Sunday Reading for August 18, 2024

1. D.C. Show Recap (via Figboot on Pens). David made a great video recap of the D.C. Show, including a shot of that line to the parking lot on Saturday morning!

2. 2024 D.C. Pen Show (via Rachel’s Reflections). Another epic D.C. Pen Show recap and quite a nice nib haul!

3. May-August 2024 in Stationery (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I always love reading about this highly curated personal collection and watching it evolve.

4. YOSEKALAB Two-Month Weekly Planner Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I love open-format planners, and Yoseka’s version experiments with several different layouts.

5. Tactile Turn Vice (via Figboot on Pens). Yeah, I just ordered both of these. Can’t escape my Florida heritage. I know it’s right before San Francisco but I would be so mad at myself if I missed these.

6. Anterique “Mach Ball” Brass Edition Ballpoint Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). Many thanks to Ana for reviewing this pen, and from a lefty’s perspective!

7. Platinum 3776 Music Nib Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). Platinum’s music nib has a bit of a cult following, as there are relatively few three-tined music nibs still offered, mainly by Japanese companies.

8. Paris 2024 Olympics Moleskine Notebooks (via Writing at Large). I didn’t get too into the Olympics this year, with everything going on at the shop, but I would’ve loved to have gotten my hands on these!

9. Retro 51 Rollerball Conversion Kit (via Well-Appointed Desk). A very cool idea from Retro 51, which allows you to convert your Retro 51 fountain pen into a rollerball that uses fountain pen ink.

10. Mark’s Tokyo Edge Days Metal Gel Pen Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Mark’s Tokyo is known for their unique designs, including the “Days” theme which spans multiple product lines. We carry several of their items in our shop here in the States if you can’t make it to London Graphic Center like Brad!

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There's always a use case for more sticky notes!

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog, I posted a new entry in the “Ask TGS” series, in which I updated my prior thoughts on “planner pens” - meaning those that fit easily into pen slots in planners and notebook systems. I also reviewed the Midori MD “Memo Block” Notepad and the Midori MD A7 Sticky Note Notepads, both of which have been popular items in our shop but which I’d never tested extensively myself until recently.

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Slowly, but surely, our retail area is taking shape!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: More Store Progress!

This week in the shop, we launched an expansion of the Anterique ballpoint lineup, including mini versions of the standard Anterique ballpoint pens in both the brass edition and the regular acrylic versions. The TWSBI Kyanite Blue Vac700R also arrived, along with a full restock of the TWSBI Swipe fountain pens in most nib sizes. You can check out these new arrivals and more in this week’s Thursday Drop’s post! Also, I did a short video walkthrough of the new location on Instagram. I’ll post more shop content, directions, hours, etc. as we get closer to an official opening - we’re mostly likely still on track for early September.

Midori MD

TWSBI

Anterique

Tom's Studio

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Paper Review: Midori MD Fountain Pen Friendly Sticky Notes and Notepads

I went shopping in my own store yesterday - I know, typically a bad business decision - but since I’ve moved TGS out of my home office to its own commercial space I’ve had to rebuild my home office a bit to make it more suitable for it’s original purpose: reading, home-based projects, and personal writing. Yesterday morning I sat down to plan out my personal finances and errands for the week and realized that I didn’t have any decent sticky notes or even a tear-off notepad at my desk. This presented the perfect opportunity to test out two very popular items from our shop: the Midori MD Memo Block Notepad and the MD A7 Sticky Notepad, which I’d not used extensively myself.

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The 500-sheet block notepad contains excellent paper. The thick 4"x4" pad is large enough to rest your hand on while writing on the top half of the sticky note, but most people will likely tear off the sheet to comfortably use the entire page.

