New Arrivals: The TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape. This Thing is PURPLE!

I’ve been more excited than most about the arrival of the TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape, for two reasons: (1) the TWSBI Diamond Mini is one of the more underrated pens in TWSBI’s lineup, as a piston filler that posts to a full-size pen despite being a “mini”, and (2) the anodized aluminum plating on this particular model is an almost-psychedelic purple. If you’re a fan of purple pens, this is one you don’t want to pass up. Priced at $60 ($65 for the stub).

I’m serious. It’s so purple it almost glows.

TWSBI is due a shout-out for its release calendar so far in 2023. In addition to the Diamond Mini AL Grape, they’ve released new ECO and ECO-T fountain pens, including the ECO-T Saffron and the ECO Persian Green. We currently stock a wide range of TWSBI pens, including all of the recent limited releases and the standard Diamond Mini if purple isn’t your thing!

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The cap on the TWSBI Diamond Mini is threaded, so it posts securely.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all products sold, including TWSBI.

Sunday Reading for May 14, 2023

1. 2023 Chicago Pen Show - Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The Chicago Pen Show was last weekend, and apparently it was a lot of fun! Chicago has one of the best after-hours bar scenes on the pen show circuit.

2. Office Toy: Book Holders (via Analog Office). I can’t agree more that book holders are an indispensable office item for the analog-minded.

3. Scribo Write Here Africa (via Dapprman). Italian penmaker Scribo releases periodic collaborations with UK retailer Write Here, and you know how I love tortoiseshell material….

4. Weekly Carry-around #4 (via A Fleeting Ripple). I really need to find a vintage Sheaffer Tuckaway, maybe at my next pen show?

5. Building an Interview Daily Carry (via mnmlscholar). Pulling together a set of pens that can “present professionally” is trickier than it might seem at first, especially when you’ve been in this hobby for a while and your perspective on what’s “understated” shifts over time.

6. Stylosuite Flex Nibs (via Mountain of Ink). I have yet to actually take home a Stylosuite pen, but I’ve spent many a pen show at the table trying their creations!

7. Logical Air Swing Notebook Review (via Fountain Pen Love). I recently reviewed Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper, and following that review have received multiple recommendations to try the Logical Air.

8. #21PenQuestions - Jesi (via Well-Appointed Desk). I love reading the responses to these sorts of surveys and how different they are. Both Jesi and Laura answer this week.

9. #21PenQuestions - Laura (via Well-Appointed Desk).

10. Pelikan M200 Pastel Blue Special Edition (via Pelikan’s Perch). I figured this particular announcement was more relevant to my crew here than the M1000 Raden Red (it’s beautiful, but ouch on that price!).

In Case You Missed It…

Many thanks for your patience as I was traveling for a family wedding this past week. Due to some careful planning, I was able to stay up to date on my publications for the most part, with our first “Desert Island Pens” piece on Four Favorite Pens for Everyday Writing. I also reviewed Nakabayashi Logical Prime Paper, which people have been recommending to me for a while now and I finally got around to testing. Finally, if you’re interested in more video content, I’ve been working on cleaning up our YouTube Channel and posting some new material. I also have a backlog of short videos I’ve done over the years (mainly for Instagram, but some unpublished), which I’d like to archive for posterity and which may find their way over to YouTube at some point.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Just because I’m out of town doesn’t mean the new releases stop coming! The TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Mini in Grape arrived, and is currently available for order. We also received a shipment of new Prime Timber 2.0 Leadholders and some fun mechanical pencils from Penco! As a reminder, all orders placed through today, May 14, will receive a complimentary extra gift to compensate for any shipping delays while I’ve been away. Orders placed this past week will be processed starting today and should go out by tomorrow.

TWSBI Diamond Mini Grape

Penco Passer's Mate Pencil

Laconic Tokyo

Nakabayashi

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

T.G.S. Patreon is currently the only non-shop means of support for the site, and features not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support! Details of our May meetup will be circulated through the Patreon feed, so Patreon members should be sure to sign up to get updates/alerts.

Introducing Nakabayashi Logical Prime Paper: Ink Friendly and Quick Drying

Earlier this year, my friend Ana over at the Well-Appointed Desk recommended that I try out Logical Prime paper from Nakabayashi Stationery, a brand I knew by reputation (mainly for their scissors and desk accessories) but had never personally tried. This paper is apparently known for being fountain pen friendly, with relatively short dry times and nice sheening and shading for showcasing ink.

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So far, the quality has impressed. I’ve pushed this paper with some fairly wet nibs - including a No. 8 Bock Titanium nib - and tested multiple inks, and the only one that’s feathered or bled has been a Kakimori pigmented ink that, frankly, has feathered and bled through everything I’ve tried except mixed media paper. I can see this Logical Prime paper working its way into my rotation, especially where I need a slimmer spiral notebook for discrete projects.

