Thursday Drops: New Lamy Safaris, TWSBIs, Sunderlands and More!

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Much of this week has been spent either shipping out orders or restocking our shelves with the new arrivals showing up every morning! This week we have Lamy AL-Star fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils in two new colors, Sage Green and Autumn Pink, both of which feature black trim. We did an overview of these pens and how they fit into the overall scheme of Lamy’s 2024 special edition releases (including talking about our favorites). We also have stock of the new standard Safari release “Steel Black”!

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Yesterday we passed the halfway point of selling through our newly arrived shipment of T.G.S. x Sunderland mk1 machined pens! I love this pen - it’s one of my favorite collaborations that I’ve worked on, and it was our first - and it brings me so much joy to see it go out to so many different readers and customers around the world. Finally, we have a handful of Irish Green + Onyx TWSBI ECO fountain pens in stock and ready to ship. Happy shopping!

1. Lamy AL-Star Pens in Sage Green and Autumn Pink. Lamy released the second round of 2024 special releases, with two new shades that complement the “Fiery” and “Aquatic” AL-Star pens they released earlier in the year. As I noted in yesterday’s post, I find the Sage Green absolutely stunning and will be adding one to my own collection.

2. Lamy AL-Star Mechanical Pencils in Sage Green and Autumn Pink. One funny thing about the Fiery and Aquatic releases is that Lamy only released a .5mm mechanical pencil in the Aquatic finish.

3. Lamy Safari in New “Steel Black”. I’m not exactly sure how to describe this color, but Lamy’s new release in the standard Safari lineup is almost a black with blue/purple undertones, and distinct from the current matte (“Charcoal”) and gloss black options. We plan to start bringing standard lineup Safaris into the store, and this new one is the first to arrive! Pens and mechanical pencils are all available.

4. Sunderland Machine Works mk1 T.G.S. Exclusive Edition. I’ve almost come to think of this as our “signature pen”, with its bead-blasted matte finish, DLC clip, and dark red section. You can read more about the design of this pen and why I love it here.

5. TWSBI ECO Irish Green + Onyx Fountain Pens. TWSBI finally got around to releasing an ECO with black-plated trim! The combination of the black trim and dark green acrylic almost gives this pen a “stealth” look.

6. TWSBI Precision Ballpoint Pens. The TWSBI Precision “technical ballpoints” simply won’t stay in stock. They take Parker-style refills, including the excellent Jetstream SXR-600. Matching mechanical pencils are also available.

7. Lamy 2000 Pens. Last week we restocked on the Lamy 2000 in all of the various formats, including the fountain pen and the 4 Color Ballpoint Multi Pen that’s so popular.

8. Lamy Vista Pens. Lamy doesn’t make clear Safari demonstrators other than the Vista, but this one’s popularity has endured over the years. We have the fountain pens and the rollerballs back in stock.

9. Mnemosyne x Kleid A6 Spiral Notebooks. Two of my favorite stationery brands collaborated on this A6 Mnemosyne notebook with a green cover and Kleid’s signature 2mm grid ruling!

10. New Mnemosyne Sizes! In addition to the Mnemosyne x Kleid collaboration, we have added additional reporter-style top-bound notepads in both A7 and several B sizes.

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The new Lamy Safari "Steel Black" matte pens and pencil: It's almost got that same purple undertone as Lamy Black ink!

A T.G.S. Exclusive Returns: Reintroducing the T.G.S. x Sunderland Machine Works mk1

After all these years, the Sunderland mk1 remains my favorite machined pen of all time, and I’m pleased to announce that we now have more of our exclusive design on their way, set to arrive next week. This was our first store-exclusive pen, initially released back in 2021, and I’ve always intended to bring in more, though for many different reasons it’s taken longer than originally hoped. The T.G.S. x Sunderland mk1 features a bead-blasted, matte black finish with a bead-blasted DLC-coated clip. The section is a matte red/burgundy, with the overall color scheme designed to evoke the T.G.S. core colors burgundy & black. While you can read more about the specs of the Sunderland mk1 in our full review of this pen, what I truly love about it is how well the pen posts, and the contoured grip. The internal threads are recessed into the nose cone of the pen, so they will not interfere with your writing.

