New Arrivals: Platinum Curidas Matte Retractable Nib Fountain Pens

While Platinum’s Curidas fountain pen has been around for several years now, Platinum hadn’t really done much with the line beyond the original set of demonstrator colors - until now. Yesterday saw the arrival of three new matte finishes in the Curidas (Matte Blue, Matte Black, and Matte Red), all of which are sold packaged as part of a set complete with a converter, ink cartridge, and bottle of Platinum Aurora Blue Mix-Free Ink. You have everything you need to get started writing!

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The Matte Curidas fountain pen sets are currently available in the shop, in fine and medium stainless steel nib options. Please visit our shop to check out these and other recently arrived pen, paper, and ink offerings!

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The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Platinum.

Sunday Reading for June 11, 2023

1. Six Years and Counting! (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Happy Six Year Penversary to Kimberly! How long have you all been in this hobby? Do you have any special ways to celebrate?

2. Use Symbols to Help You Scan Your Paper List: the Dash Plus System (via Analog Office). There are many variations on “bullet journal-style” task tracking, including Dash Plus.

3. What Is this Collecting Lark? (via Goodwriterspens). Are you a user or a collector? Both? Does it matter? You can also read Part II here.

4. Pen Trends: Dip Nib Mania (via Well-Appointed Desk). Laura walks through three popular dip nibs currently on the market. I go back and forth on whether there is interest in dip nib content here at T.G.S. If you’d like to read more about this, or even have me bring them into the store, let me know!

5. Diplomat Elox Fountain Pen (via Blake’s Broadcast). Diplomat has a long history of fountain pen manufacturing in Germany, and in recent years have garnered much acclaim for the Aero and the Elox, with their distinctive designs.

6. Systematizing: Traveler’s Notebook (via A Fleeting Ripple). One of the best aspects of the Traveler’s Notebook System is its customizability - you can make this notebook/planner as structured or flexible as you want using Traveler’s Notebook refills (or your own).

7. Diamine Monboddo’s Hat on Maruman Mnemosyne (via Incredible Colors). One of the many collaborations between Diamine and the Reddit community of fountain pen users, Monboddo’s Hat has been compared to Lamy’s coveted “Dark Lilac” special edition ink from a few years ago.

8. Dupe the Expensive Vibes (via Rachel’s Reflections). An interesting post from Rachel, which talks about pens with the look of (much) more expensive models, while still maintaining a degree of originality in the design.

9. Unearthed! Mutts Fold & Mail Stationery (via From the Pen Cup). Fold & Mail stationery is such a great concept, especially since it makes the letter writing process easy by (1) forcing you to keep your letters to a reasonable length to get them out the door; and (2) simplifying the process of getting them out the door.

10. Review: M800 Green Demonstrator (via Pelikan’s Perch). I love the look of the M800 Green Demonstrator. Amidst some uncertainty regarding Pelikan’s direction and the future of the fine writing division, I’m glad to see this release, even if it is something of a retread.

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In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I took another look at the subject of landscape notebooks, with a deeper dive into the Write Notepads version. I also reviewed one of my Spring pen show acquisitions: the R615 “Titanium Blue” fountain pen special collaboration between The Good Blue and our friends at Vanness Pens.

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

Two big arrivals this past week: the much-anticipated Endless Creator fountain pen, which is their attempt at an original capless/retractable fountain pen at an accessible $50 price point. We also received a massive restock of Anterique ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, and the refills. See the full list of recent arrivals and restocks in this post from Thursday.

Write Notepads

Anterique

Traveler's Company

WMS & Co.

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! Note that Patrons will have early access to our forthcoming special release that should be arriving either later this month or early July, including pre-order opportunities and possibly exclusive access to certain add-ons. June is a good time to join!

