Sunday Reading for May 14, 2023

May 14, 2023

2023 Chicago Pen Show - Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The Chicago Pen Show was last weekend, and apparently it was a lot of fun! Chicago has one of the best after-hours bar scenes on the pen show circuit.
Office Toy: Book Holders (via Analog Office). I can’t agree more that book holders are an indispensable office item for the analog-minded.
Scribo Write Here Africa (via Dapprman). Italian penmaker Scribo releases periodic collaborations with UK retailer Write Here, and you know how I love tortoiseshell material….
Weekly Carry-around #4 (via A Fleeting Ripple). I really need to find a vintage Sheaffer Tuckaway, maybe at my next pen show?
Building an Interview Daily Carry (via mnmlscholar). Pulling together a set of pens that can “present professionally” is trickier than it might seem at first, especially when you’ve been in this hobby for a while and your perspective on what’s “understated” shifts over time.
Stylosuite Flex Nibs (via Mountain of Ink). I have yet to actually take home a Stylosuite pen, but I’ve spent many a pen show at the table trying their creations!
Logical Air Swing Notebook Review (via Fountain Pen Love). I recently reviewed Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper, and following that review have received multiple recommendations to try the Logical Air.
#21PenQuestions - Jesi (via Well-Appointed Desk). I love reading the responses to these sorts of surveys and how different they are. Both Jesi and Laura answer this week.
#21PenQuestions - Laura (via Well-Appointed Desk).
Pelikan M200 Pastel Blue Special Edition (via Pelikan’s Perch). I figured this particular announcement was more relevant to my crew here than the M1000 Raden Red (it’s beautiful, but ouch on that price!).

In Case You Missed It…

Many thanks for your patience as I was traveling for a family wedding this past week. Due to some careful planning, I was able to stay up to date on my publications for the most part, with our first “Desert Island Pens” piece on Four Favorite Pens for Everyday Writing. I also reviewed Nakabayashi Logical Prime Paper, which people have been recommending to me for a while now and I finally got around to testing. Finally, if you’re interested in more video content, I’ve been working on cleaning up our YouTube Channel and posting some new material. I also have a backlog of short videos I’ve done over the years (mainly for Instagram, but some unpublished), which I’d like to archive for posterity and which may find their way over to YouTube at some point.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Just because I’m out of town doesn’t mean the new releases stop coming! The TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Mini in Grape arrived, and is currently available for order. We also received a shipment of new Prime Timber 2.0 Leadholders and some fun mechanical pencils from Penco! As a reminder, all orders placed through today, May 14, will receive a complimentary extra gift to compensate for any shipping delays while I’ve been away. Orders placed this past week will be processed starting today and should go out by tomorrow.

TWSBI Diamond Mini Grape

Penco Passer's Mate Pencil

Laconic Tokyo

Nakabayashi

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

T.G.S. Patreon is currently the only non-shop means of support for the site, and features not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support! Details of our May meetup will be circulated through the Patreon feed, so Patreon members should be sure to sign up to get updates/alerts.

Sunday Reading for May 7, 2023

May 7, 2023

Too Much Information: Why Personal Knowledge Management Is Hard (via Analog Office). I’m making a concerted effort this year to get a handle on my personal knowledge management system, and this hit home.
A Fine Line: Rotring Isograph Technical Pen (via A Fleeting Ripple). Believe it or not, I’ve never tried one of these pens, as they’re not really in my use case - pure writing as opposed to drawing - but I’ve always admired them and found them interesting.
Papersmiths Primo in Coral (via KraftyKats). This looks like an Ohto-made pen, down to the needle-tip gel refill!
Midori MD Cotton Notebook (via Blake’s Broadcast). Will Midori ever bring the MD Cotton Notebook back in the standard sizes? I hope so, since this paper is a personal favorite for use with fountain pens and inks, and a top seller in our shop.
Pelikan M605 Tortoiseshell Black (2022 Special Edition) (via Scrively). This is the one Pelikan that’s tempted me over the past year.
Honey Sweet: Galen Leather Zippered Magnum Opus Pen Case (via A Fleeting Ripple). The Galen Magnum Opus is currently my own favorite 12-pen case capable of going anywhere.
That’s a Mighty Bold Kit for Such an EF-loving Writer (via mnmlscholar). Sometimes you just have to mix things up a bit, no?
Logical Swing Notebook Review (via Fountain Pen Love). I’m planning to start testing the Nakayabashi Logical Prime paper this week - the Logical Swing is the lower-cost option.
SF Now + *Noted - NOT a Pen Show! (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). “To the trade” retail shows are extremely interesting to attend, because you tend to see products that either haven’t made it to retail yet or fall outside of the mainstream that tends to get so much attention on social media.
#21PenQuestions (via Well-Appointed Desk). What a great idea! This should be a new trend for the pen community.

