I'm a big fan of TWSBI's inexpensive range of fountain and ballpoint pens. In my opinion, they beat the competition from brands like Lamy (who seem to be unable to get even their flagship pen to write reliably) hands down. So when I heard about the new TWSBI Swipe on episode #471 of the Pen …
Tag: Fountain Pen
A Narwhal Origional in Hippocampus Purple
No, I didn't forget how to spell original, the Origional is what Narwhal calls their pen. I know, because it was on the box so kindly sent to me by Goldspot Pens. Up until now, I have to admit that Narwhal had always meant Monodon monoceros to me. That is, a small to medium-sized arctic whale, …
A Brace of Sonnets
A brace of sonnets? A pair of Parkers? A tale of two nibs? Cascade Gold and the Firedance Kid? How much more desperate can I get at reaching for titles that'll just make everybody cringe? This time round, I'm looking at a pair of vintage Parker Sonnets from about the mid' 1990s. I'm also trying …
How Many Versions of the Same Pen Does Anybody Need?
A few weeks ago, I was severely tempted by the Pelikan Souverän M600 Vibrant Orange Special Edition. So I went shopping, and discovered that I was less keen on the Vibrant Orange, than I was on the standard red and black striped model. So, after a bit of hunting around, I picked up the truly …
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A Soft-Fine Pilot Falcon, and a Custom 74: Contrasting Similarities (aka Liam Neeson Didn’t Steal My Pen)
I have had a few Pilot pens in my collection over the years, including a much loved Custom 823. Tragically, the 823 was stolen during the after-hours of an academic conference some years ago, whilst I was attempting to prove the hypothesis that a yard of Young's Winter Warmer could indeed be consumed in less …
Picking Up a Pelikan Souverän M600
A little while ago, I was lucky enough to add a Pelikan M200, with a fine M400 14K gold nib, to my pen case... and it has seen pretty much constant use ever since. At the time, I said it was a narrow decision between that, and the larger, but considerably more expensive M600. Also, …
Getting Lucky with a Medium-Fine Sailor
On the whole, my handwriting (such as it is), is not flattered by a fine nib. I mean, it's pretty poor with almost any nib, but better with some than others, and fine, needle-like nibs, which can catch on paper fibers, make my handwriting look, to be blunt, bloody awful. Which can be a bit …
Pelikan Classic M200 Brown Marbled… What-the-Pelikan-Fuss?
For a long while now, I've been reading reviews, and watching so many videos, of some truly beautiful Pelikan pens. In particular, I've been sorely tempted by the M600 Vibrant Orange, and a while back, by the Classic M200 Brown Marbled. I've written with a few very nice, and very expensive, Pelikan pens over the …
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The Laban 325: Won’t Stop a Rhino
The last pen post I made, mentioned something about understated style and elegance, well, let's, er, forget about that today shall we? Last year, I took a stroll (about six hours worth, but still a stroll), through Scriptus the Toronto Pen Show. Amongst the highlights of the day was bumping into the lovely Ana Reinert …
A Vintage Montblanc… or Two
I have made no secret of my traditionalist taste in fountain pens. I may go off the rails occasionally and ogle something earthy with a bit of gold marbling, or even go completely crazy and pick something up in burgundy and gold with a touch of translucence about the barrel. But if you were to …