Thursday Drops: Lamy Restock (including the Studio!), New Caran d'Ache Arrivals, and More!

Lots of new arrivals to discuss today, including the rest of the Caran d’Ache Keith Haring special editions, the entire Caran d’Ache Colormat-X 849 series, and a huge box of Lamy pens that includes the first Studios we’re bringing into the store! The Lamy Studio is significantly underrated as a pen, IMHO, particularly the Piano Black and Palladium versions which are still priced well under $200. Alongside the Pilot Custom 74, the gold-nib Lamy Studio builds out our growing lineup of workhorse fountain pens that offer exceptional quality without breaking your bank account.

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We’ve also restocked on a lot of fun favorites, including the Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 ballpoints in all colors (sorry, the mechanical pencils have been discontinued), and a growing selection of woodcase pencils that we intend to expand even further. Eventually these will warrant their own stand-alone shop page, so stay-tuned.

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Yes, those are all matte-finished. That red pen is calling my name but I must resist.

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

1. Keith Haring Caran d’Ache Special Editions. Caran d’Ache has collaborated with the estate of pop artist Keith Haring to release two new 849 ballpoint pens, as well as a Colour Set (colored pencils plus a brush pen) and an A5 Coloring pad featuring Haring artwork.

2. “Creative Nomad” Caran d’Ache Rylsee Fixpencil Set. Special/Limited edition Fixpencils are much too few and far between, and this set features not just a Rylsee signature Fixpencil but an eraser, a set of 3B leads, brush and fibre-tipped pens, and access to a lettering course taught by Swiss lettering artist Rylsee. These are nearly sold out but I will try to get more.

3. Caran d’Ache Colormat-X 849 Ballpoints. The most popular models of the Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint are the ones with matte finishes, and Caran d’Ache recently released the “Colormat-X” in eight bright colors different from much of what has previously been on offer.

4. Lamy Studio 14k Fountain Pens in Palladium and Piano Black. I can’t tell you how excited I am to offer the Studio, and to see that Lamy is keeping the price point of the 14k nib version accessible. I personally find huge value here and I have many Studios in my collection.

5. Lamy Studio LX All Black Series. Aesthetically, one of my favorite Lamy pens released in recent years has been the Studio LX (pronounced “luxe”) series. The fountain pen ships with a black stainless nib, but it also looks great with the Black Lamy Cursive nib, available separately and which I will install upon request.

6. Lamy Pico Pocket Ballpoint Restock. These pens ended up being a smash hit at the San Francisco Pen Show and I’ve been sold out since. We have stock of all the Pico colors as of yesterday, as well as refills.

7. Lamy 2000 Collection Restock. Lamy 2000 Rollerballs, Ballpoints, Multi-Pens, and fountain pens are all restocked as well, just in time for the holidays. To read more about why this is one of my favorite everyday writers in the $200 range, check out the Workhorse Pens write-up.

8. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Organizers. We still have organizers available from our most recent shipment, including a few in A5 and several A6. While I plan to post in a few days how I will match my Roterfadens to Hobonichi notebooks for 2024, these softer leather options (with no elastic) fit an A5 Hobonichi Cousin and standard Hobonichi notebook very well.

9. Caran d’Ache 888 Infinite Ballpoints. Thankfully, we were able to receive a full restock, in all colors, of what has become one of our best-selling ballpoints, mainly due to the combination of balance, refill quality, and price point. Unfortunately the mechanical pencil has been discontinued, so what stock we have is all that remains and I understand these will be going away indefinitely.

10. Caran d’Ache Jumbo Maxi Highlighter Pencils. I’ve been looking to add jumbo highlighter pencils for quite some time, as they’re a key part of my work rotation at the office. If these do well I will look to bring in more, and perhaps even the option to buy individual colors by the dozen.

A New Take on an Old Favorite: The Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue 1911L Fountain Pen

Well, that’s quite a name! As I may have mentioned, one of the many things I got to see first-hand during my August pen show excursions was the development of a new partnership between our friends at Vanness Pens and Nagasawa Stationery in Kobe, Japan. What does that mean to me? Well, for starters I have access to a ton of exclusive Nagasawa Stationery special edition Sailor fountain pens to review, including the “Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue 1911L Fountain Pen,” a royal blue and gold-themed fountain pen that adopts the same general format as the Sailor 1911 Black Luster, a long-time favorite and one of my more comfortable everyday writers.

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The gold flecks in the blue acrylic make for a stunning, yet still understated, material.

Three Things That Make This Pen Stand Out from the Rest of My Collection

Three things make this particular fountain pen something of an outlier for me personally, almost to the point where I’m surprised I chose to review it. (Almost.)

