Thursday Drops: New Lamy Safaris in Pina Colada and Cherry Blossom!

In short order, Lamy has released two additional special edition Safari pens for 2024, and this time both new colors are available in fountain pen, rollerball, ballpoint, and the .5mm mechanical pencil formats. Of the two new color combinations, the “Pina Colada” (turquoise/yellow) is my favorite, mostly due to the yellow clip and accents, though “Cherry Blossom” (red/pink) is another excellent color combination that’s consistently popular.

In addition to the recently released Safari Pina Colada and Cherry Blossom Special Editions, we have fresh stock of the Pink Cliff and Violet Blackberry pens, as well as the Fiery and Aquatic AL-Stars! Additional new releases and restocks are set out below, and don’t forget to check our “Gently Used” page, which has been updated and all items can be combined with the standard shop to hit the free shipping threshold at $75.

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The contrast on both pens is really nice. I’m a sucker for anything yellow, so the Pina Colada is my preference, but Cherry Blossom/Sakura pens are always favorites!

1. Lamy Safari Special Editions in Pina Colada and Cherry Blossom. We currently have stock of the fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils. Both colors are currently in-stock and available.

2. Lamy Safari Special Editions in Pink Cliff and Violet Blackberry. Don’t sleep on these special editions from earlier in the year, which feature a darker color scheme. It’s nice to see Lamy mix it up a bit!

3. Lamy AL-Star Special Editions in Fiery and Aquatic. The 2024 AL-Star release includes two metallic red and blue options, with matching transparent grip sections. We also have recently arrived stock of last year’s editions in Azure, Cosmic, and Whitesilver, as well as remaining Lilac and Petrol pens.

4. Lamy Special Edition Inks and Dark Lilac. The Pink Cliff and Violet Blackberry fountain pen releases were accompanied by two new matching inks, and promptly followed by the re-release (or re-formulation) of Dark Lilac. We have stock of all colors available.

5. Lamy Pico Pocket Ballpoints. The Pico is back in stock, with plenty now available in all colors! One of my all-around favorite pocket ballpoints, the Pico expands from the size of a tube of lip balm into something close to a full-sized writing instrument.

6. Metacil Infinity Pencils. As I discussed in yesterday’s post, “infinity pencils” (which typically need no sharpening) have been around for years, but only recently have companies perfected the tip formulation to where you get a writing experience that’s consistently legible at a 2H hardness.

7. Caran d’Ache Pencils. All of these longtime shop favorites are fully restocked, from the bicolor annotating pencils to the fabulous Swiss Wood. You can read more on our recent Caran d’Ache restock here.

8. Tom’s Studio Lumos Refillable Fineliner Pens. This relatively new product category is one that I want to lean into, as I’ve been using these refillable fineliners on a daily basis for the past few months. I even carry the pocketable Lumos “Mini” in the pen loop on my pocket notebook. Replacements are available for all tips and capillary fillers.

9. Midori MD Cotton Paper in A5 and A5 Square. Midori recently released new sizes of their 20% cotton paper, one of which is a standard A5! The “Square” version is quite popular in Japan, and we not only carry this shape but covers to match.

10. New Stálogy Notebook/Planner Accessories. We have the recently released special edition Stálogy 1/2-year notebook in white, along with the new notebook covers and additional removable planner and to-do stickers! You can now fully customize your Stálogy notebook/planner (though the stickers work on other papers as well).

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Adventures in Weird Stationery: The Metacil "Infinity" Pencil

So-called “infinity” or “forever” pencils have been around for years, marketing themselves as anytime/anywhere writing instruments that never need to be sharpened. The Metacil barrel is made from lightweight machined aluminum, and the tip contains some sort of aluminum alloy, possibly with graphite blended in for added darkness. While the points technically won’t last forever, you can write with them for a very long time without having to replace the tip.

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Though the pencil itself is branded “sun-star,” the packaging has Bandai Namco as the maker.

When I visited Kinokuniya in New York back in March, I picked up a couple of Bandai-Namco “Metacil” pencils on a whim, and found myself pleasantly surprised by how well these things wrote. While they certainly won’t replace mechanical or woodcase pencils in my everyday writing rotation, I see a few reasons why these pencils are increasingly popular for specific use cases:

• No wood shavings or graphite dust. While the sharpening process can be meditative/contemplative and is one of the main reasons I love writing with woodcase pencils, under certain circumstances it can be inconvenient (i.e., when you need to make quick notes in a meeting or find yourself working in a location where there’s no convenient way to clean up your sharpening “mess”). I also give them convenience points for portability, such as when I’m reading on the patio, in a park, or on the beach and either can’t or don’t want to carry a sharpener with me.

• Lighter "2H” grade markings are easy to erase. I like to annotate books and make small checkmarks, etc. in books that I’ve borrowed. These need to be erased prior to the book being returned to its owner. Marks made by lighter-grade graphite and pencils such as the Metacil erase with little effort, making them excellent annotation tools.

