It’s Planner Crunch Time! Be sure you’re ready for January 1! Pictured here is the undated Weekly + Memo Traveler’s Notebook format.

A Year-End Promotion to Close Out 2022: Take 10% Off Most Shop Items

December 27, 2022

It’s time to start clearing out the shelves to make way for new releases and restocks in 2023. As a thank-you to all of our loyal readers and customers, through 11:59pm CT on January 1, take 10% off most items in the T.G.S. Curated Shop using the coupon code “LOYAL10” at checkout. (Some exclusions apply - see below for details.)

Midori and Lochby Notebooks Desk Accessories

Use New Year’s Week to Get Your Journals and Planners Ready for 2023!

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is an opportune time to organize your planners and notebooks headed into the New Year, and if you haven’t picked yours up yet, it’s a great way to use your New Year’s discount. We offer a range of planners and journals, both dated and open, including the Traveler’s Company diaries in Standard and Passport sizes, Write Notepads Weekly Planners, Lochby Planner Refills, and even a few remaining Soumkine Universal Planners. Finally, just before Christmas, we received a restock of the WMS & Co. Weekly Planner pads, which are an excellent way to plan without committing to a full notebook or stand-alone planner. It’s also a great time to pick up a Midori MD Notebook and cover, which you can turn into a planner using the undated diary stickers.

New Arrivals from TWSBI: Jade and Rose Gold ECO-Ts and TWSBI Precision Restock

Our shipment of the new TWSBI ECO-T in Jade and Rose Gold arrives today, and these pens will be packaged as a set with an 18ml bottle of TWSBI Midnight Blue Ink. We also are receiving a restock of the TWSBI Precision ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils, which have sold very well and are excellent “technical” pens and pencils. Happy Shopping!

Promotional code excludes TWSBI, Lochby, and Good Made Better. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Year-end Pen Cleaning: How I spent Christmas Eve. And will likely spend at least a big chunk of Christmas Day.

Sunday Reading for December 25, 2022: Christmas Day Deep Freeze Edition

December 25, 2022

My 2022 Brand Discoveries (via Rachel’s Reflections). I was going to take a pass on Sunday Reading for today, but I was catching up on my own blog reading this morning, especially year-end reviews like this one, and figured I would go ahead and do a post. Rachel discovered some excellent indie brands this year.
My mnml inkvent challenge returns, week one (via mnmlscholar). Now that I have another converted fountain pen user in my household, I’m not going to get out of doing the inkvent calendar next year, and probably some sort of challenge like this one.
Vinta Holiday 2021 Inks (via Mountain of Ink). Vinta’s holiday inks from last year are still available at Vanness! Festive colors that you can use year-round!
IWI Color of Nature Cold Dew (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). I’ve gotten really into grey inks lately, and this cool-toned grey looks interesting.
Fountain Pen Review: 2022 Lamy Safari Special Edition Strawberry and Cream (via Rants of the Archer). I still haven’t picked some of these up. I really want to swap the clips and end caps. I may indulge in some Christmas Day end-of-year shopping.
Classic Pens LB7 Artist’s Proof Review (via SBRE Brown). I guess there are still LB7s floating around out there, though they don’t seem to turn up much on the secondary.
Platinum Curidas Fountain Pen Review (via Pencilcase Blog). I need to revisit the Curidas, especially since Platinum has gotten most of the issues worked out with the feeds.
Inkmas Day 10: Dominant Industry for Wonder Pens (Tuna Grey and Ginger Chicken) (via Well-Appointed Desk). Shop cat themed inks from Wonder Pens and Dominant Industry! I’ve been using a lot of Dominant Industry inks lately, so look for reviews!
Inkmas Day 12: Vanness Inc. Sweet Tater Pie (via Well-Appointed Desk). In case you might have missed it, Vanness has launched their own in-house ink line!
Pelikan’s Pint-Sized Cap Top: The Long and Short of It! (via Pelikan’s Perch). Vintage Pelikans are growing on me more and more, especially the long-cap M101n model.

In Case You Missed It…

The past week on the blog has featured the annual Year-End Review series in which I recap posts from 2022 and make my year-end observations. This coming week, we’ll be talking about resolutions/intentions for 2023!

