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Hi everyone! I'm traveling to Copenhagen and Berlin soon, wondering if anyone had any recommendations for great stationery stores, and especially places to buy vintage pens. I love me my vintage Lamys. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I'm traveling to Copenhagen and Berlin soon, wondering if anyone had any recommendations for great stationery stores, and especially places to buy vintage pens. I love me my vintage Lamys. Thank you!

Hello again! I've updated my resource list with suggestions from Reddit and FPN. I'll keep working on it as more suggestions come in I HIGHLY RECOMMEND viewing the PDF here instead of reading this list! CANADIAN POINTED PEN CALLIGRAPHY ONLINE SHOPS Canadian Shops Aboveground Art Supplies www.abovegroundartsupplies.com/ Multiple in Toronto, ON Shipping: $10-18+ Free Shipping: $150 (ON, QC, MB only) Ships Via: Canpar or Canada Post Pens Dip: Sheaffer, Panache, Speedball/Hunt, Rotring ArtPen, reed & quill Pens/Markers: Pilot Parallel, Academy Viva, Faber-Castell, Lamy, Itoya, Pitt, Pentel, Tomboy, Prismacolour, Sakura Ink Copic White, Dr. PH Martin, FW, Liquitex, Koh-I-Noor, Calli, Winsor & Newton, Speedball, various India inks Watercolour: Dr. PH Martin, Da Vinci, Peerless, Turner, Winsor & Newton, Reeves, Sennelier, QoR, Daniel Smith, Grumbacher, Pebeo, Pentel, Pelikan, Prang, Yarka Paper Bienfang calligraphy pads, Moleskine, Ogami, Travalogue, Strathmore Accessories Various pen cleaners, gum arabic, general art supplies including bottles & droppers Notes Very large selection of fine art supplies, not all listed here. 10% student discount IN-STORE, friendly staff (at McCaul location). Search function for online store is irritating. Articulations http://articulations.ca/ 2928 Dundas St. W (W of Keele) Toronto, ON Shipping: Unknown Free Shipping: Unknown Ships Via: Unknown Pens/Nibs Unknown Ink Unknown Paper Unknown Accessories Unknown Notes According to a user on Fountain Pen Network, Articulations carries the elusive Finetec gold palette and Sumi inks, but I cannot find either on the website. DeSerres www.deserres.ca/en-ca/ Various throughout the GTA + Ottawa Shipping: $9-115+ Free Shipping: $39-$59 Ships Via: Canpar Pens/Nibs Dip: Hunt/Speedball, quills Pens/Markers: DeSerres, Pitt, Itoya, Pentouch, CalliCreative Ink Speedball, Colorex, Winsor & Newton, FW, China, DeSerres, Noble, IZINK, various India inks, Sennelier Paper Manuscript, Brause papers/pads, parchment pads Accessories Cleaning solution, gum arabic, general art supplies Notes None Fendrihan www.Fendrihan.ca/ Oakville, ON Shipping: Free Shipping: $50 Ships Via: Pens/Nibs None Ink Aurora, J. Herbin, Kaweco, Montegrappa, Omas, Sheaffer, Steadtler, ST Dupont Paper Clairefontaine, Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine, Rhodia Accessories Various pen cleaners Notes I really don’t know anything else about this shop. Quietfire Design www.QuietfireDesign.ca/ Vancouver Island, BC Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: Canada Post Pens/Nibs Nib Holders: Speedball, Koh-I-Noor, Croquill, assorted straight holders Nibs: Brause, Mitchell, Speedball, Hunt, Gillott, Principal, Also: Ruling pen, suede pen, Pilot Parallel Ink Chinese sticks, Higgins, Inkstone, Pelikan, Sumi, Walnut Ink Crystals Paper Boris, Borden & Riley, Canson Accessories Leafing, Pipettes, Rinky Dink brushes and cups, Notes Also offers a Calligraphy Beginner Tool Kit for righties AND lefties, $17 each (Feb 2016) I have seen this shop recommended by other Canadian calligraphers, but have not ordered from it myself. Studio 6 http://www.studio-six.com/ Markham, ON Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: $200 (ON only) Ships Via: Canada Post Pens/Nibs Speedball Ink FW, FW Pearlescent, Daniel Smith Walnut, Dr. PH Martin’s Tech, Liquitex, Pinata, Winsor & Newton, various