Rite in the Rain Blaze Orange Bullet Pen — Image courtesy of Rite in the Rain.

Thursday Drops: Penco Perfection Alternatives and Inky New Arrivals!

June 12, 2025

After yesterday’s New York Times Wirecutter article declaring the Penco Perfection Bullet Pen to be the ideal pocket ballpoint, we had a run on those and the plastic Penco Perfection Light like never before after the Hightide site sold out of both models. While I question whether the Penco Perfection is the “best” pocket ballpoint out there, it is a very good option, and I do agree with their comments about D1 refills being versatile and inexpensive. In light of the internet’s overnight fixation on this little pocket pen that we’ve carried with moderate success for more than 5 years, I thought it would be fun to dedicate today’s “Thursday Drops” post to a few other pocket pen recommendations in addition to the Penco pens, since those are quickly on their way to selling out and I expect it will be quite some time before Penco/Hightide is able to restock.

Product restock box arriving, incuding ink and rollerballs — I’m constantly behind on all the restocks showing up. I may not specifically feature them below, but we have more Taccia Ink as well as Ohto CR series rollerballs.

As noted with this week’s “New Arrivals,” we’ve added all sorts of new items from Rite in the Rain, including not just the All-Weather pens but heavy duty mechanical pencils, more Rite in the Rain Paper, and the “Monsoon” line of pen cases and notebook covers.

Come see these and more in-shop! 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.

Lamy Pico Pocket Ballpoint. Lamy’s retractable pocket ballpoint expands from the size of a tube of lip balm to a full-size writing instrument with a click. The M22 ballpoint refill is available in black or blue, and multiple tip sizes.
Anterique Mini Ballpoint and Brass Mini Ballpoint. The pocket-sized versions of the Anterique low-viscosity ballpoints feature a miniature version of the same excellent “mach ball” refill.
Rite in the Rain All-Weather Pocket Pen. These lightweight plastic bullet pens are sold in a pack of 2 and feature Rite in the Rain’s pressurized refill cartridge. Multiple colors are available.
Rite in the Rain All-Weather Metal Bullet Pen. Rite in the Rain’s version of the classic bullet pen features a modified formulation of the Fisher Space Pen ink, tweaked to perform optimally on Rite in the Rain’s all-weather paper. I enjoy this refill because I find it slightly less viscous, and capable of writing a cleaner line than the Fisher cartridge, but that’s a matter of personal preference.
Fisher Space Pen Bullet Pen. The all-time classic pocket pen, now available with Cerakote finishes!
Traveler’s Company Brass Pocket Pens. Whether you want a classic ballpoint or a refillable rollerball or fountain pen (or even a bullet pencil), these sturdy brass pens are built to last.
Penco Drafting Ballpoint Pen. Ok, so if you’re stuck on Penco, and the Perfections and Perfection Lights have sold out by the time you’re reading this,
Platinum Prefounte Fountain Pen Restock. The excellent Platinum Prefounte - a exceptionally good choice for those just starting to explore the fountain pen segment - is now back in stock.
Papier Plume Bottled Inks. We’ve now added our own ink swatches of tbe Papier Plume Classic Collection, including personal favorites Moss Green, Midnight Blue, and Burgundy!
Anderillium Ichthyoformes Inks. If you’d like to check out the most recent releases from Anderillium, be sure to take a look at this recent YouTube walkthrough in which I swatched all of the inks, and I’ve added the swatch cards to the product listings.

All the Papier Plume Fountain Pen Ink Swatches Side-by-Side — All the Papier Plume Ink Swatches

Thursday Drops: Happy Inky Thursday! New Inks from Anderillium, Papier Plume, Swatch Books and More

June 5, 2025

If last month was “Pencil Month,” maybe this month will be “Ink Month?” We’re building out our lineup of inks to offer both in-store and online, including an entire new line of Anderillium Inks (“Ichthyoformes Series”), the Classic Collection from Papier Plume, and another Iroshizuku restock. As noted last week, we have a huge shipment of new Pilot multi pens, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils, as well as the latest TWSBI ECO in Matcha Green, and the Pilot E95s in all sizes in burgundy and black!

Papier Plume Classic Collection Fountain Pen Inks

Finally, we’ve had a great response to the new Laconic notebooks and refills we received last week. While many of the A5 6-ring binder inserts are sold out, we still have lots of the new planner stickers, A5 softcover notebooks, and bookmarks, with another order of the binder inserts on the way.

