New 2024 Additions and Arrivals — So many new arrivals! (And no, my new Waterman Exception is not for sale.)

Thursday Drops: All the New Pens and Inks So Far, Plus Pen Storage! (And Maybe a Giveaway?)

May 16, 2024

2024 has been a whirlwind of a year. So much has happened in the past five months, including four pen shows, countless new releases, and shipping LOTS of orders! To recap a bit, we still have some remaining stock of 2024 new releases and special editions, and will restock as we can. We’ve also been swimming in a bunch of new arrivals as our shop expands, including everything posted Tuesday (Patalino and Kept cases).

Kaweco Sport Fountain Pens and Ballpoint

Overall, this has been a great year for Lamy and Kaweco releases. I’ve personally enjoyed the new Kaweco pens, particularly the Art Sport, and TWSBI has been regularly releasing excellent new color/trim combinations to the point that I sort of wish they would slow it down because my own pen cases are getting full!

Finally, don’t miss the giveaway included in yesterday’s post on the line of Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks! You can win a bottle of “Cassis” or “Strawberry Jam” - red of course!

Kaweco Sport Piston Filler Fountain Pen. We have some remaining stock of the initial release of the Kaweco Sport piston filler, which ships in a set with a vintage-style bottle of blue ink. Check out my YouTube video in which I walk through this fun new addition to the Kaweco lineup!
Kaweco Collection Apricot Pearl Sport Fountain Pen. This year’s Kaweco Collection features a translucent AND pearlescent orange acrylic. It’s a beautiful pen and a great addition to the “Collection” Sports.
Kaweco Art Sport Fountain Pens. I want to see Kaweco do more with the Art Sport line. The “Terrazzo” finish has been inked up and in my pen case pretty much non-stop since these arrived late last year.
Blackwing Volumes 710 “Jerry Garcia” Edition. These colorful matte-finish pencils feature Blackwing’s softest core, which is coincidentally my favorite.
Traveler’s Company “Tokyo” Limited Edition Pencil. We have a handful of this year’s limited edition Traveler’s Company Pencil, though the notebooks and refills remain sold out and subject to re-order.
Lamy Safari “Pink Cliff” and “Violet Blackberry” Special Editions. These are two of my favorite Safari releases in a long time. It’s been difficult to choose a favorite between the two, but Pink Cliff is the one that’s stayed inked up. We also have both limited edition matching inks available.
Lamy AL-Star “Fiery” and “Aquatic” Special Editions. These turned out to be some pretty stunning finishes. The AL-Star lends itself to nice blues and reds, given the brushed metal construction. We also acquired a shipment of prior years’ editions as well.
TWSBI Special Editions, Including the Caffé Bronze ECO. TWSBI has been on a tear this year, and we have stock of nearly all recently released special editions that include the ECO Caffé Bronze (with bronze-toned trim!), the ECO “Dark Sapphire”, the ECO Creme and Rose Gold, and some remaining stock of the Kai Piston Filler.
Tom’s Studio Pens. We have all sizes of the Lumos Fineliners back in stock, some remaining colors of the Studio and Studio Pocket, and a fresh restock of the pre-ground fountain pen nibs, including the Architect!
Tom’s Studio Fountain Pen Inks (Also Suitable for Lumos Pens). We now carry the full line of Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks (currently at 19 different colors), per the note above and yesterday’s post that walks through the entire lineup!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized reseller of the brands featured here.

Tom's Studio Ink Swatches — We’re giving away two of the colors pictured here! Check out yesterday’s blog post and our Instagram account for details!

Testing an Entire Ink Line: The Tom's Studio Bottled Fountain Pen Inks

May 15, 2024

How do you actually test an entire line of ink? Honestly, you really can’t, at least not in a reasonable amount of time. The only way you can truly “get to know” a specific ink, with all its various advantages and disadvantages, is to write with it for an extended period. While it’s certainly fun to try, it’s hard for any reviewer or retailer to do that with every ink from a specific brand, no matter how much writing they actually do. For that reason, I try to avoid making categorical pronouncements about ink brands as a whole, and do my best to write with as many different inks as I can, for as long as I can, and given an informed judgment. When you’ve used hundreds of fountain pen inks over the years, you can get a pretty good sense of how an ink will ultimately behave from your swatch book!

Tom's Studio Ink Swatches Nos. 060, 1-12 — From the Top: Pigmented Black (060); Deep Black (01); Raspberry Sorbet (02); Neptune (03); New Forest (04); Cassis (05); Strawberry Jam (06); Mallard (07); Loch Ness (08); Constellation (09); Dove Grey (10); Iris (11) and Juniper (12). The Pigmented Black ink is water resistant.

