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  1. Sailor Ink Studio is a relatively new line by Sailor, composed of 100 different hues! I will not attempt to classify and categorize the line, as it is done in great detail in this excellent overview of the full line: https://macchiatoman.com/blog/2019/1/23/sailor-ink-studio-overview-100-inks I had my first exposure to these inks only briefly on-line when I had seen the interesting multi-hue inks #123 and #162, which are probably the most popular two of the whole line so far. On my recent trip to Japan, I was very happy to find that most of the large stationery store departments had the full Sailor Ink Studio line; some even with pre-filled demonstrator tester pens and paper pads to test the inks! Thus I was able to try out most of the line (it did take multiple trips to try out all 100 inks from this line, not to mention inks by other brands). With that said, the downside of having prefilled pens was that many had been sitting and gradually concentrating the inks contained in them for a week or two. And so some of the more saturated inks to begin with were super-concentrated by the time I was testing them, quickly sheening over on paper. It was not easy to imagine what some of those inks would look like in normal use back at home. Thus I focused on the less concentrated inks that showed more complexity--something different. Please note: the colored stripes across bottle labels are NOT accurate representations of the inks (unlike, for example, Pilot Iroshizuku labels). Ink Stidio #573 caught my eye right away. It was actually quite a surprise, as I was initially going to buy #273 instead. It turned out that #273, while being very nice, is just not as complex in writing as I had expected it to be. #573, on the other hand, is interesting indeed! #573 is a relatively translucent ink of lower concentration, and so it has excellent shading properties, able to produce a wide range of hues from very pale faded terracotta to a deep off-black. There is a dark outline around dried ink lines which is readily visible and gives an extra oomph to the writing. For sheen lovers--you will not see this ink sheening in normal writing. You have to practically dump a lot of ink onto a page to finally see metallic green around the edges. But in all other circumstances, even writing on Tomoe River, you won't see this sheen. Instead, you will get a complex muted terracotta with an outline effect and a somewhat matte, chalky look. I seriously love this ink--it's simultaneously understated and very exciting. Drying time is fairly quick, feathering is very well controlled, and there is even a good degree of water resistance without obscuring smearing. My regular camera is having its sensor repaired, and unfortunately I don't know when I will get it back. I wanted to wait and do a more proper review, but my current fill of this ink was running low, and I decided it was better to put something together sooner rather than later. So this is a quick mini-presentation. I am certain this ink would be great for doing watercolor-style drawings because of it separating into very different colors in chromatography tests.
  2. 5umedh

    Parker Frontier

    Parker Frontier Intro Now this is one of the oldest pens I have in my fountain pen collection. When you are at a initial stage of your fountain pen obsession, Parker is the brand you end up having 90% of times. The Packaging This pen comes in a regular cardboard box provided with most of the Parker pens. Nothing fancy here. But I have also seen a same product in a different tin box packaging. The Body The variant I happened to choose was the chrome one. I like the body of this pen. There is noothing going much with it. Simple yet works best. Clip & Pocket Looks When you carry a Parker in your pocket, everyone around knows what brand you are carrying (if they are into FP world). That’s because of the clip of the pen. Parker’s trademark arrow clip. Works great. Spring loaded. Looks awesome. The Cap Cap is friction fit. Not anything more with that. Filling Mechanism This is a cartridge converter pen with standard international cartridges. The box comes with a cartridge and Parker converter. Writing Experience I don’t know about the current league of Parker Frontiers, but this particular pen I have is too scratchy. I had to work a lot on this pen over last 6 years. Had to tune the nib to suit my writing style. Overall, not a very good experience. Posting Posting makes this pen too long (15.2 CM) but not top heavy indeed. I don’t find any difference in writing experience whether you post it or not. Cost This pen costs you around ₹600 in India and I saw it on Amazon US for $9. General Info Locking Mechanism: Friction fit Filling Mechanism: Cartridge Converter Posted: 15.2 cm Capped: 13.2 cm Uncapped: 12.3 cm My Ratings Nib: 4/10 Looks: 6/10 Pocket Looks: 7/10 Writing Experience: 4/10 Wetness: 3/10 Scratchiness: 1/10 Cost: 9/10 Overall Rating: 4/10 Do let me know how you like the review. Follow my blog: https://pen5um.wordpress.com Thanks, 5umedh
  3. jhylkema

    Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai

    This is my first go at an ink review, and my first entry in my ink journal, so please be gentle. Also, sorry for iPhone photo.
  4. Has any member taken the time to review the 'own brand' cartridge pen offerings from W.H. Smith Ltd the well - known stationary chain-store. Apart from the Parker range and Lamy pens they have their 'own brand' that are obviously made in China. They all look to take a short International cartridge. But I wondered if any would take a converter.
