An Abundance of Good Paper: Write Notepads Memo Pads

December 9, 2020

We not only live in a new “golden age” of fountain pen ink, but also fountain pen friendly paper. In the past few months alone, I’ve had the pleasure of testing at least four different legal or desk pads, all of which turned out to be excellent. When I first got into this hobby, there was Rhodia and Clairefontaine. Hard Stop. Not only do today’s fountain pen enthusiasts have a much more extensive selection to choose from, but the cost of good everyday paper has dropped.

After revamping their notebook lineup to include some of the most ink-friendly paper on the market, Baltimore-based Write Notepads has now released a new set of “Memo Notepads” - 8.5” x 11” legal-sized writing pads containing the same 70# paper stock found in the notebooks. Each pad is glue-bound at the top, so the sheets tear off easily, and backed by a sturdy kraft/chipboard back cover.

One thing I love about Write Notepads paper is that it is uncoated and more absorbent than your typical “fountain pen friendly” paper. It dries quickly, and despite the absorbency does not bleed or feather.

Write Notepads Memo Pads are sold two pads to a pack, with each pad containing 50 sheets. You can choose from three different 1/4” rulings: dot grid, lined, and “Meeting” (a Cornell-style ruling optimized for taking and summarizing meeting notes). These pads are ruled on both sides, so you actually get 100 pages of writing per pad - a feature that I wish makers of other high-end legal pads (such as Blackwing) would emulate. When I’m paying for good paper, I want to be able to easily use both sides of the page.

Some people really enjoy the “Meeting” ruling for the ability to easily summarize notes and pull together action items. It’s also useful for research.

You can purchase Write Memo Notepads in the Curated Shop, priced at $18 for a pack of two. The Shop also carries the full range of Write Notepads products, from spiral Notebooks to pocket notebooks to hardbound journals. I can’t wait to see what Write releases next - perhaps a landscape desk pad? (Suggestion….)

The TGS Patreon Program, sales through The Curated Shop, and affiliations with other sites and retailers are how I fund The Gentleman Stationer. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Pairing Items for Stationery Gifts: Different Ideas for Different Interests

December 8, 2020

Let’s face it: We’re all scrambling for last-minute gifts. Whether it’s a friend or family member, there’s always at least one person who I either forgot or who is impossible to shop for. In these situations I always appreciate suggestions, so I thought I’d put together a series of proposed stationery gift pairings targeted to different interests, drawn from the full range of items available in The Curated Shop.

For the Journaler

Consider pairing a Midori MD notebook with a refillable cover that your recipient can continue to use long after they fill the notebook. Not only are the notebooks themselves high-quality, featuring 176 pages of fountain pen friendly Japanese paper, but the covers present a range of options, from luxurious natural goat leather, to durable paper or clear plastic. (Note that the paper cover is made from a thick Japanese craft paper that is tear resistant and will take on its own texture and patina as it ages.)

While the notebook itself makes a thoughtful gift, you can further customize by adding smaller items such as unique Washi Tapes or a pack of colored pencils from Midori or Caran d’Ache + Paul Smith, for those who like to use their journal as a scrapbook or sketchbook. Midori products also pair particularly well with Traveler’s Company accessories, including the full range of TRC Brass Pens.

For the Writer on the Go

Know someone who always carries a notebook with them, no matter where they go? Some of my favorite pocket notebooks at the moment include these hardcover Kokuyo “Sketch” notebooks, currently stocked in five different colors. With 80 pages of 6.5” x 4” paper, these notebooks last longer than your typical pocket notebooks and the hardcover holds up well to daily use.

The perfect pairing? Consider adding a Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint pen, available at a variety of price points. The standard edition starts at just $20, with special finishes also available, including the “Metal-X”, the “Black Code,” the “Gold Bar,” and several limited editions. Someone who enjoys mechanical pencils might appreciate the Giuliano Mazzuoli Nobile ITALIA, a portable ballpoint pen that ships with three refills and a mechanical pencil insert.

For the Reader

At a time when readers are increasingly pressured to “go digital,” it can be hard to find gifts for those who appreciate actual books. For this holiday season, I’ve stocked the store with reading accessories, including sterling silver page markers and book weights from WMS & Co. For the particularly active reader who enjoys annotating and marking up their book so they can come back to it in the future, consider pairing one of these bookmarks with a pack of Book Darts or double-ended annotation pencils, available in both red/graphite and highlighter/graphite combinations.

For Those Newly Working from Home

As someone used to working from a designated office outside the home, the pandemic required me to make significant changes to my remote work setup. Give someone a hand in boosting their productivity with desk accessories such as a 30, 15, 5, or 3-minute Sandglass from Hightide, a folding metal bookstand (that can also hold a notepad or tablet), or a sturdy, old-school oversized clipboard for those moments when everyone needs to get away from the actual desk.

Pair any of these with a high-quality desk pad from Midori or Write Notepads, and if you’re really feeling generous, consider gifting someone the ultimate desk pen: a CW&T Pen Type-A or Pen Type-B. The Pen Type-A comes with a handy ruler sleeve, and who doesn’t find themselves needing a ruler?

