Sunday Reading for May 4, 2025

1. Hooligan Georgia (via Figboot on Pens). I got to meet Tim from Hooligan at the Atlanta Pen Show, and loved getting to see his work.

2. Monoc Monoc Monoc (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). A great overview of the different Monoc sizes including, as with most of Kimberly’s reviews, plenty of writing samples.

3. Japanese Magazine Surprise (via Inky.Rocks). Now that’s a cool surprise! Stationery magazines that include stationery samples!

4. Montegrappa Venetia vs. Scribo Piuma (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I still don’t have my Piuma - I really need to change that! I love the silhouette of that pen.

5. $29 EDC? Everyday Karas basik (via Figboot on Pens). Double drop this week from David, since this Karas sub-brand and the price point really intrigued me.

6. Outsized Impact (via Stationery Pizza). Here’s another interesting notetaking/journaling technique. Does anyone else block their pages?

7. Travel Organizer? (via Philofaxy). I actually do tend to swap my organizers and notebooks out when I travel, usually for a Traveler’s Notebook which can be more compact in a travel bag, or a zippered folio if I have stuff that I worry will fall out.

8. Lamy Petrol (2025 version). I’m currently enamored with the latest Lamy Petrol, and love how dark it is. Honestly, I missed the first release so I have nothing to compare it to save for a swatch a friend gave me, but I love this color.

9. Paper Systems and Their Uses (via Rachel’s Reflections). I love a good post discussing uses for all the different styles of notebook systems.

10. Show Recap: Little Craft Fest (Houston) (via Well-Appointed Desk). I love reading about new stationery events, including the apparently very well-executed Little Craft Fest!

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The Sunderland mk1 has long been a favorite - I’m glad to see it more regularly available these days!

In Case You Missed It…2025 Best Pens Update

This week we reviewed the Uni M17 Jetstream refill, designed to fit Lamy pens that accept the M16 ballpoint. While we no longer have these specific refills for sale at the moment, since they are a Japan-only release and need to be imported, it’s still fun to see just how good a ballpoint refill can be. (Plus, we have other Jetstream stuff in the shop!) And as noted above, we’ve updated the “Best Pens” page for 2025. This year’s update is more “maintenance” than anything, without any major changes, but it’s still fun to see how consistent my opinions have been for the past several years.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: New TWSBI and New Lamy Safaris With a free gift promotion!

The new TWSBI Gemini Blue Precision Fountain Pens arrived this week, to cap a much-hyped release of a pen that TWSBI hasn’t updated in some time. Also, yesterday I received our initial shipping allotment of the 2025 Lamy Safari releases in “Dark Dusk” and “Sunset Coral”. While supplies last, the initial round of fountain pens will receive a Dark Dusk or Sunset Coral matching pen case that ships alongside the pen, though supplies are limited and these will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. One per person. Check out this week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks. (Did I mention that we now carry the standard line of Sunderland mk1 pens?)

Notsu

Caran d'Ache

Uni

Kaweco

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives and Sample Sales

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.

Sunday Reading for April 27, 2025

1. Plotter Review (via Fountain Pen Love). You see many reviews of the Plotter binder system, but what about the paper itself? It’s quite good.

2. Bloggiversary VIII (via Weirdoforest Pens). Congrats on eight years of stationery blogging! Any bloggiversary is quite an accomplishment, but nearly a decade is hard to do.

3. Benu Pixie Fountain Pen Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The Benu Pixie is very, very small. But that’s exactly what the market is looking for in this pen!

4. Aurora Optima Blue-Green (via UK Fountain Pens). I’ve always compared the Optima to the Sailor Pro Gear, with their similar flat-top designs. The slightly larger Optima is heftier with a different feel.

5. The History of the Pocket Slim Filofax: Series Introduction (via Notebook Stories). Fans of product design and brand histories should check out this ongoing series of posts regarding the small Filofax binder.

6. Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Dot Marker - Mild Smoky 6 Color Set (via Well-Appointed Desk). As Ana points out, these dot markers are great for creating to do lists in planners and notebooks. As well as annotating notes, etc.

7. Montblanc Writing Samples with Regular & Bespoke Nib Fountain Pens (via Gourmet Pens). If you’re interested in Montblanc’s specialty nibs and how they write, do check out this video!

8. The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen (via Well-Appointed Desk). I also read this book and found it interesting and informative, especially since I tend to geek out on unique paper formats, their origins, and historical use.

9. The DWRDNET Stationery Feed Video Podcast (via dwrdnet). Derek has started to accumulate quite the collection of extensive video interviews on his YouTube Channel. I've planned to sit for an “interview” :) in the coming weeks.

10. I Have Four More Exclusive Inks! (via Inkdependence). Check out Mike’s latest collaborations with Pennonia. There are some great colors here.

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In Case You Missed It….

This week I spent a LOT of time on video content, and released a video documenting my recent trip to Vanness Pens! I also published a companion blog post talking about the benefits of shopping for pens in person, and wrote a post yesterday about steps I’ve taken to expand/improve “T.G.S. HQ,” our new physical location in Nashville!