  5. In this post I will review the Waterman Expert Deluxe Fountain Pen. The one which I have has a fine nib. Official Product Link of the pen Flipkart Link from where I bought the pen Background: I have been using the Waterman Expert for more than 3 years. It is my second waterman pen. Prior to this I had owned the Waterman Phileas and being really satisfied with that I decided to go in for another waterman. This pen also has the fine nib like my Phileas. This was also the most expensive pen in my collection at the time of purchase. In short I had a lot of expectations from this pen even before I had tried it out. Appearance & Design (1-10) - 8/10 - An appealing design. I went in for the deluxe version in black colour. It has a metallic cap with chrome finish. It has five horizontal bands and has a sloping top. The clip has a slit in the middle just like any other waterman. You can also find waterman and paris written at the base of the cap in white over a black band. The barrel is black lacquer over a metal body and has chrome bands to match the cap. It has a steel nib which also matches the cap colour. Overall the pen has only two colours - chrome and black and they are well-coordinated. As a whole the pen follows a cigar shape with it being wide at the middle and narrower at the ends. The grip section is comfortable to hold with the width increasing just above the nib to prevent your fingers from slipping. The pen looks upmarket and has a good design. Construction & Quality (1-10) - 8/10 - The pen is solidly built. The construction quality is good and the pen feels solidly built. There is nothing much to complain and the pen can handle some abuse. (I have never this pen so I don't know what would happen).Even after 3 years of fairly regular use this pen is in good condition. I am happy with the construction. Weight & Dimensions (1-10) - 9/10 - Balanced when unposted. The weight of the pen feels just right. It is neither very heavy nor can you call it light. I have fairly big hands and the pen fits in well posted as well as unposted. This pen is thicker than its sibling, the waterman hemisphere. Personally I find the thickness of the pen to be just right and the hemisphere is too slim for me. This pen has a very heavy cap so I prefer to write with the cap unposted. Having the cap posted seems to alter the balance for the worse and it feels as if you have to hold the pen in your its position rather than it naturally resting in your hand. Nib & Performance (1-10) - 10/10 - Wonderful Nib. The pen I have is with a Fine nib. The nib is made out of steel and there is nothing fancy about it. It is a relatively small in size. What you expect from a nib depends from person to person and this is subjective so one should always take this with a pinch of salt. Here is my opinion... Of all the fine nibs that I have ever tried this is the best. I bought this pen after using the Waterman phileas. That was also a fine nibbed pen and I went for this with similar expectations. The nib is smooth and fast. There have been no issues with any of the inks that I have used with this pen. Being a fine nib the inks are very quick to dry. However off the box the nib was not as smooth and you need to give it some time, write some pages with it and then it shows its true colours. Being a fast and a quick to dry nib it is ideal for note-taking applications or where writing speed is an important factor. I really love this nib and this pen has always remained in my circulation thanks to the nib. Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) - 9/10 - Classic reliable converter. The filling system design and the overall maintenance effort involved with the pen is same as that of any other converter based pen. The converter is the standard waterman converter which can be used across almost all their pens around this range. Since the nib is fine it does not use a lot of ink and a single top up can last a fairly long time. Cost & Value (1-10) - 7/10 I bought my pen online in India from flipkart.com. It cost me around Rs. 5400 that is around USD 80. Depending upon the other pens in your collections you may categorise it as average or an expensive pen. I don't think you can call it cheap in any way. At the time of purchase it was the most expensive pen in my collection. For what it costs it is a pretty simple device. It has the classic looks and performs well. Depending on what you expect from this price point you may either by happy or disappointed. Thus, this again is a very subjective score. In my opinion this pen was "expensive" at the time of purchase but after some years of use I feel that the money was well spend and I am satisfied with my investment. Conclusion (Final score [sUM/6]: X) - 8.5/10 It is a wonderful pen. It is not too fancy but has everything that it should have. Feels like a complete package. It is that sort of pen which very few people will dislike and you will need to put in some efforts to find any shortcomings. It is that pen which may not have many "fans" but which is liked by most of its owners. It is a safe bet to go with and I recommend this pen. Link to my blog where this review is posted
  6. Greetings All, Winter break is here and as any self-respecting, FP-loving English teacher would do, I’d like to fill my free time by contributing to the FPN community. As has been mentioned in other posts on this board, Penbbs is a group of FP lovers that is like a Chinese version of FPN. Its owner has produced a lot of inks and cranks out as many as 15 new colors each year. Difficulty obtaining these inks in the West means there aren’t many reviews in English. Lgsoltek and visvamitra have gotten the ball rolling by reviewing some of them and I’d like to add some more. Here’s my proposal: Below are color samples of the inks available for the past 5 series of Penbbs inks. Based on all your requests, I’m going to choose between 10 and 20 of them to review. At a mere $0.30-50 per 5ml sample, this should be a lot of fun for little money. To request reviews of any of the colors, just reply to this post with the corresponding numbers of the inks you want reviewed. Thanks for your help!