India inks, Pearl Ex Paper Arches, Cotman, The Langton, TerraSkin, Yupo, Strathmore, Canson, Canford, Daley Rowney, Jack Richeson, Schmincke Sansfix, Stonehenge, Art Spectrum Accessories General art supplies Notes To get to the calligraphy supplies on website, select “I” and then “Ink”. This shop was recommended to me by a fine artist who thinks well of it. I think they have the entire Pearl Ex line! Wonder Pens www.WonderPens.ca Toronto, ON Shipping: $8 flat-rate Free Shipping Minimum: $125 Ships Via: Canada Post Pens/Nibs Dip/Fountain: Lamy JOY, Kaweco Sport, Brause nibs and holders Markers: Pilot Parallel Ink Higgins, Rohrer & Klingner, Diamine, J. Herbin, Kaweco, Lamy, Monteverde, Noodler’s, Parker, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, Waterman Paper Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Coach House Press, Field Notes, Leuchtturm1917, Life, Midori, O-Check, Quo Vadis, Hobonichi, G. Lalo, Original Crown Mill, Tomoe Paper River Accessories Blotting paper, empty ink bottles, bulb syringe, ink syringes, brass sheets Notes Large selection of bottled inks- I swear I saw iron gall in store, but now I’m not sure. Responsive service. Canadian Shops with no Online Shopping Gwartzman’s – www.gwartzmans.com (416)922-5429 448 Spadina Avenue (College & Spadina) Toronto, ON The Paper Place – www.shop.thepaperplace.ca (416)703-0089 887 Queen St. West (Across from Trinity Bellwoods Park) Toronto, ON Reid’s Stationary Store – www.reidstationers.com (403)229-4400 710-17th Avenue SW (E of 17th Ave SW and 45 St SW) Calgary, AB U.S. Shops Goulet Pens www.gouletpens.com/ Ashland, VA, USA Shipping: $9-40+ Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: USPS Pens/Nibs Dip: J. Herbin glass, Rohrer & Klingner glass Nibs: Goulet, Monteverde, Noodler’s Art Brush: Noodler’s, Platinum Marker: Platinum Ink Aurora, Caran d’Ache, Cross, De Atramentis, Diamine, Faber-Castell, J. Herbin, Kaweco, Lamy, Montegrappa, Monteverde, Noodler’s, Omas, Parker, Pelikan, Pilot, Platinum, Private Research, Rohrer & Klingner, Sheaffer, Stipula, Visconti, Waterman + samples Paper Apica, Clarefontaine, Exacomspta, Field Notes, Filofax, Goulet, Leuchtturm1917, Maruman Mnemosyne, Midori, Quo Vadis, Rhoda, Traveler’s Company Accessories TWSBI inkwells, empty ink bottles, syringes, pipettes, sample vials/holder, various pen cleaning supplies Notes Inks are also available in sample sizes, individual and in packages. Goulet also offers an ink sample club. I have never ordered from Goulet Pens, but they receive rave reviews for both service and quality. Jet Pens www.jetpens.com/ San Jose, CA, USA Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: USPS/Canada Post Pens/Nibs Dip: Speedball, E+M Artists, Brause, Tachikawa, Tokyo Slider, Nikko, Zebra, Deleter, J. Herbin glass Nibs: Brause, Deleter, E+M, Kuretake, Nikko, Speedball, Tachikawa, Zebra Brush: Akashiya, Kuretake, Pentel, Pilot, Sailor, Tombow, Uni, Zebra Marker: Sakura, Pilot, Faber-Castell Ink Caran d’Ache, Deleter, Diamine, Dr. PH Martin’s, Higgins, IC, J. Herbin, Kaimei, Kaweco, Kuretake, Lamy, Monteverde, OMAS, Parker, Pelikan, Pilot, Platinum, Rotring, Sailor, Speedball, Steadtler, Waterman Paper Doane, Field Notes, Kokuyo, Kyokuto, Life, Lihit Lab, Maruman, Metaphys, Midori, Raymay, Rhodia, Tomoe River, Word Accessories Various pen cleaners Notes JetPens is a reliable online retailer for all kinds of pens and office supplies. The website is extremely well organized, with pen-buying guides provided. I find that shipping to Toronto tends to cost between $10-20 USD. John Neal Bookseller www.johnnealbooks.com/ Greenboro, NC, USA Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: Unknown Pens/Nibs Dip: Variety of straight and oblique holders, especially: wooden holders, Brause, General’s, Koh-I-Noor, Speedball/Hunt, Mitchell, Gillott, Tachikawa, Century Nibs: Nikko, Tachikawa, Zebra, Hiro, Leonardt, Brause, Gillott, Hunt, Mitchell elbow, Index Also: Pilot Parallel, calligraphy fountain pens, broad edge pens Ink Ziller, McCaffery’s, Richtone Sepia, various India inks, Dr. PH Martin, Moon Palace, various China/sumi inks, Bokuju, Calli, Higgins, Pro-White, Walnut crystals, Walnut liquid, Winsor & Newton, Dr. PH Martin’s Spectralite, Liquitex, Pearl Ex Pigments Paper JNB, Boris, Canson, Strathmore, Rhodia, Grafix, Fabriano, Maruman, Dura-Lar, various lined practice pads, Clairefontaine, Borden & Riley, Bienfang, Canford, Biggie, Pentalic, Stillman & Birn Accessories Gum arabic powder and liquid, pen cleaner Notes I have no experience with John Neal, but they also receive good reviews from other calligraphers online. Paper & Ink Arts www.paperinkarts.com/ Nashville, TN, USA Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: UPS, USPS Pens/Nibs Dip/Holders: Horizon, Quill, Carrot, Century, Colonial, Deco, Dynamic, Hourglass, Paper and Ink Arts, Peerless, Pointed, Zanerian, Ziller, Speedball, Caran d’Ache, DipStik, Brause, e+m, General, Hunt, Koh-I-Noor, Manuscript, Scribe, Tachigawa, Tachikawa, quills Nibs: Brause, Crowquill, Esterbrook, Gillott, Hiro, Horizon, Hunt, Manuscript/Leonardt, Nikko, Speedball, Tachikawa, Tape, Vintage Hunt, Zebra Comic Brush: Brushables, Pitt, Kuretake, Pental, Pigma, Pocket, Sakura, Uni, Waterbrushes, Zig Also: Pilot Parallel, Straight Ruler, Noodler’s Flex Ink Calli, various Chinese/Sumi, Dr. PH Martin’s, FW, Gold High Flow, Higgins, Lumiere, Manuscript, McCaffery’s, Pearl Ex Pigments, Pebeo, Pelikan, Walnut ink, Winsor & Newton, Ziller Paper Arches, Arnheim, Art Paper, Blotter, Bugra, Canson, Diploma, Fabriano, Frankfurt, German Ingres, Glassine, Gutenberg, Kraft-Tex, Lanaquarelle, Magic Brush, Nideggan, Pergamenata, various practice pads, Schiller, Strathmore, Vellum Accessories Ink cage ink reservoirs, lefty pens and nibs, various related accessories Notes PIA receives good reviews for their selection- especially for oblique pen holders. PIA is the only stockist for the renowned Hourglass Adjustable Oblique holder. I have heard that they have spotty responsiveness to customer queries. I have just made my first order and am quite satisfied with their responsiveness. *I did have Artist Supply Source listed, but the website was so terribly organized and glitchy that I couldn’t list it in good conscience. Various Locations Massdrop www.MassDrop.com Various Shipping: Unknown Free Shipping: Unknown Ships Via: Various Notes MassDrop is a group-buying website. Members commit to purchasing an item at a quantity-reduced price. If enough members commit, the order is made. Orders can originate from different countries, so shipping varies. Availability also varies, based on which items are offered at the moment. In the past, they have had a Brause Calligraphy Bundle up for grabs, Rhodia notebooks, and Diamine ink. This shop comes recommended by a Redditor in /r/Calligraphy. U.K. Shops Scribbers www.Scribbers.co.uk UK Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: Royal Mail Small Packets Pens/Nibs Nibs: Copperplate, Leonardt, Speedball, Willian Mitchell, Brause, Vintage & Miscellaneous Holders: Brause, cork, Scribblers, Speedball, various straight, various oblique holders Ink Liquid metal, Higgins, Scribblers, Diamine, Walker’s, Blots, various Kuretake, Prout’s, French Sepia, Dr. PH Martin Bleedproof White, Penman Colour Paper Conquerer, Arches, BFK Rives, Fabriano Artistico, Saunders Waterford, Zerkall Letterpress, Rhodia, Frisk, Goldline, Daler Rowney, Winsor & Newton Various: Tracing paper, blotting paper, Calligraphy practice pads and parchment Accessories Pen stand, pen cleaner, gum arabic, gum sandarac, pounce powder, Notes Scribblers appears to be well-liked by calligraphers on both sides of the Atlantic. I have no personal experience with this shop.

