Sunday Reading for April 11, 2021

1. Review: Lamy Safari Savannah & Terracotta Special Editions (2021). These might be the best special edition Safaris Lamy has made (and yes, I know it’s been done before).

2. Esterbrook MV Nib Adapter (via Rants of the Archer). Though I’ve never been a vintage Esterbrook enthusiast, the MV Nib Adapter was a brilliant way for “new Esterbrook” to merge the original company with the new. I also need to get some new vintage nibs once shows reopen.

3. Lamy Aion Dark Green (via FP Quest). Ray picked up one of the new Dark Green Lamy Aions, and while this isn’t my favorite model Lamy has made, I love a good dark green edition of anything.

4. Uni-Ball Signo Needle 0.38 Review (via Writing at Large). A Signo DX with a needle tip instead of a conical tip? Sign me up? The needle point is pretty much the only thing that keeps me coming back to the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, so if this one takes off and becomes easier to find….

5. Platinum Curidas Urban Green Retractable Fountain Pen Review (via SBRE Brown). I need to break my Curidas pens out for a revisit - it’s been a while since I’ve used them, and I hear that Platinum has made efforts to get the cracked feed issues under control.

6. Holbein x Rotring 600 3-in-1 120th Anniversary Pen (via Bleistift). A Rotring 600 multi pen? In white? Why can’t we have these things regularly instead of via boutique Japanese store-exclusives? Why?

7. Narwhal Schuylkill Porpita Navy (via Dapprman). Yet another Narwhal review, and the brand remains on my “to check out” list. These non-standard colors interest me more than their general acrylic pens. This is a very thorough review and addresses some quality control issues with the pen, that don’t necessarily get much press elsewhere.

8. My Way or the Cahier (via Pete Denison). Cahiers, or slim paper notebooks, have their roots in student exercise books that so many of us remember fondly (or not). They’re a classic piece of stationery and I’m glad to see Pete has a new post up!

9. Robert Oster Pen Chalet Exclusives (via Well-Appointed Desk). Pen Chalet now has four new Arizona-inspired Robert Oster inks! Ana has swatches up over at the Desk.

10. Pilot Custom 823 #15 FA Fountain Pen (via Gourmet Pens). Azizah has a review of the Pilot Custom 823 - a favorite ink tank - paired with Pilot’s modern “flex nib” (which actually does offer a fair amount of flex for a modern pen.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I revisited the Pilot G2, which has long served as one of my workhorse gel pens. Is it as good as I remember? For the most part, yes, and I’m still quite fond of the .38mm refill. I also reviewed the Retro 51 Tornado Pencil, which gets much less attention than the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball but is a very interesting, unique piece of stationery in its own right.

This Week in the Curated Shop

As noted in this week’s Deals & Drops post, we now have a lot of mechanical pencils available, as well as a new line of Essential Office Supplies, such as high quality disposable ballpoints from Caran d’Ache. As many of us are vaccinated and prepare to head back into the office at some point over the next several months, we will find ourselves needing to restock our drawers and supply cabinets, and perhaps also refresh our workspaces with some new desk accessories and a fresh notebook! Check out the Curated Shop for these and more!

Hightide Sandglasses

Rhodia Webnotebooks

Clairefontaine 1951

Caran d'Ache Fountain Pens

Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and More!

You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. This year I’ve rolled out some new features in 2021 that will be exclusive to Patreon subscribers, including monthly online meetups. The last few have featured some really fun discussions! I will also continue with periodic “sample sales” of gently used review items, to which Patrons will have first access. The current sale is now live!

Pencil Review: Retro 51 Tornado Pencil

I’ve held off writing much on Retro 51 over the past year because I wanted to first see what was happening with the future of the company. As many of you may have heard, Retro 51 announced last year that their owners were retiring, and that the company would be “wound down” over the first six to nine months of 2020. Many were surprised - and a bit puzzled, to be honest - as Retro continued to roll out a seemingly endless stream of special and limited editions, store exclusive pens, and new products throughout the year, only to announce in January 2021 that the company wasn’t closing after all, that it was being acquired by new ownership, and that most of the staff would stay on to maintain continuity of operations.