  7. Monteverde Invincia - Stealth Black (M Nib) Review To start this review off, keep in mind it is my first review; and as all reviews, is at least somewhat subjective. Also, for perspective, I have used this and 4 other fountain pens, which are: Pilot Varsity Lamy Al-Star Lamy Safari Conklin Duragraph and I have been using this pen for around 1 month. Overall Appearance: Measurements: 5.35" / 136mm long capped 5.30" / 134.7mm long uncapped 6.10" / 154mm long posted 1.10" / 28mm long nib 0.55" / 14mm body diameter 0.35" / 8.9mm grip diameter 1.40 oz/ 39g weight overall Monteverde makes some amazing looking pens and this is no exception. This pen is downright edgy. From it's shiny, reflective all black metal surface to the rounded style which makes it look sharp and artsy; this is a beautiful pen. Well.. chances are that it wouldn't be taken as a compliment it by saying it's "beautiful", so.. let's instead just say this.. it's a good looking pen. I love the little details on this pen such as the Monteverde mountain etched into the nib, the rounded body which is dynamic and changes in girth frequently throughout the pen. Also, the logo on the top of the cap is a nice touch. Pen Parts, Build & General Details The pen cap screws on securely and takes about 2 rotations to pop off. In posting the pen, the cap just slides on securely and really feels sturdy and macho even in the way it does this. There are many things about this pen that just feel so edgy and make me feel as if I am the coolest person on the planet. The grip of the pen is probably the biggest turn off for me. I have very large hands, but with the grip being skinny and having a pretty quick cut off to the body, combined with it being metal makes it a tough pen to hold for a long time at least for me. I prefer to hold my pens further back then most anyway, so maybe this is what causes the issue. Adding to this, the clip is EXTREMELY tight, its hard to even slide onto a pocket. This isn't a huge deal for me since I never clip my pens, but it may be for you. It has a standard international converter and cartridge filling mechanism. It comes with your standard run of the mill piston converter (standard international) and as such isn't remarkable but works as it should. I haven't encountered any problems with filling the Invincia. You are going to be getting 1.07ml of ink out of cartridges and 1.12 out of your converter. It should be noted that I used monteverde black ink which, once again, was a fairly standard black ink; very similar to noodler's black. The nib is a #5 steel nib, which writes well. It surprised me to find this out as most outlets say it has a #6 nib. Whether it's a change in production or something else I'm not aware of, the important thing is it fits! I'll be getting more on the writing later, however. I chose the medium nib model and it fit fantastically for me. I cannot say how it compares to other mediums very well as this is my first medium nib, however, it seems to be a broad medium with some stub properties (some, very small but more on that later) which was a surprise to me. Not a lot more to say about it's structure! I think the black look was absolutely essential and having an all black pen just looks really sleek. Writing As mentioned above, the pen feels a little strenuous on my hands and eventually causes them to cramp up. However, aside from that, this pen is an excellent writer. It's incredibly balanced unposted, and when posted is ever-so-slightly back heavy. This is the first pen I can use either posted or unposted simply because I have such large hands and most pens aren't very large until you post them. This pen isn't huge, but the length mostly subsides in the body as opposed to the cap. It's got some weight to it and feels durable. I love the metal finish in looks.. but sometimes it can be a tad slippery in writing. Putting the pen to the pad, this thing writes extremely smoothly. Its a really interesting writer and feels unlike anything else I've written with. It's smooth, with very very little feedback, but not at all glidy. It feels as if you are effortlessly carving into paper, like a butterknife into soft butter. That being said, It has a bit of a sweet spot. When you use it any way else other than right down the middle, it makes a very thin line and can feel a little scratchy. Using horizontal or diagonal lines result in a skinnier line because of this and therefore can produce really interesting results, resembling a tiny bit of a stub look, or so I've seen. Very interesting and fun nib to write with. Overall, this is a pretty great pen. It has some issues, but I like the overall look and feel of this pen. The all metal body with a black nib and nice writing comes to a pretty good conclusion for me. Final Verdict: (7.8/10)
  8. Arkanabar

    Has Anyone Reviewed F P R Inks?

    I have been searching for a review of FPR's blue-black ink, without much luck. Their inks do not have a spot in the ink review index.
  9. I looking to buy a new pen and I'm tied between the TWSBI Vac 700r and the Pilot Custom 74. I know there quite a lot of differences between the two, but here's why I like them: I love the gold nib and smooth writing of the Custom 74, but I really want to try out a vacuum filler and a larger ink capacity is of great convenience to me, plus I like demonstrators. The Vac 700 sells for around 7,700 rupees whereas the Custom 74 sells for about 8000 rupees. Which one should I go for?
  10. Hi All! Here comes a new "ruthless review". My ruthless reviews have a few peculiar features: Concise;Very strict. If a pen costs hundred of euros, no faults are allowed. A good pen gets a 60/100, a great pen an 80/100, an almost perfect one a 90/100. Only a divine pen can have above 90. Add a few peculiar criteria: "Nib appearance", "Usability in shirt pockets", and "Out-of-the-boxness", meaning to what extent a nib was perfect right after leaving the seller. Also, don't care about the box.NOTE: I've introduced a change in this review. Previously I used to rank each of the ten factors on a 0-10 scale, adding up to 100. However, I've decided that some aspects should be made more important. Here they are, ranked by importance and by number of points they get as a result ("Construction" and "Quality of materials" have been merged into one). There's also a bit of logic as to why some factors are more important than others: Criteria 1. "Nib performance" gets a max. of 30 points - Why? Is there anything more important than the nib? A pen is a worthless piece of plastic if the nib does not write well.2. "Appearance and design" gets a max. of 20 points - Why? What good is a FP if it's not beautiful? Note: I hate flashy pens, so a LE Montegrappa would probably get a zero3. "Nib appearance" gets a max. of 10 points - Why? A nib is what you'll most likely see when writing with a FP. It has to be beautiful, otherwise you're going to hate your pen.4. "Cost and value" gets a max. of 10 points - Why? Not among the top-three points because after all, we don't collect FPs because of their cost-value ratio, I guess. 