• Portability without risk of lead breakage. I’ve been dropping my Metacil pencils into a general stationery pouch without issue. I treat them like a stylus (Apple Pencil, reMarkable Marker, Kindle Scribe Stylus, etc.) and they’ve held up quite well. I wouldn’t recommend carrying these in your pocket, as the point is quite hard and you could accidentally stick yourself in the leg.

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A stand-alone Metacil writing sample on Blackwing “Illegal Pad” paper.

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Another shot of the writing sample on the same paper, compared here to the Blackwing “Soft” core found in the Blackwing Matte pencils. This is basically a comparison between 2H and 4B graphite.

Tips for Writing with Infinity Pencils

There isn’t really a drawback to infinity pencils, other than you don’t get the tactile experience of writing with a woodcase pencil that so many people love. They’re sort of an odd stationery item that will appeal to certain people like myself who enjoy using pencils to mark stuff up but occasionally find themselves in circumstances where they can’t sharpen a woodcase pencil and they don’t want to deal with possible lead breakage and graphite dust that still happens with mechanical pencils and leadholders. As I referenced earlier in this post, I’d generally compare the Metacil hardness to 2H graphite with ordinary use. Writing on a harder surface or paper with more texture will result in a darker line and the best overall tactile feel. Darkness will also increase with added writing pressure. While the inability to sharpen the tip may affect your ability to write smaller script, I’ve found the point size consistently usable, and I have small-ish handwriting.

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I love my red Metacil (as of yet unavailable for me to stock), but I think the “Stormtrooper” white version looks best in person.

We currently have a small test batch of the full-size Metacil Pencils in the Curated Shop, priced at $15, in either a black or white finish. If they do well I’ll try to seek out other colors. “Infinity pencil” technology seems to have come a long way since I first tried these out back in 2015(?), when they were so light you could barely read the mark. The Metacil has actually been something I pick up and write with, and has turned into one of my “porch pencils” of choice.

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While you likely won’t have to replace the tip due to wear for a very long time, the tips screw out for easy replacement. I should have them sourced in the shop soon.

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

New Arrivals: Caran d'Ache + Nespresso 6th Edition, Plus a Pencil Restock

New arrivals in the shop this week include the latest collaboration between Caran d’Ache and Nespresso: the 6th Edition 849 Ballpoint featuring recycled aluminum derived from the midnight blue Kazaar capsule. The Caran d’Ache + Nespresso collaborations were one of the very first special edition lines we chose to stock in the shop, so they have a special place in my rotation and I always look forward to these annual releases! This pen features a matte midnight blue barrel with matching monochromoatic knock and clip, and ships with a medium black “Goliath” refill.

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We generally carry all of the Caran d’Ache special releases and most of the standard line products, including the 4th Edition Nespresso Swiss Wood Pencils, the gradient-inspired “Blue Lagoon” 849 ballpoint and mechanical pencil set, a couple remaining Keith Haring 849s, and the Rylsee Special Edition Fixpencil Lettering Sets. This latest shipment also included a full restock on Caran d’Ache pencils, including the Swiss Wood series, eraser-tipped office pencils, and the red, blue or green Fixpencil 884!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Caran d’Ache Products.

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The Swiss Wood pencil will always be an iconic favorite!

Sunday Reading for June 2, 2024

1. Estonia Recap, Stationery Edition (via A Gathering of Curiosities). This sounds like a wonderful trip! A Stationery travelogue not focused on acquisition.

2. News on Gravitas - Pen Venture Now the Agent (via Dapprman). Some breaking news here that I’m quite excited to see - Gravitas Pens shipping and customer service/fulfillment apparently will now be handled by Pen Venture out of Romania (who I’ve bought from in the past and found to have excellent customer service).

3. From Sample to Bottle: a Celadon Cat Story (via mnmlscholar). Sometimes samples lead to full bottle purchases. I love Celadon Cat.

4. Considering Binders: Why? and Why Not? (via Stationery Pizza). Binder system vs. stand-alone notebook vs. notebook system? There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but what works for you will mostly depend on how you intend to use your stationery.

5. Smythson Featherweight A5 Spiral Bound Refill Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). I’ve yet to try Smythson paper, as it’s a very premium paper option but people love the experience as it’s a stationery classic.

6. Fourth Anniversary (via Inkredible Colours). Congrats on another bloggiversary! I love this anniversary/annual recap format.

7. 7 Years Already?!? (via Pen Addict). Kimberly looks back at her first order after 7 years in the pen community!

8. Pen Research: Vintage Pilot Edition (via Rachel’s Reflections). Have you ever purchased a vintage pen and then had to research where it came from? It’s part of the fun!

9. Diamine Cult Pens Wonders of the World (via Well-Appointed Desk). These inks have been sitting in my Cult Pens cart for quite some time, and I should probably just go for it.

10. Not That Kind of EF, Please and Thank You (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Thank goodness everyone was ok! Terrifying!

