Thursday Drops: Roterfaden Returns, Kuretake Inks, Pilot Elite 95s, and the Last Inkvents

Many thanks to all of you who supported us last week during the Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Small Business Saturday events, and an especially big thanks to those of you who came to see us in person! Our holiday shopping opportunities continue, with certain pens, paper, and desk accessories on clearance, as well as a full Roterfaden restock. We have Taschenbegleiter binders available in all sizes (A4, A5, and A6). We also received Burgundy Pilot E95s fountain pens with fine nibs.

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The Pilot E95s is restocked, shown here in black with burgundy/silver also available.

Finally, we are down to a single T.G.S. x Sunderland mk1 pen (take it home for the holidays!), and two or so Diamine Inkvent calendars. I’ve been posting the first few Inkvent inks on Instagram, which you can follow along in the stories. Don’t miss other new ink releases such as select inks from the Diamine standard line, the 160th and 150th Anniversary inks, and two separate series of Kuretake inks.

Domestic U.S. orders over $75 ship free. Please review our shipping policies and time estimates prior to placing an international order. Orders to Canada may be delayed due to the ongoing postal strike, and UK orders are subject to a minimum due to VAT rules. We are open this week Thursday through Sunday! View up-to-date hours here.

1. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Organizers. The clip-based Roterfaden system has become one of our top sellers over the past year, and we were fortunate enough to get a fresh restock in the door before year-end.

2. Pilot E95s Fountain Pens. The burgundy E95s has been a favorite of many, and we’ve had them trickle in gradually over the past several months as Pilot works through a bit of a backlog. We currently have a limited quantity of fine-nib pens.

3. TWSBI ECO-T Jade and Rose Gold Fountain Pens. I still have a handful of these pen sets, which come with a small bottle of midnight blue ink. These pens were a special holiday release from last year and a couple of them emerged during our move.

4. Kakimori Hardcover A5 Notebooks. We still have some of these gorgeous Kakimori notebooks, which would make great gifts as they feature beautiful Japanese fabric covers.

5. Traveler’s Company 2025 Dated Diary Refills. Now is a great time to grab your 2025 dated journal/planner refill for the Standard and Passport-sized Traveler’s Notebooks.

6. Traveler’s Company 2024 Limited Edition “Tokyo” Refills. We stocked up on these MD Paper Refills, which accompanied the 2024 Tokyo Special Edition Traveler’s Notebooks. These would make a fun gift this holiday season but they likely will not last.

7. Viarco Vintage-inspired Pencil Gift Sets. These gift sets from Portuguese pencil-maker Viarco include six dozen Viarco pencils, each dozen a reproduction from Viarco’s extensive back catalogue. Viarco is one of the few remaining European pencil manufacturers still in operation.

8. Tom’s Studio Mechanical Pencils. I’ve had several requests for interesting mechanical pencils “that don’t look too technical”, and these comfortable, front-weighted machined pencils from Tom’s Studio are designed for both writing and drawing.

9. Kaweco Collection Perkeo “Infrared”. Kaweco introduced the Perkeo as a full-sized pen that could accept both short international cartridges and a full-sized ink converter. This transparent red color was a 2024 special release.

10. Teranishi Guitar Inks. I can’t sing the praises of these inks enough. They flow well, and show a moderate amount of sheen and color-shifting without being high-maintenance. Read about five of my favorite colors here.

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Come see us in-person, and view all of this an more for yourself! we’re constantly restocking and have plenty for both online and in-person holiday shopping.

Ask TGS: Five Bad Stationery Gift Ideas

Since it’s that time of year again, the T.G.S. hotline has been ringing with questions about gift ideas. While most of our general advice is set out in the annual gift guide, many of you still prefer to write in with specific questions, and that’s ok! I enjoy hearing from readers and talking through potential purchases, though I sometimes find myself talking people down from what I’d consider missteps. Here are five stationery-related holiday gifts that I would avoid.

