New Arrivals: Lamy Safari 2025 Special Editions in Dark Dusk and Sunset

The new Lamy Safaris have arrived! This year we have two colors: Dark Dusk and Sunset, as Lamy continues the trend of releasing the special edition Safaris in pairs. Dark Dusk is what I would call a midnight blue, in a glossy finish paired with a dark blue clip. Sunset is a true coral pink, with hints of orange and a matte finish, also with a matching clip. While supplies last, fountain pen orders will ship with a matching pen case (dark blue or coral), which has a zippered pouch and an elastic strap designed to slip over the cover of an A5 notebook. You can see more of the new colors, as well as a demonstration of how the pen case works, in this video here.

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These zippered pouches can hold a pen, pencil, and smaller accessories.

The 2025 Lamy Safari is currently available in fountain pen, rollerball, ballpoint, and .5mm mechanical pencil format. Be sure to check out the rest of our Lamy offerings, including standard Safaris and AL-Stars, the Lamy 2000 line, and more.

We also have these pens in our brick and mortar shop, which will be open Thursday and Saturday this week, and this Friday by appointment. Typically we have regular Friday hours, but I need to finish upgrading some displays and plan to take the afternoon to do that work. Come see us on Saturday and check out the new look!

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I love that Lamy is regularly releasing the limited edition Safari in the .5mm mechanical pencil.

Sunday Reading for May 4, 2025

1. Hooligan Georgia (via Figboot on Pens). I got to meet Tim from Hooligan at the Atlanta Pen Show, and loved getting to see his work.

2. Monoc Monoc Monoc (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). A great overview of the different Monoc sizes including, as with most of Kimberly’s reviews, plenty of writing samples.

3. Japanese Magazine Surprise (via Inky.Rocks). Now that’s a cool surprise! Stationery magazines that include stationery samples!

4. Montegrappa Venetia vs. Scribo Piuma (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I still don’t have my Piuma - I really need to change that! I love the silhouette of that pen.

5. $29 EDC? Everyday Karas basik (via Figboot on Pens). Double drop this week from David, since this Karas sub-brand and the price point really intrigued me.

6. Outsized Impact (via Stationery Pizza). Here’s another interesting notetaking/journaling technique. Does anyone else block their pages?

7. Travel Organizer? (via Philofaxy). I actually do tend to swap my organizers and notebooks out when I travel, usually for a Traveler’s Notebook which can be more compact in a travel bag, or a zippered folio if I have stuff that I worry will fall out.

8. Lamy Petrol (2025 version). I’m currently enamored with the latest Lamy Petrol, and love how dark it is. Honestly, I missed the first release so I have nothing to compare it to save for a swatch a friend gave me, but I love this color.

9. Paper Systems and Their Uses (via Rachel’s Reflections). I love a good post discussing uses for all the different styles of notebook systems.

10. Show Recap: Little Craft Fest (Houston) (via Well-Appointed Desk). I love reading about new stationery events, including the apparently very well-executed Little Craft Fest!

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The Sunderland mk1 has long been a favorite - I’m glad to see it more regularly available these days!

In Case You Missed It…2025 Best Pens Update

This week we reviewed the Uni M17 Jetstream refill, designed to fit Lamy pens that accept the M16 ballpoint. While we no longer have these specific refills for sale at the moment, since they are a Japan-only release and need to be imported, it’s still fun to see just how good a ballpoint refill can be. (Plus, we have other Jetstream stuff in the shop!) And as noted above, we’ve updated the “Best Pens” page for 2025. This year’s update is more “maintenance” than anything, without any major changes, but it’s still fun to see how consistent my opinions have been for the past several years.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: New TWSBI and New Lamy Safaris With a free gift promotion!

