Thursday Drops: Kaweco Collection Honey Sport Has Arrived; Roterfaden Taschenbegleiters, and Diamine!

It’s finally here! The Kaweco Collection “Honey” Sport fountain pen has landed. I’ve been keeping this one under the hat since I first saw it at NYNow back in January, and I certainly hope this one sticks around for a while as it’s sure to be a favorite. We also have a restock of many different Kaweco products, including clips, foldable mini converters, AL Sport and Classic Sport Piston Fillers, and more.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

As I mentioned Tuesday, most sizes and colors of Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter covers are back in stock, including the new Ltd_033 Black + Antique Rose color combination. We also have new Blackwing releases (and a restock of erasers and sharpeners), plus new ballpoints from Anterique and Lamy!

We will have normal operating hours in the store from 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10-6pm on Saturday. Many thanks for all your support!

1. Kaweco Collection “Honey” Sport. This might be my favorite of the Kaweco Collection releases, even over the excellent “Olive”. I love yellow pens. Some might call this one a “Mustard” yellow, but I guess that depends on the mustard….

2. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Covers. As noted in Tuesday’s “New Releases” post, we have a new round of Roterfaden covers available for sale in the shop. Several already have gone off to good homes, including one of the new Black Leather / “Antique Rose” suede combinations pictured above.

3. Blackwing Volumes No. 11: The Bill Russell Pencil and Notebook. The latest Blackwing Volumes has arrived, and it’s a tribute to Bill Russell and features a gorgeous black and green matte color combo. There’s also a limited edition A5 Blackwing Slate notebook, which includes a Volume 11 pencil in the pencil holder.

4. Diamine 160th Anniversary Fountain Pen Inks. All six colors of Diamine’s latest Anniversary series are back in stock. Most standard Diamine colors are also back in stock.

5. Kaweco AL Sport Piston Fountain Pens. The heftier, metal version of Kaweco’s recent piston filler, featuring an integrated clip. You can read our write up on this pen here, and watch our YouTube video showing how it works.

6. Kaweco Classic Sport Piston Fountain Pens. Less expensive than the AL-Sport version, the Classic Piston fountain pen gives you the piston functionality in the standard plastic Sport body, without the clip (which you can add on later.)

7. Kaweco Foldable Mini-Converters. Yes, they are small enough to fit the Kaweco Sport, and pretty much any other pocket pen! Read more about how they work here.

8. New Anterique Bicolor Ballpoint Pens. While you can always combine the interchangeable parts from any pen in the Anterique lineup to make the color combination you desire, I’ve managed to source these bicolor versions in many different color combinations.

9. Lamy Logo Ballpoint Pens. Like most other Lamy ballpoints, the Logo uses the excellent M16 refill. Featuring a textured grip section and a clip integrated into the knock, the Logo makes for a solid everyday writer at a low price point.

10. Lamy Xevo Ballpoint Pens. Want a great $10 everyday writer that looks professional and uses the Lamy M16 refill? The Xevo features a contoured triangular shape and a twist-action knock.

View fullsize

The Lamy Logo ballpoint makes for a great everyday writer.

Currently Inked for March 12, 2025: Two New Vintage Pens

So it’s been a while since I published one of my “Currently Inked” videos. People seem to enjoy them, and I’ve had a few requests to do another one, so here goes!

This month I added four pens to the rotation: two old favorites and two “new” vintage pens (as in, new to me). The old favorites include the Aurora 88 Sigaro Blu and the Lamy 2000 in Stainless Steel, and the vintage pens are a classic Parker 45 with a 14k nib that I bought for $65 at the Dallas Pen Show, and an Aurora from the Archivi Storici collection, which I believe is a slimmer version of the vintage Aurora 88 since it has the same nib. The pen did not come with a box so I do not know the exact model. Help is appreciated. This is either a new old stock vintage pen or a modern reproduction using vintage components. The inks chosen are two favorite Iroshizuku Inks (Yama-Budo and Tsuki-Yo), as well as Taccia Ukiyo-e Hiroshige Ainezu.

View fullsize

From left: Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel, Parker 45 in Grey; Aurora 88 in Sigaro Blu; and the Aurora Mystery Vintage pen from the Archivi Storici series, all in my Skogsy Rickshaw Bagworks Sinclair Model-R.

You can check out the full YouTube video here.

So Why Am I Restarting This Video Series (Other Than for Fun?)

One project of mine for 2025 is to let go of five unused pens every month, and a big part of that is actually putting things into rotation to see what I can/cannot bear to part with. So far, I’ve been successful, offloading between 15-20 pens during the first quarter through the Patreon monthly pen sales. If any of them survive, they will appear in the Gently Used section of the shop. Stay tuned!

Did you like this post and/or the video? The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. To accompany this post, I filmed a short “unpacking” video (a true “bag dump”), which you can now view on the YouTube Channel!

New Arrivals: Roterfaden Restock! A4 and A5 Sizes, Plus New Accessories!