I've been told this is the Mount Everest of fountain pen aficionados. From the posts/threads I've read thus far, I'd say that statement is true. My name is Matthew Brockbank (Brock for short). Besides being a lover of fountain pens, I have a dream of one day becoming a Nibmeister and opening up Brock's Pen Shoppe, here in upstate NY. When I was younger, I was always fascinated by penmanship, font, and calligraphy. When I recently decided to buy my first fountain pen, everything changed. Writing with a fountain pen for the first time is like eating fast-food steak and then one day eating steak in a 3 Michelin Star restaurant. It was heaven. So, ever since then it's been an obsession and love affair with fountain pens that has evolved into pens, paper, inks, and the art of writing, in general. I hope I can contribute my fair share to this community and give back as much as you all already have to me. Cheers, Brock

I highly recommend viewing this as a pdf here. Any comments, corrections, or additions you can offer me will be greatly appreciated! There are some things I just can't find online in Canada (Nikko G nibs, any non-Speedball adjustable oblique holders, walnut ink...) so I also listed the go-to US sites. I was going to do a UK section but I'm tired for now. CANADIAN POINTED PEN CALLIGRAPHY ONLINE SHOPS Canadian Shops Aboveground Art Supplies www.abovegroundartsupplies.com Toronto, ON Shipping: $10-18+ Free Shipping: $150 (ON, QC, MB only) Ships Via: Canpar or Canada Post Pens Dip: Sheaffer, Panache, Speedball/Hunt, Rotring ArtPen, reed & quill Pens/Markers: Pilot Parallel, Academy Viva, Faber-Castell, Lamy, Itoya, Pitt, Pentel, Tomboy, Prismacolour, Sakura Ink Copic White, Dr. PH Martin, FW, Liquitex, Koh-I-Noor, Calli, Winsor & Newton, Speedball, various India inks Watercolour: Dr. PH Martin, Da Vinci, Peerless, Turner, Winsor & Newton, Reeves, Sennelier, QoR, Daniel Smith, Grumbacher, Pebeo, Pentel, Pelikan, Prang, Yarka Paper Bienfang calligraphy pads, Moleskine, Ogami, Travalogue, Strathmore Accessories Various pen cleaners, gum arabic, general art supplies including bottles & droppers Notes Very large selection of fine art supplies, not all listed here. 10% student discount IN-STORE, friendly staff (at McCaul location). Search function for online store is irritating. Curry’s www.currys.com/ Various; Southern ON Shipping: $7-$12+ Free Shipping Minimum: $75 Ships Via: Unknown Pens/Nibs Dip: General’s, Koh-I-Noor, Speedball, Steadtler, quills & reeds Pens/Markers: Elegant Writer, Itoya, Pilot disposable, Sakura Ink Dr. PH Martin, Winsor & Newton, FW, Golden High Flow, Liquitex, Speedball, Koh-I-Noor, Chinese black ink, Copic White, Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments Watercolour: Winsor & Newton, Da Vinci, Daler-Rowney, Handy Art, Holbein, M. Graham, Koh-I-Noor, Pelikan, Prang, QoR, Reeves, Richeson, Sakura Koi, Sargant, Sennelier, Yarka Paper Moleskine, Pentalic, Quattro, Strathmore, Bienfang, Canson, Arches, Fluid, Cotman, Daler-Rowney Accessories Various pen cleaners, gum arabic, general art supplies including bottles & droppers Notes Very large selection of fine art supplies, not all listed here. 10% student discount IN-STORE. DeSerres www.deserres.ca/en-ca/ Various throughout the GTA + Ottawa Shipping: $9-115+ Free Shipping: $39-$59 Ships Via: Canpar Pens/Nibs Dip: Hunt/Speedball, quills Pens/Markers: DeSerres, Pitt, Itoya, Pentouch, CalliCreative Ink Speedball, Colorex, Winsor & Newton, FW, China, DeSerres, Noble, IZINK, various India inks, Sennelier, Paper Manuscript, Brause papers/pads, parchment pads Accessories Cleaning solution, gum arabic, general art supplies Notes None Wonder Pens www.WonderPens.ca Toronto, ON Shipping: $8 flat-rate Free Shipping Minimum: $125 Ships Via: Canada Post Pens/Nibs Dip/Fountain: Lamy JOY, Kaweco Sport, Brause nibs and holders Markers: Pilot Parallel Ink Higgins, Rohrer & Klingner, Diamine, J. Herbin, Kaweco, Lamy, Monteverde, Noodler’s, Parker, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, Waterman Paper Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Coach House Press, Field Notes, Leuchtturm1917, Life, Midori, O-Check, Quo Vadis, Hobonichi, G. Lalo, Original Crown Mill, Tomoe Paper River Accessories Blotting paper, empty ink bottles, bulb syringe, ink syringes, brass sheets Notes Large selection of bottled inks- I swear I saw iron gall in store, but now I’m not sure. Responsive service. Canadian Shops with no Online Shopping Gwartzman’s – Toronto, ON Michael’s – Various The Paper Place – Toronto, ON That one in the Maritimes with the cute website