Thursday Drops: Caran d'Ache 888 Infinite Pens, Pilot Fountain Pens, and a 2025 Planner Discount!

January 16, 2025

How about a planner promotion now that we’re a couple of weeks into 2025? All dated planners are 10% off using the discount code “25PLANNER” at checkout, including whatever remains of our current stock of dated Traveler’s Company diaries. We also have two new (to us) Pilot Vanishing Point finishes, in blue and black “Carbonesque” barrels, to add to our growing selection of Pilot writing instruments. Finally, we have a restock of select desk and reading accessories, including bookmarks and page markers, and annotation favorites such as the Caran d’Ache highlighter pencils and Infinite 888 Ballpoint Pens.

Our brick and mortar shop is open again this week for regular hours Thursday through Saturday, and otherwise by appointment. For directions and specific hours keep an eye on this page, which will also reflect any changes each week due to inclement weather, travel, etc.

Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen (Carbonesque Finish). Possibly my overall favorite finish of the Pilot Vanishing Point, as I’ve chosen the blue for my own personal VP. The black looks excellent as well.
Caran d’Ache Infinite 888 Ballpoint. This inexpensive (sub-$10) refillable ballpoint is a gem, and one of our best sellers from the past five years. The Swissride refill is also back in stock.
Traveler’s Notebook 2025 Dated Planner Refills. We still have a handful of certain Standard and Passport refills. Use “25PLANNER” at checkout to snag an additional 10% off your 2025 Planner setup!
Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pens. All colors are now available, including the new clear! The Custom 823 is one of my favorite high-ink-capacity workhorse pens on the market. Check out our “Workhorse Pens” write-up to read more about why we love it so much.
Pilot E95s Fountain Pen. One of the most accessible gold-nib Japanese pens on the market, the compact and portable E95s comes in two different finishes and three different nib sizes ranging from EF to Medium.
Craighill “Perch” Metal Bookmarks. I didn’t make nearly as much progress as I would have liked on my reading in 2024, but I’m already ahead of the game for 2025. To that end I’ve been diving into my collection of nice bookmarks, which I use not only in books I’m reading but journals and notebooks as well.
Book Darts. We’ve got a full stock of made-in-the-USA Book Darts, the archivally safe page markers that you can use to annotate books and notebooks. (I like to use them as dividers to create my own multi-subject notebooks.)
Caran d’Ache Highlighter Pencils. Available as a set of four, and now individually, these jumbo highlighter pencils are excellent annotation tools, especially for books with thinner papers where liquid ink highlighters bleed through.
HMM Eraser Balls. They’re back in all colors! These desktop oddities are fully functional erasers that double as pencil holders, picture holders, fidget toys, and more. HMM is a design-focused stationery brand out of Taiwan that makes pens, pencils, and various desk and reading accessories.
HMM “Mugr” and “Drippr” Coffee Accessories. Hey, even if you don’t want to use the mugs for actual coffee, they look great as a pen or pencil cup, but if you’re a coffee enthusiast the combination of lacquer and wood is gorgeous to look at every morning.

Swiss Cross Infinite 888 Pen and Pencil — The Swiss Cross Infinite 888 (which still has the mechanical pencil available!)

Ink Review: Taccia Sabimidori vs. Teranishi Gentle Green - Two Favorites Side by Side

January 15, 2025

I’m going to do something really mean here: talk about two exceptionally good inks, one of which is sold out for the foreseeable future (though more is on the way). I wouldn’t normally do this, but I’ve had the post in the works for a while, and even though we sold through our initial stockpile of Teranishi Gentle Green in a little over a week, we do still have stock of Taccia Sabimidori. Because I’ve come to view these inks as two sides of the same proverbial coin, I wanted to discuss them together.

Taccia Sabimidori Writing Sample — I would label Sabimidori a “dark teal”. It’s a workhorse for me and for some reason I think it looks great paired with an architect nib or Naginata-style/Kodachi grind.

How are the two inks related? Though technically from different brands, Teranishi Chemical Company and Taccia are both part of the Nakabayashi Group, a large Japanese stationery umbrella company that readers and customers will likely know due to their popular Logical Prime, Logical Air, and Yu-Sari papers. My understanding is that Teranishi makes the ink for both the Teranishi Guitar and Taccia ink lines, and they certainly behave similarly (all in a good way).

Taccia Sabimidori Ink packaging — Taccia Sabimidori was “the” trendy ink from a few years ago, to the point where it was nearly impossible to get a hold of. I managed to snag this bottle at a pen show, but the craze has died down and it’s readily available.

Why do I like these inks so much? Because they’re both interesting and serviceable. 90% of the writing that I do on a daily basis is professional writing or personal journaling, and while I occasionally enjoy a wild fountain pen ink as much as the next person, most shimmer inks, “extreme sheeners,” and overly saturated colors are unusable for me because they tend to have long dry times.

