Sunday Reading for July 26, 2026

1. Platinum 3776 - Ranking the Nibs (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the Platinum 3776 pen body, but the nibs can be excellent. Kimberly walks through each of them.

2. Opening the Japan-Inspired Curated Box from the Gentleman Stationer (via dwrdnet). Derek opens up our latest Patreon curated box, which featured items I brought back from Japan.

3. Ink Review: Three Sailor Studio Inks (341, 343, 564). Some of these colors are going away as Sailor consolidates their lineup, so if there is a color you really love and you are running low, be sure to check.

4. Sheaffer Legacy (via Figboot on Pens). One of my favorite vintage pens (I guess it is “vintage” now, or at least the ones I have are….). David takes a look at one of the new versions.

5. 3+3+3+1 (via Line Variation). A slightly different take on the “10 Fountain Pens” challenge - not limiting it to fountain pens but rather all writing instruments!

6. Ink Review: Taccia Ukiyo-e Ink Hokusai Sabimidori (via Well-Appointed Desk). I was so excited for this to come back into stock! Sabimidori is one of my favorite greens (or is it really a blue?) on the market.

7. Watch Us Set Up Our New Location in Ft. Smith, Arkansas (via Vanness Pens). Vanness is moving, and you can catch a glimpse at their new space here. Congratulations!

In Case You Missed It…

This week I published my own take on the “10 Fountain Pens” challenge, digging fairly deep into my collection and breaking out some old favorites I would never part with. Since pen show season is rapidly approaching next month, I also revisited the topic of stationery bags, and discuss a few of my favorite stationery bags and cases. Finally, I published a YouTube “How It Works” demonstration video focusing on one of the stationery carry options from yesterday’s post.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Lochby and Appointed Arrive, Plus updated summer clearance!

Yesterday was a huge restock day, featuring a lot of new arrivals that didn’t make it into Thursday’s “Drops” post! First up is a major Lochby restock, including Field Sling A5s, Venture Pouches, Mini Venture Pouches, and the new Mini Pocket Journal, which is a wallet-sized folio that may be replacing the Sidekick? I will say that am enjoying the outer pen sleeve on the Mini! We also have a large shipment of the Lochby A7/card-sized notebooks, which feature the same 68g Tomoe River paper as the other Lochby paper offerings.

We have also added a bunch of new items to clearance. A clearance discount will be automatically applied at checkout to all items in the clearance section.

This week we will be open normal hours in our Nashville Shop: 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-5pm on Saturday. Come see us!

Lochby

Appointed

Diplomat

Bindewerk

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If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

What's the Best Everyday Stationery Bag? My Own Considerations and 5 Options for Pen Show Season

We’re gearing up for pen show and trade show season, and I’ve been fielding regular questions about bag and case options in advance of Stationery Fest in NYC, the D.C. Pen Show the following week, and the San Francisco Pen Show later that month. In between, I may also be attending NY Now and Shoppe Object, two large to-the-trade stationery shows in New York City. So let’s just say that “stationery carry” is on my mind. Here I’m going to walk through a handful of considerations when choosing a show bag (or just a stationery bag in general), and then I’ll discuss a few of my go-to options. This list is not intended to be exclusive, but rather to offer some ideas based around models I use regularly.

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I rarely overstuff a bag like this anymore, but with a well-designed option like the Rickshaw Banzai Bag, you certainly can!

Key Considerations for a Stationery Bag

1. Smaller Backpacks, Please. When you’re at a show, don’t be that person who carries the giant 40L backpack that slams into people, knocks over items on tables, and blocks peoples view. Just don’t. Some shows are actually imposing bag size limits. If you need a backpack, choose a smaller “day pack” size option that fits flat against your back. Even for everyday carry, you probably need a smaller bag than you think. When I have a bag that’s too big, stuff tends to shift and collect at the bottom and things get dinged up.

2. Choose a Bag Tailored to What You Actually Carry or Plan to Buy at a Show. If you’re going to a show mainly to buy a few pens or have pens ground, you can fit a LOT of pens into a very small bag, and you can even get away with carrying a small portfolio-style pen case or clutch. Tote bags are great if you’re shopping for lightweight items like washi tapes and other accessories. I’ve done pen shows with nothing but a Rickshaw Sinclair and it was super liberating to ditch the backpack or messenger bag. Buying paper or larger items requires more planning and extra capacity.