1. Unsolicited Fountain Pen Purchases. For years I’ve been discouraging fountain pen gift purchases, and this typically comes up in one of two ways: (1) someone looking to purchase a gift for a fountain pen enthusiast; and (2) a fountain pen enthusiast looking to get someone into fountain pens by gifting them a relatively expensive fountain pen. Both, in my opinion, are bad ideas. As to the first point, fountain pen fans have very specific preferences, and unless they’ve requested a specific pen or you understand their preferences extremely well, you risk spending money on something that turns out to be a miss. On the second point, if you want to get someone a nice pen because you think they will use it every day, go with a rollerball or ballpoint. If you truly think someone might enjoy a fountain pen, either choose an inexpensive cartridge pen like a Platinum Plaisir or Prefounte, Pilot Explorer, or TWSBI Swipe, or give them a gift card to a brick-and-mortar retailer near them and let them try pens in person first. It comes down to personal preference - different pens work for different people, and with new users it’s almost impossible to predict what they will like.

2. Pen and Pencil Sets. The picture above is roughly half the Cross Century and Century II pens and pencils in my possession. Between 1970 and 2000, literally everyone alive in the United States received one of these sets from a relative as a “milestone” gift (birthday, graduation, etc.). In my family, they have all been re-gifted to me over the years “because you like pens so much.” While they are classy looking, and Cross has done a great job of marketing these sets as a classic gift option, there are better options out there (including from Cross - try the Townsend, which features a similar silhouette in a more modern, comfortable size). The ultra-slim Century, the still-slim Century II, and the countless clones from other brands, can be too narrow for many people to use other than for quick notes, and modern pen enthusiasts tend to prefer larger pens.

3. Ostentatious Engravings. If you want to engrave a pen for someone, limit yourself to initials. Messages that are too personal make it hard for someone to use a nice pen in a work meeting, since engravings tend to be eye-catching. Finally, DO NOT engrave pens with things like childhood nicknames. (Yes, I still have it. No, the pen will never see the light of day.)

4. Dated Planner Systems. Planner and notebook systems are not bad gifts per se, but not everyone uses planners, and some people prefer undated over dated. (The “personal preference” thing rears its head again.) I might recommend gifting a notebook cover and some blank refills, and pairing with a gift card so that they can choose to add planner functionality later.

5. Colored Sharpie Markers. Especially for a child. I mean, seriously? You know who you are, and yes, you are still banned from our home until we replace the rest of the furniture.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. For a more serious discussion of stationery-related gift ideas, please check out our gift guide, as mentioned above, or come see us in-person! We’re open this week Thursday-Sunday, and otherwise by appointment.

New Arrivals: Book Darts Restock Just In Time for Holiday Shopping!

One of the first products that we ever sold directly was the simple Book Dart - an archivally safe way of marking pages in books, notebooks, notepads, and more. I tend to be an active reader, marking up and highlighting pages as I go, and for certain books I love and intend to keep on my shelf long-term, I often add a Book Dart to flag those pages that I know I’ll want to return to later.

We now offer these compact 12-Packs of Book Darts.

Book Darts has been kind enough to do custom runs of their Classic Tins in 50, 75, and 100-dart quantities, but we also recently added smaller 12-packs, as well as additional bookmark sleeves that are perfect for on-the-go use or travel. You can check out the full Book Dart lineup here, as well as our full selection of desk and reading accessories. Book Darts have been prominently featured in our Holiday Gift Guide for many years, and they pair well with other stationery-related gifts and also make a great stocking stuffer!

An update on shipping: Many thanks to all of you who supported us during our first Thanksgiving Weekend as a brick-and-mortar retailer! The new space has definitely made shipping more seamless, and orders are currently shipping within 48 hours. That said, we don’t have control over carrier processing and delivery speeds, so if you need something by a specific date, give yourself plenty of time by placing orders earlier rather than later.

Sunday Reading for December 1, 2024 (The Short Season Edition)

1. Ugly Duckling: TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen (via A Fleeting Ripple). While the design isn’t for everyone, I appreciate the Swipe as a very good entry level fountain pen attempt, especially since the US release includes two different converters plus a cartridge.

