Since one of the winners of last month's Benu Pens giveaway has not contacted me to claim his prize, I went ahead and picked a new one.
Lauren Girard
You are the winner of the Purple Night Silver pen. Please email me at joe (at) gentlemanstationer.com to provide me with your mailing address, or submit the information via the "Contact Me" link on the blog. Once all winners have contacted me, I will head to the post office to ship the pens.
Thanks again!
Baron Fig has released their latest limited edition "Vanguard" soft cover notebook, the "Clear Sky" edition. This quarter's edition once again comes in the "Flagship" size, and features three different covers, each a different color gradient designed to evoke sunrise, midday, and sunset.
The notebook on the far right (sunrise?) looks much more pink in person, whereas it appears almost orange in the pictures on the Baron Fig website.
Clear Sky contains blank paper, which I don't use much. If you're a fan of unlined pages or looking for a soft-cover sketchbook, however, this may be the edition for you. You can purchase directly from Baron Fig, or subscribe so you don't miss any of the special quarterly editions going forward.
Disclaimer: Baron Fig provided me with these notebooks free of charge.
I missed out on grabbing a bottle of this year's coveted Lamy limited edition ink, Petrol, but fortunately Appelboom came to the rescue and sent me a bottle for review - AND to give away to my readers! I won't pretend to understand Lamy's strategy (or lack thereof) behind its recent limited releases, but for whatever reason they didn't make near enough Petrol, and this ink is sold out at nearly all major retailers. Other than blog giveaways, Lamy enthusiasts looking for a bottle of Petrol will probably be limited to whatever they can score on the secondary market.
Lamy probably would have sold a ton of this ink had they manufactured it in greater quantities. Petrol is a very dark teal-black ink, making it suitable for professional use. I certainly would have purchased a bottle, maybe two. Here's to hoping that Lamy will someday expand its standard lineup to include some of the unique colors it's tested out in the past: Dark Lilac, Copper Orange, and Petrol. (Though I'll pass on the Charged Green and its neon brethren.) IMHO, it seems like they're missing a great opportunity to revitalize the ink side of their business.
Lamy Petrol would make a great everyday writer.
I plan on eventually picking up one of the matching Petrol Safari's, though I suspect they will remain in stock for some time, since you can still find some "Dark Lilac" pens from last year if you look hard enough.
The other oddity with respect to this year's Lamy releases is that they initially advertised a "Pacific Blue" ink to accompany their "Pacific Blue" AL-Star, only to admit later that it was simply a repackaged version of standard Lamy Turquoise. Lamy Turquoise is an excellent ink in its own right, but why Lamy would go through the trouble of repackaging and marketing it as a Limited Edition and - at least initially - not voluntarily reveal this fact to retailers and customers is beyond me. (Well, not necessarily beyond me, but I prefer to not think that an established and well-regarded company in this industry would intentionally try to dupe its retailers and customers into purchasing something they may already own.) I've been spending some time with Lamy Turquoise, and it's a vibrant, well-behaved ink with decent shading. It's also a fair substitute for this year's limited edition Montblanc UNICEF Blue, and costs a fraction of the price.
A comparison shot of Lamy Turquoise against the new Montblanc UNICEF Blue. They look very similar, though the Montblanc looks slightly richer and a bit more saturated in person.
Appelboom stocks the full range of Lamy Ink and other products, and many thanks to them for donating these bottles for testing and a giveaway. I enjoy Lamy inks, even though their standard color lineup tends to be a bit staid. They're widely regarded as "safe" for use in most pens, including vintage. Their black is a favorite of mine, because it has dusty purple/green undertones to it that make it a bit more interesting than your typical black ink. Unfortunately, as I noted above the limited edition Petrol ink is sold out almost everywhere, and retailers currently do not expect Lamy to make additional ink available for sale. However, there's plenty of Turquoise/"Pacific Blue" in stock, as well as the other colors in the Lamy lineup.
Giveaway Rules and Conditions are as follows:
Disclaimer: I was sent the products featured in this post free of charge by Appelboom for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. This post may contain affiliate links.
When I'm on vacation (or an extended work trip), I'll typically prep at least one short post linking to some past content that still has relevance, and that newer readers of the blog might not have had the opportunity to enjoy the first time around. This week, I'll take a look back at my "Vintage Pen Primer" series, which offers my thoughts on the ins and outs of vintage pens.
I've been thinking a lot about getting back into vintage to some degree, now that pen show season is in full swing, and the 2017 D.C. Pen Show is on the horizon. I'd like to find a "focus" for collecting, though, and not revert to the "little bit of everything" style I had assumed the last time I dabbled in vintage. Vacs, maybe?
Congratulations to the following individuals, who are the winners of the Benu Pens Giveaway! I've included your name below. You both selected the Mystical Green pen, so whoever reaches out first gets their choice of the Mystical Green or the purple.
You now have one (1) week to get in touch with me (until the day I'm back from vacation) after which I will ship your pen. Please contact me using the website submission form or e-mail me at joe (at) gentlemanstationer.com. Don't forget to provide me with your name and address for shipping purposes. Thanks again!