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  1. Sorry about the sub-par pictures. It appears I scuffed up the lens on my iPhone and that is my only camera, so I’m doing my best. This is not meant to be a formal review, but rather an overview of a pen that I’m really enjoying. The ink shown in all of these pictures is Noodler’s Upper Ganges Blue, which I have become quite fond of and is great for a demonstrator because it doesn’t look like just black in in the barrel. Overall I think this pen is wonderful and I would gladly buy it again. But, it’s not for everyone… Appearance The Vac is a goofy looking pen, no doubt about that. The cap and filling knob have facets while the barrel does not, the clip is brushed and all other metal parts are shiny, there’s a strange bulbous bit in the middle, etc. But somehow it all winds up just working for me. While some may be annoyed that it is only available in various shades of demonstrator, I am too distracted by watching my ink slosh around to be bothered… Filling Admittedly, the vacuum filling mechanism was a major reason I got this pen. I’m still getting used to it, but it is effective and a fun little novelty. Also, if you want to fill from a small sample it is easy to fill with a blunt tipped syringe without any mess. The pen is also really easy to take apart so that you can thoroughly clean all the little parts out when you change inks. It’s so slick and makes me want to start taking apart other pens… Nib I bought this pen with a 1.1 mm stub which was buttah smooth and very wet. And a bit too broad for my daily writing so I switched to a M. Still very smooth and no flow problems at all except for Salix, which seems to just be a bad fit for this pen. I’m glad that, at least in my limited sample size of N = 2, I have not experienced the horrible flow issues that other people report with TWSBIs. General writing experience I think this is so far my favorite pen to write with. It fits my hand very well (no hint of the issues I feared with step from section to barrel), good weight, nice nibs that are easy to swap, and a big ink capacity. Not sure what else I could ask for! This pen was purchased with my own money and I am not being compensated for this review in any way. All opinions expressed above are my own and you are free to disagree with them if you want.
  2. Hi everyone, Bad Blue Heron is in my opinion an excellent ink. Well behaved, great color and bulletproof. Except the strong odor, which is downright terrible, this is easily one of my top inks. The image is color corrected with ColorChecker Passport. Enjoy! - Daniel
  3. yogalarva

