Sunday Reading for June 16, 2024

June 16, 2024

Once a Year: Dutch Pen Show 2024 (via A Fleeting Ripple). I missed this recap post last week! The Dutch Pen Show looks like it’s becoming a destination show for Europe.
Two Hands Paperie: A Quick Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). A great stationery store recap for those who are in the Boulder, CO area, or who simply love looking at pictures of a well-stocked shop.
Hakase Part I: The Journey (via Dapprman). Hakase is a small Japanese brand lesser known to most readers than larger brands such as Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum. The process of selecting and ordering pens from these companies can be fascinating to read about.
Fountain Pen Review: Atelier F F2 Titanium Gr. 5 Teal and Light Gold (via Rants of the Archer). There’s a lot of fountain pen innovation coming out of the Philippines these days. Check out the cartridge design on this pen!
A Caffeinated Fountain Pen from Retro 51 (via Figboot on Pens). Retro 51 released a coffee shop-themed Tornado a few years back, and now they have a fountain pen version.
Plotter Letterpress Refill Review (via Pen Addict - Jeff). Finally someone has done a review of what might be my favorite paper format on the market: letterpress Midori MD cotton paper in Plotter refill format! I have an embarrassingly large stockpile of this stuff but churn through it fairly quickly.
New Lists: Oxford Task Manager (via A Fleeting Ripple). I’ve long had a thing for these narrow-format notebooks, especially for list-making. Oxford paper is available in the states in different formats than in Europe so I don’t know that I could get my hands on this particular product.
Doodling with Fountain Pens: Spread Pattern (via Fountain Pen Love). This one might be my favorite post from this excellent series!
Kaweco Sport Piston Fountain Pen Review (via Pen Addict). I enjoyed reading Brad’s review of the new Kaweco Sport Piston fountain pen, which is a balanced review looking at the pen for what it actually is with a realistic perspective on what Kaweco could accomplish in today’s market.
When the Product Isn’t What You Expected (via Well-Appointed Desk). I had a very different experience with the Metacil Pencil and carry the shorter pocket version quite frequently, but this review demonstrates how personal use case and all the different variables (paper type, graphite preferences) can create wildly different experiences from user to user.

Uni Mitsubishi Metal Mechanical Pencil Lead Case — My adventures in weird stationery continue….

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog, I reviewed a second piece of “Weird Stationery” (after the Metacil), which is a metal mechanical pencil lead case from Uni that I discovered at Kinokuniya earlier this year. I also talked briefly about two of my favorite small makers (Shawn Newton and Nicholas Pasquale) with whom I just released two exclusive collaborations that are now available. More on those below.

TGS x Newton Pens Majestic Fountain Pen — Check out the shop listing for additional photos, including close-ups of our new engraved nibs.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - New T.G.S. Exclusive Editions!

The biggest news from the shop this week was the launch of two new T.G.S.-exclusive collaborations with Newton Pens and PensByPasquale (Nicholas Pasquale). The first pen is a Newton Pens Majestic in T.G.S. Signature Black and Red, but with a crimson nib by Hinze Pen engraved with the T.G.S. Logo! The second is a hand-turned nib holder from PensByPasquale which is compatible with both Kakimori and standard dip nibs. The nib holders will ship starting June 24, while the Majestic pens are available to ship immediately!

You can read more from Tuesday’s post on new Uni Mitsubishi arrivals as well as this week’s Thursday Drops post, but we recently received new special edition Uni Jetstream 4+1 Multi Pens in the Uni x Karimoku finish, as well as additional Jetstream Prime Pens and Mechanical Pencil Lead cases. Lots of fun stuff you don’t see very often!

Lamy Pens

Uni Pencils

Mark's Tokyo

Midori MD

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives!

We’ve recently shared some news regarding our continued growth with our Patreon members. 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!

TGS x Newton Pens Majestic on Slip Cover — Introducing the T.G.S. x Newton Pens Majestic!

New TGS Collaboration Pens: Introducing (or Re-Introducing) Two of My Favorite Smaller Makers!

June 15, 2024

Over the past ten years running T.G.S., the most fun I’ve had and the best memories I’ve made all involve getting to know various artisan pen makers and learning about their different processes and techniques, and what differentiates their pens from everyone else’s. No two small makers are exactly alike, and in working with many of them on T.G.S. Shop collaborations over the years, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for their dedication to their craft. For today’s post, I want to introduce two new T.G.S. collaboration pens, currently available for purchase in extremely small quantities. If you can’t get one of these pens or the design just isn’t for you, I encourage you to visit the two penmakers below and support them directly!

TGS x Newton Pens Majestic Hinze Nib Engraved — The engraving looks great against the crimson plating!

