Thursday Drops: Exclusive Editions, High-End Gel Pens, and More!

June 20, 2024

The big news from this past week was the release of two new exclusive T.G.S. Collaborations with Newton Pens and PensByPasquale, which are now almost sold out. (There is only one remaining T.G.S. x PensByPasquale nib holder awaiting a new home.) We’ve also introduced a new line of high-end gel pens from Zebra: the Sarasa Grand Vintage, which come in nearly a dozen different colors with matching refills. And guess what? A new TWSBI!

Newton Pens Majestic Fountain Pen with TGS Crimson Engraved Nib — I’ve been really happy with the reception for our latest fountain pen collaboration. Expect to see our engraved nibs on future pens!

We finally now have stock of the TWSBI Diamond 580 AL in “Iceberg,” which is a gorgeous glacier blue finish. Note that this is the smooth-textured grip (the “AL”, not the “ALR”) which some people prefer. TWSBI hasn’t released one of these in a bit. If this color appeals to you, we also still have some of the Lamy Studio fountain pens, ballpoints, and rollerballs in the “Glacier Blue” finish, which is one of my all-time favorites from that line. Happy Shopping!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

T.G.S. x Newton Pens “Majestic” Fountain Pen. Featuring polished black and red acrylic and fitted with an engraved crimson nib, this limited run has sold quickly. Currently we have EF, B, and 1.1mm nibs remaining.
T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Dip Nib Holder. I jumped at the chance to collaborate with Nicholas Pasquale on this hand-turned nib holder in a unique resin from Jonathon Brooks. These will ship June 24 (Monday).
TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Iceberg Fountain Pen. Pale blue finishes always end up being favorites, and are in demand long after they disappear. Don’t miss out on this one as it’s a stunner.
Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage Gel Pens. These professional-looking gel pens feature a sturdy-yet-balanced anodized barrel and a wide range of excellent refills in somewhat unusual vintage colors. .3mm and .5mm sizing available!
Uni-ball One F Gel Pens. Uni-Mitsubishi’s latest innovation, the One features darker/more vibrant ink in a larger diameter barrel for increased writing comfort. The “F” series adds a small metal tip to assist with the balance, and the “Earth Texture” collection has a truly unique look.
Uni Jetstream x Karimoku 4+1 Multi Pen. Probably one of the best looking Jetstream Multi Pens I’ve seen to date, this features a matte ceramic-like coating paired with reclaimed wood for the grip.
E+M Sketch Clutch Pencil. We’ve restocked on these popular clutch pencils from E+M, which come in a comfortable streamlined shape and some very attractive wood and brass combinations.
Uni Metal Mechanical Pencil Lead Cases. A highly specialized piece of stationery kit, yet, but these mechanical pencil lead cases come in handy if you go through a lot of graphite and are looking for a secure way to carry around your refills. Each case comes with 40 pieces of Uni’s smudge-proof graphite.
Uni Kuru-Toga Alpha Gel Switch Now in .3mm and .5mm. I didn’t think I was a .3mm mechanical pencil person, but with high-quality graphite and a good pencil, you can write or draw with very fine lines without worrying too much about breakage.
Uni Jetstream Prime Limited Edition Ballpoints. The matte olive and matte black finishes are back in stock, along with the standard colors! Remember that if you want additional refills in different sizes, we have Parker-style Jetstream refills in .38mm, .5mm, and .7mm.

Zebra Sarasa Grand Red Black Gel Pen — What’s your favorite Sarasa Grand color? You can probably guess mine.

New Arrivals: Zebra Sarasa Grand "Vintage" Series Gel Pens (2024 Upgraded Versions)

June 18, 2024

While the standard Zebra Sarasa gel pen has always seemed a touch too wet for me, I have enjoyed the more specialty Zebra releases, including the Sarasa Clip and other pens that can be imported from Japan. Even then, I was still surprised when I picked up a pen from the Zebra Sarasa Grand “Vintage” series to test early this year and it turned out to be one of the best gel pens that I’ve used in years. I actually enjoyed it so much so that we imported the entire line!

Zebra Sarasa Grand Writing Samples — Zebra’s “Vintage” line contains some insanely good colors, like “Red Black” and “Sepia Black”. Some, but not all, are available in the .3mm tip size as well as your standard (for Japan) .5mm.

