This morning I noticed several other people posting about their YStudio The Weight of Words Brassing Portable Fountain Pens so it must be in the air this week. These somewhat rare little gems from Taiwan seem to be making their way around the world and ending up in the hands of many fountain pen fans. Dries at The Pencilcase Blog in Europe posted his pure brass COPPER version today and Leigh posted one she got in Singapore today as well. So… around the world in brassing pens!

The packaging is fantastic and normally I don’t care much about packaging. However, if the packaging can have secondary use for storage later and doesn’t look too overly branded then YEAH! for good packaging. The Weight of Words pen comes in a deep stained wood box with paperboard lining that can be removed  making the outer box fully reusable. There’s a thumb hole to remove the lid and the only branding on the box is the company name and the characters for what I assume is the name of the pen in Chinese on the lid in gold foil. Very simple and elegant.

Under the lid is a piece of fine grit sand paper and an instruction booklet for the pen, including on how to use the sand paper to weather and age your pen to look more worn. I’m not sure I can bring myself to do that as I like how my pen looks as is at the moment but I’ll hold on to the sandpaper for now in case I change my mind.

Inside the box is the die cut layers of recyclable corrugated cardboard (not foamcore!) to hold the pen, wood carrying tub and lanyard in place. I got the black lacquered copperBRASS version of the pen.

The carrying tube is wood (I think) with a slit at the top to  allow the cap of the pen to stick out of the top. Its a clever design element. The leather lanyard ties can be threaded through the cap of the pen and then looped on to a bag loop, key fob, or whatever else you can think of. The pen cap clicks into place rather than a twist mechanism making it a nice option for everyday quick writing.

Its a smaller pen so its probably not something a lot of people would want for long writing sessions and the cap does not post. For my small hands though the brass added enough weight to make it comfortable to use for note taking and on-and-off use throughout the day.

The nib is a standard Schmidt fine nib. Pretty and scaled to fit the pen overall.

When the pen is wrapped up tight in its carrying case and with a leather lanyard attached it looks pretty unique.

The Schmidt nib means its a good writer and it comes with a converter.

Since this pen is quite hard to come by I won’t torture you with price points and availability. If you’re in the EU or Asia, keep an eye out in your local stationery or pen shop for YStudio products because they are worth taking a look at. If you’re in the US and planning to travel, leave some room in your shopping budget for the possibility of seeing one of these in the wild. Maybe they will wash up on our shores sometime soon.

EDIT: Thanks to Dries for catching my errors. I really shouldn’t write my reviews at 6AM!

The Aurora Style Aquamarine Fountain Pen with extra fine nib is probably one of the most budget-friendly Italian pens. The pen price is $85 at the time of this review which is pretty reasonable. Aurora makes their own nibs so there is real appeal to being able to get an Aurora for less than $100, even with a steel nib.

The Style Gemstone line features three pastel colors that each feature smooth, glossy exteriors. There is another Style line called “Resin” featuring more jewel tones and traditional colors, that is specifically called out as using resin for the cap and body but nowhere could I find information that definitively confirmed that the Gemstone line used resin. If anyone can confirm the material used for the Gemstone line, please let me know in the comments.

The cap features an angled, flat surface with a chrome, disc shape that mimics the shape of the Aurora logo. The clip is a sleek simple shape in chrome and the band at the bottom of the cap is also chrome with “Aurora” and “Italy” engraved discreetly into it. The pen body is rounded and tapers into a cigar shape. The grip section is black and separated from the body by a chrome ring. The overall effect, with the solid pastel color, is very retro.

The pen is a snap cap which might take some getting used to, if you usually use threaded caps.

Because of the lightness of the materials, the Style is not a very heavy pen. Uncapped and unposted, with a converter, it weighs only 14gms. Posted, it weighs 22gms. The cap will post if you prefer a weightier pen.

The nib has a nice etched decorative line, the size and “Aurora” marked on it. Simplicity at its finest.

As much as I was drawn to the looks of the Aurora Style, it was the nib I was most curious about trying. How would a steel nib form Aurora actually perform? I was most surprised to discover that the EF nib had quite a bit of bounce to it. The nib is very smooth, right out of the box and I was able to use it both holding it below the baseline and overhanded (weird left-handed style).

A big stumbling block is that the Style does not ship with a cartridge converter in the box. If you are inclined to use bottled inks, you’ll want to add a cartridge converter ($16.50) to your order. Aurora uses a proprietary converter and cartridges. Parker cartridges will also work with Aurora pens but I couldn’t find any pen shops that would confirm that the Parker cartridge converters would which is a bit of a bummer because they are half the price of the Aurora converters.

So, the addition of the converter brings the Style price up to $101 which does make me reconsider the Aurora Style a little bit. At $85, it was easier to put the Style as a step up from TWSBI 580 at $50-60 but at $101, the Style is in that “over $100” range. For me, I suspect the Aurora Style is priced to be a competitor to the Pelikan M200/M205 which is priced around $130-150.  Where I had issues with flow from the entry level Pelikans, the Aurora Style worked fine from the box but I think the Pelikans look a little bit more high end than the Style does. However, I really like the look and feel of the Aurora Style and I like the nib of Style a whole lot better than my few experiences with Pelikan thus far.

For another perspective of the Aurora Style,  see the video review from Waski Squirrel on YouTube. He purchased the Aurora Style in Rose Quartz with a Broad nib.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Last year, I fell in love with Sailor pens when I purchased my first Pro Gear Slim, the Bungbox Pink Love and then later acquired the rare Purple Lamé which featured a custom ground super fine nib. I had not braved purchasing a larger Sailor pen because I have so enjoyed the compact Slim size but when I saw the Sailor 1911 Fresca regular size ($196), I knew the time had come for me to “level up.” The Fresca is a North America exclusive colorway (the knitter in me is inclined to refer to them as “colorways,” that’s how we refer to yarn color schemes).  The solid turquoise with chrome trim and 14K nib all shiny silvery is just stunning and the slender cigar shape with simple  clip design is classic and timeless.

The only branding on the exterior of the pen is the etched “Sailor” name on the cap band. Very tasteful.

The nib is classic Sailor all the way with the etched anchor and “1911” along with the decorative filigrees and, of course, “14K 585” and “Sailor” at the base of the nib. Next to Pilot’s smiley Kakuno nibs, the Sailor nib design is one of my favorite stock modern nib design.

I really didn’t need to worry about the size of the standard 1911 pen. It is really about the same size as a Metropolitan and since its an acrylic/resin/plastic (don’t me hold to the material because I don’t actually know what it is made of) its quite light. The Metropolitan feels weightier. The barrel is the same diameter as the Pro Gear Slim and when uncapped, its just the little cigar shaped taper at the end that is longer. So, it’s not a huge pen.

Posted, the 1911 is 20gms, making it lighter than an AL-Star. Unposted, the 1911 weighs 11gms which is lighter than a Kaweco Sport in plastic posted so the Fresca is not heavy at all.

Finally, in writing tests, with some of my new Robert Oster Australian Opal Mauve, the fine nib was a perfect smooth, light line for a bright, light pen. With the fineness of the nib and the gold nib, I got a little flex… not FLEX flex, but the nib was light and easy to write with. It was not a “hard as nails” nib. I think this is where the Sailor nibs excel. I have a music nib on my Pink Love and that’s a lot of nib material so there’s not as much lightness to the nib. Both the Purple Lamé and the Fresca have finer nibs and there’s more flexibility to the nibs so they are a much more pleasurable experience to write with. These are the gold nibs that make people talk about why they like gold nibs better. I think its the same reason why I tend to favor felt and fiber tip marker pens — that flex that adds some variation to the writing line weight, that shows some shading to the ink, when you get excited, or bored, or angry or enthusiastic as you write and it shows? I love that and when a pen is nail hard, those characteristics don’t show. So, if you have the means to invest in a Sailor pen (or a Sharpie pen) — try one out and let some of that expression come out in your writing.

