Thursday Drops: Nahavalur (Narwhal) Pen of the Year, TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Black, and More!

Yesterday the Nahavalur 2024 Pen of the Year arrived via Fedex, and the “Dragon Pen” is a stunner. I’m going to have a heck of a time not buying one of these for myself. The red/black combination with the gold explosions of color throughout the mix absolutely nailed the look. Occasionally you get a pen where the promotional release photos don’t even come close to showing how good a pen looks in person, and this is one of those times.

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In terms of pens that everyone’s been anxiously awaiting, the TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Black is now available for pre-order! A matte black TWSBI is one of those “wish-list items” that makes you wonder what took them so long. These should arrive early next week as well with orders to ship as soon as they arrive.

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Finally, Roterfaden is in the process of being restocked. Certain Taschenbegleiters and the Roterfaden stock notebooks/refills are available for purchase now, with more to come as I confirm the order upon arrival. Stay tuned!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized reseller of all brands sold.

1. TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Black Fountain Pen. TWSBI has announced their first release of 2024 - and it’s one that many have been clamoring for. These fountain pens feature a brushed black “ALR” finish similar to that on the previous releases in this series. Pre-orders are currently open, with the pens on their way to me and due to ship over the weekend or early next week.

2. Nahvalur 2024 Pen of the Year “Dragon” Fountain Pen. The promotional photos don’t do this pen justice, so I’ll be adding some of my own to the listing as soon as I possibly can. The acrylic features rich red, gold, and black swirls that evoke the pen’s namesake, and this limited release is available with both 14k and stainless steel nib options. We have a limited number of these pens in stock and available to ship immediately.

3. Clairefontaine French/Seyes-Ruled Looseleaf Paper. One of the biggest hits from 2022 is back in the shop! We have A4 and A5 individual sheets, as well as the A4 double booklets.

4. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Restock. The full Roterfaden order arrives today, weather permitting! I have added certain models of the Taschenbegleiter to the store, along with a restock on Roterfaden official notebook refills.

5. Kaweco Art Sport Fountain Pens. We still have a couple of the Kaweco Art Sport releases in stock, mostly in the white color but there may be one or two others left. I will try to restock these once if any remain but this may be it.

6. Lamy Studio LX Restock. We are fully restocked on Lamy pens (and inks), including all models of the Lamy Studio such as the LX All-Black, as well as the 14k nib Piano Black and Palladium Studio fountain pens.

7. Pilot Fountain Pens and Iroshizuku Ink Restock. Looking for a reliable daily writer - especially one with a 14k nib that still comes in under $200? Check out our selection of Pilot fountain pens, which now includes both the Custom 74 and Vanishing Point models.

8. Nahvalur Bottled Ink Restock. All standard (i.e. non-shimmer) Nahvalur inks are back in stock. If you’re looking for a dark green, consider “Dark Forest”. Read more on the full range here.

9. Craighill Caro and Kepler Pens. I’m back to being extremely busy this January, and relying heavily on my pocket pens. The Craighill Caro is a keychain pen that’s remarkably secure, and allows you to use a D1 refill. I will write this one up soon.

10. Lamy Pico Retractable Ballpoint. Another staple in my pocket pen arsenal, the Lamy Pico collapses to the size of a tube of lip balm for easy portable carry, yet deploys to a full-size ballpoint pen for everyday writing.

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New Arrivals: Clairefontaine Looseleaf Sheets Are Back, in both Individual Sheets and Booklets

Two years ago we brought in an old favorite: Clairefontaine French-ruled paper in looseleaf individual sheets and booklets. This particular product holds a special place in my heart - especially the double booklets - because it was the first fountain pen-friendly stationery product from my time abroad that I “smuggled” back into the country and hoarded because you could rarely find it in the U.S. These days, “Seyes” paper is somewhat more widely available but still unusual, so I’ve tried to keep it in stock when I can. We recently procured another large supply in both A4 and A5 formats, with A4 available in both formats and A5 (17 x 22cm) available in the single sheets.

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You can read more on why I love this particular ruling here, but needless to say I rotate it through most of my notebooks and use it for a variety of notetaking, drafting, and letter-writing projects. I’ve tried to curate the shop in a way that we can offer French-ruled paper in all available formats. A few notes on the individual sheets:

• A4 paper comes in packs of 50, 100, and 200-count sheets. Individual sheets are hole-punched for various three-ring binder layouts. The double-sheet booklets are not pre-punched.

