Thursday Drops: Exclusive Editions, High-End Gel Pens, and More!

The big news from this past week was the release of two new exclusive T.G.S. Collaborations with Newton Pens and PensByPasquale, which are now almost sold out. (There is only one remaining T.G.S. x PensByPasquale nib holder awaiting a new home.) We’ve also introduced a new line of high-end gel pens from Zebra: the Sarasa Grand Vintage, which come in nearly a dozen different colors with matching refills. And guess what? A new TWSBI!

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I’ve been really happy with the reception for our latest fountain pen collaboration. Expect to see our engraved nibs on future pens!

We finally now have stock of the TWSBI Diamond 580 AL in “Iceberg,” which is a gorgeous glacier blue finish. Note that this is the smooth-textured grip (the “AL”, not the “ALR”) which some people prefer. TWSBI hasn’t released one of these in a bit. If this color appeals to you, we also still have some of the Lamy Studio fountain pens, ballpoints, and rollerballs in the “Glacier Blue” finish, which is one of my all-time favorites from that line. Happy Shopping!

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

1. T.G.S. x Newton Pens “Majestic” Fountain Pen. Featuring polished black and red acrylic and fitted with an engraved crimson nib, this limited run has sold quickly. Currently we have EF, B, and 1.1mm nibs remaining.

2. T.G.S. x PensByPasquale Dip Nib Holder. I jumped at the chance to collaborate with Nicholas Pasquale on this hand-turned nib holder in a unique resin from Jonathon Brooks. These will ship June 24 (Monday).

3. TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Iceberg Fountain Pen. Pale blue finishes always end up being favorites, and are in demand long after they disappear. Don’t miss out on this one as it’s a stunner.

4. Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage Gel Pens. These professional-looking gel pens feature a sturdy-yet-balanced anodized barrel and a wide range of excellent refills in somewhat unusual vintage colors. .3mm and .5mm sizing available!

5. Uni-ball One F Gel Pens. Uni-Mitsubishi’s latest innovation, the One features darker/more vibrant ink in a larger diameter barrel for increased writing comfort. The “F” series adds a small metal tip to assist with the balance, and the “Earth Texture” collection has a truly unique look.

6. Uni Jetstream x Karimoku 4+1 Multi Pen. Probably one of the best looking Jetstream Multi Pens I’ve seen to date, this features a matte ceramic-like coating paired with reclaimed wood for the grip.

7. E+M Sketch Clutch Pencil. We’ve restocked on these popular clutch pencils from E+M, which come in a comfortable streamlined shape and some very attractive wood and brass combinations.

8. Uni Metal Mechanical Pencil Lead Cases. A highly specialized piece of stationery kit, yet, but these mechanical pencil lead cases come in handy if you go through a lot of graphite and are looking for a secure way to carry around your refills. Each case comes with 40 pieces of Uni’s smudge-proof graphite.

9. Uni Kuru-Toga Alpha Gel Switch Now in .3mm and .5mm. I didn’t think I was a .3mm mechanical pencil person, but with high-quality graphite and a good pencil, you can write or draw with very fine lines without worrying too much about breakage.

10. Uni Jetstream Prime Limited Edition Ballpoints. The matte olive and matte black finishes are back in stock, along with the standard colors! Remember that if you want additional refills in different sizes, we have Parker-style Jetstream refills in .38mm, .5mm, and .7mm.

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What’s your favorite Sarasa Grand color? You can probably guess mine.

Uni-Ball One or Zebra Sarasa Grand: A High-End Gel Pen Showdown?

If there's a category of stationery that I've somewhat neglected in my writing over the years, it's the gel pen. Why? Not because I dislike them as a writing instrument; rather, it's because I haven't noticed much innovation from major manufacturers since the late 2010s, with most of the attention in the community paid to third-party machined pen bodies designed to work with the standard refills from the "big pen" companies. Nothing released by Pilot, Uni, Zebra, etc. themselves has caught my eye, until recently.

