Restock Tuesday! Clairefontaine French-Ruled Paper, Washi Tape, and Enamel Pins!

September 28, 2021

Yesterday I received a fresh shipment of Clairefontaine French-ruled paper, which should be a relief for those of you who have been asking for a restock. I currently have Clothbound, Stablebound, and Wirebound notebooks all ready to ship, in addition to more Quo Vadis Habanas, which feature Clairefontaine dot grid paper. I’m also happy to introduce a new round of select washi tapes from iLootPaperie, as well as a new snail mail-themed enamel pin that you can proudly wear to show your love for written correspondence and the postal service! Finally, I’ve brought back the best-selling “science matters” enamel pins. Happy Shopping!

The A5 Clothbound Notebook might be my favorite Clairefontaine item that I carry.

There are some gems in this latest washi restock!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all products sold.

This week’s deskscape: Trying to get back on the journaling horse.

Sunday Reading for September 26, 2021

September 26, 2021

SCRIBO Piuma Impressione with EEF Nib (via UK Fountain Pens). Anthony reviews the latest from SCRIBO, including their new needlepoint nib. While I do understand that some nibs need time to “break in,” I’m also wondering why nib are going out the door that won’t write at all?
The TWSBI Swipe (via Left Hook Pens). A great review of a great little pen, whether you’re an experienced pen user or just looking to take the fountain pen plunge.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Evolution with the Chromium Nib (via Dapprman). A really interesting and creative design from Visconti, though possibly hampered by production issues and functionality.
Pilot Custom 823 and Custom 845 (Urushi) (via Scrively). This is an excellent video overview of two pens that are “grails” for many.
Getting to Know the Nomi Notebook (via Penquisition). Evan reviews an interesting product that hopes to balance environmental sustainability with quality stationery.
Ferris Wheel Press Brush Fountain Pen (via Macchiato Man). Yagan has a very thorough review of the Brush fountain pen from Canadian company Ferris Wheel Press, which has been cultivating a higher profile in the community over the past several months.
Giants’ Pens Maple and Resin Fountain Pen (via Rants of the Archer). I’m discovering all sorts of pen companies that I never heard of before. This pen from Giants’ Pens in the Netherlands is beautiful.
Ink Overview (Esterbrook Inks, Part I) (via Macchiato Man). Yagan takes a look at some of the new Esterbrook Inks, with multiple writing samples using different pens and papers.
Private Reserve Old vs. New Part 2 (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana looks at the new Private Reserve inks, since their re-release, and how they compare to older formulations.
Gravitas Skittle Fountain Pen Matte Finish (via Pen Addict). I need to get my hands on a Gravitas Pen soon. That design (and especially the finish) are calling to me.

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog, I published my thoughts on Stálogy Paper, after using one of their Half-Year notebooks for two months in my work planner. I also launched the first part of a HUGE project I’ve been working on for several months now: the first installment of an easily navigable content archive, which pulls together most of the fountain pen reviews on T.G.S. from over the past 7 years. Go get lost in the last decade’s worth of pen reviews!

Curated Shop Pen Show Specials

Since I couldn’t attend the Dallas Pen Show, I’m running a tiered gift promotion this week in the shop, with special add-ons for $50 and $100 orders. I’ll extend it through Sunday today. I’ve also had a ton of restocks on various product lines, including Traveler’s Company and Midori, and I’ve added the Maruman Mnemosyne line as a brand. All of these make great workhorse notebooks and paper!

Kokuyo Trip Books

TWSBI

Mnemosyne

Midori MD A4

Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and First Dibs on Gently Used Stationery, Exclusive Products and More!

For some additional fun, and to help support the blog consider joining the Patreon program. Patreon supporters receive special pricing and early access to product releases and collaborations such as the T.G.S. x Sunderland pen, in addition to other benefits. You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. This year I’ve introduced monthly online meetups, which take place on Friday or Saturday and have been super enjoyable. We’ve discussed our thoughts on pen shows restarting, recent arrivals in our personal collections, and more. I will also continue with periodic “sample sales” of gently used review items and T.G.S. collaborations, to which Patrons will have first access. The current sale is now live and features the inks that I’m selling off as I thin out my personal accumulation.

Introducing the New and Improved T.G.S. Review Archive

September 25, 2021

One thing that has frustrated me beyond compare is the inability of readers (and myself) to easily search the eight years’ worth of T.G.S. review content. I finally couldn’t take it anymore, and for the past month I’ve been working on building an organized archive of past T.G.S. pen reviews. I’m happy to let you know that the new archive is now available to search, and I plan to do the same with non-fountain pens, inks, and paper in the future.

I have organized this review archive by brand, albeit with most small-batch and artisan makers grouped into their own section, which sits at the top of the page. My recommendation is that you go there first, as that’s where the most exciting stuff is happening these days. Enjoy!

You may notice that some brands are missing from this list. That is either because I have not yet reviewed pens made by the brand in question, or I haven’t yet located the past content. The archive is, and will forever remain, a work in progress as I don’t aim to stop reviewing anytime soon!

Stálogy Paper: My Thoughts, Two Months In

September 22, 2021

You can’t really evaluate a new paper until you’ve used it regularly for a couple of months, and since July I’ve been putting a Stálogy notebook through the wringer as my daily work notebook. I’ve never used this paper before, and I can see this brand easily forming a part of my daily rotation going forward. If I had to sum up Stálogy in a single sentence, it would characterize it as extremely thin, versatile Japanese paper that makes a great daily driver or work notebook, especially if you value quick dry times. That said, if you’re looking for thin paper to showcase pooled ink like Tomoe River, this may not be the notebook for you. While Stálogy doesn’t feather, and the ink looks great on the white paper with the grey ruling, you may see limited pinpoint bleed through with wider nibs and/or wetter inks, as thin, absorbent paper has its limitations.

