This post is inspired by Angelica Nyqvist‘s video Too Big, Too Repetitive, Ugly Packaging? | Eyeshadow Palette TAG 5000. In that video, they credit Chic Geek with coming up with the idea.
1. Pen that has special memories associated with it
For so long, my main choice for this type of question was my Prisma 88. But now, I have my Analog Notes Precious Petals that remind me of the first bouquet Jim gave me when we were dating.
2. Ink brand you love that has a lot of dupe inks
Montblanc comes to mind — if you know, you know — but I don’t love that brand. So, probably Diamine. They have so many colors, it’s no wonder there are dupes.
3. Pen you get your money’s worth out of
Probably my Platinum Izumo Kurikara Ken. No other pen in my collection has been inked for as long as that one. My Stanford Pen Studio Right Royal Pen is second because I haven’t had it as long.
4. Pen you feel is an amazing deal at full price
This is difficult. Maybe the Pilot Custom 74? It’s a fabulous writer, with a gold nib the likes of which some expensive pens only wish they could emulate.
5. Ink you wish came in a larger or smaller bottle
Honestly, I wish most inks came in smaller bottles. With inks that I can’t get samples of, it’s annoying to blind-buy a large bottle. Birmingham Pen Co, especially, comes to mind. I wish they still offered their 30ml bottles.
6. Ink you love, but hate the bottle
Diamine Inkvent inks. There are some fantastic inks in the line, but the bottles have an unnecessarily large footprint. They take up too much space.
7. Build your dream notebook (binding, paper, cover type, etc.)
Size: A5. It offers enough space to set up a good weekly spread, but is still small enough to be easily portable.
Binding: Ring or disc. Although it’s not what I currently use, I’d love to have a notebook that would let me reorganize pages.
Paper: Rhodia Goalbook white dot grid. It’s the best balance I’ve found between low ghosting/show through and high ink property visibility. It’s such a shame it’s only available in a pre-bound notebook.
Cover: I prefer sturdy covers, so I’d want something rigid rather than flexible. It doesn’t necessarily have to be pretty, since I could buy a separate notebook cover for that.
8. The pen/ink combo you won’t break up
Only my Kurikara Ken has a permanent ink. I will only ever ink it with J. Herbin Orange Indien.
9. Pen you wish came in a different color
The Pilot Custom Heritage 912. It’s one of three pens that has the FA nib, and it only comes in black. I know that the Custom 743 has recently been released in a teal, but the 743 is almost $60 more, and the teal isn’t very exciting to me. Is it so much to ask for a fancy pen to match the fancy nib?
10. Pen you wish had a matching sleeve
The Aurora 100° Anniversario. At the price of that pen, Aurora could have easily included a jacquard or brocade sleeve in a matching color and/or pattern with silver-colored trim.
Do you agree or disagree with my answers? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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Great read! I agree with you on Birmingham inks. I wish they still offered the smaller bottles more regularly. They also discontinued their lubricated line, which is unfortunate because I like wet-writing inks.