Thursday Drops: Welcome Blackwing!

I know that I had teased a big upcoming shop addition after my trip to New York earlier this month, where I met with more than a dozen different brands and distributors. Well, one of those brands was Blackwing, and after laying the groundwork over the past couple of years, I’m finally able to add Blackwing to our expansive selection of pencils and pencil accessories in our Curated Shop. There’s a wide range of products included in this first batch, including not just the four classic Blackwing Pencils (Natural, 602, Pearl, and Matte) but also the recently released Volume 2 (featuring their 2X firm graphite formulated especially for this release), the 602 “Short” pencil, and pencil accessories such as the Point Guards and one and two-step long-point sharpeners.

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Combined with the arrival of Lamy Dark Lilac fountain pen ink, and the “Dark Sapphire” TWSBI ECO, this has been a big couple of weeks in the shop. Enjoy!

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

1. Blackwing Volume 2 Limited Edition Pencils. The latest Blackwing Volumes release features a “cracked” glow-in-the-dark pattern over a matte black body. But that’s not what really makes this pencil special - it contains a specially formulated XX Firm graphite for superior point retention.

2. Blackwing 602 “Short” Version. This shorter version of the classic Blackwing 602 is perfect for writing on the go, whether on the golf course, in the library, or tucked behind your ear while running errands. Pair it with a Blackwing Pencil Guard for pocket carry!

3. Blackwing “Core” Pencil Lineup. In addition to limited editions and pencil accessories, we now have the four core Blackwing pencils, including the Natural (extra-firm graphite), 602 (firm graphite), Pearl (balanced graphite), and Matte (soft graphite). Personally, I’m partial to the original Blackwing Matte but I love them all.

4. Blackwing Pencil Essentials Set. Looking to try all the Blackwing Pencils plus a sharpener and Point Guard? The “Pencil Essentials” set contains four pencils plus two key accessories. A great idea for those experimenting or looking for a nice gift.

5. Blackwing One-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpener. An excellent choice for those who desire a larger one-step pencil sharpener with the capacity to hold shavings from multiple sharpenings. I’ve had one of these for years and it’s great for on-the-go use. Replacement blades available.

6. Blackwing Two-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpener. Featuring three different colors and a rubberized finish for extra grip, this classic two stage sharpener allows you to sharpen the wood first, followed by a second stage that sharpens just the graphite. Replacement blades will be available soon.

7. Blackwing Point Guard. Pencil point protectors are one of those useful accessories that often go overlooked. They allow you to carry multiple sharpened pencils around without having to worry about breaking the points (or stabbing yourself in the hand when you reach into your bag). These Blackwing Point Guards are sold in sets of three, containing one Guard in each finish.

8. NJK Pencil Sharpeners. Looking for a slightly smaller one-step long point sharpener that you can take anywhere? Japanese sharpener specialists NJK make one of the best long-point sharpeners on the market, in six different colors.

9. Lamy Dark Lilac Fountain Pen Ink. Ignore the “controversy” - the new Lamy Dark Lilac stands on its own as an excellent dark purple fountain pen ink. I’m so glad that we have this one in the standard Lamy lineup.

10. Lamy Limited Edition “Cliff” and “Blackberry” Inks. We recently received a fresh shipment of the latest Lamy special edition ink releases, in both bottles and cartridges!

Mechanical Pencil Review: The Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch

What is this madness? The second Gentleman Stationer mechanical pencil review in a month? It's not so much a "new" focus on mechanical pencils, as I've always used them, but rather part of my recent attempt to fill out my years-long review backlog that includes to-date unreviewed pens such as the Pilot Vanishing Point and mechanical pencils such as the Uni Kuru Toga, which I'll talk about today.