Roterfaden is back for the first restock of 2025! We just received a large shipment of A4 and A5 Taschenbegleiters, Notebooks, and Sheet Protectors. The Taschenbegleiters include a heavy restock of the black cover/red elastic combinations, as many of you reached out asking when that specific colorway would come back. We also have several of the four-clip models (the Taschenbegleiter LTD_020 and Taschenbegleiter LTD_15).

If you’re interested in learning more about how the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter works, and how I use these covers, check out this blog post as well as my flipthrough YouTube Video (which is somewhat shockingly approaching 20,000 views).

View fullsize

Roterfaden’s honey suede is probably my favorite of the interior materials.

All Taschenbegleiter purchases qualify for free domestic shipping, and these will be available to peruse in person at our shop later this week. We will have normal operating hours from 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10-6pm on Saturday. Many thanks for all your support!

Sunday Reading for March 9, 2025 (The One Less Hour of Sleep Edition)

1. Top 10 Most Beautiful Pens (via Figboot on Pens). David walks through his collection after having picked 10 of the best-looking pens in his collection. This is a fun exercise and has me wondering whether I should do the same.

2. Leveling Up with Tea (via Olive Octopus). I’ve always been much more of a black coffee/espresso fanatic, but I found this post on tea fascinating. I need to experiment more.

3. Paper Plant Co. Shop Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I love eclectic stationery stores, especially when they manage to work in complementary products other than stationery. Add this one to the list next time I’m in Los Angeles.

4. London Spring Pen Show 2025: My Haul (via Fountain Pen Blog). One of these days, I will make it to one of the London Pen Shows. This is a fun haul post.

5. Spring 2025 London Pen Show (via Dapprman). More pictures from London!

6. London Spring Pen Show 2025 (via UK Fountain Pens). An interesting aspect of the UK shows is timing. Most of these shows only last a single day, as opposed to the three-day extravaganzas that mark U.S. Pen Shows. I can definitely see the benefits of both approaches as the U.S. shows can overwhelm.

7. Traveler’s Company Stamp Caravan at Cityluxe (via Inkredible Colours). Each Stamp Caravan stop in a different city turns out a bit differently. Here’s the Singapore version.

8. Teranishi Guitar Smoky Navy (via Mountain of Ink). We love our Teranishi Inks, and one of the reasons they are such top sellers is what Kelli describes - they show sheen without the extreme smearing.

9. Writech Dual Color Multi Pens (Vintage Color Set) (via Well-Appointed Desk). Writech is one of those brands that’s been appearing more frequently in my feeds, and generally garnering good reviews. I need to try out some of their products.

10. Why Independent Penmakers Are Worth the Wait: Unboxing the Pens by Pasquale Merlin (via dwrdnet). It’s been a joy watching Nick grow as a penmaker over the past several years. I love this material and this specific shape. Nick regularly uses matte finishes as well.

View fullsize

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I focused a bit more on travel, including my first “bag dump” post of the year! I also published a companion YouTube video, for those who would like to watch the unpacking in real time. Yesterday I went “back to basics” with the “Ask TGS” series, hitting two frequently asked questions that have popped up recently regarding how vacuum filling systems are supposed to work, and how to set expectations regarding nib sizes given the inherent differences among regions and brands, as well as all the various factors that can affect how a fountain pen writes.

View fullsize

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

I’m almost finished with the “great unpacking,” having listed dozens of new products over the past couple of weeks as we add them both to the online shop and our shelves in the brick-and-mortar. I’ve been most excited about all the new Maruman Mnemosyne products, including the new Hardcover Journals (featuring a whopping 240 pages of heavier dot grid paper), the new Softcover Notebooks (a more traditional Mnemosyne A5 notebooks with standard lined paper), and these new 3-packs of A5 notepads. We also have new Nakabayashi Logical Air Paper (with a grid layout!), and the new Blackwing Volume 11 Bill Russell pencils, with matching notebooks. Be sure to keep an eye on each Thursday Drops post for a full list and description of new arrivals.

Uni Jetstreams

NJK Sharpeners

Blackwing

Maruman

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

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.

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

Ask TGS: Back to Basics on Filling Systems, and Nib Size Variability

So we’re back with another Q&A session, this time focusing on two particularly “urgent” questions. Here, I would say that they’re “urgent” in the sense that I’m seeing these same questions (or some slight variation on them) come up repeatedly, which to me indicates that manufacturers, retailers, and other pen industry stakeholders aren’t doing a good enough job of educating newcomers to the fountain pen space. To that end, I’m going to keep publishing these posts and consolidating/organizing them in the “Ask TGS” space for future reference.

Question 1: Why Does My TWSBI Vac700 Or Nahvalur Original Plus or Pilot Custom 823 Only Write for a Half a Page and Then “Dry Up”?