3. Comfort is Key. If you’re planning to carry heavy stuff (i.e., lots of paper), or if you’ll be out all day and need to carry snacks and a water bottle, choose a bag with a supportive strap. I cannot emphasize enough how heavy paper can get - try lugging it all over Tokyo in warm weather - and an ergonomic backpack was key to keeping the trip enjoyable.

4. Organization and Protection. I personally prefer bags with multiple compartments and pockets, to keep my notebooks separate from my water bottle, pen cases, and everything else. It also helps me stay organized since I carry so many different types of things with me at any given time. For shows, I would emphasize protection - if you’re buying pads of paper or soft notebooks, a bag with a laptop slot or a padded interior will keep them from getting dinged up in transit if you aren’t staying at the show venue and can’t run them up to your room or out to your car.

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I’ve really reduced my carry over the years, and have largely moved on from an “I must take everything” approach.

My 5 Favorite Stationery Bags and Cases for Pen and Stationery Shows

1. Rickshaw Banzai Bag. Designed for pen people, this compact messenger/sling bag is unobtrusive and holds a surprising amount given its compact size. I like to carry this as part of a modular system with multiple Rickshaw cases including the Sinclair and Fillmore pen cases (discussed further below). For an even slimmer system that operates off this same concept, the Lochby Field Sling is designed to carry a notebook, a pen case, and maybe some extras.

2. Tom Bihn Synapse. I have the Synapse 25L but you can also opt for the smaller Synapse 19. I took the larger version to Japan, since it doubled as both a day bag and my primary carry-on. I love this bag because (1) it has at least 5 externally accessible zippered pockets and compartments, and (2) it doesn’t have a clamshell zipper, meaning that there’s no risk of the bag coming completely unzipped and all your stuff falling out. This bag can be cinched down to a compact size, but it can also hold a ton of stuff if you need it to.

3. Rickshaw Sinclair Model-R and/or Fillmore. These pen cases will hold 3-6 pens and a small notebook, and will fit inside the Banzai bag or any other bag or backpack. They are great for modular packing, but as mentioned above can also be carried on a stand-alone basis as a clutch. When I’m working from a coffee shop or going to pen club, more often than not I’m taking just a notebook or planner and my Fillmore. (The cloud design shown here is our own shop exclusive, which is hand-drawn by Nick Dominguez and available in multiple Rickshaw formats!)

4. Lochby Venture Pouch and/or Venture Pouch Mini. Similar to the Rickshaw cases, yet also completely different, the Lochby Venture Pouch is a double-sided pen pouch/bag that functions as a slotted pen case on one side and a standard stationery pouch on the reverse. (For a full demonstration of how this works, check out this YouTube video I did years ago.) The Lochby Field Sling also features a removable strap and can be carried clutch-style if you need slightly more capacity, or alternatively you can use a strap like that on the Field Sling and turn your Venture Pouch into a compact sling bag.

5. Any Tote Bag. As long as you don’t let them get too heavy, I LOVE tote bags for shows. I’ll typically stash a roll-up tote somewhere - either under the table or in my main bag - and break it out if I get carried away with my purchases. Tote bags are also great at stationery fests, where the emphasis is more on smaller, more lightweight items like stickers, washi tape, and less-precious pens and pencils. I will do a plug for the Rickshaw Musette, which features a longer strap and was designed for these events in that you can easily convert to a cross body bag for added security in crowded ballrooms.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by online purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

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A top-down look at the Rickshaw Musette Tote, which is long enough to hold a full pad of paper. This can be worn over the shoulder, cross-body, or carried as a tote bag.

Thursday Drops: 10 Fountain Pens, "Permanent" Inks, and More!

We’ve been hard at work restocking most of our favorite fountain pen and ink lines in advance of the back-to-school and back-to-work rush, including nearly all Pilot fountain pens, the popular Diplomat Viper, and many different Lamys including the Lamy 2000. Both Lamy and Pilot are well-represented in my recently published “10 Fountain Pens list”, as they are long-time personal favorites that I use on a near-daily basis. We also continue to have very good stock of TWSBI fountain pens (particularly the ECO) despite the brand being low at the distributor level. We are trying to restock on the newer models so if a specific colorway is currently out check back frequently as new stock arrives all the time.