Pen Review: The Good Blue R615 "Titanium Blue" Vanness Exclusive Edition Fountain Pen

The pen I'm reviewing today is part of my ongoing effort to break out my fountain pen comfort zone and try things that I wouldn't typically purchase to use at work, but rather pick up just for fun. The Good Blue is a London-based company that specializes in flexible-nib fountain pens paired with a unique feed system designed to ensure and adequate supply of ink to the nib, which is where most "modern flex" pens have underwhelmed. So how does The Good Blue R615 perform? Honestly, very well.

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I absolutely love the color of the Cerakote on this pen. Read more on the history of the pen design and materials used directly on The Good Blue website.

Pen Design and Aesthetics

This particular model, the R615 "Titanium Blue" is a special edition collaboration between our friends at Vanness Pens and The Good Blue. The pen features a streamlined, 6082 Aluminum body with "Titanium Blue" Cerakote coating, paired with a section machined from untreated CZ121 brass. The body of the pen is deceptively comfortable - I expected the step down from the pen body to the section to be too steep and severe for my taste, but as it turns out the grip area is long enough that this is not an issue.

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The brass section will patina due to both your grip and exposure to ink. Note the porous feed and compare to the photo of the un-inked pen below.

While the R615 has no clip, the streamlined body features a facet on one side, which acts as a roll-stop. It's a simple, practical design. The brass components, per the company's website, are untreated and "precision textured with a surface roughness for ergonomic grip." Note that the untreated brass will absolutely patina, and may also change color due to exposure to ink. This doesn't bother me at all, and I find it to be part of the charm of the pen.

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The pen doesn’t post, given the design, but is very well balanced in the hand.

Nib and Writing Experience

As I mentioned above, the main issue that people run into with so-called "modern flex pens" is ink starvation. Namely, modern plastic feeds have a difficult time maintaining ink flow sufficient to write broader lines as you flex the nib from extra-fine to double-broad. The Good Blue appears to have solved this issue by using in-house polymer feeds made from an absorbent material that not only absorbs the ink to keep the feed saturated but changes color to match the ink (helpful if you, like me, often forget what ink you have in a pen.)

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The engraving on the nib says “For the love of flex.” These nib units are in JoWo-threaded housings and therefore interchangeable with pens from other brands.

The Good Blue offers several different nib options. There are, of course, standard stainless steel nibs available, but with a company known for flex, I had to try the titanium flex nib. Once broken in, the titanium nib lays down a ton of ink, and line width ranges from a bouncy fine/medium, writing with little pressure, to around a double broad if I really try to push things. (By “broken in,” I mean that the nib will soften with use. Mine was fairly stiff when I first received it, but has gradually opened up to where I can get significantly more line variation.) I have experienced zero "railroading" as long as I use moderately wet inks, and have only had issues with a couple of drier or extremely saturated shimmer inks.

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Writing sample on Write Notepads paper with Iroshizuku Asa-Gao fountain pen ink.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I didn't intend to purchase this pen, but after playing around with the demo model at the Vanness Table at the Arkansas Pen Show (dangerous table neighbors there), I couldn't pass it up. My R615 has remained inked ever since March, and while I don't write with it every day, it sees regular use in my journal and written correspondence, as well as when I'm doodling around with ink - something I've tried to do more of for the simple joy of it. The Good Blue makes one of the best modern "stock" flex nibs I've used, and I'd like to try their calligraphy and 14k nibs in the future.

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Because this particular pen is exclusive to Vanness Pens, you can only purchase it through them (though it is currently out of stock as of the time of writing). Vanness does carry other versions of the R615, including the acetate and Ultem versions, as well as a selection of the standard and flex nibs. Prices start at $140 and increase depending on your choice of materials and nib, with the pen shown here coming in at $220 for the special finish plus the titanium flex. The pens and various specialty nibs (including 14k flex and untipped "Calligraphy Flex") can also be ordered directly from The Good Blue, though they will ship from the U.K.

I purchased this pen from Vanness Pens with my own funds for my own collection, though I received a discount for review purposes. This post does not contain affiliate links or paid advertising. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Thursday Drops: Retractable Pens, T.G.S. Penwell Last Call, Traveler's Spiral Ring Notebooks and More!