T.G.S. x Newton Pens Majestic Fountain Pen

The Majestic is one of my favorite models from Hot Springs, Arkansas-based Shawn Newton, with a comfortable, streamlined design. Our pen features a polished black cap and barrel with a red section, which leaves just a sliver of red visible when the pen is capped. For this release, we’ve outfitted the pen with a custom crimson-plated nib by Hinze Pens, which you may recognize from last year’s Hinze collaboration, only this time we’ve engraved it with the T.G.S. Logo! I’m truly pleased with how this pen turned out, and each one ships with a matching black and red pen sleeve from Elizabeth Newton Designs, as well background information on the pen’s design and a handwritten note from Shawn. These were made available to Patreon members yesterday and are available to the general readership today, priced at $210. Insured shipping is included. A handful of these pens remain available to ship immediately, and if there is additional interest after they sell out I can explore doing a second run.

T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Hand-Turned Dip Nib Holders

For the second, extremely small collaboration (this batch will likely be it due to maker capacity and availability of the material), We’re releasing a hand-turned dip nib holder from Columbia, Tennessee-based Nicholas Pasquale, who you may know as “PensByPasquale” on Instagram. The material is a small-batch Jonathon Brooks acrylic which I find reminiscent of my favorite Iroshizuku Ink, Yama-Budo, and these nib holders feature Nic’s signature angled end. There are only one or two of these left in the shop as I post this, and there will almost certainly not be a second run, so don’t sleep on them if you want one. They are compatible with both Kakimori metal nibs and standard dip nibs, and priced at $135. The nib holders have been made, but Nic and I are both traveling some this week so they will ship on June 24 when our schedules once again overlap.

Many thanks for all your support! We will have more exciting news to announce in the near future, probably next week, and greatly appreciate all of you. Stay tuned….

Thursday Drops: Uni Jetstream Extravaganza, Mechanical Pencils and Accessories, and More

June 13, 2024

This has been a big week for new arrivals! So far we have a limited/special edition Jetstream 4+1 multi pen that’s a collaboration between Uni and Japanese furniture maker Karimoku, as well as more of the special edition matte Jetstream Prime Ballpoints and those cool metal mechanical pencil lead cases I was showing off earlier!

If you’re getting ready for your summer travels, we also have more Lochby! The Quattro four-pen case is available in black and navy, and we also have Tool Rolls, and Field Journals ready to ship and accompany you wherever you may be headed this month or next. As per the usual, I plan to have these with me at the end-of-summer pen shows in D.C. and San Francisco, along with any Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter covers that don’t sell out online. Happy Shopping!

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

UPDATE: T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Dip Nib Holders. We have a small number of Kakimori-compatible dip nib holders in this exclusive collaboration with penmaker Nicholas Pasquale. These are made from a very small-batch Jonathon Brooks material and will be a one-off!
Uni Jetstream x Karimoku Limited Edition Multi Pens. One of my favorite personal purchases from this year has been this special edition Jetstream 4+1 Multi Pen that Uni developed with Japanese furniture maker Karimoku. Featuring matte blue and orange barrels, matte black trim and an oak or walnut grip, these are unique multi pens that I was super happy to add to my own collection. We also have the Bamboo 4+1 pens in stock as well.
Uni Jetstream Prime Ballpoints in Limited Finishes. At reader request, we brought back more of the Matte Olive and Matte Black Uni Jetstream Prime Ballpoints. The Olive and Mint finishes are special/limited editions, and I’ll continue to get them while I can, but I believe the others are standard releases. These pens come in point sizes ranging from .38mm to .7mm, with extra Parker-style refills available for purchase separately.
Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencils in .3mm. Certain colors of the Uni Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencils are now available in .3mm as well as .5mm. Read more on why we love this particular pencil here.
Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Cases. These metal mechanical pencil lead cases caught my eye at Kinokuniya earlier this year, and I’ve spent the last three months trying to source these. They ship with either .5mm or .3mm mechanical pencil leads. You can read more about them here in yesterday’s post.
Caran d’Ache Fixpencils. Straddling the line between a woodcase pencil and traditional mechanical pencil is the Caran d’Ache Fixpencil: a hexagonal leadholder originally designed as a wartime replacement for woodcase pencils, so it maintains a similar barrel shape. We have the standard matte black version as well as the colorful Fixpencil 884 and the limited edition “Creative Nomad” Fixpencil Lettering Sets.
Lochby Quattro Pen/Pencil Cases. The Lochby Quattro holds four pens or pencils in opposing, offset slots so the pens don’t touch when the case is closed! These are always popular items over the summer when everyone travels, and we’ve restocked accordingly. We currently have Navy and Charcoal color options available.
Lochby Tool Rolls. Another high-capacity storage/travel option, the Tool Roll can hold nearly a dozen pens as well as other stationery items in the larger pockets and slots.
Lochby Venture Pouches. These double-sided stationery pouches include a pen case with slots on the reverse side! Check out this YouTube video to see how it works.
Raymay Patalino Stationery Cases. These modular cases have become a core part of my current packing and EDC strategy. I use the large one to hold any pens, scissors, rulers, metal bookmarks, and other items that I don’t mind touching. The smaller case holds my styluses for tablets and e-ink devices. The flat design makes it easy for them to fit into any bag.
M+R Pencil Sharpeners. We are restocked on M+R Pencil Sharpeners and Lead Pointers, as well as the replacement blades for the Castor + Pollux and standard M+R Sharpeners.