We are back to normal hours this week in-store, open from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Papier Plume Ink Swatch Album Sets. These Bible-sized binders from Papier Plume/San Lorenzo contain plastic holders for 60 swatch cards, and come with a separate card holder full of Col-o-Ring swatch cards cut down to business card size to fit the album.
Papier Plume Classic Collection Fountain Pen Inks. These Papier Plume inks are from their Classic Series, and include long-time favorites such as Moss Green and Oyster Grey.
Anderillium Ichthyoformes Series Fountain Pen Inks. Be sure to check out yesterday’s epic YouTube video, in which I swatched all 8 of the latest releases from Anderillium. There are three dark red inks that I’m really enjoying, including two that would qualify as red-blacks.
TWSBI Diamond Ink Bottles. These ink bottles can function as your standard uncap-and-dip ink bottles, or you can remove the grip section of a TWSBI Diamond-series pen and fill directly from the barrel without dipping the nib.
Pilot 4+1 Multi Pens. These Acro-ink gel pens feature Pilot’s own low-viscosity ink formulation in a familiar 4-color ballpoint plus .5mm mechanical pencil format. Four muted colors complete the package.
Pilot Legno 2+1 Multi Pens in Striated and Natural Hardwood. The striated wood Pilot Legnos are what drew me to this line, but the story behind the hardwood versions (North American Hard Maple used for baseball bats?) has me fascinated by these as well.
Laconic Tokyo Undated Planner Refills, Notebooks, and Stickers. We’re almost completely sold out of the A5 6-ring binder editions, but we have the new planner stickers as well as additional planner bookmarks and A5 notebooks.
TWSBI ECO Matcha Green Fountain Pen. TWSBI’s latest ECO release is a tea-green, designed to complement the rest of the espresso-themed breakfast collection.
Pilot E95s Fountain Pens. Now available in all colors and available sizes, including EF. The E95s is the current heir to the vintage integrated nib models that include the Myu and Murex models.
Pilot Iroshizuku Fountain Pen Inks. Just today we received another shipment of Iroshizuku ink, and have the new colors (Syun-Gyo, Rikka, and To-ro) back in stock alongside most of the old favorites. I recently did a post on my personal favorites from this line.

I almost forgot to mention that this past weekend we also added the Laconic A5 Field Folio, which is an A5 clipboard/calendar pad that is customizable with refills.

Special Edition Ink Alert: Two Papier Plume Inks for the Chicago Pen Show

April 23, 2019

Every year, Papier Plume releases one or two special edition inks for the Chicago Pen Show. Building on last year’s Bootlegger’s Sacrament (a wine red) and “Da Blue,” (a Chicago Bears-inspired blue-black) this year’s inks include “Lake Michigan Winter,” (a turquoise/teal) and “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” (you guessed it).

Papier-Plume-Leroy-Brown-Lake-Michigan-Winter-Writing-Sample

For those of you attending the Chicago Pen Show from May 2-May 5, you’ll be able to purchase these inks at Papier Plume’s table, and from their website after the show. Most of the Chicago Pen Show inks have always sold out quickly, however, and Papier Plume typically only makes a single batch, so if you want to get your hands on either of these you’ll need to find someone attending the show to hook you up or quickly place an order afterwards.

Generally speaking, Papier Plume inks are unsaturated, so they play nice in most pens and offer good ink flow and shading. I’d compare them to Callifolio, Waterman, or standard (non-shimmer) Herbin, though the colors tend to have more pop than the Herbin inks. Papier Plume inks also offer good value, with the larger 30ml bottles costing $8 for the standard lineup of colors and $10 for special editions. You can also purchase smaller 15ml bottles of the standard colors for $5. Count me a fan!

Papier Plume also specializes in wax seals, an example of which you will find on the caps of their special edition inks.

Disclaimer: Papier Plume provided me with these two bottles of ink at no charge for review purposes. Many thanks!

Pen Review: Faggionato Petrarque and PKS Fountain Pens

September 8, 2018

Faggionato fountain pens have brought a much-needed refresh to to the market over the past year or so, introducing new designs and materials at a time when a lot of the special edition, limited edition, and “custom” pens out there are starting to feel a bit stale (at least to me). French penmaker Fred Faggionato turns all pens by hand from his workshop in the south of France, and it’s been amazing to see the increasingly diverse array of materials and finishes he’s managed to come up with, including some intricate Japanese-style lacquers.

Faggionato Petrarque in translucent Blue Tortoise. Check out how much that blue in the acetate pops!

What initially drew me to Faggionato pens were the materials, particularly the line made from cellulose acetate, a celluloid derivative. According to Papier Plume, “[t]he colors are obtained from plant fibers processed, dyed, then heated and bonded together with solvents to produce colored blanks. The blanks are stored in a specialized chamber for several weeks to dry them and remove the solvents through evaporation. The blanks are then cut, turned, and polished into pens.” This process differs from that used to make traditional, vintage-style celluloid, which takes many months (if not longer) to cure. The shorter manufacturing time presumably allows Faggionato and others to bring more of these pens to the market at a lower price point, which is always welcome since celluloid pens regularly command prices in the $500-$1000 range, with prices going even higher for rare and unique materials.

Faggionato PKS in vintage Conway Stewart acetate

Blue tortoise Petrarque and "Dartmoor" PKS side-by-side. The simply engraved, curved clip is one of my favorite design elements of these pens.

While Faggionato makes a few different styles, most of the pens that make it to the U.S. come in either the Petrarque or PKS (Petrarque King Size) model. The Petrarque is the slightly shorter, slimmer version that posts, while the PKS is a larger pen. Both feature the same simple, streamlined design and Faggionato’s distinctive curved metal clip.

