition)

1. Montegrappa Extra Otto Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The Montegrappa Extra series, which includes the Extra 1930 and Extra Otto fountain pens, features some of my favorite vintage-style celluloids out there, plus a giant No. 8 nib.

2. Where Is the Line Between Iteration and Imitation? (via mnmlscholar). Whatever the line is, Moonman has a tendency to disregard it altogether with some of their designs. Nonetheless, there are some interesting points here in terms of how Pilot has refused to bring a clipless VP to market despite strong demand.

3. (Don’t) Eat Your Greens: Lamy Studio (via A Fleeting Ripple). I love the Lamy Studio, and the “Olive Green” version is a favorite of mine, even over the Racing Green version that followed. As this review points out, however, those who are sensitive to heavier or metal pens might want to try before you buy.

4. Platinum Izumo Kurikara-Ken (via Rachel’s Reflections). The Platinum Izumo (and it’s nib sibling, the President, which I believe is discontinued) are models which I’ve never tried. I’ll need to remedy that based on these photos!

5. The Pilot Lucina (via Left Hook Pens). Now there’s a pen I haven’t seen in years! Once ubiquitous on the ‘Bay, the Lucina may have been phased out by Pilot? I always wanted a yellow one.

6. Kaweco Original Black Chrome Fountain Pens 060 and 250 (via Dapprman). Color me intrigued (especially if they eventually release this pen in more colors)! It’s also interesting that there are both No. 4 and No. 6 nib versions.

7. Venvstas Hits 2.0 with the Carbon Fiber Magna Piston (via UK Fountain Pens). I guess Anthony can’t stay away, and he’s back with a review of the “new” Venvstas Magna with a piston filler that they’ve attempted to revise to address earlier critiques.

8. Robert Oster Oklahoma City (via Mountain of Ink). The latest entry in Robert Oster’s “Cities” series is a sharp-looking green ink.

9. Wearingeul The Mind Fountain Pen Ink (via Pen Addict-Jeff). I’ve been incredibly impressed with the Wearingeul inks I’ve tried recently, so much that I brought along an entire case of Opus 88 pens filled with nothing but Wearingeul options on my vacation!

10. Ferris Wheel Press Fall Collection (via Well-Appointed Desk). And yet another Ferris Wheel Press release, in more excellent Fall-inspired colors! They really do their best work in autumn.

11. Sailor x TinterÍas Agave and Blue Corn: More Inky Deliciousness (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The Sailor “Deliciosa” series keeps growing, and I’m in the process of placing my order for both of these!

In Case You Missed It

Since I’m on vacation, just one new review this week - my writeup of the Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) “Nautilus” ebonite fountain pen in Stylophora Berry. I also recapped my ongoing Guide to Notebook Systems multipart series, which I’m actively working on.

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Six new Platinum Preppy Wa colors are in stock!

This Week in the Shop - Vacation Discount!

Since I’m on vacation this week, I wanted to offer something special to make up for any brief shipping delays. Take 10% off all paper orders with the coupon code “VACAY10” at checkout! Also, as per the usual, any orders placed while I’m away will receive some small extras in the package.

In terms of new arrivals, we recently received a Caran d’Ache restock, including most colors of the 849 ballpoint, Black Code mechanical pencils (which you can use to match your Black Code ballpoint), and most of the Caran d’Ache woodcase pencil options. We also have the Mark’style Tous Les Jours Needle-tip Ballpoint, along with an allotment of the Platinum Preppy Wa Second Series fountain pens, featuring six new patterns on the heels of last year’s runaway success! I hope Platinum continues these releases in the future - they tend to sell out quickly.

Platinum

Nahvalur Pens

Anderillium Ink

Penco

Many Thanks for Your Shop Support, and Please Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve been surprised at the level of enthusiasm and support for our curated retail strategy over the past couple of months, and after careful consideration are beginning to build out our inventory with more brands and product categories. I love managing this aspect of T.G.S., as it offers me the opportunity to directly put great stationery - including brands I feel are underappreciated and underemphasized - into your hands. For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those pens which made it through Patreon are now available to the general readership!)