Five Up, Five Down in the Personal Collection. I take a look at five items in my personal collection that I used more than expected, and five items that I used less. This project was pretty fun, especially in revealing that I wasn’t using certain pens I very much enjoy and need to get back in rotation.
Part II: Favorite Products Reviewed in 2022. An annual tradition in which I look back at my five favorite products that I reviewed over the course of the past year.
Part III: Top Sellers from the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Another tradition from the past couple of years (since I started the shop), I look at ten best selling products by volume. Any orders placed over the weekend will ship promptly after Christmas.
Part IV: Series and Editorials. A resolution of mine from last year was to write more “editorial” style content, and I think I succeeded! This includes more posts in response to reader questions, as well as a series on Notebook Systems, Specialty Nib Grinds, and “System Techo”.

This Week in the Curated Shop: New TWSBI Holiday Drops, and a Year-End Promotion Using the Coupon Code “LOYAL10”

While it was a bit too late to ship in time for Christmas, TWSBI is dropping a Jade Green and Rose Gold ECO-T set, which comes packaged with an 18ml bottle of midnight blue TWSBI ink. We also have more of the Caran d’Ache “Colour Treasure” Collection, which I believe will be going away after the holidays, so if you want your Jumbo Pencils sets, act now!

Finally, as a special year-end bonus, take 10% off all eligible items in the shop through 11:59pm Central Time on January 1, 2023. It’s time to clear out some back stock to make room for a bunch of new goods I plan to bring in, so enjoy this opportunity for loyal readers and customers! Use the coupon code “LOYAL10” at checkout. (Excludes TWSBI, Lochby, and Good Made Better.)

TWSBI

Midori

Caran d'Ache

Maruman Mnemosyne

Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

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. (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!

Holiday Sign-Off, Year-End Review Recap, and One Last New Arrival!

December 23, 2022

It’s about time to sign off for a short holiday break, and we’ll return with regular content early next week. In the meantime, please feel free to check out our Year-End Review series in which I recap posts from 2022 and make my year-end observations:

Five Up, Five Down in the Personal Collection. I take a look at five items in my personal collection that I used more than expected, and five items that I used less. This project was pretty fun, especially in revealing that I wasn’t using certain pens I very much enjoy and need to get back in rotation.
Part II: Favorite Products Reviewed in 2022. An annual tradition in which I look back at my five favorite products that I reviewed over the course of the past year.
Part III: Top Sellers from the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Another tradition from the past couple of years (since I started the shop), I look at ten best selling products by volume. Any orders placed over the weekend will ship promptly after Christmas.
Part IV: Series and Editorials. A resolution of mine from last year was to write more “editorial” style content, and I think I succeeded! This includes more posts in response to reader questions, as well as a series on Notebook Systems, Specialty Nib Grinds, and “System Techo”.

TWSBI ECO-T Royal Jade Rose Gold Fountain Pens Are Available for Pre-Order

Intended to be a Christmas release, the Jade/Rose Gold ECO-T arrived just a touch late to ship out in time for the holiday, but we currently have the pen available for pre-order, shipping immediately after Christmas. This particular offering features additional rose gold trim on the piston mechanism, which distinguishes it from the Smoke and White Rose Gold ECOs. The effect will be more like the 580 Rose Gold Models. All Jade and Rose Gold pens include a 18ml bottle of Midnight Blue ink.

This post does not contain affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases made through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and reader contributions. By shopping with us directly, you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!

If I could choose one picture to summarize 2022, it might look something like this.

2022 Year-End Review, Part IV: Series & Editorials

December 21, 2022

Of all the 2022 year-end review posts, today’s installment is the one I most looked forward to because a major goal of mine for the year was to focus less on writing pure “review” content and more on archiving/consolidating 8+ years worth of stationery-related experience and knowledge in order to make it more accessible to readers both new and experienced. As I worked my way back through everything I wrote this year, I think I exceeded my goal! Given the volume of editorial/lifestyle/series posts, I’ve broken this portion of the 2022 Year-End Review into different sections to make it easier to navigate.

Updated Review Archive, Best Pens, and Holiday Gift Guide

Last year, I launched a navigable archive of all past T.G.S. fountain pen reviews, organized by brand. It’s now been updated to include pen reviews from 2022. The “Best Pens” recommendation page, as well as this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, are also up to date.

Guide to Notebook Systems

In 2022, I dove into the world of “notebook systems” / “System Techo”, which honestly took my focus off of pens and inks for the second half of the year. That’s not altogether a bad thing, because I did need a break from “collecting,” and I needed to think hard about how I was using all of the various notebooks and planners I had in rotation. Look for a post after the New Year on my setup for 2023.

The addition of a “Perspective” Nib by Gena Salorino brought this Pelikan M800 “Stone Garden” back into rotation for me.