I’ve spent the past week or so swatching and testing a new line of nineteen different Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks, and I absolutely love some of these colors. For those unfamiliar with the brand, Tom’s Studio is a UK-based manufacturer of fountain pens, dip pens, inks, mechanical pencils, and other assorted fine writing and calligraphy supplies. I was initially hesitant to order these, since many inks sold by calligraphy-focused companies tend to be thinner and somewhat watery, in order to emphasize shading in flexible nibs. There’s nothing wrong with this, and many people enjoy such inks, but for my use case I tend to favor more saturated inks that emphasize legibility. As it turns out - no such concerns here.

Tom's Studio Ink Swatches, Nos. 13-18 — From Top: Mulberry (13); Marianas (14); Rambling Rose (15); Sunny Teal (16); Damson (17); and Marmalade (18). Some of these inks show a touch of sheen around the edges, but none of them are “sheen monsters” and none of them smear once dry.

I’ve been thrilled to discover that most of the inks in this line are well-saturated, but not so much that they smear or suffer from long dry times. My swatch book is a Midori MD Cotton F3 notebook, which handles fountain pen ink well while being semi-absorbent, so it’s a reasonable approximation of most paper that I use on a daily basis. The colors actually tend to be on the muted side, which suits my style, and I’ve found at least a half-dozen in this line that I could see turning into everyday writers. As a bit of a fun experiment, and to showcase my favorites, I thought it might be interesting to pair several of these new inks with my latest Chicago Pen Show acquisitions! Here’s what I chose:

Edison Jameson in Bexley Scheherazade Acrylic: No. 12 “Juniper”

Tom's Studio Juniper with Edison Jameson Fountain Pen — This gorgeous Edison Jameson in new old stock Bexley Scheherazade Acrylic was the 2024 Chicago Pen Show Exclusive!

Tom's Studio Juniper No. 12 Close-Up — Tom’s Studio “Juniper” is so dark that I’d call it a purple-black. This pen needs a dark ink, but I like a hint of color!

Skogsy Low Volume Eyedropper in Beige Ebonite and Clear Acrylic: No. 13 “Mulberry”

Skogsy Low Volume Eyedropper with Tom's Studio Mulberry No. 13 — There was a touch of an inksplosion when I opened the bottle of “Mulberry” (No. 13), but it’s a great match for this Skogsy Low-Volume Eyedropper in clear acrylic and beige ebonite!

Skogsy Low-Volume Eyedropper No. 8 Nib — These No. 8 nibs are becoming more prevalent in my collection….

Edison Collier in Dragon’s Night Acrylic: No. 8 Loch Ness

Edison Collier Dragon's Night Acrylic with Tom's Studio Loch Ness No. 8 — I’ve wanted an Edison Collier for years! I finally went for this dark, translucent “Dragon’s Night” Acrylic. I chose “Loch Ness” (No. 8) for this pen.

Tom's Studio Loch Ness Close-Up — Loch Ness is a dark teal-black. It might match this pen a bit better if it were just a touch brighter, but I do love the ink!

Newton Prospector in D Squared “Arkansas Abalone” Resin: No. 7 Mallard

Newton Prospector Arkansas Abalone with Tom's Studio Mallard No. 7 — Ok, so this Newton Pens Prospector is gorgeous but pretty much impossible to pair perfectly with any ink. I went with “Mallard” (No. 7), which draws on both the green and purple/blue in the acrylic. I believe this particular pen is sold out but keep checking over at Newton Pens for details.

Newton Prospector Arkansas Abalone Alternate View — The variation and depth in this material is stunning!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Overall, I think I’m really going to enjoy using some of these colors. Personally, the ones that speak to me the most out of this line are the dark blue-greens (“Mallard” and “Loch Ness”), as well as the deeper reds (“Cassis” and “Mulberry”). I suspect the really dark purples (“Constellation”, “Damson,” “Juniper,” and “Iris”) will also prove popular. The Tom’s Studio Inks retail in our shop at $16 for a 50ml bottle. We currently have 19 different colors available. To be clear, these inks are all appropriate for both fountain pens and the Lumos series refillable fineliners.

Tom's Studio Lumos Mini in Ivy with Marianas No. 14 — My Lumos Mini in “Ivy” with No. 14 “Marianas” and a .3mm tip. It’s become my Plotter Mini 5 Pocket Pen of choice.

New Arrivals: Raymay Patalino Cases and SlideNote Covers!

