True Motivations, Revisited (via A Gathering of Curiosities). Why do you collect pens? I think I fall squarely into the “for me” category. Most of the pens I consider “prized” are used solely at home or at work in the privacy of my office.
2025 State of the Scholar, Tray One (via mnmlscholar). I plan to do my own collection-level check-in later this year. This post was a good reminder.
A #9 Nib??? The Junlai 930 (via Figboot on Pens). I can appreciate a larger nib but at some point I think #8 nibs are as big as I will go.
ColorVerse’s Colorvent White Hole: Should It Have Made the Cut? (via Inkdependence). There’s some controversy over the “Top 3” inks that ColorVerse chose from the 2024 Colorvent Calendar. In my mind, Christmas Star was the only one unique enough to justify “Top 3”, and a lot of exceptionally good inks were left by the wayside.
#12PenPerson Questions (via Olive Octopus). Here we go! I’ll need to start working on mine. These little exercises are a great way to get to learn more about people in the community.
Drillog Metal Dip Pen TESTED - What You Need to Know (via Doodlebud). The original Drillog had some issues with consistent ink flow and the company has been working on v2.0 for a while now.
Prime Number of Notebooks (via Line Variation). I’ve looked at these Delfonics bags before and wow, they apparently can hold a LOT of notebooks.
The Answer to the Problem Was Obvious (via Philofaxy). The answer is ALWAYS another notebook. And that’s quite an impressive collection!
Will I Ever Pass Up Free Pens? (via From the Pen Cup). Of course not. Someone should do a blog devoted solely to SWAG pens.
Ink Review: Finding my Purrfect Brown Ink (via Well-Appointed Desk). We’re finally headed into Fall, which means that it’s brown ink season!
In Case You Missed It….
This week I explored a new-to-me aspect of the Pilot 4+1 Multi Pen: the ability to use the Uni Style Fit Gel Pen refill in what I consider to be one of the best 4+1 multi pens (4 pen refills plus a mechanical pencil) on the market. I also wrote a piece on how I help new users choose a fountain pen, including those who have absolutely zero familiarity with pens, and what our testing setup is like in our brick-and-mortar location.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
One key customer request over this first year as a brick-and-mortar has been for more correspondence cards and letter-writing supplies. While we’ve long had an “InCoWriMo” header tag, the easiest way to spotlight dedicated correspondence products going forward is to have a stand-alone shop page devoted to notecards, letter sets, and more. This week we added products from Belle & Union out of San Antonio, Texas, a wide array of gel pens, including the Uni RT1 and Uni Zento, as well as the recently released Platinum Preppy Wa “Edo Monogatari” Modern Maki-e Series and the new Lamy Multi Color Safari! Be sure to check out Thursday Drops for a full list of new arrivals.
We’ve also continued to add new Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter models in A5, as well as expanded sizes that include a new B5 and additional B6 models. We have new Roterfaden B6 notebook formats, as well as replacement elastics for the softcover Taschenbegleiters. The next restock of the TGS_25 A5 Slim Roterfaden is on its way to me, and will be made available for resale upon our return from the San Francisco Pen Show, making the launch date on or about September 2. Patreon members have the ability to pre-order one of these.
We will have special hours this week due to travel to the San Francisco Pen Show, and will be open Tuesday from 1-6pm. If you’d like to pick up an order or shop in person, please plan to come that day.
Consider Further Supporting T.G.S.!
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. 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)! The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies” and the Roterfaden TGS_25), 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. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.