Laconic Style Tokyo Bookmarks — Laconic: The stationery system for the bookmark obsessive.

In CaSe You Missed it…

This week on the blog I did something I haven’t done in a while, and which is a bit out of character for this site: I wrote a post about refill hacks! Specifically, refills that I’ve managed to make work with the Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoints and rollerballs. I also wrote a short overview of a newly discovered notebook system: the Laconic Style system of A5 notebook refills, covers, and, yes bookmarks. Stay tuned as I’ve pulled a few of these to try to use myself as I get more familiar with their offerings.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Travel Week!

I updated the shop pages to reflect that I’m traveling this coming week (as of Yesterday), so any orders placed in the shop will have a 3-5 business day processing time instead of the typical 2-3, and will ship upon my return. As always when I travel, orders placed during “away time” will include extras like pens, pencils, or ink samples to accommodate for any short delay. In the meantime, we have a continuing stream of new arrivals that are available for order, including new arrivals and restocks from Nahvalur, Lamy, and Lochby, in addition to some remaining Paul Smith x Caran d’Ache Pens.

Laconic Tokyo

Caran d'Ache

Kaweco

Pilot

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Sunday Reading for April 30, 2023

April 30, 2023

I Blame Joe (via From the Pen Cup). Am I really not going to lead with this link this week?
Scribo Grigio Scribo (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Of all the (generally excellent) Scribo inks, Grigio is one of favorites. Honestly, it’s probably my favorite from that line.
Pilot Vanishing Point/Capless Fountain Pens - A Quick Comparison (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Pilot’s range of “capless” fountain pens can be quite confusing, and Kimberly does a great job of breaking down all the different options.
Aurora Style Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The Aurora Style and the Aurora Ipsilon are both pens that don’t get enough attention as solid everyday writers.
Goodbye to Paperchase (via Fountain Pen Blog). It’s sad to read this. The U.S. has almost no larger stationery-exclusive retailers remaining, as they have been subsumed by big-box chains.
Abalone Revisited / Scriptorium Pens Idyll (via Weirdoforest Pens). I’ve recently discovered the Abalone blanks, and it’s always great to see Scriptorium Pens getting attention.
Inside My Collection - Vintage Blotters (via Fountain Pen Love). Now that’s a cool addition to a collection of fountain pens and related paraphernalia.
Leonardo Supernova with Elastic Nib Fountain Pen (via SBRE Brown). The Supernova is a relatively new size of Leonardo fountain pen, and I think I might like this one, though I’d prefer to see it in person.
Pencil Blast-em (via Bleistift). Tactile Turn has released their latest seasonal release, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, and you’re a fan of 1980s-era video games, you won’t want to miss this one.
Wearingeul Swatch Notebook and Sheets (via Well-Appointed Desk). This is a cool idea for an ink swatch book, with the bottles stamped inside at 9 to a page.

Pilot Fountain Pen Family Portrait — Continuing to work my way through the Pilot Fountain pen family!

In Case You Missed It….

The main attraction this week was me giving the “Workhorse Pens” treatment to the Pilot Custom 823, an indisputed workhorse that I personally think should be considered the flagship of the Pilot lineup. I’ve owned two of them for years. (Well, the only two that are regularly available in the U.S., but we’re working on that!) I also took a look at the Lamy Cursive nib and compared it to my newly arrived Perspective nibs from Custom Nib Studio - in short, the Cursive nib is an inexpensive way to check out this style of nib grind. I should have more of these nibs available soon.

