Happy New Year: Here's My 2025 Year-End "Favorite Things" Video!

So the heat was out at the shop/office yesterday, and frozen fingers early in the morning don’t necessarily lend themselves to typing long recap posts, so I decided to do a video instead! In this YouTube installment I talk about five favorite things that I acquired in 2025, across several different categories including fountain pens, non-fountain pens, paper, and desk accessories. I actually picked up far fewer fountain pens in 2025, and focused instead on more practical "work" stationery, including nicer notebooks and planners. This year was also notable because I dove even further into my fineliner obsession, and discovered the Pentel Tradio, a pen that's been around for seemingly forever but which I've never used until discovering it as part of the Craft Design Technology lineup. Here are the five items I chose to feature in the video:

• Pilot Decimo Nagasawa Kobe Harbor Gradient Special Edition. The one fountain pen is a favorite that I acquired from Vanness Pens. It has a fine-medium nib, and while I believe this particular special edition finish is sold out, Vanness regularly stocks other Nagasawa special editions including the annual Decimo release.

• Craft Design Technology Pentel Tradio. The Tradio is a classic piece of Japanese stationery, and while it’s marketed as a “plastic fountain pen,” it’s really a fineliner. And a good one at that. I’ve been using it to lay out my 2026 Wonderland 222 Planner and I must say that it’s an exceptionally good planner pen.

• Brelio A5 6-Ring Binder. Lisa Vanness brought back some Brelio leather products from Japan and I’m enjoying the slightly larger size and multiple pockets stitched into the cover. I still use my Plotters for individual projects but Brelio’s layout is a bit more practical for everyday work carry.

• Craft Design Technology Memo Rolls. I love these rolled sticky notes, also from CDT, which you can cut to size and move around since they are reusable. They work especially well on coated papers.

• Zenith Staplers. Perhaps I’m a bit peculiar here, but I’ve become enamored with these Italian plier-style staplers. They take next to no pressure to use and I love how easy it is to angle the staple in a practical (and yes, aesthetically pleasing, way). I did an entire video on this product and it did about as well as one could hope a video on staplers would do. :)

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The Pentel Tradio (blue ink!) and Pilot Decimo Nagasawa Kobe Harbor Gradient edition have been my constant companions.

Please Note that Our Nashville Shop is Closed Today and We Will Open Normal Hours Tomorrow

We are doing an inventory count in-store today, finishing up listing new arrivals, and trying to take maybe half a day off, so the Nashville location is closed today for New Years. We will reopen tomorrow (Friday, January 2) for normal hours 1pm-6pm, and on Saturday, January 3 from 10pm-6pm.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee!

New Arrivals: Kakimori Mini Nib Holders, Dip Nibs, and Colour Liners!

If you enjoy ink, you’ve probably heard of Kakimori and their conical metal nibs, which many love for drawing, writing, and ink swatching. We recently received a restock of the Kakimori dip nibs, including the new copper finish and the standard “pen nib”. We’ve also added the Kakimori Mini Nib Holders to our lineup, which are a shorter version of Kakimori’s standard dip nib holder (also back in stock).

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Finally, we’ve brought back the Kakimori “Colour Liner” refillable fineliners, in four different tip sizes. You essentially create your own marker by filling the included wick with your ink of choice. While technically disposable, these markers last a long time - I have several going for well over a year. Check out these and other Kakimori and Object Index products in our shop!

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For those who want to use their nib holder strictly for writing, Kakimori also makes a standard pen nib!

Please note that we are not open on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day this week, as we are finishing up shipping and counting inventory at year-end. We will be open normal hours Friday (1-6pm) and Saturday (10am-6pm).

Sunday Reading for December 28, 2025

1. Year in Review: What Happened with My 2025 Stationery Intentions (via A Gathering of Curiosities). A really good recap of what I’d certainly consider a successful year of intentions!

2. Ranking My Top 5 Notebook Systems and Top 5 Papers of 2025 (via dwrdnet). The year-end recaps have started! Derek gives us his favorite notebooks and papers from the past year.

