It's Pelikan Hubs Week! What They Are and How to Participate

Though Pen Show Season is for the most part over, there are still plenty of opportunities to gather with your friends and fellow pen enthusiasts, whether that’s a meeting of your local pen club, online pen forums, or attending this Friday’s Pelikan Hub! The Pelikan Hubs are a series of events held in cities around the world and sponsored by German pen manufacturer Pelikan to raise their brand awareness. In years past, Pelikan has provided each attendee with handful of free gifts, including a magazine, pad of paper, and - quite generously - a bottle of the latest special edition Edelstein ink. This year, Pelikan has opted not to ship the ink, due to rising shipping costs, but many of the “Hubmasters” (hosts) are organizing gift bags, giveaways and more. If you’re interested in learning whether there is a Hub in your area, Though signup has long passed, many of the Hubs still have space (including ours here in Nashville), and you can join the Facebook group to see if there is a hub in your area. Be sure to reach out to the Hubmaster before showing up on Friday, as some locations have limited capacity due to the location.

Interested in Participating in the Nashville-Area Hub? Contact Me

If you missed the sign-up and are still interested in attending the Nashville-area Pelikan Hub, please e-mail me at Joe (at) gentlemanstationer.com, or send me a message via the site. I think we will have adequate space for a few more people, and would love to have you attend even if you can only stop by for a few minutes.

I hope to see you there!

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

New In the Shop: Field Notes Return!

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve restocked on pocket notebooks from Field Notes, both in the 2022 Limited Editions as well as favorite standard editions such as the spiral bound “Front Page” and “Heavy Duty” editions. The “Front Page” is the standard release version of the “Byline” limited edition, which made its way into the standard lineup because so many people enjoyed using a classic reporter-style notebook. The “Heavy Duty” edition isn’t necessarily reporter-style - it’s more the size of a standard three-staple notebook - but the thick chipboard cover allows for easy writing on the go.

The favorite “Front Page” and “Heavy Duty” editions are back!

You can check out our full selection of Field Notes pocket notebooks here, which now includes the full lineup of recent collaborations and limited editions such as the “Underland” edition (which might be my favorite cover); the Great Lakes six pack, the debossed “Signs of Spring”, and the planner-focused “Ignition”.

Finally, I wanted to give a special shout to the Hatch Show Print collaboration, which I of course had to stock given that Hatch Show Print is a classic Nashville business. Each pack of Field Notes contains different letterpress covers by the team at Hatch - a nice complement to “United States of Letterpress”!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Field Notes and all other brands sold.

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.

View fullsize

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!