Caran d'Ache x Rylsee Fixpencil Limited Edition Sets — Don’t sleep on the Creative Nomad Fixpencil Set. In addition to a limited edition Fixpencil, you get a set of Caran d’Ache Lettering Pens plus an eraser and 3B Fixpencil Leads.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Case Open In-Hand

Adventures in Weird Stationery, Part II: Uni Metal Mechanical Pencil Lead Case

June 12, 2024

One of my goals this year has been to rediscover my fascination with the somewhat whimsical, offbeat stationery that originally got me interested in this hobby. So when I was traveling to NYC back in March and saw these metal mechanical pencil lead cases featured with prime retail floor space in Kinokuniya, my first reaction was "Yes, THAT!" It’s exactly the kind of thing that would have caught my attention as a kid, and still grabs me as an adult.

Blue Case and Metal Case and Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencil — My two pencil lead cases, with a Uni Kuru-Toga Alpha Gel Switch for scale.

I’ve not written as much about this aspect of my stationery use over the years, but I have always enjoyed a quality mechanical pencil. (I even recently updated the “Best Pens” list to include a “Mechanical Pencil” category.) I now have a couple of these pencil lead cases: One in a limited edition midnight blue finish (which unfortunately I've been unable to source and which are now commanding silly prices on the secondary market) and one in the standard aluminum. Designed to hold 40+ standard-sized mechanical pencil leads, you'll probably never find yourself without spare graphite.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Case in-Hand Closed — Place your thumb on the circle and slide the front of the case down to open.

So how does it work? There's a circular indentation on the front of the case where you place your thumb to slide the front of the case down, which in turn flips the top of the case open and exposes the leads as shown above. I much prefer this design to the slip-cap version, where you pop the cap off a pack of leads and either (1) have to risk misplacing or dropping the loose cap, or (2) have to dump the leads out into your hands to get them out of the container. To some it may seem like an overengineered solution to a highly specific problem, but if you're a heavy mechanical pencil user like me it's super convenient and cuts the time needed to refill your pencil by allowing you to grab individual leads directly. Note: Uni's standard plastic mechanical pencil lead packaging also uses a version of this "sliding" design, but the metal version slides better and feels much more durable. I don't know if it will "last a lifetime" as I've seen it described in some marketing, but you shouldn’t be replacing this thing anytime soon.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Case show in two Pen Cases — These cases are pretty compact - around the size of a USB thumbdrive. I’ve carried them both in the leads/eraser slot inside the cover of the Patalino Pen Cases, and you can also stick them into any zippered pouch or compartment like on the Lochby Tool Roll shown here.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Look, I acknowledge that I have weird taste in stationery, but there was absolutely zero chance of me walking out of Kinokuniya without buying one of these. (Even if I had to pay a hefty markup for the limited edition blue version - I'm still kinda embarrassed and won't tell you how much it cost, but at least it wasn't anywhere close to the $225 someone is currently trying to get on eBay. Yes, seriously.). I also knew immediately that this was a product I wanted to stock in my own shop if I could get it at a somewhat reasonable value. Not necessarily because I thought it would appeal to everyone, but rather because it's the sort of offbeat - yet useful - product that other stores wouldn't carry.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Case Full — Honestly, you could probably get way more than 40 leads in this thing, if you churn through enough graphite.

If this is something that interests you, we currently stock the silver version, priced at $18.50 for the metal case with 40 HB leads in either .5mm or .3mm. Uni makes excellent mechanical pencil graphite, by the way, and the case ships with 40 leads in the "smudge-proof" formulation that lives up to the name even in softer hardnesses such as 2B. And, yes, I will be writing about my experiences using a .3mm mechanical pencil at some point in the future. I never thought that fine of a point would interest me, but you know what….

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

New Arrivals: More Fun from Uni Mitsubishi!

June 11, 2024

We had two giant boxes arrive here at T.G.S. HQ yesterday, and they included some fun products that I’ve been looking forward to arriving for months now! First up is the Uni Jetstream x Karimoku special edition 4+1 Multi Pen, which is a collaboration between Japanese furniture maker Karimoku and Uni Mitsubishi. These multi pens incorporate orange or blue matte finishes with walnut and oak wooden grips made from furniture scraps. As with the standard 4+1 Jetstream Multi Pen, these pens all feature .5mm Jetstream refills in blue, black, red, and green, as well as a .5mm mechanical pencil option. We also received a restock of the Uni Jetstream Prime Ballpoint pens in the Matte Olive and Matte Black, two colors that sold out nearly immediately and ended up as the subject of multiple restock requests. We have the other colors as well.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Lead Case held open with hand — The case conveniently slides open with one hand to allow you easy access to the leads. No more dumping them out into your hand to refill your pencil!

But perhaps the thing I’m most excited about is the arrival of these Uni Metal Mechanical Pencil Lead cases, which ship with 40 smudge-proof HB leads in either .5mm or .3mm. (You can substitute your preferred grade of hardness, of course, since they’re standard length.) I had previously shown these off in a limited blue finish (now unavailable, unfortunately) upon my return from New York City earlier in the Spring. We of course have several models of the Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils and other options to complement your new case. Enjoy!