1. The pen not only has gold trim, but gold flecks throughout the royal blue acrylic, creating a shimmery appearance or, per the current lingo, “chatoyance.” I typically don’t go for gold, but I couldn’t pass up this combination and it literally grew on me within minutes of inking it up.

2. The pen has a broad nib. While medium (or a medium stub) is typically as wide as I’ll go with my everyday writers, lately I’ve experimented with broad nibs and this broad Sailor 21k nib might be the best of the lot. More on that below.

3. The pen has a metal section. While I don’t consider a metal section “disqualifying”, I tend to be quite picky about which metal sections I’ll use. At a minimum, they need to have some texture, and I find the plating on Sailor’s metal sections to have a more tactile feel that avoids slippage during longer writing sessions.

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I reviewed the Sailor 1911 Black Luster back in 2017, and everything I enjoy about that pen still holds true today, especially with respect to the weight and balance. The only difference I would call out is that for whatever reason, the non-black-ion-plated Sailor 21k nibs (such as the gold one here) feel much more substantial and less “fragile”. As I noted in my prior review, I’ve bent two black Sailor nibs in the past with minor bumps and table drops, but this broad seems more durable and less “soft” for lack of a better term, though I still wouldn’t describe it as a stiff nib.

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The Sailor Kobe fountain pens are also notable because they feature Nagasawa’s weathervane logo. I enjoy this design, probably more than the standard Sailor scrollwork.

With respect to the nib, I love how it writes. When most people think of Japanese fountain pens, they focus on the extra-fine and fine nib sizes, but often neglect the mediums and especially the broads. I find such oversights unfortunate. If you’re a fan of medium 14k nibs from German makers such as Bock and JoWo, the Sailor broad nib has similar line width yet offers a smoother writing experience. I’ve heard the same about Pilot, and I’ll be looking to try one of their broad nibs soon.

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For those who will ask, this paper ruling is Clairefontaine Seyes-Ruled, or “French Ruled”. The review ink is Sailor Souboku pigmented blue-black. Here, I’ve compared a writing sample from the Sailor 21k broad nib to a writing sample from a JoWo extra-fine Stainless Steel nib. While noticeable, there’s much less of a difference between a German stainless EF nib and a Japanese 21k Broad nib than I would have expected.

Notes on the Name: Why “Kyomachi Legend Blue?”

The name “Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue” continues Nagasawa’s trend of naming their special edition pens and inks after specific locations in Kobe, Japan and the immediate vicinity, which is where Nagasawa Stationery is based. Per the information provided by Nagasawa, Kyomachi is the area where the Kobe City Museum is located. If there’s one thing that will catch my interest about a line of limited edition fountain pens or inks, it’s when the product has a strong sense of “place” and reflects something of its designer/creator. Every time I research a Nagasawa product, I learn something new about Kobe, which makes me want to visit all the more. (If you’re curious, the popular “Sailor Kobe Ink” series is also developed for Nagasawa, and you learn a lot researching the origin of the various names in the lineup and how the specific colors were carefully matched to each theme or location.)

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The balance of this pen, when posted, is nearly perfect for my hand size and writing style.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Like the 1911 Black Luster, I love this pen and it makes for a great daily writer. That said, you’ll have to really love Sailor and their Japanese special editions in order to spring for it. Sailor pricing is what it is, and doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Once I have one of their pens in hand, however, I tend to forget about the cost. Sailor delivers a quality high-end writing experience and the “Kyomachi Legend Blue” is no exception.

With the Black Luster priced at $392, the Nagasawa Kyomachi Legend Blue in the 1911L format tops that and goes for $450. The 1911S (“standard” or “slim” size) version lacks the metal section and is priced at $300, and, yes, there is a King of Pen version (again without the metal section) priced at $880. Vanness Pens is the exclusive U.S. retail partner for Nagasawa Stationery, and you can view the rest of their current stock here.

Further Reading

If you’d like to see a video of this pen, including a writing sample, please check out this short video that I filmed for our YouTube channel. For reviews of other Sailor Pens, check out the “Sailor” page in our Fountain Pen Review Archive.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. As always, many thanks to our friends at Vanness for providing this pen for review.

Curated Shop Updates: Keith Haring from Caran d'Ache, plus the Rylsee "Creative Nomad" Fixpencil Set

I love the fall, not least because it’s always time for another round of Caran d’Ache collaboration releases! This year’s offerings feature a line of products inspired by pop artist Keith Haring, as well as a special edition Fixpencil set developed in collaboration with the Swiss lettering artists Rylsee. The latter is a truly special release, as it includes not only the Rylsee signature Fixpencil but a set of 3B leads, eraser, plus a set of Fibralo brush and fibre-tipped pens along with access to an online lettering course!

