The Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange and Pilot Custom 823 both snuck into the top tier.

My "Tier One Pens" List (as of June 18, 2016)

June 18, 2016

The other day I mentioned that I hadn't had the opportunity to update the various "best of" lists on the site. Now that things have quieted down (somewhat) for the summer, at least with respect to my travel schedule, I've had the opportunity to dig in and see if anything has changed. Short answer: it has, and I think fairly significantly.

For those of you who haven't read the prior post (available here), "Tier One" and "Tier Two" pens are terms borrowed from Episode 164 of the Pen Addict Podcast. I use the terms to refer to the different categories of "best pens" in my collection, "Tier One" Pens being those that I typically keep inked up, and that I'd never consider selling. "Tier Two" refers to nice writing pens that are frequently in rotation but are easily replaceable, or vintage pens that I love but are less durable and therefore can't be carried as much.

My Tier One Pens

Out of all the pens that I own, Sailor's Pro Gear Imperial Black Edition is a favorite.

Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black Edition. No change here. The Pro Gear Imperial Black remains my "desert island" pen.
Pilot Custom 823. I hesitated for a long time before buying this pen, mainly because of the price. I shouldn't have. The medium architect's nib that Mark Bacas ground for this pen is exceptional, and he didn't make it too sharp so I can easily use it for everyday writing. It's a no-brainer for the top tier. Look for a review in the near future.
Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator. Another pen that I was an idiot for waiting so long to purchase, especially given the price point at which you can find it. If you're a fan of the colored Custom 74 demonstrators, you can purchase Pilot's Custom Heritage 92 piston filler in the blue, orange, and smoke colors by ordering directly from Japan via Amazon. For whatever reason, Pilot has declined to make these demonstrators available in the United States in anything but the clear acrylic.
Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange. A new pen that I haven't had the chance to review yet, but I've not been able to put down since I purchased it at this year's Atlanta Pen Show. I worried that the M800 would be too big for my hand, but that's not turned out to be the case. I love the color scheme of this pen, and the Masuyama .4mm cursive italic nib is an exceptional writer on almost any paper.
Bulkfiller Minimalistica. I had just acquired this pen when I put together my last list, and unfortunately, I've not had it inked up in a while. That needs to change. I really miss having this pen in my daily carry, because it holds a huge amount of ink and the titanium nib is an excellent writer. The "bulkfiller" mechanism is essentially a syringe filler, and is extremely easy to clean out.

My Tier Two Pens

The Lamy 2000 is a reliable, excellent everyday writer.  I'd argue than any respectable pen addict should have at least one in their arsenal. — The Lamy 2000 is a reliable, excellent everyday writer. I'd argue than any respectable pen addict should have at least one in their arsenal.

Lamy 2000 (EF Nib). I love the form factor and weight of the Lamy 2000. For reasons I talk about further later on, I've swapped out my Lamy 2000 with the Minuskin Stub in favor of my Lamy 2000 with the EF Nib.
Parker Vacumatics. Hands-down my favorite vintage pen. I've found that, like most vintage pens, they tend to burp ink and sometimes leak when exposed to temperature/air pressure fluctuations, so they don't travel all that well, keeping them in the second tier for me.
Any Sailor Pro Gear. I continue to accumulate Sailor Pro Gears, and I'd call this my overall favorite pen model. I have the Pro Gear Sky limited edition, and I recently picked up the limited edition "Soleil" Realo piston filler from Bung Box (shown below).
Delta Fusion 82. No longer a "Tier One" but still a strong "Tier 2," Delta's Fusion 82 remains a favorite. (My Marmo Incrinato celluloid pen is currently on an extended vacation to the Atlanta area--look here for a review soon.) I'd argue that the Fusion 82 has one of the best out-of-the-box nibs available.
Scriptorium Pens Balladeer. I've had a hard time putting this pen down. The Conway Stewart Dartmoor Acrylic might be one of my favorite materials, and the size, weight and balance of this pen make it perfect for long stretches of writing. Once I finish up the fill of ink that I currently have in this pen, I'll probably eyedropper it, since the barrel is drilled out for maximum ink capacity.