    Rohrer & Klingner Verdura

    I felt that given the festive nature of today, I should do a quick review of the most outrageous green ink I have (to be fair, I only have two green inks, but even still, this one is pretty outrageous): The paper used was a Staples Arc notebook refill. This paper is not as coated as say, Clairefontaine, but I found that this ink bled through a little bit even in my Rhodia. No feathering there though… Anyway, here is a close-up of just after I pushed a bit more ink into the feed: I think that the problems I had with my pen running dry was a combination of writing too fast for the wide nib and that I was writing on my lap, where I wound up with a funny angle happening as I got further down the page. The pen used, by the way, was my Nemosine Singularity with a Goulet 1.5 mm stub. And here is the back of the page: So, that’s that! I bought this ink with my own money and all the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. I don’t regret buying this bottle at all - sure it’s not a color I can get a ton of use out of, but it’s a really fun, vibrant hue and R&K ink is pretty cheap ($12/50 mL) and good to use for mixing. Also, if you are going to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a few pints, please do try to make good choices. :-)
  4. Today I'm going to post reviews of not one, but TWO notebooks by Markings by C. R. Gibson! I'll do a compare-and-contrast, along with descriptions of pen-and-ink tests for each. (Sorry, I'm terrible at photos and would only serve to malign the notebooks with my photos). Overview First up, Notebook A, the Markings by C. R. Gibson Ruled Journal in Black Bonded Leather. This is a Moleskine-esque, 5"x8", 120-sheet (240-page) journal with a rear pocket, bookmark ribbon, and an elastic band. It was on sale at the Staples by me for $5, and I bought one to test, thinking "oh, it's a $5 Molkeskine knockoff, it'll probably do poorly." Spoiler alert: it didn't. I may now run back to that Staples and buy every last one I find. Notebook B is Markings by C. R. Gibson's Jumbo Ruled Journal in Black Leatherette. This is a more classically-designed whopper of a 200-sheet / 400-page(!) journal in 7 3/8" x 9 1/2". For those of you keeping score, this is an almost identical size to the composition book form factor (which I am madly in love with), except that this journal measures about 1.5" thick rather than ~3/8" thick. Its only "special feature" is a solitary black bookmark ribbon, but that's all it needs. I paid $13.00 at Staples for this journal, which is MSRP. Design and Construction -A: This is your fairly standard Moleskine-type book. 5" x 8" form factor, elastic band, rear pocket, black ribbon bookmark. The cover is bonded leather (80% leather / 20% non-leather), and seems sturdy. Yes, the pages lay flat! They are advertised as Smyth-sewn, and they certainly behave so. Bonus points right there. The covers don't pick up fingerprints, and I think this will take a fair amount of abuse. (I am not gentle with my toys.) -B: Sturdy construction, questionable cover. The cover is a leatherette, with 0% leather (as far as I can tell, anyway), and I almost wish it had been slightly more expensive and actually leatherbound. I have concerns about the leatherette: it picks up fingerprints very easily, for one, and for another, I'm worried it will damage easily. But it has some interesting stitching, and an homage to old-school bookbinding with 5 raised bars on the spine. Form factor is 7 3/8" x 9 1/2", and is also Smyth-sewn. To my surprise, even a book this thick can lay almost perfectly flat when it's open. It's kind of astonishing. Paper This is what we've all come here to talk about, because we :wub:s our fountain pens on FPN. So here's the short version: They're both great! They're different, but both quite excellent, and behave well with FPs. Both paper stocks are acid- and lignen-free, so they should archive well. Notebook A has ivory-colored pages with 1/4" rulings, for 32 lines per page, while Notebook B's pages are bright white (a turn-off for some, but not me) and slightly larger ruled (college ruled?), containing 30 lines per page. Neither notebook offers a paper weight in their descriptions, and I'm not experienced enough with papers to guess. Performance / Ink Tests -Diamine Ancient Copper / Pilot Metropolitan (Asian M): -A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely. -B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Not much. Recto usable? Definitely. -Noodler's 54th Massachusetts / Lamy Safari (Western XF): -A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Not much. Recto usable? Definitely. -B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Not much. Recto usable? Definitely. -Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun / Lamy Safari (Western M): -A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely. -B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely. -Noodler's Apache Sunset / Noodler's Ahab (semi-Flex): -A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: None, except... Bleedthrough: only a few dots when fully flexed, but they bled through onto the next page. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely. -B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: Some. Shading? This is interesting. In Notebook A (Moleskine-esque), Apache Sunset had GORGEOUS red-peach-yellow shading; in this book it's only showing orange. Not sure why. Recto usable? Definitely, apart from bleedthrough areas. -J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey / Noodler's Ahab (semi-Flex): -A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: Minor. Bleedthrough: Minor. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely. -B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: Minor. Bleedthrough: Minor. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely. Both papers showed plenty of the glitter in the Stormy Gray, which cheaper papers do not. Overall Impression I would buy either of these again, assuming they hold up to use. They're priced lower than the more-renowned Moleskines, and provide what seems to be pretty great paper, durable construction, and quality craftsmanship for the price point. If you can't afford to drop $20 on a Rhodia webnotebook or similar, this is a good place to spend your dollars.
  5. I asked Paperthinks to send me a few sheets of paper for review, mostly because I didn't want to commit $20 to a journal that might not be FP-friendly. They agreed to send me an out-of-date 2014 planner, but surprised me by sending me a tiiiiny notebook to sample instead. It was a highly classy move on their end. I only wish the paper was as classy as the technique What did I think? Well, read my.... Paperthinks Pocket Notebook Review! Sample provided free from Paperthinks, because I asked nicely. So points for customer / potential-customer service! Item MSRP's at $12.95 on the Paperthinks Site. The Pocket Notebook measures 3.5 x 5.0". The cover is 100% recycled leather, which is nice and appeals to my eco-friendly personality, and the one they sent me is an attractive shade of navy blue. There's an adorable 1/8" wide black ribbon sewn in the middle, and a surprisingly expandable pocket in the back for storing scraps of paper. There's no elastic closure, but it doesn't seem to need one; it seems to want to stay closed all by itself. In terms of branding, the words Paper thinksTM are written, fairly small, on the base of the spine, in an elegant and unobtrusive gray-on-navy arrangement; there is a small logo on the inside of the front cover, opposite a front page that has spaces for Name, Phone, and (oddly enough) emergency contact info. As to the paper, there are 128 sheets (256 pages) of pH-neutral, chlorine-free, acid-free, and "selected recycled fibres", ruled, ivory paper in this notebook. There are 20 lines on the page, with the top 7/16" as a margin, and 3/16" side and bottom margins. The website states that the notebooks are Smyth-sewn and lay flat, which I did not experience to be the case; toward the ends the pages may lie relatively flat, but in the middle it's humpsville, and it's a fight to keep whichever cover has less pages against the desk. This might get better with time, but unfortunately, I don't like the paper well enough to find out. I've only written a few test pages so far, with the 4 pens I have. While my photo-taking skills aren't great, and I've decided not to include them unless someone requests it, here's what I used, and the results: --Pilot Metropolitan (Asian M) with Diamine Ancient Copper: Hairline feathering, which remains quite legible, but some pretty bad bleedthrough at the bottoms of the letters. The reverse side would be basically unusable, but you could get away with using this verso-only. --Noodler's Ahab with J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Gray: All's fair in love and pens, and seeing how a flex pen does with cheap paper is just.... sad. Lots of ink or Ahab's finest receding hairline, didn't matter. The paper still feathered all over the place, and, on the deepest flexes, bled through to the page beyond. Though the ink DOES sparkle nicely on this paper (it doesn't on everything, including Office Despot pads), so that's a plus. --Lamy Safari (Western M) with Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun: This didn't feather particularly badly, partially because I think the nib is just kind of "vague", but it also didn't behave particularly well; the ink is too light-colored for terrible bleed-through, but it still tried pretty hard. Could you use the recto? Probably. But the ink looks "chalky" here, in a way it doesn't on other cheap paper. --Lamy Safari (Western XF) with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts: This was the best-behaved combination I have currently inked (across various papers). The lines don't feather more than the occasional hairline, or bleed through at all, or even show through particularly badly. You could get away with writing on the recto (back of the page) with this pretty easily, if you kept it to the XF nib. With this combination, and this combination Overall: I like that it's recycled and eco-friendly. I want to like this notebook, really I do. But I can't. It doesn't lay flat, it's a little thick for my tastes, and the paper just isn't suitable for fountain pens. As to the paper, with a fine enough nib and a well-behaved ink this MIGHT be a usable journal or notebook. But with most inks and nibs the recto is a complete goner, not to mention its feathering problems. I'm sure it's great with ballpoints, and maybe even rollerballs, but here on the Fountain Pen Network it just doesn't cut it. Spend your $13 on something else. The 3.5" x 5.5" Markings by C.R. Gibson Moleskine-esque notebook sells at Staples for just $7, and, if it's anything like it's bigger sister, it handles FPs MUCH better. Photos: Courtesy of paperthinks.us http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0493/0109/products/PT03558_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1405440746 http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0493/0109/products/PT91118_02_d80f16e4-8113-4c3a-9026-7d48e3a40861.jpg?v=1405440746