A Note on Holiday Shipping

For additional gift ideas, be sure to check out the T.G.S. 2020 Holiday Gift Guide. To be safe, if you want to ensure that something will arrive by December 25 (or even New Years, at this point), please place all domestic U.S. orders by December 15, though given today’s circumstances there can be no guarantees. Unfortunately, international orders are unlikely to arrive until after the holidays.

Many thanks for your support!

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Workflows Update: Why I'm Choosing an Undated Planner for 2021

December 5, 2020

A few weeks ago I wrote about how pretty much all of my work “systems” broke down in 2020. Working from home full time revealed the ugly downside of working analog in a tight space: paper, lot’s of it, and not the good kind. Rather, I found myself overwhelmed with what I call “junk paper”, such as copies of memos, e-mails, letters, etc. that I tended to print out to read, mark up, and never use again.

My work circumstances also revealed a lot of pointless redundancies. For one think, I’ve realized that it probably makes very little sense for me to keep a traditional paper planner. I have far too many appointments, tasks, and reminders that I need to manage on a daily basis for it to be practical. Given that so much comes in through e-mail, it’s more efficient for me to manage these types of tasks electronically rather than transcribing entries back and forth between my phone and a planner.

That said, I don’t want to give up planning on paper entirely. The value of sitting down to write out your primary tasks and goals can’t be understated, yet I don’t need to do it every day, or even every week. Instead, I tend to lean most on this technique when I’m overwhelmed and need to prioritize. An undated planner offers the flexibility I need without having to worry about “wasting” blank days and weeks in a planner that uses a dated format. Used this way, the undated planner may even last me for more than a year.

Favorite Undated Planner Options

Fortunately, undated planners have surged in popularity over the past few years, and you now have multiple options when looking for something that meets your needs. Today, I’ll take a look at a few different options.

Write Notepads Weekly Planner. This landscape spiral-bound notebook offers a large, week-on-two-pages format that offers plenty of space to manage tasks and even schedule your days down to the hour if that’s how you’d prefer to use it. I have one of these set aside for 2021 and plan to rely on it heavily, as Write Notepads paper is among the most versatile for all types of writing instruments, and landscape notebooks fit perfectly beneath a keyboard.
Traveler’s Notebook. You can’t understate the versatility of the Traveler’s Notebook system. Perfect for those looking for a highly customizable, compact notebook, TRC (“Traveler’s Company”) sells a range of undated planner inserts that you can include alongside standard notebook refills. My favorites include the Weekly “Free Diary” (a week-on-two-pages layout), but there are daily and monthly versions as well.
Field Notes Undated Weekly Planner. Prefer something less fussy, durable, and ultra-convenient? Field Notes’ simple 56-Week undated planner features a spiral binding and a sturdy chipboard cover. It’s also arguably the most portable of anything on this list.
BaronFig Mastermind Week Pad. Don’t care about saving your planners for posterity? Baron Fig’s weekly planning take on the standard Mastermind Desk Pad (another personal favorite) comes three pads to a pack for just $9 - a full year’s worth of weekly planning. Once you finish a week, tear it off and start fresh! I’ve used these periodically at work, but my job usually requires something with a larger format and more writing space.
Midori MD Notebook Journal (A5 Dot Grid). For the ultimate in unstructured, undated planning, you can always go the Bullet Journal route, and this Midori A5 Notebook Journal with blank dot grid pages and the place for the date in the upper right-hand corner will serve you well. Of course, you can substitute your own favorite brand of journal or preferred ruling, if dot grid isn’t your thing.

Where to Buy

You can find some of the options discussed above currently in stock at the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Others can be found at our sponsor Vanness Pens, or purchased directly from BaronFig. In addition to shopping for yourself during the waning months of 2020 (yay!), planner-style notebooks make great gifts for stationery enthusiasts and professionals during the ongoing holiday season.

Happy Holidays: A Review of Ferris Wheel Press Peppermint Drop / "Tourbillon de Menthe"

December 2, 2020

I’m officially declaring post-Thanksgiving “Cyber Week” over (at least for me), and it’s time to get back to business as usual. What better way to kick off December and the holiday season with an ink called “Peppermint Drop,” from a brand I’ve never reviewed before?

Ferris-Wheel-Press-Peppermint-Drop-Bottle-Label

If you spend any time at all on stationery social media, you’ve probably heard of Ferris Wheel Press, a Canadian company based in Toronto that launched on Kickstarter back in 2018. While I appreciated the carefully crafted, vintage look of the brand, I didn't think the products themselves would be for me. I had heard mixed reviews about the initial batch of inks, with reports of feathering, bleed-through, and slow dry times. Ferris Wheel Press also had introduced a fountain pen, the “Brush,” which I found aesthetically interesting but too slim for my taste. Since then, Ferris Wheel Press has expanded their line of products to include more than a dozen inks, notebooks, paper, and other stationery accessories, and apparently they’ve also perfected their ink formulations.