Of these two products, the MD Memo Block Notepad is my favorite. I enjoy having a ready supply of tear-off paper that’s not too expensive, and I basically use these as scratch sheets. This large notepad contains 500 sheets of Midori MD Paper (the same as in the standard MD Notebooks), which measure 4” x 4” square and handle fountain pen ink extremely well. I’ve noticed no difference in performance between this notepad and any standard Midori MD paper product. The pad itself is glue-bound along the top edge and does not feature any “sticky” backing on the sheets themselves - these aren’t sticky notes, and if you want to attach the notes to anything, you’ll have to use glue, tape, staples, or a clip. You can also do as I sometimes do, and punch three holes in smaller sheets of paper and stick them in an A5 or Bible-sized Plotter.

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One ink (TGS x Hinze Summer Sangria) feathered a little on the sticky note but not on the memo pad. It was worse at the top of the sticky note (where the adhesive likely mixed with the paper).

The Midori MD A7 Sticky Notepad is also a good product, especially when you consider that fountain pen friendly sticky notes are extremely difficult to find. While these are labeled “MD Paper”, this particular product feels slightly different than the Midori MD pads and notebooks. The paper is thinner, and doesn’t handle ink quite as well as the Memo Block, though it still performs nicely for a sticky note. Sticky notes are difficult to use with fountain pens for a couple of reasons. First of all, the paper can’t be too heavy, or else the adhesive won’t be able to support the weight of the note. Second, sticky note adhesive has a tendency to affect how ink behaves on the paper. If you’ve ever written on the top part of a sticky note and had it feather like crazy, only to have the bottom half behave differently, you know exactly what I’m talking about. While I’ve experienced a bit of feathering on these sticky notes with certain inks, they’re generally quite good (certainly better than other alternatives I’ve tried) and on par with the apparently discontinued Traveler’s Company sticky notes.

The adhesive on these notes performs well. I had no trouble sticking it to a whiteboard, and these adhere just fine to notebooks and other sheets of paper - which is how I generally use stickies.

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The Midori MD Sticky Notes (left) and MD Memo Block Paper. The sticky notes had a touch of pinpoint bleedthrough, but then again, who writes on the back of a sticky note?

Takeaways and Where to Buy

As always, Midori comes through with a high quality and generally fountain pen friendly product. While the paper in the MD Memo Block notepad performed better than the paper in the sticky notes, I suspect that’s due mostly to the adhesive on the back of the sticky note paper reacting to a very wet fountain pen ink. In any event, I don’t really demand top-notch performance from sticky notes, and these certainly fall into the “good enough and better than nearly everything else I’ve tried” category. The sticky notes will go into one of my Sinclair pen cases so that I have them available wherever I happen to be working, and the MD Memo Block will stay on my desk at home.

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We’ve carried these in the shop for a long time - I’ve just never gotten around to using them seriously until this week. The MD Memo Block comes in three formats (grid, blank, and lined) and is priced at $12 for a 500-sheet pad. The A7 Sticky Note Memo pads run $11.50 each and come in five different formats (lined, blank, grid, dot, and framed). You can check out these and other Midori products by visiting the paper section of our store. Also, if you’re aware of any other fountain pen friendly sticky notes out there, let me know as this is a product category I’m interested in!

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

Thursday Drops: TWSBI Vac 700R in Kyanite Blue Has Arrived, Plus A Swipe Restock and More Vacuum-Filler Mania.

TWSBI’s latest Vac700R release, Kyanite Blue, has arrived, and it’s our first major release since we’ve moved into the new space! (For those of you in Nashville, you’ll soon be able to see this one in person, along with all the other TWSBI options pictured above.) We’re also fully restocked on the TWSBI Swipe line in all nib sizes, as well as Tom’s Studio Lumos Pens and fountain pen inks from both TWSBI and Tom’s Studio.

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For those of you attending the San Francisco Pen Show next week, you can place an order for show delivery by selecting “local pickup” at checkout and sending me a message letting me know that you will be attending the show. Please note that I will be unable to deliver large paper orders and heavy items due to suitcase restrictions. All orders placed for shipment by close Wednesday, August 21 will go out before I leave for the show. Also, Nashville-area residence can now place orders for pickup at our physical location, as this has been added as an option at checkout.