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The Uni Kuru Toga needs no introduction to many stationery enthusiasts. It's been around for years, and is one of the most popular mechanical pencils in both Japan and the U.S. When you see a "Kuru Toga" branded mechanical pencil, that refers to the lead advancement mechanism in the pencil, which rotates the lead as the pencil writes and allows you to maintain a sharp point on the lead without rotating the pencil in your hand. Honestly, many believe that Uni perfected the mechanical pencil with the Kuru-Tog a mechanism, and for general-purpose writing, I may have to agree with them.

I sometimes find myself rotating the pencil out of habit, but when I make a conscious effort not to do so, holding the pencil at a constant angle using the clip as a visual reference, I'm always amazed at how well the Kuru-Toga mechanism works. It really does keep a crisp point on the lead. That said, even if you don’t really care about the “Kuru Toga” aspect, this is a great mechanical pencil nonetheless.

What do I look for in a mechanical pencil?

• Balanced Feel. Balance is important in a mechanical pencil. The pencil can be heavy or light, but it needs to be balanced in the sense that it's not overly front- or back-weighted. Especially on a .5mm or .38mm pencil, if the balance is off the lead tends to catch on the paper and will break frequently.

• Protective Sleeve, or Pipe, to Reduce Lead Breakage. While most important in finer .5mm and .38mm (or even .28mm!) mechanical pencils, a metal pipe or sleeve will help to reduce lead breakage. Sometimes this sleeve is retractable, though not on this particular pencil.

• Comfortable Grip Section. Many people favor mechanical pencils as precision tools for drafting or annotating rather than longer writing sessions. Often, you’ll find them with a knurled metal grip that’s hard to use for more than short bursts of writing. Other mechanical pencils have a non-textured plastic or metal grip, which some find slippery. Here, you have a gel pad, which is somewhat unique and extremely comfortable.

For my second Alpha Gel Switch, I picked up this neutral version. It’s less eye-catching but also less likely to be “borrowed” than the bright yellow one. ;)

The Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch ticks all three of these boxes. It's balanced and also extremely lightweight, making it an ideal choice for a pencil you'd want to use for writing. Combined with the accessible $14 price point, this pencil would shoot to the top of the list of recommendations for office or school use. The gel grip is insanely comfortable, as I mentioned above. The section is slightly firmer than a Pilot Dr. Grip, and the gel strikes a good balance between adequately conforming to your hand without becoming squishy or distorted over time. So far, it’s not developed that "sticky" feeling, or collected a ton of dust and debris. (If you've used one of the older Sensa pens, you'll know exactly what I'm referencing here.)

Ok, so what does the "Switch" refer to?

The "switchability" of this pencil is not a huge selling point to me personally, but some might find it useful. The "Switch" in the name refers to the ability to turn the Kuru Toga rotation mechanism on or off by rotating the clip. In "hold" mode, the lead won't rotate, which some people supposedly prefer for longer writing sessions? Honestly, I can't tell that much of a difference, and prefer the feel of the sharper lead so I leave the Kuru Toga mechanism engaged.

Uni provides a directional arrow showing you how to put the pencil into "hold" mode. Here I’ve rotated the clip on the yellow model.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

It's hard to go wrong with the Alpha Gel Switch for an everyday mechanical pencil. When you combine Uni's rotating mechanism with a comfortable grip and a gorgeous range of colors (including both muted options as well as brighter color combinations such as yellow and black), you have a quality workhorse mechanical pencil priced at less than $15 that you can take anywhere because it’s both reliable and inexpensive to replace if you lose it or it “walks off your desk” at work. I have two in my personal rotation, and used these nearly exclusively at the professional conference I attended last week.

We currently have seven different colors of the Kuru-Toga Alpha Gel Switch available for purchase in our recently expanded pencil section of the shop, along with at least one other version of the Kuru-Toga: the "Elite" or "Roulette" model which features a more traditional, technical-style knurled grip for those who prefer that finish. Both pencils are priced at $14.50. While we carry the .5mm lead size (which I've found to be the most popular), .38mm and even .28mm sizes are also available. The larger diameter .7mm is less common in a Japanese mechanical pencil. Our shop also carries the full range of Uni mechanical pencil refills, including both the basic “smudge-proof” formulation and the higher-end “Hi-Uni” leads.

