July Inventory Reduction, Part II: Additional Clearance Pricing, Plus Most Pens Now 10% Off!

I had a long, 14-hour work trip yesterday, so I’m a day behind in my weekly posts, but I wanted to go ahead and continue our July Inventory Reduction sale with a slight change. We will continue to offer 10% off all paper and pencils, automatically applied at checkout, through the D.C. Pen Show as we reduce certain of our inventory and refocus the shop and website. As of today, most pens are now 10% off as well, excluding TWSBI. Be sure to take advantage of this as it’s a great opportunity to snag a deal on daily writers such as the Caran d’Ache 849 and the Traveler’s Company series. I’ve also placed some additional items on sale, and the discount will be in addition to the reduced price.

Much of this inventory I plan to take with me to D.C. to further reduce, so if you have your eye on something, now’s the chance! I’m still determining what I will be stocking going forward, but I would like most of the focus to be on custom designs and exclusives, not standard or stock items.

This particular promotion excludes TWSBI. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all items shown.

In Pursuit of the Perfect Patina: The Schon DSGN Machined Pen v2 Anniversary Edition

If there’s any universal rule of pen shows, it’s that I’ll walk away from the Schon DSGN table with something(s) in my pocket. This year’s Chicago Pen Show was no exception. Literally 20 minutes into what was supposed to be an “I’m just here to look” show, I was at Ian’s table finalizing the purchase of a faceted “aged copper” Pocket Six fountain pen, and one of the new “Anniversary Edition” Machined Pens in Polished Bronze. What can I say? I can’t help myself.

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A bit of a recap of the history of Schon DSGN is in order here. The company originally launched its first design - the “Machined Pen”, now the “Original Classic Machined Pen” - back in 2012. That pen defaulted to the Fisher Space Pen refill, which is an excellent option for write-anywhere pocket carry, and could also accept D1 refills using an adapter (sold separately). I have a couple of these Classic pens that I use regularly, including one in DLC-coated stainless steel and another in anodized aluminum. That said, Ian is rarely completely satisfied with any of his designs, and this year decided to offer a “redesigned” take on the Classic to celebrate more than a decade of high-quality writing instruments!

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My Schon DSGN pocket pen collection, from left: the Classic Machined Pen in DLC stainless steel; the Classic Machined Pen v.2 in polished bronze, a Classic Machined Pen v1 in aluminum, a Pocket 6 fountain pen in faceted aged copper, and a Pocket 6 fountain pen in faceted brass.

So What’s Different?

Externally, there isn’t much of a difference at all between the “Classic v1” and the new “v2” or “Anniversary Edition.” The pen retains the same cylindrical shape, with a threaded end to allow you to post the cap securely for longer writing sessions. The pen, however, now unscrews from the grip section to refill, and the interior has been modified to accept a Parker-style refill cartridge, offering significantly more versatility with respect to refill options. The pen ships by default with the excellent Uniball Jetstream SXR-600-07 (.7mm tip size), a smooth, quick-drying writer that should please most people, though the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 is also available upon request.

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But the refill swap isn’t the most exciting aspect of the new pen, at least to me. As part of the redesign, the Classic Machined Pen v2 is now fully compatible with Pocket Six fountain pen and rollerball sections, meaning that you can combine parts and switch how you use this pen depending on your needs. If you’d like to purchase a full kit outright, Schon DSGN sells the pen with all three section options, though the bronze shown here is currently available with the ballpoint grip only. (If you want to use a brass fountain pen section with the bronze, it still looks great!)

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As you can see, there is very little, if any, differences between the grip section on the v1 (left) and the v2. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll almost certainly enjoy the second.

A Note on Material Choice

A huge reason why I love Schon DSGN metal pens, and especially the brass, bronze, and copper versions, is how they develop a patina over time. This particular pen features an aluminum bronze, which I find slightly warmer than brass and which takes on a somewhat unique tone as it ages. In the photo below, you’ll see the body (which has had significantly more hand/pocket contact than the section) has taken on a completely different tone. With the exception of sterling silver, I very rarely shine or polish any of my metal pens because I enjoy the weathered, “experienced” look.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Classic Machined Pen v2 is a solid standby that’s served as a core EDC item since I picked it up. The rock-solid clip holds firmly to either my shirt or pants pocket, and the Jetstream SXR-600 is a longtime favorite refill. What I can’t decide is whether to stick to the .7mm tip size (which will work fine for most people) or move to the .5mm or even the .38mm.

You can purchase the Schon DSGN Classic Machined Pen v2 directly from Schon DSGN, starting at $150 for the polished brass ballpoint, $160 for the polished copper, and $170 for the polished bronze. Purchasing the full set (ballpoint plus rollerball and fountain pen adapters) adds approximately $60 to your purchase. While not inexpensive, if you’re looking for that “one pen” (or “primary pen”) for your everyday carry, especially one that you can switch from ballpoint to roller to fountain, it’s a worthy consideration.

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The Schon DSGN Classic Machined Pen (far left) closer to when I first acquired it. You can see from the more recent pictures how the polished bronze has aged. The pen is pictured here, from left, with a Kaweco Liliput, a Tactile Turn Titanium Gist, and a VERY well loved Rotring 800. (Only the Schon is mine - pen club pic.)

For further reading, you can check out my reviews of other Schon DSGN pens, such as the Pocket 6 fountain pen and the engineered plastics collection, by visiting our archive.

Disclaimer: This post does not contain paid advertising or affiliate links. I purchased this pen at the 2022 Chicago Pen Show with my own funds. If you enjoyed this review, consider supporting us directly via the T.G.S. Patreon Program and purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, which this week is running a 10% off sale on all pencils and paper to thin out our inventory. Be sure to check it out! (Discount automatically applied at checkout.)

Thursday Drops: Gently Used and Pencil/Paper Inventory Reduction!

As you can tell from all the announcements I’ve been posting recently, I’ve been doing a lot of “summer cleaning” and pruning not only the site and shop but shop samples, review samples, and other gently used products that have accumulated over the years. There’s some great stuff in there, including some that’s uncommon! Check out the “Gently Used” Stationery Sale page, and remember that orders from T.G.S. Gently used can be combined with general shop orders to save on shipping.

Update on Inventory Reduction

As I mentioned yesterday, we will be running specials through the D.C. Pen Show early next month in an effort to reduce our general inventory further and allow us to focus on other projects with the T.G.S. website and Patreon Program. For this week, all Paper and Pencils are 10% off, no coupon code required. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout! To the extent something is on clearance pricing, the discount will be in addition to the sale price.

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Lochby Tool Roll in Charcoal, anyone?

Lochby Restock - New Colors and Designs

Yesterday’s post highlighted the recently arrived Lochby Venture Pouch, but we also received a restock of Brown, Charcoal, and Navy options for the Lochby Field Journal and Lochby Tool Roll. Finally, there is a TON of Lochby paper in stock, and now would be a good time to stock up on 68 Tomoe River!

If you’d like to support T.G.S., consider visiting our Patreon Program! Going forward I plan to focus on growing that group as a primary means of supporting the site. We do meetups and more!

Introducing the Lochby Venture Pouch: Compact Versatility

Even though we’ve decided to streamline our retail operation, that doesn’t mean we don’t still have some fun stuff coming in the door! Before the holiday, the Lochby “Venture Pouch” arrived. Just when I thought Lochby couldn’t get more creative with useful case design, they come up with something like this!

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A Combination Pen Case and Pen Pouch/Carry-all/Stationery Dopp Kit

What makes the Venture Pouch unique is the fact that it features not one but TWO zippered pouches. On one side, there’s a “pen case” with elastics to hold pens, pencils, and other bands. While there are two sets of bands facing each other, I probably would only recommend using one side if you’re carrying pens that you’re concerned about scratching. If not, the larger bands would be useful for holding headphones, cables, and very large pens.

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If you flip the pouch over, the “pen case” portion becomes the center divider for the true “pouch”. You can use either side to store pens, pencils, sticky notes, ink cartridges, highlighters, chargers and more. The mesh side pouches also have velcro closures that can be used to secure smaller items like thumbdrives and SD cards.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’m planning on enjoying my Charcoal Venture Pouch, and it’s accompanying me to the office today. We have a handful of Lochby Venture Pouches in stock in each color (Brown, Charcoal, or Navy Blue), priced at $44. Like all Lochby products, this strikes me as an exceptionally good value for the quality you get. In the event we run out, or if you’re looking to have these shipped internationally, you can purchase from Lochby directly.

More on Shop Inventory Reduction and This Week’s Special: Paper and Pencils!