Nahvalur Rose Gold Fountain Pens — As of last night, the Nahvalur Original Plus fountain pens are available in Matira White and Lovina Black, with rose gold-plated trim. (Of course we still have the Original Plus transparent color demonstrators as well!)

Too Many New Arrivals to Keep Track Of!

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed lately, trying to do the blog justice while staying on top of the seemingly endless flood of boxes arriving on my doorstep. We’ve added a LOT to the store lately, and we’re nowhere near finished, but without these weekly recaps I’m not sure I could keep track of it myself! This week’s major arrivals include the new Nahvalur Rose Gold Original Plus fountain pens (Matira White and Lovina Black), a restock on the Kaweco Softfeel Sketch-ups in Yellow/Black (plus some new colors!), the Caran d’Ache Chromatics Inks in 50ml Bottles, as well as new sizes of the Midori MD Light Paper, Airmail Envelopes, and Midori Memo Blocks!

Kaweco Sketch Ups!

Pilot

Life

Caran d'Ache Inks

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Sunday Reading for April 23, 2023

April 23, 2023

Travelling with Ink: April Snippets (via Fountain Pen Blog). I had to chuckle at the part about “sufficient pens for a one-night getaway.” Been there.
Notes on Paper, Notes in Apps, Here, There, and Everywhere, Should I Just Give Up and Accept the Chaos (via Analog Office). There are some valuable thoughts here on the importance of processing notes and how to do it. I might add that sometimes there’s value to not being too structured and accepting just a touch of chaos.
CW+T Pen Type-C (via KraftyKats). The Pen Type-C is a bookmark pen that features the excellent Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto refill. For whatever reason, the Pen Type-C never took off in the same was at the Pen Type-B or Pen Type-A, probably because it’s not intended for long writing sessions and is really an annotation pen. (We still have a few left in our shop.)
I May Have A Growing Addiction to Buying Ground Nibs Out the Gate (via mnmlscholar). With more and more pen companies offering pre-ground nibs, including in highly specialized calligraphy grinds, is there any reason NOT to try this? Some of these pre-ground nibs are excellent.
Kaweco Original 250 Black Fountain Pen Review (via SBRE Brown). I love the look of Kaweco’s new “Original” fountain pen, which is a different design that still maintains certain of the brand’s hallmarks.
My 10 Favorite Yellow Inks (via Mountain of Ink). There are some interesting ones on here that I don’t believe I’ve tried before!
Nahvalur x Galen Leather Rose Gold Demonstrator & Vinta Inks The Maiden/Lakambini - A Double Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). When DID rose gold become so popular? I was wondering this myself, as the pens have started to multiply in my own collection.
Ink Review: Troublemaker Nenita and Moon River (via Well-Appointed Desk). Troublemaker Inks from the Philippines have gone mainstream, and I’m glad to see this brand with increased availability.
Broken In: Sailor Pro Gear Realo (via A Fleeting Ripple). Do you notice your nibs “breaking in” over time? There are definitely some that seem to have adapted themselves to my hand.
The Pen I Bought While I’m Not Buying Pens (via From the Pen Cup). Believe it or not, I’ve never actually seen a Lamy ABC in person!

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog, I reviewed a pen that’s been on my radar for years, and which I finally managed to get my hands on this month: The Onoto Scholar. To keep things well-rounded, I also revisited two inks that have remained favorites over the years: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo and Yama-Budo. Finally, this week’s “currently inked” video looked at how to swap Lamy nibs.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

We’ve added Lamy to our lineup of brands! We have the Lamy 2000, the new Lamy AL-Star Special Editions, and certain Safari Special Editions, specifically those that mix and match clips. Probably the second biggest news was the arrival of the Olive Traveler’s Notebooks, which sold out nearly immediately. More are on the way! In the meantime be sure to check out these additional new arrivals:

Midori MD Block Notepads

Lamy Bottled Ink

Maruman Mnemosyne Pad Holders

Ohto Rays Gel Pens

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

T.G.S. Patreon is currently the only non-shop means of support for the site, and features not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support! Our next meetup will be at our typical time, which is the third Saturday of every month at 8:30pm U.S. Central Time. Details are circulated through the Patreon feed, so Patreon members should be sure to sign up to get updates/alerts.

