Pen Drop! New Harry Potter x Lamy Al-Stars and Ohto CR2 Ceramic Rollerballs

Yesterday the Harry Potter x Lamy AL-Star fountain pens arrived! What stands out in-person that may not necessarily pop in pictures? The clips, for one thing, which have a matte metallic finish, and the engravings are understated for a themed offering. There are four pens, one for each House at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Gryffindor (Red), Slytherin (Green), Hufflepuff (Yellow/Gold), and Ravenclaw (Blue). Personally, I think the Hufflepuff pen might be one of the best looking AL-Stars Lamy has released in years, with the gold finish, transparent matching section, and the matte gold clip. (Surprisingly, it’s the one I chose for myself, even over the Gryffindor red.) The Harry Potter x Lamy AL-Star Fountain Pens are available in fine and medium nib options and are shipping immediately, priced at $51.30.

Ohto CR02 Ceramic Rollerballs

As you all know, I’ve long sought a fine-tipped rollerball with minimal bleedthrough, which at times has been difficult to the point where I’ve written off the category altogether. In response to my latest post, many of you kind readers suggested that I try Ohto’s ceramic rollerballs, which ship with a somewhat uncommon .5mm refill that almost feels like a gel pen. It’s an excellent option, and I’ve been using the refill not only in these matte-finish Ohto “CR02” pens that recently arrived from Japan, but in my Lamy 2000 Rollerball. These pens are relatively inexpensive at $18 and have a very nice feel in the hand. They’re also on the slimmer side and will make a great planner/pen loop option. Refills are available separately.

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The Ohto CR02 Rollerball comes in four different finishes, including Matte Blue, Matte Black, Wine Red, and Matte Silver.

This week our brick-and-mortar store is open Thursday from 1-6pm, Friday from 1-7pm, and Saturday from 12-7pm. Keep up to date on store hours here, and contact us to shop by appointment if you can’t make it during regular store hours.

Thursday Drops: New Midori Multi-Year Journals, Kuretake Karappo Pens, Teranishi Inks and More Midori MD Cotton!

Today’s Thursday Drops post is merely the first wave of post-Fountain Pen Day and pre-Holiday restocks, but it maybe the biggest. We recently received a large shipment from TRAVELER’S Company and Midori, including new 10th Anniversary versions of the 3-year and 5-year journals, as well as the latest Field Notes release, new pens from Tom’s Studio (including a Japanese brush tip that fits the fountain pens), and a bunch of new Kuratake fibre and brush pens.

[Update: As of this morning (Friday November 8), Teranishi Guitar Inks are in stock! I had hoped to have them listed yesterday but they arrived a bit late and it took most of yesterday to swatch and photograph the inks.]

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This quarter’s Field Notes Release features two groups of different covers, all featuring different bird illustrations by Rex Brasher.

Note that our physical brick-and-mortar shop will be closed Friday and Saturday this weekend, since we are traveling to the Chicago Planner Conference. (We’ll be with Vanness Pens, Hinze Pens, and the Well-Appointed Desk!) Come say hello if you are there! Online orders will continue to ship in our typical time frame, and we have special store hours today (10am-5pm) and Sunday (2-6pm) to compensate.

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

1. Midori 10th Anniversary Kyo-Ori 3-Year and 5-Year Diaries. These beautiful special edition versions of the Midori Multi-Year Diaries feature two different fabrics. We also have the standard 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year journals in stock.

2. Teranishi Guitar Taisho Roman Haikara Inks. This series of 16 different Japanese inks spans the color spectrum and offers unique takes on different tones. From the swatches you will see that depending on the paper, many of the colors show some nice sheen, though it’s not overpowering.

3. Field Notes Birds and Trees of North America Edition. One of the editions that’s caused me to take another look at Field Notes! This

4. Kuretake Karappo Fineliners and Brush Pens. My obsession with customizable fineliners - and now, even finer, firm-tipped brush pens, continues! The Fibre-tipped pens feature a point similar to that in the Tom’s Studio Wren, and the Brush Pen is firm enough to write with. Available in the larger brush pen (with refillable cartridges) or the packs of five fibre or brushed-tipped pens.

5. Midori MD Cotton Writing Pads. These favorites are now available once again in A5 and A4 sizes. Midori MD Cotton is one of my favorite fountain pen friendly papers, and I’m happy to have it back in pad and notebook format.

6. TRAVELER’S Notebook Starter Kit Restock! We once again have nearly all the colors (save for Blue in the standard-size, which is on backorder). Now is a great time to pick up your dated (or undated) planner refills, as well as this year’s limited edition accessories including the “Trip and Love” folders, pencil boards, and sticker sets.

