Sunday Reading for November 13, 2022

1. Pelikan Hubs Are Back! (via Pen Addict). Pelikan Hubs are this week! I’m the Nashville-area Hubmaster, so if anyone is interested in joining and you haven’t signed up, just let me know.

2. Fountain Pen Myths (via Rachel’s Reflections). I didn’t even know that some of these were “myths” about fountain pens! An interesting read, especially if you’re new to pens.

3. What Makes a Stationery Purchase “Good”? (via mnmlscholar). I think I lean more towards a “staying power over time” standard, personally.

4. Monteverde Sweet Life Blue Velvet Cake (via Dapprman). Blue Velvet Cake was one of the most popular “Sweet Life” inks back when this series was first released a few years ago.

5. Montblanc Patron of the Arts Moctezuma Fountain Pen (via SBRE Brown). Why not include a review of a crazy high-end, completely out-of-reach pen this week?

6. November Foliage Ink Palettes (via Mountain of Ink). So here in Tennessee we’ve gone from November feeling like September to November feeling like, well, January, but we did get a short glimpse of fall foliage last month!

7. Vintage EF Blackwing 602 (via Well-Appointed Desk). Believe it or not, I’ve never used an original EF Blackwing. I do use a lot of pencils, but I guess the hype and the current cost for an original just got to me.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I turned my attention away from Fountain Pen Day (which was all-consuming, yet insanely successful - thanks y’all!). I wrote my annual paen for the ballpoint pen, which is my No. 2 writing instrument of choice, as well as a post comparing five of my current favorite ballpoint refills.

New This Week In the T.G.S. Curated Shop!

2023 Planners from Traveler’s Company have dropped, as well as 2023 limited and special addition accessories including the pencil board. Yesterday, I added a huge batch of Field Notes, including some of the best-looking editions I’ve seen in quite some time. In addition to the Hatch Show Print collaboration - which of course I’m going to stock because, well, Nashville - the covers on the “Underland” and “Signs of Spring” editions might be among my favorites. The Reporter-style “Front Page” and “Heavy Duty” editions also make a return to the regular non-limited edition lineup. Finally, be sure to keep an eye on the “Gently Used” section, as I’ve been regularly cycling pens, paper, and more that I’m clearing out of both my personal stash and the store review sample stash.

Field Notes

Penwell

Lochby

Rhodia

Consider T.G.S. Patreon - New “Gently Used” Items in the Patreon Shop!

For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation via shop purchases, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5 (with a discounted annual option) 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. For Fountain Pen Day I added a handful of pens, as well as the last of my pocket notebook stash, to the Patreon store, which backers will want to check. (Reminder that those items which made it through Patreon become available to the general readership!) Many thanks to all of you who already decided to back via Patreon. Your support means the world to me!

Ranking My Favorite Ballpoint Refills in 2022

Continuing my personal celebration of the ballpoint pen this week, I thought it might be fun to do something that I haven't done in a while: rank my favorite ballpoint refills. Despite what people may think, there’s actually quite a bit of variation between the different writing experiences available. Refills vary in terms of darkness, smoothness, and line width, though you’ll admittedly have a hard time finding the same range of bright colors as you can with gel pens. As my ballpoint usage has increased heavily in recent years, I’ve discovered some new favorite refills that I’d like to bring to the attention of ballpoint fans, especially those workhorse cartridges that don’t receive nearly the amount of attention they deserve.

1. Schmidt P900. At this year’s Washington D.C. Pen Show, I picked up one of the Gravitas “Twist” ballpoints in Ultem (which unfortunately does not appear to be available except in the standard clear polycarbonate finish). While most ballpoints that accept a Parker-style cartridge tend to ship with the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 (discussed further below), Ben Walsh includes the Schmidt P900F, which writes a finer, less “gloppy” line than the Easyflow. Sure, the latter is a smooth writer, but I prefer more precision. Lanier Pens on Amazon sells a four pack containing different colors in the F (.6mm) tip size, which costs just under $9. In addition to the Gravitas ballpoint, I now have these in all of my Baron Fig Squire pens.