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You don’t see many comparisons of mechanical pencil lead sizes. For me, .5mm is the “sweet spot”, as .7mm tends to be too “dull” of a point, while .38mm requires lighter pressure or else you end up with lead breakage, especially on rougher paper. I’ve never been brave enough to try a .28mm mechanical pencil.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you enjoyed this content, please consider supporting us and keeping T.G.S. going!

New Arrivals: Lamy Dark Lilac Is Here!

After all the hype and “controversy”, the wait is over! The new Lamy Dark Lilac Ink is here! While I no longer have a bottle of the original that I can use to compare the exact shades as they dry, I do have a swatch I made years ago of the limited edition version so I can do a side-by-side.

The new Dark Lilac is a much darker purple with reddish undertones - I’d describe it as a true purple-black with green sheen. Honestly, the new ink is not the former limited edition, but to me it lives up to its name and is an excellent purple ink standing on its own. If I’m going to go for a sheener, I love green sheen!

Let’s be honest, I was never as obsessive about this color as many were - I would never consider paying hundreds of dollars for a bottle when similar colors were available on the secondary market. But at $12 addition to the regular Lamy lineup? Give me something similar and I’m good to go because I love a good dark purple. Dark Lilac ink is now available in standard Lamy ink bottles in the shop, priced at the standard $12. (It’s listed with the standard lineup of colors because it’s not a limited edition but rather will be a regular bottled ink color going forward.) We also have fresh stock of the recently released “Cliff” and “Blackberry” 2024 edition inks, in both bottles and cartridges.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Lamy products.

Sunday Reading for March 10, 2024 (Spring Break Edition)

1. NFP Design Storage (via Figboot on Pens). One of my favorite discoveries from last year’s DC Pen Show was the NFP Design table. They’ve continued to release new cases and pen boxes, and I love all the designs even though I don’t need new storage at the moment.

2. Thin Softbound Notebooks are Low-Stakes Experimentation Platforms (via mnmlscholar). I’ve never thought of it that way! Another thing to think about is that if “finishing” a journal gives you motivation to keep going, it can be incredibly satisfying to fill up a bunch of these slimmer notebooks!

3. Quick Look: Ajoto N2 Pocket Paper Notebook (via The Poor Penman). These notebooks look well-made, and while I would call this paper “usable” with fountain pens based on the pictures shown, Ajoto is a maker of rollerballs/ballpoints, so it’s to be expected that their paper would be geared towards their own products.

4. Theme System Post Series: How I Used the Official Theme System Journal (via Stationery Pizza). I used the Theme System Journal for a while and also now use a version of it, but in a different stationery product that I can customize to my own needs. It’s interesting to see how other people implemented this versatile system.

5. Bindewerk Metal Edge Ledger Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). I love Bindewerk paper and their product line in general. Their paper is generally excellent.

6. The London Spring Pen Show 2024: My Haul (via Fountain Pen Blog). I love the semi-annual London Pen Show Schedule. It’s only for one day, but it happens twice a year! Is that better than the once-a-year, three-day model that nearly all U.S. shows follow?

7. 2024 Baltimore Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). While I couldn’t make Baltimore this year, the show definitely went on! Saturday looked quite crowded.

8. Notebook Review: Endless Recorder A5 InkJournal (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Cool idea for a journal/notebook! I have yet to try the in-house Endless Paper.

9. Everyday Explorers Rubber Stamp Sets (via Well-Appointed Desk). Rubber stamps are something that I use occasionally in my journals and notebooks, but I’d really like to learn more, especially since there are so many great options now.

10. My First Pen Show (via The Cramped). I love reading about people’s first show experience! A great long recap.

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In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog, I took a bit of a (much needed) break but did publish a longer piece outlining my stationery travel kit for a bit less than a week on the road. I also managed to drag my family out stationery shopping (don’t worry, everybody got to buy something so it wasn’t a one-sided family excursion) and picked up this fun limited edition mechanical pencil lead case from Uni at Kinokuniya! Back to a regular content schedule next week!