• A5 paper comes in packs of 50 and 100 sheets. As those familiar with Clairefontaine French-ruled notebooks know, the “Seyes” ruling is slightly larger than traditional A5, at 17 x 22cm. That said, it’s fairly easy to trim to fit A5 binders from Plotter, William Hannah, Levenger Circa, Staples Arc, etc., if that’s what you’re looking for.

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Clairefontaine “A5” has odd dimensions. You can find double-punched notebooks that fit the paper as-is, if that’s your thing, but they are uncommon in the U.S. Most people I know use the A5 paper for letter-writing or notetaking, or they trim down the margins, which is easy to do. (See below.)

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I used the Plotter blue sheet as a guide and trimmed these by hand with scissors because I’m snowed in and don’t have access to my office paper cutter. Trimming the top and left margins leaves a perfectly proportionate A5-sized Plotter refill!

Clairefontaine looseleaf paper is priced anywhere from $6.50 to $21.50 per pack, depending on size and quantity. The T.G.S. Curated Shop has additional formats available, including spiral, staple, and clothbound notebooks. Feel free to reach out with any questions!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized reseller of Clairefontaine products.

Thursday Drops: Roterfaden, Clairefontaine Looseleaf, and a Pen Show Weekend Flash Sale!

So I’m off to the Philadelphia Pen Show - a pen show I haven’t attended in several years - for Friday and most of Saturday. Of course the day I leave I receive notice of the arrival (or imminent arrival) of three major product restocks, including Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter covers, Clairefontaine Seyes-ruled looseleaf sheets, and most Lamy products. I’m going to go ahead and list these now, especially the Roterfaden, so that I’ll be able to get ahead of the shipping rush by being able to prep orders to go out quickly next week. Enjoy!

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Roterfaden binders in all sizes are set to arrive next week. Pre-order yours now and it will ship quickly!

Whenever I head out of town for a pen show, I typically run a short flash sale that will last through the weekend. From now through Sunday night (1/14) at 11:59pm, take 10% off most shop products using the code “PENSHOW10” at checkout. Certain brands such as Roterfaden and TWSBI are excluded because they cannot be discounted. Thanks in advance for all your support!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Roterfaden Pre-Order - New Stock Estimated to Arrive 1/15. Many of you have reached out wanting to know when Roterfaden will be restocked. We have a shipment in customs right now that should be released next week. If you would like to reserve one, I have made several models available for pre-order. Note that Roterfaden cannot be discounted and the Pen Show weekend discount does not apply.

2. Select Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pens. As noted in this post from earlier this week, we’re excited to add the Pilot Vanishing Point to our selection of Pilot fountain pens. We also have Vanishing Point nib units available in case you would like to have more than one nib size on hand.

3. Pilot Explorer Fountain Pens. I felt strongly that I needed to build out our selection of lower-cost fountain pens suitable for both new users and seasoned enthusiasts. The Pilot Explorer is that pen, featuring a diverse range of nice-looking finishes and excellent nibs, paired with a $25 price point.

4. Clairefontaine Seyes/French-Ruled Looseleaf Sheets. At long last, these shop favorites have returned following the release of our import order from customs. I just received notice that the boxes were delivered today, and these will be available to ship starting this weekend. We’ve ordered a large volume of A5 single, A4 single, and A4 double (booklet-style) sheets.

5. Camel Pencils. Don’t sleep on these excellent Japanese pencils with the integrated eraser. The wood grain is gorgeous on these pencils and we have almost sold through our first shipment.

6. Profolio Notebooks. The latest addition to our selection of Japanese paper, Profolio notebooks feature a unique multi-lined layout, and come in multiple colors and sizes.

7. Nakabayashi Logical Paper. I’m not doubling down on multi-lined paper, I’m tripling down. Nakabayashi’s “Logical” series comes in several different formats, including both threadbound and ringbound notebooks. We also have the popular Yu-sari paper in both notebooks and looseleaf sheets.

8. Lamy 2000 Restock. All models of the Lamy 2000 are restocked. To read why we love this pen as one of our daily workhorses, check out our Lamy review archive.

9. Lamy AL-Star Lilac and Petrol Pens. I managed to get in one more re-order of Lamy’s 2023 AL-Star release in fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint formats.