The Pilot E95s is back in both colors and all nib sizes!

Finally, we’ve been receiving questions about fountain pen inks with permanence - typically lightfastness and water-resistance. In response, we’ve been making an effort to bring more pigmented and iron-gall inks into the shop, including different options from Platinum and Kakimori, which have the most extensive color ranges.

You can see these and more in our Nashville Shop this week, in addition to online. We are open regular hours, 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday. Online is of course available 24/7!

1. Pilot Capless Vanishing Point and Decimo Fountain Pens. Vanishing Points are back in stock, in most finishes and both sizes.

2. Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pens. This popular Pilot serves as an excellent entry point to Pilot’s 14k gold nibs, with the high capacity pump-piston CON-70 converter. If you still prefer a piston filler, the Custom Heritage 92 features the same nib.

3. Pilot E95s Fountain Pen. Looking for a gold nib pocket pen? The E95s is a portable, smooth writer with a unique look drawn from vintage Pilot fountain pens from the 1970s and 1980s. And yes, we do have the Ivory/Burgundy color combination, which is now exclusive to the U.S.

4. Lamy 2000 Fountain Pens. We cannot stay stocked with Lamy 2000s. Many of you have been asking about availability, and we recently received a shipment of fines and mediums.

5. Platinum Carbon Inks. Platinum’s line of pigmented “Carbon” inks are the most permanent inks that we have in stock, in terms of lightfastness and water resistance. Carbon Black is an ink of choice for those looking to do ink washes and artwork to which water might be applied.

6. Platinum Chou Kuro Ink. Looking for the “blackest of the black” inks? Chou Kuro is it. There is no ink more black. Think “black hole” black.

7. Platinum Classic Ink (Iron Gall Formulation). Iron Gall inks are more “water resistant” than “waterproof” - if they get wet they will leave behind the blue-black iron content that has bonded to the paper. A traditional ink formulation that Platinum has released in multiple colors, which will darken to a black-tinged hue as they dry on the page.

8. Kakimori Inkstand Colour Pigment Inks. We recently added the full line of mixable Kakimori pigment inks to our inventory. These particular inks are intended to be mixed with one another to create the color of your choice, or they can be used as stand-alone colors.

9. Kakimori Standard Line Pigment Inks. A range of more unique, subtle colors mixed by Kakimori. These inks can also be mixed with each other (or with the Kakimori Inkstand Colour inks) should you so choose.

10. Kakimori Ink Mixing Kit. This handy kit contains three small plastic measuring cups, pipettes, and instructions for mixing your own fountain pen inks. The precise measuring cups allow you to measure, document, and recreate your own ink mixes for future use.

If I Could Only Keep Ten Fountain Pens....

“If you could only keep [___] fountain pens….” I try to avoid answering these questions because (1) the number ends up being somewhat arbitrary; and (2) I would never be able to limit myself. At the same time, as a thought experiment, it’s often helpful to engage in exercises like this one because it requires you to think about your likes and dislikes, what drives your collection/accumulation, and what you would want to use every day if you were forced to restrict yourself to a handful of pens. Here goes nothing, with a little history behind each selection.

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Lamy 2000 (Medium Matthew Chen Kodachi Nib).

You knew that one pen on this list would be a Lamy 2000. But why just a standard black version and not one of the fancy limited edition releases? Because this particular pen features an excellent medium Kodachi nib by Matthew Chen that’s not only the best Kodachi I own but one of my first by Matthew. While this particular nib doesn’t offer a ton of line variation due to the narrower grind and relatively lack of tipping, it’s just enough to keep things interesting.

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Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog (SFM Nib).

The Pilot Custom 74 is one of my core workhorse fountain pens, and I have several, including stock medium and extra-fine nibs. If I had to pick one to keep, however, it would be the recently released Lavender Fog for no other reason than the Soft Fine Medium nib, which adds a bit of bounce and line variation to the otherwise stiff 14k Custom 74 nib.

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Pilot Custom 912 (Waverly Nib)

Yes, there are lots of Pilots on this list. Yes, most will be pens featuring Pilot specialty nibs. I have a full review of the Waverly in the works, and I’ll have more to say later, but this slightly upturned nib is designed to write smoothly at any angle and makes for an excellent all-day-every-day workhorse. Yes, the design of the Custom 912 is somewhat “understated,” but I also find it comfortable and well-balanced.

