While not the most exciting topic, I get a lot of questions about the inks I use at work.  I generally take the position that any ink is “work appropriate” as long as you have the confidence to pull it off (hello, Yama-Budo), but understandably, some work environments—and the paper they stock in the supply cabinet—are more tolerant of our craziness than others.  

If I know that I will not have access to a stock of decent paper, and I’m in a situation where I don’t want to rock the boat color-wise, my go-to ink option is either Sailor Kiwa-Guro nano-black (a pigmented writing ink), or one of the various bottles of basic royal blue inks that I have lying around.  Some might consider the Kiwa-Guro too pricey for a bottle of black ink, but if feathering and bleeding on cheap paper really bothers you, this is by far the best option.  Noodler’s X-feather also probably won’t bleed or feather on cheapo paper, but from what I’ve heard, it takes forever to dry so I don’t consider this a viable option for work if you need to take multiple pages of notes in a short time-frame (i.e., you're flipping pages of your notebook or legal pad before they dry).  Noodler’s inks and pigmented inks like Kiwa-Guro also require more maintenance, and you should pay attention to how often you flush out your pens or else you may get a clog.

I have four options for basic blue inks, which is ridiculous, but hey, this is my “job".  They are, in no particular order of preference: 

Waterman Serenity Blue (formerly “Florida Blue”).  This ink is more or less the gold standard for “safe” blue inks, and has an almost cult-like following among vintage pen collectors because apparently no one has ever seen this ink stain a pen.  The first bottled fountain pen ink that I ever purchased, Waterman blue holds a special place in my stockpile and I use it regularly.  It works well on most papers, even in a wet stub nib. 

Rohrer & Klingner Koenigsblau:  I would call Koenigsblau a slightly brighter version of Waterman blue.  It’s equally well-behaved on most papers, but probably a touch more likely to feather and bleed.  Rohrer & Klingner inks work well in most of the pens in which I’ve used them, and are generally regarded as safe.  I’m also liking Leipziger Schwartz (a greenish-black).  

Writing sample of Koenigsblau and Waterman Serenity/Florida Blue.  Note that each of these inks appears fairly washed-out when dry, at least on less absorbent paper like Clairefontaine or these Nock Co. dot-dash cards.  

Iroshizuku Asa-Gao:  Perhaps the ink I’ve recently enjoyed the most.  The Asa-Gao dries with a dark sapphire-like tinge to it, not quite as nice as Bung-box Sapphire but close.  I have only a 15ml “mini-Iroshizuku” bottle and will be picking up a full bottle as soon as that one runs out.  Compare how bright the Asa-Gao remains when it dries, as opposed to the much more washed out Waterman and R&K.  

Probably the most accurate comparison.  The Asa-Gao is the brightest, the Koenigsblau second, and the Waterman third.  The Koenigsblau shows better in this picture because I used a pen with a wetter nib. 

Other blue inks that I’ll throw out there as good everyday options include:  Aurora Blue (slightly more purple-violet); Sailor Nioi-Sumire (same); Bung-box Sapphire; and Sailor Souten (a sky blue).  Your mileage may vary in terms of what's "acceptable" in your place of work (or you may just not care), but using one of these blues probably won't cause others to look twice (unless it's to ask where you bought the bottle).  

The spread of pens brought to this year's pen show by the Edison Pen Company.  If you're not here, look at what you're missing! 

As anyone who chooses to read this blog should know, The D.C. Fountain Pen Supershow is the largest fountain pen-related gathering in the world.  The show spans four days (Thursday-Sunday) in August every year, and takes place at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  I’ve attended for the past three years.  Usually, I arrive early Friday morning so I'm there for the first full day of trading.  This year, however, I got in on Thursday afternoon.  While some trading goes on in the atrium Thursday afternoon, it’s mainly vintage.  The Sheraton had about 15 tables set up, and the trading seemed brisk. 

Thursday night, a group of pen bloggers/collectors/enthusiasts assembled in the hotel bar, following dinner at the restaurant next door.  Brad Dowdy and Jeffrey Bruckwicki, Mary Collis, Thomas Hall, Leigh Reyes, Gerald Taylor, Paul Joynes, and many others had made it in to town by dinner, and it was fun catching up.  

Thursday and Friday are the “pre-show,” open only to exhibitors (who have tables) and “weekend traders” who have purchased the $45 show pass.  Saturday and Sunday are open to the public.  Lot’s of people ask:  why pay extra when you can attend on Saturday and Sunday for only $7 or so?  The answer:  you avoid the crowds.  Saturday at the D.C. Pen Show is very, very crowded.  We’re talking shoulder to shoulder crowds most years, with lines backing up out the hotel doors in the morning.  Sunday is better from a crowd perspective, but at that point a lot of the vendors have sold out of their choice pens and inks.  

My Friday: 

After grabbing a quick breakfast with Mary Collis in the morning, anybody who needed nib work done joined a mad rush to put their names on the list of their favorite nibmeister or pen repairer.  Most of the major players perform nib work and/or restoration work at this show, including Mike Masuyama, Richard Binder (who now does shows only), Ron Zorn, and Deb Kinney.  I was able to get on Mike, Deb, and Ron’s list, and I purchased a spare nib for my Aurora Ipsilon Quadra from Richard Binder, which he tuned as part of the deal.  So with spots in line secured, I scoured the show for pens that caught my eye. 

As I’ve talked about recently, I’m not in “acquisition mode.”  There are a lot of nice pens in D.C., and many caught my eye, but this year I focused more on improving the pens I already have an getting nib work done.  I did, however, pick up my Newton Shinobi!  No pictures or teaser reviews yet—I want to use this pen and post a full write-up once I’ve spent some time with it.  It’s everything I thought it would be and more. 

A colorful array of Edison Menlos on Friday at the D.C. Pen Show.  I'm interested to see how many of these are still left after Saturday! 

Some more Friday observations and purchases: 

Vanness brought a huge amount of ink, as always, and they were set up down the aisle from Bung Box, who is attending the D.C. Pen Show for the first time.  Bung Box brought a suitcase full of their ink and limited edition Sailor, Pilot and Platinum pens, which were going fast.  

Franklin-Christoph is introducing a wide range of new ink colors.  I have samples of several of them and will be reviewing them in the coming weeks.  

I picked up some ink samples from Franklin-Christoph’s new line, a bottle of Akkerman Shocking Blue that I had ordered, some Bung Box Norwegian Wood, and a couple of spare TWSBI nibs that I had ground to an architect’s nib (by Mike Masuyama) and a .6mm cursive italic (by Deb Kinney).  Finally, just before the proverbial bell rang and the show closed for the day, I got a Parker 51 vacumatic from a random eBay lot completely restored by Ron Zorn.  The pen works perfectly and my vintage Parker collection continues to grow.  Some other pictures: 

Some Franklin-Christoph prototypes.  Some of these may become new editions?  Some may be one-offs? 

Friday night:  The Pen Addict Meetup

Brad Dowdy of the Pen Addict podcast and Nock Co. sponsored an after-hours gathering in one of the hotel ballrooms following the D.C. Pen Show Friday happy hour.  From what I could tell, the turnout was excellent, including a periscoped appearance by Brian and Rachel Goulet!  (I made a brief cameo on periscope, but I have no recollection of what was said given my state of exhaustion after about 12 hrs straight on my feet).  Stay tuned for more Saturday fun! 

Dot-grid napkins for the Pen Addict meetup?  How did the Sheraton know?  

The Main Ballroom at the 2015 Washington, D.C. Pen Show at about 10:00am. 

I took a couple days to draft my recap of Saturday and Sunday at the 2015 Washington D.C. Fountain Pen Supershow.  Exhausted after being on my feet for three days straight, all I wanted to do when I got home was sleep.  But once refreshed (or overly caffeinated, or both), I've had a chance to collect my thoughts and post some pics of what was easily my best pen show experience yet.

The D.C. Show is the largest show in the country, and normally attracts the biggest crowds.  I've heard that L.A. has gained popularity in recent years, especially on Sunday, so I'm not exactly sure how the two compare.  All I know is that on Saturday morning, after an early coffee and bagel run with Thomas Hall and Leigh Reyes, by 8:45am the line for general admission (i.e., those who did not buy the $45 weekend pass) wound back through the lobby several times.  The line cleared fairly quickly, and by 10:00am the show floor was packed. 