Finally, I filmed a video walkthrough of our own space that I should have up on our YouTube channel this week, if not today. We’ve expanded our YouTube offerings in recent weeks and months, so please visit the Channel and check it out, and subscribe if you enjoy the content!

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

I mean, other than build three new displays and rearrange the entire shop, this past week was pretty quiet! (Just kidding.) We still have a limited number of TRAVELER’s Company Love and Trip items (mainly refills), pens from the Uni “Pure Malt” collection, a complete restock of Teranishi Inks and Yamamoto Paper, and more items that are constantly being added. Check out this week’s Thursday Drops post for a full listing of new releases.

TRAVELER's Company

Teranishi

TWSBI

Pilot

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives and Sample Sales

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.

Note: We have a small number of the T.G.S. x Sunderland Machine Works collaboration pen (pictured below) coming back into stock this week. Patreon members have access to a portion of them for preorder. Remaining pens will go on sale this week to the general readership.

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Sunday Reading for April 20, 2025

1. Best Fountain Pen Stores in Europe (via Figboot on Pens). I had the opportunity to talk with David about his trip when we were in Atlanta for the Atlanta Pen Show. He went to a LOT of great pen shops.

2. Beautiful Stationery Unboxing (via Inky.Rocks). Wow, talk about upping the online retail packaging game!

3. Tariffs, a Vibe (via A Gathering of Curiosities). A lot to unpack with everything that’s been going on recently. We still don’t know how/if/when tariffs will impact the retail side, with everything changing by the minute.

4. 2025 Atlanta Pen Show Highlights (via Olive Octopus). Lisa has an epic Atlanta Pen Show Recap, and this one really shows that despite the organizational challenges, Atlanta remains a great show for attendees in terms of the vendors who attend.

5. Montblanc Boutique, Honolulu - Shop Visit (via Pen Addict-Kimberly). I’ve not set foot in a Montblanc boutique in a long time. Some of these new inks intrigue me, though.

6. How I Use My Notebooks: New Streamlined Weekly Review Format (via Writing at Large). This is a great series, for those of you looking to get more systematic or organized in how you use your notebooks and planners without adding too much structure.

7. Rober Oster Bless Your Heart (via Mountain of Ink). Don’t forget to check out the latest Vanness Pens Exclusive ink from Robert Oster!

8. The Pencils I Use (via Pens! Paper! Pencils!). I love reading about the tools people use - especially when they REALLY use them, like Ian.

9. Interview with Darrell Davis of D Squared Arts (via dwrdnet). Derek has a great interview with Darrell, who you may have seen at the Arkansas Pen Show and the various recaps. Darrell’s pens are unique because they’re inspired by his other art, including sculpture.

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In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I reviewed something from the deep Lamy back catalog: the Lamy Swift capless rollerball, which features a unique retractable clip mechanism that prevents you (i.e., me) from ruining shirts by inadvertently sticking an open rollerball into the pocket. I also talked about micarta, an increasingly popular and unique penmaking material that I’ve made a part of my own collection - finally!

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

The shop is seeing restocks every day, and we’re also continuing to expand our offerings from both new and established brands. This week we added the new releases from the Caran d’Ache “Black Edition Collection,” which incorporates all of the previously released “Black Code” products as well as a new XL Ballpoint and Fixpencil. We received a shipment of the Uni “Pure Malt” ballpoints, as well as additional stock of the rare and discontinued papers collection from Yamamoto papr in Japan. Finally, we now also have the Pilot Capless Decimo, as well as a restock of Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pens!

Don’t miss our most recent exclusive release, the “Violet Tendencies” Hinze Taschenstift fountain pen made from CrazyFiber and paired with a purple anodized section and nib.

Pilot

Lamy

TWSBI

Uni Refills

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives and Sample Sales

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly Zoom meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.

Sunday Reading for April 13, 2025

1. New Project! Gravitas BiFrost (via Figboot on Pens). Though it looks like these have sold out already, congrats on another great project!

2. Shorthand Shop Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I love a good shop visit recap. While I’m familiar with some of their notebooks, I didn’t realize that they also had a physical store.

3. Pocket Notebooks Are Back? (via Stationery Pizza). I’ve been noticing more interest in pocket notebooks once again, from Field Notes to the new Lochby Sidekick. Is the trend coming back around?

4. Thank You Atlanta, I Think? (via Pen Addict). While I wasn’t quite as down on this particular show as Brad - I think the issues with organization are a one-off and the result of a set of circumstances that likely won’t happen again as help arrives for the future - he makes some valid points applicable to all existing pen shows, which need to up their game as there’s a lot more competition for attendee dollars.

5. Top 5 Fountain Pens Under $50 (via Blake’s Broadcast). Some great options here! There’s at least one that I haven’t considered.

6. How Will Tariffs Affect Notebook Prices (via Notebook Stories). I guess we will find out over the next 90 days - or beyond. I talked a bit about this in Wednesday’s post.

