Site Update: 2018 Updates to the "Best Pen" Recommendations List

I've been taking care of some housekeeping here at TGS over the past few days, and one thing I've been meaning to do is update my "Best Pens" recommendations to better reflect what I've been using lately. The changes aren't that significant, but you'll want to check out the updates to the "My Favorite Fountain Pens" category, as well as the "Disposable Pens" and "Refillable Ballpoints/Rollerballs" lists.  Significant pens making an appearance are the Opus 88 Koloro and the Ti Arto Universal Refill pen. I've left the 2017 list live on a separate page for now, so that you all can see any changes. 

Enjoy!  

Notebook Review: Bull & Stash Leonard Journal

You may have seen me link in recent posts to the new line of updated Bull & Stash notebooks, and I've finally gotten around to taking some pics! Last year, I reviewed the original Bull & Stash "Stash" notebook, which was a softcover notebook with Midori Traveler's Notebook-style proportions (which could actually be modified to accept MTN-style refills, in addition to the proprietary Bull & Stash refills). The new notebook reviewed here, the A5-ish "Leonard" Journal, steps up the quality and functionality, though the continued use of proprietary Bull & Stash refills will likely limit this notebook's popularity.  

View fullsize

The leather - both outside and in - is a huge upgrade on the new Bull & Stash Notebook. 

View fullsize

The design of the Bull & Stash Leonard makes it very easy to clip a pen to the inside, even a moderately large pen like this Edison Menlo. The notebook will still close with the pen, and the cover has magnets inside to keep it shut. 

View fullsize

The cover stays closed, even with the pen inside. 

View fullsize

The proprietary Bull & Stash refill hasn't changed. The regular 60lb paper is not the most fountain pen friendly, and there will be some feathering and bleedthrough.  That said, you're not meant to write on both sides of the page. It's more of a "notepad" setup, where each page is perforated and can be torn out. Bull & Stash separately sells 110lb "Fountain Pen" refills, which I've not had the opportunity to try. 

View fullsize

The new Bull & Stash notebooks have added functionality in the form of an inside pocket and card slots, which look very similar to those featured in other products such as the Bellroy Folio A5. 

View fullsize

The Bull & Stash Leonard, left, compared against the Baron Fig Confidant, in a One-Star Leather Goods Cover. 

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Like most notebook "systems," whether or not the Bull & Stash Leonard will work for you depends on how you use paper and whether you mind writing only on one side of the page. If you use notebooks primarily as "jotters," and either scan or throw out pages after you're done with them, this may be a system that works well for you. Personally, I don't find this type of paper particularly practical, so my Bull & Stash products only get used infrequently, and mainly as notepads that I keep in the office or around the house. That said, the leather on these journals is very high quality, and the product itself is attractive. 

You can purchase the Leonard notebook directly from Bull & Stash for $79.95. Refills are available at $6.95 for 50 sheets, and you have the option of 110lb "Fountain Pen" paper, which per Bull & Stash has increased tooth and less bleed.  Two other sizes are available, including the "Allison" portfolio (a larger, top-bound pad) and the "Market" (a pocket-sized journal).

Disclaimer: Bull & Stash provided me with the notebook featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes. Many thanks to the team at Bull & Stash for making this review possible. This post contains affiliate links.  

Workhorse Pens: Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black Review

The Faber-Castell E-Motion is a pen that I initially reviewed on loan, but always wanted to revisit after an extended period of usage. So, I purchased the model that appealed to me - the E-Motion "Pure Black" edition - and the pen has spent the better part of a year in heavy rotation. Everything from my initial review still applies to this pen: the fit and finish are high-quality and top notch, the nib is sublime, and I like the unique chunky design. But what tips the E-Motion Pure Black over the top into "daily workhorse" territory, when I don't think the standard E-Motion would have caught on nearly as well? 

View fullsize

Three "pure black" workhorses, from the top: Lamy 2000, Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black, and Montblanc 146 Ultra Black.

The texture of the barrel. The Pure Black model may have a metal barrel, but it doesn't feel like it. Faber-Castell has coated the barrel with some sort of PVD material, engraved with a subtle guilloche pattern, which gives the pen a soft feel and makes it extremely comfortable to hold. Frankly, I'm surprised at how easy it is to write with this pen for long periods of time. It's somewhat counterintuitive since the Pure Black is a very heavy pen, but the E-Motion has good balance, even posted, and is a perfect example of how metal pens don't need to be unwieldy. Sure, the design looks a bit "unique," and people tend to have strong opinions about the aesthetics, but I count myself a fan, and you can't argue with results as a daily writer. 