5. "Construction and materials" gets a max. of 10 points - Why? This is quite important but not as much as, say, in a car rating, for we almost all use pen cases anyway.6. "Out-of-the-boxness" gets a max of 5 points - Why? Since most of us know how to do nib-fixing (and a nib meister is never too far), I've reduced the importance of this factor.7. "Filling system and maintenance" gets a max. of 5 points - Why? Hard to rate as it's subject to individual preferences. I'll keep it among the lower-importance factors.8. "Weight and dimensions" gets a max. of 5 points - Why? For me it's almost ininfluential: I like both small and big pens. So it will be a low-importance factor.9. "Clip and usability with shirts" gets a max. of 5 points - Why? Can be very important for some, but irrelenvant for others. So, here's the review! Pilot Custom 74 - Blue with 14k n.5 M nib (pictures here: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/atn/item/fkk-1000r/) · Nib performance: 30 out of 30 This pen has a magnificently good nib! It's soft, springy, with a bit of feedback but not too much, with a bit of line variation but not so much that you lose control, it's basically the perfect everyday nib. I'm going to keep this inked forever, always ready on my desk. I'm absolutely amazed. · Appearance and design: 15 out of 20 Conservative, not very creative, but with a nice combination between the blue of the body and the gold trims. It makes it classy without being banal. Note: this is not the demonstrator version, but the plain blue one you can get from Rakuten. · Nib appearance: 8 out of 10 This is a small, pretty nib, with some nice scrollwork. The only thing is that it would be nice if it had a rhodium masking in some places to make it bicolor. · Cost and value: 10 out of 10 Ok here comes the awesome part (well, the other awesome part, after the nib): I paid USD 72 for a 14k gold nibbed pen with a fantastic nib, from a world-class manufacturer. Compare it with the USD 150 you pay for a Lamy 2000 with its dull nib, and you get the idea. This Pilot is awesome value for money! · Construction and materials: 6 out of 10 Good, although not the best: the plastic has a slightly cheap feeling, but nowhere close to the cheapness of a Platinum pen. · Out-of-the-boxness: 5 out of 5 This nib's absolute perfection was achieved with no tuning or fixing at all: it was perfect straight OOTB. I didn't even need to flush it! · Filling system and maintenance: 4 out of 5 It's a cartridge/converter pen, which is not great, but 1. hey, it's a USD 72 pen! And 2. the converter is Pilot's famous con-70, which is by far the best converter in the market. So we definitely cannot complain here · Weight and dimensions: 3 out of 5 This pen is a little bit too long for many people, but being super-light-weight, this is not likely to be a major issue. The only complain is that the section is perhaps a bit too thin for some people. · Clip and usability with shirts: 2 out of 5 Pretty bad: the pen is so long that it probably won't fit in many shirt pockets. It's great for jacket inner pockets, though. Final score: 83 out of 100. This, for a ruthless review like these, is a really high score. Trust me, if you've never tried a Pilot n.5 14k gold nib, you must get one. I've never had such a great experience on a daily writer. This is pure pleasure to write with, a perfect nib in an elegant design, with good quality and very convenient price.
  11. vojtahlad

    Wing Sung 3003

    I purchased another of the new models introduced by the resuscitated Wing Sung brand. The 3003 type in a nutshell: Pilot-like nib, converter filling, slip-on cap, ridiculous price. I wrote in my previous review that the new models of Wing Sung are pretty impressive. This one is not so much. Appearance and Design Do not expect any revolution in this department. Wing Sung 3003 is a commonly designed flat-top pen without any extravagant features. There are various versions available - transparent ones with coloured finials and opaque ones in crazy highlighter-like colours. Construction and quality Fair. I purchased the transparent version which reveals various imperfections. But frankly speaking there is not much to reveal. I did not notice imperfections or problems worth noting. Regarding the price (about 1 USD), I bought a very nice product. Weight and Dimensions Wing Sung 3003 is a smaller pen. This applies especially to its length, the girth is average and very comfortable to hold at least for my hands which are a bit on the smaller side. Here you can see some comparison, left to right: Jinhao 992 (which has very similar dimensions and very different nib), Wing Sung 3003 a Pilot 78G (with the same nib): It is clear that there is not much difference in lengths. The Pilot is markedly slimmer than both Chinese pens, especially its section. Both Chinese pens are more comfortable to hold for me than the slim Pilot 78G. Dimensions: Capped: 135 mm Uncapped: 120 mm Posted: 152 mm. Weight: Capped: 18 g Uncapped: 10 g Cap: 8 g The cap can be posted securely but its weight is comparable to the pen so posting changes balance significantly. Nib and performance The only nib available is EF. I did not try it but the nib should be interchangeable with the Pilot 78G and some more Pilot pens. Here you can see a comparison with the original Pilot 78G M nib (right), Lamy EF nib (top), and Jinhao 992 nib (left) which is declared to be F but behaves more like M: The nib was a bit misaligned which is visible in this photo: When I tried to fix this, I realized that the nib material is very soft and easy to bend. After some tweaking, I was able to align the nib which decreased the nib feedback. I am afraid that the nib will be unstable due to the softness of its material and will require re-aligning. The writing experience is OK. When aligned, its smoothness is on the average of my EF nibs. The same can be said regarding the line width. As you can see in the photo, it is a bit thinner than Wing Sung 6359 EF and a bit thicker than Lamy EF. Jinhao 992 F is much wider (but the writing is very smooth). I wrote several pages and did not experience any remarkable problems. No hard starts, no drying, the ink flow is fair and stable. I have no complaints regarding its behaviour. Filling system and maintenance It is a converter-filled pen. The converter was included and it seems to be quite specific. On first glance, it looks similar to the Pilot CON-50. But the lip has a much smaller diameter so the converter is not compatible with Pilot pens. Cost and Value The prices start around 1 USD. Do I need to write more? Conclusion This is not a pen which beauty stuns you. It works well and its price is really low. It may serve as a workhorse for people loving the finer lines. And if you lose or break it, it is easy to replace. The most important weak point is the nib. I have a bad feeling from its soft material and I expect that it will require some care when used. I am thinking about mounting the original Pilot nib to this pen. I like the design much more than the Pilot 78G and swapping the nib would remove the main weakness of 3003.