(You may recall that I wrote a piece back in July discussing how you can customize notebooks by cutting them down to size, and that’s exactly what I did here. Stálogy notebooks don’t come in “Traveler’s Size,” - I made this one myself so a half-year version would fit in my Standard Traveler’s Notebook.)

Stálogy covers come in a range of colors other than black, including yellow. light blue, and red versions.

Style and Build Quality

I love the Stálogy aesthetic. The flexible leatherette cover feels sturdy without adding unnecessary bulk to the notebook, which would only detract from the key selling point of paper this thin. I’ve been carrying this notebook in my briefcase or car on a daily basis for two months (albeit in a Traveler’s Notebook cover), and so far the binding has held up well.

The Stalogy pages feature grey rulings with a header allowing you to label the month, day, and date.

The other thing I am truly enjoying is Stálogy’s light grey, 4mm grid ruling. Those who find bold rulings obtrusive, but who are still looking for more structure than a blank notebook offers, should give the Stálogy system a try. The grey lines essentially disappear under your writing, and 4mm is a great size for those of us who write small.

Every two lines are subtly numbered along the left-hand margin of each page, providing a 24 Hour layout for scheduling and logging.

Layout and Performance

In addition to the minimalist, almost industrial “leather book” aesthetic, people love Stálogy for the subtle date/time layout in the header and margin, allowing you to use this notebook for notetaking or journaling, or as a planner. The left-hand margin is subtly numbered 1 through 24, for a full 24-hour layout if you want to use your notebook as a planner or log book. Across the top, you can select the month, day, and date, which is always useful, no matter what your use case might be.

A handful of writing samples on Stálogy paper. As you can see, the ink looks great on the white paper with grey ruling, and I had absolutely no feathering even with some very wet pens.

Which brings us to the big question: what about the paper? It’s quite good. That said, paper is all about trade-offs. Those who love really thin paper know that in order for a thin paper to handle a lot of ink without feathering or bleed-through, you typically have to coat the paper and accept a longer dry time. Stálogy takes a different approach. This paper is more absorbent than something like Tomoe River, so you have a (much) shorter dry time. (Several friends who are lefties LOVE Stálogy for this very reason.) The paper also has a nice texture that lends a pleasant, tactile feel as you write. The trade-off might be some slight, pinpoint bleed-through with wet inks and wider nibs, though most fountain pens still work very well. While I absolutely did not experience anything that would keep me from using this notebook as a daily driver, I am overly cautious in labeling something as “fountain pen friendly” because that’s become a loaded term that has different meanings for different people.

The reverse side of the same page. You see some slight “pinpoint” bleeds on especially wet writing samples (i.e., stubs and ebonite feeds with wet ink), but nothing that prevents me from using this paper all day, every day. For how I use paper, the quick dry time is absolutely worth the trade-off in a work notebook.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

With future availability of Tomoe River Paper in question, the focus has turned to other options for extremely thin paper that allows notebook makers to pack a high page count into a compact size. While it’s not absolutely “ink proof” like Tomoe River, Stálogy paper is a very good alternative, especially for those of us who need a thin notebook and value more absorbent paper with better dry times. Personally, I’ve been using Stálogy every day for the past couple of months and love both the paper feel and quick dry performance.

My favorite color? The light blue (though the yellow really pops).

Stálogy notebooks are available in a range of sizes, including A5, A6, and B5, in both “365 Days”/“Year” (368 Page) or “180 Days”/”Half-Year” (192 Page) versions (also referred to as “year” and “half-year”). Currently, the T.G.S. Curated Shop stocks the A5 notebooks in both 365 and 180 Days, with the grid ruling. Dot grid is also available, which I hope to stock soon. In addition to the classic black cover, Stalogy has released brighter pastel versions, such as the light blue shown here, as well as periodic special editions. Half-Year notebooks are priced at $20, and 365-Day versions at $28.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Stálogy. For more information on paper recommendations, I would check out this post on “Fountain Pen Friendly Paper” and how I categorize different brands.

Maruman Mnemosyne Notebooks, in both landscape and standard versions.

Introducing Maruman Mnemosyne Notebooks

September 21, 2021

I’m pleased to announce that the TGS Curated Shop now stocks Maruman’s fabulous Mnemosyne notebooks, which not only feature fountain pen friendly paper, but a highly durable, laminate cover + spiral binding and best of all, perforated pages. One of the big drawbacks to many spiral notebooks is the inability to cleanly tear out sheets that you might want to save (or destroy) separately from the main notebook. Maruman solves this problem by adding perforations, a feature I wish others would incorporate. We currently stock Mnemosyne notebooks in A4 and A5 sizes, in lined, grid, and dot grid rulings. Please note that the grid notebooks are landscape notebooks, with the spiral binding across the top of the page and the ruling on one side.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Maruman, Midori, Traveler’s Company, and other high quality stationery makers.

All grid notebooks are landscape style (see bottom).

For paper of this quality, Mnemosyne Notebooks are attractively priced, with A5 sizes at $8-9 and A4 sizes at $15. All notebooks feature 80 sheets/160 pages.

And A Note on the Dallas Pen Show

Finally, a bit of bad news. Due to work staffing issues, I will be unable to attend the Dallas Pen Show this coming weekend. I know, I’m disappointed too, but stay tuned for some special surprises this coming weekend as I promise to make it up! As of now, Chicago is still on the calendar for next week.