The Woods with a Story Ballpoint Pen, with knurled gunmetal trim.

Pen Review: Woods with a Story Ballpoint

May 18, 2016

I love me a good ballpoint. In terms of pure functionality, I enjoy ballpoint pens more than rollerball pens, simply because you don't have to pay much attention to the type of paper you use with a ballpoint. Needless to say, I keep an eye out for attractive ballpoints on Kickstarter and elsewhere.

Joel Lockridge, of Alabaster, Alabama, is a woodworker who has run six successful Kickstarter projects selling his hand-turned wood pens. Four of these involved his "Bourbon Barrel Pens", which, as you might guess, are made of wood reclaimed from bourbon barrels. The other two projects featured rarer materials: pens made from Ancient Bog Oak and Bethlehem Olivewood.

The Woods with a Story Bethlehem Olivewood Ballpoint pen, with Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook for scale.

I backed the Bethlehem Olivewood project, and opted for the "Grip Pen with Gunmetal Hardware". The clip, nock, and grip section appear to be standard hardware, but it's all perfectly functional and to write this off as a "just a kit pen" misses the point: the wood. The olivewood is beautifully turned and has lots of nice, dark grain in it. The color sets off nicely against the gunmetal. The thinner knurled grip section pairs well with the thicker, rounder wood body, which sits comfortably in the webbing of your hand. This pen takes a Parker-style refill (unlabeled, but I presume it's a Schmidt or a Monteverde) and I've been pleasantly surprised with the smoothness and darkness of the black ink.

Joel does excellent work, and if you missed the Kickstarter project, you can purchase these pens over at the BourbonPens website. The Grip Pen featured here sells for $60. For as much as I use this pen, it's money well spent.

DISCLAIMER: I purchased this pen with my own funds, for my own collection. I was not compensated monetarily or in any other way for this review.

My favorite daily journaling tools:  my Hobonichi Techo and Sailor Imperial Black Fountain Pen. — My favorite daily journaling tools: my Hobonichi Techo and Sailor Imperial Black Fountain Pen.

Five Months with the Hobonichi Techo

May 14, 2016

After almost five months with this journal/planner/notebook, it's past time to provide my thoughts on it. I've been using my Hobonichi since January, which has given me nearly five months to figure out whether or not this product is something that is going to "stick". So far, the answer is a resounding, "Hell yes!"

What is the Hobonichi Techo?

Honestly, the Hobonichi kind of defies explanation. It's sold and marketed as a planner, and many people use it for that purpose, but the pages aren't set up for any particular system. For example, the pages are graph-lined, which makes it very easy to break each page down into a "daily schedule" in whatever increments you so desire, but you're not locked in to a specific planner system. The only predetermined "numbering" is the date at the top of each page and a single "12" in the margin halfway down the page. Many people, myself included, don't use the Hobonichi as a true planner at all. The notebook contains 365+ pages of high-quality, fountain-pen friendly Tomoe River paper that you can use however you please.

The Hobonichi contains the ultra-thin, super smooth Tomoe River paper.

The A6-size Hobonichi Techo (in cover) compared to the A5 Leuchtturm 1917.  I've found this journal to be the perfect size to carry around, and the fact that it holds 365+ pages in such a compact format is incredible.  That's the beau… — The A6-size Hobonichi Techo (in cover) compared to the A5 Leuchtturm 1917. I've found this journal to be the perfect size to carry around, and the fact that it holds 365+ pages in such a compact format is incredible. That's the beauty of Tomoe River paper!

How Do I Use My Hobonichi Techo?

The Hobonichi is marketed as being "infinitely customizable," and I've taken full advantage. How I use this hybrid journal/planner/notebook changes from day to day. Some days, I will use it as a journal, simply recapping the day: what I did at work, good things that happened to me, gratitude items, etc. Other days, I'll use it for a version of morning pages, brain-dumping everything running through my head before I leave for work in the morning (or, sometimes, before I go to bed at night). Less frequently, I'll use the Hobonichi as a planner of sorts, but for specific things. If I'm planning a busy week of blog posts, for instance, I'll use a couple lines of each day to note a reminder of the writing project I'm supposed to be working on to keep myself on track.

Last Wednesday was a particularly uneventful day, so I used it to jot down thoughts prior to starting a draft of this review.

The Hobonichi also contains over a year's worth of "monthly" pages at the front.  I use them for ink swabs to document what pens I have inked up with with which colors. — The Hobonichi also contains over a year's worth of "monthly" pages at the front. I use them for ink swabs to document what pens I have inked up with with which colors.

On days when you don't necessarily have something to write about, or simply need some inspiration to power through, the Hobonichi provides a daily quotation.  Some translate to English better than others. — On days when you don't necessarily have something to write about, or simply need some inspiration to power through, the Hobonichi provides a daily quotation. Some translate to English better than others.

Where To Buy the Hobonichi Techo?