7. Tom’s Studio Wren Refillable Fibre-Tipped Pens. To say the Wren has been a smash hit is an understatement. These sold so quickly during Fountain Pen Day weekend that we’re already going to have to place a pre-holiday restock. We also now have replacement tips and reservoirs available in the shop.

8. Tom’s Studio “Studio Pocket” Fountain Pens. Not only do we have more of the Studio Pocket Fountain Pens, but we now have the fountain pen compatible Brush Nibs. If you want to lay some ink on the page, this is worth your consideration.

9. Tom’s Studio .5mm Mechanical Pencils. These Tom’s Studio mechanical pencils feature a brass grip paired with the same excellent anodized aluminum construction found on the rest of the Tom’s Studio product line.

10. Tom’s Studio Poise Pencil Grip and Lumos Grip/Rollstop. I wrote a short post earlier this week about how I’ve enjoyed these two grip options, especially for longer work sessions. Both function as rollstops in addition to adding some girth to the grip section.

11. T.G.S. x Sunderland Machine Works mk1 Collaboration Pens. I thought I would send out an almost-last-call e-mail, given that we are down to 5 of these pens in the shop. While we do plan to restock, I cannot promise that more pens can be available before the end of the year, so if you have had your eye on one of these, don’t wait.

12. T.G.S. Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Sampler and Pencil Samplers. We assembled a Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Sampler especially for Fountain Pen Day, but had so much paper left over that I made a bunch more! There’s also a woodcase pencil version featuring some unique pencils from our back archive.

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There are 16 different Teranishi Inks, from top: Modern Red, Classic Burgundy, Opera Rose, Orchestra Tangerine, Innocent Mauve, Salon de Violet, Melancholic Blue, Smoky Navy, Night Time Soda, Emotional Olive. [Part I]

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More Teranishi Swatches, from top: Brilliant Mint, Lady Emerald, Gentle Green, Traveling Sepia, Antique Black, and Nostalgic Honey. [Part II]

Get a Grip! New Tom's Studio Lumos Rollstops and Pencil Grips, as well as Fountain Pen Brush Tips!

Sometimes for a longer writing session, it’s helpful to add some width to the grip section of narrower writing instruments. Tom’s Studio has released two options: a leather padded grip/rollstop for the Lumos series of refillable fineliners, and a textured aluminum pencil grip dubbed the “Poise” that securely attaches with a brass thumbscrew similar to that found on the One-Dip Nibs (which, by the way, are back in stock!). For those who prefer a mechanical pencil option, we now also offer the Tom’s Studio .5mm mechanical pencils, which feature a contoured brass section and are paired with a lightweight aluminum body for excellent balance.

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Both of the Tom’s Studio grips impressed me because they are easily adjustable via rotation to accommodate a variety of grip styles. As noted, both also act as rollstops to keep your pens and pencils from rolling off the table.

Need a Break from the News on Election Day? Come Hang Out In-Store!

Due to travel this upcoming weekend (we will be at the Chicago Planner Conference with our friends from Vanness Pens, The Well-Appointed Desk, Hinze Pens, and others), our physical location will be closed Friday and Saturday. Hours this week will therefore be 1-5pm today (Tuesday), 10-5pm Thursday, and possibly Sunday afternoon from 1-5pm provided I’m not too delayed flying back. Give the short hours, if there’s something you’re looking for, consider placing your order online for in-person pickup and I’ll have it ready to go for you when you arrive, or will even run it out to your car!

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We still have Fountain Pen Friendly Paper and Pencil Samplers available post-Fountain Pen Day! (I made a LOT of these, and I’ll continue to offer them until they are gone.)

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Check out this page for details on brick-and-mortar shop hours and details on how to find us.

New Arrivals: Introducing the Tom's Studio Wren Fibre-Tipped Pen, Specialized Fineliner Ink, and More!

On Saturday, we received a huge box of restock goodies from Tom’s Studio, including the “Wren” pocket-sized fibre-tipped pen, available in five different colors, including two soft matte finishes (Black and Midnight Blue). For those who felt the “Studio” Pocket Fountain Pen was a bit too large to be truly pocketable, the Wren uses the same o-ring posting mechanism in a smaller format. While definitely a smaller, pocketable pen, it posts to a comfortable pocket-pen length, and I’ve been using it for several days without issue. I absolutely love the new “Midnight” Fibre-tipped ink, designed to maximize flow through the Lumos and Wren pens.

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The Wren refills in the same way as the Lumos, using the capillary wick.