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The best of both worlds? Gel pens sit somewhere between a ballpoint and rollerball in terms of smoothness, but what sets them apart as a category are the nearly unlimited color possibilities. Shown here are few of Zebra’s “Vintage” ink colors. Three different options for sepia/brown-toned ink?

What Makes a Good Gel Pen?

Gel ink's core selling points are (1) smoothness; (2) paper versatility; and (3) vibrancy. In other words, you get the cleaner lines and feather-resistance of a ballpoint without the messy bleedthrough and smearing common with rollerballs, with the added ability to source refills in pretty much any color you can think of. Personally, I rarely use rollerballs anymore, and while the low-viscosity ballpoint remains my non-fountain pen workhorse of choice, I'll never turn down a good gel pen provided that it flows well and dries quickly.

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The Uni-ball One is a perfect length and diameter. It’s hard to find a gel pen I can comfortably use for longer writing sessions but this one checks most of my boxes.

Uni-ball One "F" Series: My Favorite of Uni's Current Gel Options

Despite the amount of attention Uni receives in the pen and stationery blogosphere, I've mainly used Pilot gel pens over the years, probably more out of habit than anything else because I've never had a Uni pen body that clicked with me. (Pun intended.) That's changed with the Uni-ball One Series F. I actually first tried these pens when my wife and daughter picked up a couple of them at Kinokuniya because they liked the look of the "Earth Texture" series. As it turns out, these are really good pens!

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A close up of the material from the “Earth Texture” pens. I love the mottled look.

The Uni-ball One serves as the vehicle for a "new" gel ink formulation that Uni released a few years ago, which they say contains a proprietary pigmented ink that uses larger particles of pigment to increase the darkness and/or vibrancy of the ink. The initial release had a few hiccups, with reports of skipping and other refill issues. Apparently Uni tweaked the ink formulation and recent manufacturing runs (including all the pens I personally have used) write much better. Personally, I can't tell much of a difference between the Uni-ball One and most other Uni gel ink pens, other than, yes, possibly darker blacks and brighter colors to some degree. What I really like about these pens is the pen body itself.

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A close-up of the clip on the Uni-ball One Series F. I’ve found this clip design to be functional, though I don’t personally use clips all that much anymore.

Uni has foregone a rubberized "cushion" grip in favor of a larger-diameter plastic barrel that I find very comfortable to hold. While there is some texture to the barrel, it's not over-pronounced but enough to keep the pen from slipping in your hand. The "F" series also adds a metal tip which gives the pen better balance than your typical plastic gel pen body, and all versions of the One feature a springy industrial-style clip. Best of all? Because there's no sticky rubber grip, the pen doesn't collect dust and gunk in your desk/bag/pen case like many inexpensive gel pens.

Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage: A "Professional" Option

Even though the Uni-ball One is a "nice" looking pen, it still has that "inexpensive plastic gel pen look" because, well, it's a relatively inexpensive plastic gel pen and you can't pretend it's something that it's not. As I alluded to above, a source of frustration over the years has been the seeming lack of "professional" first-party gel pen options that feature the same broad range of color options as the less expensive pens. Enter something like the Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage.

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When you start releasing pens in colors like “Brown-Grey”, you have my attention.

The Zebra Sarasa is a somewhat odd product line, spanning everything from extremely inexpensive office-supply gel pens to the higher-quality "Sarasa Clip" series to even higher-end pens like the Sarasa Grand and Sarasa Grand "Vintage" lines. The Sarasa Grand has a much different feel than something like the Uni-ball One or even the standard Zebra Sarasa - it's a slimmer pen with a metal (aluminum) barrel and a much more substantial feel in the hand. I've seen it described as "sleek," "slender," and "streamlined" - all of these hold true. Zebra recently redesiged this particular model, substituting aluminum for brass and reducing the length of the metal barrel component to make the pen lighter and better balanced. (You can see a comparison photo in yesterday's announcement post.) The barrel has a slightly matte/brushed texture to it, for added grip.

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The full line of colors that we carry. .3mm options in the group on the left, .5mm options on the right. No I can’t name them all.