The new TWSBI Gemini Blue Precision Fountain Pens arrived this week, to cap a much-hyped release of a pen that TWSBI hasn’t updated in some time. Also, yesterday I received our initial shipping allotment of the 2025 Lamy Safari releases in “Dark Dusk” and “Sunset Coral”. While supplies last, the initial round of fountain pens will receive a Dark Dusk or Sunset Coral matching pen case that ships alongside the pen, though supplies are limited and these will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. One per person. Check out this week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks. (Did I mention that we now carry the standard line of Sunderland mk1 pens?)

Notsu

Caran d'Ache

Uni

Kaweco

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 (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount.

The Updated 2025 "Best Pens" Page Is Live!

Longtime T.G.S. readers know that I update the “Best Pens” list annually, typically around the T.G.S. Anniversary in mid-to-late April. I’m a little late this year, but not by much, and in any event this year was more of a maintenance update because as the list matures, there’s simply not as much movement between the categories. I’ve made a few adjustments to account for pens moving between the different price points - who knows what the coming year will bring - but I always enjoy this exercise.

As with previous updates, the last 10 or so lists remain live so that you can see how my opinions and tastes have changed over time. View the 2025 Best Pens List and prior lists here, and if you see something you like, please consider supporting us by shopping our store* or pledging via Patreon. We’ve recently launched a T.G.S. Discord forum for Patreon members, and so far it seems that everyone has enjoyed being able to interact in a much more user friendly format that what Patreon can offer with its build-in features.

*The “Best Pens” list goes back to at least 2017, and predates our shop by several years. You’ll see that these lists have informed how we built out our own retail operation, as I knew when I opened my own shop that I would only want to sell stuff that I could readily recommend to other people.

Thursday Drops: Sunderland Pens, Midori 3-Year Journals, and a Notsu Restock

There’s a lot to unpack this week, starting with the arrival of both an additional shipment of T.G.S. x Sunderland Machine Works mk1 pens, as well as all colors in the standard line! Yes, we are adding the Sunderland mk1 to our regular lineup of everyday writers, because it’s just that good. Each pen takes the Pilot G2 gel refill (one included with shipment), the Montblanc threaded rollerball refill, and can also included additional refills with some modification. (I’ll let you run your internet searches, including on our site.) In addition to my own personal T.G.S. x Sunderland Pen, I also have a green anodized standard version.

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The Midori Three-Year Diary is now available in a more compact size!

Other arrivals include the new TWSBI Precision in the Gemini Blue finish, additional stock of the ECO Slate Blue and Irish Green, and more Notsu, Lochby, and Midori. If you’re stopping by the shop this weekend, note that we have some reduced hours on Thursday and Saturday since I have to close a bit early those days.

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

1. T.G.S. x Sunderland Machine Works mk1 Rollerballs. We received a small shipment of T.G.S. x Sunderland collaboration pens, featuring our signature matte black and matte red color combination, along with …

2. Sunderland Machine Works mk1 (Standard Line). We now carry the standard Sunderland Machine Works mk1 pens, which are available in six different anodized colors with Sunderland’s stainless steel clip.

3. TWSBI Precision “Gemini Blue” Fountain Pen. TWSBI has finally released a new color in its technical “Precision” line of fountain pens: a “Gemini Blue” finish that complements the Gunmetal finish already available. Both colors are in-stock and shipping.

4. TWSBI ECO Slate Blue Onyx and Irish Green Onyx Fountain Pens. These all sold fast the first time around! We have fresh stock of both onyx-trim finishes available to ship.

5. Lochby Field Folios. The zippered version of Lochby’s A5 Folio is restocked in both brown and the charcoal/gold colorways. The Lochby Field Folio was a hit at the recent pen shows I attended, mainly because it allows you to securely carry pens and more inside the case if that’s something you’re concerned with. The pen loop has moved to the inside.

6. Notsu Notecard Sets. We have a new shipment of the “Centre Rise” notecard sets, complete with dividers and magnetic stand, in addition to dot grid index cards.

7. Notsu Notecard Holders. These handy index card holders are designed to fit any of the Notsu 3x5 Index Cards, and also have an incorporated pen loop.