Yet again, I’m a perfect example for why you should occasionally venture outside of your comfort zone. Lisa Vanness was kind enough to send me a 38ml bottle of Ferris Wheel Press “Peppermint Drop,” (or, “Tourbillon de Menthe”, for the francophones out there). Not only is the Ferris Wheel Press ink bottle exquisitely crafted, but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with the ink itself, and to the extent there have been issues with other colors, Peppermint Drop behaves well and might be the perfect green to use in December. I’d describe it as a “true green” with slight hints of teal, and you may get a minor degree of red sheen in swabs or wetter nibs.

Again, while the ink itself is quite good, equal attention needs to be paid to the bottle. Ferris Wheel Press originally received a lot of attention and press in the pen world for their larger, 85ml balloon-shaped bottles, but they have since introduced a smaller, 36ml bottle reminiscent of a vintage perfume bottle (or even a flask). Each bottle has a brass cap, which combined with a rubber interior seal should be durable and minimize leakage. The flat profiles on these bottles also makes them easy to store.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’m glad that Vanness sent me this ink to review, because Ferris Wheel Press is one of those brands that I probably would not have chosen to review myself. I suspect a lot of pen enthusiasts have taken a pass due to the brand’s conscious branding and social media promotion, which they take as a sign that these accessories aren’t for serious writers. That’s not the case. Peppermint Drop is an excellent ink that dries quickly, even on coated paper like Clairefontaine, and doesn’t feather or bleed at all. I could easily use this ink as an everyday writer and I’m interested to see if the other options in the Ferris Wheel Press lineup follow suit.

Our friends and sponsors at Vanness Pens carry the full line of Ferris Wheel Press inks, including the ink featured in this review. As I mentioned above, Ferris Wheel Press inks are available in two different bottle sizes: a larger 85ml bottle and a smaller 38ml bottle, priced at $36 and $18 respectively.

Disclaimer: The ink featured in this review was provided by Vanness Pens free of charge, for review purposes. Many thanks to Vanness for making this review possible!

Pen Review: Maiora Impronte Oversize Fountain Pen

November 21, 2020

Of all the new brands that have emerged from the collapse of the former Italian pen company Delta, Leonardo Officina Italiana has received the most attention. A second penmaker, however, has emerged whose products also deserve a close look: Maiora, the maker of the superbly comfortable “Impronte” and “Impronte Oversize.”

The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, left, alongside the Maiora Impronte Oversize, right.

Maiora and Leonardo both trace their roots to Delta. While Leonardo was founded by one of the founders of Delta, Ciro Matrone and his family, Maiora is owned by Nino Marino, the other founder. Since neither company has an official website, most of my knowledge of the respective company histories comes secondhand, and I would refer you to Glenn Marcus’s excellent website for additional background information.

Maiora’s flagship model is the “Impronte,” which comes in standard and oversized models. Here, Vanness Pens kindly sent me an oversized pen to review, in the dark blue “Capri” acrylic. From first glance, the Maiora Impronte has a lot to offer. The section features a pronounced hourglass shape that’s exceedingly comfortable to write with, and the tapered barrel allows for deep posting of the cap. This gives the Maiora Impronte Oversize a marked advantage over other larger pens, especially for those with small hands who love to post and might find a pen like the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande a touch unwieldy.

The Impronte features what is honestly one of the more comfortable sections that I’ve used. It almost feels like it cradles your fingers as you write.

Design-wise, you can certainly see the shared Delta heritage in both Maiora and Leonardo pens, from the general silhouettes, to the peaked caps, to the Delta-style converter filling system that allows you to unscrew the blind cap to access the converter to fill as you would with a traditional piston, without disassembling the pen entirely. Maiora Pens use standard JoWo No. 6 stainless steel nibs.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I remained a huge fan of Delta Pens until the end, despite their inconsistent design aesthetic and quality control issues. Based on my experience with Leonardo Pens, and now, the Maiora Impronte, I’m happy to say that both of these new companies have taken the best of Delta and appear to be moving forward with two lines of high-quality pens that are built for writing, with a focus on comfort and sturdy build quality.

Despite the shared heritage, the Leonardo and Maiora pens have distinct differences. For example, Maiora did not continue with Delta’s “roller clip” design, and the Impronte is shorter and more tapered than the Momento Zero Grande (shown right). Mai… — Despite the shared heritage, the Leonardo and Maiora pens have distinct differences. For example, Maiora did not continue with Delta’s “roller clip” design, and the Impronte is shorter and more tapered than the Momento Zero Grande (shown right). Maiora also uses JoWo nibs, while Leonardo uses Bock. Currently, Maiora Impronte fountain pens are only available with steel nibs.

It’s taken me a while to get my hands on a Maiora Impronte for review, as the pens were available in limited stock until recently. Our friends and sponsors at Vanness Pens were kind enough to send me the Maiora Impronte Oversize featured here, and they currently offer a range of different colors and finishes. The Maiora Impronte Oversize has a MSRP of $245, and typically retails for $196. For a quality handmade pen with this degree of fit and finish, the price is fair, though over the long term I would hope to see them come down to match the Leonardo Momento Zero, which has some models priced as low as $169, depending on the materials used.

Disclaimer: I received the pen featured in this post free of charge from site sponsor Vanness Pens, for review purposes. Many thanks to Vanness Pens for making this review possible.