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

1. TWSBI Vac700R Kyanite Blue Fountain Pens. TWSBI’s latest release is a gorgeous Vac700R with deep blue anodized trim (including an accent on the nib)! For those who are curious, it’s a deeper blue (and less green) than the Diamond 580 ALR in Prussian Blue.

2. TWSBI Vac700R Iris Fountain Pens. One of the benefits of moving is that you discover additional stock that somehow slipped through the cracks. As it turns out we had several Vac700R in the “Iris” finish that were not listed on the site but which are now available.

3. TWSBI Vac Mini Fountain Pens. The Vac Mini is an undersung workhorse of a pen that’s an excellent travel companion. Featuring the same shutoff valve as the larger Vac700R, it’s an excellent airline companion.

4. Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen. Personally, I view the Pilot Custom 823 as the pinnacle of vacuum-filling fountain pens. We have one smoke model with a broad nib, but are in the process of restocking all colors.

5. Nahvalur Original Plus Vacuum Fillers. Don’t miss out on the Matira Quartz and Lovina Graphite vacuum-filling Original Plus models, which pair rose gold trim with a touch of shimmer in the acrylic.

6. TWSBI Bottled Ink. TWSBI’s standard colors come in large 70ml bottles and are some of the best workhorse inks on the market. I especially enjoy the Midnight Blue and Blue-Black as classic everyday writers.

7. Anterique Brass Ballpoints in New Colors. We have five new colors of Anterique Brass Edition ballpoints in stock, as well as over a dozen new versions of the standard Anterique ballpoints that have proven so popular over the past year. Remember that you can mix and match parts between all of the various Anterique pens to create your own color combinations!

8. Anterique Mini Brass Ballpoints. This new pocket-sized ballpoint from Anterique is set to become a pocket notebook favorite. (I already have the clear red version tucked into my Plotter Mini 5.) Standard acrylic versions are also available.

9. Tom’s Studio Lumos Brass Fineliner Pens. Tom’s Studio has released this gorgeous special edition brass version of the Lumos refillable fineliner. You can read more about how these pens work here, and I love them for many of the same reasons I enjoy fountain pens, with just a touch more convenience for certain situations.

10. Tom’s Studio Fountain Pen Inks. Don’t sleep on the Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks, which are low-maintenance and come in a wide-range of muted colors. The greens and blues are especially good (i.e., “Mallard” and “Loch Ness”).

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Ask TGS: What's the Best Pen for a Planner? Slimmer Pen Options for Pen Loops

It’s August, which means that the annual “back to school and back to work” season has started for many. You know what else that means? Planner time! I’ve noticed two distinct times of the year when people tend to invest in a new planner or notebook system. The first is during the November-January holiday season, just before the new year, and the second is in August and September, when the summer vacation comes to a close and many people return to work and/or school. In addition to general inquiries about the best planner or notebook system that might fit their specific needs, I receive a lot of questions about pens and pencils that “fit” planners. Usually this means they are looking for a slimmer pen (or multi pen or mechanical pencil) that will fit the often narrow “pen loops” or “pen slots” built into notebook covers. Since I’m already thinking about planners and notebook systems given the classes I taught at the D.C. Pen Show earlier this month, the upcoming planner and techo-heavy San Francisco Pen Show, and my participation in the Chicago Planner Conference this November, I figured this is a good time to update my previous planner pen recommendations.

1. Current Favorite Planner Pen Recommendation: Tom’s Studio Lumos Refillable Fineliner. Many people love fineliners and brush pens for their planners and notebook systems, and the Tom’s Studio Lumos allows you to refill this style of pen with your favorite fountain pen inks. The Lumos comes in three different format options: the Lumos Pro has a single tip, the Lumos Pro Duo allows you to have two different colors and/or tip styles in the same pen, and the Lumos Mini works well with smaller pocket-sized options. The slim format fits easily into most pen loops, notably the Plotter system. Read more on how the Lumos pens work here.