A shot from the floor of the 2015 Washington, D.C. Pen Show.  Those overhead lights made it nearly impossible to take decent pictures (at least on an iPhone).  

My main goal for Saturday was to take pictures, talk to people, and capture the spirit of the event for the blog.  The hotel left the mezzanine overlooking the main ballroom open, so I was able to get some overhead pictures of what was happening on the floor.  (Pardon the mediocre quality--the overhead lights were extremely bright throughout the weekend, so the conditions for photography were less than ideal.  Great for examining pens, bad for taking pictures.)

Another pic in the middle of things . . . .

Anderson Pens was busy all day.  This year I think they had four or five tables at the show.  

So who was there on Saturday?  In terms of bloggers/podcasters: Brad Dowdy of the Pen Addict, Thomas Hall of Penucopia, Leigh Reyes, Mary Collis, Paul Joynes, Brian from Office Supply Geek, Matt Armstrong of The Pen Habit, Gerald from My Coffee Pot, Dan Smith of The Nibsmith, Elizabeth from No Pen Intended, Tim Wasem of The Writing Arsenal/Erasable Podcast, AND Johnny Gamber of Pencil Revolution/The Erasable Podcast (who, disappointingly, was not picketing the show).  Many pen makers were also present, including Jonathan Brooks of the Carolina Pen Company (showing off his "airbrush pens"--seriously, check these out--as well as many of his custom acrylics and alumilites), Shawn Newton, and Brian and Andrea Gray of Edison Pens.  Brian and Rachel Goulet were also circulating among the crowds, though I didn't get a chance to talk to them (and make a Goulet periscope appearance!) until later that night.  I'm sure I've left a ton of people out, but I met so many people this weekend . . . . 

Franklin-Christoph was set up against the back wall, and from what I could tell was flooded with customers.  They had two or three trays of prototype pens on display and for sale.  

So what did I buy on Saturday?  Well, still no pens.  My pen acquisitions for the weekend were a big zero.  But I did pick up a TWSBI ink bottle from the Andersons and a couple bottles of Sailor Kobe Ink from Vanness, which Sailor manufactures for the Kobe-Nagasawa department store in Kobe, Japan.  I believe there are approximately 50 colors in the Kobe line, so if you're a Sailor ink fanatic, Vanness Pen Shop stocks them periodically.  If Vanness is out of stock, there are several eBay sellers who also carry them, but again, these are specially manufactured by Sailor so availability can be spotty, especially if you are looking for specific colors.  I was tempted to pick up some KZW inks and some more Bung Box Inks (directly from Bung Box, no less), but realized that I was pressing my luck with airport security enough as it is and cut myself off.  Bung Box did have some stunning custom Pilot and Sailor pens, including a yellow Realo piston filler dubbed the "Soleil" that I'm still contemplating.  There's always mail order! 

My 2015 Washington, D.C. Pen Show Haul.  From left, a bag of Franklin-Christoph ink samples (plus a couple others from friends old and new); a bottle of Bung Box Norwegian Wood; two TWSBI nibs custom ground; a bottle of Akkerman Shocking Blue; two bottles of Kobe Ink (Nos. 4 and 37), a red TWSBI ink bottle, and the prize from this year's SWAG bag, a Monteverde limited edition ink, which looks like a blue-gray.  Reviews all will be forthcoming at some point.  (No picture of the Newton Shinobi that was delivered this weekend, I'm saving that one!)  

The best aspect of pen shows is the after-hours activity.  After dinner with the Erasable Crew and Joe Lebo (at a surprisingly decent Thai restaurant in the office park across the street from the hotel), we retired to the bar, where I actually lasted until 11:00pm or so.  I returned to the show the next day, but Sunday was very quiet.  Many vendors had packed up Saturday night and gone home, but I imagine those that remained did a brisk business during the afternoon.  I grabbed some Rhodia pads marked at 20% off (nobody wants to carry paper home), took some pictures, and headed to the airport.  I'm already making plans for next year.  

In case you missed my write-up of Thursday and Friday, please check it out!      

Check out that blue color--available nowhere else.  

I can't believe that I've had this ink for over four months and still have not posted a review.  It's no secret that I love Sailor Inks, and the special line of inks that Sailor manufactured for the Japanese retailer Bung Box (in Hamamatsu) has developed a cult following.  At last week's D.C. Pen Show, Bung Box attended with a suitcase full of ink in tow, and apparently sold all of it. 

Frankly, BB Sapphire is the best blue ink I have used.  The color pops, it doesn't fade, and the ink has all the great properties of Sailor ink.  (When I refer to an ink having "great properties," or an ink that "behaves well," I typically mean that the ink dries quickly and doesn't feather or bleed on the cheap paper that I have to use at work.) 

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire in the tall bottle.  I currently have this ink in three pens:  a Delta Dolcevita Soiree with a fine nib, a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib, and an Esterbrook with a signature stub.  

I have three bottles of Bung Box ink:  4B ("Bung Box Blue Black"), Sapphire, and Norwegian Wood (emerald green), the latter of which I picked up last week.  All of my bottles are the special Bung Box tall version, as opposed to the shorter Sailor bottle with an internal inkwell.  I've heard that Sailor is discontinuing the special tall bottles--at the D.C. Show, several of the inks that Bung Box brought with them were packaged in the regular Sailor bottles.  There's nothing wrong with regular Sailor ink, but it can be difficult to fill a large piston-fill pen such as a Montblanc or a Pelikan using an ordinary Sailor ink bottle.  Cartridge/Converter pens pose less of a problem, because you can fill the converter directly without even dipping the nib. 

Bung Box ink is expensive.  In the U.S., you can purchase from Vanness Pen Shop for $35.65 per bottle.  Currently, their stock is limited.  You can also try to track down contact information for the shop in Japan, and there are several eBay-based purchasing services who can obtain Bung Box Ink for you, but there will not be significant cost savings.  The price per-bottle will remain around $35 (possibly $30 if you buy multiple bottles and can save on shipping).        

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire writing sample on Rhodia Paper.  The ink looks darker with a very broad, wet nib.  I've also included a color comparison with several other "bright blue" inks.  The Sapphire color is unique and, personally, my favorite.   

From time to time I'll receive an e-mail from someone looking to break into this hobby asking what pen they should purchase as their "first fountain pen."  It's a difficult question to answer, because there are so many different variables and potential starting points.  For example, some people have a lot of disposable income and want to start right away at the $100-plus price point, with a gold-nibbed pen.  Personally, I didn't start there, and I don't think it's the best way to decide whether this method of writing is "for you."  I started down this path with a cheapo plastic school pen and a gallon plastic bag of generic school cartridges (back when you could buy such things easily), and I still got hooked!  Here are my top 5 "First Pen" recommendations.   

The classic, streamlined design of the silver Pilot Metropolitan.  

1. The Pilot Metropolitan.  For $15 (or less at PenChalet with a coupon code), you can get a cartridge filling pen with a great nib that also comes with a converter.  I personally was "cartridge-only" for years before I started using bottled ink, but frankly there weren't nearly as many bottled ink options then as there are now.  The Metro is now (or soon will be) available in an array of colorful options, and you have the choice between a medium and a fine nib.  For first-timers, I'd go with the medium, as the fine is very fine, and could be considered scratchy.
2. The Pilot Kakuno.  Another pen that I hear raves about is the Pilot Kakuno.  While I personally do not have one (yet), even experienced fountain pen users have multiples of this pen, and those Kakunos that I have written with have been excellent writers.  The pen is a cartridge pen that also accepts converters, so if you "convert" to using bottled ink down the line, you can still use this pen.  Best known for it's "smiley face" engraved on the nib, the Kakuno is also available with Pilot's excellent medium and fine steel nibs, like the Metropolitan.  At less than $12 on Amazon (with Prime Shipping), it's a steal.    
3. The Lamy Safari.  While I started out with Waterman Kultur and Phileas fountain pens that I purchased in France (and sadly, that are no longer available in the U.S., at least at retail), the Safari was the first pen I purchased when I took a deeper dive into this hobby five years ago.  With it's now-iconic design, the Safari can almost be considered a piece of modern art, but I would recommend that anyone thinking about this pen take note of two things before purchasing:  (1) if triangular grip sections on pens and pencils don't work for you, the Safari probably won't either; and (2) Lamy cartridges are proprietary, and somewhat hard to find at retail in the States.  That said, at under $30, you're not out a ton of money if the purchase doesn't work out, and PenChalet has the Neon Yellow limited edition priced as low as $22.  
4. The Kaweco Sport.  A new take on an old classic.  Kaweco resurrected a line of pocket pens from earlier in the century, and if these had been available to me when I was a student I probably would have had five or six of them, in the entire range of colors.  The Kaweco Sport clocks in at a whopping $25, and the entire range of nibs is available, from fine all the way to broad.  The Kaweco Sport also takes the (fairly) universal short international cartridges, which are fairly easy to find, though you don't have a good converter option if you want to switch to bottled ink.  For future reference, its also available in the more expensive aluminum and brass models.  
5. The Pelikan Twist.  The Pelikan Twist came onto my radar at the Atlanta Pen Show.  While clearly intended for the "student" market, a lot of serious pen collectors enjoy these pens as well.  Pelikan makes nice nibs, and at less than $15 on Amazon, it's a bargain and went into my cart this morning.  A converter is available, and the pen comes in a range of colors. 