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The notebooks come in four rulings and a blank option. Clockwise from top left: 7mm “lined”, 6mm “lined”, grid, and dot.

The Logical Prime Notebooks contain 40 sheets (80 pages) in the thread-bound format, and 50 sheets (100 pages) in the “W-Ring” spiral binding. The paper comes in four different rulings, including some interesting 6mm and 7mm lined variants that remind me of Clairefontaine Séyes-ruled paper. Pages have a header reminiscent of that on Maruman Mnemosyne, allowing you to better organize your notes.

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All of the standard fountain pen inks I tested worked extremely well.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper recently became more widely available in the U.S. So far, testing with this paper has been extremely positive, and I’ve listed an initial shipment for sale in the shop in both the “Thread Binding” and “W-Ring” (spiral bound) formats. These notebooks are relatively inexpensive, with the thread-bound version priced at $6 and the W-Ring version priced at $7.50. Note that the Logical Prime paper is considered Nakabayashi’s premium paper option, with certain other Nakabayashi paper not handling fountain pens quite as well. I don’t plan to stock anything other than Logical Prime until I have had a chance to test their other offerings.

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

Thursday Drops: TWSBI Diamond AL Mini Grape, Laconic Style Stationery, and More Penco!

For those of your clamoring for a special release of the TWSBI Diamond Mini, well, we have great news for you: the Diamond Mini AL Grape has arrived! This vibrant purple miniature piston filler is in-stock and available for purchase as of this morning. Over the past week, we’ve also added new arrivals from Laconic Tokyo, which you can read about in last week’s blog post, as well as two new lines of mechanical pencils from Penco.

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I’ve mentioned on Instagram and the blog that because I’m traveling this week, we are running a promotion where all orders placed between Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 14 will receive an extra pen, pencil, pocket notebook, or other special item. No coupon code is necessary! Orders placed starting today will ship within our normal 2-3 business day time frame, as I get “back to work” this weekend. Finally, for those of you looking for a sort-of-last-minure Mother’s Day gift, we do offer digital gift certificates (which will arrive in the form of an electronic code). See details here. Many thanks for your continued support!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all products sold.

1. TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape. The latest release from TWSBI has arrived, and it’s a stunning purple version of the Diamond AL Mini, TWSBI’s pocket-sized piston filler! TWSBI fans have been clamoring for a special Mini release, and TWSBI has answered. For those who would prefer the standard pen, we also have the clear version available.

2. Laconic Style A5 Notebook System. This past week we introduced the “Laconic Style” Notebook System, featuring 10 different refills to help you customize your notebook or planner to your specific needs. I’m especially excited about the Laconic Bookmarkers, which work together with or separately from the Laconic Style notebook system.

3. Laconic Tokyo Mesh Pen Cases. These lightweight mesh pen cases come in two colors and three different sizes, with the largest capable of fitting a Laconic (or similarly sized) A5 Notebook, refills, and at least a few accessories.

4. Paul Smith x Caran d’Ache 849 Ballpoint Pen. The latest collaboration between designer Paul Smith and Caran d’Ache features six beautiful two-toned barrels in signature Paul Smith colors.

5. Penco Prime Timber 2.0 Leadholders. We recently received a shipment of these Penco wooden leadholders that click-to-advance like a mechanical pencil, and also ship with a sharpener. Available in four finishes. Read more here.

6. Penco “Passer’s Mate” Mechanical Pencils. Looking for a retro throwback to middle school? (Elementary school, maybe?) These colorful mechanical pencils from Penco feature a retractable tip and an eraser that removes to allow you to refill the pencil.

7. Lamy AL-Star Petrol and Lilac Special Editions. We have more of Lamy’s latest AL-Star releases, in fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint form. The Petrol finish especially stands out!

8. Lamy Cursive Fountain Pen Nib. This specialty fountain pen nib is sold separately, but we are happy to install it for you with the purchase of a compatible Lamy pen such as the Safari, AL-Star, Studio, and Vista. Just send us a message via the “Contact” link above after placing your order.

9. Lochby Venture Pouches. We are restocked on the Lochby Venture Pouch, the hybrid stationery pouch/pen case combo that sold extremely week at the Spring pen shows we attended. Available in three colors: brown, navy, and charcoal.

10. Lochby Field Journal A5 Refills. We are also restocked on Lochby Field Journal refills, featuring 68gsm Tomoe River Paper that is fountain pen friendly and compatible with any number of A5 notebook covers, including the Lochby Field Journal.