U.S. Shops Goulet Pens www.GouletPens.com Ashland, VA, USA Shipping: $9-40+ Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: USPS Pens/Nibs Dip: J. Herbin glass, Rohrer & Klingner glass Nibs: Goulet, Monteverde, Noodler’s Art, Brush: Noodler’s, Platinum Marker: Platinum Ink Aurora, Caran d’Ache, Cross, De Atramentis, Diamine, Faber-Castell, J. Herbin, Kaweco, Lamy, Montegrappa, Monteverde, Noodler’s, Omas, Parker, Pelikan, Pilot, Platinum, Private Research, Rohrer & Klingner, Sheaffer, Stipula, Visconti, Waterman + samples Paper Apica, Clarefontaine, Exacomspta, Field Notes, Filofax, Goulet, Leuchtturm1917, Maruman Mnemosyne, Midori, Quo Vadis, Rhoda, Traveler’s Company Accessories TWSBI inkwells, empty ink bottles, syringes, pipettes, sample vials/holder, various pen cleaning supplies Notes Inks are also available in sample sizes, individual and in packages. Goulet also offers an ink sample club. I have never ordered from Goulet Pens, but they receive rave reviews for both service and quality. Jet Pens www.jetpens.com/ San Jose, CA, USA Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: USPS/Canada Post Pens/Nibs Dip: Speedball, E+M Artists, Brause, Tachikawa, Tokyo Slider, Nikko, Zebra, Deleter, J. Herbin glass Nibs: Brause, Deleter, E+M, Kuretake, Nikko, Speedball, Tachikawa, Zebra Brush: Akashiya, Kuretake, Pentel, Pilot, Sailor, Tombow, Uni, Zebra Marker: Sakura, Pilot, Faber-Castell Ink Caran d’Ache, Deleter, Diamine, Dr. PH Martin’s, Higgins, IC, J. Herbin, Kaimei, Kaweco, Kuretake, Lamy, Monteverde, OMAS, Parker, Pelikan, Pilot, Platinum, Rotring, Sailor, Speedball, Steadtler, Waterman Paper Doane, Field Notes, Kokuyo, Kyokuto, Life, Lihit Lab, Maruman, Metaphys, Midori, Raymay, Rhodia, Tomoe River, Word Accessories Various pen cleaners Notes JetPens is a reliable online retailer for all kinds of pens and office supplies. The website is extremely well organized, with pen-buying guides provided. I find that shipping to Toronto tends to cost between $10-20 USD. John Neal Bookseller www.johnnealbooks.com/ Greenboro, NC, USA Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: Unknown Pens/Nibs Dip: Variety of straight and oblique holders, especially: wooden holders, Brause, General’s, Koh-I-Noor, Speedball/Hunt, Mitchell, Gillott, Tachikawa, Century Nibs: Nikko, Tachikawa, Zebra, Hiro, Leonardt, Brause, Gillott, Hunt, Mitchell elbow, Index Also: Pilot Parallel, calligraphy fountain pens, broad edge pens Ink Ziller, McCaffery’s, Richtone Sepia, various India inks, Dr. PH Martin, Moon Palace, various China/sumi inks, Bokuju, Calli, Higgins, Pro-White, Walnut crystals, Walnut liquid, Winsor & Newton, Dr. PH Martin’s Spectralite, Liquitex, Pearl Ex Pigments Paper JNB, Boris, Canson, Strathmore, Rhodia, Grafix, Fabriano, Maruman, Dura-Lar, various lined practice pads, Clairefontaine, Borden & Riley, Bienfang, Canford, Biggie, Pentalic, Stillman & Birn Accessories Gum arabic powder and liquid, pen cleaner Notes I have no experience with John Neal, but they also receive good reviews from other calligraphers online. Paper & Ink Arts www.paperinkarts.com/ Nashville, TN, USA Shipping: Varies Free Shipping: N/A Ships Via: UPS, USPS Pens/Nibs Dip/Holders: Horizon, Quill, Carrot, Century, Colonial, Deco, Dynamic, Hourglass, Paper and Ink Arts, Peerless, Pointed, Zanerian, Ziller, Speedball, Caran d’Ache, DipStik, Brause, e+m, General, Hunt, Koh-I-Noor, Manuscript, Scribe, Tachigawa, Tachikawa, quills Nibs: Brause, Crowquill, Esterbrook, Gillott, Hiro, Horizon, Hunt, Manuscript/Leonardt, Nikko, Speedball, Tachikawa, Tape, Vintage Hunt, Zebra Comic Brush: Brushables, Pitt, Kuretake, Pental, Pigma, Pocket, Sakura, Uni, Waterbrushes, Zig Also: Pilot Parallel, Straight Ruler, Noodler’s Flex Ink Calli, various Chinese/Sumi, Dr. PH Martin’s, FW, Gold High Flow, Higgins, Lumiere, Manuscript, McCaffery’s, Pearl Ex Pigments, Pebeo, Pelikan, Walnut ink, Winsor & Newton, Ziller Paper Arches, Arnheim, Art Paper, Blotter, Bugra, Canson, Diploma, Fabriano, Frankfurt, German Ingres, Glassine, Gutenberg, Kraft-Tex, Lanaquarelle, Magic Brush, Nideggan, Pergamenata, various practice pads, Schiller, Strathmore, Vellum Accessories Ink cage ink reservoirs, lefty pens and nibs, various related accessories Notes I have never ordered from Paper & Ink Arts, but they receive good reviews for their selection- especially for oblique pen holders. I have heard that they have spotty responsiveness to customer queries. *I did have Artist Supply Source listed, but the website was so terribly organized and glitchy that I couldn’t list it in good conscience.

