Wander through the pendemonium of pens, papers, and inks unleashed by the opening of the Pendora's Box.
Soon after I posted my review of the Lamy Lx (which admittedly was quite a few weeks now), my friend Dries from the Pencilcase Blog asked me:
How's the inside of the case, does it hug the pen or does the Lx sit loosely inside?
It’s a very good question that led me to realize that I should have spent a little more time looking at the case itself in the original review.
Read MoreThere is a category of pens in my Wish List which has always been “pencilled-in”. It’s the “luxury European” fountain pen category. The main contenders were always either Visconti or Pelikan to hold the spot in the “under $500” bucket.
You may have noted I put Visconti Homo Sapien on the list. But in the back of my mind, I really wanted to try a Pelikan, in particular, a tortoise.
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For this week’s Throwback I’m revisiting a pen + ink combo from my July line-up. Some of you will know that the Vanishing Point Raden Galaxy with Medium nib is one of my first fountain pens. I love the VP but I always felt that the medium nib a bit too wide for my taste. So when I got the Raden Water Surface, I got the fine nib. The first thing I did was ink it up with Kon-Peki.
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The Lamy Al-Star and it’s entry-level sibling, the Lamy Safari are part of most fountain pen users' pen journeys. If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you may have noticed that [two Lamy Al-Stars][0] frequently make appearances: 2014 Special Edition Blue Green and the 2015 Special Edition Copper Orange.
I have yet to do reviews for the Al-Stars but they are on the list. Straight-up, I love them. I find the moulded grip comfortable. The shape of the barrel is sleek and modern. I love the way they write.
With this being the 50th anniversary of Lamy Bauhaus design, and being a Lamy aficionado, I was excited to see what Lamy had in store for us. Prior to the reveal, I had put the Lamy 2000 50th anniversary pen on my [wish list][0]. After the reveal I adopted a “wait and see” approach on the Lamy 2000. I was, however, attracted to the Lamy Lx.
So, when the pens hit the shelves at [Wonder Pens][1], I think 1-2 weeks before our friends to the south, I put an order in for the rose gold version of the Lamy Lx. They also come in ruthenium, palladium and gold colours.
This is not intended to be a detailed review of the Lamy Lx but rather, a quick comparison of the Lamy Lx with the Al-Star.
Read MoreThere was lots of Internet buzz when Will Hodges's was running his Kickstartercampaign for the Tactile Turn Gist ("TTG"). Yes, there have been a few CNC machined fountain pens from other small shop producers too. What sets the Tactile Turn Gist apart is Hodges' design choices for the Gist as well as the ability to mix and match components to build a pen suited to one's needs and tastes.
Read MoreThe Franklin-Christoph Model 45 XLV ("FC45") is the fourth Franklin-Christoph pen to enter my collection. I got the IPO version in Classic Black. Since I got in on IPO (Initial Price Offering) pricing, I decided to upgrade the nib to the Masuyama medium italic 18K nib. I've been writing with this pen for over 3 months now.
Read MoreThe review I wrote on the OMAS Ogiva Alba was featured on the Penman Post. Check out all the great posts on pens and music when you are visiting Chris's blog.
Read MorePretty early on I knew I had to get a TWSBI. People have some strong feelings for TWSBI: either love for the Taiwanese pen company's smart offerings with advanced filling systems at affordable prices or complete disappointment with the quality issues. I followed the TWSBI discussions and held off from buying for a few months. When I saw the limited edition AL model in Orange being released in spring 2015, I was sold. It looked so good that I had to take a chance with it. So how did my luck turn out with this pen? Read on to find out.
Read MoreYou may be wondering what is Bexley. I did too when I first came across Bexley pens at Nibs.comand then Vanness Pens. A quick research and then I realized that Bexley is a reputable company and the pens are the real deal. I hummed and hawed a bit and before I decided to take the plunge. I'm glad I did.
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I've referred to the Platinum Cool quite a few times in the blog so it was a surprise to me over the past week when I realized that I had not yet done a proper review of it. As I discussed here, this was one of my first fountain pens.
At the same time, the Platinum 3776 Century Sai had entered my pen collection without much fanfare. It has, in fact, quickly become one of my favourites in the past couple months. So, I thought I could do a double pen review with a Platinum pens head to head comparison.
Read MoreWhile flipping through my old ink testing notes for potential Throwback Day features, I came across another one involving Noodler's Flex pens and Stormy Grey.In my previous two TBT's, I had also wrote about brief impressions if this combo.So, I thought it would be good to close the loop on this theme.Read More
While listening to the back catalog of Pen Addict podcasts, I found one of the recurring themes was the Lamy 2000. After listening umpteen times of Brad and Myke discussing the Lamy 2000, I knew it was inevitable that I would get one. Of course they were not the only ones to discuss this iconic pen. Many YouTubers and bloggers have done so too.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Lamy 2000. The pen community is abuzz with talk of a commemorative anniversary pen. I'm eager to see what Lamy has in store for us, but there's a good chance I'll put whatever Lamy offers into my shopping cart.
Read MoreI was still a relative fountain pen newbie when the Goulet's brought OMAS to the Goulet Pen Company in the fall of 2014. I loved hearing Brian share the story of OMAS' history and the fine people who hand-made the pens in Italy.
I was also ready for something other than a cartridge converter pen. So when I saw the video of the Ogiva Alba, I was smitten and wanted to get it even though the pen was on the pricey side and I was worried about crazy import duties and taxes.
Read MoreAbout 3 months into my pen habit there was still a notable absence of Lamy fountain pens in my collection. This terrible omission was rectified when I came into possession of a Lamy Studio. This is the special edition Wild Rubin released in late 2014. I bought this pen from Goulet Pens. It's no longer available at GPC but there is limited stock available in the wild still. Get this pen while you can if it's something that interests you.
Read MoreLast week I did a first impressions of using the Goulet 1.1 stub nib on the Noodlers Ahab. This week, it's using the same ink with the Lamy 1.1.
Read MoreI had got a Noodlers Ahab fairly early on for flex writing. At the same time, I added a set of Goulet nibs so that I could try different size nibs. The Goulet nibs also now come in stealthy black. Here I swapped out the Ahab flex nib for the Goulet 1.1 stub.
Pen: Noodlers Ahab Goulet 1.1 Stub
Ink: Noodlers Bad Blue Heron
Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid
Read MoreI really enjoyed the movement and rhythm of writing with a flex pen after getting the Noodler's Ahab. Soon after, I was looking for more flexible fun so I decided to get the Pilot Falcon. I know both these aren't true flex pens but I think they are good instroductions without getting into vintage.
Pen: Pilot Falcon SF
Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo
Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid
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Read MoreThe first Franklin-Christoph I got was the Model 66. I got it with the ice body expressly to eye-dropper. However, the one pen I had my eye on was the Model 20 Marietta which was just being pre-released at the time that I discovered it and was only available in black. Still, I admired the Model 20 for its simple clean lines and the convenient slip cap. I liked the idea of a slip cap for quick access. But I really wanted to eye-dropper a pen with a translucent body so that's how I opted for an ice Model 66.
My second and third Franklin-Christoph pens were purchased at the same time from MassDrop: Pocket 40s in ice-blue violet and blue violet-ice. I love the portability of the Pocket 40. I gifted the ice-blue violet to my sister-in-law who is also a fountain pen aficionado. And so, I was left with 2 Franklin-Christophs.
A couple weeks ago Wonderpens dropped hints that they were bringing in an exclusive Franklin-Christoph pen. I was so stoked that my favourite family-run Canadian pen shop was bringing Franklin-Christoph pens to Canada.
When the Franklin-Christoph Model 20 in a dark, smokey Translucent Bronze was revealed I knew that I had to get it. I knew this one would be spectacular as an eye-dropper pen....
Read MoreEver since I got my first Edison Pen, the Goulet exclusive Edison Nouveau Premiere Lilac Spring 2015 LE, I've been looking to add to my collection with something from Edison's Signature Line. I'd love to get one with one of Edison's unique filling systems such as the Menlo Pump Filler Or Beaumont Pneumatic Filler.
I also knew that Edison does a group buy LE pen once a year. When I saw the LE Mina group buy for 2015 I knew it was time to pick up another Edison pen. The hard part for me was choosing between the Denim Ebonite or the Silver Amber Acrylic. I think both pen bodies look great. After some deliberation I settled on the Denim Ebonite because I prefer the silver-coloured nib over the gold-coloured one that's on the Silver Amber...
Read MorePen: Platinum Natural Weasel Hair Brush Pen
Ink: Platinum Black
Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid
I've posted a fair number of "Chinese Cacography" posts now. They all feature the Platinum brush pen. I was fascinated that they made brush pens that used ink cartridges. I picked one up as I thought it would be a fun way to extend the use of fountain pen ink.
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