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. :)
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!