May 14, 2024

We’ve had some requests for additional pen and pencil cases, and have been looking at bringing in reasonably priced options appropriate for everyday carry. While at NYNow back in January, I came across this line of flat stationery cases by Raymay, from their “Patalino” line. Available in three colors and two different sizes, these cases will hold your pens, mechanical pencils, scissors, rulers, and even feature a pocket to hold a large eraser or case of mechanical pencil leads. I like these cases because they pack flat at only 1” thick, making them very convenient for travel and modular packing that you can easily move between bags. The “Small” case starts at $15, and the “Large” sizes at $21. We also have higher-capacity rectangular pouches from the “Kept” line.

Raymay Patalino Cases On Desk Closed in Three Colors — All three colors are currently available in the large size, with black and blue available in the smaller size.

We’ve also had some requests to bring in binders and covers that fit the Clairefontaine looseleaf french-ruled sheets (as well as the other A4 looseleaf and pad-bound paper that we carry). We now have SlideNote covers in the A4 size, which will hold approximately 30 sheets of most A4 paper using a convenient clip binding that allows you to easily swap out and/or rearrange pages.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Many thanks for all your support!

Pagebase Slidenote Binder Open with Clairefontaine French-Ruled Paper

Tom's Studio Ink Swatching Project in Progress — My latest ink brand swatching project. Coming soon!

Sunday Reading for May 12, 2024

May 12, 2024

2024 Chicago Pen Show - Not My Usual Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). It was fun attending this show solely as an attendee with no table to mind. As Kimberly points out, this show would benefit from a different hotel.
Thinking More on Binders (via Stationery Pizza). I love binder systems, and I’ve been exploring just how many different binder systems there are out there. (It’s quite a large number!).
Pineider Milano Leather Notebook (via Blake’s Broadcast). As a stationer who has traditionally specialized in paper for written correspondence, it’s extremely interesting to see Pineider make a leatherbound notebook.
Dominant Industry Leaf Green (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Dominant industry makes some exceptionally good dark green inks. This one is a favorite, along with the “Autumn Forest” dark green shimmer ink.
Scriveiner Brushed Copper EDC Pen (via Dapprman). Scriveiner has been blitzing reviewers lately with samples of their pens, and honestly, it may be working in expanding the brand’s reputation beyond “Amazon Pen”. The handful of pens I received for review have been quite nice.
Doodling with Fountain Pens: Circles Pattern (via Fountain Pen Love). Though I’m not a doodler, I love to watch people create these patters and show off their ink. Full pages of these doodles are gorgeous to see at shows.
Desiderata Pens Dumka Review (via SBRE Brown). Pierre has a new model out, and I was able to see some of his ebonite creations at the Chicago Show!
Lamy Violet Blackberry (via Mountain of Ink). Somewhat overshadowed by the release of Lamy Dark Lilac was this year’s sleeper hit, Violet Blackberry. This one is more of an eggplant and a nice shade of purple with sheen that doesn’t smear!
Lamy AL-Star Aquatic Fountain Pen (via Pen Addict - Jeff). Lamy did a great job on this year’s releases across the board. Even with their seeming fixation on blue AL-Star releases that explorer every possible shade of turquoise known to humankind, they somehow manage to make it work.
Ink 100: Part 5 The Final Reveal (via Well-Appointed Desk). If you’re looking for the conclusion of Ana’s “Ink 100” project, here it is!

In Case You Missed It….

Uni Mitsubishi Multi Pen 4&1 — The Uni Jetstream: What’s in your multi pen?

This week I reviewed a favorite workhorse multi pen, the Uni Jetstream 4&1, which they are now making with bamboo and reclaimed wood grips! The Uni Jetstream is, to me, the quintessential multi pen refill, and a pen built around that ink formulation needs no further modification. I also did a fresh “Ask TGS” post in response to a few conversations I’ve had at the Arkansas and Chicago Pen Shows, in which people have told me that they felt overwhelmed by paper choice when putting together a notebook system for the first time. Yesterday’s post discusses three “starter” paper recommendations for refills that work well with most pens and fountain pen inks.

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

The latest Blackwing Volumes (Volume 710 “Jerry Garcia” - with a soft core!) is here, along with new colors of the one step handheld sharpener, as well as the larger handheld erasers and pencil extenders. We also have the full range of Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks that have been added to the shop, as well as restocks on the Lumos Fineliners.

Finally, the big news is that we have the Tom’s Studio Architect nibs back in stock, along with Pro Flex and Cursive Italic! These fit the Tom’s Studio fountain pens and are sold as a separate nib unit.