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The Retro 51 “The System” Pencil designed by my friend, Mike Dudek of Dudek Modern Goods and The Clicky Post. I have a pen/pencil set, and it’s probably my favorite of all the Retro 51s.

While Retro 51 has never been one of my main collecting interests, the possibility of any pen company shutting down made me sad. While I’m glad to see the pens will still be available, and presumably all the Retro employees will keep their jobs, I will admit to some unease about how the company took an entire year to announce the “change in plans,” presumably knowing that fans were snapping up Retro 51 pens as “last chance” purchases because - as far as they knew - Retro 51 was shutting down. For now, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until we know more details about what happened over this past year and the plans new ownership has for the company.

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Shown here in-hand, the Retro 51 “Albert” pencil from the Vintage Metalsmith Collection.

But back to the substance of today’s review: the Retro 51 Tornado Pencil, a somewhat unique writing instrument that’s often overshadowed by its (much) more famous sibling, the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball. Shape-wise, the pen and pencil versions of the Tornado are identical, save for the large (and very good) eraser on the pencil. The pencil even uses the same twist mechanism to retract the lead, which is an ultra-wide 1.15mm. In terms of weight and balance, the Tornado Pencil and Rollerball feel nearly identical, so if you’re a fan of one, you’ll like the other. IF you can get past the lead size….

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Twist mechanism and eraser.

That brings me to the main downside of this product. A 1.15mm mechanical pencil lead is extremely broad - almost as broad as a leadholder pencil, but still too narrow to sharpen in a lead pointer. That leaves you with a rather blunt pencil point. For me, it limits the utility because I can’t write small, and annotations/marginalia while reading are my primary use case for mechanical pencils. You also won’t find many refill options other than the Retro 51-branded option, as 1.15mm is an odd size, and you’re typically stuck with standard HB grade without the option to go darker or harder.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

Overall, the Retro 51 Tornado is a good mechanical pencil, and I keep a couple in my collection. Since I enjoy writing small, the lead size on the Tornado Pencil makes regular use a challenge, despite the functional twist design and quality build. When I do use this pencil, it’s typically to jot quick notes to myself. Those with larger handwriting, or who prefer a broader pencil point for things like drawing, may not be bothered by the lead size, and if you find standard woodcase or mechanical pencil barrels too narrow, you may appreciate the more substantial Tornado.

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Writing sample shown here against a Rotring 800 with a .5mm lead. Paper is the Write Notepads Engineer Notebook.

Retro 51 Tornado Pencils are available for purchase individually, or as part of a pen/pencil set, from most Retro 51 dealers such as our friends at Vanness Pens. stand-alone pencils are priced between $40-45 and sets anywhere from $60-80, depending on the edition. This pricing is consistent with most high-quality mechanical pencils and the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball, which I consider good value. Refills are somewhat difficult to find, given the uncommon lead diameter, but are mostly available from Retro 51 dealers.

Further Reading on Retro 51

I’ve not written much on Retro 51 in the past, but I have previously reviewed the Retro Collection Desk Set, as well as a piece comparing the Tornado Rollerball and the Baron Fig Squire. Even though I don’t use it as much as other rollerballs these days, I should eventually do a stand-alone review of the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball.

Review Revisited: Is the Pilot G2 Still A Good Pen?

One of my major “pandemic projects” has been to bring the content on this website up to date: deleting years-old announcements and “deals” posts containing outdated links, advertisements and sponsor posts from companies no longer in existence, and other material that’s basically clutter and makes it more difficult to find truly useful content. In the process, I’ve come across many reviews that I hadn’t read in several years, including this piece from nearly five years ago in which I discuss my appreciation for the Pilot G2, and even call it my personal favorite gel pen. It’s time to revisit to see whether this opinion still holds true.