We now offer the Sarasa Grand “Vintage” gel pens in both .3mm and .5mm tip sizes, as well as the full range of refills. The Sarasa Grand is Zebra’s “upgraded” Sarasa barrel, similar to Uni’s Jetstream Prime and Pilot’s G2 Limited. Note that the colors refer both to the barrel color and the ink color (i.e., a blue-black pen will have blue-black ink), though you can of course mix and match by purchasing extra refills. Happy Shopping!

Zebra Sarasa Grand 2024 vs. Old — The pens we carry are the new (revised) version of the Sarasa Grand (shown at right). Zebra shortened the metal portion of the barrel slightly to give the pen better balance, and the tip extends further from the opening. I personally think the new barrel is a touch more textured. It can be somewhat hard to find a “professional” looking gel pen, and the brushed aluminum barrels on these pens still look understated even in some of the brighter colors.

TGS x Newton Pens Majestic on Slip Cover — Introducing the T.G.S. x Newton Pens Majestic!

New TGS Collaboration Pens: Introducing (or Re-Introducing) Two of My Favorite Smaller Makers!

June 15, 2024

Over the past ten years running T.G.S., the most fun I’ve had and the best memories I’ve made all involve getting to know various artisan pen makers and learning about their different processes and techniques, and what differentiates their pens from everyone else’s. No two small makers are exactly alike, and in working with many of them on T.G.S. Shop collaborations over the years, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for their dedication to their craft. For today’s post, I want to introduce two new T.G.S. collaboration pens, currently available for purchase in extremely small quantities. If you can’t get one of these pens or the design just isn’t for you, I encourage you to visit the two penmakers below and support them directly!

TGS x Newton Pens Majestic Hinze Nib Engraved — The engraving looks great against the crimson plating!

T.G.S. x Newton Pens Majestic Fountain Pen

The Majestic is one of my favorite models from Hot Springs, Arkansas-based Shawn Newton, with a comfortable, streamlined design. Our pen features a polished black cap and barrel with a red section, which leaves just a sliver of red visible when the pen is capped. For this release, we’ve outfitted the pen with a custom crimson-plated nib by Hinze Pens, which you may recognize from last year’s Hinze collaboration, only this time we’ve engraved it with the T.G.S. Logo! I’m truly pleased with how this pen turned out, and each one ships with a matching black and red pen sleeve from Elizabeth Newton Designs, as well background information on the pen’s design and a handwritten note from Shawn. These were made available to Patreon members yesterday and are available to the general readership today, priced at $210. Insured shipping is included. A handful of these pens remain available to ship immediately, and if there is additional interest after they sell out I can explore doing a second run.

T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Hand-Turned Dip Nib Holders

For the second, extremely small collaboration (this batch will likely be it due to maker capacity and availability of the material), We’re releasing a hand-turned dip nib holder from Columbia, Tennessee-based Nicholas Pasquale, who you may know as “PensByPasquale” on Instagram. The material is a small-batch Jonathon Brooks acrylic which I find reminiscent of my favorite Iroshizuku Ink, Yama-Budo, and these nib holders feature Nic’s signature angled end. There are only one or two of these left in the shop as I post this, and there will almost certainly not be a second run, so don’t sleep on them if you want one. They are compatible with both Kakimori metal nibs and standard dip nibs, and priced at $135. The nib holders have been made, but Nic and I are both traveling some this week so they will ship on June 24 when our schedules once again overlap.

Many thanks for all your support! We will have more exciting news to announce in the near future, probably next week, and greatly appreciate all of you. Stay tuned….

Thursday Drops: Uni Jetstream Extravaganza, Mechanical Pencils and Accessories, and More

June 13, 2024

This has been a big week for new arrivals! So far we have a limited/special edition Jetstream 4+1 multi pen that’s a collaboration between Uni and Japanese furniture maker Karimoku, as well as more of the special edition matte Jetstream Prime Ballpoints and those cool metal mechanical pencil lead cases I was showing off earlier!