  12. ppdiaporama

    Baoer 051 Review

    I’ve recently started down the path of trying out Chinese pens. They’re inexpensive and can be quite handsome as well. I bought my first one a few months ago with the sole purpose of taking it apart and tinkering with it Given their low price (2,50$), I purchased two Baoer 051 from two different sellers on ebay; one black and chrome, the other mainly chrome with black stripes. Interestingly, both pens came with different nibs and feeds. Appearance & Design This pen looks good. It bears the same design as a Monteverde Impressa. It doesn’t scream bling or cheap as some other Chinese pens do. This is a pen will look good in your shirt pocket or on your desk. It’s fairly elegant However, I’m not fond of the top of the cap. I find that it’s disproportionate to the rest of the pen, especially to the bottom end. The pen comes with a #5 nib. One of the two nibs is a bit shorter than the other and looks too small on a pen this size. The grip section is quite comfortable. It’s large enough to fit your gingers. It’s tapered at the end to prevent your fingers from touching the nib. Construction & Quality Paint is chipping from grip section from one of the two pens that I purchased … and only after 1 day. The clip is very springy and quite nice. It’s attached to the top using a screw. It is far nicer than what you typically find on Chinese pens in this price range. Nib & Performance As mentioned earlier, both pens had different nibs & feeds. The first had a very scratchy and dry nib with the imprint “Iridium point Germany” on it. I polished it using 12000 grit micromesh and it is now quite smooth. The second one had a shorter nib with “Baoer” on it. This nib was fairly smooth and wet out of the box enveloppe. Conclusion Assuming that you get one with a good nib and that paint doesn’t come of the grip section (or anywhere else for that matter), this is a really good bargain. This is a good looking pen. It is well made and a pleasure to write with. I purchased this pen because I wanted to tinker … mission accomplished! I even replaced the nib with a spare Edison!
  13. RudraDev

    Ink Review: Krishna Cool Breeze

    Hi, I recently went on a hunt to find the best turquoise-blue ink I could find and I landed on this ink by Krishna pens. This ink is a part of their super-saturated series and the color is a super nice azure. Here's the full review: Color: The color is a super vibrant turquoise without any green undertones. this ink is a true blue. the color is somewhat similar to Robert Oster Fire and Ice and Noodler's turquoise. Drying time: THe flow of this ink is very wet. I used a medium nib and it took about 35-40 seconds before it became completely dry. the pen I used was relatively dry flowing, so if you were to use it on a wet BB nib or a flex nib, the dry time could be higher. Drip test: The ink is not advertised as being water resistant, and it is not. most of the ink washes away with water, but the writing, for the most part, remains legible. so I would say that it is moderately water resistant. Shading: This is where it shines. The ink shades like crazy! Even on regular paper, the shading is very prominent. I don't know if this is a trend with turquoise inks, but this has to be in my list of top 10 shading inks. Saturation: The ink is a part of the super-saturated series. the saturation is very good, especially since the ink flows very wet. Ease of cleaning: Since the ink is saturated, it does tend to be a little cumbersome to clean, but nothing too difficult. I would rate the easiness to be moderate. Conclusion: The ink is super vibrant and shades really well, plus the color is a delightful shade of turquoise. My only complaint would be the tiny 20ml bottle the ink comes in. The retail price for this ink is Rs. 180, or about 3 dollars US for a 20ml bottle. It's definitely one of the best turquoise inks I've tried. materials I used: Krishna Cool Breeze ink Lamy VIsta Medium nib Tomoe RIver 68gsm A4 printer paper 75gsm
  14. https://youtu.be/IP-TdORaibs Hey Folks. J. from Carpe Pluma with another review video. This time we look at the Montblanc Starwalker. Time stamps included if you want to jump around. Check it out if you get the chance. Thanks!
  15. https://youtu.be/FxlVOQ9t6fg Hey Party People. Here's a review I did of the Platinum 3776 Century. Check it out if you get the chance. Thanks!
  16. https://youtu.be/yviAVt1hPgU Hey Party-People. J. from Carpe Pluma with another review video. This time we look at the Lamy Safari and Vista. Time stamps included if you want to jump around. Check it out if you get the chance. Thanks!
  17. https://youtu.be/I49e8nhfXm8 Hey Party-People. J. from Carpe Pluma with another review video. This time we look at the Pilot Metropolitan. Check it out if you get the chance. Thanks!