  6. Hi everyone, posting my first ink review, I didn't mean to post it at all, made it for my personal reference but realized it could help someone decide (as numerous reviews have helped me), so here it is. I am sure there is room for improvement so feel free to point out what to adjust in the next one. I've got close to 40 inks so I will be posting more as I go through them again. These of course are only my personal findings and may not be as accurate as someone's who's been reviewing ink for a long time. I've only gotten into inks recently even though I've been using fountain pens for years. This review is on Radece Papir Italia, 80g. The best office paper I've found so far in this part of the world. Excellent for fountain pen inks, very resistant and overall performs very, very well. I've tried quite a number of them by now. I want to stay away from reviewing on Clairfontain or Rhodia simply because I don't use them daily and the ink really won't show its faults as much. Enjoy! - Daniel
  7. Here’s an overdue review of my most expensive fountain pen to date and my very first customised pen. I first came across C.E. Levi pens at my very first pen meet 2 years ago (when I was such a newb and ‘ebonite’ itself was a foreign language), the Nox had such a nice finish, so sleek and unassuming and I was sold (emotionally only then). I am not that keen on his modern wood grains or ripples (no offence, I love my Waterman 52 ripple but only because it came from that period in time right?) and despite the lovely Colossus, the high-gloss finish? I can imagine the pen slipping right through my fingers. A fan of Lamy 2000’s futuristic design and seamless curve extending beyond its piston, I was pleasantly surprised to see a brushed attempt at the Colossus. Conflicted between the Nox and brushed finish Colossus, I went for it regardless. Knowing that it’s a heavy pen, I borrowed my friend’s Lamy 2000 for a couple of weeks to get used to a heavy pen. Sorry about the photos, but I tried: Length: 127.5mm Cap diameter: 12.5mm Material: Brass Design: 4/5 I love the simplicity of the design—sleek and modern, imposing yet unassuming—and the double band grooves on the cap. Not meant for posting though. (This could be an idea for future attempts, but without ugly visible grooves please!) Finish: 3/5 I asked for the filler cap to be flushed to the body as well, but I do not understand why that could not be done. The same for the cap, I can tell he tried his best, but when I run my fingernail across, the kink is obvious. But hey, the 2000 is made on a computer-operated machine and this is by hand-operated machine right? With a nitpicking eye, the brushed lines wavers occasionally, okay wait, it wavers rather much upon scrutiny. The cap closes in about 700 degrees, making it almost 2 complete rounds. It squeaks sometimes, but I like the way the cap closes with an invisible pull towards the end and seals up the nib. You’ll never see the cap come loose on you. Knowing the issues of fingerprints and patina beforehand, I was prepared for it and now I like how my pen has been ‘broken in’ with my caresses. Filling system: 4/5 My second button-filler, and we know button-fillers have less capacity. I’m all for that, since I get sick of the colour pretty quick. My paranoia is changing sacs though, is there anyone capable of doing a repair when Levi is no longer around. Case in point, the filling system is so well-integrated in this pen that I’m not sure how the hell I would get water or dampness in this pen as long as I cap both ends. The button-filler might just last forever without a replacement in this one that’s a comfort. Nib: 3.5/5 Awfully glad another friend jumped on the best nib that was offered, so I got the slightly cheaper, second best. A vintage #2 swan nib that is wet, flexible and sweet. Too wet perhaps, it writes fine but it spills ink into my cap and the stains transfers into the grooves. Being full metal, more careless washing could be done I guess but times like this, I want an ultrasonic cleaner for Christmas. I suspect that it’s the fitting of the feed being less than perfect. A heavier shake is all it takes for ink to spill. Weight: 4/5 It is a heavy pen, but it is metal after all. The solid weight complements its character, though I try to dispel the thought that I spent a few hundred quids to buy a brass rod for my hand. I love the Lamy 2000 design but I kept rotating the pen while I write, which doesn’t happen with other pens. Maybe it’s the hooded nib being too shy, for I do not encounter the same issue with the Levi pen. One check of the nib direction every time I uncap is all I need throughout any length of writing. During prolong time gaps between note taking, moisture gathers on the hands and the pen is prone to slipping. Instead of keeping it in a writing pose, I tend to place it horizontally between fingers nowadays. The weight rests quite well in the flesh between my thumb and index and there is hardly any writing fatigue with the pen at its cause. 2 months into its usage and I see micro scratches but they are like the faint patina and micro dirt settling itself into the tiny weeny brushed surface, I embrace this pen as my last purchase of the year but I can’t promise it won’t get itself a cousin in the future. Meanwhile, you can see occasional appearances of it in my Instagram.
  8. TWSBI Mini in Rose Gold Review First Impression (10/10) So, there are two reasons why I got this pen. First is that I really wanted a piston filler, the second being that I wanted a shiny white pen. The pen is nicely packaged as any other TWSBI pen, with the cardboard box and plastic shell, completed with wrench and silicon grease. This pen looked beautiful out of the box, it is a little smaller than I expected, but I do like smaller pens so it’s a plus for me. Appearance and Design (8/10) Again, the Mini is a really beautiful pen when empty. However, it does look somewhat worse when it is filled with dark black ink, but it still looks good nevertheless. I would warn you that it does give off a feminine feel, which may turn off those who prefer manly-man, black on black stealth pens. The design is excellent; I especially enjoy the ability to take it apart for cleaning and maintenance. Weight and Dimensions (10/10) The pen is small, and since I have smaller hands it is perfect for me. The pen does post pretty well with the screw on cap, so it’ll fit those with larger hands as well. Nib and performance (6/10) As a student, I always go with the fine nib for best performance on cheap paper. The nib is beautifully coated with rose gold. The nib did not start off being the smoothest, but got much better after a little bit of adjustments with my writing angle (small sweet spot). I do have a big complaint with how dry this pen is. This pen is beyond just causing a little bit of hard start: it completely stops working when kept in an upright position, causing a lot of frustration for me needing to prime it each time. Now I keep the pen flat on my desk and keep it half full to make sure it works every time when I pick it up. This is not best choice for use as a student pen. Filling system & Maintenance (10/10) The filling system is easy to use, and holds a lot of ink. Maintenance is superior because I can take apart the pen easily to clean out the pen really quickly. Cost & Value (6/10) Ok, this pen looks nice, but you can get an identical pen with just a different color (the regular TWSBI Mini) for $15 less. So if you’re not looking for a white and gold pen, getting this pen is low in value. Reliability wise it is disappointing for the dryness mentioned above, thus obviously lower in value than other pens like Lamy Safari as a work pen. Conclusion (8/10) This pen looks really nice and writes smoothly now, which is why I’m sure to be keeping it. I do have complaints of its dryness, but it is nothing that I can’t overlook easily, just problematic for taking notes. Overall I like this pen and accept its flaws.
  9. Hi everyone, this is my first review. I'm doing it because I have purchased a pen that has a history and also has emotional significance for me because of where the material used to make it came from. Name: York Minster 13th Century Firewood Oak handmade fountain pen Price: £49.99 from www.yorkandbeyond.com (no affiliation) who also have an ebay store. The pen is also available from www.yorkminster.org Overall performance: quite smooth (fine nib) Video of my review at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Nf0kFbO48 The pen is made by a Yorkshire craftsman using 800 year old wood from York Minster that was reclaimed after the fire there in 1984. York and the Minster mean something to me and so that is what motivated my purchase. The pen came in a large white cardboard box embossed with the seal of the Archbishop of York. Inside the box was a book (and I mean book) about the Minster and the fire as well as a certificate of authenticity from the Dean of York Minster. The pen came with a standard international cartridge and a standard international converter, a velvet pen-slip and a spare nib (so I have a fine and a medium gold-plate iridium-point german nib for this pen). The pen is capped and posted via a screw mechanism (the capping process was a little stiff). There is a large polished black, pointed finial (stone or metal?) on the cap which also has a large cap ring with a thin piece of the same black material embossed on it (it may be 2 thinner cap rings separated by a thin piece of the black material. The section is gold-plate to match the rest of the trims (which are also available in chrome and gunmetal finishes) and is a lot thinner than the barrel and cap (but not as thin as on my Waterman Hemisphere 10 which I find to be too thin). I have compared the fine and medium nibs supplied with the pen. Both are fairly smooth. The fine nib offers a bit of feedback which I find helpful but felt a bit on the dry side when using Waterman Florida Blue. The medium nib is considerably smoother, wetter and a joy to use. It feels a privilege to be touching history every time I use this pen and it was purchased for its history and to pass on when I'm not here. The fact it is so pleasant to use is an added bonus. Friendly and fast service when buying this pen and which helped make a contribution to the ongoing restoration and upkeep of one of the UK's finest cathedrals (no affiliation). Best wishes James
  10. poisonedpen