Teranishi Gentle Green Box and Bottle — Though perhaps not as intricate as the Taccia Ukioy-e artwork, Teranishi’s ink bottle and packaging also look very nice in your lineup!

Both Teranishi and Taccia inks flow extremely well (without being overly wet and soaking through paper), show depth of color (including some sheen) while maintaining reasonable dry times, and exist at a sub-$25 price point that I consider to be quite reasonable for imported inks in the modern fountain pen market. Taccia has long been a staple in my ink cabinet, though I only recently discovered Teranishi as the inks became available to more U.S. retailers.

Teranishi Gentle Green Writing Sample — Teranishi Gentle Green is also a blue-green, but I would say its the “opposite” of Sabimidori. On the whole, I consider Gentle Green to lean green overall, and Sabimidori to lean blue, though the distinct mixes of similar colors is what makes both inks complementary and fascinating to me.

Of the dozens of Nakabayashi-family inks available, Taccia Sabimidori and Teranishi Gentle Green are two of my absolute favorites. When wet, Sabimidori appears teal blue, only to take on a darker teal-green tinge with red undertones/sheen as it dries. Gentle Green is the opposite - it appears to be a straight-up green ink when wet, but blue and red tones appear as the ink settles in to the paper. The degree of color variation will depend on the paper you use - here I opted for classic (old formulation) 52gsm Tomoe River Paper, which is among the best ever at showing off the various tones in fountain pen ink.

Teranishi Gentle Green Swatch — Another shot of the depth Gentle Green has when drying - shown here on Col-o-Ring Paper.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

We currently stock both Taccia and Teranishi Guitar inks in our own shop. Taccia Sabimidori forms part of the Taccia Ukiyo-e line of inks, inspired by the work of four different artists from Japan’s Edo period. Hence the full name, “Taccia Hokusai Sabimidori”, referencing the specific Ukiyo-e artist who served as the inspiration for this color. As you might expect, the box artwork is gorgeous. Teranishi Gentle Green comes from the Teranishi Taisho Roman Haikara ink line, which also bears a historical reference to Japan’s Taisho period. Both ink lines are not super-expensive, priced at $20 and $23 per 40ml bottle respectively, which seems generally consistent with other imported Japanese specialty brands.

Teranishi Guitar Inks in Store — If you come see us in person, you can view swatches and the bottle artwork up close.

If I ever decided to do a “Workhorse Ink” series (similar to my “Workhorse Pens”), I would organize it by brand, not necessarily colors, and Teranishi/Taccia would be included in the first wave of recommendations. Across the board, I’ve found that these inks perform well, and the subtle color variation gets me every time. Look for more of these reviews as I work my way through the various bottles. There are many I’m really excited about, especially in the Ukiyo-e line!

Thank you for reading! The Gentleman Stationer is supported by the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you’d like to visit our in-person location, you can view directions and up-to-date hours here.

New Arrivals: Pilot Vanishing Point Black and Blue Carbonesque Models and a Fountain Pen Restock

January 14, 2025

Ok, so these arrived before the New Year, but in the rush of the holidays and all the year-end festivities, I completely forgot to get them listed! We are now happy to offer the Pilot Vanishing Point in both black and blue Carbonesque finishes, along with a restock of the black trim Vanishing Point models, the E95s in both burgundy/ivory and black, and all colors of the Pilot Custom 823. As always, if there is a specific color or nib size you are looking for and don’t see, please do reach out as we can easily special order products on demand and have them in the mail to you shortly.

After last week’s snowstorm, our brick and mortar location is open once again. Public hours are Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, Saturday from 10-6pm, and otherwise by appointment. We look forward to seeing you this week!

Sunday Reading for January 12, 2025

January 12, 2025

2025 New Year New Notebooks (via A Fleeting Ripple). How are you using your new notebooks in the New Year?
Looking Back to Go Forward (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Using stationery to set personal goals, and then revisit them at the end of the year while you plan for the next.
The New Year Diary, 2025 (via Fountain Pen Blog). A very nice diary/planner, from a local stationer.
Pen Resolutions Tag 2025 (via Rachel’s Reflections). I have not even begun to formulate my own pen and stationery resolutions for 2025. Better late than never, right?
2025 Theme: Let Them/Let Me (via From the Pen Cup). I always enjoy reading Mary’s posts, and this one is thoughtful as always. Looking forward to more in 2025!
Planner Set Up: Use It Up! (via Well-Appointed Desk). “Use it up” might be one of my own stationery themes for 2025, now that I’m thinking about it.
Montegrappa 007 Goldfinger (via Figboot on Pens). Yes, I know it’s ridiculous, but for some reason I love these Bond pens.
William Hannah (via Philofaxy). Many of you inquire about William Hannah disc-bound planners from time to time, and I’ve really enjoyed them, though I use mine more as a standard notebook. This post compiles a bunch of different resources on the brand for those who are curious.
State of the Collection (via Weirdoforest Pens). It’s that time of year when everyone begins to take stock of what they have, what they are using, and what they might want to move on from.
Visit to Yotsuba in Shizuoka, Japan (via Inkredible Colours). All of these stationery stores apparently have their own custom inks; these are made by Sailor!
Pilot Custom 823 (Amber) (via Scrively). The Custom 823 is one of my favorite pens on the market, and if I had to choose one to keep, it would be the Amber.