Earlier this week we announced the arrival of the Endless Creator Retractable Fountain Pen, a new original design from notebook-maker Endless that seeks to offer a retractable nib option for fountain pens at an accessible price point. In addition to the Endless Creator, additional colors of Anterique Pens, and Anterique mechanical pencils, we now have more Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks, as well as new versions of both the Life Noble Note A5 Sidebound Notebooks and Stenographer’s Pads. Happy Shopping!

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

1. Endless Creator Retractable Fountain Pen. The Endless Creator Fountain Pen hit stores this week. I’ve been playing around with one and will have a fuller review at some point, but I’ve enjoyed the faceted body and interesting design. No issues with the pen on my end.

2. T.G.S. x Penwell “Aged Red” Collaboration. As I mentioned in last weekend’s Giveaway announcement, I’ll be pulling a handful of the T.G.S.-exclusive Penwells out of stock to use in connection with an exclusive fountain pen promotion in the coming weeks. I don’t know whether/when we’ll do another run of these, so last call!

3. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks. We received a shipment of the Traveler’s Company Spirals, featuring both the classic Midori MD Paper and the Midori Watercolor paper. These notebooks with Kraft paper covers make great journals and/or sketchbooks, especially now that we have the watercolor versions.

4. Anterique Classic Click Ballpoints. We now have the Anterique vintage-style ballpoint pens in 26 different colors. These pens include a .5mm low-viscosity refill similar to a Jetstream or Acroball, and leave a very fine line that dries quickly and doesn’t smear. You can even mix and match the different colors to create the pen(s) of your choice.

5. Anterique Brass Ballpoints. Anterique makes a brass-barrel version of the classic click pen, in four different colors (though the plastic parts are interchangeable with the upper section from the standard click pens).

6. Anterique Classic Click Mechanical Pencils. The .5mm mechanical pencils share the same vintage “click pen” look, and feature a retractable tip and “cushion spring” mechanism to prevent lead breakage.

7. Anterique “Mach Ball” Refills. These were on backorder for some time, but we now have a healthy stock of these Anterique .5mm “Mach Ball” refills. Feel free to stock up with your Anterique Pens!

8. Caran d’Ache + Paul Smith 849 Ballpoints. We have more of the Caran d’Ache and Paul Smith limited edition ballpoints currently in stock, though certain colors (Racing Green) go extremely fast.

9. Life Noble Note A5 Blank Notebooks. We received the plain unruled versions of the Life Noble Note A5 sidebound notebooks, so we can now offer all formats of this paper.

10. Life Stenographer’s Notebook (Graph Paper). The top-bound Life Stenographer’s pad features 50 sheets/100 pages of quality life paper in either classic steno or grid ruling.

Paper Review: The Write Notepads Landscape Notebook As a Drafting Workhorse

The response to last month's review of the Cortex Brand Sidekick Notepad was overwhelmingly positive - there's apparently much interest in this sort of practical “workhorse” stationery product - so I thought it might make sense to dive further into the landscape notebook/desk pad category. Today I'll be discussing the Write Notepads Landscape Notebook, a long-time favorite of mine which plays a similar, yet distinct, role in my personal workflow.

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Baltimore, Maryland-based Write Notepads is an independent print shop that makes a full line of spiral notebooks, writing pads, and pocket notebooks in both standard and limited editions. Back in 2020, when I launched the shop, they were one of the first to believe in my idea enough to allow me to carry their products, for which I'm grateful. The main reason I continue to carry the brand, however, is their commitment to quality, and maybe a little bit of ensuring that I personally have ongoing access to certain of the items in their lineup. (Disclaimer: As mentioned, we sell certain of the Write Notepads products directly in our shop. I don't think this affects my opinion of what has long been regarded as a good standard notebook by the community at large, but transparency is important.)