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Despite three years having passed, and costs having increased, we’ve managed to keep the price of this edition close to the original. The T.G.S. Sunderland mk1 will retail for $115, which includes U.S. shipping. All pens ship with a Pilot G2 refill. You can pre-order today, with the pens currently set to arrive mid-to-late next week.

Note: If you’re an international buyer please review our shipping policies, including our UK order threshold. If your country isn’t currently listed on shipping options when you try to check out, please contact me through the site and I will see what I can do.

Refill Options for the Sunderland mk1

While the Sunderland mk1 was designed to accept Pilot G2-style cartridges and the Montblanc rollerball and fineliner cartridges, with a little hacking I’ve been able to fit multiple popular refills in this pen, including the Pentel Energel, the Zebra JF (the Sarasa Grand and Sarasa Grand Vintage refill), and the Uniball One refill, all of which require a small spacer at the back of the pen. I use a small piece (3-4mm long) of plastic aquarium tubing, though you can also use a small folded/wadded piece of paper, or wrap washi/masking tape around the end of the refill to increase its length. (Yes, I know there are other many “guides” and lists of “compatible” refills, but I try to only list those that I have personally tried myself.)

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If you have had success using specific refills with the Sunderland mk1 pen, please drop a comment below so that I have a list of new refills to try. This is actually a very versatile machined pen, but since they are made in small batches they often don’t get as much attention as they should. Let’s change that!

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T.G.S. Summer Giveaway, Round Three: Courtesy of Sunderland, Penwell, and Musgrave!

It’s still all-aboard the giveaway train around here, and this week I’m clearing out some more prototypes and review samples that deserve to find a home in someone’s daily rotation. I have three exceptionally good giveaway items this week:

• T.G.S. x. Sunderland mk1 Prototype Rollerball Pen. While the final version of the T.G.S. signature mk1 features a matte black and red finish, this prototype version features a polished finish. While we decided to go in a different direction for the pen that went to market, this one still looks great is a fully functional Sunderland mk1 for you to use as a daily writer. Read more about the Sunderland mk1 here.

• Penwell Traveler Pen Holder. This portable Penwell features a matte white finish with brass hardware, and comes in a zippered travel pouch.

• Assortment of Musgrave Pencils. The team at Musgrave, my local Tennessee pencil maker, is kind enough to periodically send me items to give away. Our final giveaway prize will be an assortment of Musgrave pencils, along with a high-quality sharpener so that you can put a fine point on your writing!

As per the usual, enter using the Gleam widget below, which also contains the full terms and conditions. In short, the giveaway will run all week until Sunday, June 12, at 11:59pm U.S. Central Time. Once the giveaway closes I will randomly select three winners. While this giveaway is open to participants worldwide, I may not be able to ship to your location due to legal restrictions or prohibitive cost. If cost is an issue, I will reach out to let you know and give you the option of covering a portion of the shipping costs.

This post does NOT contain paid third-party affiliate links. With respect to the giveaway, I don’t personally use any of your information for marketing, etc., but since Gleam is a third-party I’d encourage you to refer to their privacy policy.

Considerations in Choosing a Store-Exclusive Pen

This was an exciting week, representing a big milestone for T.G.S.: My first collaboration with a penmaker on a shop-exclusive pen! I realize that this isn’t anything particularly unique - pen bloggers, podcasters, Youtubers, Instagrammers, you-name-it, have been collaborating with makers and manufacturers for years on exclusive designs and colors. But I’ve held out until now. Today I want to talk a little bit about why I ultimately decided to take the plunge, the process I went through, and factors I considered before I partnered with Sunderland Machine Works on the new T.G.S.-exclusive Sunderland mk1.