    Papier Plume - Burgundy Ink Review

    First review. This is of Papier Plume's hand-bottled ink, Burgundy, which can be found at papierplume.com or in their shop in New Orleans. It's a nice ink that performs well in italic or flex nibs. My review was color-corrected to represent an accurate scan of the ink. Feathering of the ink is actually zero to very minimal, but my image resolution makes it look a little higher, unfortunately.
  11. TimTheZaj

    Diplomat Classic Review

    A handwritten review with pictures:
  12. I received my Parker Urban Premium in Metallic White, M nib, last Christmas, and have been using it regularly for close to a year now. Right now it's inked with a mixture of Diamine Yellow and Pelikan Brilliant Red. These are my thoughts on how I feel about the pen! Appearance and design http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/hockairu/randoms/IMAG0128.jpg http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/hockairu/randoms/IMAG0129.jpg The Parker Urban Premium is a beautiful pen. I love the streamlined hourglass shape, the lovely pearly white finish. The crisscrossed lines on the barrel and cap add a touch of elegance to the look. Being made of metal, it feels well built and has some weight to it, but not so much that it causes hand fatigue easily. The clip is an unusual, arrow shape, and it feels quite tight. However, one thing I'd like to mention is that the pen scratches very easily, despite the care I've taken to keep it looking as new as possible. You can see the big paint chip on the cap and little scratches on the end of the barrel. The grip is made from shiny black resin that tends to pick up fingerprints easily. The pen posts, but posting makes it top heavy so it's not something I usually do when planning to write for long periods of time. Unposted, the balance is alright. The nib is unusually small - one of the smallest nibs I own. http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/hockairu/randoms/IMAG0121.jpg Filling system The Parker Urban Premium uses a c/c filling system. The converter that comes with the pen is solidly build and holds a decent amount of ink. What I especially like about it is that, instead of having to twist to draw in ink, all you have to do is pull up a plunger (I'm not very sure how to describe it, so I'll just post a picture below). There also happens to be a little ball bearing in the converter that you can shake when ink gets stuck at the top. http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/hockairu/randoms/IMAG0124.jpg http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/hockairu/randoms/IMAG0126_1.jpg Performance The nib is a steel, M nib. The medium writes slightly narrower than the other mediums I have. It is quite stiff, with no flex or line variation. However, mine is very smooth, reliable and wrote perfectly out of the box. I have yet to experience any skipping or hard starts. Flow is somewhat drier than my other fountain pens. Overall impression Despite some minor minus points, all in all I'd say the Parker Urban Premium is a pretty reliable pen with a fantastic design. I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking to get an eye-catching yet functional pen for a reasonable price. Thanks for reading my first review! (:
  13. "Dear god, not another Lamy 2000 review" you must think. Well, I thought that too ! However I find interesting to see the consistency of the reviews over time. I've noticed that there are review on this forum of this very pen from 2008, 2010, etc. So, in my opinion, it's interesting to have another one, especially since Lamy said they reworked on the Lamy 2000 nib a few years ago. Be aware that I'm still a newbie to the fountain pen world, I've been using for 3 years a cheap cartridge waterman and a Twsbi 580 since this summer. Concerning, the review, there will be no pictures nor handwriting scans as I don't have anything to take decent pictures. I've bought this pen at pengallery as it was the cheapest, it just arrived today (just 4 days from Malaysia !) and I've been playing with it for some hours now but enough talking, let's get down to the actual review. Appearance and design : 9,5/10 10/10 Oh boy ! What a beauty ! I'm a fan of bauhaus design and this pen is pretty much the epitome of it ! It's elegant, modern and functional, what could you ask more ? The material is quite interesting to the touch, not your typical plastic body and I find it very pleasing. The machining is just brilliant, it's very neat and tightly machine, it screams german quality. The design in itself is genious, the round lines that follow the curve of the nib, the metal part at the front creating a nice touch, contrasting with the black makrolon body are things that make the Lamy 2000 a design masterpiece I could write pages on the design itself but I'm not proficient enough in english to do so. The cap system is quite nice, there is some kind of spring mechanism to secure the cap. Some people warned against the two metal pieces that are on both side of the pen to secure the cap as they would be uncomfortable for some people but they're so small you don't even feel them. My only critic will be against the ink window which isn't very readable and that would be the only weakness of the pen's design. It's actually very readable and does the job as expected Piston filling system : 7/10 The piston filling method is well-done, it's working as intended and the separation between the part you turn and the body is seamless. I can't tell yet if it holds enough ink but previous reviews have showed that it can. So why 7/10 ? It's because you can't easily grease the piston itself and it's wuite stiff, however the goulet pen co showed it was possible using some q tips Nib and pleasure of writing : 6,5/10 9/10 Considering all the pen I have, it's the wettest, the nib just glides on the paper and it's very pleasant to write with. The pen feels nice in the hand, not too small nor too big and has some decent weight. It was smooth straight out of the box so no problem here on QC nor the flow of ink. BUT, and I don't understand why they don't change their standards, the nib is far too big for an EF ! It really is like a japanese M and that really bothers me, it's just too big and thus I find it difficult to even try to make some hairlines. Even if it's not the main purpose of pen, I always find pleasant to make some for capitals but it seems also that the nib isn't flexible at all. Because of this, I plan to send it to a neibmeister in order to grind the nib. So my advice people who look for thinness to look for something else if having a big ink capacity is not their concern. EDIT : Now I understand my mistake. You see I'm always used to apply some pressure on the pen and that's why my Lamy was doing such a broad line, Now a gentle touch dives a very elegant line that follows your hand like a charm. The pen respond to the pressure you make so you have to think about that when writing but that means you have a lot possibilities. Conclusion : I have mixed feelings towards this pen, it has strenghs and weaknesses. Its strengths being the gorgeous design, the quality of manufacturing and the piston filling system however the nib is quite a disapointment although it's super smooth advertising it as EXTRA fine, instead of let's say fine, is a lie to me. Now that I understand the pen better, it is clearly a no brainer for me and perhaps the ultimate pen you could find.
  14. KreepyKen

