Reintroducing the "Workhorse Pens" Series, and Back-End Updates

I’ve been doing a lot of “back-end maintenance” here lately, both personal and professional. The blog is now eight years old, with a lot of content that needs to be organized and some that needs to be pruned in order to keep the sight easily navigable and running smoothly. In addition to working on new content projects such as the Fountain Pen Review Archive, I’ve also been pulling together categories of topical articles such as the “Workhorse Pen” series, which is a series that I’ve written for several years looking at those pens that I regularly use for my own everyday writing, and have certain characteristics that make me want to recommend them to others for that same purpose. All of those reviews are now organized in their own section, including the most recent entry involving metal pens as workhorse pens. If you’re new to the site, this series of articles provides an excellent introduction to what The Gentleman Stationer is all about: helping people find great stationery and writing tools that they can incorporate into their everyday life.

Speaking of Updates…

If you’ve been following me on Instagram and in the shop, you’ll know that we’ve been undertaking a build-out and renovation to our home office area, which is where the shop and site are both based. While it’s ultimately going to give me more room to work and make it much easier to stay on top of things, it has been disruptive, and I’m going to have to step away for a couple of days while they finish up some work that involves us leaving the house. It’s only a few days, so shop shipping shouldn’t be affected and orders will still ship within a 2-3 business day window. Many thanks for your patience and understanding!

The giveaway runs

Don’t Forget to Enter the Current Giveaway!

In celebration of eight years and 10,000 followers, we’re giving away a T.G.S. x. Sunderland Rollerball Pen, a Schon DSGN Pocket Six, and a grab bag of T.G.S. Swag! Check out this post to enter and for the full details. The giveaway closes on Sunday, May 22 at 11:59pm U.S. Central Time.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links.

Thursday Drops: Platinum Carbon Desk Pens in Black and Red!

When I ordered these Platinum Carbon Desk Pens a couple of months ago, I knew I was going to stock them but didn’t bother to read closely enough to realize that they came in both black and red/burgundy, my two favorite colors. Here’s to happy coincidences! These excellent modern versions of a classic vintage desk accessory are now available for purchase in the shop, and the best part is that the stand-alone pen costs only $13. You can pair it with a base/stand for only an additional $20, giving you a fully functional desk pen set for just $33!

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The Platinum Carbon Desk Pen, shown here in black in the stand (both pieces sold separately).

We are gradually building out our selection of fountain pens on offer, with a goal of focusing on those pens that are not only fun to use but offer solid value as everyday writers. To that end, we believe that the Platinum Carbon Desk Pen fits nicely into that category, and look forward to adding additional Platinum Pens in the future.

1. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen. Featuring an extra-fine gold-tone stainless steel nib and Platinum’s Slip-and-Seal cap technology, I was absolutely blown away by how well this pen wrote straight out of the box. Available in both black and red, and ships with one cartridge or Platinum ink in black or red to match the pen.

2. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen Base. Looking to recreate that vintage desk-scape? Start with a full desk-pen set. Available in black only (but it still looks outstanding paired with the red desk pen).

3. Midori MD Notebook Light Series. This week we also added the Midori MD “Light” Notebooks to our lineup, which feature the same excellent MD paper sold in packs of three slim format, 24 sheet/48 page notebooks. There is also a 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Set that was released this year, which includes seven different A5 notebooks featuring different color grid ruling and matching threaded bindings.

4. Midori 70th Anniversary 5-Year Diary. The recycled green leather binding on the limited five-year diary is gorgeous. I’m breaking out my own journal that I unfortunately let lapse, now that I have a place to work once again.

5. Midori MD Fountain Pen. This sleeper of an entry-level fountain pen deserves more attention, and it’s all because of the nib, which is slightly downturned to accommodate those who might write with a heavier hand. Even if you don’t, it’s super smooth. Read more here.

6. Traveler’s Company Brass Fountain Pen. Long one of my favorite pocket pens, my “Factory Green” fountain pen stays in regular rotation, along with my classic brass ballpoint.

7. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pens. This past year TWSBI released a cartridge-converter fountain pen for the first time, and the result has frankly been spectacular. Purchase of any TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen includes a cartridge and TWO different converters, so right away you’re ready to use either cartridges or bottled ink. We currently have all colors in stock, including the new Salmon and Pear.

8. TWSBI ECO Jade Fountain Pen. The rumor is that TWSBI’s ECO Jade release won’t be available for much longer. We still have a couple in stock.

9. TWSBI Vac700R Iris Fountain Pen. In addition to ensuring that we span the range of price points in our fountain pen offerings, we also wanted to span the range of filling systems, including a high-capacity vacuum-model. It helps that the “Iris” finish on the Vac700R is quite nice to look at. Check out the full write-up of this pen here.