I purchased this pen from Anderson Pens with my own money and all opinions here are my own. Anderson Pens are one of my sponsors so if you do decide to buy a Fresca, it sure would be nice if you purchased it from any one of my lovely sponsors who are currently stocking them and letting them know you heard about them here. Thanks.

Review by Laura Cameron

I’m new around here, but I have a confession to make: I might be addicted to pens.

I’ve been around pen enthusiasts for years. My father can always be found with a pen in his shirt pocket and, more often than not, it’s a fountain pen with a fine nib and peacock blue ink.  When I moved to Kansas City almost a decade ago, Ana and I met through other shared interests (knitting and tea), but it wasn’t long before I was a regular reader of the Well-Appointed Desk.

Almost two years ago now, I had a taste of my first gateway drug: a Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball. It was pink and I was in love. It wrote so smoothly, and I loved the weight of the metal pen in my hand. It wasn’t long before another Retro came to live in my house. This time it was the Retro Tornado Limited Edition Twinkle.  I saw it and I had to have one.

It took a little longer for me to move onto the “hard stuff.” I’m a left-hander and all I remembered from trying fountain pens as a kid was that I smeared the ink all over my hands and I thought fountain pens were fussy.  

But in late 2016, while listening to the Pen Addict and idly browsing Pen Chalet, I found a deal that was too good to pass up. I ordered a Lamy Safari in Dark Lilac and a box of the Dark Lilac Ink to match. 

And I hated it. I feel bad even saying that, but it just wasn’t a good match for me. I really disliked the angled (molded) grip the most, but I also didn’t how lightweight it felt. I used it halfheartedly for a few weeks and then sold it to what I hope was its forever home.

I mulled my options over. And then I went back to my favorite dealer and ordered something I hoped I would truly love: a Retro Tornado Medium Nib in Black Cherry. It arrived and I took a few weeks to load it with ink, afraid that I’d be let down once again. I don’t even think I told Ana I was experimenting with pens and inks. Eventually, I loaded it with a black cartridge and played a little bit. The feel was SO much better. I really wanted the weight of a metal pen in my hand, and a smooth grip really pleased me. The medium nib let the ink flow beautifully.

Then I saw several reviews of Robert Oster’s Fire & Ice and I wanted that particular ink so badly. I had to wait until it was back in stock, but finally it was mine. And it was a perfect match. I’ve been trying other pens lately, contemplating additional purchases, but I still go back to the Tornado most of the time. I just can’t beat the “high” of the right pen and ink.

A few weeks ago Ana generously lent me a few other pens to try out. One was a Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop Turquoise with a fine nib. I immediately gravitated towards this one because it was more of what I liked: a metal body that had some weight to it, a round smooth grip, and a nib that let ink flow smoothly. Another confession: within a few days of testing Ana’s out, I had ordered a green one for myself.

The second pen I had been jonesing for was a TWSBI Eco. This one was obviously a little different in terms of materials and style than what I knew I liked, but I was fascinated by the clear model where you could just twist it to load the ink. I dithered about purchasing one until Ana offered me hers to try.  At first I wasn’t sure about it. The TWSBI is a bigger pen than either the Retro or the Pilot, and of course it’s a plastic body.  But I used it for a few days and it grew on me so I expect one to come live with me soon. Ana’s TWSBI Eco has a fine nib and that was probably the least pleasant nib I tested. I found it to feel kind of scratchy on paper, so I’m looking forward to trying one with a medium nib to see if that feels better.

The final pen that I wanted to play with was a freebie that I received from Goldspot with my first order. It was a Jinhao 599A Orange Demonstrator pen. It didn’t have any of my preferred options (it’s plastic, it has an angled [molded] grip, etc.) but I eagerly inked it up with a sample ink and wanted to test it.  However, I was really disappointed because it leaked everywhere. I think the seal between the feed and the barrel was defective because I kept ending up with ink blobs on my page every time I pulled it out. Since it was a freebie I have to admit I chucked it.

I’ve enjoyed a lot of things about this new addiction of mine. First of all, there are some really lovely pen people who have a lot of knowledge and are generous about sharing that knowledge. I have added quite a few blogs and Instagram feeds to my daily routine, and I’ve also found some great stores to work with. All of the pens that I’ve spoken about above are available for less than $50, which I consider to be a reasonable starting fee. The Pilot Metropolitan is a steal at under $15 (via Jetpens) and looks and feels fun to boot. I’ve really enjoyed learning about what features I like the most and I’ve also enjoyed spending the time with analog tools. I spend so much of my day typing, that it’s nice to get back to writing with nice pens and ink. I’ve also noticed my writing style change. In the last several years I’ve developed a very heavy hand. I grip my pen fairly hard, and I tend to press down hard on paper when writing. I don’t know that I was aware I was doing it, except now I’m lighter and easier with a fountain pen, I am happier with the results.

So, I guess the only question is what’s my next pen?

(Editors Note: Today is Laura’s birthday and her first post here on The Well-Appointed Desk so please leave her lots of nice comments and a birthday wish or two, okay?)

Laura Cameron is a tech editor, podcaster, knitter, spinner and recent pen addict. You can learn more about her knitting and tea adventures on her website, The Corner of Knit & Tea and can find her on Instagram as Fluffykira.

Shop Updates:

If you’ve been waiting to purchase a Col-o-ring, the wait is over! The shop is not only stocked with Col-o-ring books but we are adding other products back to the inventory as well including some choice stationery goodies like the Star Chart note cards. These cards are a joint-venture from Skylab Letterpress and The Well-Appointed Desk and feature multilingual “thank you” messages for all your galactic sending needs.

Edit: To our friends across the pond, Cult Pens has Col-o-rings available (and currently featured on their home page which make me flippin’ giddy!) so many of our UK and EU pals now have a source  for their inky needs! In Canada, Wonder Pens is stocking Col-o-rings and will gladly help our friends to the north. Down Under, Notemaker in Australia and Pen Classics in New Zealand should soon have Col-o-rings available. Col-o-rings are invading the world! Who would have ever guessed such a thing?

Blog Improvements:

Did you notice there’s been a bit of a facelift around here? Besides updating the looks of the design a bit, there’s also been improvements made in the background to help make searching the copious archive of posts a little bit easier.

The fonts have been updated to (hopefully) be more readable and the whole design is now more consistent across all platforms: desktop, tablet and mobile. I’m really pleased with the look ad I hope you will be too.

If you look up in the top menu bar, you’ll notice that as you scroll up and down, the menu bar at the top will stay visible. It has the search bar in the far right corner and hot links to the refill guide, guide sheets, ink reviews, pen reviews and a new separate category for fountain pen reviews!

You’ll also notice that there are now featured posts at the top of the blog. Above the fold, so to speak, special posts will be featured for a week or so. Giveaways, new products, hot reviews, pen shows or other notable stories will be featured there so they won’t be missed.

It was time to retire the old template as it broke every time there was an update to WordPress so hopefully this version will be able to grow with us.

DeAtramentis Pearlescent Inks:

While they may be a little late to the game, DeAtramentis has finally decided to try their hand at making a line of sparkle inks. They’ve divided their ink colors into Pearlescent Gold, Pearlescent Silver and Pearlescent Copper flake bases. Then they offer eight ink colors with each sparkle: Whisky Brown, Amber Yellow, Helio Green, Cyan Blue, Camellia Red, Brilliant Violet, Magenta Red, and Velvet Black.