    Knox Galileo Review

    Knox Galileo Fountain Pen Price: $15.00 Nib: Extra Fine Filling System: Piston / Cartridge (International Standard) Knox is an interesting brand. They're only available from one retailer (XFountainPens out of Pittsburgh, PA, USA). They appear to be commissioned from a Chinese manufacturer, but outfitted with German nibs. I heard some great things about the Knox nibs and noticed that the Galileo came with a free bottle of ink. For $15, I figured I'd take a chance on it (okay, the fact that it comes in a nice, shiny orange may have had something to do with it, too). With the exception of one rather large flaw, I absolutely love this pen. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_01.jpg Appearance I find the pen to be beautiful, if not a little simple in design. It's a sleek, clean design that has just enough chrome accents to give it a little sparkle. I have two pens, each with a different finish. The orange pen is glossy and shiny; the black pen has a matte finish. Both finishes are extraordinary, although the glossy one is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. The cap and barrel are metal, and the pen has a bit of heft to it, although I wouldn't say it's heavy. It feels solid; sturdy. The finial and endcap are simple chrome adornments, as are the clip and cap band. The clip reminds me a little of Pelikan in style, but it's shaped in a wave pattern that adds a little bit of flare to it. The nib is gold colored, which I think is a strange choice, given the pen's silvery chrome accents. It would have looked much nicer with a silver-colored nib instead of gold. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_02.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_03.jpg Build Quality (5/5) The Galileo feels like a solid, well built, good quality pen, and it performs very well. Both the glossy and matte finishes are beautiful and feel durable. The snap-on cap secures tightly in place with a loud and satisfying click. Although sometimes the cap doesn't close. You can push on it pretty hard, but it won't snap shut. I don't know if it's slightly misaligned or if I'm pushing at a minute angle that it doesn't like. When this happens, I just separate the pen and cap and try again, and it always snaps into place the second time. The section is very smooth and somewhat slippery. I can't tell if it's plastic or metal, but the threads on the section are metal and well machined. The section screws and unscrews from the barrel very smoothly; the metal-on-metal feel of the coupling makes the pen feel nice and solid. The converter is a standard screw-type piston filler that slides in and out of the section. It would be nice if it screwed into the section, but the hold is pretty firm. I have no fear that the converter will dislodge from the section accidentally. And the converter comes with a small plastic or glass ball in it to agitate the ink for better flow into the section & feed. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_07.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_05.jpg Dependability (5/5) I had quite a few skips early on, but the pen seems to have settled down quite a bit. I generally don't have any problems with it writing. I've noticed that if I let the pen sit open for more than a few seconds, it may take one or two strokes for the ink to start flowing to the paper, but otherwise, the writing is beautiful and consistent. The cap is very secure on the pen. I have no worries about it coming off by surprise. And I have had absolutely no issues with the pen leaking or dripping, although I've found nib creep to be pretty prominent. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_09.jpg Comfort (3/5) The pen is pretty comfortable to write with for short periods of time, but I've found that my hand tends to cramp up when writing with the Galileo for an extended period of time. The section is very slick, and it's not uncommon for my fingers to slip around a little bit when writing. It hasn't been a huge problem, but it's noticeable. One gripe of mine with the pen is that the cap doesn't post. I'd very much like to try writing with the cap posted to see if it changes the balance of the pen and alleviates the hand cramping. I've heard of other people successfully posting this pen by forcing the cap onto the end of the pen, but I'm afraid if I push too hard, I'll break the plastic sleeve inside the cap. I'd rather have a pen that doesn't post than a pen that doesn't close. And speaking of the cap, because it's a push-on cap, there is a slight lip where the section meets the barrel. These lips tend to be a little sharp and can cause discomfort if you hold the pen higher up the section. But honestly, I don't notice the lip at all when writing. I think they did a great job of designing it to not be a nuisance. The slick section and hand cramps are enough for me to dock the pen a couple points for comfort. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_04.jpg Writing Experience (4/5) Now that the skipping business is out of the way, I have to say that I'm very impressed with how this pen writes. The nib is fantastic: super smooth and consistent. There is no line variation, but the flow is great. It's a pretty wet writer. My only problem with the nib is that it's supposed to be an extra fine, but writes closer to a medium. I have very tiny handwriting and am dying to find extra fine nibs that are actually extra fine (I wish Pilot sold standard #5 and #6 nibs!). The pen writes awesome, but it's a bit too thick for my taste. I did try a bit of reverse (upside down) writing. The line is super fine...just beautiful, in fact. But the nib is wicked scratchy in that orientation. It makes me nervous, so I don't do it. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/galileo_10.jpg Value (5/5) This pen is an amazing value for $15. When I ordered it, it came with a free bottle of ink. It comes with a converter, but also takes international standard cartridges. One thing I really like about the Galileo is that there are a ton of nib options available. It takes a Knox K26 nib, which comes in EF, F, M, B, OB, and OBB for under $10 each. So for a pretty small price overall, you can get a solid, dependable pen and various sized nibs to swap out. If the EF nib was a true extra fine, the Knox Galileo would rival the Pilot Metropolitan for value and sheer awesomeness. Best Qualities: Solid Build Great Nib Attractive Design Worst Qualities: EF nib is not an EF Cap does not post Cap does not always snap into place Overall Score: 22/25
  15. yogalarva

    Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo

    This is a more subdued color because I’m hoping that if I stop using bright, summery colors, fall will hurry up and get here. It is my favorite season after all… This ink was sent to me by a very generous member on FPN, who I will not name for privacy (thanks again!!!). It’s a blue black that I think looks just like Diamine Registrars right after you put it down on paper. So, if you wanted that blue/black/grey color of an iron gall but you don’t want the upkeep requirements of an iron gall, this might be a good choice for you. As you can see, it’s not completely water resistant, but I would say there’s enough left there that you could decipher what’s written if you really needed. Otherwise it’s a really nice ink, just like every other Iroshizuku I’ve tried. Very well behaved, no real issues with feathering or bleeding and no hard starts. This is a hard one to recommend. The color is nice, but to me it’s not that exciting. Like I said, if you are looking for a classic blue-black, I think this is a good one. On the other hand, pretty much every brand has a blue-black and there is probably one to be found that would be cheaper than this one, at ~$28/bottle in the States. My advice would be to try a sample first so that you can ensure it will be worth the investment for a full bottle. I have a few other blue-blacks in my sample collection, so I’ll try to do a comparison between the ones I have this weekend. :-) This ink was provided for the purpose of review and I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions above are my own and you are free to disagree if you like.
  16. yogalarva