2. Uniball Jetstream SXR-600. My second favorite refill, especially when I want to write small, is the Uniball Jetstream Parker-style cartridge in the .5mm tip size. (While it also comes in .38mm and .7mm sizes, the .5mm hits the sweet spot for me.) This particular refill lives in my Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball. Though an excellent writer, the downside is that the cartridge can be pricey, ranging from $5 - $ 8.50 apiece depending on where you buy them. A similar writing experience can be found in the Jetstream D1 refills, as well as the white-labeled D1 refills used in the Penco “Perfection” series of pocket ballpoint pens.

3. Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 “Swissglide”. For longer writing sessions, you can’t beat Caran d’Ache’s “Swissglide” refill, which is sold only in the Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 pen. True to its name, the Swissglide writes a darker, smoother line than Caran d’Ache’s signature “Goliath” cartridge, and it’s almost as long lasting. Though the refill is proprietary to this particular pen, the Infinite ballpoint costs a mere $6.25, and additional refills only $3.

4. Ohto Needle-Tip (Mark’style Tous les Jours and Traveler’s Brass Ballpoint). I’ve written before on how I love needle-tip ballpoint pens for working in my planners, and for making tiny marginalia and annotation when I’m reading. The Japanese Ohto refills (which I know are used in the Mark’style pens and which I suspect are used in the Traveler’s Pens) are among my favorites, behaving similarly to Jetstream ink yet offering even more precision for writing and drawing due to the needle-tip. These refills are also incredibly inexpensive and long-lasting.

5. Caran d’Ache “Goliath” (i.e., the proprietary Caran d’Ache 849 Refill). If you’re looking for a rock-solid ballpoint that lays down a medium wet, moderately dark line and can go for years without drying out, the Caran d’Ache “Goliath” is an excellent choice. While on the expensive side, they are durable, don’t dry out easily, and therefore tend to last for an extremely long time. Plus you get the comfortable hexagonal writing experience of the iconic Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint.

Writing samples from all five pens listed here, including four colors of the Schmidt P900F.

Takeaways and Final Thoughts

Of the five refills discussed in today’s post, the “new discoveries” that I’ve enjoyed using the most are the P900F and the Swissglide. Both are inexpensive workhorses that should tempt even the most die-hard gel or rollerball fan, namely because they require much less pressure to write than your typical ballpoint.

Though maybe a touch dry for pages of longhand writing, for annotating books and taking notes on thin journal/planner paper, it’s hard to beat a needle-tip pen.

Another encouraging trend that has emerged over the past few years has been better Parker-style ballpoint options. Pens such as the Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball (which can transform into a “big 849 ballpoint”) and the Gravitas Twist both use this type of refill, as do many other kit pens and more generic ballpoints that people receive as gifts. The Schmidt P900 and Jetstream SXR-600 have not only allowed me to pull my “gift” pens - many of which have sentimental value - back into my regular rotation, but I’ve also converted many of my rollerballs because liquid ink rollerballs are among my least favorite writing options as they tend to bleed through everything.

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The Schmidt Easyflow 9000 is a long-time favorite for many looking for a rollerball-like dark line, but in exchange for darkness you get smearing and a fair bit of “tip crud”.

Finally, why is the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 not on the list? Isn’t it the “best rollerball replacement option”? Not anymore, at least not to me. I personally find the Easyflow too oily, and it tends to gum up around the tip and leave streaks on the page. I consider both the P900F and the Jetstream to be superior options for pens that take Parker-style refills, but those who value “smoothness” above all else may still want to consider the Easyflow.

How about you? Is there a ballpoint refill option that I should be considering that doesn’t appear on this page? I’m interested, so leave a comment!

While this post does contain links to Amazon and other third parties, there are no paid affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported exclusively through purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Thursday Drops: It's 2023 Planner Time! Planner Refills, Planner Pens, Meeting Notebooks and More!

I’m sticking with the Traveler’s Notebook system for my own 2023 work planner, but I believe I’ll be going back to the Week + Memo Planner refill, as opposed to my cut-down Stalogy. I miss this particular format, and also want to dive back in to some of the other Traveler’s refills. We currently have dated (2023) and undated Traveler’s Notebook planner/diary refills stocked in the shop, in both Standard and Passport sizes.

We still have some limited Fountain Pen Day swag! All orders ship with a bookmark until they run out.