A friend was telling me about a small pen shop in NY on Madison Ave. that he thought I should visit when I head that way. Definitely not Fountain Pen Hospital - he said this was a tiny little store. He doesn't think it is Art Brown's shop, based on the picture and address of that one, unless Art Brown had relocated into a larger space. Anyone know of any other small, pen-packed sole proprietor shops on Madison Ave?

Now that I've learned how to use flex pens, I'm considering buying a wet noodle. I've looked at items on fleabay but the descriptions don't use the term 'wet noodle' and they don't all include pictures of how the pen writes. How do I tell whether a pen, for example a Waterman 52, really does have a nib which is so flexy that it's almost floppy?

Good day FPN, This event literally just happened a few minutes ago and I wanted to recount the details. Before I go further, I will say at the very beginning that the issues occurred in transit after leaving Goulet, this is a review of their customer service in dealing with such an incident. I'm also not affiliated with Goulet Pens in any way other than a customer who spends way too much on fountain pen supplies, but that's all of us right? So I've been ordering from Goulet Pens for a pretty long time, since before the Noodler's Ahab came out, and I've made more than a couple of orders so I know their shipping habits by now. Over the weekend I ordered a shiny new TWSBI Diamond 580 in Rose Gold (buy one here, if you like), as usual I got my shipping confirmation from Goulet first thing Monday morning when they opened. The first odd thing I noticed is USPS tracking said the item would take several days to be delivered, I live about 1.5-2 hours north of their office (in the DC area) so I'm used to my packages from them arriving within 24 hours even with regular shipping. No big deal, something must be going on with the post office. The day of delivery (according to the tracking number) arrives, and the pen does not. I check the tracking number again after receiving the rest of my mail, and see they misrouted my package to the wrong city; again, post office issue. The next day they've sent it where it needs to go and this is where things go from curiously irritating to bad. My box arrives and I open it up to find... nothing. The TWSBI box inside has the plastic case with the wrench and the booklet (you know the one I mean), but no pen. I was as crestfallen as a child without a puppy: http://i.imgur.com/W2l2zEC.jpg So I contacted Goulet Pens with a few pictures, and this is where the review starts. In less than 5 minutes I received two emails; one was an order confirmation for a replacement, the other was an email from Jeremy in customer service expressing his concern and he wanted to know more about the situation. I was also contacted by Jessica (who is a personal friend of my girlfriend, so we met each other quite recently) who recognized the order immediately. Between the three of us we discussed the state of the package, the outer box was banged up and retaped where torn, the TWSBI booklet was loose inside, there was no bubblewrap or cellophane (anyone who orders from Goulet understands this is a red flag), the TWSBI box itself was torn and taped over, and the TWSBI casing was missing tape on one side. We very quickly determined that something must have happened with the postal service, which I would not say is Goulet staff saying "oh it isn't our problem", this is a conclusion which I came to on my own from my personal inspection and past experiences and I fully believe the problem happened during transit: http://i.imgur.com/Khx5dSy.jpg http://i.imgur.com/7eMa8oI.jpg At this point, they've already packed my replacement, they even made sure the pen was inside the package and sent me a photo of it. If it arrives without my pen again, of course I must challenge USPS to a duel. I'm confident in my abilities, I'm a trained rapier fencer and a biter. I can't express enough the atmosphere of this company, it was a very human experience, no form letters or customer service templates, the interest and concern was sincere, you aren't getting the "jaded customer service rep punching a timecard" from Goulet Pens. This is also the only bad experience I've had while ordering from them, and clearly at no fault of their own. I'm preaching to the choir here for veteran