Sunday Reading for May 5, 2024

1. Papier Plume: The Faceless Lady (via Figboot on Pens). Since it’s Chicago Pen Show weekend, we might as well link to a review of Papier Plume’s annual Chicago Pen Show exclusive ink!

2. January - April 2024: Four Months in Stationery (via A Gathering of Curiosities). R.B. summarizes pen purchases for the year so far, with an impressive #ifyoucouldonlykeepone set!

3. TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Sunset Yellow (via Stationery Pizza). If you’re a fan of orange/gold pens, I feel like I have to give a plug to the Sunset Yellow 580 and remind people to grab one before TWSBI cycles out the colors again.

4. The Taming of the Scribo, Write Here Africa Fountain Pen (via Fountain Pen Blog). Scribo does make a shop-exclusive model for Write Here in the U.K., if I ever make it over! Also, the note about heat setting is important to take into account if you find you need to tweak your ebonite feeds.

5. Stipula Etruria Fountain Pen (via Blake’s Broadcast). The Etruria was one of the first expensive Italian pens I purchased. I’ve noticed that it’s mainly produced with steel nibs these days, though celluloid editions still exist.

6. Posh Pens in a Supermarket (via Bleistift). Multi-thousand dollar pens in a grocery store? I like it.

7. Uni-ball One F Gel Pen 0.5mm Earth Texture Color Series Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). I picked up a few of these from Kinokuniya when I was in NYC, and liked them so much I decided I’d try to stock them in the Curated Shop. There is no real added “texture” - just speckled resin - but it’s a cool visual effect.

8. Ink 100: Part 4 Hitting My Goal (via Well-Appointed Desk). Congratulations to Ana on finishing her Ink 100 challenge!

9. On Devaluing Inexpensive Pens (via SBRE Brown). As you “grow” in the hobby and expand into more expensive pens, do you appreciate your inexpensive pens less? Personally, not if the pen is well-made and writes well. I still use plenty of inexpensive pens but I have become more picky about quality.

10. It’s the Dawning of the Age of … BRONZE! New Ink from Franklin-Christoph (via Inkdependence). I picked up one of these at the Chicago Pen Show. Look for my own thoughts soon!

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Always wild finds in the bar after-hours at any pen show! More on these pens and what they are in this week’s Chicago Pen Show Recap.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I offered my own take on the “If I Could Only Keep One” challenge/thought experiment, with my “must-have” items from various stationery categories. I also took a short two-day adventure to the 2024 Chicago Pen Show, and recapped my Friday visit (and shopping spree) here.

New Tom’s Studio Arrivals: Lumos Mini Pens and Inks!

New Arrivals in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: TWSBI ECO Caffé Bronze and Tom’s Studio Lumos Fineliners

The big news this week was the arrival of TWSBI’s latest special edition release, as well as a full restock on the Tom’s Studio Lumos series of refillable fineliners, including the pocket-sized Lumos Mini! We also have some remaining limited edition “Tokyo” Traveler’s Company accessories (including the pencil), as well as an entire new range of Tomoe River Paper products and Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter leather covers!

For a full list of all new arrivals this week, check out our New Arrivals and Thursday Drops Posts.

Pilot Pens

Tom's Studio Inks

Iroshizuku Cartridges

Tomoe River

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Pen Show Adventures: 2024 Chicago Pen Show Friday Recap!

As one of the older pen shows on the circuit, the Chicago Pen Show has a rich history. Over the years it’s been considered one of the “big” shows at times, but for now I would place Chicago in the category of mid-size shows that draw an extremely diverse group of vendors. And as a show that’s very easy for me to attend logistically, it’s not uncommon for me to jump on a cheap flight and go last-minute, which is what happened this weekend!

The Chicago Pen Show is actually located in Hoffman Estates, a suburb. The hotel is fairly large and part of the show takes place in this well-lit atrium.

The trend at pen shows has been to make Friday a hybrid weekend trader/public day, meaning that weekend pass purchasers get a few hours in the morning to shop the show exclusively before it opens to the public on Friday at around noon. This is the best of both worlds, in my opinion: The weekend pass is still worth the money for attendees because they get early access, but vendors also get the benefit of additional public foot traffic in the afternoon (especially around 2-3pm when people skip out of work early to hit the show). I made sure to pick up most of the pens I was looking for in the morning, before the show got crowded.

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Clockwise from the top: Waterman Exception Night and Day, Skogsy Low-Volume Eyedropper, Good Made Better Ebonite Pocket Pen, Edison Jameson Scheherazade, Newton Prospector in Arkansas Abalone, and Edison Collier in Dragon’s Night.