So, uh, yeah. This happened. Random eBay score. First in a long time. @bunguboxkaoru #penaddict #fountainpen #fpgeeks #sailorpen #sailorprogear #stationery #pennerd

A photo posted by Joe C. (@gentlemanstationer) on Apr 29, 2016 at 6:44pm PDT

What's the main difference between the new list and the old list? No stub nibs. Why? I've discovered cursive italic nibs, which typically have a lower ink flow, and therefore play nice with smaller handwriting, especially on cheap paper. I'm enjoying architect's nibs for the same reason, provided they're not ground too sharp, to the point where they will dig in and either tear the paper or get clogged up with paper fiber.

That said, I'm not going to rush out and sell all of my stubs immediately. For one thing, I may explore whether it's possible to grind some of them down to cursive italics that I'd use more. I imagine it would be fairly easy to do that (though I'd defer to someone who actually knows what they're doing on that point).

I've left the old list indexed on the site, because I find it fun to see how my tastes have evolved over time.

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

The Sakura Microperm 01 is my new pen of choice for the Field Notes Expedition edition.

Update: Sakura Microperm for Field Notes Expedition

June 17, 2016

I want to provide a quick update of last week's review of the Field Notes Expedition edition pocket notebook. Based on the recommendation of a reader (thanks Brian!), I tried the Sakura Microperm ultra fine pen. Think of a cross between a sharpie and a pigma micron. This is an excellent pen for the Yupo Synthetic Paper. It dries immediately. I've tried to get it to smear and it won't. The only drawback is that there's a bit of a "permanent marker" smell, but the point is so fine it shouldn't be too much unless you're super sensitive to that sort of thing.

I picked these up on Amazon in a pack of 3, which includes an 01, 03, and 05.

Update will be added to the original review as well.

Galen Leather Notebooks:  On the left, navy blue leather with mustard band; on the right, dark brown leather with dark blue band. — Galen Leather Notebooks: On the left, navy blue leather with mustard band; on the right, dark brown leather with dark blue band.

Galen Leather: A New Source for Custom Leather Goods

June 15, 2016

A few months ago, I was contacted by Galen Leather and asked whether I wanted to review some of their custom handmade leather goods. This apparently was part of a marketing blitz, since pictures of their notebook covers have appeared all over Instagram and Twitter as bloggers and stationery enthusiasts receive their Galen Leather packages.

The Company

Galen Leather is an online storefront run by a brother and sister in Istanbul, Turkey. According to their "About" page, they've been in operation since 2011 and selling online since 2012. Galen Leather specializes in making all sorts of leather goods, but what's attracted the most attention are their leather notebook covers, which they make to fit Midori Traveler's notebook refills, Moleskines, Field Notes, and the Hobonichi Techo. Since I've really enjoyed the Fountain Pen Day-branded notebook cover that I picked up at the Atlanta Pen Show, I decided to go for the Traveler's Notebook-style cover in the "pocket notebook" (i.e., Field Notes-compatible) size.

I left the brass charm on the blue notebook, but swapped out the charm on the brown for the "evil eye" talisman that comes with every Galen Notebook.  Here's some background on the meaning of the "evil eye". — I left the brass charm on the blue notebook, but swapped out the charm on the brown for the "evil eye" talisman that comes with every Galen Notebook. Here's some background on the meaning of the "evil eye".

The Notebook

My Galen Leather notebooks are each made from a thick piece of leather with burnished edges. The leather is a touch stiff, at least initially, but with use and wear it should soften up. The company offers at least 13 different color options (in both leather and bands), many of which are not options for the original Traveler's Notebook. What I really like is that the Galen Leather notebook comes set up to hold four notebook refills, whereas the Midori notebook comes setup for one or two before you have to purchase more bands.

Galen Leather allowed me to pick two notebooks, complete with bands of my choice and brass "charms" which can be woven onto the belly band. They even stamped my initials onto the front of the notebook, and the impression is nice and deep. I chose the dark brown and the navy blue, both of which are attractive.