Goulet customers, but this sort of personal touch is what put Brian and Rachel Goulet on the map in the first place; I think it's important to recognize that in 8 years since the company started, that core value has not changed. Goulet Pens has expanded and evolved over the years quite a bit, however they are no less personal and organic than when they were shipping out of their garage. I don't think that will ever change, because it's deeply ingrained into the company culture. I hope that the US Postal Service can do something to mitigate the damage, but regardless I am sad that this incident may have caused them a loss of profit because of the lost merchandise, that being said I appreciate them taking care of me so throughly and quickly. I can only hope that this testimonial will steer more business towards them in the future, and the potential customer base will outweigh the cost of one misappropriated package. A big thanks to Jeremy and Jessica at The Goulet Pen Company for giving 120% to taking care of the issue! Cheers.

Hey guys I am very lucky to be able to head out to Tokyo again at the end of the month. Having been there a couple times now and having a ball at all the different stores. I don't know how some of you are able to cover both Ginza and Marounochi in an afternoon when I would spend the entire afternoon just at one store trying and deciding which pen to buy. This time, I want to see whether I can take advantage of the strong dollar to buy more expensive pens that were out of my price range before, namely one of the more expensive Nakayas or even an Urushi Namiki. The last time I was there, I purchased a pen at K. Itoya that was then tuned by the resident nib meister that was there on the second floor. That time, I wanted to get a Nakaya and to have him swap a music nib. But the sales person said they did not have one and I had to wait a month to have that happen, which obviously would not work for me and I ended up not making the purchase.. My question is whether the guy would be able to stub a nib post purchase or is he there only to tune nibs. Does any one know???

Hey Looking for advice on places to see pens in these cities. I will be traveling to these amazing cities very soon and want to see whether any one has tips and advice specifically on local pen stores. Looking for old stock or vintage pens. Ed: If this is not the right place for this post, please let me know where I should post this.

Hello fellow Pelikan-heads. Today, I became the proud owner of an m600 EF in green/gold/black. This in the third Pelikan to have passed through my hands. I've also had my fun with an m205 and an m800. The M600 is ultimately my goldilocks pen. Its dimensions mirror my other favorite (by proporsion) a Sheaffer No-Nonsense. So, I was very happy to receive it in the mail from Spain, where I was able to find the best deal at $305. Then the real fun began. Someone, (maybe in customs) had removed the pen from the pouch and it was just sitting out in the display box. The surface of the display box seemed a bit worn like it hadn been slid into and out of it's packaging numerous times. The plastic bag containing the pen was all crinkled, and there were fingerprints on the section. It did not appear to have been inked, but this was strange already. Still, I got a decent deal and so I chalked it up to that. Then I got the pen out. If you're an anti-poster, you can absolutely stop reading here. Fully half of the reason I got this pen is because I like to post. The entire reason I got rid of the otherwise fabulous M800 is because writing with that pen posted is much like writing with a pen made of a meter stick. So I try to stick the cap on the back as has been quite easy with my other Pelikans... but no. It just sits there with almost no friction at all. Loose and freely rotating, I think it's suction more than anything that's keeping it from falling right off when I tip the pen over. I got this pen so that I could write with it posted. I can, kind of. But the cap is constantly moving around due to the chanigng position of my hand and it's driving me nuts. I could probably make a return, but this place doesn't have replacements in stock, and the shipping to Spain is silly. Everything else about this pen is near perfect! Can somebody out there think of something I haven't. Is sending it in to Pelikan an option?

Hello, I was wondering if buying directly from a brand website is better or worse than buying from a pen website. For example (if you are confused): I am looking forward to buy a Montblanc pen (probably Meisterstuck Classique). Should I buy it directly from Montblanc.com? Or should I buy it indirectly from JetPens or Paradise Pens? Thanks, William S. Park

I live in California. I do most of my pen, ink and pen accessory shopping online. In a few weeks, I will be going to Northern Italy on vacation. We will be in Venice, Padua, Lucca, and the Cinquaterra. We may visit some other cities in the Veneto (Vicenza, Verona). I have been trying to figure out, in advance, a pen-related shopping strategy. I expect to visit a small number of pen shops. I will not have the number of options I would have in Rome, Florence or Milan, but that's okay. My question is: What should i expect to find at a better price than I could get through online shopping from home or that I could not find online at all. My impression is that I will not find better prices on new high-end Italian pens. I may be able to find good prices on vintage Italian pens. True? What else? Also, does any one have recommendations of especially wonderful pen shops in the cities which I will be visiting? Thanks in advance to those with good tips! David

It has proven quite hard to find individual nibs without feed online, such as Pelikan M400, M600, among others. Any suggestions please? A touch concerned about buying used online, but would be prepared to do it in a physical shop which is quite rare these days.

Hello, I have decided to purchase some pens that I can actually use, rather than a bunch of cheap pens that fall apart. This is sort of a challenge, I guess. I have set a budget of $200-$250 USD, how much bang for my buck can I get in terms of fountain pens? I am not looking to spend $200 on a single pen, but rather see how far I can stretch the cash. I really enjoy vintage pens, so I have been searching for the following: Aurora 88 (the piston filler) Lamy 27 (metal capped version) Parker Vacumatic Parker 51 Vacumatic Pelikan P1 Onoto Plunger Filler Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown with the inlaid nib (with a metal cap) Other Pelikan Piston Fillers Omas Piston Fillers (Just in case hell freezes over and people want to dump off their pens for cheap prices! ) Suggestions The problem with many modern pens is that they are usually cartridge converter, and I just cannot stand such a filling system (I don't know why). Unfortunately, many retailers and producers charge a premium for piston, vacuum, plunger, etc. filling pens, so that cripples my purchasing power to one pen. However, a few manufacturers seem to make self filling pens that are reasonably priced, I have been looking at the following: Lamy 2000 ...... open to suggestions I would like to obtain as many nice pens as possible with my budget, instead of spending all of the money in one place. I am shooting for at least 3 or 4. Basically, I am asking where one can find user grade pens like those above for realistic prices. If you happen to have one of the pens like those above, and you are willing to sell it, then that's excellent as well I have not had very good luck with eBay (a vacumatic listed in good condition....with a section glued to the barrel on with elmer's white school glue, but it wasn't expensive) If it helps, I am a right handed writer and am open to most nib sizes. I think this is the correct forum section for this, but if it isn't, just tell me!

Hey guys! I'm pretty new to fountain pens, but I would love to find a good store nearby me. Does anyone know of any really good pen or ink stores in the greater Boston area? I just don't like purchasing such personal items (how a pen meshes with one's handwriting is, in my opinion, very personal) online. Especially if I were to dish out on an expensive pen; I have a Lamy Safari EF nib now, and I love it, but I was thinking of getting myself something a bit nicer before college, but only if I can purchase it in person. Thank you!

I was wondering if there are any common places (EX: Certain mall shops, stores). I just dislike how in online store I can't see and feel everything and only have the pictures and occasionally video. Not to mention the anxiety attacks waiting for packages to arrive, so any store suggestions?