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Write Notepads spiral notebooks all feature a fairly durable kraft paper cover and a thick chipboard backing, bound together with a durable double spiral binding.

I enjoyed reviewing the Sidekick Notepad, and the more structured layout of that pad has found its place in my workflow. Certain types of writing that I do, however, requires unformatted paper, and I can burn through a LOT of it quickly. Take yesterday, for example. I spent much of the day on Zoom calls and/or reviewing e-mails in order to collect input from a dozen different people on a project, while simultaneously processing my thoughts into a longer-form outline that will eventually make it's way into a 50-page memorandum. Since I almost always do my first draft of anything by hand, I had a landscape-style notebook (the one pictured here) beneath my keyboard and essentially took notes in "draft" form as I went back and forth in conversation. By the end of the day I had filled four or five pages, with more looseleaf notes taken on a Baron Fig Mastermind pad.

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Obviously I can’t show you the actual writing I do in my day job, but it’s nice to be able to write a continuous line horizontally across the page in this format.

Why this personal anecdote? To illustrate why and how I take use case into context whenever I discuss a product, offer a recommendation, and/or make choices for my own setup. For example, in my review of the Sidekick, I noted that it might not be a cost-effective option for "those who burn through 5+ sheets of paper on a daily basis, or who only use desk pads for taking lots of notes and drafting documents." Essentially I was talking about myself and a subset of the T.G.S. readership that I know maintain similar working habits. While none of the paper I use is inexpensive, in order to afford my preferences I do try to keep an eye on the overall cost of the paper I use for certain specific writing-intensive projects, and lately I've even tried to move some of my longhand work to an e-ink tablet (more on that later).

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I’ve had very good luck using Write Notepads paper successfully with broad nibs and stubs, even combined with very wet inks.

Given the type of writing that I do, Write Notepads is one of several brands that strikes a balance between paper quality and cost. The paper works well with fountain pens, and is absorbent enough to dry relatively quickly when I'm writing quick notes at work and need to flip the page. The sturdy chipboard covers hold up in a bag, and will last a long time in storage if I need to maintain work notes long-term. Are these notebooks perfect? No. For one thing, I REALLY wish the pages were perforated, and I'd probably be willing to pay a few bucks extra per notebook for that feature. The Landscape Notebook would - in my opinion - be perfectly sized if it were a half-inch shorter to allow for a better fit beneath the keyboard. But no "perfect" product exists - this hobby wouldn't be fun if it did, right? - and that's why I'll likely already have a rotating stable of different pens, pads, and notebooks to collectively get me through my work week.

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Despite the absorbency, there is no bleedthrough and very little, if any, show-through on the paper.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Certain products are great because they're just solid, well-executed examples of what they are, and while not inexpensive, cost-effective enough to allow you to use them in larger quantities without feeling too guilty or extravagant. I've long loved the vintage aesthetic of the Write Notepads spiral notebooks, and whether I'm working with fountain pen, ballpoint, or pencil, the paper remains a staple of my workday.

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Color selection continues to expand. Arctic Blue is my personal favorite, followed by Pistachio.

We sell most of the entire Write Notepads lineup directly, via our online shop, at pen shows we visit, and for local pickup in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area. The Landscape Notebook is priced at $20 for a 120-page notebook (writing front and back) and available in several different colors, including Black, Pistachio, Plum, Arctic Blue, and Forest. (While technically sold only in a lined ruling, if you prefer dot grid paper, you can achieve the same landscape effect by taking a Write Notepads Dot Grid Spiral Notebook and turning it sideways.) Those who prefer more structure to the notebook they have sitting under their keyboard may want to look at the Weekly Planner layout, which also features the spiral binding on the side, not the top.

Further Reading

If you're interested in reading more on landscape-style notepads, my other two favorite options include the Cortex Brand Sidekick Notepad (recently reviewed and discussed above), and the Baron Fig Mastermind, which might be the most inexpensive option in my everyday paper arsenal and a top choice for everyday "scratch paper".

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