3. Diamine Inkvent 2025 Summary (via Writing at Large). I agree with much of this reaction. Can we dispense with so much “Extreme Sheen” next year? I’m not hearing many positive reactions.

4. 2025: Some of My Fountain Pen Highlights (via Fountain Pen Blog). An interesting set of acquisitions, notable for showcasing a breadth of interest.

5. The Transformative Power of a Planning System (via Philofaxy). Some great advice for those looking to add a planning system to their lives.

6. Top 10 Beautiful Nibs (via Figboot on Pens). David walks through the 10 best-looking nibs in his collection, looking at the visual artistry.

7. How to Fix a Stuck Mechanical Pencil Mechanism (via Vanness1938). A useful video on how to fix a mechanical pencil mechanism, shown on a Kaweco Sport mechanical pencil.

8. Iroshizuku Rikka (via Inkredible Colours). Rikka didn’t get as much attention when it was released this year, probably because the Iroshizuku line already has so many blues. But it’s a nice color all the same.

9. Meet Your Maker: Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Pen Company (via Pen Addict - Caroline). I enjoyed reading about the backstory behind Carolina Pen Company and how Jonathon got started.

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In Case You Missed It….

I got a bit behind, but I finished up my recap of the 2025 Inkvent and Colorvent Calendars in two installments: Days 11-20 and Days 20-25. I also filmed a YouTube video walking through my business planner of choice for 2026: the Wonderland222 A5 Core S. This week look for more 2025 Recap content as well as announcements on 2026 plans!

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The NJK No. 211 Long Lead Pencil Sharpener is the latest addition to our shop!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

The day-after-Christmas craziness continues through the weekend, with new arrivals from Craft Design Technology leading the way. In addition to the new CDT pen releases, we’ve introduced their Pentel mechanical pencil collaboration and Camel pencil set, as well as a bunch of new paper items (including fun sticky notes), as well as scissors and leather pen cases! I’m also testing out a lot of these items personally as I add them to the shop, and I’ve enjoyed exploring this line. It’s clearly been designed by people who love stationery and each of the various items thoughtfully chosen. We’ve also restocked this week on Roterfaden Taschenbegleiters (which now have their own shop page), Musgrave pencils, and NJK Pencil Sharpeners!

Craft Design Technology

Musgrave

Roterfaden

TRAVELER'S Company

How to Support T.G.S. and Our Various Projects

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 special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail”.

Closing Out Colorvent and Inkvent: The Last Few Days and Overall Conclusions

Now that we’re past Christmas Day, another year of Inkvent/Colorvent ink Advent calendars has come and gone! This year was, overall, a good year for both Diamine and Colorverse in terms of the inks they chose for the calendars, but for my own personal preferences I would still give the edge to Colorverse. Why? Simply because most of the colors they chose to include are inks that I could see myself using on a regular basis, whereas the Diamine inks tend to be more “festive” and holiday-themed. That’s not bad by the way, and is actually the reason many people choose the Diamine calendar. Here’s a run-down of the last few days:

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Yes, I know this was actually Day 22. I got lost when I started playing catch-up so I stopped numbering them. I really enjoyed the Diamine Pineapple Spritz, btw, more than I thought I would, with its combination of pigment and shimmer.

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Colorverse Lunar Black and Winter Wonderland were both interesting: I always enjoy black/dark grey inks that offer subtle undertones of other colors like blue and purple, and I felt that Winter Wonderland struck a good balance of shimmer and sheen.

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The last few Diamine Inkvent Inks I didn’t find all that interesting. “Let It Snow” felt like a single-tone shimmer ink, and while Antler had some interesting shading that will appeal to some, the color didn’t do much for me. This year’s large 30ml bottle, “The Myrrh the Merrier,” was a shimmer/sheen combination but as with most of the Diamine sheening inks, I found the red sheen overpowering.