Takeaways

Galen Leather products are nice looking, well-made, and reasonably priced. I really like this product. I've only had this notebook for a bit, but over the course of two weeks it's become part of my daily carry. I use it as a sort of "carry all" that fits my pocket notebooks and all the loose papers that I tend to accumulate over the course of the day. I've kitted it out with two Field Notes-brand pocket notebooks, an Expedition and a Shelterwood, and I've even been able to comfortably tuck my Write Notepads pocket ledger in the back. I found the brass charms a bit much, to be honest, and felt they got in the way of opening and closing the notebook quickly at work, so I swapped the charm on the brown notebook out for the "evil eye" talisman that Galen includes in every shipment.

My dark brown Galen Leather notebook with two Field Notes and a Write Notepads pocket ledger.

Galen Leather prices their products quite reasonably. One knock many people have had on Midori is that the Traveler's Notebook is fairly expensive for what it is ($49.99 for the large one, before any refills or accessories). On the other hand, the Galen equivalent is priced at $32 (and ships without any refill). I see no reason why Traveler's Notebook accessories, such as the paper and cardholders, would not work with the Galen Leather notebook covers. (I've not checked the compatibility myself, so proceed at your own risk.)

As you can tell from the pictures, I've been carrying the dark brown leather notebook with the navy blue band. What do I intend to do with the Navy Blue/Gold Band notebook? Father's Day present for my Dad, since we have the same initials. (No spoiler risk here, pretty sure he's not a reader of the blog!) I think my next purchase might be a leather cover for my Hobonichi.

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase something from certain 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!

My favorite aspect of the virtually indestructible Field Notes Expedition edition is the very subtle map of antarctica printed on the back of the notebook.

Field Notes Expedition Edition: Great If I Were Going Up Everest Anytime Soon.

June 11, 2016

I love orange and black as a color combination. Year-round, too, not just during Halloween. I'm also a huge fan of dot grid paper. So it's natural that when I saw the Field Notes Expedition edition, I fell in love with the look of these notebooks immediately. The Expedition edition ended up being one of the first Field Notes Colors editions I purchased, when I really got into this hobby in earnest a couple years back. Practically speaking, however, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with these things.

Ballpoint or hybrid ballpoint ink works best on the Yupo Synthetic Paper.  Even HB pencil has a lot of ghosting and smearing, in my experience. — Ballpoint or hybrid ballpoint ink works best on the Yupo Synthetic Paper. Even HB pencil has a lot of ghosting and smearing, in my experience.

The Field Notes Expedition notebooks are made from Yupo Synthetic Paper, which is described as "100% recyclable, waterproof, tree-free Synthetic Paper" that is "extruded from polypropylene pellets." In other words, it's plastic. This stuff won't tear, it's completely waterproof, and depending on what kind of ink you use with it, you can wipe it clean and reuse it. This last part is what makes Yupo Synthetic Paper a difficult choice for an everyday pocket notebook. Because the paper is completely non-absorbent, any ink that's remotely water-based or too wet doesn't work at all. Fountain pens, rollerballs, and gel pens simply disappear off the page. You're pretty much limited to writing with a ballpoint pen or a relatively hard pencil. (I've heard fine-tip Sharpies also work, but have not tested this.) Soft pencil lead has smearing and ghosting issues. For me, this limits the usefulness of the notebook, but I'm not the target audience for this product.

Why don't they work for me as a daily user? There's too little flexibility regarding the kind of pen or pencil you can use. With pocket notebooks, I like to be able to jot things down on a moment's notice with whatever pen or pencil that I can find lying around. While I've been carrying the Expedition edition, there have been times when I had to search around for more than a minute or two in order to find a pen that would work on the Yupo Synthetic Paper. What's been the winner? This.

For me, the good 'ol Bic Crystal has been the winner for writing on the Yupo Synthetic paper. $3.49 for a dozen.

