Weekly Drops: Hi from the Arkansas Pen Show!

I’ve been quiet for the past few days, both here on the site and social media, and it’s because most of my time has been occupied by prep for and travel to Little Rock for the 2024 Arkansas Pen Show! Now that I’m here at the show, I can put out the public code for the standard pen show weekly discount and also highlight some new arrivals and special discounts. Take 10% off most shop orders (excluding certain brands that we are not allowed to discount) using the coupon code “PENSHOW10” at checkout. A few of the things we will be spotlighting at the show, plus new arrivals can be found listed below:

1. E+M Clutch Pencils in Various Finishes. We have wood E+M clutch pencils that can be used as either sketching tools or highlighters available for purchase! From the contoured “sketch” model to the round workman, these cool pencils are made in Germany and come in a wide range of both colorful and natural stains.

2. Blackwing “Illegal Pads”. We talked a bit about Blackwing last week, when we launched the Blackwing pencil collection as well as their sharpeners and other accessories. What I’m really excited about, however, is their range of legal pads that feature very good paper in a variety of rulings. These are good for both pen and pencil.

3. Anterique Brass Ballpoints. These well-balanced ballpoints pair a brass barrel with the excellent “Mach Ball” low-viscosity ballpoint refill. Nearly everyone who handles one of these pens in person loves them.

4. Lamy 2000 Multi Pens. The Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (or “4 Color Ballpoint”, for the purists) is one of my favorite workhorses because it’s capable of holding four different D1 refills, including the Uni Jetstream D1 or your preferred brand of choice. You can read more about why we like this specific pen here.

5. Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pens. On our table this weekend we have the full range of Pilot Custom 74 fountain pens in all the various colors and nib sizes. If you’re interested in seeing them in person, do stop by, and of course we also have them available online!

6. Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pens. Another classic workhorse, the Vanishing Point fountain pen is perfect for those who don’t want to give up retractable pen convenience when they want to write with a fountain pen. Plus you can amass quite the collection of interchangeable nibs!

7. Lamy Special Edition Safari Ballpoints. The latest Lamy Safari ballpoint releases have arrived! Pink Cliff and Violet Blackberry have a more “blacked out” look than the brightly accented fountain pen and rollerball options.

8. Lamy Special Edition AL-Star Fountain Pens. The Safari’s slightly larger aluminum sibling is now available in several additional special edition finishes, including Whitesilver, Azure, and Cosmic. We’ve been trying to get whatever stock we can! Ballpoints are also available in Cosmic and Azure finishes.

9. Camel Pencils. These Japanese pencils with an integrated eraser are a longtime favorite among pencil aficionados. Available in two different wood stains with grey or white erasers.

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Five Fun Discoveries from the First Months of 2024!

I’ve been traveling fairly regularly throughout the past three months, and have picked up a bunch of stuff (and rediscovered others) without enough time to do in-depth reviews, though those may come in the future! I thought it might be fun to briefly talk about five items I’ve been using a lot recently. You may see some of them in the shop in the future, or they might just remain fun stuff in my personal collection if the appeal isn’t as widespread, but if you see something you think is cool that I don’t personally carry, let me know!

1. Jetstream 4+1 Multipen, Karimoku and Bamboo Editions. You already know how much I love the Uniball Jetstream, but lately I’ve really been diving heavily back into the world of multi pens. The Jetstream 4+1 (meaning that it has four slots for pens and one for a mechanical pencil) is chunkier than many other options, but I still find it comfortable. The two shown here were picked up at Kinokuniya in NYC last week, and are Japan-exclusive special releases. Unfortunately I don’t see the Karimoku version listed online in many places, so I suppose it’s an exclusive that retailers are only allowed to sell in brick-and-mortar locations though you may be able to find it on eBay, etc.

2. Uni Kuru-Toga .3mm Mechanical Pencil. While I don’t think the .3mm lead width is going to replace my go-to .5mm at any point in the near future, this .3mm in a muted moss green was another Kinokuniya pickup. I’m quite surprised at how well a .3mm mechanical pencil resists lead breakage, though you do have to pay some attention to writing pressure and paper texture. This pencil is currently loaded with HB-grade lead, and I wonder how much softer (B, 2B) you could actually go before breakage becomes an issue.

3. Lamy Safari Ballpoint Pens. And also the Noto, and the econ, etc. In my opinion, the Lamy M16 ballpoint refill is an excellent standard ballpoint option that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. I’ve rediscovered these as great “shipping pens,” since they’re easy to deploy one-handed when working in the warehouse and writing notes to go with orders. I will add that the current “Pink Cliff” and “Violet Blackberry” ballpoints look really good, even if there has been some criticism for the ballpoint not incorporating the flash of pink and light purple. Personally I prefer the blacked-out, more muted look.

