2025 Year-End Review: Five Favorite Posts from 2025

Since I’ve launched the store, and have to deal with marketing and selling products every day, the most enjoyable writing for me hasn’t necessarily been product reviews but rather posts on what stationery I like to use and how I use it in my own life, because I still write a lot. For my five favorite posts of 2025, I’ve chosen more editorial-style writing discussing how analog fits into my own life and workflow and the products I personally enjoy and why.

Joe’s Personal Favorite Posts from 2025

1. Everyday Notetaking and Creating an “Idea File”: On Perforated Field Notes and Index Cards. This has been a great year for fountain pen friendly index cards, and rediscovering the utility of being able to jot down ideas and file them away without having to keep track of where things are in a notebook.

2. Comparing Low Viscosity Ballpoint Pens: Jetstream vs. Acroball vs. Anterique vs. Ohto. Low-viscosity ballpoints feature an ink that’s basically the best of both worlds: the permanence of ballpoint ink with most of the smoothness of gel. Many planner enthusiasts prefer low-viscosity ballpoints because they write a dark, fine line that comes in handy when filling out smaller sections of planners like the Hobonichi Techo and Jibun Techo.

3. Five Reasons I Prefer Undated Planners and Calendars. This year I went undated for most of my planning, but as you’ll see in some forthcoming content, I’m going with a hybrid approach for 2026 as I find a dated planner useful for certain business purposes.

4. Complementary Notebook Systems and Stationery: Yamamoto Bullet Jotters. These Yamamoto Bullet Jotters are an excellent counterpart to a Bible-sized 6-ring binder, especially if you prefer writing on a bound pad as opposed to in the 6-ring binder itself. I often mix and match notebook systems to take advantage of the best aspects of each and customize them to my specific needs.

5. 2025 San Francisco Pen Show Recap, Part II: Panel Takeaways. The 2025 San Francisco Pen show was one of the better stationery show experiences I’ve had, content-wise. The topics discussed during the various panels I attended inspired much of the content I’ll be working on for the next year, including our recently launched podcast/video project, which now has it’s own home so please follow along.

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! Also, please visit our Holiday Gift Guide page if you would like guidance on stationery-related gifting, and we’re also happy to discuss in-person.

2025 Year-End Review: Most Popular T.G.S. Posts, Both New and Old

Each year during the month of December, I write a series of posts recapping various things from the prior year, one of which is the most popular content as determined by views received. This year I’ve broken the review into two categories: Content Published or Updated in 2025, and Overall, including older content that continues to receive a lot of traffic. The value of this exercise to me is to see what readers are enjoying, and in the case of the older stuff, to see what content needs to be revisited and updated!

Most Popular Posts, 2025 Content

1. Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper. It’s probably not a surprise that this “evergreen” post, which I refresh and update every year, gets the most views by far. As I test out and explore new papers, expect it to be updated further!

2. Joe’s Picks - Five Favorite Inks from Pilot’s Iroshizuku Lineup. I’ve been asked to do more posts like these with other ink lines, but it’s so hard to choose! Iroshizuku was easier because I’ve been using the ink for well over a decade.

3. My 2025 Techo Kaigi: A Mostly Fond Farewell to Hobonichi. While technically a 2024 post, it addressed my 2025 planner/notebook setup so it remained relevant throughout the year. Look for another post like this one soon, before January 1.

4. Is the Uni Zento Gel Pen Worth the Hype? The Zento took the pen world by storm this past year, especially with the capped “Signature” barrel essentially disappearing from standard retail and reappearing on the secondary market for astronomic prices. Personally I think the mid-level “Flow” version offers the best value, and I do enjoy how the Zento writes.

5. The Kaweco Perkeo, on Its Own Merits. This post surprised me a bit with how much traffic it received this year, but given price increases, economic pressures, and a flood of new enthusiasts entering the hobby, it probably shouldn’t come as a shock that lower-cost pens are drawing attention.

Most Popular Posts Overall (New and Old Content)

1. Top 5 Mechanical Pencils: For When You Really Want to Write Small. Wow, my most popular post for 2025 is a 7-year old mechanical pencil ranking that is hopelessly out of date. Herein lies the value of doing this annual year-in-review exercise! All of the recommendations in this post remain good ones, but I would have a bunch of recommendations and substitutions, and a few of the mentions are no longer available or have been updated to new models.

2. The Best Pen for When You Only Want One Pen. Another post from way back (2018) that I should probably revisit, this post looks at “one pen carry” (which for me is more of a thought experiment since I switch things up so often). Some of the pens featured here are no longer available, but the multi pen remains my top choice for this type of setup.

3. My Five Best Pencils for Everyday Writing, Five Years Later. This post remains accurate, though from a recommendations standpoint I need to revisit it because the market has changed and many pencil brands have revamped their lineups and discontinued certain models.

4. First Impressions: The TWSBI Swipe Is a Steal. Like my review of the Perkeo above and the Pilot Explorer below, I suspect interest is being driven by the combination of quality and price point, with people looking for a reliable everyday writer that won’t set you back more than $30.

5. The Pilot Explorer Is a Low-Cost Workhorse. Regardless of price point, Pilot pens always perform, and the Explorer remains my go-to recommendation for those looking for a no-nonsense writer that for now comes in a wide range of colors. A key selling point of both the Swipe and the Explorer is that they ship with a converter, so that you can use either cartridges or bottled ink right out of the box.

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! Also, please visit our Holiday Gift Guide page if you would like guidance on stationery-related gifting, and we’re also happy to discuss in-person.

My Favorite Pencils: 2025 Edition

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve published any sort of “Favorite Pencils” list - lately many of you have been reminding me of this fact - so it’s time to revisit what is probably my second-most-used category of writing instruments. For purposes of this list, I’m going to mix woodcase and mechanical pencils to actually reflect what I’ve been using on a daily basis.

Note that this list is not intended to be a “Best Pencils” recommendation list, though I think all of these are very good. If you’re looking to get into quality writing pencils for the first time, check out our “Best Pens” Guide (which has a “Pencils” section). Today’s post is more of a discussion of what I personally have been enjoying, which is not necessarily what I would recommend to someone else.

1. Lamy CP1 “Twin Pen.” I’ve only recently discovered this 2-stage “multi pen” that combines a .5mm mechanical pencil with one D1 ballpoint. It’s an interesting format, and one that I’ve been using more around the shop. It lets you switch quickly between a pen and pencil, and since there’s only one pen option, there’s no paralysis-of-choice with respect to which ink color you’re going to use.

2. Camel Pencils. While the integrated eraser is cool, the two main reasons I love Camel pencils for everyday writing are (1) the relatively dark, not overly-smooth graphite and (2) the rounded hex barrel and smooth clear lacquer, which makes this pencil incredibly comfortable to hold. I also still have a personal stash of an old C.W. Pencil Enterprise 2B exclusive, which features a round barrel.

3. Blackwing Matte (i.e., “The Original,” MMX, "Black”). The original “new” Blackwing remains my favorite, even over the Blackwing 602. While the closest graphite equivalent is a 4B grade, the Blackwing Matte is remarkably non-smeary for a pencil this dark and I use it for writing in addition to sketching. Blackwing has also recently released red and green-barrel versions, and the soft core has been incorporated periodically into the Volumes series.

4. Pilot S20 .5mm Mechanical Pencil. I’ve raved about the S20 ballpoint, but I’ve only recently been able to get my hands on the mechanical pencil version. Both have the same “inverted hourglass” silhouette, which molds to my hand. The S20 Ballpoint and S20 Mechanical Pencil are rapidly becoming almost as critical to my everyday carry rotation as the Lamy 2000 fountain pen and Multi Pen.

5. Uni Kuru Toga KS or Alpha Gel Switch. I’ve tried the more expensive versions of Uni’s flagship mechanical pencil, like the Kuru Toga Dive, but I keep going back to the basic (and inexpensive) Kuru Toga KS and Alpha Gel models because I don’t have to worry about misplacing them around the house and the shop, or when I travel. While not a necessity, the Kuru Toga’s lead-rotation mechanism ensures that the point wears evenly, which not only keeps the lead sharp but reduces breakage. As I’ll discuss further below, I’ve been experimenting with softer mechanical pencil leads up to 4B, so this has come in handy.

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Why the move towards mechanical pencils? A lot of it has to do with convenience. As I’m moving around the shop, checking inventory, working on purchase orders/accounting, etc., it’s easier to work in pencil, and sometimes I don’t want to stop to manually sharpen a woodcase pencil. Though I tend to prefer darker graphite, I’ve brought in some mechanical pencil leads in softer grades. Currently, I probably wouldn’t recommend anything beyond 2B to customers for everyday writing, but if you are adventurous, I’ve personally been able to use 4B!

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Writing samples on the wonderfully toothy Appointed paper (great for graphite). Wood pencils sharpened with a NJK long point sharpener.

The last time I did a list like this was in January 2021, four-and-a-half years ago. Since today’s list looks completely different, it might be reasonable to ask whether I no longer enjoy the pencils on earlier versions. That’s not the case at all - I actually still use many of those pencils - but my life has changed quite a bit, and so have my needs, thus the greater emphasis on mechanical pencils. This is a great time to be a pencil fan, and I believe that overall selection and quality has increased in recent years, making it much more difficult to pick favorites.

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2025 Mid-Year Recap: Five Favorite Reviews from the Year So Far

Typically I’m on vacation during the middle of June, which means that I take a break from content in favor of a mid-year recap looking back at favorite reviews, product launches, new discoveries, etc. from the first six months. Though I’m not currently away (day job conflict forced me to cancel a trip, then promptly got rescheduled), I always enjoy doing these retrospectives, so I’ll continue the trend this week and pretend that I’m not working! Up first are five favorite product reviews from the first six months of 2025, in no particular order.

1. Workhorse Pens: Pilot S20 Ballpoint. The S20 has easily been my favorite discovery from the past year. The contoured shape is quite comfortable, and the slim profile makes this a great “planner loop” pen. I’ve also added the mechanical pencil and the striated wood version of the Legno multi pen, both in dark red, to form a matching set. As an aside, I think I’ve grown to prefer Pilot’s Acro-ink over Jetstream Ink, though the former is harder to find in the same diversity of refill formats as the Jetstream.

2. The Jetstream Prime Lite Touch 3: Can Uni Improve on the Jetstream Experience? While I love my Uni and Pilot 4+1 Mechanical Pencils, the format is too large for some people. I’ve spent a lot of time this year digging deep into the multi pen world, and I was pleasantly surprised by the Lite Touch 3.

3. Yes, Micarta For Me! I finally added some Micarta pens to my collection, all from smaller makers. Variations on Micarta have become quite popular in pen circles over the past couple of years, with makers such as Skogsy and Hinze specializing in designs that incorporate Micarta.

4. Ink Review: Taccia Utamaro Aomurasaki Is the Deepest of Purple-Blacks. I’ve been using more “new-to-me” inks lately, and of all the new inks that have run through my fountain pens this year, Aomurasaki was the favorite so far. It’s a dark purple-black-grey that’s understated enough for work but interesting enough to use regularly without becoming boring.

5. Notebook Review: Maruman Spiral Note Basic Notebook. I’ve been searching for a good “standard” notebook to use for work that represents a good combination of quality and cost-effectiveness. I’ve settled on this “Basic” spiral notebook from Maruman which is a step down in price from the Mnemosyne line and still features quality paper with a variety of different rulings.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We will be open this week from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check the shop page for up-to-date hours.

Joe's Picks: Five Underappreciated Stationery Items Across Five Different Categories

For today’s post, I thought it might be fun to offer five different “picks” from five different stationery categories, highlighting what I’d consider to be underappreciated products that don’t get as much attention as they perhaps should. Most aren’t trendy, and some have been around for quite a while. Someone asked me this question the other day when I was in the shop and I thought it might make for an interesting exercise on the blog.

Some of these picks highlight a specific product, while others name a brand or product line if the individual items are heavily dependent on personal preference (i.e., ink color). Note that this isn’t a “best of” list, but rather my response to the question: “What should I try that often goes overlooked?”

1. Fountain Pens. Pilot Kakuno. No, it’s not just for kids! (Though it’s a great first fountain pen to give anyone, regardless of age.) Because of the smiley-face nib, the Kakuno tends to get written off as a novelty, but it features the same excellent nib as the Pilot Explorer, Metropolitan, and Prera. I have one of the red and grey models, and for a no-nonsense cartridge pen that comes in at under $20, the Kakuno should get way more mainstream attention than it does.

2. Fountain Pen Inks. Anything by Taccia. I won’t pick a color here, but I’ve repeatedly discussed here how Taccia inks are criminally underrated. While certain Ukiyo-e inks (such as Sabimidori and Aomurasaki) receive most of the attention, the standard Taccia line is excellent and competitively priced. The offbeat “Jeans” line has some interesting blacks and blue-blacks.

3. Notebooks. Quo Vadis Habana. One of the brands from within the Exaclair family, the Quo Vadis Habana is a go-to for personal journaling. Slightly larger than standard A5, the Habana contains Clairefontaine paper, but be sure to opt for the bright white dot grid version, as I’ve had mixed results with the ivory lined version in recent years. Featuring a leatherette cover, I’ve always considered this particular notebook higher-end than the Rhodia Webnotebook. The “Webbie” is also good, but I prefer the Habana’s slightly larger page and better paper.

4. Ballpoint Pens: Bic Cristal. I always get criticized for being a proponent of this mass-produced pen, but I consider it a classic of modern consumer design and actually like how it writes. I’m not alone: The original creator of Spoke Design used to make the “Baux Pen”, which is an aluminum upgraded barrel for the Bic Cristal refill that I still love. I guess there’s not enough of a demand to keep these going full time, though the website says they might be coming back in 2025?

5. Rollerballs/Gel Pens: Anything by Ohto. Ohto is a Japanese company that specializes in lower-cost rollerballs and needle-tip gel and ballpoint pens. I also strongly suspect that they are the “white label” manufacturer for many similar products on the market. The pen bodies themselves are nothing fancy, but the refills are always fantastic and the overall price makes for an attractive value proposition. Examples include the CR01 and CR02 Rollerballs, as well as the Jotter-inspired Flash-Dry gel pens.

Unpacking Our First Curated Stationery Box: Check Out T.G.S. on YouTube

We recently did something special, and offered our Patreon supporters a limited run of 10 Curated Stationery Boxes with the same theme as today’s post. Each box included around a half-dozen hand-picked items that fall into what I consider the “underappreciated” category, whether they’re long-existing items buried in manufacturer’s back-catalogs or newly released items that haven’t received much attention. If you’re interested in getting in on the next round, be sure to check out our Patreon program.

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 (1-6) 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.