Going with a Store Exclusive Pen over a Limited Edition

The first decision I made, long before I chose a specific pen, was that I wanted a store-exclusive pen to sell for the long-haul, as opposed to a limited edition. It’s not just that I don’t like the “limited edition” marketing strategy, it’s also because taking that approach is inconsistent with what I want my site and my store to be about. If I put the effort and consideration into choosing a product to carry - especially if it’s something that I helped conceptualize - it’s important to me for that product to be available to anyone who wants to get one (at least for as long as it’s economically feasible for me to continue to have the pens made).

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It was extremely important for me to choose a pen design that fits into most notebook pen loops, since the Sunderland mk1 fits into my personal rotation as a note-taking and “on the go” writing pen.

Choosing a Truly EDC-Friendly Design

In line with this goal, for my first collaboration I wanted to choose a design and model that would appeal to the widest possible range of pen users under the broadest array of circumstances. To that end, a fountain pen was out. Despite a large community of enthusiasts, most people - even fountain pen lovers - still use a gel pen, rollerball, or ballpoint for much of their everyday writing. These days, the gel pen has overtaken both rollerballs and ballpoints as the standard “office pen” of choice. So a pen built around one of my favorite gel refills - the Pilot G2/Juice - was a natural choice.

Similarly, when I refer to a pen being “EDC-friendly,” I’m referring to “everyday carry” in the literal sense that it’s a pen that can be used every day as a pen. While durability is a key consideration, I’m not really concerned with the pen being able to double as a glass-breaker, withstand explosions, being run over by a truck, etc. The Sunderland mk1’s streamlined shape was designed for maximum writing comfort, especially the hourglass-shaped section and internal threads. It’s slim and light enough to carry in a shirt pocket, and will fit in most notebook/planner loops, including the loop on my Traveler’s Notebook.

Choosing a Price Point

Finally, I wanted something at a price point accessible to most people. While it’s not inexpensive to produce a pen durable enough for everyday use - especially once you get into special finishes like the bead-blasting and DLC-coating used here, all of which require extra steps in the manufacturing process - $110 is appropriate for something intended not as a collector’s piece, but an everyday “workhorse” that should last for years, if not decades.

I hope you all enjoy the new T.G.S. collaboration pen with Pennsylvania-based Sunderland Machine Works. I certainly enjoyed working on this project, and my plan is for it to stick around in the shop for as long as readers and customers remain interested. A huge shout-out to my Patreon supporters, many of whom were instrumental in providing early feedback on the design and whose donations allowed me to fund this project on the front end. You can check out the pen for yourself here, and if for whatever reason this T.G.S.-exclusive color scheme doesn’t do it for you, visit Sunderland Machine Works for the full range of their offerings.

T.G.S. x Sunderland mk1 Pens Are Now Available For Purchase!

As of early this morning, the pens are live in the shop! I’m quite excited to hear what people think of this collaboration with Pennsylvania-based Sunderland Machine Works. The Sunderland mk1 might be my favorite machined pen of all time, and for this special store exclusive we chose a bead-blasted, matte black finish with a bead-blasted DLC-coated clip. The section is a matte red/burgundy, with the overall color scheme designed to evoke the T.G.S. burgundy & black. Note that this will not be a “limited” edition - we commissioned an initial run of 50 pens, and I received the first half or so this week with more on the way. So if it sells out, don’t worry, I can and will get more! Visit the Curated Shop to purchase. All pens ship with a black Pilot .7mm G2 refill, and will also accept MB rollerball and fineliner refills. To read more about why I love the Sunderland mk1, check out my review of their standard model.

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A key selling point of the Sunderland mk1 is the lack of any external threads that might interfere with your grip. The threads are actually inside the tip of the pen!

All orders automatically qualify for free domestic U.S. shipping, so be sure to combine your order with any other items you have your eye on in the shop! We carry a wide range of pens, paper, and desk and reading accessories. Recently, we also added the TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR in “Prussian Blue,” as well as the new TWSBI ECO Lilac, to our offerings!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands we carry. By shopping with us, you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!