We’ve also recently added a limited number of the 2023 limited edition Traveler’s Notebook pencil boards in the Passport size, as well as Rhodia Meeting Notebooks for more efficient note taking. I enjoy using meeting layout paper, not just for meetings per se but also for any sort of research where I want space to summarize or analyze notes. Happy Shopping!

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

1. Traveler’s Company 2023 Diary Refills in Standard and Passport Sizes. Whether you prefer the Weekly + Memo, Weekly Vertical, or Monthly layouts, we have you covered. If you’re looking to start an entirely new planner setup in the coming year, we also have the full array of Traveler’s Notebook covers, refills, and accessories!

2. Traveler’s Company 2023 Limited Edition Passport Pencil Boards. Use these cool pencil boards as a writing surface, bookmark, stencil, or even a ruler. Featuring a “Traveler’s Café motif”, these are an inexpensive addition to make your Passport-size Traveler’s Notebook even more functional.

3. Midori MD Journal “Codex” 1 Day 1 Page. Fans of the Midori MD system looking for an undated “planner” notebook - or simply a daily journal - will want to consider the “Codex”. It features 360+ pages of versatile, fountain pen friendly Midori MD paper in both blank and dot grid layouts. You can easily add calendar functionality using the Midori MD Diary Stickers.

4. Big Midori Notebooks in F3 (MD Cotton) and A4 (MD). I’ve been asked to keep the larger bound notebooks in stock, and I plan to because they keep selling! The Midori Cotton paper is one of my favorite for fountain pens, as it’s soft, absorbent, and ink friendly. Both the cotton and standard papers only come in blank layouts, though most people who want a notebook this big love the versatility of blank paper.

5. Write Notepads “Meeting Notebooks”. A riff on the “Cornell-style” of note-taking, I‘ve been using a lot of meeting-style paper lately, for both actual meetings and research notes where I copy down passages on the right-hand side, and then summarize my notes and analysis in the left-hand column.

6. Rhodia Meeting Notebooks. We recently added Rhodia’s giant A4 meeting notebook, which is a great platform for taking and processing meeting notes, especially if you want to use a fountain pen. Big bonus point: the pages are perforated, allowing you to tear out sheets for filing and/or scanning.

7. Lochby Field Journals. Looking for a high-quality, durable journal cover that’s not made of leather? The Lochby Field Journal holds up to six Lochby A5 refills, or a multitude of other A5 notebooks depending on size. I still have a healthy stock of the Lochby 68gsm Tomoe River refills, so if you’re a fan of that paper, stock up as I don’t know how long the current stock will last….

8. Hightide Attaché Fountain Pen. Looking for a compact fountain pen for your planner or journal? These small fountain pens in Japanese stationer Hightide’s signature marbled acrylic are beautiful, practical, and a good value. Four colors available: Black, Navy, Green, and White.

9. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen. The versatile TWSBI Swipe is a slimmer cartridge-converter fountain pen from TWSBI that ships with two different converters (pump-style and twist), as well as an ink cartridge. TWSBI has begun releasing the Swipe in different colors, for a total of four in the current lineup. This slim pen makes a regular appearance in my pen loops attached to my journals and notebook covers.

10. Platinum Plaisir Aura Special Edition 2022. Many thanks to Ana over at the Well-Appointed Desk for reviewing the Plaisir Aura in “Merry Pink”! I’ve enjoyed seeing Platinum bring the limited/special edition game to its more price-accessible fountain pens like the Plaisir and even the Preppy!

My Annual Paen for the Ballpoint Pen

Now that we’re all fully saturated with fountain pen purchases and fountain pen-related content after last week’s Fountain Pen Day celebration, why don’t we talk about something a bit different? I often get asked, “If you’re not writing with a fountain pen, then what are you using?” The answer is that it’s almost always either a ballpoint pen or a pencil, with ballpoints stealing an increased role from the gel pens and rollerballs in my collection. Today I’ll discuss five reasons why I enjoy ballpoint pens, particularly for work-related writing and annotation.