I’ve received this question from three different people in the past month, all of whom purchased one of these vacuum-filler fountain pens without realizing how the vacuum-filling system worked. All of these pens feature a “shut off valve”, which is basically a stopper that seals the ink in the barrel, cutting it off from the nib and feed, when the blind cap is screwed all the way down. On the one hand, this is great for travel, because it means that you can typically bring these pens on an airplane without having to worry about ink leaking into the cap due to changes in temperature or air pressure. On the other hand, in order to write for more than a half-page or so, you will need to open the valve by unscrewing the blind cap one or two turns to allow the ink to flow consistently. It’s a feature of this filling system, not a design flaw, and is quite likely the best way to travel with a fountain pen if your goal is to absolutely minimize the possibility of leakage. See the photo below for an illustration of what I’m talking about.

View fullsize

Here, I’ve opened the blind cap on my Pilot Custom 823 as I would for a longer writing session.

Question 2: My Aurora 14K Fine Nib Writes Wider Than The JoWo Stainless Steel Medium on My diplomat. Is The aurora Nib Defective?

I’ll start by answering this question as directly as I can: No, not necessarily. However, this response needs a lot of context.

Those new to fountain pens often don’t realize that nib sizes are not uniform across brands, and many factors can determine how wide a line any specific nib will leave on the page. For example, a fine nib from a Japanese brand will generally write a much narrower line than a fine nib made by a German company like JoWo or Bock. While regional variations in average handwriting size and general preferences for finer lines in certain countries explains some of the variation between manufacturers, it’s not the entire story, and there are several things to keep in mind when setting expectations:

• As a general matter, there is little uniformity in the fountain pen world. Fountain pens are inherently imprecise instruments. While ballpoints, gel pens, and rollerballs have less variability with their well-known .5mm, .7mm, and 1.0mm tip sizes, there is no standard for what constitutes an “extra-fine,” “fine,” “medium,” or “broad” fountain pen nib. For those brands that make their nibs in-house with a lot of hand-finishing (like the Aurora referenced above), there may even be variability between individual nibs that are technically the same size.

• Gold nibs generally write a wetter, wider line than steel nibs of an equivalent size. While not always the case, this is a reasonable expectation. Gold nibs are typically “softer” than steel nibs, meaning the tines have more give and they will accordingly release more ink on the page. On average, the gold medium nibs in my collection write a wider line than their steel counterparts.

• A fountain pen with an ebonite (hard rubber) feed will generally have heavier ink flow, and hence, write a wider line, than a pen with a plastic feed. This is why makers often pair flex nibs with an ebonite feed, because the ebonite feed ensures that the ink flow keeps up with the nib. Softer gold nibs paired with ebonite feeds can be extremely wet writers, to the point where I personally default to the “extra-fine” nibs in certain brands like Scribo.

• Piston Fillers, Vacuum Fillers, and Eyedroppers generally write a wetter line than cartridge-converter pens. Again, this is a generalization, but I’ve always found that pens with a larger volume of ink in direct contact with the back of the feed are by default wetter writers, which can affect line width.

• Your choice of ink and/or paper will affect how a nib performs. Certain inks are wetter than others, and can spread more on the paper. If you have a pen that you feel consistently writes too wide a line, you can try to switch the ink up to something drier, like an iron gall ink and many blue-blacks. Relatedly, non-coated papers that are more absorbent will show a wider line because the ink has a tendency to spread as it soaks into the paper fibers.

To illustrate how these factors combine to affect how a specific pen behaves, consider the question about the Aurora pen above. While a 14k gold Aurora fine nib is on the stiffer side for a gold nib, paired with an ebonite feed in a piston filler, it would not surprise me to have the pen write a similar line to a stainless steel medium JoWo nib (and maybe even wider with a particularly wet ink). To illustrate, here’s a writing sample from my own 14k Aurora Sigaro Blu compared against a writing sample from a stainless steel Kaweco Sport.

View fullsize

There’s not much difference here. The particular Kaweco nib I chose was the wettest one that I could find in my collection, and even then it’s only slightly wider than what I would consider to be a moderately dry Aurora 88 fine nib, which is a 14k nib on a piston filler with an ebonite feed.

So what’s an aspiring fountain pen user to do here? Experiment. That’s part of the fun with fountain pens, and to the extent you can, get to a pen club/pen store/pen show and try as many different pens as possible to get a feel for how different nibs write. While comparing writing samples online can be helpful, and give you a general “ballpark” idea of how a nib will behave, it is at best an approximation because that writing sample is limited to a single combination of pen, ink, and paper that was used to write the sample. Over time, most fountain pen enthusiasts develop preferences for certain brands based on experience and how certain nibs work with our handwriting. Many of us take our pens to a nib grinder to have them tweak the nibs even further to modify ink flow and to shape tipping in order to get the line variation that we want. That’s the great thing about fountain pens - they are infinitely customizable, and you can tweak many different variables to get exactly the writing experience you desire.

We’re open this weekend in-store! Come see us from 9-6pm on Saturday and 1-5pm on Sunday. We have plenty of pens inked up for you to test, so you can see exactly what I’m talking about above.