Sunday Reading for May 7, 2017

I received a lot of questions on the keyboard I've been using. More info at the bottom of this post! 

I hope all of the Chicago Pen Show attendees are enjoying themselves this weekend, and I wish I was there with you! 

1. Field Trip: Appelboom Pennen (via Gourmet Pens). You all know how much I love posts about trips to pen shops! Appelboom looks like they have an amazing setup.
2. New Nock Co. DotDash Notecards - Gigante and Petite (via The Clicky Post). Mike gives us his thoughts on two new sizes of Nock Co. Notecards. I have a couple packs of these as well, but haven't had the chance to break them open.
3. My First Fountain Pen(s) (via Well-Appointed Desk). Check out Laura's guest post over at the Well-Appointed Desk, where she talks about her first fountain pens and how she discovered this hobby.
4. Benu Purple Night Silver Fountain Pen: A Review (via The Pen Addict). Susan from the Pen Addict reviews one of the Benu pens from Russia. I agree with much of what she says here, and I'd also like to emphasize that the nibs on these pens write extremely well. Benu sent me one of the newer cartridge-converter models for review, so I'll be able to post on that soon.
5. Lamy Petrol Bottled Ink + Cartridges (via Wonder Pens). Lamy Petrol ink is finally here, at least at some retailers. Looks like a cool color that also has some sheen.
6. Field Notes Colors: Mackinaw Autumn (via Three Staples). Jinnie's gone waaay back in the Field Notes Colors archive with some of her most recent posts, and this week's look at Mackinaw Autumn leaves me feeling all kinds of green with envy. So jealous I missed out on this edition.
7. Chicago Pen Show Exclusives from Papier Plume (via Inkdependence). Papier Plume has a couple of exclusive inks at this weekend's Chicago Pen Show. I'd watch the Papier Plume website after the show if any of these look appealing to you.
8. Atlanta Pen Show Recap and Looking Forward to Chicago (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana has her Atlanta Pen Show Recap and a Chicago preview. I missed out on most of the Thursday-Friday-Saturday Atlanta activities, so I've been catching up along with the rest of you.
9. Field Notes + Bellroy Everyday Inspiration Review (via The Pen Addict). Brad reviews Field Notes' new collaboration with Bellroy. After reading this I immediately went out and ordered one of the Everyday Inspiration, which is great. The notebook cover is a bit larger than I originally expected, but like all Bellroy leather products, it's incredibly well-made and will definitely see use.
10. Letter Writing Failures and Thoughts (via CW Pencils). Caroline has a great piece here on the proliferation of stationery "holidays," letter writing months, and the associated expectations they impose. A good reminder not to take these things too literally, but rather to enjoy what they represent. 

Please Visit My Sponsors and Affiliates! 

Please take a moment to visit these fine folks who help keep this blog going! It's next to impossible to keep up a steady stream of fresh review content without some form of blog sponsorship. I'm grateful to everyone who's helped me out along the way.    

1. Pen Chalet. Pen Chalet has a wide variety of available pens and offers unbeatable value on pens, inks, pen cases, etc. 
2. Anderson Pens. In addition to having the largest offering of bottled ink in the world, Anderson Pens is an authorized retailer of a wide range of brands, including Aurora and Faber-Castell. Check out the sponsor profile I published here.  
3. Appelboom. Appelboom recently joined as a sponsor of this blog! Look for new pen and ink reviews in the future, courtesy of Appelboom, and please check out their extensive selection and excellent pricing. 
4. Vanness Pens and Kenro Industries. Vanness Pens carries rare and hard-to-find inks from all over the world, including special editions made by Sailor for Bung Box and Kobe Nagasawa in Japan. Also, Vanness carries a wide array of pens, including standard and special edition offerings from Aurora. 
5. Say Nice Things Stationery. SNT is a new UK-based notebook company that makes some really nice, reasonably priced journals and notebooks. Check out my review of some of their offerings here. 
6. Tom Barrington Leather Goods. Tom Barrington manufactures high-quality leather goods, including pen cases in stingray and ostrich leather. (Review of their leather two-pen sleeve here.)
7. Pokka Pens. Pokka Pens makes high quality, portable ballpoints that make for a great EDC option. Check out my review here. 

In Case You Missed It …

This week on the blog I reviewed two pens from a brand I hadn't reviewed before: Cleo Skribent. I also took a look at a bunch of new products being released by Baron Fig, including their new bags that are now live on Kickstarter, as well as their new Mastermind desk pad and Nomad sticky notes. 

Finally, don't miss this week's Deals and Drops! 

A Note on My Typewriter Keyboard

I've had a couple questions about the keyboard on my desk (pictured above) that's made an appearance in some of my recent posts. It's a Magicforce 60% (i.e., compact size) with Typewriter ABS Keycaps. I purchased the setup via Massdrop sometime in December or January and received the keyboard in April. There's not currently a drop for this exact keyboard, but you can pick up the typewriter keycaps separately for the next 12 hours or so. The Magicforce keyboard itself, with standard keys, is currently available on Amazon, sold under the name Qisan, the company that manufactures it. If you don't feel like waiting for the complete setup to return to Massdrop, you could buy the typewriter keys and a keyboard and assemble it yourself. While my keyboard has Gateron Green switches, you can find these keyboards in a variety of layouts with various Gateron/Cherry switch options. I will also note that the pricing on these keyboards is extremely reasonable, and it's one of the better low-cost mechanical keyboards I've used. 

I may do an extended feature on mechanical keyboards in the future, if there's any interest. Otherwise, feel free to reach out if you'd like some additional info or have any questions about where to get started.

Happy Sunday, and as always, thanks for reading!  

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.