1. Ballpoints are true “write anywhere” pens. If you need to get work done, and you don’t want to worry about the kind of paper you’re using, the ballpoint gives you the most versatility. For many, office copy paper is tissue-thin (like mine), and sometimes you’ll want to annotate something like a shiny-sheet magazine article or professional journal. Ballpoint is pretty much your only option.

2. Ballpoint ink dries quickly and offers permanence. Taking a lot of notes on documents where you need to flip through pages, and don’t want to worry about your fountain pen ink smearing? Not only does ballpoint ink dry near-instantaneously, but it’s also waterproof, which is why many in the medical and legal professions are actually required to use ballpoint pens on a daily basis in certain contexts.

3. Needle-tip ballpoint pens are excellent for annotation. I would say that half of the ballpoints I currently have in rotation are Japanese needle-tip ballpoints that I use to write in my Plotters (particularly the Mini-5 model), and to take notes in books that I’m reading. My number one recommendation for this category has always been the Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint and the arrival of my pen show special editions, pictured above, is actually what prompted this post. Smaller pens such as the Traveler’s ballpoint and the Penco Perfection series clip easily to a pocket notebook or paperback, allowing for portability and ease of deployment, but if you prefer something larger, consider any of the pens that use the Ohto needle-tip ballpoint refill, such as the Mark’style “Tous les Jours.”

4. Refills can last for years, and are relatively inexpensive. Though more expensive on a per-cartridge basis than fountain pen ink cartridges, ballpoint refills last much, much longer. (They similarly last much longer than liquid-ink rollerball refills, which I consider to be among the worst value propositions.) I currently have ballpoint pen cartridges that have been in use for years, with the “Goliath” cartridge in the workhorse Caran d’Ache 849 leading the way, and needle-tip pens using so little ink to the point that the refill in my first Traveler’s Ballpoint is still halfway full despite three years of use.

5. Ballpoint pens are largely distraction free. I say “largely” only because many ballpoints are click-pens, and the knock can serve as a fidget device both annoying and fascinating, but a ballpoint often allows me to focus on highly technical work or writing more than a fountain pen. Despite best intentions, it’s easy to find yourself more focused on the nib, ink, finish, etc. of a fountain pen than on the writing you’re actually doing. With a ballpoint, there just aren’t as many variables.

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For all of these reasons and more, if someone asks me for a “nice pen recommendation” for a person who’s NOT already a known fountain pen user, that recommendation will almost always include one or more ballpoint options. As we enter the holiday gift season, it’s especially important to pay close attention to the needs of the person you’re buying for - while many of us love our fountain pens, they aren’t for everyone, and a nice ballpoint could be the best option for them. Stay tuned for more recommendations and discussion in the full holiday gift guide, coming later this month.

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Ballpoint pens I’ve used over the past week, from left: The Caran d’Ache 849 (first two); Rotring 600 ballpoint, old Levenger edition; Studio Neat Mark One (with Schmidt Easyflow ballpoint refill); Bic Cristal; Caran d’Ache “Infinite” ballpoint, which I actually consider one of the biggest steals on the market right now; the Lamy 2000 ballpoint, and my two new Traveler’s pens.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by sales through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon program. If you’re interested in shopping for a quality ballpoint pen for yourself or a gift recipient, we’d appreciate your support!

Tuesday Drops: A New Batch of Gently Used Items!

One of the benefits that T.G.S. Patreon supporters receive is first access to periodic batches of gently used pens, inks, and papers. Most of these items are pens I’ve acquired over the years for review, product testers or samples for the store, and pens from my personal collection which I no longer use so I’ve decided to contribute for sale in order to fund the site. After Patreon has had their pass, I move items to the “Gently Used” Section of the main T.G.S. website, where they will be available for purchase by the general readership. This morning, I moved over a handful of gently used items, most of which are like new and some of which are still in the wrapping, including a couple of nice limited editions.

I launched the Patreon almost three years ago because I didn’t like running third-party ads on the site and continuing to depend on affiliate marketing. Thanks to the Patreon and the success of the T.G.S. Curated Shop, we’re now fully self-sufficient! If you’d like to learn more about Patreon, which has both a $3 and $5 monthly tier for supporters (with a full-year prepaid discount available), check out the main T.G.S. Patreon page. Many thanks to all of you who have supported T.G.S. over the years!