4. Penco Prime Timber 2.0 Lead Holder. I’ve always used leadholders and clutch pencils, but the process of extending the lead can be a bit perilous, since most leadholders have a gravity-driven “drop” system where the lead just slides out, as opposed to a “click-to-extend” mechanical-pencil-style mechanism. Enter the Penco “Prime Timber”, which is not only a touch longer and has a traditional pencil-like feel, but allows you to click to extend the 2.0mm core. If you’re looking for a leadholder to write with, consider this one. The pencil ships with a decent sharpener, or you can opt for the brass M+R lead pointer, which gets a VERY sharp point.

5. “Metacil” Infinity Pencil. These “infinity pencils” with a metal tip made from aluminum alloy have been around for several years, but I’ve never tried one and my prior attempts have been somewhat unsatisfying. On a whim, I picked up a couple of these at Kinokuniya, and apparently they’ve improved the quality to a point where the line is about as legible as a 2H pencil - still very hard and somewhat light, but usable on the right kind of paper. I’ve been keeping one of these in random places where I sometimes need a pencil to mark things up quickly, such as the chair where I do some of my reading and computer work. During my trade show adventures I even saw a version where companies have worked darker graphite into the metal tip, resulting in a pencil tip that may not last forever but still doesn’t require sharpening. I plan to further explore this product category!

A writing sample of both the Penco Prime Timber as well as the Metacil, which is surprisingly legible. I have found that it works best on smoother paper. This is the Blackwing paper in the “Illegal Pads”.

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New Arrivals: E+M Clutch Pencils (Plus Highlighter Leads), and Blackwing "Illegal" Pads!

I spent much of this weekend both preparing for the upcoming Arkansas Pen Show AND listing a bunch of new arrivals online, all of which I will try to bring to the show with me, but no promises! Most of the new products are from German maker E+M, known for their expansive line of wooden clutch pencils, which we now stock in multiple shapes and colors. The rounded “Workman” comes in both shorter and longer versions, and the contoured “Sketch” in three wood finishes with chrome or brass trim. Sharpeners are available for purchase separately.

The E+M Workman Short and Long, shown side-by-side.

We’ve also received another shipment of the Kaweco “Softfeel” Clutch Pencils in Black and Yellow - though not as many as before as I understand these are no longer part of the standard line and I’m limited to what the distributor has on hand - and the standard metal finishes. Graphite, Highlighter, and Colored Lead refills are available in the 5.5mm and 5.6mm sizes. E+M and Kaweco refills are interchangeable, and as I’ve written before, you can also use them as nib holders for the Kakimori Metal Dip Nibs.

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Blackwing “Illegal Pads” disappeared for a while, but now it appears that Blackwing has them available again and you are starting to see them more. That’s good news because they’re fabulous.

Finally, we have Blackwing’s “Illegal Pads” in stock, which frankly are one of the best high-end legal pads that I’ve used. Sold in packs of two, these bound pads feature perforated sheets and high-quality paper that works well with pretty much any ink, as I observed a few years back in this review. The “ruled” format has the center line that old-school legal pad aficionados enjoy. For non-attorneys, this format can traditionally be used to divide questions and answers at deposition or trial (questions in the right column, answers on the left). Dot grid and graph rulings are also available!

I will be traveling to Little Rock for the Arkansas Pen Show on Thursday and returning early Monday. Since our shipping time is 1-3 business days, any orders placed Thursday and Friday will likely still ship in this window, but if you absolutely want something to arrive this week, please get any orders in by Wednesday morning. Thanks so much!

Sunday Reading for March 17, 2024

1. Dispatches from the Archives (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I’ve been avidly following this series of posts. To be in this sort of situation and not have access to my pens…. well, at least I’m a pencil person as well!

2. Lamy Dark Lilac 2024 vs. The Original Dark Lilac 2016 (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Kimberly has an excellent comparison of the two inks - yes, they’re different yet still similar at the same time - and her observations line up with my own.

3. BWIPS 2024 (via Rachel’s Reflections). As a longtime Baltimore Show attendee, Rachel writes great recaps and has excellent observations on this particular show. I’m glad to hear the “off” feeling from last year wasn’t an issue this year, and I’m looking forward to returning next year as my schedule allows.

4. Clicky Pens: Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen Vintage and New (via A Fleeting Ripple). I look forward to reading the rest of this forthcoming series!

5. A Quality Fountain Pen for $35? The Asvine P80 (via Figboot on Pens). Of all the lower-priced fountain pens available on the market, Asvine might be the best. These pens are decently made and fairly reliable, though I haven’t had mine for long.

6. Leaving a “Later Space” for Brainstorming Medium and Long-Term To-Dos (via mnmlscholar). More discussions of analog planning techniques in a variation of traditional bullet journaling.

7. Quick Look: Good Made Better Penwell Classic (via The Poor Penman). The Penwell is the ultimate “enthusiast’s accessory” - the number of people who truly need one is relatively small, but those who love and use them never go without!

8. Kaweco ART Sport in Pebble Blue Acrylic Review (via Pen Addict - Jeff). I agree with everything Jeff has said about this model, especially about how the integrated clip being a nice addition. The only quibble I have is that the Terrazzo is clearly the best material, right?

9. Taking It Slowly (via From the Pen Cup). Mary discusses her latest reading project, which is a wonderful idea if you’re looking to tackle long, difficult books.

10. Bouncing Back to Gel Pens (via Pete Denison). This article touches on something that I’m also feeling strongly - the enthusiast community often marches everyone down the fountain pen rabbit hole, to the exclusion of all the other wonderfully fulfilling, well-made products out there (including some excellent gel pens).

11. “The Only Thing Constant in Life is Change” (via Well-Appointed Desk). Another observant take on the Dark Lilac “controversy”, and a reminder to enjoy these inks for what they are while we have them (along with everything else).

12. Rubato Fountain Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). While maybe not exactly my personal style, this is EXACTLY the type of thing that I love discovering at pen shows - new creators!

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog I chronicled my own adventures outside the fountain pen universe, since I’ve been on the road and am now enjoying a mostly restful week at home before I take off for the Arkansas Pen Show on Thursday afternoon! I reviewed the Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencil, a super comfortable .5mm mechanical pencil featuring Uni’s Kuru Toga rotating “engine” plus the ability to turn the rotation mechanism on and off. I also wrote a piece discussing how line width compares across various types of non-fountain pens, including ballpoints, gel pens, and mechanical pencils. One is probably not exactly the same as the other, as liquid or gel ink pens might write a broader line than their designation.

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The E+M “Sketch” Clutch Pencil combines some gorgeous woods with brass or chrome trim.

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

After a week on the road most of my effort went into getting caught up on shipping and listing all of the new arrivals that hit the shop while I was out. The biggest news was the arrival of Blackwing in the Curated Shop! I’ve been talking to Blackwing for years about bringing in the brand, and at last the timing is right. Check out the full range of Blackwing pencils, sharpeners, and accessories, as well as the excellent “Illegal Pads” writing pads.

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While I can’t confirm that Blackwing has changed its paper formulation since the last time I’ve used one of these, the current version of the “Illegal Pad” handles all inks very well.

Among other things, we now carry a broader range of clutch pencils capable of holding 5.5-5.6mm leads (both graphite and highlighter), as well as the Kakimori dip nibs. In addition to the Kaweco Clutch Pencils, we have clutch pencils from another German manufacturer, E+M, which come in a wide range of wood finishes. We also received an additional shipment of AL-Star Pens from Lamy (including the Azure, Cosmic, and Whitesilver finishes), and now have the 2024 Safari Ballpoints available in both Pink Cliff and Violet Blackberry.

Lamy Pens

E+M Pencils

Blackwing Pencils

Uni Pencils

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How Fine is "Too Fine"? Comparing Tip Sizes Across Different Pen and Pencil Types

It can be hard to make sense of the different tip sizes in ballpoints, gel pens, and mechanical pencils. Manufacturers tend to denote the tip size in millimeters (or tenths of a millimeter) as opposed to the arguably more descriptive "fine,” "medium,” and “broad” or “bold” typically used in fountain pens and rollerballs. Moreover, the actual corresponding line width isn't always consistent, due to differences between ballpoint and gel ink. For example, a .5mm gel pen might write a wetter line that looks wider than a corresponding .5mm ballpoint.

Since I've spent the past couple of weeks on "day job" projects that have required a lot of travel and non-fountain-pen use, I thought it might be interesting to do a direct comparison of the different widths and test some recent observations.

These days, the only ballpoint pen I use with any regularity is the Uniball Jetstream. And I use ALL the sizes. Even in non-Jetstream pens, I’ve mostly swapped out the original refill for the Parker-style Jetstream SXR-600 (shown at bottom). Shown here are the Jetstream Prime (left) and Jetstream Edge (right).

Ballpoint Example: Uniball Jetstream

It's somewhat difficult to find decent ballpoints that allow you to write a very fine line outside of Uni's Jetstream line. There are exceptions, like the Anterique Mach Ball Pens and the Ohto Refills found in Mark's and Traveler's Company Pens, but these less common Japanese imports are generally limited to the .5mm size, whereas the Jetstream comes in in both .38mm and .28mm line widths.

Since ballpoint refills are typically drier than rollerball or gel pens, you really do get a lot of differentiation between the different line widths. That .28mm can almost be described as a “hairline”, especially with light pressure.

I'm always shocked at how smooth Jetstream refills write, even at the .28mm width. .5mm will always be my personal sweet spot for everyday writing, but it's nice to have the ultra fine options for notetaking and annotation. Currently, I’m only aware of the Jetstream Edge in this ultra-fine .28mm tip, but it’s possible there are others sold in Japan.

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto has long been my go-to gel multi pen. Check out my original review from 2016!

Gel Pen Example: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi-Pen

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C remains a favorite gel pen, and the Coleto multi-pen version (in all of its various iterations) is probably my all-time favorite option. With gel pens, I tend to prefer the Hi-Tec-C's needle-tip, and I've found the Coleto Multi-Pen refills to resist the flow issues and clogging that can be endemic to the standard Hi-Tec-C.

I don’t have a .7m Hi-Tec-C (or know whether one even exists), so I subbed in a Pilot G2 for the .7mm writing sample.

Personally, the "sweet spot" for me is the .4mm Hi-Tec-C Coleto refill. I find these ever-so-slightly wider and smoother than most ".38mm" refills. This could be an ink issue as opposed to tip size, but I'm speaking from hands-on experience here, not any sort of technical analysis.

Mechanical Pencil Examples: Uni Kuru Toga and Caran d'Ache 888 Infinite

I've only recently begun experimenting with mechanical pencils narrower than .5mm. During my recent trip to NYC, I picked up a .38mm Uni Kuru Toga at Kinokuniya. I'm surprised at how usable this pencil is, even if you do have to be somewhat careful to avoid lead breakage. Generally speaking, a .7mm mechanical pencil will give you a line width closest to a standard woodcase pencil freshly sharpened in a long-point sharpener. The .5mm is my default “I-want-to-write-small-without-worrying-about-lead-breakage” pencil, and the size I use the most frequently. If you use a higher quality pencil lead, a .5mm mechanical pencil can be nearly as break-resistant as a .7mm pencil.

Shown here: the .7mm Caran d’Ache 888 Infinite (sorry, no longer available but the lead is identical to other Caran d’Ache Mechanical Pencils), and two Uni Kuru-Toga pencils in both .5mm and .38mm. I’m aware that .9mm and 1.1mm mechanical pencil sizes exist as well, though they’re less common and at that width, I will probably use a standard woodcase pencil or a 2mm leadholder.

Practical Considerations: Some Parting Thoughts on Choosing a Size

First, the good news: Most ballpoints, gel pens, and mechanical pencils are relatively inexpensive, so the risk of choosing the "wrong line width" is relatively low. You can buy one of each size and write with them for a while before making a larger investment in a broader range of colors or multiple refills.

If you find that you enjoy a certain brand/width combination (for example, a Jetstream in .7mm), you aren’t necessarily limited to buying pens from a single company because you can often find a more universal refill. Shown here is the Jetstream SXR-600, a Parker-style refill that fits ballpoints and rollerballs from many different brands. The Jetstream SXR-200 D1 refill is a great option for most D1 multi pens.

Second, as someone who takes a lot of notes and is a serial annotator - meaning that I obsessively mark up books, articles, and documents as I read them - I tend to find a use case for all of the different sizes. While .5mm is my go-to size for everyday writing, I typically keep a .38mm or .4mm handy, and have been experimenting with the .28mm Jetstream Edge. On the other hand, if you mainly write longhand, such as using your pens and pencils to journal, you may find .7mm the best all around choice. .5mm or wider will give you a smoother writing experience.

Here you can see an overall comparison of the three categories of writing samples above. In general, gel pens write a wider line than their corresponding ballpoint, and mechanical pencils will of course have less “spread” on the page since they don’t use liquid ink. The paper used is the Blackwing “Illegal Pad”, in the ruled format with the classic center dividing line.

Finally, though I'm still working through my thoughts on ultra-fine mechanical pencils, I'm pretty confident that anything finer than .5mm won't make it into my everyday rotation. With a mechanical pencil, you have to worry about lead breakage, and these ultra-fine widths are inescapably more fragile than their .5mm and .7mm counterparts. With a .38mm mechanical pencil, I've found that I have to pay more attention to things like paper texture, which can snag the lead and cause a break.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Certain pens and pencils discussed in this post are available for purchase in our shop, so please consider supporting us if you enjoyed this content!