Sunday Reading for October 2, 2022

1. Gravitas Sentry Big Dropper & Delrin Fountain Pens (via Pencilcase Blog). I had the pleasure of meeting Ben Walsh and handling some of the Delrin and “Big Dropper” models at this year’s D.C. Pen Show. I was impressed with all of them and need to bring some in for review soon.

2. 2022 Dallas Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I’m happy to see a good overall review of the Dallas Pen Show, and heard great things from many attendees. There needs to be a strong lineup of smaller, regional shows.

3. Newsflash: Cosmo Air Light (via Well-Appointed Desk). Daryl at Musubi broke the news last week that Cosmo Air Light paper was being discontinued.

4. Kokuyo Auxiliary Hardcover Notebook (via Blake’s Broadcast). Kokuyo makes excellent hardcover notebooks, and these bound ledger-style notebooks look very interesting.

5. Semikolon Grand Voyage Notebook (via Fountain Pen Blog). I’ve always loved the look of Semikolon notebooks but in the past the paper has not worked well for me. I’m excited to see that the paper in this particular notebook got good reviews.

6. Diamine Monboddo’s Hat on Midori MD (via Inkredible Colors). Monboddo’s Hat is often recommended as a substitute for the coveted Lamy Dark Lilac, FWIW.

7. Do You Ever Regret Getting a Custom Nib Grind (via Chicana Writes). Early on, absolutely, but I’ve since accepted that sometimes I just made a bad choice and have passed those pens along to others. These days I try to keep a wider range of custom and standard grinds on hand since I know my preferences tend to change and I do different kinds of writing.

8. Endless Stationery Recorder Notebook Deep Ocean with 80 gsm Regalia Paper (via Rants of the Archer). Endless has moved away from Tomoe River 68gsm (presumably for supply reasons) and has substituted their own in-house paper.

9. Lamy Charged Green (via Dapprman). Reviews of this ink are few and far between, especially given how prevalent it was (as in, it was a difficult color to sell when Lamy issued it). Those who like bright green inks for annotation and possibly highlighting may want to consider it?

10. Troublemaker Grand River Sunset (via Mountain of Ink). I’ve recently discovered Troublemaker Inks, another brand from the Philippines that specializes in shading/sheening/shimmer/you-name-the-special-property.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog, I reviewed the Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) “Original Plus” Fountain Pen, which is Nahvalur’s revamped version of their inaugural pen from 2019, featuring a vacuum-filler fountain pen and redesigned materials. I also published Part III of my ongoing series on Notebook Systems, this week focusing on Traveler’s Notebook and what I refer to as “modular” notebook systems.

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New This Week in the Curated Shop

This week saw the arrival of the TWSBI ECO in Cerulean Blue, an eye-popping deep-sea blue that I would actually describe as a more vibrant turquoise. We also restocked on the glow-in-the-dark TWSBI ECO Glow fountain pen, and launched Anderillium Inks as a new brand, so that you now have additional ink choices to pair with fountain pens purchased from our shop. Finally, the Mark’style Tous les Jours Needle-tip ballpoint is back in stock, in nearly a dozen different colors. These needle-tip ballpoints are a personal favorite. The refills last forever and will soon be sold separately (they use an Ohto cartridge).

TWSBI

Nahvalur

Penco

Anderillium

Many Thanks for Your Shop Support, and Please Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve been surprised at the level of enthusiasm and support for our curated retail strategy over the past couple of months, and after careful consideration are beginning to build out our inventory with more brands and product categories. I love managing this aspect of T.G.S., as it offers me the opportunity to directly put great stationery - including brands I feel are underappreciated and underemphasized - into your hands. For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those pens which made it through Patreon are now available to the general readership!)

Sunday Reading for September 25, 2022

1. The True Value of Indie Pens (via Rachel’s Reflections). I did not have the chance to take Rachel and Jim’s Indie Pen class at either D.C. or Baltimore, but it looks like it’s on the list for next year. I also get frustrated with people complaining about the “value proposition” of handmade fountain pens that I consider - at their essence - pieces of art.