Sunday Reading for April 16, 2023

April 16, 2023

Lamy 2000 Classic or Hype (via Dapprman). Well, given how much time I spent updating my inventory with the new arrivals this weekend, I certainly hope it’s the former. (It is.)
Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 with Calligraphy Curved Nib Review (via SBRE Brown). Montblanc has come out with a LOT of stuff that interests me lately, this one included, but alas my wallet has other plans.
Meet Your Maker: Renée Meeks, Scriptorium Pens (via Pen Addict - Caroline). One of my favorite custom pens is the Scriptorium Balladeer that I had commissioned years ago. Which reminds me, I need to break it out….
Fog: Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo (via A Fleeting Ripple). Yama-Budo, from Pilot’s Iroshizuku ink lineup, is one of my favorite inks and one of the first “nice inks” I bought for myself when I was getting into the hobby.
Quality Simplicity Is Hard to Pull Off but Makes for Fabulous Notebooks and Reading Tools (via mnmlscholar). Relatively simple products, well-designed. Enough said.
Rohrer & Klingner Sketchink Emma (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Add these permanent (or at least water-resistant) inks to the list of inks I need to actually try.
Sailor Ink Studio 573 (via Fountain Pen Love). There are absolutely so many colors in the Sailor Ink Studio lineup that you can’t reasonably try them all. That said, every time I see a new one, I want it.
Sailor Manyo Dual Shaders (via Mountain of Ink). I’m a big fan of Sailor Manyo Haha, so these other double shaders are intriguing.
What, me worry? (via From the Pen Cup). I love this, and it’s probably something I need, to be honest.
Traveler’s Company Notebook Accessory 030 Brass Clip Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Of all the Traveler’s Company accessories, this is probably a top seller for us. It’s infinitely useful, as Sarah points out.

The Tibaldi Bononia Vintage, which I reviewed this week.

In Case You Missed It…

Well, I’ve FINALLY made some progress in digging out from under my backlog after a month of pen show and other travel. The big news is that this week I updated the “Best Pens” list, which is an annual tradition now that T.G.S. is NINE YEARS OLD. (I really can’t believe it’s been that long.) While the changes to this year’s list are pretty minor, I’m going to continue these annual updates, and may even add some new categories. I also reviewed a pen that I brought back from the Arkansas Pen Show: the Tibaldi Bononia Vintage, a gorgeous piston filler with an oblique medium nib. Finally, those of you who subscribe to our fledgling Youtube channel may have noticed that I’ve begun posting videos again, some linked through the reviews, others that stand alone. Each Monday, I’ve been adding a longer video titled “Currently Inked,” in which I discuss what I have inked up for the week, new arrivals, etc., and sometimes post a demonstration or extended commentary. Check them out if you haven’t already!

Some of the various iterations of the Anterique Ballpoints available for purchase in the shop!

This Week in the Curated Shop: Almost There But Not Quite!

Despite my best efforts to space things out, basically all of the orders I’ve placed in January and February have arrived at once. This week saw the arrival of more Anterique ballpoints, both standard and the upgraded “Brass Editition.” These pens have sold well, and to much acclaim, so I’m going to build out my selection and continue to stock them in the future. The biggest and most exciting news is that we are now also authorized Lamy retailers, in addition to Kaweco and Pilot! It’s taken nearly all of my effort to list this stuff in a reasonable amount of time, and I hope to finish over the next few days. We really appreciate all of your support!

Lamy

Anterique

Kaweco

Pilot

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

T.G.S. Patreon is currently the only non-shop means of support for the site, and features not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support! Our next meetup will be at our typical time, which is the third Saturday of every month at 8:30pm U.S. Central Time. Details are circulated through the Patreon feed, so Patreon members should be sure to sign up to get updates/alerts.