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Shown here is the Caran d’Ache Keith Haring Colour Set, which includes 10 water soluble colored pencils plus a Fibralo brush pen. Use them with the Keith Haring A5 Colour Pad, featuring 20 different prints.

In addition to these limited quantity releases (more of which will be coming in the next few weeks), we’ve added to our selection of Caran d’Ache woodcase pencils (as well as our wide selection of pencils in general) and at customer request, expanded our line of Fixpencil replacement leads to include 12-packs. You can view the full selection of Caran d’Ache products, including all the new arrivals, here.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Caran d’Ache.

Sunday Reading for November 5, 2023

1. Ink Thoughts: Montblanc Dragon Red (via A Gathering of Curiosities). This is a lovely shade of red. One inevitable consequence of the ongoing “limited edition ink craze” - combined with the fact that many companies are now expanding their standard ink lineups to include hundreds of colors - is the duplication or near-duplication of colors (even if it’s unintentional and not part of a cynical cash grab).

2. Platinum Chou Kuro Black Ink Review (via Pen Addict). None more black: the review.

3. Hobonichi A5 Notebook (via Stationery Pizza). I’ve recently picked up both Hobonichi Planners and the Notebooks in A5 and A6, and look forward to working my way through them. It’s been a while since I’ve revisited the Hobonichi lineup.

4. Professional (Hand)writing Tool (via Pen Picture). What qualifies as a “professional” writing instrument? Honestly, I’ve gotten by using pretty much anything I want in the office over the years, but what type of pen or pencil best suits your needs will be specific to your particular situation.

5. A Quick Survey on How We Experience Wet Inks and Dry Inks (via mnmlscholar). The survey linked to in this article only takes a few minutes to fill out, and I’m interested to see the results. I love how this hobby leads people in so many different directions.

6. Time for a Change (via Rachel’s Reflections). Fountain Pen Day always gets me thinking about how I optimize my own rotation. I plan to do a big clean-out this evening.

7. Pen Show Pick-Ups: An Over-Due Overview (via The Poor Penman). I don’t think I’ve done a personal overview of everything I picked up this year, much less published a grand look back. Maybe in connection with the year-end review pieces…

8. Bright Night Designs Bright (via Dapprman). Yet another reason to eventually make it to the UK, with this proliferation of independent makers hopefully helping to further grow the pen show scene.

9. M600 Art Collection - Glauco Cambon Special Edition (via Pelikan’s Perch). I had the opportunity to see one of these in person this weekend - it’s a gorgeous pen, though there are less-pronounced red tones in person than appear in the picture.

10. Trick or Treat: Sailor North America Decreasing Prices on Select Collections (via Well-Appointed Desk). My guess is that this is a result of the North American pricing being out of whack with the rest of the world, driving customers to overseas retailers and the grey market, combined with a seemingly endless stream of “limited” editions that hang around for years and that retailers apparently have trouble selling due to oversupply.

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The Tile 2-Pen Box from NFP Design shown with two recent TWSBI Releases: the ECO-T “Rosso” and the TWSBI Kai.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I reviewed the “Tile” 2-pen box from a new company I had the opportunity to visit with at this year’s D.C. Pen Show: NFP Design. And since it was Fountain Pen Day week, I published a short piece on why I think this event, entering its 12th year, is important, going beyond the annual sales promotions.

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Celebrate Fountain Pen Day with us and get yourself some TGS and Fountain Pen Day Swag in your order!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop (It’s Fountain Pen Day! Or Fountain Pen Week! Or Fountain Pen Weekend….) PLUS New Gently Used Items!

Today is the last day of our own Fountain Pen Day promotion and sale. You can take 10% off most orders (excluding brands such as Roterfaden and TWSBI) using the code “FPDAY23” at checkout, and there are also tiered “add-ons” at certain order thresholds. You can read the full details here. Also, be sure to enter our Fountain Pen Day giveaway, with full details on yesterday’s blog post and Instagram. While Roterfaden and TWSBI can’t be discounted, purchases of these items will count towards your tier bonuses.

Finally, the Gently Used Page has been updated to include those items that remain after Patreon members took the first pass! These specific items are not eligible for further discounting, as they’ve been priced to move.

TWSBI

Roterfaden

Kaweco

Diamine

Patreon Update - Support T.G.S. via Sample Sales, Early Access, and Meetups!

If you’re interested in further supporting T.G.S., consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon, which features not only access to meetups and the early gently used sales (one of which is pending now), 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 pledge!