Of these five recommendations, my unequivocal "top two" would be the Pilots, simply because I think Pilot makes great pens, the barrier to entry is low, and I don't know many people who have had a bad experience with either pen.  I will go ahead and preemptively address the inevitable "Why didn't you include . . . " questions here with respect to two brands:  TWSBI and Noodler's.  As to TWSBI, I love their pens, but I don't recommend that beginners start out with a piston filler and a bottle of ink.  While you can buy the new "Eco" at less than $30, you can get a nice cartridge/converter pen for even less money.  Once you know this is the hobby for you, then buy as many bottles of ink as you want :)  Noodler's pens, quite simply, are not for beginners.  While they are inexpensive, they can require extensive tinkering to write properly.  Their pens that fall in the $40-75 range, such as the Konrad, warrant mention to more experienced fountain pen users, but I wouldn't wish the Ahab on my worst enemy.  

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks! 

My pen collection doesn't focus on a specific brand or model of pen.  To the extent my collection has a "focus," that focus has been on acquiring pens made from unique materials.  Over the past few years, I've snapped up several Italian celluloid pens.  The pen featured in today's review:  the Stipula Etruria in "Alter Ego" celluloid, was my first. 

Most inks have worked well in the Etruria.  For this review, I used Iroshizuku Asa-Gao on Rhodia paper. 

The major Italian pen companies are Omas, Delta, Stipula, Aurora, and Montegrappa.  I either own or have owned pens from all five, with the exception of Montegrappa.  (Nothing against Montegrappa pens--for now most of them are out of my price range.)  My favorite Italian pens are my Deltas and my Stipula, primarily because of the different celluloids those companies use. 

A note on celluloid:  Celluloid is a highly flammable material made from a mixture of nitrocellulose (aka "guncotton") and camphor, which gives the material its distinctive smell.  Originally intended as a replacement for ivory, celluloid has incredible depth of color when used to make fountain pens.  Unfortunately, modern celluloid pens tend to be extremely expensive, because the material is time-consuming to make and requires years to cure before it can be turned into a pen. 

While the Etruria is large, I would not call it an oversized pen.  

The Etruria is a large, cigar-shaped pen, and serves as Stipula's flagship model.  Stipula has offered the Etruria in various materials (primarily different celluloids), as well as in tweaked designs such as this gorgeous faceted model created as a special edition for Chatterly Luxuries.  The pen is a high-capacity piston-filler.  The piston mechanism is very tight, and the head of the piston spins along with the rod as the piston is depressed.  Stipula advertises this piston as "self-cleaning," and I can attest that this pen appears to be somewhat easier to flush than most piston fillers, presumably because the spinning piston head brushes ink off the sides of the barrel as it turns.  The piston also turns counter-clockwise, which is unique.  

The Etruria is a big pen, and has some heft.  It does post, but many people may find it too top heavy since the piston mechanism already adds a lot of weight to the back end of the pen.  To me, the weight/length is similar to a Pelikan M800 posted.  My pen features sterling silver trim, which adds additional weight.  The clip is engraved to resemble a reed, which the Romans used as pens (aka, a "Stipula").    

I've thoroughly enjoyed the 14k, 1.1mm stub, but I originally purchased the pen with Stipula's titanium "T-flex" nib installed.  While the "T-flex" is one of the "flexiest" modern nibs available, the flow was too heavy for me, and the pen didn't see much use until I had the nib replaced by sending the pen back to Yafa, the U.S. distributor for Stipula.  It's been a couple years, but I recall that Yafa had to send the pen back to Italy so that the nib could be swapped out.  Stipula's stock stub nib is a true stub--not a sharp italic--and has fast become one of my favorite writers.  It's soft, with just the right amount of flow, and has good line variation.  I had considered selling this pen due to my dissatisfaction with the T-flex nib, but I'm glad that I didn't.  

At the end of the day, the material is what does it for me with this pen.  The Alter Ego celluloid is a brown/orange with black veins running throughout.  From what I can tell, Stipula no longer sells the Etruria Alter Ego with the sterling trim, but PenBoutique has been advertising a new Etruria "Magnifica" in Alter Ego celluloid, with gold trim, as "coming soon."  Unfortunately, Stipula's celluloid pens are not cheap.  The Alter Ego pictured in this review now sells for close to $600, but that may be because this specific pen has been discontinued.  The new model looks like it will have a $450 MSRP but is on pre-sale at Pen Boutique for $360, which is, frankly, a good price for an Italian celluloid pen.  This price will increase if you opt for a gold nib as opposed to the titanium T-flex. 

If you like the Etruria form factor, Stipula offers the model in more accessible entries to the Etruria "Magnifica" line, which feature cartridge-converter filling systems and steel nibs.  Stipula pens are generally well-made, and they are a good entry point into the higher-end Italian lines. 

DISCLAIMER:  While I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, this post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks!   

My TWSBI 580AL in orange, which now sports a Masuyama Architect's nib.  

After I published my recent post, "Top 5 Fountain Pens for Beginners," I received the inevitable questions about TWSBI, and more specifically, the recently released "Eco" fountain pen.  I don't have a TWSBI Eco in my collection, but at the recent D.C. Pen Show I had the opportunity to both handle and write with the pen.  I was impressed.  If TWSBI has resolved the quality control issues that have plagued them to date, then the Eco could place TWSBI in a position to be the "no-brainer" option for those looking to upgrade from a "beginner" fountain pen to something slightly more complex, such as a piston-filler.  

Traditionally, the range of fountain pens priced between $30 and $75 has been tricky to navigate.  At the top of that range ($75 or so), you are in a place where you can spend an extra $50 and get an iconic Lamy 2000 with a gold nib.  Even at the bottom of that range, you may find yourself asking the question, "why do I need to spend an extra $10 or $20 when my Safari works just fine?"  Both of these are valid concerns, and that's why there are only a couple brands that I will go on the record as recommending in this price range.  As you might expect, TWSBI features prominently.  

1. TWSBI 580:  The TWSBI 580 can be considered TWSBI's flagship pen.  It's a large piston-filler, and the cap doesn't post.  (Well, you can post a TWSBI, but it's not particularly comfortable.)  The biggest upside to investing in a TWSBI, besides the reasonable $55 price tag, is the fact that the nibs are interchangeable.  Even as a relatively experienced fountain pen user, I use my TWSBI regularly, fitted with either the stock 1.1mm stub nib or some custom nib units that I had ground at this year's D.C. Pen Show.  Don't forget to check out the Aluminum versions; certain colors are being discontinued.  Grab 'em while you can.    
2. TWSBI Eco:  TWSBI recently released their new "Eco" model to much acclaim.  The Eco (short for "economical") is priced right around $30 ($31.99 shipped via Amazon), so it could legitimately threaten to enter the "best first fountain pen" category, but I would still recommend it as a second or third purchase given my preference for recommending cartridge/converter pens to beginners.  As the reviews come in, the Eco may displace the 580 as the number one pen on this list.  And the cap posts!   
3. TWSBI Mini:  For those who want a smaller pen, consider the TWSBI Mini, which also features interchangeable nib units.  The Mini is still a piston-filler, so you're not looking at any price difference from the 580.  While I sold my Mini a while back (to pay for my Aluminum 580), I'm tempted to buy another, because I love the form factor.  It's a great pocket pen, with a cap that posts.  
4. Lamy Studio:  I consider the Lamy Studio to be the best cartridge/converter pen falling into this price range.  A sturdy, metal pen with a round metal section that comes in a variety of colors, the MSRP on the Studio is around $90, but PenChalet is currently selling them for $71 (or less with a coupon code).  The standard pen features a steel nib, but you always have the option of upgrading to gold.    
5. Lamy AL-Star:  If you are a fan of the Safari, but want something with a touch more heft, check out the Lamy AL-Star.  Priced at $37, it's a modest upcharge from Lamy's entry-level pen but is made of aluminum and uses the same nibs as both the Safari and the Studio, so you can swap the nibs among your growing Lamy collection. 