    Noodler's Apache Sunset

    This is one of those inks that is legendary in the FP world. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of someone who absolutely hates it, and I don’t know that I’ve heard that much about people who are relatively indifferent to it. I wish I could be one of those people, but sorrynotsorry, this is going to be another gushing review for this ink. Like I said above, at first I didn’t see what all the hoopla was about. Then I switched to the notebook I have started using for my ink reviews and the beautiful shading really started to show itself. In case you are super new to fountain pens or have been living under a rock for, like, ever, Apache Sunset is known for being an ink that has some serious shading. And I love shading, so this was a wonderful treat to write with. As I expected, this ink does not have a ton in the way of water resistance. Which usually irks me, but then again this ink is not something that I would be using for writing important messages. While it is definitely dark enough to stay readable, I would never use this as my all-purpose daily user. However it would be fun to have loaded up for marking up a document or just writing for the sake of writing. This ink worked well on all the papers I tested it on, but I found that it performed the best on the notebook paper making up the bulk of the review. Nice bright white to bring out the color, smooth for a good writing experience, and no troubles with bleeding or feathering. Overall, I would definitely recommend this ink. I will be getting a full bottle once my finances recover a bit from some recent ink buying binges. The nice thing is that, as a Noodler’s ink, you can get a lot of it for not too much money - roughly $13/100 mL here in the States. How can you say no to that? This ink was provided for review by a generous reader. I am not being compensated for this review in any way. All opinions expressed above are my own and you are free to disagree with them if you like. The full page scan of the review, in case anyone was curious:
  17. Let's talk about a pen which is seldom mentioned here (or anywhere else for that matter...). The Gate City Belmont Syringe Filler. 1. Appearance & Design (9/10) This is the caribbean version, which looks pretty amazing, under my lamp the material sparkles like metal flake paint on cars (I tried to capture that in the first photo following this paragraph), the material is resin as far as I can tell. The pen tapers towards the end of the filler cap and the section, with the biggest circumference at the thread of the filling 'mechanism'. The ink chamber is translucent with a slightly blue/turquoise hue. It has a black section and a two-tone steel nib (it's possible to order the pen with a gold nib) and a pretty big cap with some engraved text on it. All in all, a pretty looking pen. Three things which bother me: The threads at both ends of the ink chamber look somewhat rough, the cap is build from two parts and I don't like the seam between them and finally the clip, which is too small for the cap and looks like a joke. ] 2. Construction & Quality (6/10) Not sure if I wanna go down even further to 5 points. This is a 160,- US $ pen and it just doesn't feel the part. The whole thing and its components feel flimsy. There was glue (or pretty old silicone grease) at the threads, making the thing feel sticky. Nib wasn't correctly aligned to the feed and now for the thing which drives me nuts: The filler cap sits slightly askew on the barrel (see photo below), I can feel a ridge with my thumb. Maybe this is because I'm German and precision craftsmanship is something we germans like very much, but I could rant for hours about this... Addendum: For folks who think a Ford Lightning pickup truck is nicely build, this won't be a problem, you can add 2 points to the score... 3. Weight & Dimensions (8/10) Not much to say, it's light (that's nice, at least in my opinion) and a bit bigger than a Pelikan M200. For me (6'2 guy with small hands) this is the right size. It posts pretty well, if that's important for you. To add a bit more text to this paragraph I've made three photos of the box, as you can see the pen seems to be made by Bexley. 4. Nib & Performance (9/10) Now for the important part: The nib is a two-tone steel nib and it would look nice if there was just a Bexley-logo and not this big, ugly "Iridium Point Germany" text... This was a broad, which Richard transformed into a 0.8 stub nib. After aligning the feed and a bit of writing it skipped, a lot. After some extreme flushing/cleaning/scrubbing/cursing this was solved and now the pen writes as it should. The line is easily as wide as my Lamy 1.1 and shows nice variation. I've ordered a 6/10 wetness (Richards default wetness) and the pen lays down beautiful wet lines. It's smooth and writes with minimal feedback, but it's not as smooth as my TWSBI 1.5 stub, which glides without any feedback at all. 5. Filling system & Maintenance (9/10) System or mechanism is a big word for something which is essentially a simple syringe. Unscrew the filler cap and you can move the plunger up and down. That's it... Great for fast flushing and it holds a ton of ink, around 1.8ml! If you are into nifty filling systems, buy a piston or vacuum filler, this here is easy, fast, reliable and pretty simple. Everything can be disassembled for cleaning and re-greasing. Nib and feed are friction fit and pull out easily. I would give it 10 out of 10, but there's a thread insert which holds the plunger and is screwed into the ink chamber. The filler cap also attaches to that insert and the thing is pretty difficult to remove. If this could be unscrewed with -let's say- a TWSBI wrench, this would be pretty close to perfect... 6. Cost & Value (7/10) It looks really nice, I love how it sparkles in bright light, it writes really well and it's a syringe filler, which is something you don't see that much. But it's also a pen with a very simple filling mechanism, mediocre build quality, average materials and an ugly steel nib to put it very bluntly. I know that Bexley isn't the biggest manufacturer and that I shouldn't compare it to mass production pens, but in the end a 60,- $ TWSBI seems the much better deal than the 160,- $ Belmont. 7. Conclusion (48/60) I'm sure that in some parts this review sounds like I hate the thing. But no, I like it, really! It looks really great, it's a great writer and the filling system is special (even if it's as simple as it gets). I'm disappointed with the quality, I've expected something that was built like a tank but I've got a paper plane...made out of thin paper... I hope this was useful to some of you and if you have questions/unsolicited criticism/useful info/bitter rants/etc. please voice them below
  18. MSchneider