2. Midori MD Cotton Notebook (via Pen Addict). Midori MD Cotton paper is one of my favorite everyday formats for both pads and notebooks. The paper, to me, has a great balance of fountain pen friendliness and dry time. I also love how ink looks, and I try to have at least one picture of all my inks on MD Cotton.

3. Leonardo + Stilo & Stile MZ Kintsugi (via Figboot on Pens). Of all the Black Friday “Special Releases,” this Leonardo Momento Zero might be my favorite. Stilo & Stile have released some absolutely gorgeous Leonardo collaborations lately.

4. SPS Series: Wrap-Up for Now (via Rachel’s Reflections). Standford Pen Studio has launched a crowdfunding campaign to expand, which you can read more about in Rachel’s latest post.

5. Gravitas Carbon Fibre Piston Test Bed (via Dapprman). Too bad about this material, because it looks really cool.

6. Digging Back In To the Archive: How Many Do You Own? (via Philofaxy). Quite an impressive collection!

7. Moonman V60 Fountain Pen Review (via SBRE Brown). The Omas 360 was one that got away from me. I found the angles on this one too sharp to be comfortable, but many people love it.

8. Today I Get To/Got To (via From the Pen Cup). A great idea for a new journaling prompt!

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In Case You Missed It…

I tried to take some time off this week, and had a moderate degree of success. I did a short post on the latest iteration of the Kaweco Mini Converter, which I’ve very much enjoyed in Kaweco and non-Kaweco pens. (Sorry, it promptly sold out within an hour after this review went live and I’m trying to get more.)

In terms of other content, don’t forget to check out the 2024 Holiday Gift Guide if you haven’t already! We update the gift guide annually, and it’s become a bit of a tradition around here with new items added every year.

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We have all sorts of new Book Darts available in the shop, including smaller-quantity offerings, new bookmarks, and a 75-Dart mixed set option.

T.G.S. Curated Shop Thanksgiving Weekend/Cyber Monday Specials!

We’re thankful for all of our readers and customers, and we wanted to offer a special promotion/discount this weekend! Through tomorrow night at 11:59pm US Central Time, take 10% off all inks and refills using the promo code “INKSGIVING” at checkout. This discount applies to all except TWSBI and Pilot, and includes newly arrived inks such as Kuretake, Teranishi Guitar, Diamine 150th Anniversary and 160th Anniversary, and everything else in our ink shop, including Inkvent Calendars since Inkvent starts today! Check out this week’s Thursday Drops page for a complete list of new arrivals and some clearance items.

Don’t forget that we are open today (Sunday) from 12-5pm for extended Holiday shopping hours! Check out our store location and hours here and on our Google Business listing for updated shopping hours throughout the holiday season.

Kuretake Inks

Pilot

Diamine

Kaweco

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives (Including the Sunderland Mk1)

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 either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as 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. For example, Patrons receive an extra bit off the TGS x Sunderland Collaboration Pen, and Patreon supporters had their own special Fountain Pen Day promo “mystery box” opportunity, while supplies last and which is still available!

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

It's Small Business Saturday! Stop By To See New Inks from Kuretake and More

Just a friendly reminder that we’re open today from 10am until 7pm, for what’s become known as “Small Business Saturday,” a day between Black Friday and “Cyber Monday” to support your local community-based shops! Our in-store specials are the same as our online “INKSGIVING” promotion, and we have plenty of ink for you to peruse in person.

While I’m taking a break from reviews this weekend to help us keep up with the holiday orders coming in, I did want to take a brief moment to note two ink lines we recently received from Kuretake, namely the “Art Nouveau” and “Meiji no Iro” series. I love stationery products that incorporate a bit of history, especially historically themed inks such as these and the Laban Greek Mythology series. The Kuretake Art Nouveau inks feature some of my favorite box and label artwork to date! These are now up online and on the store shelves.

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This weekend, we are open Saturday from 10am-7pm; and Sunday from 12pm-5pm. Come help us kick off the holiday shopping season! Additional detail on store location and hours here.