2. Fountain Pen Recommendation: Pilot Capless Decimo. The slimmer version of the Pilot Vanishing Point is an excellent option for planners and notebook systems, especially when paired with an extra-fine nib for writing in tighter spaces. I will also note that for many, the slimmer Decimo body also solves the “clip placement” issue that people sometimes have with the larger Vanishing Point. Read our full review of the Pilot Decimo here (and no, I’m not selling my Harvest Yellow!)

3. Multi Pen Recommendation No. 1 (Needle-tip Gel Pen): Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is a versatile tool perfect for those who enjoy color-coding their planners and/or notebooks, as you can hold up to four of the Coleto needle-tip gel refills in a single pen body (and even a pencil and eraser insert). The Coleto can also be a relatively inexpensive option for those who enjoy lots of colors - I sometimes carry up to three of these in my bag at any given time. I reviewed the Coleto quite a while ago and likely need to update my thoughts on what continues to be an excellent multi pen.

4. Multi Pen Recommendation No. 2 (Flexible Option): Lamy 2000 Multi Pen. I say “flexible” because Lamy’s 2000 multi pen is marketed as the “Four-Color Ballpoint,” yet because it uses universal D1 refills, you can transform it into a gel pen, a gel+ballpoint+highlighter, or - as I do - an upscale Jetstream multi pen. You can read my full write up on this pen here and why it’s been a fixture in my rotation for nearly a decade.

5. Ballpoint Pen Recommendation: Uni Jetstream Prime or Anterique Ballpoint. Many people prefer a simple black ballpoint pen for work. It’s reliable, professional, and most importantly, not distracting. For something like this, I will usually recommend a low-viscosity ballpoint that’s a hybrid between traditional ballpoint and gel ink, meaning that the pen will dry fast, and will neither smear, feather, or bleed-through thinner planner papers. Both the Uni Jetstream Prime and any of the Anterique pens feature a traditional slim “ballpoint pen profile” that slides easily into a planner and fits nearly all notebook pen slots.

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Do you have a favorite planner pen? If so, please write in or drop a comment. These are just the five that I’ve relied on recently, and there are dozens of popular options that would also include the entire Fisher Space Pen lineup, the Lamy CP1 fountain pen, the Traveler’s Company Brass Pens, Baux Pens, the Zebra Sarasa Grand, and more.

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: Anterique Mini Ballpoint Pens, Including Brass Editions!

Anterique’s low-viscosity ballpoint pens are one of my favorite go-anywhere options for those situations where I need a durable everyday writer, and now they’ve released a pocket-sized version of their Standard and Brass Edition pens! The Anterique “Mini” will fit just about anywhere, and is perfect for clipping to your pocket notebook, Plotter Mini-5, or Traveler’s Passport-sized Notebook for writing on the go.

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My clear red mini with one of my takeaway rarities from last week’s D.C. Pen Show!

Currently, the “Brass Edition” Mini is available in five different “clear” colors (crystal, yellow, blue, red, and green), and the standard Mini in nine colors. Note that these parts are all interchangeable with the components of all other Anterique Pens: for example, if you’d like to make a “Danube Blue” brass pen, you can combine the upper part of a standard “Danube Blue” ballpoint with the brass barrel of the mini or standard-sized brass edition pen. The mini pens do take a shorter refill than the standard Anterique “Mach Ball”, though it uses the same low-viscosity ballpoint ink and .5mm tip.

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Comparison photo of the four different styles of Anterique pens, from left: Standard ballpoint, mini ballpoint, Mini Brass Edition Ballpoint, and full-sized Brass Edition Ballpoint.

In addition to the new mini-sized Anterique pens, we have new colors of the standard-sized pens, as well as new full-size brass options! Be sure to check these out as Anterique is constantly adding new variations to their existing product line.

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!