Takeaways and Overall Conclusions

I’ll likely always work my way through both calendars, because I find it to be a fun way to celebrate the holiday season and the calendars always have at least one or two inks that showcase each brands’ creativity. My favorite inks from this year’s calendar were probably Colorverse “Erebus Crater”, a multishading blue grey, and Diamine “Nostalgia,” a multishading red/purple/grey from the Chameleon collection. Diamine always releases the entire line of Inkvent inks as standard releases, while last year Colorverse picked three of the most popular to add to the standard lineup. Apparently they are doing the same for 2026, so we’ll eagerly await this year’s choices. Be sure to vote in the poll via the QR code on the back of your Colorvent Calendar box.

Colorverse Erebus Crater (right).

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Diamine Nostalgia.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee!

Weekly Drops: Got Gift Cards to Burn? New TWSBIs, a Roterfaden Restock, and More!

The week between Christmas and New Year’s marks that special time when everyone starts to (1) spend their holiday gift money/gift cards and (2) retailers look to clear out their excess inventory. To that end, everything in the T.G.S. Clearance section will now receive an automatic 25% off at checkout, no coupon code necessary. We’ve also received the latest TWSBI release “Obsidian,” as well as a large Roterfaden restock that has many different sizes in stock in addition to the standard A5! Finally, be sure to check out the latest arrivals from Japan, including special edition releases from Craft Design Technology and Graphilo!

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CDT is a Tokyo and UK-based design house that collaborates with traditional manufacturers such as Pilot, Pentel, and more on their own versions of classic stationery items. These including multi-pens like the Zebra Sharbo and Pilot Frixion 3, a Pentel Sharp Kerry, Camel pencils, writing pads and notebooks, and even leather items. We are constantly adding more as they arrive, so stay tuned.

We will be open in our Nashville store normal hours (1-6pm Friday and 10am-6pm Saturday). Please come by and see us!

1. TWSBI Obsidian Piston Filler. The latest TWSBI acrylic piston filler limited release has landed, and it’s a beautiful pearlescent black acrylic with rose gold trim. We still have a (very) small number of the TWSBI “Kai” release from last year, if you prefer the blue.

2. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter B5 Size. We’ve restocked on most Roterfaden sizes, but the increasingly popular B5 is the one we’re asked about the most. This will hold B5 notebooks as well as standard composition books.

3. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter A4 Size. We have a few larger-format A4 Taschenbegleiters in black. We get requests to bring in A4 but it’s definitely a larger portfolio so these restocks tend to be fewer in number.

4. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter TGS_25. Our store-exclusive A5-slim Roterfaden is still available in grey leather, with either the grey or green elastic. We have a growing selection of A5-Slim notebooks, including newly arrived Graphilo offerings! More on those below.

5. Craft Design Technology Leather Pen/Pencil Cases. These zippered leather cases can hold either pens or pencils, and will age/patina beautifully. Available in either black or brown leather.

6. Craft Design Technology x Pentel Mechanical Pencil. So far, this CDT special edition mechanical pencil that is based on the iconic Pentel Sharp Kerry is a top seller.

7. Craft Design Technology Desk Note Bagasse Notebooks. These landscape-style notebooks feature CDT’s signature green color and fountain pen friendly Bagasse paper, which is made from sugarcane waste and handles most inks extremely well. The Desk Note is available in two sizes and designed to sit beneath a keyboard while you work.

8. Craft Design Technology Notepads. Available in either A5 or A6, with a mint green or natural color, this textured paper is pleasant to write on and features a smaller grid for jotting notes or even drawing.

9. Graphilo A5-Slim Notebooks. The A5 Slim format is becoming increasingly popular, and Graphilo has released these notebooks with lined, grid, blank or “Ciro” (white line) layouts. Each notebook contains 188 pages of fountain pen friendly Graphilo paper.

10. Graphilo Notebooks and Looseleaf Paper. In addition to the A5 Slim format, Graphilo makes notebooks in traditional A5, Square, and A4 sizes, and even has looseleaf sheets available in both A4 and A5.

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