    Ink Review - Diamine Blue Black

    Here is a quick writing test on notebook paper from a Mead five start notebook. The feathering that I mentioned Is extremely hard to see and is in no way a hindrance to its use. The ink has a very nice color with some shading, the scan does not show the full range of color. The ink lubricates the nib well, it can be a little scratchy on 20 lb copy paper but it is smooth on about everything else I have tried. It has a nice even flow and rarely has any starting problems. Diamine Blue Black is a Wonderful ink and a perfect choice for students, and everyone else! Ps. I know I misspelled Written.
  19. danieln

    Ink Review: Parker Quink Black

    Hi everyone, this is my review of Parker Quink black. If you have any questions or suggestions please leave a comment. I am still trying to figure out the best way to do this. Enjoy! - Daniel
  20. Flounder

    Jinhao 321

    The Jinhao 321 is one of those common or garden hooded nib Chinese pens. In fact, looking back at RichardandTracy's 2011 review, I'm reminded that the 321 was the first hooded nib pen I ever used, and the one that set me on course to try the Hero 616 and eventually the Parker 51. It's been that long since I used this Jinhao, I almost feel like I'm looking at it with fresh eyes! Time to wheel out the Pelikan Royal Blue. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321capped.jpg LOOKS I think the hooded nibbed pens are among China's most restrained, and this one follows that convention. There's no steps or lines for the eye to follow, apart from a slim bright metal trim ring that separates the hood from the barrel. It's all very swoopy and tapered; the shape reminds me of a slimmed down zepellin. This is a slim & sleek pen, a nice shade of green, with a longer section and shorter barrel than the Parker 51. The design is heavily influenced by Parker's 61, though there's no arrow on the hood. In a further departure from the Parker 61, the barrel's attractive bright metal finial is an inverted cone. The cap is a trifle more ungainly than the pen. Its satin finish contrasts nicely with a polished arrow clip and coinstack flat-top metal jewel, but the clip is a bit of an ill match: too big, flat and imposing to suit the cap. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321bodyshot.jpg BUILD QUALITY The pen itself is pretty good! The nib and feed are flush with the hood, there are no uneven gaps at the trim ring or the barrel finial. The hood is still scratch and leak free. The cap is less impressive, as the clip is slightly loose in its slot. The cap construction overall is a little crude, I can see a rivet in there holding the inner cap in place, which itself holds a metal 4 finger open clutch in place. Nevertheless, this is still much more robust than the "inner cap as snap cap" design that proliferates nowadays. The pen will post, deeply and securely, if that's your thing. I did drop this Jinhao once, on a thickly carpetted surface. The pen landed horizontally, and the cap shot off! http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321nibmacro.jpg FUNCTIONALITY It writes. I could always take that to the bank. Despite the rivetted inner cap, this has never been a pen to dry out overnight. Come to think of it, did I seal it up with shellac back in the day? Might well have done! Whenever the fine nib meets paper, I know ink will flow. The nib is very feedbacky, but doesn't drag or scratch on even the worst paper I have. Flow is 100% consistent and will match pace with my fastest scribbling. As well as being fine, it's also very rigid so there's no shading to speak of. The squeeze filler is not great, the squeeze bar on the sac guard just doesn't make much headway. The sac will fill well enough with the metal guard removed. Overall, it's certainly a very comfortable design, and sure to keep your fingers clean no matter what grip you favour. Very light and well balanced too, even posted. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321barrelfinial.jpg YAY/NAY Oh, that's a hard one. It's hard to avoid comparisons with the 616 Jumbo, which I have to admit a preference for. The Jinhao is slimmer, smaller, has a shorter and harder to fill ink sac, and no ink window. The cap is less servicable, the ringless open clutch retention system less to my tastes, and the inner cap is much thinner. And yet... this one Jinhao 321 has many of my 616's trumped, in that it didn't need any fettling. I received the pen, and used it without fuss. Sure it is small and thin, but a lot of people might prefer that. If you've reached the end of this review thinking the same thing, keep an eye on the Pay It Forward thread. I've got a couple of new pens winging their way to me, and to make room, will be passing this one on.
  21. Jane Austen Fountain Pen Review http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c4/c0/74/c4c07467d2b6153a83990aec23b3a3fe.jpg I purchased this pen from Victorian Trading Company for $20 Packaging and Presentation: 10/10 I really like the black box this pen came in. It features Jane’s signature on the top and Victorian Trading Co’s logo inside. The pen came nestled inside the white silky lining with a ribbon holder and two elastic holders as well. The box was packed safely in bubble wrap and had no damage when it arrived. The packing slip even had instructions on how to insert the ink cartridge. http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b0/87/8d/b0878ddf02530c3f6cd01fbe1113a96a.jpg Pen Appearance: 8.5/10 This pen is pretty! Seriously it is lovely! I love the shiny pearly white finish. And the alabaster white part (in the middle when pen is capped) is so gorgeous! Jane’s signature is also on the pen and seems to be very nice; no fading or flaking off. The finish is smooth and pleasant to the touch. There are two things I am not incredibly fond of: 1) The cap has a strange shape at the end; I think this is to stop the pen from rolling around since there is no clip on the cap. There is nothing wrong with this; it just seems a little strange at first. I have gotten used to it, and while I still don’t particularly fancy the strange shape of the cap’s hat, I do appreciate that it helps stop the pen from rolling around so I am willing to compromise. – 1/2 a point 2) The grip section is very skinny and the white metal part is not shiny like the rest of the pen. I think it makes the pen look cheap and it takes away from the appeal of the pen slightly. -1 point Function: 10/10 This pen came with one black standard int’l ink cartridge. I did purchase the Monteverde Mini Converter from Goulet and it fits perfectly. The cap snaps on and off and posts. The pen has a little weight but is not too heavy for me (I don’t like real heavy pens.) The pen has not dried out, nor has ink evaporated or any other problems when left sitting for a few days. Writing Experience: 8/10 This pen wrote surprisingly well and far exceeded my expectations the first time I wrote with it. After writing with it for a couple weeks I have noticed a couple negatives. 1) The small metal section is super skinny and uncomfortable even for me to hold – and I typically like smaller pens. But I found a solution to this problem. Keep reading. 2) The second problem is that as the converter was running low on ink, ink would creep from the section and the silver finish above the nib resulting in very inky fingers. This doesn’t seem to be a problem when the converter is full, only when the ink level is very low. I also found a solution to this. My solution to both aforementioned problems was simply to hold the pen on the alabaster section of the pen. It is a little strange for me at first since I am familiar with holding pens closer to the paper, but this has solved both issues for me and is a compromise I am willing to make. It hasn’t really changed the way the pen writes, I just have to adjust when I first hold the pen and then as I write it becomes more comfortable and I forget that I made an adjustment in the beginning. So my experience is now very pleasant. Ink Flow: 10/10 The pen’s ink flow is in the middle, I think. It is not dry (I hate dry pens) but definitely doesn’t gush (nothing like the Ahab). I feel like the wetness level is exactly perfect. If I had to compare, I would say it is similar to the Metropolitan and Artista Crystal in flow. Nib: 9/10 This nib is smooth! Not buttery smooth, like the Goulet nibs, but still very smooth – so smooth that I do not even need to use Mylar paper with it. It is truly great! The one problem is that it skips sometimes. I haven’t figured out a pattern, but it seems worse when I write too fast and on very slick paper like Clairefontaine or Rhodia. It hasn’t been too big of a deal for me, but it has annoyed me a couple times. I need to try more inks in the pen to see if different inks will affect this skipping issue. Durability: 10/10 The pen is very durable when carrying around in my purse (three different times: inside the box, in a zipper pocket and in a pen case roll); there was no leaking or any other issues. A few ink spots on the nib were minor. I have not noticed any scratches or any other defects in the pen. Everything seems to be working perfectly! Cost: 10/10 This pen cost me $20 with a coupon for $2 shipping. An awesome deal! http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/28/de/ba/28deba65abd0f937a7d92f60237fea00.jpg Overall Value: 75.5/80 I personally feel this pen is worth the cost. I enjoy the pen for the novelty, the loveliness and it is fun as well as practical. I do recommend this pen for any Jane Austen fan. Just be sure to get a mini converter so you can use bottled ink (or a syringe to refill the short cartridges). To see more photos please visit my gallery on my website: http://tessymoon.wix.com/tessymoon#!fountain-pen-love/cp8t
  22. Hi all! When I first tried out Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, I thought it was perfect in almost every single way except for one small thing - it would have been amazing if it was just slightly lighter. Then, I discovered Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro, which is a lot lighter and exhibits fantastic shading as well. However, on my journey to find the perfect turquoise ink I've noticed that there are many lookalikes, making my quest harder and harder. I've finally decided that I will order a bunch of samples and compare some of the most popular turquoise inks out there in one massive ink review, which will ultimately go up on my blog. However, I am not sure how many people will be interested in something like this. I've read a number of reviews that compare four or five different inks, but what I am planning now is significantly larger. Here are the inks I am thinking of reviewing. Feel free to let me know if A. you would be interested in something like this, and B. if you are, what ink(s) you would like me to review or remove from the list. I am thinking of keeping the list limited to inks that are in an affordable price range (I'm looking at you, Caran d'Ache) and regularly available (i.e. not limited edition). Also, (please let me know if you disagree/agree with this or not but) I am thinking of focusing on inks that exhibit notable shading. Inks: Caran d’Ache Hypnotic Turquoise Diamine Aqua Lagoon Diamine Aqua Blue Diamine Havasu Turquoise Diamine Mediterranean Blue Diamine Turquoise J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche Lamy Turquoise Montblanc Turquoise Noodler’s American Eel Turquoise Noodler’s Navajo Turquoise Organics Studio Copper Omas Turquoise Pelikan Turquoise Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku Sheaffer Turquoise Waterman Inspired Blue (previously South Sea Blue)
  23. a.zy.lee

