Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen Review (via The Poor Penman). I agree with a lot in this review, but I’m not convinced that the new Lamy 2000 pricing is unreasonable. $250 for a piston filling fountain pen with a 14k gold nib in today’s inflationary market seems, well, reasonable. (To compare, a steel nib cartridge-converter Esterbrook sells for $155-$195, depending on the color, which is pretty standard.) I think Lamy is seeing the effect of years of underpricing this flagship, which has created the perception that the Lamy 2000 should be a “cheap” pen.
The Go-To Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). Blake reviews this new collaboration between Chronicle Books and Mohawk Paper, which can be found at mainstream retail. But can it be considered fountain pen friendly?
Butterflies: KWZ Monarch (via A Fleeting Ripple). I have not seen this before, but if you like inks in the red-orange color spectrum, you will want to check this one out.
Color Traveler Delta Light Blue on Midori MD Cotton (via Inkredible Colours). A true “light blue,” as opposed to a turquoise, might be one of the few shades that I’ve never had in my collection.
25 Days of Dupes 2022 - Week 1 (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel takes a look at the Diamine Inkvent calendar and comparable inks from this year’s release.
A Balanced Academic Conference Carry Kit - the Non-Pen Parts (via mnmlscholar). A great gear post for conference carry - compact yet utilitarian.
A travel-friendly academic conference pen load out (via mnmlscholar). And the pen-and-ink counterpart for a conference carry.
Ink Review #737: Pennonia Balaton Blue (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Balaton Blue is one of my favorite multi-shading inks, with gorgeous shades of purple and blues.
Limited Edition Esterbrook Camden Oktoberfest (via Rants of the Archer). I’m a little late, because it’s far past Oktoberfest, but I’ve not paid attention to this release and it’s a pretty one.
On the first day of Inkmas… (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana hits the road to Dromgoole’s in Houston and reports back with the first ink of Inkmas.
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog, I talked a bit about two of my favorite topics: Pens Under $40 and New Releases that Won’t Break the Bank, and the current state of my personal collection, as I’ve steadily been reducing my accumulation of “standard” release pens in favor of a more curated collection focused around independent and small-batch makers.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
We had a bunch of new releases arrive, including the TWSBI Precision Ballpoints and Mechanical Pencils, which have sold rapidly, as well as a complete restock of new Caran d’Ache Colour Treasure Items including the newly arrived five jumbo / “Maxi” pencil sets. Pretty much all TWSBI fountain pens are available! Don’t forget to check out our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide, and remember that if you want to give your package the absolute best shot at arriving by Christmas, get your orders in by December 15 to account for any shipping delays. (Packages shipped after that date may make it in time, there’s just not much wiggle room.)
Consider T.G.S. Patreon!
For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation via shop purchases, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5 (with a discounted annual option) 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 items which made it through Patreon become available to the general readership, and this week you can get an extra 10% off Gently Used items with the coupon code referenced above!) Many thanks to all of you who already decided to back via Patreon. Your support means the world to me!