Why Fountain Pen Day is Important: Reflections on 12 Years

Has it really been 12 years? I didn’t realize that the community has been celebrating Fountain Pen Day for more than a decade until I opened up this year’s shipment of Fountain Pen Day swag and realized that it’s emblazoned with “12th Anniversary!” I don’t plan to get very far into the history of the holiday - Kimberly over at the Pen Addict recently published an interview with Fountain Pen Day founder/creator Cary Yeager that does just that - but I did want to briefly reflect on why I enjoy Fountain Pen Day and why I think it’s important that we as a community continue to celebrate.

1. If Things Are Important To You, You Owe Them A Day. Fountain Pen Day is sometimes cynically written off as “Black Friday for Pens.” Look, I get the sentiment. Fountain Pen Day “the event” has grown exponentially since it was first launched, and - intentionally or not - has morphed into one of the biggest sales events of the year for many stationery retailers. Some of the hype borders on FOMO-driven consumerism. That said, I still believe that the idea of a day devoted specifically to fountain pens remains important because of what it represents. With “tech” increasingly pushed on us at every turn, celebrating Fountain Pen Day makes a statement to others about what we value, and provides us with an opportunity to reflect on why we devote so much time, energy (and money!) to this thing we love that goes far beyond a hobby.

2. If You Value Small Business and Independent Makers, Support Small Business and Independent Makers. I can personally vouch for the fact that the vast majority of us on the “business side” of fountain pens are not in this to make a lot of money. We do this because we love writing and want to do our part to ensure that quality pens, paper, and ink continue to exist well into the future. Events like Fountain Pen Day serve as a concrete reminder that if you value smaller, niche industries, it’s essential to make a conscious effort to support the participants you want to see continue, rather than defaulting to Amazon or whoever offers the biggest discount. Sure, nearly everyone has limited funds to devote to their hobby, but I’ve made a conscious effort to redirect my own personal spending this year to specific people I care about and who I want to see succeed.

3. It’s Nice to Have a Permanent “Stopping Point” for the Year to Evaluate How I Use My Planners and Notebooks and What I Might Want to Change. Over the years, Fountain Pen Day has become a waypoint, which signals the start of my personal year-end review process and gives me a full two months to think about what works, what doesn’t, and what I need to change for the following year. For example, I rarely buy planners in October, when Midori, Hobonichi, etc. release their new editions. I force myself to wait a month until Fountain Pen Day, which pauses the FOMO and allows me to reflect on what planner or journal I might realistically use.

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So How Did I Celebrate Fountain Pen Day? Plus Some Big News!

I actually intended to publish this short post yesterday, but as you’ll read below, the day turned into a bit of an event! I kicked off the day by visiting friends from our local/regional pen club at the Columbia Arts Building in Columbia, Tennessee, about 40 minutes south of where I live. After meeting for coffee, I had the opportunity to stop in and support another small retailer at Butler Stationery. If you ever make your way down to Columbia, it’s a great little shop with a nice selection of pens, ink, and paper.

Second, I took possession of and moved into the new offices of The Gentleman Stationer! Our operation has grown to the point where the business needs to begin moving out of our home. This isn’t a retail location - it will primarily serve as a space for me to work on administrative and content-related projects with a permanent setup - but at some point in the near future we will probably offer the option to pick up orders at the office. (We’re not quite there yet). Stay tuned for updates.

Finally, while the office move prevented me from attending this week’s Ohio Pen Show in Columbus, I will be going to pen club for Fountain Pen Day weekend! Those of you in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area (both residents and visitors!) should consider attending a meetup of the Middle Tennessee Fountain Pen Club. Meetings take place every Saturday at alternating locations. Details are available through the Facebook Group and/or a mailing list. (I’m not an admin - just a member - so please don’t rely on me to sign you up.)

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In addition to adding office space, we recently had to lease a larger warehouse space to accommodate growth!

T.G.S. Fountain Pen Day Promotions and Giveaways

All T.G.S. Fountain Pen Day promotions from yesterday’s post will run through 11:59pm tomorrow. Starting today, we are also launching a giveaway of two Esterbrook x Fountain Pen Day pen sleeves (shown at the top), both in this year’s Magenta colorway! All you need to do to enter the giveaway is to comment on either this blog post or the ensuing Instagram post that will be up shortly. No purchase is necessary, and I will choose a winner by numbering all comments and selecting two winners using a random number generator. Each winner will also receive a full T.G.S. Swag Pack. Many thanks for all your support this Fountain Pen Day!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Patreon members get exclusive access to meetups, periodic additional content, plus early access to my quarterly “Gently Used” sales. New items not claimed by Patreon members were recently added to the Gently Used page, which you can check out here.