I purchased my Hobonichi early, directly from Japan, because I wanted my journal in hand as early as possible to start the year off right. The English version of the website is fairly easy to navigate, and shipping is relatively quick and easy. I believe it took the journal about a week to reach me here in Tennessee, USA, and I was able to add on a navy blue journal cover for minimal cost. All in, given the exchange rate at the time, I believe I spent around $50. (One Note: on the Japanese website, the English language version of the Hobonichi Techo is called the Hobonichi Planner. The "Hobonichi Techo" is the Japanese version.)

Takeaways

The Hobonich is a unique, highly versatile stationery item that I'd place in a category unto itself: neither a true planner, notebook, or journal--it's, well, the Hobonichi. I'll definitely order another one next year, based on my experience to date. It's a rare thing for me to stick with daily journaling for nearly five months, and what's kept me on track is the fact that the Hobonichi is not intimidating. There's a relatively small blank page for each day, and it doesn't take much effort to jot down a few things. If this product interests you at all, the barrier to entry is fairly low (even if you have to order from Japan), and there are so many potential uses for the book that it's worth a shot even if you're not a traditional "planner person."

My Favorite Ink Brand

May 11, 2016

While I'm on the subject of favorites, I thought I'd do a quick recap of my favorite brand of ink: Sailor. Confession: I own nearly all of the current "standard" Sailor Jentle inks (everything except Tokiwa Matsu, which is essentially the same as the old Epinard), as well as multiple bottles of the "old" Jentle inks and several special editions manufactured for Japanese retailers Bung Box and Kobe Nagasawa. When it comes to Sailor inks, I have a problem.

My favorite color? I can't pick just one, though the inks that get the most use are the blues: Bung Box Sapphire, and Sailor Jentle Nioi-Sumire and Souten. However, now-discontinued Apricot holds a special place in my heart, and many people obsess over the teal green Yama-Dori due to its red sheen when it dries on the page.

Why do I like Sailor inks so much? It's a combination of deep, slightly offbeat colors, the fact that I've found the inks safe to use in pretty much any pen, and that they write really well on cheaper papers. In a finer nib, I've yet to discover any paper on which Sailor ink won't perform at least decently. Kiwa Guro nano-black will even write fairly well on a Moleskine and in Field Notes pocket notebooks.

A bottle of the special-edition Bung Box Sapphire.

Some people enjoy Sailor inks for their collectibility, and try to collect the various inks that Sailor bottles for Japanese retailers. The two most famous are the lines that Sailor manufactures for Bung Box (Hamamatsu, Japan) and Kobe-Nagasawa (Kobe, Japan). These are also the most widely available: Vanness Pens in the United States regularly carries Bung Box, and occasionally, Massdrop will run specials on specific colors. For the Kobe Inks, you likely will have to go through eBay (retailer CoolJapan) unless Vanness restocks them. Other special edition Sailor inks (such as those manufactured for retailers Kingdom Note and Maruzen) probably require you to use a purchasing service like White Rabbit Express, if you don't know someone living in or traveling to Tokyo who can pick up the ink for you. I've not gone this route, so I can't advise regarding how easy/difficult White Rabbit is to use, and whether it ends up being cost effective.

The Bad: The Bottle

One of my favorite things about purchasing Bung-Box inks used to be that they came in this vase-shaped bottle.  Apparently, this bottle is not manufactured anymore, and Bung Box inks now come in the standard Sailor bottle. — One of my favorite things about purchasing Bung-Box inks used to be that they came in this vase-shaped bottle. Apparently, this bottle is not manufactured anymore, and Bung Box inks now come in the standard Sailor bottle.

Nothing's perfect, and Sailor ink is no exception. What's the one thing I would change? The bottle. Sailor inks come in a short, wide bottle that can be difficult to use with larger-nibbed pens. I've even had trouble from time to time getting Sailor pens to fill completely if the bottle is less than half full. At one point, I hoped that Sailor would permanently move to the taller, vase-shaped bottle they used for certain of their Japanese special editions, including Bung Box, but these bottles have since been discontinued. (Why, Sailor? WHY!?)

Final Thoughts

If I could encourage someone new to fountain pens to try a single brand of bottled ink, it would be Sailor. The colors are fun, unique, and most important of all, can't really be duplicated elsewhere (and certainly not in any ink that's available in cartridges). I know I keep going back to this, but one thing that's really important to me is performance on cheap paper. For many people just starting out with fountain pens, they haven't yet discovered or stocked up on higher-end paper, and they can become easily discouraged with inks that tend to feather and bleed through anything other than Rhodia or Clairefontaine. Sailor as a brand performs better than most.