For those who have been waiting on a restock of the Lumos refillable fineliners, we received additional pens in pretty much every color and style, including a new “Raspberry” color. We also have new Tom’s Studio pencil accessories, including .5mm mechanical pencils, and pencil holders/extenders to give your pencils better balance and a longer life!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized reseller of Tom’s Studio products. If you’re in the Nashville, Tennessee area, come see us in-store, and don’t miss our ongoing giveaway and promotion which runs through Thursday evening!

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The new “Raspberry” Lumos, second from bottom.

Thursday Drops: Planner Time, the Lamy 2000 Pine, and An Ongoing Promotion/Giveaway

Wow, that was fast. The Colorverse “Colorvent” calendars may have vanished in an instant, but those who missed the drop can still take part in Diamine Inkvent, which will give you 24 days of inky surprises to open in the lead-up to Christmas (or whenever you want). We also have the Lamy 2000 58th Anniversary release, Traveler’s Company limited edition items, a bunch of new arrivals and restocks from Blackwing, and more. We will continue to restock through the holiday season, but we are also entering the “shipping and restock delay” timeframe, so if you see something you like, please don’t sleep on it as resupply timelines may be unpredictable!

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Now is a great time to pick up a fountain pen, along with your notebook system of choice for 2025!

Don’t Miss Our Ongoing Giveaway and Pre-Fountain Pen Day Promotion!

This week and next, we are giving away two gift packages including a pen, a bottle of ink, paper, and T.G.S. Swag - visit this link for details on how to enter. In the run-up to Fountain Pen Day, we’re also running a pre-promotion, where any fountain pen purchase of $30 or more will receive a complimentary small bottle of ink, no coupon necessary. (“Fountain pen purchase” means any order $30 or more that includes a fountain pen, even if the fountain pen itself costs less.) This is a great opportunity to get set up to write with a fountain pen immediately, especially if you’re exploring fountain pens for the first time.

Our physical shop is open this weekend, starting today! Come see us from 1-6 on Thursday and Friday, and 10-6 on Saturday.

1. Lamy 2000 58th Anniversary “Pine” Fountain Pen Gift Set. The latest limited edition release from Lamy in “Pine” green Makrolon ships with two bonus items: a luxurious green Lamy notebook featuring 90gsm paper and a biography of designer Gerd A. Müller.

2. Diamine Inkvent Calendar, “Black Edition”. The 2025 Inkvent Calendars are on sale and shipping. Our allocation of the Colorverse “Colorvent” Calendars sold out in hours, but we have the latest Inkvent release in stock and ready to ship!

3. Traveler’s Company 2025 Dated Diaries. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post on my anticipated setup for 2025, I expect to use one of the Weekly+Memo refills for my personal journal/techo. We also have full stock of the 2025 Traveler’s Notebook Limited Edition Accessories, including limited folders, pencil boards, and stickers.

4. Stàlogy Special Edition White 1/2-year Notebook. We’re almost down to the last handful of 2024 Stàlogy special edition white notebooks, for those of you who prefer undated planners. If you use these as a traditional planner (they can also be used as a notebook), you will need two of the 1/2 year notebooks to get you through the year, or opt for one of the 365-day versions.

5. Stàlogy Calendar/Planner Stickers. These removable/replaceable planner stickers from Stàlogy allow you to customize a standard notebook or bare-bones planner to include a calendar or to do list. They can easily be moved from one page to another.

6. Write Notepads Weekly Planners. These undated spiral bound planners are conveniently printed in a “Landscape” orientation with a week to two pages, allowing the planner to show a full week lying open on your desk, or half the week underneath your keyboard. You can read more on how these work here.

7. Pilot Custom 823. As mentioned above, we’re running a fountain pen promotion it the run-up to Fountain Pen Day, and we have stock of the new Clear Pilot Custom 823 fountain pens! These pens are sold with a bottle of Pilot Namiki ink, so taking into account our current promotion your pen will come with two inks to get you started! Read our Workhorse Pens writeup here.

8. Pilot Custom 74. One of the most underrated pens on the market, the Pilot Custom 74 offers an excellent 14k gold nib at less than $200. Taking both cartridges and a converter (one of which is included), this pen has you ready to use bottled ink immediately. Read our writeup of the “Stone Blue” version here, which is an underrated stunner.

9. Lamy Studio Royal Matte Red. Lamy continues to kill it with their Studio releases. Between the Royal Matte Red, the Glacier Blue, and the All Black, the Studio continues to be one of my favorite workhorse recommendations.

10. Lamy Studio Piano Red. As with the Pilot Custom 74, the Lamy Studio “Piano” series, with the 14k gold nib option, is an excellent sub-$200 introduction to gold nib pens. I have the Piano Black and it’s a rotation regular.

Last year we did an unveiling of the day’s Inkvent each day, and we’ll plan to do the same this year!