I've long admired the Sarasa Grand Vintage series from afar, but one thing that I couldn't tell from online advertisements (until I saw them in person and confirmed), was whether the color designation referred to the pen barrel or the ink or both. Turns out it's both! Not only do you have some wild vintage-style barrel colors - mostly muted shades of grey and black-infused tones - but the inks match, and you can purchase all of them in stand-alone refills in either .3mm or .5mm tip sizes. Currently, my favorites have been "Sepia Black," "Red Black" (of course), Blue-Black, and "Camel Yellow." The Sarasa JF refill dries quickly without smearing or smudging and I understand, anecdotally, that it may fit other Japanese gel pen barrels including the Uni-ball One, though I've also heard that they randomly won't fit perfectly from time-to-time and may require modification. YMMV and attempt any mods at your own risk.

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“Camel Yellow”: a gorgeous orange-gold with a matching ink tone.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

So which of these two "high-end" gel pens do I prefer? Honestly, for the complete overall writing experience, probably the Sarasa Grand Vintage. It's a more premium pen, and feels like it. I've been using one of the older models in my personal testing, and while I'm not sure that the redesign would justify replacing a pen you're already happy with, I can absolutely feel a difference with respect to the balance in the 2024 model. Plus, these colors just speak to me. For a lighter weight plastic pen, the Uni-ball One is a solid option that will likely replace the various Signo DX and Signo RT pens that I have in rotation simply because the barrel is that much more comfortable for me to use.

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Both pens have very precise tips, with a .38mm/.3mm size available.

We've carried certain select versions of the Uni-ball One F in our shop for a while, and as I mentioned yesterday, we now stock the Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage (new 2024 versions). Both of these are relatively inexpensive upgrades for those who want something a bit more “professional” than your standard clear plastic office supply closet gel pen. The Uni-ball One F series pens are priced at just under $5, while the Sarasa Grand Vintage is at $20. Refills for both pens are also available in our shop.

Update: Many of you have asked about our exclusive Sunderland mk1 collaboration, and whether it will be making a return. The answer is yes! I've spoken with Brad at Sunderland and things are underway. Look for an update on a third run later this summer! I'm glad this pen resonated with so many of you and I look forward to its return.

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

New Arrivals: Zebra Sarasa Grand "Vintage" Series Gel Pens (2024 Upgraded Versions)

While the standard Zebra Sarasa gel pen has always seemed a touch too wet for me, I have enjoyed the more specialty Zebra releases, including the Sarasa Clip and other pens that can be imported from Japan. Even then, I was still surprised when I picked up a pen from the Zebra Sarasa Grand “Vintage” series to test early this year and it turned out to be one of the best gel pens that I’ve used in years. I actually enjoyed it so much so that we imported the entire line!

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Zebra’s “Vintage” line contains some insanely good colors, like “Red Black” and “Sepia Black”. Some, but not all, are available in the .3mm tip size as well as your standard (for Japan) .5mm.

We now offer the Sarasa Grand “Vintage” gel pens in both .3mm and .5mm tip sizes, as well as the full range of refills. The Sarasa Grand is Zebra’s “upgraded” Sarasa barrel, similar to Uni’s Jetstream Prime and Pilot’s G2 Limited. Note that the colors refer both to the barrel color and the ink color (i.e., a blue-black pen will have blue-black ink), though you can of course mix and match by purchasing extra refills. Happy Shopping!

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The pens we carry are the new (revised) version of the Sarasa Grand (shown at right). Zebra shortened the metal portion of the barrel slightly to give the pen better balance, and the tip extends further from the opening. I personally think the new barrel is a touch more textured. It can be somewhat hard to find a “professional” looking gel pen, and the brushed aluminum barrels on these pens still look understated even in some of the brighter colors.

Sunday Reading for June 16, 2024

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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!

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Doodling with Fountain Pens: Spread Pattern (via Fountain Pen Love). This one might be my favorite post from this excellent series!

9. 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.

10. 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.

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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.

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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!

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

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!

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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.

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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.

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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….