View fullsize

The engraved PVD-coated barrel

The only drawback to this pen from a "workhorse" perspective is ink capacity. Like nearly all Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell pens, the E-Motion is a cartridge-converter pen that will hold far less ink than, say, a piston-filler. That said, this nib writes a true medium line, and it's not overly wet, so I've never had a situation where I've run out of ink during the day, even during periods of heavy writing. The Faber-Castell converter has decent ink capacity, similar to a standard Schmidt. 

View fullsize

Faber-Castell's understated nib design. There's no breather hole, which is a hallmark of Faber-Castell's nib design, and doesn't affect ink flow at all.

View fullsize

Despite it's weight, I prefer to use the E-Motion posted. Another selling point on this pen is the clip. The lever-action is tight and easy to use, and the pen will clip on to basically anything.

View fullsize

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Faber-Castell makes some of the best true "workhorse" pens out there, mainly because their nibs are so good. I've never had a Faber-Castell nib that required work or adjustment, and the ink flow always seems to be moderately wet - perfect for the type of writing I like to do. Though the pens tend to be more expensive than your typical steel-nib pens, you get what you pay for, and in the year I've had this pen I've never once regretted shelling out for the E-Motion Pure Black.

You can purchase the Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black fountain pen from our sponsor Appelboom Pens. Appelboom carries a wide range of Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell pens, at very reasonable prices. They also have quick international shipping. 

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use.

Further Reading

This post is part of my new series on "Workhorse Pens," which I define as solid everyday writers that I use for most of my daily work. If you enjoyed this post, check out my other pieces on the Montblanc 146 and the Lamy 2000.  

View fullsize

Another size comparison of the Faber-Castell E-Motion Pure Black against two other "workhorse" pens.

Pen Review: The TWSBI Diamond Mini (AL Gold Model)

Since introducing the 530 several years ago, TWSBI has dominated the $50-100 price point, and has also made serious headway into the entry-level segment with the TWSBI Eco. But what about the TWSBI Diamond Mini, the pen that seems to get lost in the shuffle? Honestly, it's probably my favorite TWSBI pen, at least in terms of functionality. 

Unposted, the TWSBI Diamond Mini is quite a bit shorter than the TWSBI 580. 

There's no real need to go into the history of TWSBI again in-depth - I've already done this in prior reviews of the flagship TWSBI 580, the TWSBI Vac Mini, and the TWSBI Eco. The short version is that TWSBI is a Taiwanese manufacturer that has proven companies can bring a high-quality piston-filling fountain pen to market at well under $100. The Diamond Mini has never really attracted the same amount of attention as the Vac models and the 580, because I think many people tend to write the Diamond Mini off as a "smaller and cheaper" 580 that's a bit boring. In terms of looks, they're correct: there's not a lot to visually distinguish the Diamond Mini from the 580, other than - obviously - the shorter length and some different color schemes. Both pens have the same faceted barrel and similar nibs. So why do I like the Mini so much? Because it posts. 

Posted, the Diamond Mini is actually slightly longer than the TWSBI 580. 

The piston knob on the Diamond Mini is threaded, so the cap not only posts, but screws on for maximum security. This feature is quite convenient for someone like me, who tends to write "on the go" a lot in situations where I don't have a table to place the cap. I don't typically recommend that people purchase a fountain pen for their primary "pocket carry," simply because they take longer to deploy, but the TWSBI Diamond Mini is always at or near the top of that list if you just can't bring yourself to use a ballpoint. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I always recommend TWSBI pens to people who are interested in trying a piston-filler fountain pen for the first time. The barrier to entry is lower than a Pelikan M200 or a Lamy 2000, and TWSBI generally offers a relatively inexpensive, reliable writing experience while still allowing people to dabble in the "limited edition" craze. For the past few years, TWSBI has released a series of AL (aluminum) trim models in various colors. If you like the AL Gold model pictured in this review, I'd jump on that pretty fast because they seem to be getting scarce, and TWSBI will likely replace them with a new color sometime this year. The standard Diamond Mini, however, is pretty much always available, and also comes in a black "classic" configuration.  I typically order all of my TWSBI's through Amazon. 