Many thanks to all of you who participated in our inventory reduction sale last week! We’re in the process of chewing through all of your orders and hope to have all of them out the door in the next couple of days. While our Fourth of July sale has ended, we will be running weekly specials through the D.C. Pen Show early next month in an effort to reduce our general inventory further and allow us to focus on other projects with the T.G.S. website and Patreon Program. For this week, all Paper and Pencils are 10% off, no coupon code required. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout! To the extent something is on clearance pricing, the discount will be in addition to the sale price.

Holiday Reading for July 4, 2022!

Happy Fourth of July, for those in the U.S.! Enjoy the long weekend!

1. 2022 St. Louis Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). It’s hard to compete with Kimberly’s incredibly comprehensive pen show reviews! This is a great write-up of St. Louis, and it highlights a concerning trend - the lower attendance at the smaller/medium-sized pen shows due to the current expense and difficulty of travel, lingering COVID concerns, and general economic unease.

2. What Happens When the Desk Goes to a Pen Show (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana has another St. Louis Pen Show report, plus an announcement regarding an XXL Col-o-ring, the Folio!

3. A Play in 3 Acts: Leonardo Momento Zero Prisma (via A Fleeting Ripple). Rainbow-anodized trim certain is having its moment right now, as this post points out, and the frosted material is certainly a different take.

4. Caran d’Ache 849 Gold Bar (via KraftyKats). Many thanks to Chloe for reviewing the Caran d’Ache 849 “Gold Bar” ballpoint pen. We still have a few in stock, and they’re eligible for the 4th of July Sale (see details below).

5. Vinta Limited Edition Inks (via Mountain of Ink). Be sure to check out that Vanness Pens “Sodalite”! It’s a great ink.

6. Birmingham Pen Co. Antique Sepia (via Macchiato Man). These dual-tone, multichromatic, double-shading, whatever-you-want-to-call-them inks are becoming increasingly popular. Though I haven’t spent much time reviewing Birmingham Inks (and I know I should), the ones I’ve tried have been mostly excellent.

7. Write Notepads Pocket Notebook - Ledger (via KraftyKats). Chloe also reviews some Write Notepads paper, which we also stock and as she discovers, it’s incredibly fountain-pen friendly!

8. Enameled Sakura (via Rachel’s Reflections). An Ironfeather Creative pen is definitely on my list of things to look for at my remaining pen shows this year. This carved pen with a sakura theme is gorgeous.

9. BENU Euphoria Scent of Irises (via Dapprman). If you’re a fan of extremely interesting materials, BENU pens should be on your radar. I have irises in my front yard so this particular design caught my eye.

10. Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Limited Pens Korea (via SBRE Brown). Wow, that pen features a beautiful material. Stephen was definitely luck to get one of these!

In Case You Missed It…

Last week on the blog I reviewed the Nebula Note “Casual Note” notebook, which not only features excellent paper but has PERFORATED PAGES, something that I want to see more often in high-end notebooks. I also wrote a piece on my evolving thoughts on eyedropper fountain pens, and why I’ve decided to narrow the scope of pens that I convert to eyedroppers.

T.G.S. Curated Shop Announcement and Site Updates

As I posted on Thursday, we are generally reducing our inventory and streamlining our shop. This includes clearance pricing on many items and a “SUMMER” Coupon code to take an additional 10% off through tomorrow, July 5. We haven’t decided to what extent we want to keep a stand-alone shop going - everyone in our house is pretty overwhelmed right now with work/family/life obligations, and given that the original goal was to enable us to design our own exclusive and special editions of well-loved products, there might be a way to do this (i.e., via retail partnerships or third-party fulfillment) that gives us more flexibility. For now, continue to shop T.G.S. Curated, enjoy our Fourth of July Sale, and look for more announcements during the second-half of 2022.

Meanwhile, we are fully stocked on Lochby, including some new colors of favorites! See the link below and be sure to check out the new colors of the Tool Roll and the recently arrived Venture Pouch!

Lochby

Traveler's Company

Platinum Desk Pen

Maruman

Patreon Announcement!

I would love for the T.G.S. Patreon to become the primary method of support for T.G.S., and have tried to streamline it. I’ll also need to be a bit more vocal about its availability and what it offers. As of yesterday, I’ve streamlined the Patreon to two tiers: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. I just uploaded a huge batch of pens, inks, paper, cases, and accessories yesterday and there is stuff remaining!