If you’re getting ready for your summer travels, we also have more Lochby! The Quattro four-pen case is available in black and navy, and we also have Tool Rolls, and Field Journals ready to ship and accompany you wherever you may be headed this month or next. As per the usual, I plan to have these with me at the end-of-summer pen shows in D.C. and San Francisco, along with any Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter covers that don’t sell out online. Happy Shopping!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and Pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

UPDATE: T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Dip Nib Holders. We have a small number of Kakimori-compatible dip nib holders in this exclusive collaboration with penmaker Nicholas Pasquale. These are made from a very small-batch Jonathon Brooks material and will be a one-off!
Uni Jetstream x Karimoku Limited Edition Multi Pens. One of my favorite personal purchases from this year has been this special edition Jetstream 4+1 Multi Pen that Uni developed with Japanese furniture maker Karimoku. Featuring matte blue and orange barrels, matte black trim and an oak or walnut grip, these are unique multi pens that I was super happy to add to my own collection. We also have the Bamboo 4+1 pens in stock as well.
Uni Jetstream Prime Ballpoints in Limited Finishes. At reader request, we brought back more of the Matte Olive and Matte Black Uni Jetstream Prime Ballpoints. The Olive and Mint finishes are special/limited editions, and I’ll continue to get them while I can, but I believe the others are standard releases. These pens come in point sizes ranging from .38mm to .7mm, with extra Parker-style refills available for purchase separately.
Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencils in .3mm. Certain colors of the Uni Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencils are now available in .3mm as well as .5mm. Read more on why we love this particular pencil here.
Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Cases. These metal mechanical pencil lead cases caught my eye at Kinokuniya earlier this year, and I’ve spent the last three months trying to source these. They ship with either .5mm or .3mm mechanical pencil leads. You can read more about them here in yesterday’s post.
Caran d’Ache Fixpencils. Straddling the line between a woodcase pencil and traditional mechanical pencil is the Caran d’Ache Fixpencil: a hexagonal leadholder originally designed as a wartime replacement for woodcase pencils, so it maintains a similar barrel shape. We have the standard matte black version as well as the colorful Fixpencil 884 and the limited edition “Creative Nomad” Fixpencil Lettering Sets.
Lochby Quattro Pen/Pencil Cases. The Lochby Quattro holds four pens or pencils in opposing, offset slots so the pens don’t touch when the case is closed! These are always popular items over the summer when everyone travels, and we’ve restocked accordingly. We currently have Navy and Charcoal color options available.
Lochby Tool Rolls. Another high-capacity storage/travel option, the Tool Roll can hold nearly a dozen pens as well as other stationery items in the larger pockets and slots.
Lochby Venture Pouches. These double-sided stationery pouches include a pen case with slots on the reverse side! Check out this YouTube video to see how it works.
Raymay Patalino Stationery Cases. These modular cases have become a core part of my current packing and EDC strategy. I use the large one to hold any pens, scissors, rulers, metal bookmarks, and other items that I don’t mind touching. The smaller case holds my styluses for tablets and e-ink devices. The flat design makes it easy for them to fit into any bag.
M+R Pencil Sharpeners. We are restocked on M+R Pencil Sharpeners and Lead Pointers, as well as the replacement blades for the Castor + Pollux and standard M+R Sharpeners.

Caran d'Ache x Rylsee Fixpencil Limited Edition Sets — Don’t sleep on the Creative Nomad Fixpencil Set. In addition to a limited edition Fixpencil, you get a set of Caran d’Ache Lettering Pens plus an eraser and 3B Fixpencil Leads.

New Arrivals: More Fun from Uni Mitsubishi!

June 11, 2024

We had two giant boxes arrive here at T.G.S. HQ yesterday, and they included some fun products that I’ve been looking forward to arriving for months now! First up is the Uni Jetstream x Karimoku special edition 4+1 Multi Pen, which is a collaboration between Japanese furniture maker Karimoku and Uni Mitsubishi. These multi pens incorporate orange or blue matte finishes with walnut and oak wooden grips made from furniture scraps. As with the standard 4+1 Jetstream Multi Pen, these pens all feature .5mm Jetstream refills in blue, black, red, and green, as well as a .5mm mechanical pencil option. We also received a restock of the Uni Jetstream Prime Ballpoint pens in the Matte Olive and Matte Black, two colors that sold out nearly immediately and ended up as the subject of multiple restock requests. We have the other colors as well.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Case held open with hand — The case conveniently slides open with one hand to allow you easy access to the leads. No more dumping them out into your hand to refill your pencil!

But perhaps the thing I’m most excited about is the arrival of these Uni Metal Mechanical Pencil Lead cases, which ship with 40 smudge-proof HB leads in either .5mm or .3mm. (You can substitute your preferred grade of hardness, of course, since they’re standard length.) I had previously shown these off in a limited blue finish (now unavailable, unfortunately) upon my return from New York City earlier in the Spring. We of course have several models of the Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils and other options to complement your new case. Enjoy!