  18. I've had a look here and while I find his name mentioned in various threads I don't think anyone has actually done coverage. I get the impression that within the UK John is one of the worst kept secrets of the pen world, where as outside, especially in the US he seems to be over looked (I may be wrong there, in fact I'd be happy to be wrong). I should point out from the start is my only connection to John is having spoken to him a few times at pen shows and both of us having IT connections (though I seem to remember he was a mainframer before early retirement, where as I have a UNIX background). A certain amount of the following has been taken from his website, but those on the 'right' Facebook groups will also recognise some of the pens I mention and he is very approachable at pen shows if he's not busy. John is based out of a workshop at the Sherwood Forest Art and Craft Centre near Mansfield, though he is also a regular at most of the pen shows in the UK. He was also part of the group who helped restart the Newcastle Pen show. His website does say he welcomes visitors, though I suspect it is safest to ring him in advance. I know I should be in the area around April/May so will try to pop in myself for a nose around (and maybe another purchase). So down to his pens. John works by eye so each pen is made with attention to detail but no two will be absolutely identical. The fit and finish is very good. At the shows, and from his website, you can buy pens made with acrylic and ebonite rods, but also from rods made by/for Conway Stewart and OMAS. These obviously cost more as the materials themselves also do. On his list there are also pens with steel and silver work, which I believe are also done by him as his website does state he only buys in clips, materials and nibs. He has made some very interesting one offs (though annoyingly at this moment in time I can not find photos). Two years ago he re-bodied a Pelikan M800 in OMAS ARCO Brown, which he sold on eBay. Last year he also re-boddied an M1000 in the same material, though I'm not sure if this was for sale or a private commission). On talking else where (while actually writing this) I've been reminded he also re-bodied a Montblanc in ARCO for a private commission. The easiest way to buy from John, unless there is a specific pen or commission you are after, is to go to a UK pen show. Chances are he will have a table and from experience he is happy for you to handle the pens (you should really ask first) and also to do nib dip tests. He does seem to bring a large selection with him. John's website is at http://www.handmadefountainpens.co.uk My review of two of his pens, so you can have a more personal view is at https://dapprman.wordpress.com/2019/01/19/john-twiss-pens/ Hopefully some other owners of his pens will add to here.
  19. When I started out on my quest for inks that look nice AND have very good water resistance properties, honestly the last ink series I thought I'd be getting were J. Herbin's standard fountain pen inks. I had a very misguided opinion of the line as being too faded looking, low saturation, dull, certainly not water resistant. That's until I accidentally found some reviews that showed water tests of J. Herbin's Lie de Thé. I also realized how interesting of an ink it is. It led me down the path of reanalyzing the whole line of inks, and I almost got a large size of Poussiere de Lune and some other colors. But back to Lie de Thé! I take back what I thought and welcome this ink with open arms to the top of my favorite inks list. The color: It's a very complex sepia color! It keeps shifting between looking more green? or is it more orange? or yellow? As a paper towel drip test below shows (green-gray-brown base, orange and yellow elements over that), this ink has all of those colors, and due to the excellent shading property, all those colors are visible to some extent. But this ink definitely keeps you guessing if you stare at it for a while, influenced also by lighting conditions. Shading: Amazing shading! Not only that, but there's some color variation between different intensity parts of writing. This ink's ability to shade comes through well in all of my pens: from dry writers with wide italic nibs to wet writers with round nibs. Sheen: none, I really tried to make it appear, but it's not there Ink flow: Pretty high flow ink in all of my pens, lubrication is medium, not as high as, say, Organics Studio Walden Pond Blue, which is highly lubricating. Bleed-through: none observed on Fabriano's Bioprima or Clairefontaine paper. A small amount with a wet nib pen on standard [low quality] printer paper Feathering: none on high quality paper, a little bit on cheap paper. Water resistance: another stand-out property of this ink! Some pale color wash off, but what remains is a highly legible and neat gray-green-brown base color. Photographs were made in diffuse natural daylight indoors on a somewhat sunny day. I don't like using my scanner to show inks, as it's not terribly accurate. I can get accurate photographs much more easily with my set-up (paper shown below is Fabriano Bioprima 85g/m2, pale cream color)
  20. Noodler's #41 Brown does what it was created to do, and it does it very well. Will it win an award for the best behaving, best shading, and best sheening brown ink ever created? No. It should, however, win an award for being a ridiculously awesome bulletproof brown ink. I love it for that reason and highly recommend it. Quick stats if you don’t want to read all the details: Flow/Lubrication: 2 of 5 Saturation: 4 of 5 Shading: 3 of 5 on Tomoe River; not much on standard papers Feathering: none Bleedthrough: none Showthrough: none Water-Resistance: 5 of 5 Dry Time (FP friendly): <30 sec Dry Time (non-FP friendly): <5 sec! Smearing (dry): none Sheen: None Cleaning & Maintenance: above-average (needed more frequently) Staining: possible on converters and demonstrators - easily remedied with diluted bleach Buy again: absolutely - will always have in my collection *A quick side note...This is my first ink review. Also, my photo editing skills aren't the best. Hilarious combination.* I love brown inks and #41 Brown was one of the first bottles of ink I bought years ago. It is a dark and deep sepia color, according to the founder of Noodler’s Ink. My first thoughts when seeing it on paper, ‘Yep, that’s brown.’ Anytime I want a bombproof brown ink, this is the first bottle I reach for in my collection. Lamy 2000 fine - Tomoe River (yep, I mistakenly went from 'h' to'j' hahha) TWSBI Vac 700 broad - Tomoe River Lamy 2000 fine & TWSBI Vac700 broad - Leuchtturm1917 Noodler’s 3oz glass bottles are simple and functional, filled to the brim. Here’s a closer look at the label on the bottle (read Mr. Tardiff’s description of the ink for more backstory): If you want the best behaving brown ink you’ve ever experienced in your fountain pen’s life, this isn’t for you. #41 Brown doesn’t behave badly, but it does require careful pen maintenance (as does every other highly water-resistant ink regardless of brand and color). I would not leave this ink unused in a pen for very long. It wants to work, not to sit idly waiting around for days or weeks at a time. As long as you use your pens often and clean them regularly, you’ll be fine. Even better if it’s a pen you can easily disassemble. Compared to regular fountain pen inks, water-resistant and bulletproof inks tend to dry out on the nib a bit more quickly when left uncapped - #41 is no different. As long as you’re conscious of