    Pelikan M200 Gripes

    Just over a month ago, I got a Pelikan M200 with a broad nib. I like the pen as a whole, but I have quite a few gripes. I don't mean to rant, I'm just stating some of the things that have been bugging me. Sorry M200 fans. 1. It's way too light. I didn't think this would bug me, as I don't judge pens by their weight. However, the M200 doesn't feel comfortable in the hand. The grip and balance are fine, but the weight makes the pen feel cheap and unpleasant. That's my experience, anyway. 2. Hard starts. This may just be in my case. My broad nib may have baby's bottom. Very disappointing and greatly worsens the writing experience. 3. The joint in the grip section. The joint between the two halves of plastic is not seamless. Very minor issue, but it's there. 4. The front of the feed is wider that the nib. Just a little bit. 5. The broad nib is impractical. Completely unusable for maths and cheap paper. I'm saving for a spare medium nib unit. Just so that this isn't a rant, here are some things I like about my M200: 1. Classy and timeless gold & black design. 2. Comfortable grip. 3. Piston filling system. 4. Removable nib & feed unit. 5. Screw cap. 6. The feed is aesthetically appealing. 7. Wet flow. 8. The broad nib is great for recreational use. 9. Long nib. 10. Springy/Flexy/Soft nib. 11. Aesthetically balanced. 12. It's (almost) everything a fountain pen should be! Can you relate to any of my gripes?
  24. Hi all, this is my first attempt at a review so please excuse the poor color balance. I'm ashamed to say as a photographer that paper is quite challenging! I just received several samples from Goulet Pens and am having a ball trying them out. What better way to enhance the enjoyment than to come here and share... so here goes. Noodler's Kiowa Pecan: I love this golden brown with tons of shading! What a pleasant surprise. As far as drying time, not great but that's not something I'm really worried about, for my purposes. This was done on cheap card stock, as opposed to Fabriano. I didn't do a waterproof test but in future reviews will definitely include an image of those results, too. Now on to Noodler's BSiER: The ink came out super dark at first, but I was using a BB nib so that might have something to do with it. The color seemed to dilute after a dozen words or so. Really love the color, the shading and the vintage feel/look. Here's a drying test. I noticed at the top of the page the first word I wrote (Noodler's) didn't dry for some time, but those first words let out a ton of ink. Probably due to my penmanship style, too. Again, this is on cheap card stock. So there it is! Thanks for looking and please let me know your experiences with either of these inks, pens and/or paper. More samples to come!
  25. Tessy Moon

    Diamine Majestic Purple Ink Review

    Here is a brief handwritten review of Diamine Majestic Purple Ink. It is difficult to display the true color of this ink. It has a vibrancy to it but it is definitely not searing bright. It is a medium purple with pink undertones. (When diluted it is a pretty pink color.) I think it is a very nice medium purple and very easy to read. As noted in my review, this ink appears much darker in a wetter pen (like the Ahab) as well with broader nibs (I have tried a stub 1.1 and 1.5) http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1d/06/3b/1d063b5d998b929012ff08e3d774563a.jpg More detailed photos are here: http://tessymoon.wix.com/tessymoon#!fountain-pen-love/cp8t





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