Blackwing

Uni Mitsubishi

Slidenote A4 Covers

Patalino Stationery Cases

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Different paper rulings: lined and graph open

Ask TGS: Where Do I Start with Paper for Notebook Systems?

May 11, 2024

I'm regularly asked: "How do I get started?" The sheer number of different brands of paper and notebooks now available on the market can be overwhelming to those new to the world of high-end and imported stationery. Lately, it's become one of the more common questions I receive, especially at pen shows from those interested in building out a planner or notebook system but not knowing where to begin.

Any paper recommendation depends heavily on intended use, but in my experience most new users (and most everyday writers in general) are looking for a versatile, multi-purpose paper that they can use with a fairly broad range of writing instruments and, in the case of fountain pens, different inks. Most people want the ability to use their notebooks both at work and for fun. Given that, I try to direct people to paper that balances "ink-friendliness" with reasonable dry times. There are plenty of paper options out there that fall into this category, and which are relatively inexpensive to boot, so it shouldn't be cost-prohibitive to experiment with a few different brands and find the paper that works best for you.

Lochby Field Journal Notebook Cover Open to Two Larger A5 Notebooks — The Lochby Field Journal can hold up to six slim A5 notebooks, or two thicker A5 notebooks. It’s a universal A5 size allows you to use different notebooks from all sorts of different brands, in an seemingly endless universe of layouts.

A Note on How These Recommendations are Set Up

Given my personal focus on notebook systems and covers, I typically get this question from people looking for refills for their new system binder from Lochby, Roterfaden, or another similar company. The recommendations below are therefore framed in terms of slim A5 notebooks. However, the same considerations apply to people looking to try good paper in general, and all of the companies listed below make their paper in a wide range of sizes and formats, including spiral notebooks and pads. And even with notebook systems, you’re not limited to the slim A5 notebooks (as shown in the picture above). You just won’t be able to carry as many at once.

Midori MD Paper: I usually recommend that people start here, in either the standard MD notebooks or the three-packs of slimmer MD Light notebooks. (I can't tell a difference between the paper and I think it's the same.) For those who want to carry multiple inserts in a cover system, the MD Light notebooks will work best, but if you want to stick with one or two thicker notebooks, then go with the standard MD notebook. The reason why I love Midori paper, especially for those looking to test out good paper for the first time, is because the paper is somewhat absorbent and strikes a good balance between ink-friendliness and dry times.
Nakabayashi Logical Prime Threadbound Notebooks. I discovered Nakabayashi paper last year, and it's proven extremely popular due to the fact that it's very fountain pen friendly, ink dries quickly, and the unique multi-lined ruling is reminiscent of Clairefontaine French-ruled paper without the longer Clairefontaine dry times. The slim A5 threadbound notebooks are most popular for the various "system covers", but there are other formats in different sizes. All of the various types of paper handle fountain pen ink well, including the lighter Logical Air and the heavier Yu-sari.
Lochby Tomoe River 68gsm Notebooks. I have always preferred the heavier, slightly more absorbent 68gsm Tomoe River paper over the lighter 52gsm version, at least for everyday use. I've found that it has a faster dry time, and also resists tearing and wrinkling, making it a preferred choice for the office. That said, I've not been able to find much information on the future of this paper. Tomoe River Paper is now being manufactured by a new company, and while Lochby still has stock of the 68gsm paper, I suspect it will eventually be phased out given that it's (unfairly, IMHO) less popular than its lightweight counterpart. Lochby does have some interesting ruling options in this format, including Wide Ruled and Undated Planner layouts, which you can't easily find elsewhere.

But What About the Traveler's Company Traveler's Notebook?

The Traveler's Notebook system is a bit of a different animal because it’s a proprietary size. While there are non-Traveler's branded refills out there in different papers, most of the "official" refills use some version of Midori MD Paper (most of the standard refills) or 52gsm Tomoe River (Lightweight Paper). I usually recommend that people interested in the Traveler’s Notebook start with the standard MD Paper refills (one blank refill is included with your cover) and then switch to the Lightweight Paper or Sketch or Watercolor Papers if they need something different.

All of these recommendations are just a starting point. As I mentioned up top, once you find a core paper that works for most of your everyday writing, you can experiment and start trying different specialty papers and other brands. My favorite aspect of a multi-refill notebook cover (a "notebook system") is the ability to carry many different papers at once and switch back and forth as you go. (The next thing you know, you're a nut like me, with three different systems in rotation all at once, because you know you need to use all the papers!)

For further reading, be sure to check out our guide to fountain pen friendly papers, which has an active comments section in addition to the papers I’ve personally tried.

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 enjoy our content, we greatly appreciate your support!