10. TWSBI 580ALR Fountain Pens. TWSBI’s flagship 580 piston filler has been around in some form or fashion for 10 years now, but the best thing they’ve done - in my opinion - is release the pen with anodized aluminum trim and the textured metal sections. What’s you're favorite color? For me it’s a toss-up between the Navy and the Prussian Blue.

Notebook Review: Nina Cosford Sketchbook and Rediscovering Blank Notebooks

I’ve never been a huge user of blank notebooks, always opting for at least a dot grid, which to me offers a good balance of flexibility with some minimal structure for notes. As I mainly use my stationery for taking notes or journaling, I’ve never really needed a “sketchbook,” per se, but I do keep one or two blank notebooks lying around to test pens and inks, especially with crazy nibs. When Nina Cosford, a well-known illustrator based in the U.K., reached out and asked if I’d like to review her sketchbook, I was in the middle of a “make-an-inky-mess” project and thought this looked like an intriguing thing to review, even if it’s a bit outside-the-box in terms of what I normally write about. I’m glad I took this particular project on, as this sketchbook features excellent 100gsm paper that I plan to use frequently going forward.

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The Nina Cosford Sketchbook as a Project

As I mentioned above, Nina Cosford is an illustrator and lifelong sketchbook enthusiast, who, unable to find that “perfect product” - something we can all relate to - set out to create her own! The result is this roughly 7” x 9” sketchbook that contains 80 sheets of plain, slightly off-white 100gsm paper bound in a softcover vegan cover with a red elastic band. (I would compare the size to the “F2” Midori MD Cotton notebook, maybe slightly smaller.) It’s a simple, understated working sketchbook that feels durable and contains excellent paper. You can read more about Nina, her work, and the process she went through in developing this sketchbook on her website.

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This slightly off-white paper shows off shading nicely!

As you all know, I usually work in fountain pen ink, so when I tested the sketchbook my biggest concern was how well it would perform without bleedthrough or feathering on very wet nibs. I shouldn’t have worried - Nina Cosford is a Caran d’Ache ambassador who works in marker and other media that requires quality paper, and this sketchbook held up very well to whatever I could throw at it. The paper shows off ink properties quite nicely, including shading and shimmer.

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This sketchbook uses a 100gsm paper that feels coated, so it resists feathering and bleedthrough. You would really have to layer the ink on in order to get this paper to bleed, especially since it was designed to work with marker.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I really enjoyed trying out this sketchbook and can definitely see myself using it in the future for ink testing and drawing/doodling with pens, inks, and other media. Honestly, I’m trying to expand my repertoire to include more creative journaling, since I feel that all I do is work lately and I really want to get back to playing around with my stationery “just for fun.” You can purchase the Nina Cosford Sketchbook directly from her website, priced at $16, which is quite reasonable given the quality. If you enjoy sketching or journaling in mixed media, and especially if you enjoy using fountain pens or markers, this sketchbook makes for an excellent option whether you use it for art or writing or both.

I was provided this sketchbook free of charge, as a review sample. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

New in the Shop: Midori MD Notebook Light in Three Sizes

Last week we released the limited edition Midori 70th Anniversary set of the Midori MD Light Notebooks, but we are now happy to announce that we have stocked the whole line, in three different sizes: A5, A6, and B6 Slim. The Midori MD Notebook Light lineup is sold in packs of three 24 sheet/48 page notebooks, in three rulings grid, lined, and blank. These are perfect for refilling notebook covers and systems that accept thinner refills, such as the Lochby Field Journal, and they are light enough so that you can fit two volumes in a standard Midori Cover.

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We still have 70th Anniversary Notebook Light Sets in stock! These have matching

The Midori MD Notebook Light series is available now in the Curated Shop and is priced from $8.50 to $12.75. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Midori products, as well as all other brands stocked.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Enter the T.G.S. 10,000 Follower Giveaway, Featuring Sunderland and SchonDSGN!

First of all, I wanted to offer a huge thanks to everyone who has supported The Gentleman Stationer over the past eight years, whether here on the blog, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other various social media sites where we maintain a presence! I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of you in “real life,” including at pen shows, and look forward to being a part of this community for years to come. This giveaway features three prizes: (1) a T.G.S. x Sunderland mk1 rollerball; (2) a Schon DSGN “Pocket Six” fountain pen in the “Fall Feelings” finish, with your choice of steel No. 6 nib, graciously contributed by Ian; and (3) a T.G.S. Swag Pack of buttons, stickers, and probably a few other small items. Enter using the Gleam widget below. The Giveaway will run until 11:59pm U.S. Central Time on Sunday, May 22, 2022. Once it closes, I will draw three winners, one for each prize, in the prior order. While this Giveaway is open worldwide, please note that your ability to receive the prize depends on shipping regulations and the cost of shipping, which you may be asked to cover.

Many thanks for all your support!

The contest is powered by Gleam using the widget below. I do not use any entry information from this contest for marketing or any purposes other than the giveaway. Please see the Gleam widget for full terms and conditions.