Fountain pens deserve better than plain black ink. Allow me to share why I feel this way.
Black Ink? No, Thank You
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Ink
Category: Stationery
When You Can’t Get Over It
Posted in Non-Fountain Pens
I thought I’d come to terms with my Caran d’Ache (CdA) 849 Year of the Dragon. But then, Brad, The Pen Addict, reviewed the same pen, and now I have ALL KINDS of additional angry feels. This has effectively ruined the only decent year of the dragon pen release for me.
But, before I get carried away, let me back up for a minute.
Background
Around the middle of last year, I started getting excited for the expected surge of awesome dragon products for the year of the dragon — I was born during the year of the dragon. Unfortunately, as the Lunar New Year products were announced, there was a dearth of dragons, and of products that looked like effort went into the design.
Ink Battle: Diamine and Diamine
Posted in Ink
This ink battle is between Diamine Wistful Watermelon and Diamine Sailors Warning. Both inks are in a TWSBI 580 with a F nib. The paper is Muji loose leaf plain.
Today’s ink battle is another bout of bottle versus sample. It determined if I buy a bottle of Sailors Warning, or relegate the sample to the “for dupes” baskets. I tend to prefer to buy bottles of shimmer ink, since the samples are often light on the shimmer.
For those unfamiliar with these inks, Wistful Watermelon is part of the Cult Pens exclusive Fresh Fruit series and Sailors Warning is one of two colors chosen by members of the fountainpens Subreddit in 2022 or 2023. Sailors Warning has been rebranded as Red Sky with some retailers and has a very interesting shimmer that looks either blue, silver, or pink depending on the light. I’m assuming it’s a multichrome shimmer, but I can’t find anything online to support that. For this battle, I shook the sample, but then let it mostly settle.
Ink Battles Explained
Between myself and Jim buying inks, we own far too many. This means I have some inks that are incredibly similar in color. And, because of that, I need to figure out which inks to keep and which to dispose of. Sometimes, I have samples of two or more similar inks that I'm trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already own a bottle of a similar one.
Enter ink battles. I put the similar inks into pens with the same nibs (two Jowo #6 M, two TWSBI F, etc.), or I create ink splats and doodles, to test them out to see which I like better. Or, I may find out that they’re sufficiently different to keep.
You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. I may find, when using the inks side-by-side, that there are performance differences, but the point of the battle is to choose a favorite ink, a "winner". These choices are often subjective, and you may disagree with me.
An ink battle — unlike ink dupes — is between inks I like. I enjoy using them enough to have them in my "for use" ink collection — as opposed to my repository of inks for testing dupes. If an ink performed poorly or caused problems, I wouldn’t keep it. And, if that were the case, an ink battle would be unnecessary.
Reminder: You can find all of the ink battle posts on the tag page.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
I have a different type of pen porn post for you today: the 2024 Pilot Shareholder 1,000+ shares gift. While there is a fountain pen, and I do have some good photos of it, this time I’m more interested in sharing the packaging, because it’s really nice.
2024 Mid-Year Check-In
Posted in Fountain Pens
I can hardly believe we’re already half-way through the year! But, it’s true, and that means it’s time for a mid-year check-in on my purchasing resolution.
My rules for this year are:
- Add 36 pens max to my collection (including non-fountain pens and gifts).
- Limit mainstream brand acquisitions to 18.
- Don’t buy pretty ink sticks.
So, how am I doing?
Ink Battle: Van Dieman’s and Sailor
Posted in Ink
This ink battle is between Van Dieman’s Kitten Paws and Sailor Ink Studio 273. Both inks are in a pen fitted with a Jowo #6 M nib. The paper is Kokuyo A5 Campus Loose Leaf, plain.
Today’s ink battle determined if I keep my sample of Kitten Paws in use, or relegate it to the “for dupes” baskets. If I keep it and go through the whole sample, then I’d consider getting a bottle.
Ink Battles Explained
Between myself and Jim buying inks, we own far too many. This means I have some inks that are incredibly similar in color. And, because of that, I need to figure out which inks to keep and which to dispose of. Sometimes, I have samples of two or more similar inks that I'm trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already own a bottle of a similar one.
Enter ink battles. I put the similar inks into pens with the same nibs (two Jowo #6 M, two TWSBI F, etc.), or I create ink splats and doodles, to test them out to see which I like better. Or, I may find out that they’re sufficiently different to keep.
You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. I may find, when using the inks side-by-side, that there are performance differences, but the point of the battle is to choose a favorite ink, a "winner". These choices are often subjective, and you may disagree with me.
An ink battle — unlike ink dupes — is between inks I like. I enjoy using them enough to have them in my "for use" ink collection — as opposed to my repository of inks for testing dupes. If an ink performed poorly or caused problems, I wouldn’t keep it. And, if that were the case, an ink battle would be unnecessary.
Reminder: You can find all of the ink battle posts on the tag page.
Stationery Crazes
Posted in Fountain Pens
This is my second attempt to write this post. As happens every so often, when I finished the first version, I was rather unhappy with it. Since you’re reading this now, it’s safe to say that this second iteration was much more to my liking.
Over the time I’ve been part of the pen world, I’ve watched several stationery crazes hit. Sometimes, the hype is strong enough to sweep everyone along. The new “it” thing will sell out continuously, with many more left desperately searching for one to buy. Other times, that hype is just a steady hum, inspiring interest and conversation, but not many purchases.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
There isn’t as much to say about the Cypress Kawari-Nuri Pink as other pens. I picked it up secondhand from Inks.And.Anchors on Instagram. It’s beautiful, and I love the color palette.
Be aware, I’ve done my best to edit photos to show true-to-life colors. However, anything with red in it — like pink — shows significantly more red on camera and requires a lot of editing.
Outgrowing a Pen Case
Posted in Fountain Pens
I’m not a stranger to outgrowing a pen case. In my early days of pen collecting, I tried to stick to a Girologio 24-pen case. I think my collection grew out of that after a year or so. So I got their 48-pen case. And, when the collection grew out of that one, I picked up a second one.
For the past 4+ years, I’ve had 3 48-pen cases. I divide my collection into less expensive, more expensive, and indie-made pens for my pen rotation. It makes sense to me to store them that way, too.
Ink Battle: Wearingeul and Diamine
Posted in Ink
This ink battle is between Wearingeul Jane Eyre and Diamine Memory Lane. Both inks are in a pen fitted with a Jowo #6 M nib. The paper is Kokuyo A5 Campus Loose Leaf, plain.
We’re back to a traditional Ink Battle. I own a bottle of both Jane Eyre and Memory Lane. I noticed that they look rather similar and wanted to see how similar. For those unfamiliar with these inks, Memory Lane is a shimmer ink from the 2022 (Green) Inkvent calendar. However, Diamine shimmers settle completely, which I let happen for this battle so I can just compare the colors.
You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. The point of the battle is to choose a winner of the two colors. I use a pair of similar inks in pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better. Generally, I’m trying to decide which ink to keep, but sometimes I’m trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already have a similar one.
I may find out that, when used with the same nib, they’re sufficiently different to own them both. Depending on how these battles turn out, I may tag some of the posts as ink dupes as well. You can find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.
Inkvent Inks I’ve Purchased
Posted in Ink
It’s a little odd writing about Inkvent in June, but with the 2023 inks releasing, it seemed a good time for this post. I’ve been meaning to write it for a while, but other posts have taken precedence.
To start, this needs a caveat. If I’d purchased the calendar each year, I probably wouldn’t have purchased any of the inks. My ink collection is massive (hence the need for ink battles), and it takes forever to go through even tiny bottles (or samples). Since I gave away my 2019 Inkvent — foolishly, in retrospect — and didn’t buy the 2021 or 2022 calendars, there were inks I wanted to — and did — buy.
A Fountain Pen Rainbow
Posted in Fountain Pens
Tomorrow starts Pride Month, and as a proud pen collector, I couldn’t let it go by without a pen rainbow. It was hard to narrow down a single pen for each color, and even harder to stick to pens that are primarily one color — I didn’t fully succeed there. Maybe I’ll do another one of these later in the month with the Bi flag. We’ll see.
There are plenty of pen pictures, so this one could count as a pen porn post, too. To include more pens, I cheated a bit and added brown, black, and white. I know they aren’t actually part of the rainbow, but I doubt anyone will complain.
If you want to have some extra fun, try to guess what pens are in the “rainbow.”
I don’t get the opportunity to write these posts very often, as I’m not big on vintage pens. However, recently Jim came across a vintage flat top pilot pen with a factory oblique nib. Because it has an engraving on it, it was selling for peanuts. I love oblique nibs and was curious, so we got it.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
About a year ago, I bought myself the standard size Sailor Pro Gear Sakura Nagare. About a month ago, Jim bought us the King of Pen size Sakura Nagare. I don’t mean the new 1911 version that released last year(?) I mean the original, 2010 Pro Gear KOP.
Since we now have both original versions, I thought it would be interesting to compare them. Especially because, to my surprise, they are not identical in design.
Ink Battle: Vinta and Vinta
Posted in Ink
This ink battle is between Vinta Inks Ibid (Sailfin Green) and Vinta Inks Sirena. Both inks are in a pen fitted with a #6 Jowo M nib. The paper is Muji plain loose leaf refill.
This is another battle of bottle versus sample. I didn’t realize that these two are so similar. For those unfamiliar with these inks, Ibid has shimmer, but I let it settle since Vinta shimmer settles almost completely.
You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. The point of the battle is to choose a winner of the two colors. I use a pair of similar inks in pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better. Generally, I’m trying to decide which ink to keep, but sometimes I’m trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already have a similar one.
I may find out that, when used with the same nib, they’re sufficiently different to own them both. Depending on how these battles turn out, I may tag some of the posts as ink dupes as well. You can find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.
Pen Porn: 3D Scrollwork Sleeve
Posted in Fountain Pens
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
Ink Battle: Troublemaker and Diamine
Posted in Ink
This ink battle is between Troublemaker Butterfly Dream and Diamine Classic Green. Both inks are in a pen fitted with a #6 Jowo EF nib. The paper is Muji plain loose leaf refill.
This is another battle where I own a bottle of one color (Butterfly Dream) and a sample of the other. I like Classic Green, but wasn’t sure it made sense to buy a bottle.
You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. The point of the battle is to choose a winner of the two colors. I use a pair of similar inks in pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better. Generally, I’m trying to decide which ink to keep, but sometimes I’m trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already have a similar one.
I may find out that, when used with the same nib, they’re sufficiently different to own them both. Depending on how these battles turn out, I may tag some of the posts as ink dupes as well. You can find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.
Binder Paper Chase
Posted in Paper
As I mentioned a few posts back, in purchasing paper for my A5 binder, I found some surprising duds. Jim and I have both used Kokuyo notebooks without encountering any issues. Apparently, however, their loose leaf paper is not the same quality.
I don’t feel the need to babble on about each type of paper I’ve tested so far. Instead, I’ll let my ratings — I’ve included scales this time — and the papers themselves do the speaking for me.
Pen Porn: Cypress Eggshell E06
Posted in Fountain Pens
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
I’ve wanted Cypress’ E06 pen model for quite a while now. Between the swirled design and combination of nacre and eggshell, I’ve been drawn to it since the first time I saw it.
But, it’s a pricey pen, and I never quite saved up the money for it. Other, limited edition or custom, pens kept getting in the way. And then, earlier this year, it went on sale, and my awesome husband bought it for me as a birthday/anniversary gift. So, this beauty is part of my collection and gets a pen porn post.
Paper System Changes
Posted in Paper
Last year, I wrote about how I was changing how I manage my pen rotation and my notebook/paper system. While the former is going very well, the latter, well, it’s a work in progress. It’s been about five and a half months since I switched to binders from my previous notebook system. And, unfortunately, it’s been rather rocky.
The short version is that I still don’t have a definitive system figured out. The long version is significantly more complicated. I don’t want to bore anyone, but I do want to share the issues I’ve faced so that anyone trying this switch can plan ahead. I’m tackling this by issue.