Showing off the clip curve on the Faggionato Petrarque.

At the end of the day, what makes these excellent pens is the writing experience. Both the Petrarque and PKS have cartridge/converter filling systems, and are therefore lightweight and easy to clean/maintain. The section has a slightly concave hourglass shape, with no step-down from the body, making these some of the more comfortable pens that I’ve used for longer writing sessions.

Faggionato pens feature Bock nibs tuned by the manufacturer. The medium gold-plated steel nib on my Petrarque writes a beautiful wet line, but I did have Mike Masuyama grind the titanium nib on my PKS to a .4mm cursive italic to tame the ink flow a bit - the nib wrote far too wet for my personal preference and everyday paper choice. But that’s not a knock on the pen or the manufacturer, just an issue that I typically have with titanium nibs.

Two Bock nibs: the nib on the Petrarque has a simple engraving, the titanium nib on the PKS has none.  I definitely prefer blank or minimally engraved nibs to some of the laser-etching you see on other custom pens at this price point. — Two Bock nibs: the nib on the Petrarque has a simple engraving, the titanium nib on the PKS has none. I definitely prefer blank or minimally engraved nibs to some of the laser-etching you see on other custom pens at this price point.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Faggionato Petrarque and PKS made my mid-year list of favorite products from 2018, and so far, nothing has changed. I love handmade/custom pens that feature unique materials, and in that regard neither of my two Faggionato pen disappoints. If I had to choose between the two, I’d probably prefer the Petrarque simply because it posts and therefore fits into my daily workflow a bit better, but both have been in heavy rotation for most of the year.

Size comparison, from left: Faggionato PKS, Faggionato Petrarque, Diplomat Aero, TWSBI Eco, and Montblanc 146.

I purchased both of my Faggionato fountain pens from Papier Plume. You may recognize the name from my New Orleans travelogues - Papier Plume is a pen shop located on Royal Street in the historic French Quarter. The smaller Petrarque starts at $200 for a stainless steel nib (plain or gold plated), with titanium and 14k gold nib upgrades available. The larger PKS fountain pen also starts at $200, but as noted above, doesn’t post. Faggionato makes both the Petrarque and the PKS not just in the gorgeous acrylics and cellulose acetate pictured here, but also in lacquered versions. As you might expect, urushi-style lacquer commands a premium price. If you’d like a peek at the full line of Faggionato pens, check out the Faggionato website, which also offers hints of things to come!

Disclaimer: I purchased both pens featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection.

Ink Review: Papier Plume Chicago Special Editions

April 11, 2018

When I visited New Orleans a few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to leave with two bottles of still-secret special edition inks that Papier Plume was working on for the 2018 Chicago Pen Show. Now that the embargo has been lifted, I can give you a sneak peek at "Da Blue" - a Chicago Bears-themed ink that I'd characterize as a steel blue; and "Bootlegger's Sacrament," a dark red/burgundy wine color that's easily my favorite of the two. Don't get me wrong, both are excellent, but my love of dark burgundy inks wins the day here.

These photographs make the inks look slightly darker than in real life, but the colors are fairly accurately reproduced, at least on my monitor.

Papier Plume inks are starting to receive more attention lately. One thing I learned during my recent visit is that the shop makes all of its inks in-house, and over the year's they've accumulated quite an array of colors. Da Blue and Bootlegger's Sacrament are special "pen show" inks, and while there will likely be stock left over after the Chicago Pen Show, these won't be added to the regular lineup (even though they'd be great additions).

Some color comparisons: Bootlegger's Sacrament is pretty close to Franklin-Christoph Black Cherry, though the Papier Plume ink has more purple. When I first saw "Da Blue," Montblanc JFK Navy Blue came to mind, though the Papier Plume ink has a lot m… — Some color comparisons: Bootlegger's Sacrament is pretty close to Franklin-Christoph Black Cherry, though the Papier Plume ink has more purple. When I first saw "Da Blue," Montblanc JFK Navy Blue came to mind, though the Papier Plume ink has a lot more green and grey.

The lineup of Papier Plume inks that I have in my personal "ink library." I'm looking forward to visiting with them at this coming weekend's Atlanta Pen Show.

What I like most about Papier Plume inks is that they are straight-up, water-based, vintage-style fountain pen inks. There are no special properties or fancy gimmicks. The inks dry quickly, despite being moderately wet writers, and are usable on nearly all paper, even cheap copy stock. Where Papier Plume does get "fancy" is with their bottles - their show special editions and "New Orleans" series inks are all dipped in wax and embossed with a fleur-de-lis. A nice reminder that they're from New Orleans.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Chicago Pen Show has really taken off, and is moving up the ranks into one of the top pen events of the year. If you're in the area, or willing to travel, it represents your best chance to snag one of these two inks, though I expect some stock may be available on the Papier Plume website after the show. Anyway, even if you don't manage to obtain bottles of these specific inks, I highly recommend Papier Plume inks in general. While the bottles are on the smaller side, they're also extremely reasonably priced (starting at $8 for 30ml).

Disclaimer: Papier Plume provided me with the inks featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.