Note: The reputation of TWSBI's "Diamond" models (the 580 and the Diamond Mini) have suffered a bit in years past due to reports of barrels cracking. More recently, TWSBI seems to have improved both their quality control and manufacturing process. I've personally never suffered any sort of catastrophic failure or ink leakage, even on one Diamond Mini that developed hairline cracks on the section. (This was an initial run model from four or five years ago.) Regardless, TWSBI is known for having good customer service, so if you run into a problem, they will make it right.   

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use. This post does contain affiliate links. Pricing and availability is current as of the time of this review.

Five Things I'm Excited About (or, Favorite Things from Atlanta)

As I've fallen deeper into this hobby/obsession, and after five years of writing this blog, pen shows have become more about visiting with friends and hearing about the newest releases/industry developments rather than accumulating more pens. Though the latter still happens, these days I usually come home with one or two. I have to get pretty excited about something before I make a purchase. So what new product releases am I most excited about, that will likely end up on a shopping list sometime this year?

New Releases from Aurora and Montegrappa

View fullsize

From left, the Blue Sigaro, the 88 Urano, and the 88 Satin Black. 

The Kenro table was full of all sorts of exciting new things, but three of them caught my eye. The first (of course) is something that's going to be essentially impossible to get: the Aurora 88 Urano in a turquoise celluloid derivative. Apparently only a small number pens have been allocated for the entire United States. The others hopefully will be more widely available: a blue lacquer version of the Aurora Sigaro, the Aurora Talentum Full Black, and Montegrappa's new Monte Grappa vintage-inspired piston filler. The Blue Sigaro is simply gorgeous to look at, and the Monte Grappa features new JoWo steel nibs, which I understand have far fewer issues than the Bock nibs the company previously used. The blacked out Talentum has been repeatedly delayed but I understand it's on the way.   

View fullsize

Montegrappa Monte-Grappa (three pens in the center)

Red Kaweco AL Sport U.S. Exclusive

View fullsize

Next up is my sole Saturday purchase: the red Kaweco AL Sport, which apparently is a U.S. exclusive for this year. Vanness Pens currently has them in stock, so if you're looking for one, I'm not sure how long they will last. Curiously, I didn't see these pens on any other tables at the show. The color looks great and really pops. As you all know, I don't pass up red pens. 

Faggionato Pens

View fullsize

My Faggionato PKS, next to the AL Sport for scale

I've had the pleasure of visiting with Papier Plume twice this year, once at their New Orleans store and once at the Atlanta Pen Show. Both times, I've walked away with a Faggionato pen. Handmade in France by Fred Faggionato, the pens combine a streamlined, highly functional design with some unique materials, including acrylics and cellulose acetates in some nice color combinations. My two pens (pictured here) are a Petrarque in translucent blue tortoise cellulose acetate, and a larger PKS in Conway Stewart's vintage "Dartmoor" material. The Petrarque is a smaller pen that posts, while the larger PKS feels similar to an unfaceted Newton Shinobi (with a clip), and is meant to be used unposted. 

Krishna Inks 

Krishna Inks are the latest in a series of international brands that have arrived in the United States, courtesy of retailers such as Vanness Pens. While I didn't purchase any Krishna Inks this show (or even manage to get any decent pictures), I did spend a fair bit of time looking at swabs of all the various colors. These inks have crazy sheen - just look at Jungle Volcano and Myrtle. The greens are also exceptionally vibrant.  

The Milano from Osprey Pens

Osprey Milanos in ebonite and acrylic

Osprey Pens launched with several models priced well under $100 (and some sub-$20), though availability has been sporadic at best. Their largest and most expensive pen, the Milano, was originally available only in ebonite, though Osprey recently announced acrylic versions priced at $70. These materials look very nice, and the pens themselves are a good size. I especially like the "Mud Pie" and "Chiaroscuro" pens. Osprey makes a variety of nib units, ranging from standard stainless steel or gold to a Zebra G "flex" nib unit, which allows you to use Zebra G calligraphy nibs in the fountain pen. 

I hope this little Atlanta follow-up has been helpful in providing an idea of what kind of stuff you get to see by attending pen shows. Of all the things I saw, the new Auroras were probably my favorite. I'm hoping to make the Chicago show in a few weeks, but as of right now it seems unlikely and my next pen show trip won't be until DC in August. Until then! 

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.