Desert Island Pens: Four Favorite Fountain Pens for the Road

As we sit here in early May, I've now spent most of the past year streamlining and reducing my pen accumulation, either by selling off unused pens or consolidating via trade (i.e., trading multiple pens for a single pen that I would use more). Despite writing about pens and pen-related topics for many years, I've never had as large a collection as people expect. I hate the idea of unused possessions, whether pens or anything else, and if something sits dormant for too long, I will absolutely sell it off.

The Concept of "Desert Island" Pens

In an ideal world, I would reduce my pen accumulation to around a dozen pens that I cycle through regularly. Because pens is partly a business for me, that's not realistic. At any given time, I have around at least a half-dozen pens that I'm either in the process of reviewing or testing out as potential shop stock. In addition to those pens currently "in for review," I make a point of keeping one of each model I carry in the store for customer service purposes, and I like to generally have at least one example of each pen from most modern brands on-hand for reference so that I can easily use them for comparison in reviews and editorials.

Practicality aside, I still enjoy a good thought experiment. If all of this (T.G.S., the Shop, any sort of pen-related business) went away tomorrow, and I wound up on a "desert island" where I could only keep 12 pens, what would they be? I can usually get to seven or eight pens pretty easily - it's those last few that are hard. Since I had to take an extended family trip this week, where I'd be required to do a fairly significant amount of work, this presented an opportunity to select what I'd call the "First Four": my workhorses for writing.

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The Lamy 2000 is the epitome of the “Workhorse Pen”.

Pen No. 1: Lamy 2000 in Bauhaus Blue, EF Nib

I can safely say that the Lamy 2000 fountain pen is my favorite fountain pen of all time, both aesthetically and as a functional writer, and if I had to pick a single example to keep in my collection it would be the 100th Anniversary "Bauhaus Blue" release. I rarely buy limited edition pens, and when I do it's an intentional purchase. This one was a no-brainer, and I was lucky enough to find one available internationally after the U.S. alotments sold out. Lamy 2000 EF and F nibs often have a subtle architect-like shape out of the box, and this particular nib gives my writing just enough line variation to keep it interesting. Of all the Lamy 2000 pens in my collection, it's the keeper.

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Did I mention that the pens from the “Maestro” series are piston fillers, which is uncommon in the standard Leonardo Momento Zero size?

Pen No. 2: Leonardo Momento Zero "Maestro" in Omas Burkina Celluloid, Custom Nib Studio Perspective Nib

While I have long-adored Omas Burkina celluloid and jumped at the chance to own this now-rare material in the standard Leonardo Momento Zero shape, I was lukewarm on the nib. The pen shipped with a medium 14kt gold nib paired with an ebonite feed, and like many pens with ebonite feeds, it wrote too wet for my taste. I recently asked Gena Salorino at Custom Nib Studio to shape the nib into their "Perspective" grind, and now the pen is perfect. I purchased this pen as part of the three-pen “Maestro” set; it was easily the largest pen "investment" I've ever made, and it was worth every dollar for this pen alone.

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The Pilot Custom 823: Another standard model that epitomizes a workhorse fountain pen.

Pen No. 3: Pilot Custom 823 Amber, Medium Mark Bacas "Blade" Nib

I surprised myself a bit with this one, but back when I purchased this particular pen at the Atlanta Pen Show I was still relatively "young" in this hobby and inexperienced with the more uncommon filling systems and nib grinds. As far as pens with massive ink capacities go, the Pilot Custom 823 is one of the more approachable workhorse options that doesn't require eyedroppering. I had Mark Bacas grind the nib on this pen to a modified Architect (what you would probably today call a soft blade or a semi-Naginata/Kodachi), with slightly less line variation than a standard architect but with smoother edges. It's the first time a nib technician really sat down with me and discussed what I actually wanted and what would work for me - as opposed to merely offering the "standard" grinds from a list - at which point I understood the endless possibilities and how deep this hobby could run.

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Pen No. 4: Montblanc 146 UNICEF, Custom Nib Studio Perspective Nib

The Perspective Nib makes another appearance, this time on the Montblanc 146. I've purchased two pens from their "UNICEF" series, both because I appreciate the idea behind the collaboration and because I love the Rosetta-stone inspired motif. The theme on this pen is subtle - other than the engraving and sapphire near the clip and cap finial, this pen is a standard Montblanc 146. Because there's no ebonite feed, the pen writes a slightly drier line than the Leonardo, which is great for those days when you aren't working on fountain pen friendly paper.

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What are your "Desert Island Pens"? If you could only pick one pen from your collection to keep, what would it be, and why? What lands a pen on your "never sell" list - the nib or the pen body itself?

Feel free to share your own stories in the comments!

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