In Case You Missed It…

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This week on the blog I reviewed a new pen from a brand I’ve not reviewed before: Skogsy Pens and their Low Volume Eyedropper model, which I picked up at the Chicago Pen Show last month. Since that nib was a broad, and because I’ve been using more broad fountain pen nibs lately, I thought it might also be fun to write a piece on how/why I’ve been trying to branch out from my default medium nib size and try more broad nibs. In short, I love that stainless steel broad nibs don’t necessarily write all that much wider than mediums, but allow you to see the ink properties better.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop…More Midori!

Some really cool stuff hit the shop this week, including the new Caran d’Ache Nespresso 849 collaboration and some new Midori MD Cotton Notebooks in both A5 and “A5 Square.” Midori’s 20% cotton paper formulation is one of my all-time favorite ink-friendly papers, and these notebooks don’t disappoint. (One of the A5 versions went right into my A5 Roterfaden.) We are also restocked on Traveler’s Company Notebooks, Refills, and Accessories, Caran d’Ache pencils, and pens from Mark’s Tokyo, which are longtime shop favorites! Be sure to check out this week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks.

Finally, the T.G.S. Gently Used Page is restocked with review samples, store testers, and some gently used pens from my personal collection. These periodic sales have helped fund our expansion, and any purchases can be combined with regular shop orders for free domestic US shipping above $75 USD.

Caran d'Ache

Mark's Tokyo

Stálogy

Cases and Accessories

Now is a Good Time to Check Out T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve recently shared some news regarding our continued growth with our Patreon members, and have also recently added some items to the Patreon Shop. If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon, which also includes access to early shop releases, the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly Zoom meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.

No matter how you support us - even if just with a comment, recommendation, or encouraging word - we greatly appreciate your readership!

Fountain Pen Basics: Don't Be Scared of Broad Nibs!

Last year I ran an Instagram poll in which I asked followers to vote on their preferred nib size. By a wide margin, fine and medium nibs won out, which corresponds to what I generally see going out the door in our shop. For today's post I thought I'd talk about my efforts over the past year to branch out beyond my default "medium" nib preference, and specifically my experiments with broad nibs for everyday writing.

Why Many People Avoid Broad Nibs (Including New Users)

If you find yourself in the “scared to try it” category, you’re not alone! Back when I first started using fountain pens, I could never envision myself using a broad nib for everyday writing and waited nearly three years before venturing beyond medium. Why? Here’s what my brain told me:

"Broad nibs are messy because there's too much ink."

"The ink will bleed through the page."

"My handwriting isn't that large."

While all of these statements have an element of truth, in the sense that broader nibs do put more ink on the page, I’ve found that the difference between a medium and a broad is not as pronounced as many believe, especially with standard stainless steel nibs. For sure, a GOLD broad nib can absolutely write very wet - especially when paired with an ebonite feed - but I've come to discover that broad JoWo and Bock stainless steel nibs might actually appeal more to me than the medium. How so?

• As you can see from the writing samples below, the line width on the stainless steel broad nib doesn't require me to increase the size of my handwriting, despite being ever-so-slightly broader.

• While the broad nib definitely writes an "inkier" line, the steel nibs aren't so wet that they cause performance issues - at least no more than a relatively wet medium. This added ink flow actually lends a smoother feel to the nib that I find pleasant for longer writing sessions, and allows me to see more of the ink's properties (shimmer, sheen, and/or shading).

• I go through more ink. I am still reluctant to flush a pen while it's partially filled with ink and prefer to write my pens dry. That said, I also like to rotate through my pen collection regularly. With broad nibs, you'll use more ink, which means more variety!

• Finally, broad nibs are ripe for customization! I’ve started ordering broad nibs with most of my custom pens, and it’s become my default size whenever I pick up a new TWSBI, because I know that if I ever get bored with the round broad nib I can always have it ground to an architect, stub, cursive italic, or Naginata-style/kodachi nib because there’s plenty of tipping available. You can even have a broad nib ground down to a fine or a needlepoint - for the most part, it’s easy for a nib grinder to take a nib down in size, but you obviously can’t go up! Also, where possible, consider experimenting with pens that have interchangeable nib units. In addition to having the nib ground, you can also just swap it out should you not like the experience.

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A writing sample comparing stainless steel medium and broad nibs from the same brands. From top: Broad and Medium Magna carta No. 8 nibs, followed by Broad and Medium JoWo No. 6 nibs. Inks used were from Tom’s Studio, and the paper is Midori MD Cotton.

Give a Broad Nib a Try!

For beginners, TWSBI and JoWo currently make my favorite stainless steel broad nibs and are good places to start. My first broad nib was a TWSBI Diamond 540 that I loved because it wrote just slightly broader than the TWSBI medium, and it was followed by a broad nib unit for my Pilot Vanishing Point (which essentially writes like a medium from many other brands). Pilot and other Japanese brands might actually be an exception to the general rule of thumb that broad gold nibs run wet, as Japanese nibs tend to write narrower than their designated nib size.

So in short, don't be like me and wait three years before you try a broad, especially if you're already using medium nibs. You might find that you’ve been missing out!

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, please consider supporting us directly!