7. Ensso Bolt (via Dapprman). I applaud Ensso for original ideas, as new riffs on retractable fountain pens are few and far between. I think it remains to be seen how the silicon membrane/seal stands up over time.

8. Unboxing the Rickshaw Banzai Bag: The Ultimate Pen and Stationery Bag (via dwrdnet). I agree that the Banzai Bag is likely the “ultimate” in stationery carry. It’s an exceptionally good pen show bag where you don’t want to have a huge clunky bag knocking into people.

9. Video Review: TWSBI Go (via Scrively). The Go has always been a great option for serial ink samplers, since it’s extremely easy to clean and fill.

10. Why Pencil? (via Pens! Paper! Pencils!). If you’re not following this site, you should. Ian’s pencil drawings are absolutely incredible.

11. Review and Giveaway: Benu Pixie Fountain Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). The Pixie has certainly garnered a lot of attention since it’s release. A bit too small for me, but pocket pen fans should check it out.

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog, I recapped my trip to the 2025 Atlanta Pen Show, where I personally had a great weekend visiting with readers and customers in person. I’ve spent a lot of time on the road at shows this month, and while I was away I filmed a ton of video content in addition to taking pictures. This week I released a video showing what it’s like to get a nib ground at a show, when my friend Chad had Matthew Chen grind a broad Pilot nib into a Kodachi. I personally had two pens ground to Kodachis, and I talked about these particular grinds in my video where I broke down my Arkansas Pen Show Haul.

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Introducing the T.G.S. x Hinze Pens “Violet Tendencies” Taschenstift: Our Latest Exclusive Release!

At last weekend’s Atlanta Pen show, we did a “soft launch” of our latest exclusive release: the T.G.S. x Hinze Pens “Taschenstift” fountain pen in a CrazyFiber micarta material called “Violet Tendencies”. CrazyFiber/micarta is a unique material made from stacked cloth that has been treated with resin and cured so that it can be turned on a lathe. This gives the pen a unique feel in the hand, and this particular Taschenstift model is designed to post by friction fit rather than threads on the barrel. We have a limited number of pens for this round, with more as a possibility if there is sufficient interest. Patreon members and newsletter subscribers get a special price, so be sure to check your Patreon feed/e-mail inbox for details.

This week we also received a full Pilot restock, additional Kuretake Art Nouveau inks, Herbin Inks, and new to us Lamy models!

Pilot Pens

Clairefontaine

Kaweco

Uni

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives and Sample Sales

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly Zoom meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.

Sunday Reading for April 6, 2025 (Atlanta Pen Show Edition)

1. A Trip to Tokyo - Stationery Adventures (via Pete Denison). Be sure to read Pete’s epic trip recap! I’m jealous.

2. My Top 10 Favourite Pen Materials (via SBRE Brown). I can get behind this type of video, because the material drives a large number of my personal pen purchases, especially vintage-inspired ones.

3. Titans Pen Bottle Pen - Model Diamine 30 (via Dapprman). I’m holding out for the Akkerman Dutch Masters model.

4. 2025 Arkansas Pen Show (via Olive Octopus). I just missed Lisa’s recap last week, so here it goes, in time for another pen show!

5. Dominant Industry Ink Muddler (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Lisa from Olive Octopus introduced me to ink swatching with a glass stir, and it looks like Dominant has picked up on the trend with this glass pen/swatching stir combo. It seems comically small, though.

6. It’s Important to Update Knowledge (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). Something I’ve also come to appreciate recently over the past year, in both my business and personal life and hobbies.

7. Diplomat Viper Fountain Pen Review (via Pen Addict - Paul). Paul from the Poor Penman wrote a review of the recently released Diplomat Viper, which checks just about every box for me. Have I found my Sunday show acquisition?

8. Yes! Novelties! (via From the Pen Cup). Who doesn’t have room for some quintessential novelty pens in their collection?

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Tri Star Studio, based in the Nashville area near me, was one of my favorite finds this weekend.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I wrote a piece about the emergence of “stationery” as a general category beyond fountain pens, and how that’s affecting the pen show scene. I’ll have some additional thoughts on the Atlanta Pen Show this week, to complement my initial haul pics from yesterday. All in all it was an enjoyable show and I plan on returning next year.

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

The big news this week is that the next T.G.S. x Hinze Pens Collaboration will hit the shop on Thursday of this week: a Micarta “Taschenstift” pocket pen model in a violet “crazyfibre” material (pictured at top)! I’m extremely pleased with how these pens turned out, as they’ve been in the works for over a year. From now until Thursday, the pen is available to T.G.S. Patreon Members at a special price. Micarta Taschenstift pens retail for $250, and we have a relatively small initial run of about 20. Additional runs will depend on demand. We also have new stock of the Lochby Field Folio in A5, as well as all of the other Lochby cases that have been so popular here in Atlanta. Finally, be sure to check out the new Anderillium Inks “Ichthyoformes” series, including Whale Shark Grey and Moray Eel Green.

TWSBI

Kaweco

Washi Tape

Uni

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives and Sample Sales

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly Zoom meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.