It goes without saying that these recommendations only represent my personal opinion.  I'm always looking for new pens to try, so if you think there's a pen I haven't discussed here but should be looking at, give me a shout through the "Contact Me!" link or via Twitter.  

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks!   

This review has definitely been in the hopper for too long.  I purchased this ink back in April at the Atlanta Pen Show, and have been using it fairly frequently.  It's a dark, wine-toned purple that provides a different option from the "Bordeaux" inks out there.  Most wine-themed inks tend to fall on the reddish side--this one leans purple, and I like it.   

Callifolio uses the same triangular bottle that Diamine used for their 150th Anniversary Inks.  Other manufacturers have used this bottle as well.  If you collect enough of them (8, I believe?) they will fit together to form a circle. 

Much like Callifolio Equinoxe 6, which I reviewed back in June, Bourgogne is well-behaved without any noticeable feathering or bleedthrough, and flushes out of a pen easily.  Reds and Purples can be high-maintenance and difficult to clean due to the dyes used to achieve the specific colors, but I didn't have any problems with the Callifolio.  As you can see, the ink dries quite dark, making this a good option for work.  Like the Equinoxe 6, it also dries very quickly, even in this wet-writing vintage Parker.  I have little patience for finicky inks these days, and I really wanted to like the Callifolio, so I'm glad its highly usable!  

Callifolio Bourgogne Writing Sample with a Parker Super 21 Mark II, on a Nock Co. Dot Dash Card.  

Callifolio inks can be purchased from Vanness Pen Shop.  They are priced at $11 for a 40ml bottle, and at $8 for a 50ml foil pouch (which is the more economical option, provided that you have an empty bottle in which to store the ink).  

DISCLAIMER:  While I purchased this specific ink with my own funds, some posts on this blog may contain affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen or ink you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks! 

Crossing the $100 threshold is a big step.  Not only is it a lot of money, but many people question whether there's any real difference between a $20 pen and a $100 pen, or even a $500 pen.  Or even a pencil?  They all write, right? 

The Lamy 2000 tops my list for your first trip over the $100 price point.  

To me, there is a difference, and it lies in the writing experience.  While there are a few steel nibs out there that are excellent writers, I prefer the feel of gold nibs.  Gold fountain pen nibs are (mostly) "springier," meaning that they feel softer than a steel nib on paper; they typically write a wetter line and will show off the ink you are using to a greater degree.  I do agree, however, that beyond a certain price point (say, $250), with the limited exception of certain high-end pens such as Nakaya or custom pens purchased from a craftsman who tunes nibs, you are unlikely to see much more improvement in nib quality.  At the upper end of most manufacturers' product lines you are paying for design features (i.e., a limited edition design), branding (i.e., Montblanc), or a costly/rare material used to make the pen (i.e., celluloid).  So where to start?  Here are my top five fountain pens for someone looking to break into the "luxury" market: 

1. Lamy 2000.  My default recommendation for a "first really nice pen" has always been the Lamy 2000.  I've already reviewed the pen, and I own two of them, so consider me a fan of its minimalistic, Bauhaus-inspired styling.  The Lamy 2000 has a very wet, 14k gold nib that most consider soft and springy.  Be aware that the 2000 nib sizes run much broader than a lot of other pens.  I have both a custom stub (formerly a medium), and an extra-fine.  In my opinion, both the medium and the EF run one size broader than normal (i.e., the medium writes more like a broad).  In recent years, many bloggers and commenters have noted a prevalence of nib issues with this pen, such as scratchiness, misaligned or uneven tines, and even bent nibs.  While I wouldn't rule out some deterioration in Lamy's quality control over the years, I've not personally experienced any issues, and I sometimes wonder whether this is just a function of how popular this pen is, with some problems being inevitable once so many of them hit the market.  The Lamy 2000 is the least expensive pen on this list, coming in as low as $120 shipped (from Amazon), or you can opt for the brushed stainless steel model (which is seriously on my radar screen) at $250 (from Amazon).      
2. Sailor Pro Gear.  At no. 2, you have the most expensive pen on this list, but it's possibly my favorite pen of all time.  Sailor's 1911 Professional Gear (dubbed the "Pro Gear") is a relatively compact fountain pen that sports excellent Sailor 21k nibs.  I promise that I won't go on about Sailor at length--you can read my reviews of my two Limited Editions here and here--but in short Sailor is a Japanese company known for its nibs.  To achieve maximum smoothness and perfection, I've had both my Sailor nibs tuned by Mike Masuyama (who worked for Sailor for 25 years or so), but all Sailor pens that I have purchased have written just fine out of the box.  Starting at $250 for the standard version at PenChalet, and if you have smaller hands the Pro Gear Slim might be a better option at $156.   
3. Pilot Vanishing Point.  The go-to option for a retractable nib fountain pen.  Of all the modern pen companies, I've found that Pilot nibs write the best out of the box, and the Vanishing Point is another easy recommendation with one caveat:  many people have a hard time with the clip.  Due to the fact that a retractable fountain pen needs to be stored nib-up, the clip ends up on the writing end of the pen, attached to the "section."  (Take a look at some photos of the pen, and you'll see what I mean).  I personally am not sensitive about grip sections, and the matte-black VP model is one of my most used work pens.  The Vanishing Point is available in a wide array of colors, and start at $140 pretty much everywhere (pre-discount code).   
4. Pilot Custom 74.  A pen that I don't personally own anymore, but that I enjoyed while I had it.  The Pilot Custom 74 is a full-size pen that features a nice rhodium-plated gold nib, and in the United States is available as a clear, blue, orange, smoke, or violet demonstrator.  The Custom 74 also comes with Pilot's high-capacity Con-70 pump converter, which is just flat-out cool.  Starting at $160 from most retailers.  NOTE:  I have not reviewed either the Vanishing Point or the Custom 74 for this site, but both pens have been reviewed to death, and you can easily locate reviews of both using the Pennaquod search engine.  
5. Franklin-Christoph.  Your "gateway" into custom nibs.  Franklin-Christoph has taken the fountain pen industry by storm in recent years, offering an array of unique designs that use JoWo interchangeable nib units, some of which have been customized by Mike Masuyama. You can purchase a Masuyama Ground cursive italic or stub nib for your pen at a slight upcharge.  For example, the Model 20 "Marietta" starts at $165, and comes in at $180 for a Masuyama nib.  Most will want to stick with a steel nib for their first Franklin-Christoph, but gold nibs are available as well.  Note that Franklin-Christoph checks and tunes all nibs before they ship, and they have excellent customer service if you are not satisfied.  I really like their demonstrator models, which look absolutely awesome when converted to eyedroppers.      

Again, this list contains just like, my opinion, man, so if you think I've left anything off, reach out through the "Contact Me" link or via twitter.  I've received some great suggestions following the prior posts, and haven't had a chance to get back to everyone yet.  I will try!  

DISCLAIMER:  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks! 

Just a quick update on a few new things you'll see on the site.  I've added three sections collecting my "Best Of" lists to make them easier for new readers (and old ones!) to get caught up on past posts.  The links are now pinned to the navigation bar.  

It's been an incredibly busy week at work, so I've not come close to reviewing all of the wonderful things I have sitting on my desk right now, but more reviews are in the works and on the way (including some more pencil and paper content).  In the meantime, if you haven't read my recent series on my Top 5 Fountain Pens in various price ranges, please check it out!  As always, thanks for your support.  I truly appreciate all of you.   

Best Fountain Pens for Beginners

Best Fountain Pens Under $75

Masters Class:  Buying Your First Fountain Pen over $100

My new favorite pen for beginners--or maybe for anyone:  the Pilot Kakuno

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a piece on the Best Fountain Pens for Beginners, and I included on that list a pen that I’d been resisting for some time: The Pilot Kakuno.  I’ve read rave reviews of the Kakuno, but until now I had never been able to bring myself to pick one up.  That’s probably because I’d only seen them in person at Kinokuniya in NYC, where they sell for about $17—making it more expensive than your typical impulse purchase.  

During my research for my “Best Pens” series of articles, I noticed that Amazon was selling the Kakuno for a little over $12 shipped (Prime Eligible). That brought the pen firmly into the sub-$15 “guilt-free impulse buy” zone so I dropped it into my cart when I was doing my weekly household shopping.  It’s been my primary pocket carry pen ever since, smiley-faced nib and all.  

The Pilot Kakuno Nib, with the "smiley face" engraving.  That smiley face is a devil to photograph correctly, btw. 

The Kakuno features what looks like the same nib as the Pilot Metropolitan (plus the signature engraving).  I opted for the fine nib, and the nib on my Kakuno is even smoother than the one on my old Metro.  The nib has some slight spring to it, but I would still characterize it as fairly stiff (which is fine by me).  The pen ships with a cartridge, but I believe most Pilot converters (sold separately) will fit the Kakuno.  Pilot’s cartridges are convenient, in that they hold a lot of ink, and the ink is high quality, so I’ll probably just stick with the carts.

Some reviewers have criticized the Kakuno for looking like a child's pen. Other than the smiley, I don’t agree.  On the whole, find it much less childlike than other recommended “first pens” such as the Pelikano, the Pelikano Jr., and even the Pelikan Twist or the Platinum Plaisir.  Maybe it’s the smiley-face on the nib that sets people off, but the look is relatively understated and not something that most people would notice unless they were staring at the nib of your pen.  (I mean, how weird would that be?)  Plus, come on people, lighten up.  At the end of the day, there are not many pens on the market at $11-12 that write this well, and you need to make work fun when you can. 

Bottom line:  the Kakuno is an excellent option for someone looking for an inexpensive introduction to fountain pens, or a seasoned fountain pen user who wants a knockaround pen that will write as well as a pen that costs five times as much.  That said, if you want to get into bottled ink, or if you work in an ultra-stodgy corporate environment and require “ye olde black pen”, the Metropolitan is probably the better buy because it comes with a converter and certainly won’t turn anyone's heads.  It's also selling for around $12 shipped right now.  Me?  I’m keeping my Kakuno, and using it proudly.

For some other great reviews of the Kakuno, read Brad's review over at the Pen Addict, as well as Maybelline's over at On Fountain Pens. 

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the pen used in this review with my own funds, for my own collection. This post does contain affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks!  

One half-empty bottle of Montblanc's LImited Edition Alfred Hitchcock Red. 

This question rears its head now and then, in some version or another.  Dr. Deans’ recent posts over at Fountain Pen Economics on the perceived bubble in the market for Field Notes Colors editions, and the difficulties faced by boutique Japanese retailer Bung Box in satisfying demand for their Special Edition Sailor Inks, got me thinking.  (From a consumer’s perspective, of course, not an economist’s.)  

Why do we continue to chase these “limited edition” lines of ink?  Montblanc started the trend of regularly issuing "limited" or "special" editions several years ago.  In late 2011-early 2012, Alfred Hitchcock Red came onto my radar, and I was smitten.  This particular color—a dusky, “blood” red that didn’t feather and bleed all over everything—was exactly what I’d been looking for in a red ink but had been unable to find elsewhere.  I purchased three bottles.  Over three years later, I’ve not yet finished one.   I fell hard for the “buy-as-much-as-you-can-afford-of-this-ink-now-because-you’ll-never-see-it-again” marketing strategy, and ironically, even though I had a healthy supply of Hitchcock, I reluctantly used it because, in the back of my mind, I felt that I should save "rare" ink for something special rather than the mundane everyday writing tasks for which I use most of my pens.   

Montblanc has continued to issue “limited edition” inks in its “Writers,” “Great Characters,” and “Meisterstuck” series.  Among the most popular have been the Hitchcock Red, Dandy Turquoise (Honore de Balzac), Winter Glow (a seasonal red ink), and, more recently, the JFK Navy Blue and “Blue Hour” inks.  Pelikan entered the game, with its Edelstein “Ink of the Year” series. Anecdotes of “ink hoarding” now litter the pen blogs and forums, with readers talking of purchasing as many as seven or eight bottles of a special or limited edition ink, terrified that they will run out (at some point in their life).  Users and collectors pay as much as $100 per (30ml!?!) bottle on the secondhand market for discontinued editions.  It begs the question: is this rational behavior?  

At some point, it probably was, but now, I’m not so sure, and suspect that it's now based on a false perception of scarcity.  I periodically search the internet for comparisons of Hitchcock ink to the other red inks on the market, dreading the day when my supply dries up.  At the time I bought my Hitchcock, there wasn’t much in the way of alternatives (or, I didn’t know of much). But the market has changed.  More companies have begun making and selling ink.  Some stick around; some don't.  Just five or six years ago, when I re-entered this hobby, Iroshizuku and Edelstein weren’t around, and Diamine wasn't readily available in the U.S.  If you wanted a wide range of colors, Noodler's and Private Reserve were the main options.  Far fewer online shopping options existed, much less tools such as the Goulet Swab Shop where you could pull up ink samples and easily compare colors.  (Goulet Pens launched a month or two after I picked up my pens following a long hiatus.)  In short, alternatives to these limited editions exist, and they’re easier to find than ever.  Today, if my Hitchcock ran out, Diamine Oxblood could probably serve as a "close enough" substitute, and there are enough inks out there to make the hunt for a new favorite enjoyable.   

A bottle of Bung Box 4B in the coveted tall bottle, which is now being discontinued in favor of the "Regular" Sailor bottle.  Presumably, this will allow Sailor to produce more inks for Bung Box, but will it cause the brand to lose it's cachet? 

Others have commented that the recent trend/fad has shifted from pursuing “Limited Edition” inks to seeking out hard to find, rare lines of ink exclusive to small boutique shops.  First it was Akkerman in the Hague, Netherlands; the latest darling is Bung Box in Hamamatsu, Japan.  Both inks carry a steep $35 per bottle price tag.  While this pricing likely reflects the cost born by these smaller retailers in having the ink made as opposed to the effect of supply and demand for the product, it remains to be seen whether these inks can remain as popular as they are in light of an increasing number of competitors offering cheaper and near-equivalent alternatives. For example, at last month's D.C. Pen Show, I considered purchasing three bottles of ink directly from Bung Box (who was at the show), but ended up with a few bottles of Kobe-Nagasawa Ink from Vanness instead after realizing that the price for 3 bottles from Bung Box would be $100.  Both inks are made by Sailor exclusively for these retailers, but the price difference is fairly stark:  ($35 per bottle for Bung Box vs. $19--regular Sailor pricing--for the Kobe).  Kobe is a larger operation that has 50 colors available, either from Vanness or via eBay.  Since Sailor makes both lines of ink, what's the chance that you can't find that Bung Box color you've been coveting (or a close equivalent) somewhere in the Kobe line, and have money left over to buy something else?  I finally got to the point where I personally couldn't justify the extra expense, no matter how cool the old Bung Box bottle is.             
  
Anyway, these are just my observations.  There's no "problem" in need of a solution here, but I do wonder where the market for "limited edition" or "rare" inks is going in the near future.  Now, excuse me while I go pick up that second bottle of JFK Blue.   

**You’ll note that I have “limited edition” in quotation marks at various points in this post.  Recently, it seems that these “limited” inks have been sticking around longer.  For example, JFK Navy Blue has been out for a while now, and it’s still relatively easy to find.  I personally would be interested to know whether this is a function of declining consumer demand for limited edition product, or whether it’s the result of Montblanc making more ink.**

Apologies that the blog's a bit light on content--I just finished a long, work-related travel weekend that saw me make a run from Nashville to New York City on Thursday, from New York to Chicago on Friday, and return home from Chicago on Sunday.  Multiple cities on a short itinerary exhausts me; hence this brief recap.  An inveterate tinkerer and gear nut, one thing I aways do after a trip is evaluate my "travel kit" that I carry.  My kit from this trip:  

From left:  Kum-Palomino long point two-hole sharpener; Tombow Sand Eraser; Uni Kuru-Toga Mechanical Pencil (0.5mm); Tombow 2558 (B); Palomino Forest Choice Pencil; Pilot Hi-Tec-C in orange (.4mm); Baron Fig Confidant; and Baron Fig Apprentice.  Not Pictured:  Lamy 2000 Ballpoint, review on the way.  In the background:  a couple Kum single-hole magnesium long-point sharpeners I picked up at Kinokuniya.  

Trying to figure out how to work pencils back into my life, I didn't travel with any fountain pens this time.  Pencils are great for travel:  no need to worry about leaking, spilling, blobbing, etc.  I've never had many problems traveling with fountain pens, but sometimes it's just nice to not have that nagging thought in the back of your mind.  My travel gear may be pencil-heavy for the foreseeable future.  Oh, and if you're in the market for a ballpoint pen, I will be reviewing the Lamy 2000 ballpoint soon.  For those situations where you find yourself in an overcrowded hotel conference room having to write in a pocket notebook balanced on your knee, the ballpoint pen is perfect, and the Lamy 2000 is among the best I've used.

But all work trips have some downtime, and during the Thursday afternoon lull in my itinerary I walked down to the Lower East Side to grab 20 minutes or so in C.W. Pencil Enterprise, where I picked up a few things: 

From the top: Viarco Desenho B (No. 1); Tombow 2B triangular pencil (mini jumbo); Viarco Eco HB (No. 2); Tombow Mono 4B; and Triangular Mitsubishi Penmanship Pencil (4B).  Yes, I exercised some self-restraint. 

The Mitsubishi 4B Penmanship pencil could become a new favorite.  Time will tell whether it sticks in the rotation, but for a 4B pencil, smearing is minimal and it's quite possibly the smoothest writing pencil I have ever used.  I also have a thing for thick cores in a normal-sized pencil, especially with quality graphite that can sharpen to a long point.  This one fits the bill. Thanks to Caitlin and everyone else in the shop who makes stopping there such an enjoyable experience!  

DISCLAIMER:  All products reviewed in this post were purchased with my own funds, for my own use.  This post does contain one or more affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase an item from one or more of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase something you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks! 

The TWSBI 580AL in orange with its proprietary ink bottle. 

As a brand, the TWSBI 580 and its predecessors, the 540 and the 530, personify the modern resurgence of fountain pens.  The pens themselves appear relatively simple; however, they are anything but, and to me, it’s nothing short of amazing that TWSBI can develop a product this good and sell it at this reasonable of a price point. For this reason, TWSBI pens are prominently featured on my list of Top 5 Fountain Pens under $75 as the first piston-filling pen that I recommend to new enthusiasts.   

My TWSBI in its apple-esque white plastic packaging.  I save my TWSBI boxes for pen storage. 

TWSBI pens are manufactured by a subsidiary of Ta Shin Precision, a Taiwanese company with operations in both the United States and China.  Per the TWSBI website, after years of manufacturing products--including fine writing instruments--on a contract basis, the company decided to create its own line of fountain pens.  The design of the TWSBI 530—the first TWSBI pen was heavily influenced by consultation with members of the pen community via the Fountain Pen Network:  the first “crowdsourced” fountain pen, you could say. 

TWSBI's "iconic" logo. 

From my perspective, TWSBI has accomplished its goal of creating an affordable piston-filling fountain pen with a large ink capacity and classic looks.  Additionally, I would go so far as to say that the reasonable price, the relatively widespread availability of the pens, and the fact that the nibs are interchangeable make them the spiritual successor to Esterbrook, though, as I’ll discuss further below, an argument can be made that TWSBIs won’t weather the test of time as well as Esties have.

Looks

For this review, I’ve used a TWSBI Diamond 580AL in orange, currently the only TWSBI in my collection.  At one time or another, I have owned a Vac 700, a Mini, and a couple colored 540s, but the 580 with the orange aluminum trim (now discontinued) is the pen that has stuck with me. Orange aside, the 580 sports a classic look.  It’s a fairly large fountain pen that fits comfortably in the hand without posting.  Many users have knocked TWSBI for designing pens with caps that don’t post (guilty!), but TWSBI’s recent designs (the Classic and the Eco) have offered an option for posting the cap, and in all honesty, the 580’s size would makes it uncomfortable to use posted.     

The TWSBI 580 is pretty big.  While I like to post caps, the 580 is so long and relatively heavy that posting the cap would likely make it unbalanced/unwieldy. 

A comparison of the TWSBI 580 agains some similarly sized pens in my collection:  from bottom, the Delta Fusion 82, the TWSBI 580 AL, the Montblanc 146, and the Edison Herald. 

Build

TWSBI loses a few points in any discussion of build and manufacturing, simply because rumors of poor quality control have dogged the company from the beginning.  Like any reports that come via the internet, they started as valid criticism but, at least in my opinion, have “gone viral” to some degree, resulting in exaggerated claims of poor quality.  To its credit, TWSBI has responded well, and I haven’t heard of an example where TWSBI has failed to replace broken pen parts (or the entire pen) where a customer has reported a defect.    

The plastic used to manufacture the 530, 540, and the Mini is prone to cracking, particularly at the section, though caps have cracked as well.  TWSBI apparently has addressed the issue with the 580 to a degree—reports of cracking aren’t nearly as widespread.  With the Eco, however, TWSBI adopted a new round barrel (as opposed to the faceted barrel of the Diamond series), which may indicate that the early manufacturing issues had more to do with the faceted design of the "Diamond" pens than the materials used to make them.  Personally, I think a round barrel 580-style pen would be interesting, though the faceted “Diamond” motif has become something of a TWSBI hallmark.  The 580AL that I'm reviewing here has a section and certain other parts made of aluminum as opposed to plastic, presumably making that model more durable.   

For all the talk of cracking, however, and for all the TWSBI pens I have owned (and used heavily), I’ve only had the plastic crack on me once.  My TWSBI mini developed one small hairline in the section threads (probably caused by me over tightening the cap), which didn’t cause me any functional issues.  So from personal experience (with Minis, 540s, and 580s), TWSBI’s quality has been good.  You also can't lose perspective on what TWSBI has been trying to do:  manufacture a reasonably priced, accessible piston-filling fountain pen.  This is no easy task, and at the $55 price point you have to expect some sacrifices in the quality department.  Is this a tank-like Pelikan M800?  No, but it also doesn't cost $400.      

Pricing

TWSBI’s current pricing structure ranges from $30 to $75.  The ECO is TWSBI’s new entry-level model, priced at $31.99 shipped via Amazon (under $30 once you account for tax and shipping). Both the standard model Diamond 580 and the Mini cost $55; the TWSBI Classic also costs $55; the 580AL (featured in this review) costs $65; the 580 Rose Gold costs $74; and the Vac 700 (a vacuum filling pen) costs $70.  TWSBI’s now-discontinued Micarta pen was priced at $100, making it the most expensive pen TWSBI offered.

Note:  the 580AL in orange is no longer offered.  The 580AL is, however, available in standard aluminum and purple aluminum (in the process of being discontinued).  I wonder what color they will issue next?  The long-rumored "Vac Mini" should also arrive this year.   

Nibs

TWSBI nibs are generally of high quality, especially since they switched to custom JoWo nibs a few years back.  Apart from a Vac 700 I owned a few years back, none of my pens have required adjustment to the nibs, though I have had some custom-ground to cursive italic and architect's points.  Actually, one of my favorite things about TWSBI pens is the ability to swap nibs.  You can save a lot of money by purchasing one TWSBI pen with some spare nib units and having those nib units customized--depending on how many spare nibs you carry, it's like four pens in one! 

Note that the 580 nibs are interchangeable among all models in the 580 series, and sold separately as spare screw-in “nib units.”  You can purchase additional Mini nib units and Vac nib units for those pens as well, though they aren’t interchangeable with other models.  While I’ve never done this, I understand that you can swap the nibs on the Classic and the Eco by pulling the friction-fit nib—there’s no “nib unit” that’s sold separately and easily switches out.  (Rumor has it you can also "hack" the entire TWSBI line to make them accept all sorts of nibs.  Proceed at your own risk here!) 

A writing sample using my TWSBI 580AL with a Masuyama-ground Architect's Nib (Medium). The brown ink I'm using for this review is Franklin-Christoph's Dark Chocolate (thanks to Lori at FC for the sample!), which I'm really enjoying. 

Accessories
      
In addition to spare nibs, TWSBI also makes products such as ink bottles and notebooks, both of which I own, but which are beyond the scope of this review because I haven’t used them that much.  I will add, however, that the ink bottle has a proprietary nozzle that lets you fill the 580 completely (though you can remove the lid to fill other pens by dipping as you typically would). The notebooks contain fountain-pen friendly paper (probably sugarcane), which appears similar to the paper used in Franklin-Christoph notebooks.  

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the items featured in this review with my own funds (except for the FC ink sample).  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks! 

Franklin-Christoph prominently displayed their new line of inks at the 2015 D.C. Pen Show. 

Last month at the Washington, D.C. Pen Show, Lori at Franklin-Christoph kindly provided me with a handful of samples of Franklin-Christoph's new line of inks.  Franklin-Christoph has carried its own brand of inks for a while now--readers who have been with me since the beginning may recall that I reviewed colors such as Syrah Syrah (a dark, wine-colored red) and Olde Emerald (what I'd characterize as a "money-colored" green).  Both were decent inks, but after long-term use had some traits that kept them from making it into my regular rotation, namely their tendencies to dry up in the nib after about a week or so of use and leave residual "gunk" (scientific term there) on the nib and feed.  I can happily announce that, from what I've seen so far, Franklin-Christoph fixed those issues.  

My D.C. Pen Show haul, which I'm slowly working my way through. 

Lori set me up with some healthy samples of the following inks:  Loden, Black Cherry, Dark Chocolate, Midnight Emerald, Noir et Bleu, and Tenebris Purpuratum. (They must have a multilinguist in house:  respectively, Dark Green, Red Black, Dark Brown, Dark Teal Green, Blue-Black, and "Purple Shadow" (my Latin's rusty).) So far, I've had the opportunity to use the Dark Chocolate (used for the writing sample in my TWSBI 580 review), Loden, and the Black Cherry.  The first two are great inks that I've enjoyed a lot. The third, the Dark Cherry, is a good ink but just doesn't do anything for me personally. I'd reach for other dark reds/burgundies before this one. Once I finally drain all of the pens I inked up to take to D.C., I'll load the rest of these samples for review.    

I've had no issues with any of these inks. The colors that I've tested are fairly earthy and muted, but behave well on all sorts of paper. I've witnessed no clogging, gunking-of-nibs, or staining-of-pens, and these inks have been loaded and writing for well over a month now. If I had one criticism, it would be that the inks (or at least the three that I've tested extensively) tend to write a bit on the dry side, but I personally don't consider that a bad thing as long as the ink doesn't skip or hard-start, which these do not.  These inks wouldn't be my first choice for writing on super slick paper like Clairefontaine, however, given their slight dryness.    

Paul over at Gorgeous.Ink has posted an excellent overview of the new Franklin-Christoph line, as well as some in-depth reviews of specific inks (including ones I don't have samples of).  His site in general is well worth a read.    

DISCLAIMER:  I was provided the ink samples used in this review free of charge, for review purposes.  All of the inks reviewed here are available for purchase directly from Franklin-Christoph on their website for $12.50.  This is not an affiliate link, and I have not otherwise been compensated for this review. 

What really makes this pencil so great:  The red end cap. 

I've intended to write a more in-depth review of the Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood pencil for a while now.  It's recently exploded in popularity, so much that they're difficult to get a hold of, and many retailers have raised the price.  Pencils.com is sold out again, despite the fact that they now sell the Swiss Wood for over $5 per pencil.  C.W. Pencil Enterprise regularly carries them, and they also have the best price at $4.50.  What makes this pencil so great?  So great, in fact, that it really has been the only pencil that I've used regularly for the past few months? 

What I like: 

The weight.  This is a hefty piece of wood.  The marketing copy describes it as dark brown Swiss Beech wood from the Jura forest, but I wonder whether the wood has been dyed that dark brown color.  Other products made from beech wood don't have that extremely dark-chocolatey hue, and the soy-sauce/chocolate/earthy smell doesn't exactly smell like wood.  But anyway, this pencil is solid, and has near-perfect balance, even without an eraser. 

The end cap.  Speaking of no eraser, the end cap on this pencil is painted red with the white Swiss Cross.  Enough said. 

Point Retention.  Point retention on this pencil is exceptional.  If I had to point to one particular selling point, this would be it.  People may ask, "why on early would you spend upwards of $5 on a single pencil," but the Swiss Wood seemingly writes forever.  Caran d'Ache has marked the core as an HB, but to me it's a shade lighter and harder (probably more like an "H").  For textured paper (like that found in the Baron Fig notebooks), it's perfect, because it leaves a legible line without forcing you to sharpen your pencil every two pages.  Yesterday I wrote three single-spaced pages in a dot-grid Baron Fig Confidant and still had a nearly intact long point on the pencil.  The lighter graphite also doesn't ghost or smear.

The point on a Swiss Wood Pencil lasts forever.  You can also see the size difference between the Swiss Wood (on the right), and the Black Wood (on the left).  For it's size and hardness, the Black Wood doesn't do a bad job with point retention, either.  

What I don't like. 

"Don't like" is a bit strong for what has become one of my favorite pencils.  The lack of general availability can make this pencil hard to use at times, though I'm trying to master my fear of not using my favorite products just because the manufacturer might discontinue them.  I have four or five of these pencils, which should last me a good long while.  A few more "cons" (though they're pretty nitpicky):  

Darkness.  Compared to a pencil like the Caran d'Ache Black Wood, the graphite in the Swiss Wood can be too light for some everyday uses.  When marking up or annotating documents at work, the Swiss Wood can be borderline illegible for some people.  I typically use a pen (with red ink) to mark stuff up, so this isn't a huge deal for me.  At the end of the day, every pencil has tradeoffs in this regard:  you sacrifice darkness for point retention, and sacrifice point retention for darkness.  The point retention on this pencil is so good, and it works so well in my Baron Fig (my preferred pencil paper), that I'm willing to give up some darkness, even though I generally favor 2B pencils.  

Compare the darkness of the Swiss Wood vs. the Black Wood pencil, which is a "mini-jumbo" pencil with a softer, darker core.  The paper is laid cream-colored paper from Papier Plus in Paris. 

Price.  I feel like I have to mention price again.  This is an expensive pencil.  One of the most expensive that I own.  If the "burn rate" on this pencil was higher, and it didn't last as long as it does, it wouldn't be worth the price to me.               

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the product featured in this review with my own funds, for my own personal collection.  Pardon the repetition; I did a mini-review of this pencil (along with a few other Caran d'Ache pencils) while back, but I couldn't help revisiting this one because it's been getting a lot of attention lately.     

The Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen and Ballpoint side-by-side. 

Back at the Atlanta Pen Show, I purchased a ... gasp ... ballpoint pen.  First things first, I'm not one of those pen snobs who never uses ballpoints.  They have their place, but my primary beef with ballpoints is that I have small handwriting, and most ballpoints come in 1.0mm widths or broader. Plus the ink in the cheaper models tends to blob.  That aside, a good ballpoint pen is one of the more useful tools that you can have with you at any given time.  They write on more or less any surface, the ink tends to dry quickly and be permanent, and they don't dry out immediately if you leave the cap off the pen.  

Other than my Tactile Turn Mover with a Uniball Jetstream refill, the Lamy 2000 is the only ballpoint pen that I use on a regular basis.  (The Jetstream I really don't even consider to be a true ballpoint pen--it has more in common with a gel pen, and the .38mm refill is a personal fave.) The Lamy looks great, has perfect proportions for shirt pocket or pants pocket carry, and is reliably built.  The ballpoint features the same Macrolon (polycarbonate) material as the fountain pen, and the two look particularly sharp when carried together.  My favorite feature of my ballpoint, however, is this: 

You read that right:  West Germany.  I have no idea how old this pen is, but at a minimum I would think it predates German reunification in 1990 (or was manufactured shortly thereafter, before Lamy had a chance to change their mark).  A cool piece of history and one of many reasons why you should attend pen shows! 

As others have pointed out, the one weakness of the Lamy ballpoint is the refill (or at lease the older Lamy refills that are still out there on the market).  I picked up the blue "Fine", which writes an adequately narrow line, but the refill itself tends to fall on the light side for me.  I suspect that the refill I purchased at the pen show is simply old, because others who have recently purchased a Lamy ballpoint refill have been pleasantly surprised.

A touch light for me, but it works better on smoother paper, such as the Nock Co. Dot-Dash.  The line also tends to get lighter and skip more if I write with this pen for extended periods.  

You can find the Lamy 2000 ballpoint priced anywhere from $57 to $63 on Amazon, with shipping included, and is prime-eligible from some sellers.  Curiously, I also noticed what appears to be a limited edition Lamy 2000 ballpoint in woodgrain that I've never seen before.  (Anyone know what the story is on that--from what I can tell there's not a fountain pen equivalent?)

While I'm at it, I also have to brag a bit about this, which I just received in the mail from Renee at Scriptorium Pens.  I'm inking it up today and can't wait to use it and get my thoughts up on the blog!    

A photo posted by Joe C. (@gentlemanstationer) on Oct 3, 2015 at 5:17am PDT

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the pens featured i this review with my own funds, for my own collection.  This post contains some affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks!      

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like it's been a while since Kickstarter has featured this many great pens and other writing implements.  Even if you ultimately decide not to back all of these projects (or can't because you've already blown your pen budget for the month, like yours truly), please head over to Kickstarter and check them out.  And worry not--since most of these projects are from repeat enablers, you'll most likely have the opportunity to buy these pens on the market after the Kickstarter project funds. 

1. Tactile Turn Gist.  What looks to be another great offering from Will Hodges, the mastermind behind what I consider to be two of my favorite machined pens, the Mover and the Shaker.  The Gist should be everything I want in a fountain pen.  It's relatively compact, made of tough Polycarbonate (the same material as the Lamy 2000), and has a ton of customizable options in terms of the material for the section and finial.  I expect this to be the daily carry fountain pen I've wanted for a very, very long time.  Check out Ed Jelley's review of the pen over at his blog. 
2. Pen Type-B.  If you're a Pilot Hi-Tec-C fan, the folks who brought you Pen Type-A (one of the original Hi-Tec-C-based Kickstarter projects) have a new design up and ready to go. Unfortunately, this one probably will be my budget casualty for the month, but Pen Type-A is still readily available years later (from Jetpens), so this one should stick around.
3. Nova Minimal Fountain Pen.  I'm a bit slow on the draw here.  This project closed last week, and I (along with 1600 others) backed it.  From the folks over at Namisu, keep an eye out for this one in December/January.  They scored a hit with their Nexus minimal fountain pen, though the prominent threading/texture on the grip section bothered some people. The Nova takes a different approach. 
4. Penxo.  (Pronounced, "Pen-Show"?  If I'm wrong, blame Brad Dowdy.)  This one's a project that I backed a while ago, and I just received notification that it shipped and will arrive on Friday to Gentleman Stationer HQ.  The Penxo, which won a 2015 Reddot design award (past recipients include TWSBI), is a modern take on the clutch pencil, or leadholder.  I'm especially excited about my red and blue leads.  Initial thoughts and a review to come after I've spent some time with it.  
5. Vertipen.  I struggle to seek how a wearable pen could turn into my new thing.  But hey, I'm all for supporting pen-related creativity, and I hope they find a market for it.
6. Woods with a Story.  They don't get as much attention as metal machined pens, but I've always appreciated turned wooden pens, if they're done right.  These pens are made of Olivewood, and the gunmetal trim looks like it will complement the wood nicely.  The "Grip Pen" has a Retro 51-esq. design, and the entry price is not high, so I decided to give it a go.

One more note:  Ed Jelley did the photography on the Tactile Turn Gist, and there are some stunning photographs of the pen on both his website and the Kickstarter page.  The result is that you have a much better understanding of the project you will be backing than you do with many other Kickstarters. Be sure and check this one out! 

I feel like this thing has been flooding my feed, but the review is finally up on the site. Hit the link in my profile to see how the @tactileturn Gist is working out! - http://bit.ly/EFJTTGist - #fountainpen #kickstarter #alwayshandwrite #edc #everydaycarry

A photo posted by Ed Jelley (@edjelley) on Oct 6, 2015 at 3:12pm PDT

DISCLAIMER:  I have not been compensated for this review in any way, and with respect to those pens that I have backed on Kickstarter, I have done so with my own funds, and bought the pens for my own collection.  

So yesterday, this rolled in.  I'm not sure what the final verdict will be, but my initial impressions of the PENXO, billed as "the most minimalistic leadholder pencil," are positive.  I've never used a leadholder or clutch pencil before, and its interesting.  The one thing I really like is that the PENXO, for me, is the same length as a woodcase pencil that has been used and sharpened down to that "perfect length" for my hand.  While leadholders typically are used for drawing/drafting, the PENXO works well for daily writing (though I am still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Darth Vader's lightsaber.  For those of you who missed out, PENXO is taking preorders on its website. 

For my Kickstarter reward, I chose the Cobalt Blue and "Darth Black" versions.   

My Kickstarter add-ons:  24 HB Leads, 12 Read Leads, and 12 Blue Leads; two sharpeners; and an eraser. The packaging in the background is a Retro 51-esque tube.  

One comment I do have is that the "clutch" lead-release mechanism takes some getting used to. Machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, the fit is pretty tight, and my thumb is a bit sore from opening the pencil and figuring out how to adjust the lead for sharpening.  My sense is that things will loosen up a touch as I use the PENXO more, or I figure out the perfect spot to apply pressure.  The embedded video below was released by PENXO, and shows how things work.  I will probably update this as I use the pencil more, but I wanted to get my initial thoughts out there.  If you're a PENXO backer, and have received your reward, what are your impressions?   

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the product featured in this post with my own funds, for my own collection.  I was not compensated in any way for this review. 

Sometimes you run across a product that makes you wonder why it took you so long to discover it.  The Rotring 600 mechanical pencil, what I'd consider another classic of modern industrial design on par with the Lamy 2000, is the latest.  For around $30, it's an excellent buy if you're looking for a high quality mechanical/drafting pencil to add to your kit.    

I've had a hard time finding a good mechanical pencil that makes me want to use it every day. When I was in school, I used them pretty frequently (especially in classrooms that didn't have decent pencil sharpeners), and they are always handy when you want to make really, really small notes.  They attract a lot of snark in this community from both fountain pen users ("It's not a pen!") and pencil enthusiasts ("It's not woodcase!"), but mechanical pencils are useful tools that have their place.  

Ok, NOW I get what the fuss is about. Thanks @penchalet!

A photo posted by Joe C. (@gentlemanstationer) on Oct 5, 2015 at 8:41am PDT

The design of the Rotring 600 is, well, Rotring-esque.  Rotring basically defined the modern drafting pencil with hefty metal construction, a knurled grip, and a mechanism at the end of the pencil that you can turn to reflect the hardness of the lead you are using.  The pencil itself is slender, and while heavy, is well-balanced for medium-length writing sessions. (Mechanical pencils in general, and especially this type of drafting pencil, aren't intended for novel writing, but rather sketching, calculations, and jotting notes.) I've been using my pencil with the Rotring stock HB lead, which is pretty nice, though my typical preference is 2B Ain Stein lead.      

Rotring packaging is minimalistic, consistent with Rotring products.  I was surprised that the pencil came in a simple triangular cardboard sleeve (without much protection).  I don't dwell much on packaging, so whatever. 

The Rotring 600 fountain pens are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and in some cases can go for as much as $250-300 in eBay auctions.  At $29 from PenChalet, the Rotring 600 mechanical pencil is an economical way to scratch that itch, but beware, the fountain pen starts to look pretty good after a while....    

Take note:  the 600 model is not a "retractable pipe" drafting pencil, in which you can depress the nock or another button on the pencil and retract/extend the metal sleeve that holds the lead. If you're looking for that feature in a Rotring pen, you will need to opt for the Rotring RapidPro (slightly more expensive at $35), or the Rotring 800 (nearly twice as expensive at $60).  There's also a Rotring 800+ model that comes with a stylus tip, but I'm not sure that justifies increasing the price even further to $72.     

If you don't feel like spending $30 on a mechanical pencil, but like the "blackout" looks and the knurled grip of the Rotring, the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette is probably my second favorite all purpose mechanical pencil ($9 shipped via Amazon Prime).  The Kuru Toga Roulette is round, lighter, and has a slightly larger diameter than the Rotring, so if you use your mechanical pencil for long writing sessions this may be the option for you. 

The Uni Kuru Toga Roulette next to the Rotring 600 Mechanical Pencil.  The Roulette is slightly larger in both length and diameter, but features some plastic construction.  

DISCLAIMER:  I was provided the product by PenChalet at no charge, for review purposes.  This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase a pen from any of the sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase a pen you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks!