The Gentleman Stationer 2016 Year-End Review

Another year rolls to a close, and here at The Gentleman Stationer I'm about to celebrate this blog's third full year! I have a lot of exciting stuff planned for the coming weeks and months, but today I wanted to take a brief moment to recap what's been an eventful year (in stationery and other "analog-related" topics - I don't get into that other stuff). After some consideration, I've organized this piece into several different sections: (1) my five best purchases of 2016, (2) the most intriguing/innovative products that hit the market in 2016, (3) most popular posts from 2016; and (4) some personal reflections and goals for 2017.

Top 5 Pen Purchases of 2016

My pen acquisitions slowed significantly in 2016. After a somewhat crazy 2015, I sold off a large chunk of my collection - mostly pens that I wasn't using very much - and for the most part invested in a smaller number of higher-end pens. I've found myself using and enjoying what I have much more than before, and I'll continue this collecting "strategy" in 2017. Here are my five favorite purchases from 2016, based on nothing other than my own enjoyment and opinion. 

1. Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint Multi Pen. I've only owned it for a month or so, but I haven't put it down since. I enjoy multifunction pens for their convenience, and since so much of the daily writing that I do is notetaking for my day job, having both ballpoint and gel pens (and even highlighters!) in a single pen body is awesome. 

2. Pilot Custom 823. The pen that everybody waits too long to buy. This pen has a massive ink capacity and a sweet nib. It's become one of my most-recommended pens, especially for people who write a lot and are looking for a single "daily driver" workhorse.   

3. Pilot Myu. I have Thomas to "blame" for my acquisition of not one, but two, Pilot Myus this year. The Myu was Pilot's integrated nib pen from the 1970s that people are clamoring for Pilot to bring back. Look for a review/write-up soon. (Link via Clickypost)   

4. Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange. Like the Custom 823, I held off on purchasing a Pelikan M800 for a while, mainly because I didn't find a version that spoke to me. At this year's Atlanta Pen Show, I came across the Special Edition Burnt Orange M800, which hooked me. The review has been in the works for a while, since I want to do the pen justice, but it's coming. (Note: These pens are now starting to sell out as we move into a new special edition cycle. Act quick if you want one.) (Link via Pelikan's Perch)

5. Sailor 1911 Black Luster. An absolutely beautiful Sailor that is up there with the Imperial Black Edition as a possible best-of-all-time pen for me. Yes, it has a metal section, but the pen is well-balanced, and the ion-plated coating on the section avoids many of the slipperiness problems that plague other metal pens.     

My Favorite New Products from 2016

The analog resurgence led to what, at times, seemed like near-daily releases of new pen, paper, and ink-related products in 2016. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try out many of them. These stood out to me. 

1. Steel and Flint Pen. I love everything about this Kickstarter pen, from the light weight to the knurled grip to the Schmidt Easyflow refill.  Following a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign, it will be interesting to see what Steel and Flint does next. 

2. BigiDesign Ti Arto. Somebody finally did it: a universal refill pen that lives up to the hype. If you're an EDC aficionado or someone who likes to have only one pen, this may actually be the last pen you ever need. 

3. Moo Hardcover Notebook. One of the most beautifully designed notebooks I've seen. I have this book waiting in the wings as the "next up". 

4. Slice Planner. An interesting undated planner/notebook that borrows heavily from the Chronodex system. If you buy into this type of planning/time logging, I highly recommend that you check this notebook out once the company finishes Kickstarter fulfillment. It may not be for everybody, but the Slice Planner was one of those products that met an immediate need in my workflow. 

5. Write Notepads Pocket Notebook Subscription Service. On the other end of the spectrum, here's something that I didn't need at all, but ended up giving me endless amounts of enjoyment. I like what Write Notepads is doing with their limited edition pocket notebook series, and can't wait to see the upcoming Winter quarterly edition. 

Most Popular Posts from 2016

This quick list is based solely on the amount of traffic these posts received, and nothing more. It's interesting to see what my readers are interested in, and we definitely share an affinity for Pilot and other Japanese brands. 

1. Five Best Fountain Pen Inks for Everyday Writing. I still stand by all of these ink recommendations. I haven't used Skrip Red or Diamine Oxblood in a while, though. A good reminder to break these out!  

2. Pilot Custom 823 Review. Already linked to above, but people are (rightfully) interested in this pen. 

3. Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo Review. A beautiful dark teal Iroshizuku ink that often gets overlooked in favor of Shin-Kai and Kon-Peki.  

4. Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Review. An excellent pen that saw heavy use this year. I say this all the time, but I wish Pilot would introduce the blue, orange, and smoke demonstrators into the US market. 

5. Platinum 3776 Review. I use Platinum's Ultra Extra-Fine nib much more than I thought I would for everyday notetaking. Following a tuning by Mike Masuyama, this nib is remarkably smooth for how fine a line it writes. As for the 3776 itself, the understated design probably causes it to fly under most people's radar, but the nibs on these pens are exceptional writers.  

Personal Reflections and Goals  

A few things that I want to talk about don't really fall into any of the previous categories. Here are some quick reflections on my own past year in pens and where I think I'm headed in 2017. 

1. I bought a lot less ink this year. Not due to lack of interest, but because there is SO MUCH new ink being released. It's almost intimidating - I've basically given up trying to keep up with and review all of these new brands and colors. I also realized that because I already own so much ink, I probably have a close approximation of any shade I could possibly be looking for, so other than super unique colors that grab my attention, there's really no incentive for me to keep loading up on ink.   

2. I plan to move even more into "analog" and away from "digital" in other areas of my life. Chalk this up to recency bias, but I finished David Sax's The Revenge of Analog last night and found it quite inspiring. My life could definitely benefit from incorporating some of the benefits and enjoyment I find in pens and paper into other areas of interest, such as photography, reading, music, watches, etc. I'll definitely write more on this topic in the future. 

3. I plan to scale back on pen acquisitions even further. I'll probably continue buying fewer pens, and worrying less about spending money on those pens I really, really want. Interestingly, I purchased much more expensive pens this past year, but spent less money overall on this pen hobby. 

4. I want to enjoy new aspects of the pen/stationery hobby. This year I dabbled in things like wax seal stamps (thanks to Kustom Haus), and I'd like to give both journaling and regular letter writing another shot. The trick will be finding out how to work them into an already jam-packed day. 

5. Use more notebooks. An annual promise to myself, but I did better this year (especially with pocket notebooks) and want to keep things rolling forward. I really, really need to burn through my backlog of A5 journal-style notebooks. 

Finally, thanks to all of you who read this blog and make it fun to write. I've enjoyed corresponding with many of you by e-mail, letter, and social media, and meeting many of you in person at pen shows. The pen and stationery community is a great one, and I'm proud to be a member and contributor! 

An Almost Mid-Year Review (and a Sneak Peak at the Rest of 2016)

I've been really happy with how things have gone on the blog this year.  For the most part, my readership and traffic have grown slowly but steadily, which suits me just fine.  Being on vacation for a week has given me a chance to--what else--go back through my posts and pick out a handful of favorites. Even though it's not quite mid-year, I've got a quiet morning and lots of coffee, so why not get an early start recapping the first part of 2016?  

1. My Top Three Favorite Pen Brands.  Without a doubt, my favorite post that I've done this year, and probably one of my top five of all time.  Narrowing the pens that I like down to three major brands has also cut down on the number of impulse purchases I've been making (at least with regards to more expensive pens) and my pens are starting to resemble an actual collection rather than just a random accumulation of shiny things that I've snatched up.
2. Controversial Changes in the Pen Community.  Another post I enjoyed writing, that generated much discussion in the form of tweets, comments, and Facebook posts.  Many people agreed with me, and some (strongly) disagreed with me, but the point was to provoke a conversation that I felt needed to be had.
3. 2016 Atlanta Pen Show Recap.  Probably my best pen show experience to date.  If you missed it, you can check out my two-part recap here:  Thursday/Friday, Saturday. 
4. Pen Show Primer Series.  I've made an effort to create more searchable resources that are helpful to people just entering this hobby (or people who are looking to "go deeper").  Volume I: Why Visit a Pen Show, Volume II: Getting Ready for a Pen Show, and Volume III: Tips for Surviving the Pen Show.  
5. Delta Dolcevita Soirée Review.  It wasn't until I wrote this review, and started thinking about why I liked it so much, that Delta really solidified its place among my top three favorite pen brands.  Look for more Delta reviews this year.  

Favorite Stationery Purchases of 2016

Some of these products I've reviewed on the blog, and some of these are still works in progress since I haven't had this stuff for long, but these are things that have stuck with me for more than a few weeks, which typically is a good indicator of whether or not I'll use the product long-term. 

1. The Hobonichi Techo.  Not quite a notebook, not quite a journal.  Whatever you choose to use it for, it makes me want to write in it daily.  I recently wrote up my first impressions here. 
2. The TWSBI Eco.  Ever since I picked up TWSBI's low-price-point offering, the ECO, it's been a fixture in my rotation.  This pen posts fairly well (unlike most of their other large pens), and is a comfortable, reliable writer.  
3. The Pilot Custom 823.  I won't spoil my thoughts on this one too much, since my review is still in progress, but this pen is going to be in my EDC rotation for a long, long time.   It's also a favorite of Neil Gaiman, so I'm in good company here. 
4. The Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator.  As I said in my review, this pen's crazy overpriced in the States, and the color demonstrators are Japan-only, but it's a relatively inexpensive, high-quality import. 
5. Pelikan M800 in Burnt Orange.  Some people have tagged this pen as Pelikan's effort to "knock-off" the Montblanc Hemingway, but this pen has its own charm.  For one thing, the color is slightly different, and these pens with the "burnt orange" color schemes were all designed as homages to the reddish-orange hard rubber pens from the 1920s, like the classic Parker "Big Red" Duofold. I love writing with this pen, and the .4mm Masuyama cursive italic nib is sweet.  These are getting scarce, I believe, so if you see one, act now.    

Looking Forward to the Rest of 2016: Vacation Semi-Impulse Purchases

As I alluded to yesterday on Twitter, I went a little nuts.  Not that any of this was crazy expensive (at least standing alone), but there's a backlog of products I've been itching to try. Among other things, I picked up: 

1. Some more KWZ inks from Vanness Pens.  KWZ has all sorts of offbeat colors, including Honey and Brown Pink.  I also ordered two additional colors of Callifolio, Olivastre and Adrinople. 
2. Pocket notebooks and accessories from Write Notepads.  I'm ashamed that I've waited this long to try these out. 
3. A Seven Seas Writer, Life, and Midori notebooks from Nanami Paper. 
4. A Dark Lilac Safari and a bottle of the Dark Lilac ink from Goldspot.  (Currently sold out at Goldspot, but as of the time of writing it looks like Goulet Pens still has some in stock.) 

In other words, I'm restocked for the second half of the year, and looking forward to the rest of 2016!