The standard Sailor Jentle line is also relatively inexpensive for such high-quality ink that comes in a range of colors. Retail pricing is anywhere from $12 (for standard blue, black, blue-black) to $18 for Yama-Dori, Souten, etc. Pigmented inks such as Kiwa Guro are priced at a slight premium (around $21), but if you are looking to import the special Japanese editions, be prepared to pay as much as $43 per bottle. Occasionally, Amazon sellers will have specials on specific colors. For example, you can currently snag a bottle of Yama Dori or a bottle of Shigure (purple) for less than "full retail".

Why have I personally focused on finding a "favorite brand" of ink? When you find one that you can load into any pen, without worrying about how that ink will perform on basically any paper, then it adds an entirely new level of satisfaction to your writing experience. I easily could see myself start using Sailor ink exclusively.

But how about you? What are your favorite ink brands? I'm interested to see what people's thoughts are.

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase something from any of the sites linked to in this article. While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase an item you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks!

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is my favorite multi pen.  The top pen is the Coleto Lumio, a slightly higher-end body, and the bottom pen is the standard Coleto, which typically costs around $3. — The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is my favorite multi pen. The top pen is the Coleto Lumio, a slightly higher-end body, and the bottom pen is the standard Coleto, which typically costs around $3.

The Hi-Tec-C Coleto: Getting into the Multi Pen Game

May 7, 2016

I don't own a lot of multi pens. Two, to be exact, and they're both different versions of the same pen: the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto. To me, the multi pen evokes images of those chunky Bic multi pens they used to sell at the grocery store (or hey, maybe they still do), which would work for about a day before they crapped out. So I ignored multi pens for many years.

As the story usually goes, of course, I started listening to the Pen Addict Podcast and learned about the joys of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. The Hi-Tec-C is my go-to ultra fine-point gel pen, but I often color-code my notes and there are certain times, like when I'm traveling, where it's inconvenient to carry around a fistful of gel pens in different colors or multiple fountain pens loaded with different inks. That's where the multi pen comes into play.

The Coleto makes it easy to see what color refills you have loaded in the pen.

What I like about the multi pen is that it is completely customizable. My personal favorite is my Coleto Lumio, a higher-end model that comes in matte black. I have it kitted out with a .5mm mechanical pencil and .4mm blue-black, orange, and purple refills. For situations where I don't want to carry multiple pens on me, it's a complete solution.

The cap of the Coleto flips up, allowing you to drop in the refill. The gray refill on the left is a .5mm mechanical pencil cartridge.

If you're interested in dipping your toes into the world of multi pens, the Coleto is a great place to start. The Coleto Lumio is more expensive and harder to find, but is a very professional and nice-looking matte-black pen. (Other colors are available, too.) One of the great things about multi pens is that unless you are going really high-end, like certain models of the the Zebra Sharbo X or the Lamy 2000 multi pen, you're probably not going to spend more than $30, and often much, much less. At least not on the pen body itself.

Where multi pens eventually will get you is on the refills. The Coleto is far from the worst on this point: you can buy the refills in bulk to get the price down to about $1-2 apiece, and they last for a reasonably long period of time if you use them for moderately intense writing tasks like jotting down ideas in your Field Notes. However, if you're using a pen like the Zebra Sharbo X that takes smaller D1 refills, you will burn through the refills like there's no tomorrow, especially if you write a lot. You can offset the cost by avoiding D1 gel refills and moving to a hybrid ballpoint-gel ink like the Uniball Jetstream version, which last a good bit longer.

The Coleto sports the same ultra-fine point that made the original Pilot Hi-Tec-C famous.

The Hi-Tec-C Coleto refills come in .3mm, .4mm, and .5mm sizes. As I mentioned, you can buy bulk color assortments until you figure out which particular colors you like, then stock up individually. [Note: as of 2024, we have opened our own pen shop and are now happy to announce that we sell the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto directly, along with the refills. The specific models listed in this review are nearly 10 years old and no longer available, but the Coleto 1000 and Coleto 500 are the new equivalents.]

BottledUp.Ink: Where My Ink Reviews Went

May 6, 2016

You may have noticed that I've been doing fewer ink reviews on this blog. That's because I've mostly moved them over to a Tumblr I run, Bottledup.ink, though so far I've done an extraordinarily bad job letting you all know that. I've recently posted a couple ink reviews (mainly photographs) of Sailor DoYou and Diamine 150th Anniversary Terracotta over there, so please check it out.

Sailor DoYou is another very dark brown that I've been enjoying.  A full review is up on the TGS Tumblr. — Sailor DoYou is another very dark brown that I've been enjoying. A full review is up on the TGS Tumblr.

I made the decision to give ink reviews their own site since it seems like there is less demand for them than other kinds of content, and as a result I was having a hard time justifying fitting them into the rotation. Also, I've set the Tumblr up so that you readers can submit your own ink reviews if you so desire. So far, nobody's taken me up on that offer, but the invitation stands!

If you follow me on Instagram, I periodically post ink-related stuff over there, and anytime the Tumblr is updated you should get a notification if you follow me on either Tumblr or Twitter.

Happy Friday!