Regardless of whether or not it fills a need for most people, the Field Notes Expedition edition apparently has staying power. It's still a part of the Field Notes regular lineup three years later, though I'm not sure whether this is due to its popularity, or because Field Notes had a large minimum order requirement on the Yupo Synthetic Paper and therefore has a TON of these things lying around. Because I don't work "in the field," I probably won't go out of my way to purchase more of them unless things change and I decide to haul my "lawyerly" physique into the Himalayas or Antarctica. That said, it's a cool product, and I'm glad I have a three-pack.

Be sure to write it down.  You don't want to forget Marion's Address in Nepal again. — Be sure to write it down. You don't want to forget Marion's Address in Nepal again.

Pen Review: Waterman Man 100 Patrician, a Neglected Workhorse

June 8, 2016

I have a soft spot in my heart for modern Waterman fountain pens, even though their line has become a bit stale since they were acquired by Newell-Rubbermaid in 2001, with fewer models introduced into the lineup. To me, the pens that Waterman manufactured during the 1980s and the 1990s are excellent--I think of them as "vintage" in the sense that they aren't available anymore, but "modern" in that they use contemporary Waterman cartridges and converters. The term I use to describe pens like these is "near modern," and they are a fixture in my collection.

History of Waterman Pens

The name "Waterman" has a storied history in the fountain pen world, with the lore (repeated on the Company website) being that Lewis Edson Waterman invented the modern fountain pen. Others have recently cast doubt on this version of history, but the story still sticks. However, what many people don't know that the modern Waterman Pen Company is not the same company that made many of the classic Waterman pens from the 1930s and 1940s, but rather is a descendant of Jif-Waterman, the French subsidiary, which is now owned by Newell-Rubbermaid. Waterman has an interesting timeline on their website that shows various events from the history of the French and American companies, including all the major pen models introduced over the years. Of all these designs, the classic "Le Man 100" (known simply as the "Man 100" stateside), first introduced in 1982 for the company's 100th anniversary, is my favorite.

Design and Build

The Waterman Man 100 is a large pen with a lot of heft, since the construction is lacquer over brass.  The lacquer is very thick--despite the years and heavy use (from me), the finish is still flawless. — The Waterman Man 100 is a large pen with a lot of heft, since the construction is lacquer over brass. The lacquer is very thick--despite the years and heavy use (from me), the finish is still flawless.

The Waterman Man 100, at first glance, resembles a larger version of the Laureate and other more modern Waterman pens. It is solidly built using the typical Waterman lacquer-over-brass construction that gives the pen some weight. The style is classic Waterman, with the traditional "Waterman clip" the French company has used since the 1960s and the large 18k "Ideal" nib (borrowed, of course, from the early days of the Waterman "Ideal" fountain pen). The Man 100 was introduced in 1982 and intended to serve as Waterman's flagship luxury pen, competing with Montblanc and Pelikan. What makes this particular version unique, however, is the cap band.

Note the stylized Waterman "W" logo on the finial and the cap band. Also, the cap is friction fit, with the back of the pen tapered to allow the pen to post firmly and securely.

The band on this version of the Man 100 is modeled after the Waterman Patrician fountain pen from the 1920s and 1930s. Waterman manufactured these "Patrician" Man 100s as special editions from 1992 to 1994. If you shop around, they are starting to command what I consider to be extremely high prices. I'm glad I bought when I did: I love my two Man 100 Patricians, but I'm not sure that I'd be willing to pay what people are asking these days. One thing I will say--if you can find these new-old-stock, the packaging on these older pens is gorgeous. It comes with a nice wooden box. The faux-leather on the inside is a bit worn, but hey, it's almost 25 years old.

The Nib

Now for the writing experience: Waterman nibs are on the stiff side. The stainless and gold-plated nibs are definitely nails, but the 18k gold nibs have the tiniest bit of spring to them--just enough to keep the writing interesting. I have two of these pens: a coral ("Cardinal Red") and a green. Both of my pens have fine nibs and wrote adequately out of the box. My coral pen was N.O.S., so the fine nib wrote like a dream. My green pen was used, and the nib was slightly worn in (to someone else's writing style), so I had Mike Masuyama tweak it. No big deal. Both are now very nice daily workhorses.