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What’s the most popular new arrival? Oddly, these Viarco coiled-spring stainless steel pencil caps.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop…

Lots of new products landed in the shop this week. All of them are discussed in more detail in this week’s “Drops” post, but in short we have the new TWSBI ECO “Dark Sapphire,” Viarco Pencils, NJK Sharpeners, and Yamamoto Writing Pads (including Tomoe River Paper versions!) We also have a restock of Midori MD Notebooks and Lamy Inks.

NJK Sharpeners

Viarco Pencils

Yamamoto Paper

Lamy Ink

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Weekly Drops: A New TWSBI ECO and a Whole Lot of Pencil-Related Stuff!

Travel week, so it’s Friday Drops instead of Thursday, but we still have a ton of new stuff to share! Dark Sapphire TWSBI ECOs are available to ship, along with additional matte black 580 ALR fountain pens and the Caran d’Ache “Blue Lagoon” 849 sets! We also have a ton of new pencil stuff to share, from both Portuguese manufacturer Viarco as well as Japanese sharpener specialists NJK. See Tuesday’s post for additional details!

Viarco’s designs are inspired by their back-catalog of pencils. All are still being manufactured in Europe!

Finally, Lamy inks are back in stock, including bottles and cartridges of the new “Cliff” and “Blackberry” releases. Dark Lilac should be arriving early next week, and I can’t wait to do a comparison! Enjoy!

I’ve been traveling for the last couple of days, but the trip is winding to a close so we’re back on schedule and any orders placed today through Sunday will ship within our normal 1-3 business day time frame.

1. TWSBI ECO Dark Sapphire Fountain Pen. TWSBI has been building out its stable of classic designs this year, and the latest release is a dark blue ECO, which looks great offset with the red TWSBI finial.

2. TWSBI Diamond 580ALR Fountain Pen. As with the blue ECO, I consider the Black Diamond 580ALR to be a classic in the making. The matte black finish looks great on TWSBI’s flagship piston-filler.

3. Caran d’Ache 849 “Blue Lagoon” 849 Pen and Pencil Set. Color gradients are all the rage these days, and Caran d’Ache has added their take with this new 849 pen and pencil set in a white, grey, and ice blue gradient.

4. Viarco Vintage Pencil Set. If you’re looking for an opportunity to sample all of the different Viarco styles, or perhaps a gift for someone who really enjoys pencils and vintage-inspired writing, this half-gross set contains six dozen Viarco pencils in the various vintage styles.

5. Viarco Vintage Pencils (Individual Styles). All of the various Viarco pencil styles are available for purchase in boxes of a dozen, including both the No. 2 graphite pencils and the violet core copying pencils.

6. Viarco Pencil Caps. Looking for a way to protect the point on your freshly sharpened wood pencils? Viarco makes these coiled stainless steel pencil caps that slip easily over the sharpest of tips.

7. NJK Pencil Sharpeners. Perhaps my favorite long-point pencil sharpener, due to the combination of cost and effectiveness. Each sharpener is available in six different colors, and comes with a replacement blade. I plan to make additional replacement blades available soon.

8. Yamamoto A5 Writing Pads. We received a shipment of Yamamoto A5 writing pads that includes both “new” Sanzen and “old” Tomoegawa Tomoe River Paper options, in addition to Yamamoto’s own bank paper. The Tomoe River pads have 200 sheets of paper, while the bank paper pads have 100.

9. Yamamoto Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Sampler. We have one remaining Fountain Pen Friendly Paper sampler! Once these are gone we’ll be awaiting the next version if I can’t get more.

10. New Lamy Inks and Notebooks. We have a restock of the Lamy Cliff and Blackberry bottled inks, as well as ink cartridges now available!