In Case You Missed It…

This week I did my final post on Inkvent/Colorvent, including my thoughts on who “won” this year’s calendar competition. (Spoiler: I personally think it was Colorverse.) I also reviewed an “old” pen for the first time: the Kaweco Perkeo in the “All Black” finish, and came away impressed.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Despite distributor shipments being somewhat slow at the beginning of January, as people count inventory and prepare for the upcoming trade shows. We did receive the Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip Pens, and also have restocked Midori and Caran d’Ache, including the favorite Fixpencils! Finally, don’t miss new arrivals such as our line of Fisher Space Pens and Rite in the Rain paper.

Our brick-and-mortar shop was closed this past weekend due to inclement weather, but we will be open again this coming week during normal hours (unless we get another snowpocalypse, which at least for now looks unlikely).

Kaweco

Pilot

Book Darts

Fisher Space Pen

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Pen Review: The Kaweco Perkeo, On Its Own Merits

January 11, 2025

Today’s review looks at a lower-priced pen that seems to be growing in popularity as a sleeper workhorse: the Kaweco Perkeo. I sometimes see the Perkeo dismissed as Kaweco’s “other inexpensive pen,” for those who feel the Kaweco Sport is too small, or as a “first fountain pen”. I’ve tried the Perkeo many times over the years, but have never fully reviewed the pen until now. It tends to fall off my radar because other pens in this price bracket receive more attention and publicity, like the Pilot Kakuno and Platinum Prefounte/Preppy/Plaisir. As you’ll see, I think this sort of oversight is unwarranted, as the Perkeo is quite a nice pen for the money and stands on its own merits.

First, the Perkeo has a distinct look and arguably more “style” than other offerings at the sub-$20 price point. You can rarely say that an inexpensive fountain pen looks distinctive, but the Perkeo does, with the faceted design lending it a classical look, reminiscent of architectural columns. The cap includes the signature Kaweco medallion on the finial, and the nib bears Kaweco’s signature engraving.

Kaweco Perkeo Cap Finial — Kaweco’s signature finial medallion is one of my favorite design touches, across all their product lines.

Second, I found the writing experience excellent, and the Perkeo to be a functional, if no-frills, daily driver. It’s an extremely lightweight pen, but long enough and adequately balanced so that it doesn’t feel flimsy in the hand. The facets on the cap keep the pen from rolling off your desk, and the even narrower facets on the barrel give the pen a comfortable, “grippy” feel in your hand. Like the TWSBI ECO-T and the Lamy Safari, the triangular grip section will be something that either works for you or not, but I personally don’t really notice it.

Kaweco Perkeo All-Black Fountain Pen, In Hand — Those who enjoy the light weight of the Sport line, but wish it were longer, even posted, should give the Perkeo a try. The Perkeo posts easily, and I think it feels most balanced with the cap posted on the back.

In my experience, standard Kaweco nibs write best in the fine and medium widths, and the Perkeo is no exception. Actually, the Perkeo is only available in a fine or medium, and this medium I chose for review is an excellent writer, with a moderately wet, classic medium line. Perkeo nibs are slightly larger than Sport nibs (Bock No. 5s, I believe), and have a smooth-but-still-tactile writing feel that I enjoy. The model that I’ve chosen for review is the “All-Black”, which has a matching black-plated nib. Clips are also available, and the Perkeo also takes a full-size international converter, with both sold separately.

Kaweco Perkeo All-Black Plated Nib — The black plating has almost a “steel blue” cast to it.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’ve been quite surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed the Kaweco Perkeo. While not an official “TGS 2025 resolution,” a goal of mine is to better familiarize myself with the entry-level and lower-priced fountain pen market, as I’ve recently had many new customers come into the shop looking for their first fountain pen. Every time I do a deeper dive into this particular market segment, it amazes me just how good the pens are. The Perkeo is an exellent writer, not just for beginners, but for anyone looking for a no-nonsense everyday fountain pen. (Now if only Kaweco would bring back the old “Indian Summer” color pattern with the black and gold/green color combination….)

Kaweco Perkeo Fountain Pens in a Rainbow Range of Colors — The Perkeo comes in a great selection of colors. I believe the bicolor models are being phased out in favor of solids, but hopefully they will bring them back.

We’ve begun stocking the full line of Kaweco Perkeos in our own shop. As you can see above, I chose the sharp-looking “All Black” model, which retails for $18 (the standard price). Kaweco has also started to release Kaweco Collection special editions in the Perkeo range, including last year’s “Infrared”. Like the Kaweco Sport line, the Perkeo can be customized with clips made especially for this pen (coming soon!), as well as a standard full-size international converter.