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Pilot Custom 823 (Medium Mark Bacas Blade Nib).

This Pilot Custom 823 in Amber was the first really expensive fountain pen that I purchased, and has stayed in regular rotation for nearly 10 years due to the nib, which sports my first-ever blade/kodachi-style grind by Mark Bacas. If you notice the trend, yes, I enjoy grinding medium nibs for subtle line variation. And yes, this is indeed an Amber pen. It looks blue because it’s filled with dark blue ink.

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Pilot Capless Decimo Nagasawa Kobe Gradation Harbor mint (Fine-Medium Nib).

These gradient-finish Pilot Decimos are made exclusively for Nagasawa Stationery, a Japanese retailer based in Kobe. This one features the rare fine-medium nib, which is - for me at least - the perfect nib width for everyday writing. I also love the color palette on this pen because it reminds me of the beach every time I write with it. (This specific model is the “Harbor Mint” release, now discontinued, but reach out to our friends at Vanness Pens who might have a few of this year’s Kobe Gradation release.)

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Opus 88 Jazz (Medium Platinum 3776 Nib).

My not-really-an-Opus-88 pen, since it features a transplanted medium 14k Platinum 3776 nib that was swapped using a Flexible Nib Factory housing. This eyedropper pen is an absolute ink tank - It holds almost an entire 4ml sample! - and works great with shimmer inks since the nib is pretty wet.

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Kasama Una PEEK/Titanium (Medium Mark Bacas Blade Nib).

I wanted to include at least one visually striking/unique pen from my collection, and after careful consideration I selected this piece by Kasama from the Philippines. The barrel features a combination of PEEK (an ultem-like medical-grade engineered plastic) and anodized titanium. Once again, you have a medium Mark Bacas Blade grind.

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Pelikan M800 Souverain Stone Garden (Custom Nib Studio Perspective Nib)

This pen actually made me stop buying Pelikans, because the flecked tortoise-style barrel and dark blue acrylic has everything I was looking for visually in the brand. This M800 nib also features one of Gena’s “Perspective” grinds (Custom Nib Studio’s take on the blade/Kodachi style).

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Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black Edition (Fine Nib).

A long-time favorite, and one of the few Sailor fountain pens that remains in my collection. This particular pen has sentimental value and would stay regardless, but it also has an excellent fine nib that’s stiff as a nail and exceptionally good for small writing and annotation. The original matte texture on this pen has worn shiny from so much use over the years.

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Schon DSGN Faceted Titanium Shell (Fine Monoc Nib)

Finally, I would plan to keep what is easily the most unique pen in my entire collection in terms of both barrel design and nib. The Schon DSGN “Monoc” nib is designed and built completely in-house, featuring a unique ultem feed and a reversible tip that allows you to write fine or extra-fine. The hammered titanium barrel has a gentle texture which, when combined with a longer grip section, makes this pen surprisingly comfortable to use. I consider this a capstone piece to my personal collection and have bought relatively few expensive pens since acquiring this one.

A Final Note

When compiling this list, my core consideration was whether I could see myself writing with one of these chosen pens forever. As a result, the list draws heavily from (1) pens that house favorite nibs, and (2) pens I feel are exceptionally well balanced for everyday writing. I disregarded factors such as sentimentality and monetary value, even though I have countless pens that were gifted to me or made by friends, and will accordingly remain in my collection forever.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by online purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

New Arrivals: Diplomat Vipers in All Colors, Plus Remaining Lamy Safari Meteorite and Meteora

The Diplomat Viper remains one pen that is incredibly difficult to keep in stock, with both the fountain pens and rollerballs remaining popular as Diplomat expands the colors on offer. We currently have all five colors (Black, Blue, Brown, Green, and Silver) in stock in both formats, in-store and online! This hooded nib fountain pen comes in a single F/M (fine medium) nib size, and features an addictive magnetic cap which doubles as a fidget toy.

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The latest Lamy Safari fountain pens, Meteorite and Meteora, landed last week, and both feature dark glossy finishes with a unique texture new to Lamy. Meteora is selling out quickly, though we still have Meteorite pens left in stock and hope to have more of both soon. If you’re looking to snag one in the short term, we are down to the last pens from this initial shipment. Rollerballs, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils are also available.
We are open this week normal hours from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday.