2019-07-29 It was Sunday, and being the confirmed atheist I am, I was working; but being just as confirmed in my indolence as my lack of religious faith, I was working about as not very hard as I could get away with, and with a large cup of cold-brew coffee and crushed ice to hand, …
Continue reading Not a Bad Day to Work in the Sunshine, Plus Zombies.
I like to write out of doors. Sometimes I write when I'm sitting down by the lake, sometimes just out on the deck. I occasionally address correspondence to friends and family in fountain pen ink, and strangely, the weather is not always on my side with some of these endeavors. Children—and some of you without …
Well, you know you've hit the big time as a pen and stationery blogger when you can start your post, "[Insert big time pen retailer here] sent me this pen to review..." And a little while ago, a nice guy from the US retailer Pen Chalet reached out and asked if I would like to …
Continue reading Platinum Plaisir in Silver, from Pen Chalet
Back in the mists of time (July 11th, 2017 in reality, it just feels like a long time ago), I wrote a post about the bargains of the grey market; specifically as to how they related to a manufacturer of one of my favorite fountain pens—the Platinum 3776 Century. I don't intend to argue the pros …
Continue reading Platinum 3776 Century, Medium Nib—A Grey Bargain
As a British ex-pat' living in Canada, as a dad with adult kids in other cities, and as a PhD student who attends conferences and so on, I do more than my fair share of travel and writing on the road. I was going to say something funny here about how writing on paper was …
Who am I to offer an opinion? The fool that started with an over-priced, gold-plated nail... ah, but if I hadn't started with something I enjoyed, then I would never have carried on. And besides, it's my blog, I can write what I like. Every blog out there that includes fountain pens has a best pen for …
I have reviewed the Platinum Century 3776 fountain pen before, albeit with their amazing 14K music nib. At the time, that pen from any reputable Canadian retailer, would cost you at least $215.00 Canadian, before any kind of taxes or delivery, and without adding anything for the extra cost of the music nib. So, without the …
We stand a good chance of getting confused here, because I've already reviewed this pen. The Platinum Cool is really a Platinum Balance, only with what Platinum think is a cool demonstrator construction. In fact, Brad Dowdy of the Pen Addict reviewed the Platinum Cool under the name of the Platinum Balance, Crystal Blue, back …
So what gets you through your day? What is it you find yourself loading into your bag when you leave for the day? A meeting? Or however long you have no idea... This is what my bag revealed to me today—not the actual bottles, no they're just what's in the pens; but the pens and …
If you begin to read fountain pen reviews, and collector's sites, you'll soon see a fair bit about starter or beginner pens, as if they were some sort of gateway drug to the harder, and more expensive, Montblanc or Nakaya. And who am I to judge the analogy? It may well ring true for a lot …
Continue reading The Platinum Balance: This is a REAL Starter Pen
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