This particular pen show trip ended up being a mix of business and personal, meaning that I didn’t take a table and set up as a vendor, but I did meet with a couple of different makers and manufacturers on T.G.S.-related projects. Once those were taken care of, I was free to roam a bit, visit with friends, and pick up six pretty significant pens, including two customs I had been looking to add to my collection, two new releases to evaluate, and two pens (one semi-vintage) that I’ve long coveted but had never found “the right opportunity.” Sometimes those opportunities hit you all at once. :) Here we go:

• Custom Pen No. 1: Newton Prospector in “Arkansas Abalone”, which I couldn’t pass up. I’ve been looking to add a second Newton Prospector (Shawn Newton’s triangular pen) in a fun material, and this turned out to be the one. Featuring shades of iridescent pink, silver, mother of pearl, and some dark green, it’s a stunner. The resin is by D Squared, also from Arkansas. I believe Shawn has a few more pens in this material.

• Custom Pen No. 2: Skogsy Low Volume Eyedropper in Beige Sand Acrylic. Designed to moderate the ink flow by limiting both the amount of ink in the barrel and the volume that can travel through the ebonite feed at any given time, Skogsy’s “Low Volume” eyedropper aims to avoid flooding the feed with ink, which leads to ink leaking into the cap and sometimes onto the page as you write. Did I mention this one has a No. 8 Magna Carta nib and ebonite feed? Expect to see more of this pen.

• New Release No. 1: Good Made Better Ebonite Pocket Pen. Dan had been teasing these pens all week on Instagram, and I already had planned to take one of these home with me. I chose this mottled black, beige, pink, and orange ebonite pen with a matte finish. As always, Good Made Better’s workmanship is excellent. I understand that these pens are show-only for the time being, so if you’d like to pick one up, get one at the Chicago Show or else you’ll need to wait for the official launch.

• New Release No. 2: Edison Jameson 2024 Chicago Pen Show Limited Edition. My pen is No. 7 of a (very) limited run of 15, made from older Bexley Scheherazade resin, which is a black translucent acrylic resin featuring streaks of silver foil. And, yes, it has a No. 8 nib. (You’re noticing a trend here.)

• Personal Acquisition No. 1: Edison Collier in Brooks “Dragon’s Night” Resin. Does anyone else remember when the Edison Collier was first released and everyone thought the pen was oversized? I never added one to my collection, which I’ve come to regret, and I couldn’t leave this one on the table. Translucent black acrylic with dark blue/teal shimmer. I considered the Collier Grande but found it slightly too oversized, despite the No. 8 nib which was tempting.

• Personal Acquisition No. 2: Waterman Exception “Night and Day”. I’ve been looking to add one of the oversized Waterman Exceptions to my collection, preferably in the black with silver trim and matte pinstripes on the side. Guess what? I ran into someone looking to unload one in excellent condition! Instant buy, and I’m thrilled to come closer to completing my “vintage” Waterman collection of most models spanning the late 1980s through early 2000s.

For Saturday, while I may pick up some smaller items and shop samples, and get a couple of nibs looked at, major shopping is over for this weekend. I expect the show to be much more crowded today. See below for some bonus pics of the new Good Made Better pens, as well as some vintage after-hours finds. (Yes, those are miniature keychain whiskey bottles that turn into fountain pens!)

If you enjoy our content, you can support us directly by visiting our own T.G.S. Curated Shop, as well as the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Many thanks to all of our readers and supporters!

A close-up of the Good Made Better Pocket Pen I picked up.

In addition to a pocket ebonite fountain pen, Good Made Better also has these full-sized models.

Thursday Drops: Restocks on Traveler's Notebooks and Accessories, Tom's Studio Lumos, and Iroshizuku Cartridges!

Another big week! Here’s what we managed to get listed before I was out the door to the Chicago Pen Show this weekend: Restocks on Traveler’s Company, Tom’s Studio, Lochby, Laconic, and Pilot, as well as a new TWSBI! While I won’t have a table this weekend at the Chicago Show (I’m only here through Saturday), please do say hello if you see me. I might have some T.G.S. Swag to give away, and I’ll also have Tom’s Studio Lumos and Studio Pocket demos with me to check out if you’d like to see them in person.

Update: As of this morning, we’ve also listed 19 different colors of Tom’s Studio Inks, now available for purchase!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands shown here.

1. Traveler’s Notebooks Standard Size Starter Kit. We are freshly restocked on Standard Size Traveler’s Notebook Starter Kits in Black, Brown, and Olive (other colors are currently backordered). Many of you have been asking about these as well as additional Tokyo notebooks, and we’ll update as we know more.

2. Traveler’s Company Tokyo Pencils. We DO have a handful of the special edition Tokyo Limited Edition pencils remaining in stock. I’m surprised these have lasted as long as they have - it’s pretty uncommon for the U.S. market to get special/limited edition pens and pencils.

3. Traveler’s Notebook Refills and Accessories. We’re restocked on most of the basic Traveler’s MD Paper Refills, Specialty Papers, and Accessories.

4. Tom’s Studio Lumos Mini. As mentioned above, we recently received a huge second shipment of the Tom’s Studio “Lumos” refillable fineliner pens, including the “Mini” version. I’m currently carrying a Mini in “Ivy” in my Plotter Mini 5.

5. Tom’s Studio Lumos Pro, Pro Duo, and Lumos Write. Our first test order went extremely well, so we reordered the full size Lumos Pro, Pro Duo, and Write pens in all colors. We also have Lumos replacement tips (packs of three) and reservoir replacements (packs of 3 or 5).

6. TWSBI ECO Caffé Bronze Fountain Pens. The latest TWSBI ECO fountain pen release features a muted coffee-color paired with bronze-toned trim. Along with the Indigo Blue + Bronze ECO, it makes a stunning set.

7. Lochby Field Journals and Cases. Lochby Field Journals are back in stock in all colors, along with Quattro Four-Pen Cases and Tool Rolls to help you prep for the Summer travel season.

8. Tomoe River Pads and Notebooks. If you’re looking to outfit your Lochby and/or Roterfaden (also recently restocked!) with high-quality Japanese paper, we have Tomoe River paper options in multiple formats, including notebooks and pads, with graph, dot, and plain rulings.

9. Laconic A5 Notebooks. At long last, Laconic’s undated A5 planner notebooks came back into stock, so we can once again offer the daily, weekly, and monthly options, in addition to some of their specialty refills that include To Do lists and even a chart/spreadsheet layout. These slim notebooks can add a useful dimension to your multi-refill setup.

10. Pilot Explorer Fountain Pens and Iroshizuku Ink Cartridges. By popular demand, we brought in a second shipment of the Pilot Explorer (including what we could get in matte black). You can now pair these with Iroshizuku Ink Cartridges, for those of you who prefer to use Pilot pens with cartridges instead of converters.

The TWSBI ECO Caffé Bronze

"If I Could Only Keep One...." (My Version)

I love these writing prompts that are currently trending throughout the pen community. So far, we've had #21PenQuestions, #17InkQuestions, #5MorePenQuestions (which I tacked on), and now, "If I Could Only Keep One." The standard version of this latest challenge prompts you to go through your pen collection and pick one pen from each brand that you would keep, if you were ever forced to limit yourself. Because I run T.G.S. as a business, combined with the fact that I've been collecting/accumulating/reviewing/using pens for over a decade, this exercise wouldn't be particularly practical for me, much less enjoyable for you to read, since I have many different brands - vintage and modern - and the selections wouldn't necessarily be meaningful because it would still be a ton of pens. So let's pare it down even further!

How About, “If You Could Only Keep One from Each Product Category?”

For my take on "If I Could Only Keep One," I'm going to limit myself to (1) one fountain pen; (2) one ballpoint/gel/rollerball; (3) one mechanical pencil; (4) one woodcase pencil; (5) one fountain pen ink; (6) one mechanical pencil lead; (7) one notebook/notebook system; and (8) one pen case. So in essence, if I had to get rid of everything, but had a chance to "shop my own collection" for one item from each major product category beforehand, this is what I'd choose.

• Fountain Pen: Lamy 2000. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The Lamy 2000 remains my favorite fountain pen of all time, and the extra-fine or fine nibs tend to be my favorite writers of the bunch. The pen is durable, holds a lot of ink, and fits my hand perfectly when posted. It took me all of 5 seconds to make this call. If I had to choose between the various models, I'd pick a Makrolon pen and would keep my Bauhaus Blue edition.

• Ballpoint/Gel/Rollerball: Jetstream 4&1 Multi Pen. I was tempted to pick the Lamy 2000 multi pen here due to the ability to use D1 gel refills in addition to the Jetstream ballpoint, but instead went with the Uni Jetstream 4&1. I increasingly rely on low-viscosity ballpoints as my secondary writing instrument of choice, simply because they write on any kind of paper under any conditions, and the Jetstream inks have long been favorites. This particular pen gives you four color options plus a .5mm mechanical pencil, and all of the various colors write well. Green and red ballpoint inks tend to be on the dry side, but the Jetstream manages to avoid this issue. I need to do an extended review of this particular pen at some point in the future.

• Mechanical Pencil: Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch. I don't draw, so my mechanical pencil pick won't necessarily be a drafting-style pencil. The Alpha Gel Switch combines a gel grip that's comfortable for writing with Uni's Kuru-Toga mechanism that rotates the lead as you write. To me, the Alpha Gel Switch is the ultimate mechanical pencil for actual writing.

• Woodcase Pencil: Blackwing Matte (Soft Graphite). For my woodcase pencil I chose the original "new" Blackwing: the "Matte" (or "Original," or "MMX", or whatever you want to call it). Even if I have to sharpen this pencil more frequently than one with harder graphite, I love the dark line that it leaves, with minimal smearing for graphite that approaches 4B hardness. Many market this as a "drawing" pencil, but I personally love it for writing.

• Fountain Pen Ink: Waterman Blue. Some may call it boring, but it's the first fountain pen ink I ever used and the last ink I'll get rid of. Safe in any pen (and fabulous in the Lamy 2000), Waterman Serenity Blue (formerly Florida Blue) is my go-to utility ink, even if I don't currently have a pure blue bottle of it in my collection. It turns out that this ink mixes quite well with Waterman Tender Purple/Violet to make a nice ultramarine "blurple" color.

• Mechanical Pencil Lead: Hi-Uni 2B. In general, mechanical pencil leads tend to run lighter than the graphite core on a woodcase pencil, and will resist breakage up until about the 2B grade. The Uni "Hi-Uni" pencil leads are of exceptional quality, and I use the 2B hardness in most of the mechanical pencils I use for everyday writing.

• Notebook Cover/System: Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter A5. At any given time, I'm using 5 or 6 notebooks, but if I had to reduce it to one notebook cover, I would pick a 3-clip Roterfaden in the A5 size. I'd choose this notebook mainly due to the combination of durability and versatility: The leather cover will last a very long time, while the A5 size is compatible with most of the notebooks I use on an everyday basis, including the Hobonichi Cousin, Midori MD Light and Soft Color notebooks, and A5 Tomoe River A5 notebooks. Roterfaden's clip system makes it easy to rotate individual notebooks/refills. You can seek how I have my Roterfaden set up in this YouTube video.

• Pen Case: Rickshaw Bagworks Sinclair Model R. The Sinclair pen case has long been my overall favorite, and it's perfect for my take on the "If I Could Only Keep One" challenge because the case has three slots to hold the Lamy 2000, Kuru Toga, and Jetstream Multipen, with room to carry other items I might need such as an eraser, pencil sharpener, pocket notebook, earbuds, etc. I actually have multiple Sinclairs and use them for all sorts of stuff that I tend to move between bags. (The Model R shown here is the Vanness Pens/Leigh Reyes collaboration.)

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Why is yellow such a theme these days? Maybe because it’s a happy color? I’m going with it.

Why do I enjoy these challenges so much?

It boils down to intentionality. I enjoy thinking about why I use the things I do and why I choose certain things over others. Additionally, it can be very stressful to surround yourself with too much stuff, and I find it important to periodically de-clutter and pass along those things I no longer use. Exercises like these give you an easy starting point: "OK, I'm definitely keeping THIS. Now what can I clear out?"

Note that this post should NOT be construed as a "best pens" or recommendation list, but rather reflects how I personally use stationery.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. I will be at the Chicago Pen Show this weekend, not at a table but roaming around, so if you see me, say hello! Look for the T.G.S. logo on my nametag.

New Arrivals: TWSBI ECO Caffé Bronze and Lumos Mini Fineliners!

The latest TWSBI ECO release is now available! The bronze trim pens released over the past year have been among my favorite, including both this latest coffee-colored fountain pen, dubbed the Caffé Bronze, and the restocked Indigo Blue + Bronze model. I find the bronze to be slightly darker and deeper in tone than TWSBI’s popular rose gold plating. The pens arrived yesterday so they are available to ship immediately.

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So what else is new? In addition the full-size Tom’s Studio Lumos Pro and Lumos Pro Duo pens, we now offer the pocketable Lumos Mini! If you’re a fan of fineliners, the Lumos pens are an excellent way to use your fountain pen and pigmented inks in a refillable fineliner format. The pens themselves are slim enough to fit into most planner loops, making them an excellent choice for Plotter. Read more about the Lumos series and how it works here.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of both Tom’s Studio and TWSBI products. T.G.S. is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.