8. Midori 5-Year and 3-Year Diaries. We have restocked on the Midori Multi-Year diaries, which are hardcover journals that allow you to track multiple years of entries on the same page. Midori recently released a more compact version of the 3-year journal, which we also have available to purchase as an option under the three-year.

9. New Profolio Notebooks (Purple and Gray). The Itoya Profolio notebooks, which feature a multi-lined ruling similar to my favorite Clairefontaine Seyes-ruled paper, are now available in Gray and Purple covers in both the A6 and A5 sizes.

10. Carl Angel-5 Premium Pencil Sharpeners. A longtime favorite, this Made-in-Japan version of the Carl Angel-5 comes in three muted colors, and has softer grip chucks that won’t leave marks on the barrel as deep as the standard model.

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What new Sunderland color would you choose? I’m eyeing the blue.

The Jetstream Is THAT Good: Hands on with the Uni M17 Lamy Refill

It baffles me why Uni’s Jetstream Ink still hasn’t caught on as the default ballpoint pen ink outside of Japan. For those not in the know, the Uni Jetstream is the original “hybrid gel” or “low viscosity” ballpoint pen, which combines the smoothness of a gel pen with the write-anywhere capability and quick-dry features of a standard ballpoint. For me, the Jetstream has everything you would want in a refill: It writes a dark, solid line. It flows well. It dries nearly instantaneously and does not smear. Importantly, it works reliably in a range of tip sizes, from .38mm all the way up to 1.0mm. Yet we are still largely forced to import pretty much everything other than standard disposable Jetstreams click pens from Japan, despite Uni manufacturing a multitude of different refill formats that fit not just Uni pens but third-party brands.

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I have new and vintage Lamy ballpoints, and the M17 refill works well in both of them. Shown here is the Lamy Unic (“Unicorn”? - now discontinued), as well as a standard Safari.

The much-publicized, Japan-only 2025 release of the Uni Jetstream M17 ballpoint refill - designed to fit M16-compatible Lamy pens, merely reinforces the absurdity of this situation. Look, I don’t mind the standard Lamy M16 ballpoint refill. There may have been some spotty QC years ago, and the current version is quite good, but it remains a standard ballpoint writing experience that’s never going to rise above the limitations of that technology. By adding the Jetstream ink, the M17 refill improves the writing experience significantly. But as with other Jetstream formats, there’s still no indication that this refill will be consistently available to markets outside of Japan. In the Japanese market, retailers now have a Safari Ballpoint option with “Jetstream Inside”, i.e. the Jetstream refill is included with the pen. Yeah, that probably won’t happen here. But I hope I’m wrong. :)

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Many love the black Jetstream refills for their solid black line.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I won’t beat the Jetstream drum any more than I already have. I especially love the Jetstream Multi Pens - mainly because they’re the way to get colors other than black - and Uni recently released an even smoother Jetstream ink (the “Lite Touch”) that some believe outperforms the original formulation. Most of my personal pens that take Parker-style refills now use the SXR-600, and my Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (4-Color Ballpoint) has long held the SXR-200 D1 refills. I’m a bit worried about falling too hard for the M17, because I don’t know how stable the supply will be given the current trade situation, but for right now I’m going to enjoy what I have. If you’re a Lamy fan and want to up your ballpoint game, grab some of them if you have the opportunity.

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Only one part of our Jetstream selection!

Our store carries a wide variety of Jetstream pens as well as refills in as many formats as we are able to source. We still have a few Uni M17 refills in stock from the small shipment I managed to source. (Update: These are now sold out.) I'll try to find more, but timing of a resupply is uncertain at best. Stay tuned!

If you’re ever in the Nashville, Tennessee area, please stop in and see us! We’d love to welcome you in store and answer any questions you may have. The Gentleman Stationer is open this week Thursday (1-4) and Friday (1-6) and Saturday from 10-4. Our site is entirely self-supported through the shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.