Short Answer: I Still Like the Pilot G2 Overall

For the most part, my original review holds up. While I’ve never been on board with the G2’s moniker as the “World’s Best Pen” or “World’s Most Popular Pen” or whatever, I also don’t believe that it deserves the shade thrown its way. For a pen that most people can find in their corner grocery store, the G2 is quite good and, in my mind, serves the same role as the Bic Cristal: a classic pen that’s almost universally available with a refill that provides a consistently decent writing experience whenever you need to just get some work done. For that reason, I continue to keep a handful of Pilot G2s in my desk. While the standard plastic G2 body has zero character and isn’t particularly comfortable, for a small amount of money you can upgrade to the G2 Limited, which offers a better grip and balance for less than $10. I still own two.

The G2 does an excellent job of preventing evaporation from the cartridge, presumably due to the plastic cap and whatever material Pilot uses to seal off the ink. The refill on the right is from a Signo 307, which shows significant evaporation. Both of these pens were left sitting for 2-3 years.

The G2 Vs. Everything Else

The biggest downside to the G2, at least as sold, is the design. Companies such as Uni and Pentel have the clear edge in terms of ergonomics. I simply don’t find the standard G2 grip that comfortable, and the standard pen body feels insubstantial. That said, what really interests me is the refill. The G2 continues to impress with its combination of availability, durability, and consistency. Is it a “great” writing experience? No. Will the G2 consistently offer a “good” writing experience, even in a pen that’s spent a couple of years unused in a desk? Based on my track record with this pen, the answer to that question is yes. With one or two exceptions, all of the G2s that I pulled out of my various stationery drawers wrote immediately, without any dryness or skipping, and when I checked the refills for evaporation I found that the G2s had much more ink remaining than its competitors, including the popular Pentel Energel and Uni Signo 307, the latter of which experienced significant evaporation after a couple of years. (Evaporation can cause gel ink to become sticky and blob and smear easily, which makes for a very unpleasant writing experience.)

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Finally, I did notice some discrepancies in performance between the various G2 tip sizes. Curiously, all of the “problematic” pens (i.e., skipping and dryness) contained blue .5mm refills. The .7mm and .38mm G2 refills performed flawlessly across the range of available colors. I’m not going to draw any firm conclusions from this, as it’s not a representative sample and YMMV, but I did make that observation. The .38mm tip size has become my current favorite.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The G2 remains my favorite inexpensive “office supply” gel pen. The combination of low cost, generally reliable performance, and the refill’s compatibility with a wide rage of different custom pens make it a quality option to have in your stationery cabinet. While the limited color options can be a considerable downside, the Pilot “Juice” range features the same refill format, though the pen itself is a bit more slender and less comfortable to use (in my opinion).

As I mentioned above, you can purchase a Pilot G2 anywhere. If you’re looking for the .38mm version, or one of the non-standard colors such as orange, burgundy, or blue-black, you may need to search around online, though I have occasionally seen them at big box office supply stores. G2 refills also ship standard in many custom machined pens, including Tactile Turn and Sunderland Machine Works. If you enjoy the G2 refill but can’t stand the default plastic housing, consider upgrading to Pilot’s G2 Limited or a third-party custom pen.

Disclaimer: The Pilot G2 products featured in this post were purchased with my own funds, for my own personal use. This post does not contain affiliate links. If you wish to support The Gentleman Stationer, please consider supporting us on Patreon or via The Curated Shop. Many thanks!

In the Curated Shop: Essential Office Supplies

While I’ve only ventured back into the “office” office (i.e., not the one at my house) a handful of times over the past year, when I was there I did notice a number of my pencils, ballpoints, and gel pens left unattended during this time had dried up or gone missing. I also realized that the office had by default become the repository for second and third-tier review samples - pens I had picked up for review purposes, in many cases years ago, and don’t actually want to use. It was plainly time for an overhaul and an upgrade.