this and keep your pen capped when not writing, it should pose no issue. During extended sessions, I had no problems with the nib drying out as long as I kept writing. When I did leave the cap off too long, a quick wipe on a paper towel (or my finger) had the ink flowing again. Dry times were weird on Rhodia and Tomoe River (anywhere from 8-30 seconds pending on how much ink pooled) and exceptional on lesser quality paper (under 5 seconds!). If you’re a lefty or anyone who needs a fast drying ink and you use standard paper more often than Rhodia or Tomoe River, #41 Brown is a great option. Tomoe River (smears you see are my fault - my cat kept jumping on the desk...) There was little to no feathering on every paper I tried, including a junk-mail envelop and a Walmart spiral notebook. Impressive! No bleedthrough and little to no show-through. It’s a drier ink which is awesome if you’ll be writing on lower quality papers. On FP friendly papers, a juicy nib will work best (that is, of course, just MY preference). There is some shading with wetter lines on Tomoe River and Rhodia. How about the bulletproof & waterproofness qualities? Post-soak. On Rhodia and Tomoe River, a tiny bit of ink slightly smeared with a wet finger (and I do mean tiny). On all other paper where every bit of ink could bond with the fibers, nothing moved. Here are a few quick comparisons to some of the other brown inks I have: I must admit, I'm biased. I love Noodler’s Ink & Nathan Tardiff and have a keen appreciation for his water-resistant & bulletproof inks (as well as his mission). When I was first getting into fountain pens, I only wanted waterproof inks and Noodler’s was the first brand recommended to me. It wasn’t until I had a dozen or more bottles of Noodler’s bulletproof inks that I started exploring other non-bulletproof inks and other brands. Though I have a wide variety of inks now, from most brands and companies, I always have at least a couple of pens in my rotation filled with Noodler’s bulletproof inks.
  21. As you may have guessed by the title, this is a review on the Waterman Expert Mk III. Its a pen that is near and dear to my heart, since it got me into this hobby. My parents gave it to me for Christmas. I had asked for a fountain pen because ever since primary school, I had prefered them over ballpoints. I was in my third year of law school, and just wanted a nice looking, high quality pen to use on exams and to accompany me when I would start my carreer. The one I was using before I would now call a Lamy Safari, but back than that name was meaningless to me. They spent hours in Leën, Hasselt trying out different pens and eventually settled on this one because of its business like, understated looks. It was way over budget for a Christmas present but they wanted to give me something that would last. In the end they most of all gave me a new hobby. The pen came packed in a typical Waterman blue clamshell box, which I still consider as one of the nicer fountain pen boxes I have. Its sturdy, with a good quality hinge, thick soft padded interior and a compartiment that contains the warranty information and a Waterman Serenity Blue refill. What it does not come with; a converter. A word of warning, dont get a Waterman converter as I did. They crack easily and operate difficultly. Get a Graf von Faber Castell converter for it, or alternatively a identical one from Pelikan. Being a 135 euro pen, it not shipping with a converter may seem difficult to understand, but as Ill try to demonstrate down below, actually really fits the pen. The design of the pen gets to you in waves. First you notice how bland and boring it looks. This is not a pen for people who want to get noticed. Its a mix of shiny black and matt black, with silver trim. Secondly, you notice just how well the design works. When capped, its a smooth continuous shape that reminds me of a submarine. When you take the cap off, it remains relatively smooth, looking as a pen that was designed not to have a cap at all. The pen can be posted and the cap even snaps on the little silver ring on the barrel. As much as I like the look and the balance of the pen when posted, the cap rotates while writing so I prefer to keep it unposted. Finally, you start noticing the little things that make this pen different. Theres the Waterman logo on the top of the cap, placed on a slope. Its odd, but it works. Theres the typical Waterman clip, with an opening in the middle. Theres the nib, thats small and does not even have a breather hole. Its very featureless, but it compliments the look of the pen brilliantly. Theres the material its made of: metal but with a matte lacquer. Perfect weight, strong and special to the touch. The size is ideal toom though this is of course highly subjective. Especially with slightly smaller hands like mine, it is just very comfortable to hold. I like holding it, uncapping it and in order not to look like an idiot, that means writing with it as well. I had some bad luck. Though I didnt know back then, the nib was overpolished and didnt start properly, ever. Two returns to Waterman and one nib exchange later, the problem was solved. The nib is as hard as a nail. Its ironic how the same company that is known for its old flex pens now makes this. Push as hard as you like, youll damage your table before you see any line variation. Though probaby if thats what youre after, few steel nibs are ideal. The pen behaves beautifully: no more hard starts, it glides over paper and the ink flow is as reliable as can be. One issue it seens to have with coverters (not with cartridges) is ink starvation. I have this same issue with my Van Gogh so maybe its just me but I can never empty a converter without forcing ink in the feed by twisting it halfway through. Apart from that minor nuisance, the pen is a true joy to write with. In the case of this pen, I think the main question is who it is for. The Community is used to demonstrator pens with a vacuum filling system and a replacable nib for half the price of this. You can also find a gold nibbed Platinum 3776 for that same half price. Even the Lamy 2000 is well whitin reach. How dare they ask 135 euros (about 155 dollars) for a cartridge-converter filled, steel nibbed pen? Shouldnt Waterman just stick to making their inks? Not quite. As bad a value as the pen might seem on paper, it is brilliant when you actually put it to paper. Its a design that is going to work for a lot of people who may not necessarily be in this Community, but buy fountain pens out of preference over a ballpoint. They want something that they can use alongside their coworker who has a Montblanc, without the price tag or the flashy look. It blends in a business setting or a clean desk like no other pen I know. Its inoffensive, chique and bland to the casual eye, yet a party for the lucky soul who bought it (or got it for Christmas). I highly doubt they will even notice the lack of a converter, because they will use cartridges anyway. If they show their pen in a pen shop asking which cartridges they need, the seller will likely give them Waterman cartridges. So they will end up with a Community favourite ink without knowing it and the ink starvation issue doesnt happen when using cartridges. I adore this pen, can you tell? As if this review didnt contain enough blasphemy yet, I even got the matching ballpoint and like that as well. It has a great twist mechanism and Watermans proprietary ballpoint refills are very smooth to write with. I hope you enjoyed this review of my gateway pen.