YStudio Pens:

Finally, a retailer in the US is stocking YStudio fountain pens. Vanness Pens is carrying the YStudio Brassing fountain pens, ballpoint and mechanical pencil. I reviewed the portable fountain pen awhile back and I’m still enamored with it.

Ink Academy:

Ink Academy is a crowd-funded campaign to create an online calligraphy school. Master Penman and one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, Michael Sull will be the academic director of the school. There are also a host of other amazing calligraphers involved in the project including a former White House calligrapher. The project has about a week left to fund and a long way to go to meet its funding needs. Whether you have a desire to learn calligraphy yourself or just an appreciation for the art form, it’s definitely a project worth some consideration.

Pen World:  June Issue 2017

The June issue of Pen World magazine hits newsstands on Tuesdays. This issue features articles all about paper including my first published article in the magazine: an interview with Bullet Journal creator Ryder Carroll. There’s a sneak peek of the article below but to see the whole magazine, hop over the the Pen World web site and subscribe or visit your local book shop or newsstand an pick up a copy soon.

The Montegrappa Felicitá (pronounced “fella-cheetah” which I learned thanks to the fine fellas at Kenro over drinks in Chicago) is a lovely new line of smaller scale, pearlescent fountain pens. The overall look of these pens is beautiful and somewhat understated from a brand known for doing some pretty elaborate designs. As a result, the price point on this pen is actually pretty reasonable with the average purchase price around $200US.

The Felicitá comes in four colors: Sugar Pink Dust, Jellybon Ocean, Caramel Gold, and Red Velvet. I decided to get the cotton candy pink-like Sugar Pink Dust. I mean really, how could I resist? I do keep calling it Pink Sugar though by accident.

The Jellybon Ocean reminds me of blue velvet and the Caramel Gold looks like sunlight sparkling off sand at the beach and the Red Velvet really does live up to its name so it was hard to choose a color. The fact that Montegrappa went out on a limb and made such a playful color as Sugar Pink Dust though made me compelled to get it.

The shape of the pen overall looks like a Fortuna with reduced proportions. If you like the shape of Montegrappa Mule or one of the other Fortuna pens but found it a bit too big or heavy for you, the Felicitá might be just the pen for you. It’s a bit slimmer, shorter and lighter overall than a full-sized Fortuna in resin and definitely lighter than the copper Mule.

• Capped or posted: 18gms
• Uncapped: 11gms
• Length, capped: 5 1/8″ (13cm)
• Length, uncapped: 4 5/8″ (11.7cm)
• Length, posted: 5 7/8″ (15.1cm)

The pen features stainless steel trim and a steel nib but it is one of the silkiest smooth steel nibs I’ve ever used. The Felicitá traveled with me to the Chicago Pen Show and was tried by many a pen show attendee with equal awe.

The fine nib in the Felicitá writes very smoothly and I’ve not had any issues with hard starting. It’s been filled with the KWZ Raspberry ink for several weeks. I passed the pen around quite a bit at the Chicago Pen Show and lots of people had a similar reaction to the smoothness of the nib. I heard a lot of “oooh”s and “aaaah”s when it hit the paper which delighted me as much as when I was actually using it. I love getting to see other people enjoy trying a new pen as much as I like using them.

My taste in fountain pens has definitely started to move into a higher price point since I first got into the hobby. I didn’t think I’d notice the difference in the writing experience between a $50 pen and a $200 pen but now I can. The pen is weighted nicely. The material feel good in the hand. There is attention to detail in the nib, the resin material and the details like the end cap. If you are looking for “a little bit more” for a fountain pen, the Felicitá might be a pen to consider. While it does not have a gold nib, everything else about this pen is lovely and quite stunning. I’m really surprised how much I like it.

The Montegrappa Felicita is available in all four colors at Vanness Pens for $200.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Kenro Industries for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

When a vintage fountain pen collection goes supernova, it requires its own epic display. Leave it to Mike Dudek of Dudek Modern Goods to deliver the kind of display that makes me hum the opening to 2001: A Space Odyssey every time I put my pens away. I started collecting Lady Sheaffer Skripserts about a year ago and the collection exploded this year. Mike kindly masterminded the perfect way to keep my collection in check and displayed perfectly.

Mike modified his Display stand to fit the Lady Sheaffer Skripserts and it holds a ton of them too! The display holds a total of 22 pens (or pencils).

The initial plan was to use the block in reverse and have the pens currently in use in the solid part facing forward. I, however, have been keeping the pen and pencil sets in the open sections as there is a perfectly drilled hole at the bottom to rest the pencil tip into. I have four pen and pencil sets now so its almost filled in the “front” with matched sets!

I also have both of the leaf designs now – one in black and one in white – which occupy the last two slots in the “front”. A keen eye might notice that one of the pen and pencil sets is from the later “white dot” Lady Sheaffer line and not the original Skripsert line. It still has the netting etched design and opens to reveal a powder blue grip section and “fingernail” nib so its still a Lady Sheaffer in my book! The other “cheat” is my Sheaffer Imperial that I bought early on. It has a beautiful inset nib in 14K gold and a gold barrel so its still a pretty chic edition. It can stay until the Ladies run him out.

I have a couple pens away for nib tuning and one that seems to permanently live in my Story Supply Co. notebook cover in my bag (yes, it’s just a travelin’ Lady!) so I only have a few slots left. I can’t believe how quickly this collection grew!

If you are building a special pen collection you want to display, definitely drop Mike a line about making a custom display for you. I know he’s made several different pieces for folks over the years.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Dudek Modern Goods for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

I’ve never owned a leather pen sleeve that wasn’t something that came with a pen purchase. So when I was offered the opportunity to try a “nice” pen sleeve from Dee Charles to carry my Aurora Optima, I leapt at the chance. The Dee Charles single pen sleeve in Midnight Gold ($19.80) is a thick black leather with a warm yellow-white stitching. It’s definitely not floppy leather!

The Aurora Optima is not a huge pen and it fits comfortably in the sleeve. If anything, I’d describe it as an average sized fountain pen. I image most regular fountain pens will fit the sleeve. Lengthwise, there is plenty more room. I suspect that if you had a particularly large pen, you may have issues.

By squeezing the sides, it was easy to slide the pen in and out of the sleeve but I had no concerns that once in the sleeve, my pen would come out unintentionally. The suede definitely is grippy enough inside to keep the pen from moving around.

I hope I don’t sound too ridiculous writing up a review of a pen sleeve but this is honestly my first experience with one and I was pleasantly surprised with how effective it was. It also made me feel a lot more comfortable about taking my most precious pens out and about in the world which I don’t often do because I didn’t have a good way to carry it that felt secure and protected from scratches.

I like that the leather is clean and simple and understated. Its not flashy and doesn’t say “there’s something expensive in here”. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced option to protect your pen investments but not looking to carry your whole collection, the Dee Charles single pen sleeve or the double pen sleeve ($25.50) might be an option for you.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Pen Chalet for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

I have been waiting with bated breath for the Caran d’Ache 849 fountain pen ($52) to finally be available. It was accidentally revealed a bit ahead of schedule way back in March but they didn’t arrive in the US until mid-June.

Aesthetically, all the cues come straight from the original 849 pen and pencil but there are some unique design decisions added in order to make it a capped pen. First, like the ballpoint pen and pencil, the 849 fountain pen is hexagonal and features the same distinctive clip. I love that Caran d’Ache chooses to cover their own branding with their clip. The only text visible on the pen is the “Swiss Made” visible above the clip. If you peer under the clip, the company name and “849” is visible. This clip placement gave me the idea to do the same thing with my Kaweco Sport pens. Its so tasteful and understated.

The end caps are chrome silver and stick out slightly but are narrower than the rest of the pen. You’ll see further down… there’s a good reason for this.

For the initial release, Caran d’Ache chose offer the 849 fountain pen in four eye-bleeding fluorescent colors (pink, green, orange, yellow) plus black, white and navy enamel lacquer over aluminum body. And wow, is the pink ever PINK! It’s hard to get the camera to capture just how neon it is and I’m sure that most online photos are not capturing the other colors justly either. They are FLUORESCENT! Or op art black and white and navy. The paint finish is perfect.

The cap is a snap cap and if you notice in the picture above there is a silver ring that slides under the edge of a lip on the body of the pen to create a tight seal. It’s a very nice detail.

The nib is an unusual modern shape with a custom Caran d’Ache logo mark. For a steel nib it has a bit of softness to it and a little bit of spring to it. I got the EF nib knowing it would most likely be a European EF and I was right. The line width is comparable to a Kaweco EF but with a good deal more bounce. Its by no means a flex nib but its definitely not hard as nails.

The same chrome lip on the cap also fits over the end so the cap posts securely. How clever is that!

The pen ships with an international cartridge from Caran d’Ache. In this case, their Idyllic Blue ink. I was impatient to try the pen immediately, so I popped the cartridge in and noticed that the cartridge is actually foil stamped with the company name on one side and the color on the other. No playing cartridge roulette with Caran d’Ache! How very nice of them.

While the price point of the 849 fountain pen puts it a bit higher than some of the other “entry level” pens, aesthetically it feels like a pen many would compare with a Pilot Metropolitan, a Lamy Safari or the TWSBIs. So, I thought I’d show them altogether. You’ll notice that the 849 fountain pen is visibly more slender. What the 849 has going for it is that of these four pens, its the only one that takes standard international cartridges and converters. The Lamy and Pilot both use proprietary systems and TWSBI is a plunger filler only. The 849 and the Metropolitan are also the only metal body pens. Lamy offers the AL-Star in metal but not in bright colors like the 849.

When posted, the Caran d’Ache is the longest of them all at a whopping 7 inches (14.2cm). I found the pen completely comfortable to use unposted (almost 5 inches/12cm). It does have a shorter, narrower grip section. The grip section is resin with a bit of a step down due to the cap closure. Other folks have tried out the 849 fountain pen over the past week or so and have found the shorter grip section less comfortable than I have so that’s something to consider.

I was really surprised the discover the line variation from a EF nib. I found it smoother than I expected it to be too. The nibs have to be custom nibs. The design, shape and style is too unique to be a Bock or Jowo nib. Though Caran d’Ache may have one of those companies make the nibs for them. I don’t know the specific details about

Weightwise, the 849 is not very heavy, even being metal. Capped or posted, it only weighs 18gms. Uncapped, it weighs 11gms. I only had the cartridge in it so possibly with a converter, you could add a couple grams if you wanted to. On the flipside, it also made the pen very comfortable in my hand. When you add the softly rounded hexagonal shape and the overall feel of the 849 fountain pen is a generally un-put-down-able pen.

The bright color made it hard to lose in my bag so I was continually reaching for it and the snap cap meant it was easy to open and close for quick notes. The 849 wrote smoothly for me and I liked the bounce of the EF nib. I don’t know if a wider nib would have as much play in it but for usefulness on the widest array of paper types, I recommend a finer nib. If you know you’ll only be using high quality papers or you have a particularly heavy hand, than try the wider F or M nib.

The more I use this pen, the more I like it. Keeping in mind, I really got it as a curiosity so my expectations were really low. The fact that it was not a scratchy, hard-starting POS put it way ahead of the curve in its ability to impress me. I have always loved the 844 mechanical pencils and 849 ballpoints. They are based on the Fixpencil design that has been around since 1929. So, the fact that the pen looks cool, writes well and featured some excellent design details put it over the top for me.

Is it a bit spendy for a steel nib, aluminum barrel fountain pen? Probably. Are you worth it? That’s your call. But as with all Caran d’Ache purchases, I find that after I make them I am always glad I did. Supracolor colored pencils? Worth it. Bi-color 999? Yep. Technalo watersoluble pencils? Oh yeah. Sketcher non-photo blue pencil? Indeed. Things from Switzerland may be a bit more expensive but they just seem to build them a little better. Thanks, Caran d’Ache. Now take my money!

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Pen Chalet for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The Pilot Decimo Fine Fountain Pen ($139) is my first foray into the world of retractable fountain pens. The Pilot Vanishing Point or Capless is the best known of these pens but the Decimo is its smaller version. The barrel is slightly narrower and in general looks like it was designed with the “fairer sex” in mind as it comes in lighter, brighter colors. While I don’t mind the color options, I do get a little annoyed at the gender bias. I’m not inclined to want the carbon fiber looks but the fact that the range of colors available for the Decimo is considerably smaller than the Vanishing Point is a little bit annoying. But I’ll take the sky blue, pearl purple or burgundy any day over the black, black and more black options available for the Vanishing Point!

One of the hidden treasures of a Decimo or VP is that it comes with an 18K nib. Whether the nib is silver rhodium-plated like this one, black or gold, underneath the fancy paint job is a slightly springy nib. Its a little added bonus on top of getting a retractable fountain pen that is beautifully designed.

Sometimes I have a little too much fun with the macro lens. Look at the detail of the nib on the Decimo! You can even see some of the ink droplets from the pen being tossed around in my bag and a stray cat hair. Yes, life at The Well-Appointed Desk isn’t all that glamorous sometimes.

The mechanism the controls the knock that exposes and retracts the nib also covers the opening where the nib retracts inside the pen so even though there was some ink on the nib, none leaked into my bag, pocket or anywhere else.

Part of why the clip is on the nib end is so that if you do clip the pen to your pocket it is nib-end up as a final precaution against any possibility of  the pen accidentally leaking on your pocket. Or if it was clipped to the front of a notebook, the nib again would be pointing up reducing any chance of leakage down the front of your papers, clothing or anywhere else.

Since the nib unit is so unique, I thought I’d show the inner workings. This is the nib unit with the converter attached. The nib unit can easily be swapped out should you decide you want a different nib size in your pen or if you have more than one Decimo or VP (they are completely interchangeable).

The pen ships with the converter as well as a cartridge and a metal cartridge cap. It’s recommended to hang on to the cartridge cap if you intend to use cartridges as it protects the plastic from being punctured by the retract mechanism. Remember that Pilot cartridges are proprietary sizes so be sure to have the right size on hand.

The Decimo measures about 5.5″ (14cm). The length did not change with the nib exposed or closed as the button depressed the exact distance that the nib was exposed. The body weighs 25gms filled with the converter filled.

I was worried that the clip was really going to bother me, especially being left-handed but Pilot pens are so well-tuned they are quite forgiving of all the janky angles I tend to write at. After a couple of times using it, I found the “sweet spot” of holding it where I didn’t notice the clip and it didn’t get in the way.

I bought the pen because I wanted a good pen that would be good for using in meetings, on-the-go, and for those jot-it-down-quick moments that happen throughout the day. The Decimo has taken to living tucked in the front of my Traveler’s Notebook, on my desk and in the front pocket of my bag. I guess that pretty much makes it my everyday carry, doesn’t it?

If I were intending to sit down to write a long letter or journal entry, I would probably choose one of my other pens but for everything else, the Decimo is working out great. And I’m actually pretty glad I picked a bright color because I can find it easily.

Notes:
I tested the Decimo on Rhodia Uni blank pad paper using my standard 7mm guide sheet underneath and deAtramentis Pigeon Blue ink (It was the only bottled ink I had at work and I was impatient to fill this and try it right away).

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Review by Laura Cameron

The Fahrney’s catalog is going to be the death of me.  When I was a kid, the Fahrney’s catalog used to land in our mailbox fairly often. I knew my dad was into fountain pens but, as I’ve previously stated, as a kid, fountain pens didn’t really hold much interest for me.  Flash forward 30+ years and now I eagerly await the catalog. Except now, I always find something I need to have.

Not that long ago I was flipping through the catalog and I spied a beautiful pen, the Cross Century II Botanica Gold Trim Fountain Pen. I’m not entirely sure why I was so taken with it. To be sure, it is a gorgeous pen but my tastes generally run towards the modern and not the ornamental.  But sure enough, the Green Daylily with that beautiful gold nib had caught my attention. 

I scouted around a bit and found out that the pen debuted back in 2015 and received mixed reviews. Maybe people through it was very pricey, especially since the base price doesn’t include a converter ($8.50 additional). But many people agreed that the pen was a beauty and didn’t look like much else they owned.

I ordered and waited in anticipation. When the pen arrived, I wasn’t disappointed.  I had expected it to be heavier than it as, but there was a delicacy about it that I do love. I ordered a fine nib and I have been very pleased with it. The pen writes super smoothly. I’ve tested a few inks in it (Noodler’s Cactus Eel and Sailor Jentle Sakura Mori) and have been pleased with both in the pen. The inks flow smoothly and the writing is very fluid and easy.  Although I’m typically a silver or white gold girl, I can’t stop looking at all the yellow gold details: the line work on the nib, the pavé-textured pen cap ring, and the highlights in the daylily design. 

(Editor’s interjected question: “Does the cap post comfortably?” Laura’s reply was “When you post it, the metal pavé cap ring doesn’t quite touch the pen body. I wasn’t worried about posting it and it does post but, I tend not to post my pens. I wasn’t concerned about the cap coming into contact with the designs.”)

This pen probably isn’t for everyone, but I’m enjoying having it in my collection.

(The Botanica pictured with the Cross Century II Starlight Twilight Gray Selectip from The Desk archives)

Laura is a tech editor, podcaster, knitter, spinner and recent pen addict. You can learn more about her knitting and tea adventures on her website, The Corner of Knit & Tea and can find her on Instagram as Fluffykira.

The PIUMA Minimal Fountain Pen was originally a Kickstarter project but is now available directly from the ENSSO web site. The appeal of the PIUMA is the simplicity of the design. The shape is a simple cigar shape, available in three metals: black painted aluminum ($79),titanium (currently sold out) and brass ($99).

The pens ship is simple black cardboard boxes with the ENSSO logo stamped on top. The pens are protected in molded foam shells. The packaging is just enough to protect the pens and feel appropriate for the purchase price but not fussy. I did find it a little challenging to get the pens out of the foam and required wedging a pencil in to the foam to wrench the steel and brass pens out as the fit was a tiny bit too snug. I guess its better to be too snug than too loose but I started to wonder if I was a weakling for not being able to get the pens out.

All the pens came with an international cartridge converter included and the Bock nibs accept standard European cartridges.

Under each cap, the user can choose between an array of Bock nibs: polished stainless steel, black steel or titanium in an array of widths. While I have a lot of experience with Schmidt nibs, I was not as familiar with Bock nibs (or nibs specifically branded as “Bock” as I know both companies sell nibs branded with other companies logos etched into them so its often unclear where a nib may have been manufactured). I’ll go into specifics about the writing details a little further down in the review.

The titanium nib is stamped “titan” and has a brushed satin metallic finish. Aesthetically, its the most understated.

The stamping on the steel nib 1.1mm was different with a larger stag design and a simple line instead of the more decorative double line with band seen on the other nibs. The word “Germany” is also added.

The black steel nib is pretty understated and consistent in looks to the titanium. I got both the black and titanium nibs in extra fine.

Aesthetically, I find the PIUMA pen very striking in its simplicity. They do, however, have a tendency to roll around a lot because of their design.

All three pens are the same width and length. They measure 5.5″/ 14cm capped, 5.1″/ 13cm uncapped from tip of the nib to the end the barrel. They can sort of be posted though I didn’t find them to be very stable and they measure 6.69″/ 17cm. The Brass and Titanium models were the least stable posted. The Aluminum was more cooperative posted. Officially, the ENSSO site does not recommend posting.

I weighed the PIUMA pens with the converters filled to give a more accurate idea of how they would feel in real world experience. ENSSO lists weights on their site but I noticed that the weights are lower than the numbers I got and I assume they were weighing the pens empty, no converters or cartridges included.

To give some perspective, I included my old standby chart  (which I’m noticing could stand a refresh) with the weights of  some common fountain pens (capped and filled): a plastic Kaweco Sport Classic, an aluminum Lamy AL-Star and the Lamy Studio in brushed steel are probably the most recognizable these days. These are not heavy pens by any means, but I’d basically have to hold FOUR Lamy Studios to equal the weight of the PIUMA in brass.

The PIUMA pens are definitely pens designed for larger hands or for people who tend to prefer weightier, bigger pens.

In my writing tests, I started with the nibs on one body but in the end I switched them around as I determined that the weights of the individual pens affected how each nib wrote. Some of the ink colors might be a little off as I did not clean the nibs. I was more interested in the writing experience than color fidelity in this particular experiment. (Ignore anywhere that I wrote “steel body” I meant write “titanium”.)

This was my first chance to really get to try a titanium nib and there is some spring in the nib but not as much as I anticipated. I was able to use it at any angle. It did not catch on the paper or create any writing issues, I could flex it a little but I didn’t try to push it too hard. I felt like I was able to get a bit of spring from the black steel EF nib as well so I’m not sure the upcharge for the titanium nib is entirely necessary. Maybe it would be more noticeable to get a titanium at wider widths where you lose some of the spring in steel nibs with a broad?

I had the most difficulty with the brass pen body. I physically developed wrist aches trying to use it. It was just too heavy for me. You can see above how I could not maintain a consistent writing style through six lines.

On the second page, I swapped the nibs around. Basically, I could use any nib on the black aluminum pen. It is by far the lightest model, weighing close to the Lamy Studio. The matte finish made it easy to grip and I was able to control the pen with any of the nibs. I put the 1.1mm steel nib in the titanium body and that combination worked both aesthetically and from an ergonomic standpoint. I was able to get the pen to perform and the weight was evenly distributed.

And finally, putting the black fine nib into the brass body was actually easier to control as it required a lighter touch. The brass is still way too heavy for me. I’m curious if there’s anyone out there who has purchased the brass PIUMA who has been using it as a daily writer? I am a small human at 5’4″ with child-sized hands so I know that the brass PIUMA was not made for me. I would love to hear how it works for someone who is 6’2″ with bear paws. Franz, are you out there?

All in all, I found the PIUMA pens to be lovely but challenging. I think these would be great pens to purchase in person if you had the option to hold them in your hand and feel the weights and try the nibs. I will bring all three of these pens with me to the D.C. pen show and S.F. pen show for people to try and experience for themselves. Please grab me at one of the after hours bar events to check them out in person. We can swap nibs and you can which configuration you like best.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by ENSSO for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Finally! The Kaweco Perko fountain pens are available. These entry level plastic-bodied fountain pens look to be direct competitors to other student pens with a molded grip section, poppy colors and a faceted barrel. The price point is €14,95/$17.65 (€12,36/$14.59 Outside EU)  There are four color options available: the “Bad Taste” which is the hot pink and black, the “Cotton Candy” which is a soft pink with cool grey cap, “Indian Summer” which is mustard seed yellow-green with a black cap and the “Old Chambray” which is a white body with a blue-grey cap.

The Perkeos are a matte finish plastic with faceted bodies and the classic hex barrel cap. The caps are snap caps with a tight fit. The caps can be posted. Because these are lightweight plastic pens, they do not feel substantial but they also don’t feel intimidating. They walk that fine line — playful without feeling too juvenile.

The pens with black details have black nibs and the lighter colors have steel nibs. I got two pens with fine nibs and two with medium nibs; one chrome, one black of each nib size.

While the nibs aren’t exactly the same as the nibs on the Sport models in terms of design, they seem to write pretty consistently to them. Actually, I find the medium nib on the Perkeos to be better than the Sport mediums which I’ve always had issues with.

I really like the black nibs! They look slick!

The finials on the end coordinate with the nibs and are the classic Kaweco logos.

The other awesome upside to the Perkeo is that they take full-sized converters and extra long cartridges! Any standard European cartridge or converter is fair game. I used a Waterman cartridge, a Pelikan Edelstein cartridge, and two random converters I had laying around. The Perkeos ship with one Kaweco blue cartridge so you will need to order additional cartridges or converters if you don’t have your own personal cartridge roulette wheel like I do.

Because the Perkeos are so reasonably priced, I couldn’t resist having all four so that I could play Perkeo mix-up. I swapped caps and bodies to make new color combinations. I wanted an all-black with the citrus-y green grip and the hot pink and green above all other things (so Bad Taste and Indian Summer are MUST-HAVES for the swap). I also like the look of the white body with the grey cap. I’ve swapped things around about four times already! But a mod black-and-white would be cool too.

In writing tests, I noticed just a slight difference on the Tomoe River paper between the medium and the fine nibs. The Papier Plume ink was a bit wetter and spread a bit more than the other three inks I used so that was the only place I really noticed the nib difference. With a drier ink, the medium nibs in the Perkeos were quite pleasant. I’m not normally a medium nib fan, but these I like a lot. I’ve used these pens for about a week on other paper surfaces and enjoyed them. They are pretty stiff nibs but smooth.

On the downside, the colors may not be for everyone. Right now, the only nib options are fine or medium and like I said earlier, they do not come with a converter. There is no packaging. The pens came wrapped in a cellophane sleeve each. I suspect these were designed to be sold on store countertops like lollipops.

But for about $15 each, Perkeos are some of the least expensive full-sized fountain pens available from a major European manufacturer. Yes, the Pilot Metropolitan is still a (Japanese) metal alternative at $14.50 but if I was looking to buy a pen for my niece, I’m more inclined to get her a Perkeo which is a bit lighter for her younger hand but still cute. I’m certainly not embarrassed to use them.

DISCLAIMER: Some items used in this review were sent to me free of charge by Fontoplumo. Please see the About page for more details.

Review by Laura Cameron

A short while back, I received the Anderson Pens Newsletter promoting the Sheaffer VFM in a gorgeous blue.  When I clicked through to see what it was, I was surprised that it was a very affordable fountain pen ($17.50). It reminded me quite a bit of the Pilot Metropolitan that I so love.  So I ordered what they had in stock: a Medium Nib in the Peacock Blue.

The Sheaffer VFM is so named as a “vibrant, fun and modern” pen in Sheaffer’s pen line. It features a slim body with a brushed satin finish, nickel plated trim, and a stainless steel nib. A postable, snap cap complements the body.

When it arrived I had high hopes. I went ahead and filled the VFM with the cartridge that came with it, notably not a Sheaffer cartridge, but a short international standard black. And then I took it out for a spin.

I was surprised to find that I didn’t like the VFM much at all. In the last few months I’ve been meandering towards finer nibs, but I still do enjoy medium nibs. However, this pen had a western medium nib which is actually quite a bit larger than those I had been using. The pen let down a LOT of ink and on most kinds of paper I got a lot of bleeding and feathering. My sample for this post, on my trusty Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5, looks pretty good, but when I tried to use the pen at the office (legal pads, copy paper) it just looked incredibly messy.

The finish was beautiful, but I was dismayed that it got scratched almost immediately.  I had put it in my pen case and taken it with me to show off to some friends, and by the end of the night, just in being handled around the table, it came back to me with big scratches. Since then, still in the protected pen case, it has gotten many more scratches.  The snap cap is still very stiff, despite my use, and frankly I’m not so sure about posting it as I’m afraid it will add more damage to the body.

Overall, I found this pen to be pretty disappointing. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected so much from a pen that is at the lower end of the price range, but the Pilot Metropolitans just knock it out of the park at the same price point.  If you’re looking for an inexpensive fun pen, I’d start there instead.

Laura is a tech editor, podcaster, knitter, spinner and recent pen addict. You can learn more about her knitting and tea adventures on her website, The Corner of Knit & Tea and can find her on Instagram as Fluffykira.

Review by Laura Cameron 

 I found a new pen to love. A few weeks ago at knit night, Ana handed me a pen and told me to take it for a spin.  The pen was a Muji, an aluminum round fountain pen ($15) from the Japanese company, Muji.

 The pen is a super-slim, rounded aluminum pen with a textured grip, and a stainless steel nib.  It has a snap cap that posts in sort of unique way; the edges of the cap are super thin and fit into a thin channel hollowed out at the end of the pen. Mine is a fine nib and is marked “Iridium Point.” (Editor’s Note: Pretty sure that’s a Schmidt nib)

The Muji comes with cartridges, and I decided to go ahead and use them. I skipped the black cartridge that came with the pen, and played what Ana calls “cartridge roulette” – I dug into a canister of cartridges that she had sent me and emerged with one that I believe is Kaweco Palm Green ($2.10 for 6 cartridges).

I loved everything about this pen.  The pen is modern looking, slim and sleek at 20gms, but also has a surprisingly nice weight in my hand. The cartridge took almost no time to fill the pen, and it wrote immediately without problems.  I spent a little time testing it on a Pebble Paper Design notebook (review forthcoming) and had no problems with it at all. My lines were clean; the ink didn’t bleed or feather. 

There isn’t a lot more to say about this pen, but it’s the one I reach for every time I go into my pen case. It’s fun and I feel like I found the perfect ink color to match.

The Muji fountain pen was previously reviewed here on the blog. If you’d like to read that review, you can see it here.

Laura is a tech editor, podcaster, knitter, spinner and recent pen addict. You can learn more about her knitting and tea adventures on her website, The Corner of Knit & Tea and can find her on Instagram as Fluffykira.

I had heard that there were Chinese vendors selling an assortment of knock-off versions of Sailor and TWSBI fountain pens on Ebay. In the name of science, and to quell my curiosity, I decided to buy a couple to see how similar, or different, they really were. I purchased the Delike New Moon fountain pens in pink and blue (one of each from two different sellers for about $15 each) that were knock-off versions of the Sailor ProGear Slim. One featured an EF nib and one had the nib altered slightly to be a F nib by bending the end up in a fude style.

While we as fountain pen consumers immediately recognize these as knock-offs, nowhere in the listings did the sellers say they were Sailor pens or hint to that. However, the similarity in looks is unfortunate in that it could confuse a newer fountain pen shopper into thinking they were getting a deal on a Sailor. So, I wanted to point out very quickly  the differences and similarities and why you might want to try these pens or want to avoid them altogether.

I purchased the pastel pink and sky blue colors with silver hardware because I did not have Sailor ProGear Slim pens in these colors. So, yeah for fun colors.

The Differences:

At first glance, the Delike New Moon and Sailor ProGear Slim are very similar. Width and length are just about identical. The New Moon has the metal hardware all the way to the base of the cap but that’s the most distinguishing difference at first glance.

Right out the the gate, I could tell these pens were not as well constructed as Sailor ProGear pens. The material was definitely more plasticky than resin. I could smell the off-gassing for starters. There is no end cap jewel.

On the clip, the end is more squared off. The Sailor clip has a rounded end. The band around the cap on the Sailor pen is engraved “Founded 1911” and the Delike says “Delike”. The Sailor ProGear has an extra band around the cap as well.

The threads on the cap are closer together and there are more threads on the Sailor. There is also another metal band on the Sailor.

Looking at the nibs, the Sailor is stamped with the anchor, “1911” and “14K” or “18K” respectively depending on your model and the decorative filigree. The Delike is considerably simpler with the globe, the Delike name and the size of the nib.

The Writing Experience:

I don’t have the exact same nibs on the ProGear Slims that are on the New Moon pens but I’m also comparing gold nibs to steel nibs so it’s pretty much an unfair comparison all the way around.

I do have to say that an EF/XF gold Sailor nib is WAY smoother than a Chinese steel nib and worth every freakin’ penny. I was asked at the D.C. Pen Show which pen was my favorite and I said the Sailor ProGear Slim Purple Lamé with the XF/EF nib and I stand by my statement here. This pen writes like butter. My Pink Love with the music nib is my second favorite so messing around with these knock-offs is humoring myself really.

They are cute and they sort of look like the real thing but they will never satisfy like the real thing. It’s like offering someone a Pepsi when they really want a Coke or a sugar-free snack when they really want sugar-laden. Close but no quite.

From the perspective of a pen for a new fountain pen user, I’m more comfortable loaning these out at a Fountain Pen Day event or at a Letter Writing Social where people may have little-to-no fountain pen experience where I might be less inclined to let my beloved Sailors loose. I’d also be willing to just give these away if someone fell in love with them as they are inexpensive, take standard European cartridges and came with converters. I also like that I could swap the caps and make my own goofball pens.

These pens also make great opportunities to learn nib adjustment and other tweaking or pen alterations.

Have you purchased any of the knock-off Chinese pens for experimentation? What’s your opinion? I waited a long time to buy any of these because I know a lot of people have very strong opinions about these pens. I just wanted to see if it was worth the wait. I don’t think I’d buy anymore if these but I definitely think it was a good learning opportunity.

When I saw the Sailor Procolor 500 Shikisai Fountain Pen in Hoshikuzu (Stardust) with Fine Nib ($60) come up on JetPens, I jumped at the chance to try it out. It looks like the Sailor 1911 regular with a steel nib and it was available in the black sparkle Stardust finish that I had wanted in the ProGear Slim but was only available as a limited edition a few years ago and is impossible to find now. I was curious if a Sailor steel nib would be up to snuff.

When it arrived, I was pleased that it was as pretty as I had hoped. It is not as sparkly as my ProGear Pink Love but not as subtle as the Purple Lamé.  It looks like stars in the night sky.

The nib looks almost identical to the nibs on a ProGear Slim or regular 1911 without the 14K markings. It has the filigree around the edge of the nib, the “1911” and anchor and the “Sailor” logo branding at the bottom.

The ProColor is a bit lighter than a 1911 standard at 18gms capped with the cartridge. My 1911 weight 21gms but it has a converter which I suspect is adding the additional 3gms. Uncapped, the ProColor weighs just 10gms. The cap does post for writing and is fairly well-balanced.

Sizewise, the ProColor is identical to the 1911 regular and just a bit shorter and slimmer than a Lamy Safari/Al-Star. The ProColor is just a little longer than the ProGear Slim but the same width.

After looking at the Delike knock-offs, I can see where some of the design cues came from for the New Moon. The ProColor cap has the silver hardware all the way to edge of the cap and the clip is not as graceful as the 1911. Its definitely straddling the line between the higher end 1911 and the knock-off New Moon. Of course, there’s the plus of the Sailor steel nib.

And the nib is what I really wanted to experience and what really took me by surprise because its been years since I tried a lower end Sailor nib. Very early in my fountain pen days, I tried a Sailor Clear Candy but I had very little point of reference and I feel I should probably go back and look at that pen again now that I know what a bit more about pens. I can’t recall the specifics of my experience now other than it was an inexpensive plastic pen. The ProColor, however, was a delight. It was comparable and in many instances surpassed the experience I’ve had with similarly priced TWSBIs.

Because its a Japanese nib, it writes like a western EF (hence the error in my written tests) but its actually a Sailor fine nib. It is a buttery smooth steel nib. I was quite delighted with how well it wrote. For the price point, this is an excellent fountain pen.

After reviewing the knock-off versions of Sailors earlier this week, I love having the chance to recommend to save your pennies for the real thing. It’s worth it. This pen feels better built, the nib is beautiful and, heck, it even comes with the Sailor box, warranty and two proprietary cartridges (converter needs to be purchased separately).

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Review by Tina Koyama

I think it was Azizah of Gourmet Pens who said that one can never have too many music nibs. If my handwriting were as beautiful as hers, I could rationalize having as many music nibs as I damn well please. Alas, it’s not (in fact, I usually print in a utilitarian manner), so I’m not sure why I felt compelled to add a fifth music nib to my collection (and will undoubtedly add more in the future), but I’m happy I did. The Noodler’s Ink Neponset music nib is quite different from the others I own.

Before I get to that nib, though, let’s talk about the Neponset’s body, which is substantial. According to Pen Chalet, the Neponset (appropriately named after an airship blimp) is the largest of Noodler’s fleet. Despite my relatively small hand, I prefer pens with a good heft and girth, both of which the Neponset has. It’s also more than a half-inch longer than a Lamy Safari.

That extra length balances well with the pen’s large diameter without the cap. With the cap posted, however, it feels a little back-end heavy to me. The cap screws on and posts securely.

I chose the Calligraphy Stone color, which looked orange in the model photographed on Pen Chalet’s site, but mine is closer to a golden topaz hue with more dark marbling. Some parts of the body reflect light more than others, and the marbling varies widely, too. Made of acrylic, the body is fitted with a silver-colored clip, trim ring and band to match the nib.

The Neponset uses a plunger-style piston filler. For people who are used to eyedropper pens or those with built-in pistons, the detachable piston’s capacity may seem small. Compared to the miniscule Pilot and Sailor converters I’m used to, though, the Neponset’s filler seems enormous.

Before I move on to the nib, I must say something I’ve heard other Noodler’s users complain about but had never experienced myself until now: that smell! I noticed it immediately when I uncapped the new pen, but when I unscrewed the section from the barrel, that odor nearly knocked me out! (Yes, I have said the same thing about alcohol-based markers and Xylene pens.) I quickly inked it and put the barrel back on, hoping that would hold the smell at bay, and it did. As long as it’s completely capped, I don’t smell it. (I’ve heard that if I disassemble all the pieces and leave them out in the open for several days, the smell will dissipate, so I’ll do that before its next inking.)

Now let’s get to that nib, which is the most important part of any pen (at least for me). Called the Vishnu Victory, the Neponset’s music nib has the traditional three tines. (I have a Sailor music nib with only two tines, but the Platinum, Pilot and Franklin-Christoph all have three.)

Apparently music nibs are so named because their stub-like shape can make a thin line horizontally and thicker line vertically, both strokes being used to write music notations. I also understand that the purpose of the double slits (three tines) is to keep more ink flowing. The Vishnu Victory certainly manages well on both counts. Immediately after its first inking and ever since, it has been flowing beautifully with no skips or hard starts, and it keeps up with longer or faster strokes with ease.

Pen Chalet’s description calls it a “flex music nib,” which caught my attention; none of my other music nibs have any flex at all (hard as the proverbial nail). While I probably don’t take advantage of flexing when I write, I sometimes enjoy making deliberately slow pen-and-ink-type drawings using fountain pens instead of dip pens, and the Neponset’s nib gives me just enough spring that I can get interesting line variations. Mind you, it’s not a wet noodle by any means or even as flexy as some contemporary nibs (my Pilot Falcon and Pilot FA nibs are much flexier), but it has just enough bounce to make the nib fun.

Final Impressions

Flexier than all the other music nibs I’ve tried, Noodler’s Neponset is a versatile pen for both writing and drawing (and is therefore a welcome addition to my music nib collection whether I can rationalize another one or not). I hope that stink goes away.

By the way, if you’re curious about that quotation I used for my writing sample, it’s by Naoki Ishikawa, an explorer and photographer, quoted in last year’s Hobonichi Techo: “I want to spend the rest of my life continually astonished by things I’ve never seen. When I saw the world’s tallest mountain peaks, or Tibetan worshippers chanting prayers as they spent all day circling a temple, or the deep crimson sunsets of Africa, my body responded on its own. By the time I realized it, my finger was already pressing the shutter.”

I’d like to spend the rest of my life that way, too.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Pen Chalet for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Review by Laura Cameron

In my ongoing quest to try every pen I can get my hands on, my most recent acquisition is the Parker IM Fountain Pen in Light Purple with Chrome Trim and a fine nib ($41).  This one appealed to me because of the look, the price point and the brand name.

The body features a brushed finish in purple and all the trim is chrome, making this a stylish, modern looking pen.  The postable cap features a contoured end cap and the standard Parker Arrow pen clip.  The nib is a Parker stainless steel fine nib.  The Parker IM comes with an ink cartridge and  a converter can be easily purchased separately.

When I received this pen, I was really pleased with it in terms of look and feel. I immediately filled it up with some Diamine Ancient Copper, found a notebook and took it for a spin.

I had a bit of an interesting experience with this one which, in hindsight, was related to the ink I was using. At first I had a bit of trouble getting the ink to flow smoothly through the nib, but after a bit it wrote fairly smoothly.  I found the fine nib a little bit scratchy, despite switching position while writing. 

Over the next few days I kept pulling out this pen, and that’s when I discovered that the ink sample I was using must have had some quality issues – each time I opened the pen there would be ink crusted all around the nib. I could run it under water, clean it off and start to write again fairly quickly, but as soon as it sat in my bag for a bit, I would open it to find the nib crusted over again. Within a day or two I went ahead and emptied and cleaned the pen and tossed the ink sample.  The second time I tried filling the pen with Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue, and that has been much better.  I still find the nib a little scratchy, but it’s far better with the new ink.

Empty, the pen weighs approximately 26gms.  It is lighter than I would have expected given the metal body, but I still feel like it has a decent weight in my hand.

Overall, I think this pen is a pretty good starter fountain pen. I’m not sure I enjoy it quite as much as my Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen, which is quite a bit heavier in my hand, but I like it far, far better than the Sheaffer VFM that I reviewed a few weeks ago. The two don’t really compare, but I was carrying both at the same time and I was far more likely to grab the Parker IM and pretty happy while using it.

I just wanted to add a quick note about the notebook that I used to test the Parker IM.  This was a generous gift to the desk by Julia Skott from Sweden. (Ed. Note: She blessed us with a heap ton of awesome Swedish and European notebooks at the Atlanta Pen Show this year that will be making an occasional appearance on the blog.) Appeel notebooks are made by an Italian company that wanted to create eco-friendly journals inspired by the Italian landscape.  The notebooks are called Appeel because the book covers and pages are made from apple peels and selected vegetable fibers.  I found a few examples of Appeel products being offered at promotional goods sites (i.e. for creating logo merchandise), but I didn’t find anywhere to purchase otherwise.

The notebook I used had a cardstock cover, though many of the journals I found online have leather covers.  The notebook measures 13 x 21cm with a sewn binding, and contains 80 pages of 80gsm lined paper, featuring the Appeel logo in the upper corner.   The paper is a neutral tan color.  In general I enjoyed testing the paper. Surprisingly, it tolerated fountain pen ink quite well, with some ghosting, but no bleeding through even in the areas where I filled in with extra ink.

Laura is a tech editor, podcaster, knitter, spinner and recent pen addict. You can learn more about her knitting and tea adventures on her website, The Corner of Knit & Tea and can find her on Instagram as Fluffykira.

The Aurora Duo Cart fountain pen ($180 in burgundy and gold)  is a re-creation of the original Duo Cart of 60 years ago.  If the photo on the box is any indication, only minor alterations have been made to the original design. Originally, the name came from the pen’s ability to carry two cartridges, the one it was using and a spare. Hence the “duo cart.” The modern version comes with a converter which occupies the majority of the barrel and modern cartridges appear to be a bit longer making it difficult to fit two in the barrel, though the bane lives on.

While I don’t make a big deal of packaging, a well-placed vintage photo on a recyclable cardboard box is always welcome. Inside the box was the converter, cartridges and a small bottle of ink. Everything needed to start off on a fountain pen adventure.

Inside, was the vintage clamshell box with satin lining that was legendarily found in the Aurora basement. It even smelled like vintage attic! From what I understand, the stash of vintage clamshell cases has already been depleted and sadly, I don’t even get to keep this one (its just a loaner) but at least I got to sniff it.

The pen is pristine Mary Tyler Moore bordeaux red with a gold tone cap engraved with fine vertical lines. The ends of the pen are flat and smooth. On the barrel end is an embedded, smooth, gold disc, Very modern and understated.

Between the barrel and the grip is a matching gold band with engraved rings. This is a case where you can definitely put a ring on it.

The nib is hooded, similarly to a Parker 51 though there is a bit of a step down to the nib. Visually, I noticed it but once I started using the pen, the step pretty much disappeared.

The nib is listed as medium but it is a very blunt, almost italic-style medium. If there was anything that I would want added to the Duo Cart line, other than a variety of pen barrel color options, it would be nib size options. Not everyone is going to want a nib that is quite this broad and flat. It certainly has a lot of character is much more of a stub in the range of a 0.8mm to a 1mm than it is a traditional round medium nib. So, from that perspective, I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. It took a page or so of writing for me to find the sweet spot and get the feed good and wet so that it was writing smoothly and consistently for me and that may have had more to do with my being left-handed than the pen.

That said, once the Duo Cart and I got going, it was pretty smooth sailing on the Rhodia paper. The nib actually ended up reminding my of the Esterbrook 2442 Falcon that I like so much so we ended up getting along swimmingly.

The Duo Cart is also available with a black barrel with silver trim ($156) if you are feeling a bit more Mad Men and a little less Laura Petrie à la the Dick Van Dyke Show.

A little more about the ink: I used the new Robert Oster Soda Pop Blue ($17 bottle but everybody is sold out!) for this review which is a vivid bright blue with a bit of a red sheen. In writing, a bit more of the turquoise shading shows through particularly with the wider nib. I suspect the color would be darker overall in a finer nib.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Kenro Inc. for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.