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Since office pens and pencils do tend to walk off my desk or get borrowed by co-workers, I don’t invest a lot in the pens I keep there. At the same time, I need something reliable that’s pleasant to work with. As I expand The Curated Shop, one category I plan to build out is “Essential Office Supplies,” a selection of high quality, yet relatively inexpensive, pens and pencils that you don’t have to overly fret about taking to or leaving at the office. Currently, the selection ranges from disposable Caran d’Ache Eco click pens (one version of which is made from reclaimed wood shavings from the pencil-making process), to woodcase pencils, to relatively inexpensive refillable ballpoints and mechanical pencils such as the Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 series.

You can check out these and many more quality Caran d’Ache products in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Caran d’Ache and all other brands sold. Many thanks for your continued support!

Sunday Reading for April 4, 2021

1. Leonardo Tredici Fountain Pen (via Pencilcase Blog). Now they’re making a faceted pen? Thirteen facets? In Hawaii and Arlecchino acrylic, two of my favorite materials? My wallet hurts already.

2. Muryō Bullet Journal Indexing System (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). Looking for an “add on” to create a bit more structure for you bullet journaling? You may want to consider this card-based system.

3. The Scale of Paper Absorption: Part 3 (via Left Hook Pens). I’ve gotten back into paper recently, and have been enjoying reading through all the various experiments people conduct on different notebooks and paper brands.

4. Narwhal Original Demonstrator (via Rants of the Archer). Yet another Narwhal review! I need to get my hands on one of these. While I occasionally here reports of a bad nib, on the whole performance seems to be consistently good.

5. National Pencil Day: Vintage Treasures in Old Stationery Stores (via Writing at Large). Wow, a haul of old Mongol No. 2 pencils in the wild!? Given the pencil craze going on here, you’d never find that in the U.S.

6. Pandemic Hobbies and the Great Depression (via CNN Wellness). What hobbies have you picked up over the past year that you plan to continue into the future? Reading and gardening for me.

7. Carriage House Papermaking Kit (Part 2 of 2) (via Pen Addict). Susan continues with her papermaking adventures!

8. Paper Review and Giveaway: Musubi Cosmo Air Light Notebook (via Well-Appointed Desk). Lots of people are reviewing the new Musubi Folio notebooks featuring Cosmo Air Light Paper, and there are several ongoing giveaways presenting an opportunity to win one of these. (See details below for our own review and giveaway).

9. Wingback Mechanical Pencil Kickstarter Review (via Ed Jelley). UK-based Wingback has followed up on their successful pen project with a high-capacity, ergonomic machined mechanical pencil.

10. The Case for Not Listening to Music When You Work Out (via Art of Manliness). Something I’ve been thinking about lately is the lack of quiet in my life (especially in a house where everyone’s been “at home at all times” for over a year).

In Case You Missed It….

This week I reviewed two products, one old and one new. For National Pencil Day, I reviewed the Ohto Sharp Mechanical Pencil, which I found to be an appropriate celebratory review since the Sharp literally bridges the gap between mechanical and woodcase pencils. I also reviewed the new Musubi Folio Notebook featuring Cosmo Air Light Paper, and I’m running a giveaway! Visit the post for full details. Finally, I looked at five of my favorite Traveler’s Notebook accessories, most if not all of which I use in my own setup.

New This Week in the Curated Shop

First of all, through 11:59pm this evening, we are running an Easter Sale in the Curated Shop! Through Sunday, take 10% off all Curated Shop orders using the coupon code “SPRINGTIME”. What to use your discount on? If you’re looking to celebrate Easter, Passover, or simply the arrival of spring, then check out the Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 ballpoints and mechanical pencils, which come in a wide array of bright colors and even a “Swiss Cross” version! I’ve also begun stocking more everyday office supplies, such as the high quality Caran d’Ache Eco click pens, including one made from wood chips generated by the Caran d’Ache pencil-making operation!

New Pencils!

Eco Ballpoints

Engineer Notebooks

TRC Brass

Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and More!

You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. This year I’ve rolled out some new features in 2021 that will be exclusive to Patreon subscribers, including monthly online meetups. The last few have featured some really fun discussions! I will also continue with periodic “sample sales” of gently used review items, to which Patrons will have first access. The current sale is now live!