  22. Here is a brief overview of the pen. There is a link at the end to the full version on my blog. Please note that while the review is on the 50th Anniversary model of the Scala, it also applies to all other models (aside from the nib part for the steel nibbed versions). The Scala is often overlooked. Part of the problem is that Lamy alone have a number of other pens that rival it, all cheaper. This includes the ever popular Studio. Appearance & Design This is a smart looking pen following the Bauhaus design philosophy. It is deceptively simple in appearance, but at the same time rather smart and classical looking. The chromed components work well with the rest of the body, though at the same time they do prove to be fingerprint magnets. The cap snaps on/off with a satisfying click and can be posted, though this moves the balance point too far to the rear for my liking, however the pen is longer than it first appears, so for many this will not be an issue. http://i.imgur.com/QRU33vJ.jpg Construction & Quality The pen is made of steel, with the finial and grip sections being chromed over. My pen has seen a fair bit of abuse over it's time of use and I've not seen any scratches or chips appear. The balance point feels like it is about half way along the barrel, which works very well for me. The one downside for me was the tines of the nib were slightly misaligned. Only noticeable on some strokes in one direction, but still annoying on a pen where the nib is manually tested. http://i.imgur.com/6l9h2ao.jpg Weight & Dimensions Being a steel pen, it is not light, but at the same time I do not consider it to be heavy. With the long, gently nib tapered section, and the point of balance I find I can comfortably use this pen for long periods of time. http://i.imgur.com/bItafqh.jpg Nib & Performance As mentioned above, the tines were very slightly out of alignment. Easy to fix, but annoying. Once sorted then the pen became very pleasant to use. In typical Lamy gold nib fashion the writing experience is slightly springy, buttery soft, and on the wet side. The fine nib produces a line closer to a western steel medium. http://i.imgur.com/qlFKba0.jpg Filling System & Maintenance This is the standard Lamy system. All Scala pens (in the UK at least) come with a converter. This model came with a 50ml bottle of blue ink instead of the ubiquitous cartridge. The Lamy system is reliable, well known, and in the event of a converter failure, cheap. http://i.imgur.com/SNkdLMk.jpg Cost & Value This is where it gets interesting. From what I can tell, Scala sales suffer as the pen is about 30% more than the Studio, which it both rivals and pre-dates it. With the latter being popular, this also affects take up. I actually feel the Scala is the superior pen and while more expensive, the extra cost is worth it. When you get to models with gold nibs, the percentage difference is a lot less and I personally think the look and feel of the pen suit the gold nib more and would actually recommend this pen. As to the Glacier version I reviewed. Like all the other Lamy 50th Anniversary edition pens, there was an additional price hike. Fortunately, unlike on the 2k, most shops seemed to discount it back down to the price of the other gold nibbed special editions. Conclusion This is an often over-looked pen, and from threads else where there is a split in views as to which is the better pen, the Scala or the Studio. I much prefer the former and have considered getting another (probably one of the annual editions), where as I'm not looking to get a second studio despite the appeal of the recent colour choices (a Scala in British Racing Green would appeal me). Certainly this is a pen I'm happy to recommend to others. My full write up can be found at: https://dapprman.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/lamy-scala-glacier-edition/
  23. Apparently a 0.5mm NIB Was pleasantly surprised that it wrote as well as it did . Is a bit of a dry writer . Cants LEFT well Cants RIGHT not quite as well , but still writes . Very insensitive to writing angles . ( Writes inverted rather well ) It's not smooth , but at the same time it does not tear into the paper . Very consistent ! It does dry on the back sweep doing horizontal 8's , but then it is a dry writer . Ink sack was not too hard to fill , no leaks no burps so far .. There was a very slight hesitancy to start after 24 hours , very slight . ( Captured on the video ) Over all , a rather pleasant pen so far .





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