Sunday: the calm before the storm. You can see the line to get in start to snake around the outside of the hotel. The short video below shows the crowd at the front just as people started to come inside.

L.A. Pen Show Sunday Recap and General Thoughts

February 21, 2019

Sunday at the L.A. Pen Show lived up to everything I'd heard about it, both good and bad. First, the good, which centered around the enthusiasm of the attendees and the local pen community. You have to really care about something to put up with the "logistical challenges" presented by a pen show that only has one public day, and Sunday from 10am-5pm at that. Despite extremely long lines, uncomfortably warm temperatures (inside), and bustling crowds crammed into too-narrow aisles, nearly everyone I spoke with from behind the Vanness Pens table was patient, polite, and happy to be there, which always makes for a good "pen-show" atmosphere. Unfortunately, on the vendor side, those same "logistical challenges" are forcing many out-of-town vendors to make difficult decisions, since L.A. is effectively a one-day show. Traffic is very light on Friday and Saturday, so vendors basically have to make up the cost of the weekend, plus any profit, on Sunday. Given the cost of attending, in terms of both time and money, I got the distinct vibe that this show may be in danger of falling off the list of "major" U.S. Pen Shows.

Why do I say that? Let's compare to the D.C. Pen Show, which has had its own (much-discussed) issues over the past few years. Despite the fact that the D.C. Show can also suffer from long lines, high temperatures (both inside AND outside), overcrowded ballrooms, and an iffy location, at the end of the day it's still THE BIG SHOW, and people keep coming back because (1) all the vendors are there; and (2) the vendors are there because the show is profitable enough to justify the expense. [Note: I’m not trying to reduce everything to money, but at the end of the day, it sets a baseline. Most vendors can’t keep attending if they lose money every year on the show.] When a pen show is open to the public for just a single day, and that single day is Sunday as opposed to Saturday, it severely limits the number of non-trader/exhibitor attendees. While someone planning to attend a pen show for a three-day mini-vacation might gladly spend $50+ for a “weekend trader” pass (as opposed to $8 for Sunday admission), someone who’s only able to go for a single day probably will not do so.

One big plus for Sunday: Joey Feldman arrives to help manage the rush behind the Vanness Table, and to sign his show special notebooks!

The “show special” notebooks available at the Vanness Pens Table: a collaboration between Joey Feldman and Curnow Bookbinding. There were also some special edition pen wraps by Rickshaw Bags, but they weren’t quite ready for the L.A. Show. Stay tune… — The “show special” notebooks available at the Vanness Pens Table: a collaboration between Joey Feldman and Curnow Bookbinding. There were also some special edition pen wraps by Rickshaw Bags, but they weren’t quite ready for the L.A. Show. Stay tuned and hopefully they will be available in Baltimore.

A big bright spot, however, was the quality of the hotel and the space itself (other than size). The show had some of the best light of any pen show I’ve attended. That said, the decision to move the show to a downstairs ballroom caused problems, including views and traffic flows being obstructed by concrete columns, “dead ends” where people got stuck, and where some vendors were effectively hidden. For example, I had no idea Tactile Turn was at the show until Will posted a photo on Instagram after I was already back in Nashville, and I could have sworn that I walked by every booth at that show multiple times!

I failed spectacularly at my stated goal of not buying anything. From left, a Desiderata Pens Soubriquet; a Platinum 3776 Celluloid “Karakusa” from Anderson Pens, and a vintage Aurora 88 with the “Nikargenta” cap. On the latter pen, I’ve been lookin… — I failed spectacularly at my stated goal of not buying anything. From left, a Desiderata Pens Soubriquet; a Platinum 3776 Celluloid “Karakusa” from Anderson Pens, and a vintage Aurora 88 with the “Nikargenta” cap. On the latter pen, I’ve been looking for one of those for years, but hadn’t ever spotted one without significant dents and dings in the cap. I also picked up a couple of samples of ink from Straits Pens (more on that below).

How the L.A. Pen Show organizers respond to this year's event will likely determine whether this show remains a truly “international” pen show, or evolves into more of a regional event. In order for this show to be successful - and I define success in terms of both the promoter AND vendors being able to make money, while at the same time delivering a worthwhile experience to attendees - I personally think that the show needs to open to the public on Saturday and assign vendors permanent tables for all three days (Friday-Sunday) to allow them to fully set up. Of course, people have been saying this about the L.A. Show for years, and here we are.

I hope this show sticks around. Why? Because the show draws from a different geographical area than most of the East Coast shows, offering attendees access to a different group of vendors and vice-versa. For example, this year’s L.A. Pen Show featured the following vendors who don’t necessarily travel to a large number of shows:

Classic Fountain Pens a/k/a Nibs.com. From what I understand, John Mottishaw used to be a regular on the pen show circuit, but has since limited his travel to Los Angeles and San Francisco (though a few of his employees did travel to the D.C. Pen Show a few years back when it was still at the old location. One word: Nakayas!
Eboya. The Japanese Ebonite specialists. I didn’t have a lot of time (or money) to spend at their table, but Eboya brought some absolutely beautiful polished ebonite pens. I’ve flagged Eboya for a possible purchase later this year.
Stylo Art Karuizawa. Purveyors of gorgeous urushi and maki-e pens, including lacquered wood pens featuring nibs from Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum. They also remain on my list for a possible purchase, but since the pens are quite expensive I’m holding out for the perfect one.
One Star Leather Goods. Makers of high-quality, custom-made leather goods. I’m a big fan of Keegan’s work, and he sets up on Sundays, and sometimes Saturdays, at the L.A. Pen Show. He made me a custom leather cover for my Baron Fig Confidant, which I love and previously reviewed here.
Tactile Turn. Most readers of this blog should be familiar with Will Hodges and his machined pens. Much to my surprise (and dismay that I didn’t get a chance to visit with him), Will was at the L.A. Pen Show and may be attending San Francisco.
Straits Pens. Part of my pen show haul was a bottle of “Poor Man’s Sapphire,” which Sunny brought with him from Singapore. I’m loving this ink so far, and you should look for a review soon.

I had the opportunity to meet all sorts of other new people whom I had never met before, but most of my interactions took place on the show floor. The after-hours bar scene wasn’t as vibrant in L.A. as it is at other shows I attend, though the newly renovated hotel has a pretty good setup with long high-top tables, attentive bartenders, and a bright and airy space.

We managed to get the Vanness “Ink Van” loaded in just over an hour!

Takeaways

As I might have mentioned, I’m making an effort to branch out and visit as many new pen shows as possible this year. L.A. was my first adventure, and I’m certainly glad I made the trip out to the West Coast. It was great to see familiar faces, and also to meet many readers for the first time, in person! For all its “quirks,” the Los Angeles Pen Show offers a unique opportunity to visit vendors who don’t appear elsewhere. The main question for me is how long these vendors (and even attendees) will continue to visit this show, especially with the rise of the growing San Francisco Pen Show which has earned rave reviews in recent years.

Next up for me is the Baltimore Pen Show in less than two weeks! See you there!

Disclaimer: All observations and opinions expressed herein are my own, drawn from personal experience working behind the Vanness Pens table in both L.A. and D.C., and from conversations I had at the show with many different vendors, manufacturers, distributors, and attendees.

L.A. Pen Show Friday and Saturday Recap

February 17, 2019

The Los Angeles Pen Show is definitely one of the more interesting shows I’ve visited. Most notable is that three out of the four show days are trader days, meaning that the show is open to the public only on Sunday (and therefore crazy). This is the exact opposite of how most pen shows run, with nearly all others being open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday typically being the “dead” day where things really slow down in the afternoon. As I write this, I’m mentally preparing myself for the Sunday rush in L.A., since I’ll be behind the Vanness Pens table helping out. If you’re at the show, come see me! In the meantime, here is a photo-heavy recap of some of the things I saw on Friday and Saturday. I should have some additional pictures later this week and some additional reporting on the show once I see how Sunday goes.

This year the entire L.A. Pen Show was held in a single downstairs ballroom. It remains to be seen how the new venue will handle the Sunday crowds, and there were already a few issues with the aisles being very narrow. I will say, however, that the … — This year the entire L.A. Pen Show was held in a single downstairs ballroom. It remains to be seen how the new venue will handle the Sunday crowds, and there were already a few issues with the aisles being very narrow. I will say, however, that the lighting in this recently refurbished space was excellent - some of the best I’ve experienced.

One of the most exciting things I got to see this weekend was the launch of the Vanness/Shawn Newton production-line collaboration, The Pinnacle, which comes in two sparkly colors: Sassafras (on the left) and Wild Blackberry (right). Like Shawn’s fa… — One of the most exciting things I got to see this weekend was the launch of the Vanness/Shawn Newton production-line collaboration, The Pinnacle, which comes in two sparkly colors: Sassafras (on the left) and Wild Blackberry (right). Like Shawn’s famed Shinobi model, the cap has a single facet that acts as a roll-stopper.

I got to handle a Sylvester Stallone Chaos Pen at the Montegrappa table! I have to say that despite all my past skepticism this pen was impressive to hold in person.

Pierre from Desiderata Pens was set up, with a full stock of pens that included his latest Soubriquet model that features a vacumatic-style filler. I acquired the red and beige ebonite pen pictured in the gallery below. Pierre made his name selling … — Pierre from Desiderata Pens was set up, with a full stock of pens that included his latest Soubriquet model that features a vacumatic-style filler. I acquired the red and beige ebonite pen pictured in the gallery below. Pierre made his name selling pens that accept Zebra G Calligraphy nibs, but you can also purchase them with JoWo nibs.

The Montegrappa “Grappa” set, complete with - wait for it - a bottle of Grappa!

Mike Masuyama was present, and he changed things up at his workstation! I had two pens tuned today, nothing fancy!

And, of course, Brian Anderson showed me some rare Esterbrook “V-Clip” and Relief pens that he had “under glass” at the table. The kind of stuff you can only see at a Pen Show!

First Impressions: Aurora 88 Unica Nera

February 13, 2019

I didn’t explore Aurora as a brand that might seriously interest me until last year. Sure, I’d previously reviewed a few pens on loan from Kenro, the Aurora distributor, or that I’d borrowed from friends, but I hadn’t invested any of my own resources in the brand. That changed when I acquired the “Black Ops” Talentum released last year. Since then, I’ve picked up a few more, including an 88 Sigaro Blu, an 88 Minerali, and this year’s “stealth” release, the 88 Unica Nera.

The trim on the Aurora 88 Unica Nera and the Talentum Black Ops is quite different. I like them both, but I might prefer the lighter “gunmetal” look.

The Unica Nera is a natural follow-up to two other pens already in Aurora’s lineup, the Aurora 88 Satin Black, and the 88 “Ottantotto” demonstrator. Aurora’s latest combines the matte black barrel of the Satin Black with the Ottantotto’s black-plated trim. The result should please fans of “stealth” or “blacked out” pens, and on the whole the Unica Nera is a great pen, but there are a few nits that I think are open to critique.

A size comparison between the Talentum Black Ops and the Aurora 88 Unica Nera. The pens are actually close to the same size, but the Talentum feels bigger due to the larger cap.

What Do I Like About The Unica Nera?

Like the Aurora 88 Satin Black, it’s a lightweight pen, despite being a piston filler. The Unica Nera is also well-balanced, and I could write with this pen all day posted. I say posted because the Unica Nera is so light that I need to post the cap as a counterweight. The cap posts deeply and doesn’t make the pen too long.
The matte finish on this pen looks impeccable and the texture feels great in the hand. There are no no injection molding lines or visible flaws in the finish on either the cap or the barrel.
The Aurora 88 has a very large ink capacity, and the piston turns smoothly without sticking. Aurora pistons can sometimes be difficult to flush clean, but I’ve changed inks in this one a couple times with no issues.
The Unica Nera features the same 14k plated nib as the Talentum Black Ops, and in my case, both are fine nibs. The fine nib in my Unica Nera writes a much finer line than my Black Ops, despite having the same nib designation, though it writes smoothly and with perfect ink flow. In my experience, Aurora nibs have some variability in terms of line width (they’re made in-house), and are known to write with a bit of “tooth.” In a couple of cases, I’ve found the “toothiness” to cross the line into “scratchiness” due to ever-so-slight misalignment of the tines, though I’ve always been able to fix the issue with nothing more than a loupe and my fingernail.

Both of these nibs are black-plated fine nibs, though one writes much finer than the other. The Talentum nib is more of a medium.

Things I’m Not Sure About / Small Criticisms

The Unica Nera is an extremely lightweight pen. Part of me wishes that this one had a bit of additional heft to it. Sometimes when I’m writing with this pen I find myself thinking that it’s just a touch insubstantial.
The matte black clip and the shiny black cap band don’t match. This could be a design choice, where Aurora tried to add some contrast to a pen that would otherwise be one-dimensional, but I’d rather see them do this by varying the tone of the plating on the trim, which brings me to….
I prefer the look of the trim on the Talentum Black Ops, which has a more traditional ruthenium/gunmetal tone than the plating on the Unica, which appears to be identical to the trim used on the “Ottantotto” black demonstrator. All three pens use the same nib, which has the gray/gunmetal hue.

I like pens with ink windows. Here, the Unica Nera is showing off some Robert Oster FIre & Ice.

“So What About the Durability of the Trim?”

Ever since I published my initial piece on the Talentum Black Ops, I’ve had to field questions about the durability of the trim, and I will answer them here: No, I’ve not had any issues with the trim wearing off the clip, cap band, or any other areas. I did hear that there was a bad batch of pens with defective trim that I believe went to Europe, which caused a delay in the Black Ops’ global release, and some of those pens might remain in circulation, but I’ve personally had no problems. In general, I’ve had good luck with the trim on my stealth pens, including not only the Talentum but also my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black and Sailor 1911 Black Luster models.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Some people are tired of the “all black” look, but I’m not, especially where it’s well-executed. These understated workhorses are pens that I can use all day at the office, and look great without drawing unwanted attention. I’ve been using the Unica Nera at work for the past couple of weeks, and can confirm that it’s a lightweight, easy pen to write with for extended periods of time, and sports a firm fine nib that’s I’ve enjoyed using for planner notes and annotation. If you don’t have a black trim pen in your collection, the Unica Nera is definitely worthy of your consideration.

These pens are relatively new, and therefore still making their way to most retailers. Pen Chalet currently has them in stock, priced at $585, which is around the typical price point of an Aurora 88. The Unica Nera is slightly more expensive than the Satin Black but far less expensive than the Ottantotto demonstrator.

Disclaimer: I received the pen featured in this review directly from Kenro Industries, Aurora’s North American distributor and a sponsor of this blog, and paid with “store credit” that I received in exchange for sidebar advertising. This post contains affiliate links.

Who Backed the Baux Pens? This Guy.

February 9, 2019

I make no apologies for the fact that I’m an unabashed fan of Bic ballpoint pens. Whether it be the original Bic Cristal, the retractable Bic Clic, or those ginormous Bic multi pens that you carried in third grade, I have and use them all regularly. I consider them the ultimate low-cost, low-distraction, functional writing tool that will work reliably pretty much anywhere except underwater or upside down (which is when you would want to reach for your Fisher Space Pen or other pressurized cartridge).

The pens featured here are technically the Baux Pen 2, a follow-up on the original Baux Pen Kickstarter project from 2013, which launched and closed long before I was far enough down the pen-internet rabbit hole to be aware of it. The project is run by brothers Dan and Brian Conti. You might recognize Brian from his company, Spoke Design, which makes the excellent Spoke Pencil and the current Spoke Pen Kickstarter, a collaboration with Brad Dowdy from the Pen Addict.

The product itself is fairly simple: the Baux Pen is an aluminum stick pen with textured aluminum or titanium grips (shiny or blasted matte) that borrows the rest of the parts from the Bic pen itself. To replace the refill, you remove the plastic “collar,” the refill with the writing tip, and the cap from a Bic Stic pen and insert those parts into the Baux Pen body. It’s very easy and straightforward.

How to disassemble a Baux Pen to incorporate the refill: If you want to use the refill from a Bic Cristal, you will need to borrow the “collar” (pictured second from left) from a Bic Stic to seat the Cristal refill in the Baux Pen. You can then use … — How to disassemble a Baux Pen to incorporate the refill: If you want to use the refill from a Bic Cristal, you will need to borrow the “collar” (pictured second from left) from a Bic Stic to seat the Cristal refill in the Baux Pen. You can then use the ultra fine ballpoint refills from pens like the Bic Cristal “Xtra Precision”, in all their multicolor glory.

One thing I love about the Baux Pen is the grip. I opted for blasted titanium on all three of my pens, and the combination of the matte texture and rings make this a super-comfortable pen to write with. Since titanium and aluminum are both lightweight, you don’t lose one of the best attributes of the Bic pens - their “go-anywhere” portability - and the Baux pen body has a nice balance. The end of the barrel is slightly tapered, allowing you to post the cap. Plastic Bic Stic caps, of course, add no weight whatsoever.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

When this Kickstarter Project was pending, I heard it characterized in many circles as “specialized” or targeted only to artists, designers, and others who use Bic pens for drawing in connection with their work. I disagree. Whether they want to admit it or not, everyone has Bic pens lying around their house, stashed in their car, or in their bag for those occasions when nothing else will work, such as writing on those shiny USPS shipping labels from the post office and all those multi-sheet forms you need to fill out when mailing a package.

If you like the feel and writing properties of a Bic ballpoint, but want to upgrade your daily writing instrument to something just a bit nicer looking, the Baux pen is a great upgrade that doesn’t cost much at all. I backed for three pens with titanium grips, and the price came to $36. The cost for backing a single aluminum pen is only $9. Now that the project has finished shipping, I hope that the Baux Pen gets a wider release (perhaps through the Spoke Design shop?) because it’s a great product that deserves wider exposure than the Kickstarter received. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a retailer where this pen is being sold outside of Kickstarter, but hopefully that’s because the creators wanted to fulfill Kickstarter orders first.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pens featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection. This post contains affiliate links.

Exploring Stock Stub Nibs, Part II: Higher-end Options

February 7, 2019

A couple of years ago I wrote a piece on stock stub nibs, which focused on inexpensive options such as the Pilot Metropolitan and the TWSBI 580, both of which offer a very affordable stub nib that gives you line variation and makes your writing look more interesting at a price point as low as $15. As I wrote in that article, the main advantage to starting out with these inexpensive specialty nibs is that they allow you to learn how a stub writes without having to (potentially) sacrifice a pen in your collection to a nibmeister. I say this because for every pen I have had custom ground that ended up amazing, an even greater number of grinds didn’t work out, mostly because I chose a poor grind for my handwriting style, but a couple flopped because I went to a pen show and had the pen worked on by someone who didn’t know what they were doing.

Here, I want to discuss a couple of excellent stock stub nibs that are available on pens at higher price points. You might ask why spend money on an expensive stock stub when you can get a pen custom ground to your own personal preferences? A few things to consider:

If you’re looking for a stub nib at a standard “broad” width, a stock nib offers this at a stock price point (though sometimes with a slight upcharge) without having to undertake the additional expense and uncertainty of going the custom grind route.
You don’t have to visit a pen show. If you’re thinking of getting a pen custom ground for the first time, I highly recommend visiting a pen show and having the nib work done in person. You can work with the nibmeister to adjust the grind to your specifications as opposed to working through the mail. The costs of return shipping can add up!
Most importantly, a stock stub nib is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty and return policy. Everyone in this hobby thinking of having their nibs custom ground should realize that it voids the warranty on the pen, so if the grind doesn’t work out, you have to replace either the nib or the pen. On the other hand, if a stock stub is bad, or the grind doesn’t work for your particular writing style, you can return it to the retailer or distributor for an exchange.

So which stock stubs am I currently enjoying? I added a couple to my collection last year:

Three writing samples, starting from top: the Leonardo Officina Italiana Stub; the Aurora stub, and a custom ground .6mm Masuyama stub for comparison purposes.

Aurora. If you enjoy a crisper nib that offers more line variation than your typical stock nib, Aurora makes an excellent 18k stub. It’s approximately .7mm in width and has an ebonite feed, making the line width and ink flow perfect for everyday writing. It’s also surprisingly smooth, and mine has little to no tooth. A few years ago, I had picked up an Aurora Ipsilon Quadra with a stock italic nib, and I didn’t care for that nib at all because it was far too sharp and skipped and hard-started like crazy when I tried to use it as an actual writer. The stub on my 88 Minerali, however, is superb, on par with custom work. Lately, the word has gotten out about Aurora stock stubs, so they have been a bit harder to find. Currently, Pen Chalet has a stub nib option available in the all-black Aurora Unica Nera, and Dan Smith at The Nibsmith also keeps them in stock as an option for most Aurora pens.

Leonardo Officina Italiana. If you prefer a wider, smoother stub, consider the offerings from a new pen company based in Italy, Leonardo Officina Italiana. I was a fan of Delta pens before that company went out of business, and Leonardo was founded by former Delta employees. The company’s products reflect its heritage, though I’d say the Leonardo pens I own are a step above Delta in terms of fit, finish, and quality control. (It also doesn’t hurt that they have access to some discontinued Omas celluloids, due to a manufacturing partnership with Omas successor Armando Simoni Club.) Though wider than the Aurora stub (about 1.1-1.3mm), the Leonardo nib also features an ebonite feed and writes a narrower line than you would expect, making it another good option for everyday writing. I hear good things about Leonardo’s steel stub nibs as well, but haven’t personally tried them. I acquired the pen pictured here from Pen Venture as part of a three-pen set, and Emy tuned the nibs to perfection prior to shipping.

Franklin-Christoph and Pilot. Two other brands I should mention are Franklin-Christoph, which offers a wide variety of stub, cursive italic, and S.I.G. (Stub Italic Gradient) nibs in both stainless steel and gold. Those nibs are all excellent, and deserve their own article. The other brand I should mention here is Pilot, and in particular the Vanishing Point. Pilot offers a stub (“SU”) nib option for the VP that is roughly the same width as the Aurora, but I haven’t had the opportunity to write with one extensively.

If you’re interested in custom grinds, you can also check out this article, in which I talk about some of my favorite specialty grinds.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. Both pens pictured in this post were purchased by me with my own funds, for my own collection.