10. Lamy Pico Pocket Ballpoints. The Pico sold out quickly over the holidays, and this didn’t surprise me at all. It’s a great writing pocket pen that expands from the size of a tube of lip balm to a full-sized ballpoint pen. The telescoping design makes for an excellent fidget toy, too.

New Arrivals: Workhorse Pens from Pilot! Vanishing Points and Explorers are Here!

The idea of a “workhorse pen” - a reliable, often unassuming daily driver that can offer years of reliable service - is one of the key ideas around which I’ve built both the site and our Curated Shop. As we’ve expanded our retail selection over the years, we continue to introduce new pens from brands both new and established that fall into this category, including a growing number of pens from Japanese company Pilot. Last week we received our initial shipment of select models of the Pilot Vanishing Point (Pilot’s classic retractable capless fountain pen), as well as the lower-priced ($25) Pilot Explorer fountain pen. We also stock additional Vanishing Point nib units, which are easily interchangeable.

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As someone who was initially skeptical of the Explorer when it was first announced, I’ve come to love this lightweight, well-balanced fountain pen that also fits fairly well into planner and notebook loops, making it a good “planner pen”.

Pilot fountain pens feature some of the best-writing nibs out there, and while Pilot refuses to play the special and limited edition release game to the same extent as some other companies, what they do put out is highly reliable. I’m headed into a heavy month of two-job work that includes a lot of travel, and my personal carry for the new year includes not just a Vanishing Point and Explorer but also a Custom 74 and Custom 823.

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Don’t sleep on the Custom 74 - it’s one of my favorite nibs.

In addition to our lineup of Pilot Pens, be sure to check out our selection of Pilot ink, including a refreshed Iroshizuku lineup. Many thanks for your support, and if you’re going to be attending the Philadelphia Pen Show this weekend, I’ll be visiting as well so look for me with our friends at Hinze Pens!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Recapping a Great Year: Five (or Maybe Six?) Favorite TWSBI Releases

We have many more new items on their way to the T.G.S. Curated Shop this year, including new exclusive product collaborations that are in the works and new lines currently on their way to us. Before the New Year’s lull ends next week, however, and we dive into all that is new and exciting, I did want to give props to TWSBI for what I considered to be a fabulous string of releases in 2023. While I’ve long been a fan of TWSBI’s standard lineup, their periodic special editions draw the most attention, and this year was spectacular with more than usual. Here are five favorites, in no particular order.

1. TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape Fountain Pen. It’s about time the Diamond Mini received as much attention as its larger Diamond 580 counterpart. This particular format is a personal favorite because (1) it’s pocketable; yet (2) posts into a full-sized writing instrument via a threaded end cap.

2. TWSBI Diamond Mini White and Rose Gold Fountain Pen. Again with the TWSBI Diamond Mini! For rose gold plated trim at the sub-$100 price point, it’s hard to do better than TWSBI. White and rose gold makes a stunning combo.

3. TWSBI Kai “Limited Edition” Model Fountain Pen. TWSBI released the third version of their otherwise unnamed “limited edition” style fountain pen, which they dubbed the “Kai”. It’s a gorgeous deep blue acrylic paired with rose gold trim. Because I had yet to use one of these fountain pens for any length of time, and prior experience had been limited to seeing (and envying) one of the TWSBI “Draco” versions at a pen show, I went ahead and did a full review. If you don’t want to shell out for the higher-priced Kai, consider the Indigo + Bronze Trim ECO which has a similar aesthetic.

4. Tie: TWSBI ECO-T Saffron and TWSBI ECO Creme and Rose Gold Fountain Pens. This was an incredibly difficult pick to make, but Saffron won out (yellow pens are a favorite) followed by the December “Creme” release, both of which pair very well with dark red inks.

5. TWSBI Diamond ALR Sunset Yellow Fountain Pen. Of all the Diamond 580 special releases from the past several years, this might be my favorite (with the possible exception of the Diamond 580 Iris that I hope is here to stay). The “Sunset Yellow” is a beautiful yellow-orange-gold color that’s distinct from the “Mandarin Orange” tone so common in the pen world.

What does TWSBI have in store for 2024? We’ll have to wait and see!

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You can check out our full selection of TWSBI Fountain Pens in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. All orders over $75 ship free. For details on international shipping, please see this FAQ.