Mini-Collections and Review Series

I only purchased a handful of pens this year for my personal collection, focusing more on having nibs customized to enhance certain pieces that I already owned. I managed to review four of the grinds, and have several more custom grinds on the way and/or in rotation.

DesignPhil Table San Francisco Pen Show 2022 — The DesignPhil table at the 2022

2022 Pen Show Recaps & Travel Posts

2020 and 2021 injected a lot of uncertainty into the future of pen shows, including concern over whether the “show circuit” would survive. I attended a handful of shows in 2021, and it clearly wasn’t the same. The 2022 pen shows - especially those on the back end of the calendar, went a long way towards allaying most people’s concerns about the future of pen shows. San Francisco, in particular, was an exceptionally well-run and memorable experience!

Questions about traveling (particularly flying) with fountain pens topped my list this year.

How-To Posts and Responses to Reader Questions

I made a conscious effort to be better about responding publicly to more frequently asked reader questions, specifically topics of interest to those considering purchasing their first fountain pen or who recently acquired their first pen and have questions about using it in certain scenarios. Cleaning and travel-related questions top the list of inquiries received.

Three favorite ballpoint pens. Check out the post below, for details!

Stationery Lifestyle Posts & Industry Trends

Finally, I try to find space in the rotation every other month or so to write a personal reflection on topics of interest to me in the stationery community. While I plan to continue writing these posts on the main site, I also plan to add some exclusive content to the T.G.S. Patreon Program in 2023, which will likely be along these same lines.

2022 Year-End Review, Part III: Top Sellers from the T.G.S. Curated Shop

December 20, 2022

We launched the T.G.S. Curated Shop in 2020 to replace sponsorships, paid advertisements, and other forms of outside support. Over the past two years, we’ve been able to bring together a curated collection of stationery products that we not only sell but enjoy using ourselves. For today’s year-end recap, I’ve pulled together a list of the ten best-selling products, in order of number of units sold. Honestly, there weren’t too many surprises on here! Many thanks to everyone who has supported T.G.S. over the past year, and if you haven’t had a chance to try out one of these customer favorites, please give them a shot. (For those of you interested in following stationery trends, here is last year’s post.)

Since faith in the USPS apparently springs eternal, orders continue to come in and we are shipping as fast as we can to give these the best chance of arriving by Christmas, though there can be no guarantees this late in the season. The $8.50 level of shipping (starting at packages weighing 1lb and above) will go USPS Priority (typically 1-3 days) or UPS.

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

Lochby Field Journal and Lochby A5 Refills. The entire Lochby lineup was definitely the star of 2022, but the A5 Field Journal, which holds up to six of the Lochby-branded Tomoe River paper refills, was our top seller. Since the refills are standard-size, they can be used in many other A5 covers, and they also come in pocket size.
Lochby Quattro Four Pen Case. After the Field Journal, the Lochby Quattro won out over the rest of the lineup. This slim, compact four-pen case is a stalwart of my own daily carry, and I love how the slots are offset so your pens don’t touch when the case is closed.
Hightide Hourglasses. I’m a little surprised that the Hightide Hourglasses and Book Stands made the list this year - due to shipping delays and inventory shortages it took us the better part of a year to get a restock. You all made up the difference over the past two months!
Hightide Metal Folding Book Stands. Easily one of the more practical gift ideas we offer, these folding book stands slide easily into a bag so you can take them with you on the go. Available in nearly a dozen colors!
Book Darts Archivally Safe Page Markers. One of our original items offered, Book Darts remain a customer favorite. Use them as bookmarks, line markers for favorite passages, or (my own favorite use) to divide a single notebook into multiple sections or subjects.
Midori MD Cotton Paper. Midori MD Cotton Paper has become my favorite fountain pen friendly paper on the market, and it looks as though many of you agree!
Midori MD Paper. Standard MD Paper is also one of the best fountain pen friendly options, and it comes in multiple formats (i.e. pads, notebooks) with several refillable cover options.
Clairefontaine French-Ruled Looseleaf Sheets. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a special order product sell out as fast as these looseleaf sheets of the Seyès-ruled paper. I still have a few packs of the double booklets!
Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 Ballpoint Pens. Yes, the best-selling pen in our shop costs $6.25, and personally I think it’s one of the best ballpoints out there. It’s also refillable.
Write Notepads Reporter Notebooks. Finally, there has to be at least one Write Notepads product on this list. Our top seller is the Reporter-style notebook, which we’ll have to reorder after the first of the year since there’s been a bit of a run.