2. Meet Your Maker - Shawn Newton of Newton Pens (via Pen Addict - Caroline). I had the pleasure/honor of having a table next to Shawn at this year’s D.C. Pen Show, and in terms of Indie penmakers, I consider his work to be among the best out there.

3. Pen Collection Thoughts: Niche or Narrow? (via Pete Denison). Pete’s posts on this hobby are always great, and I’m fully in agreement with his observations that just when you think you’ve fully explored every aspect of this hobby, there are always new niches and rabbit holes to run down.

4. The Commonwealth Pen Show 2022 Recap (via Gourmet Pens). Azizah recaps the 2022 Commonwealth Pen Show, which is now a 2-day show in the Boston area. I’m glad to see this show growing and may consider visiting in the future.

5. Lamy Ideos Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The Lamy Ideos has a unique shape that makes it stand out, and those who purchased one have been happy with it, finding it comfortable to write with.

6. Golden Leaves: Inkebara Deer Brown & Earth (via a fleeting ripple). This autumnal ink from Inkebara (a brand I have not tried) appears to have some nice dark brown shades to it.

7. Early Thoughts on the Jinhao 80 Fountain Pen (via Fountain Pen Blog). Look’s like Jinhao is at it again, going after Lamy. Why bother to create your own section while knocking off the cap? Why not just create your own Makrolon pen?

8. More Bits, Bobs & Bullet Journals: Lesson Plan Outlines (via mnmlscholar). I always love collecting posts about how people actually use their pens and stationery.

9. Pennonia Méregzöld: Seafoam or Poison? (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I love a dark teal fountain pen ink that leans blue moreso than green, so this one is right up my alley. Plus it has a fun family story behind it.

10. Limited Pens Korea x Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Magico Pink Salt (via Gourmet Pens). Leonardo always manages to find the best materials, and this latest special release is gorgeous.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I published Installment No. 2 of my series on Notebook Systems, taking a relatively in-depth look at Plotter, the Japanese ring-based system techo that’s received much attention lately. If you missed Part I, you can check that out here, in which I offer some background on the ideas behind the series and preliminary discussions on the various types of Notebook Systems out there. I also revisited a favorite workhorse fountain pen, the Waterman Carène, and published a short post on how people (myself included) use the desktop hourglasses we sell in the shop.

One reason I brought Anderillium into the store is my appreciation for inks that not only have a consistent theme but interesting muted color palettes. “Colossal Squid Dark” is a great blue-green-teal-black.

New In the Shop: Anderillium Inks, Traveler’s Refills and an Expiring Promotion!

Friday and Saturday saw LOTS of new arrivals in the Curated Shop, including one I’m most excited about: The arrival of Anderillium Inks. Based in Tampa, Florida, Anderillium’s line of sixteen different inks is inspired by nature. The “Cephalopod” series draws its inspiration from squids and octopuses, while the “Avian” series is bird-themed. I’ve previously reviewed “Cuttlefish Brown,” which mimics vintage cuttlefish sepia ink in that it goes on brown but when it dries takes on a grey tone. I’ve also reviewed Anderillium’s Chicago Pen Show “Michigan Avenue” special release ink, which I love. Be sure to check out the Anderillium dark greens and blue-greens, including Colossal Squid Dark, Green Kingfisher Green, and Flying Squid Blue, among others. Also, note that our current Nahvalur promotion will expire at the end of the week - all Nahvalur pen purchases ship with a generous 4ml ink sample, and it will be a sample of Anderillium this week!

I have to confess that I’ve also been a bad shop owner - I found a rather large stash of Traveler’s Notebook refills and inserts that had not been listed in the shop. (No wonder they weren’t selling!) Many of the undated diary refills and specialty papers are now restocked in both Passport and Standard size.

Anderillium

Traveler's Company

Nahvalur (Narwhal)

Gently Used

Many Thanks for Your Shop Support, and Please Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve been surprised at the level of enthusiasm and support for our curated retail strategy over the past couple of months, and after careful consideration are beginning to build out our inventory with more brands and product categories. I love managing this aspect of T.G.S., as it offers me the opportunity to directly put great stationery - including brands I feel are underappreciated and underemphasized - into your hands. For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those pens which made it through Patreon are now available to the general readership!)