Pennonia Cheerio Waterbus Ink (via Pen Addict). Kimberly reviews the latest Pennonia Ink designed in collaboration with Mike Matteson of InkDependence. This use of pigment to accentuate color-shifting properties is really cool.
Special Occasions: Sheaffer Imperial (via a fleeting ripple). I love Sheaffer Imperial nibs, especially the ones with the slightly upturned tip, though I’ve never tried one of Sheaffer’s factory stubs.
PIlot Iroshizuku New Colors (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana takes a look at three new colors of Iroshizuku Ink, a light green (Hotari-bi), a coral (Hana-ikada), and a teal (Sui-gyoku). These replace Ina-ho, Tsuyu-kusa, and Tsukushi, which honestly were three colors I never used much though there are many out there who love them.
Wancher Dream Pen True Ebonite Sand Red (via Rants of the Archer). I’ve not seen a review of Wancher’s “Dream Pen” in quite some time, as they’ve been promoting other releases recently. I love a matte red urushi finish.
Scribo Inks (via Dapprman). I love Scribo ink, and yes, the ink bottle is a key part of that experience.
My Personal Pens: Leonardo Furore Grande (via SBRE Brown). The Leonardo Furore is a classically shaped streamlined fountain pen that gets less attention, undeservedly, than the Momento Zero-style pens. The Furore now has a “Grande” version.
Dip Pens & Fountain Pens: Not as Similar as You Think (via The Postman’s Knock). Interested in the differences between dip pens and fountain pens when used or calligraphy? You may want to check out this article.
Kakimori Inks (via Mountain of Ink). Kelli is starting to review some of the Kakimori inks from Japan, many of which are pigmented. I have several of these in for review myself (though everything is packed up and in storage).
Midori MD Colored Pencils (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana reviews the Midori MD Colored Pencil Set (one of our best sellers in the shop). As she notes, these are excellent colored pencils to annotate notes, in Midori MD’s three-color “signature” palette.
M605 Tortoiseshell-Black Special Edition (via Pelikan’s Perch). If Pelikan’s going to be regularly releasing M600/M605 special editions, I’m all for it, especially if they look as good as this one.
In Case You Missed It…
I’ve been exiled from T.G.S. HQ (i.e., my home office) while it’s under construction, so you may see some different types of content in the next few weeks, including the results of some long-neglected internal housekeeping. First up, the 2022 updates to the “Best Pens” Recommendation List! There aren’t many crazy revisions, but I have reshuffled my “Personal Favorites”. I also published this piece on why I think it’s time to abandon the “anti-gold trim” attitude that persists in some areas of the pen community. People were down on gold for many years, I think mainly because it was the only option available on certain pens for such a long time, but given the newfound plethora of options on the market (ruthenium, rose gold, etc.) it’s time to reevaluate.
New in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
Well, of course the big news is the arrival of the 2022 Limited Edition Traveler’s Notebook sets. We sold out of our allotment in less than 24 hours, and while I’ve requested more there’s (1) no assurance we’ll get any at all, and (2) if we do get a next shipment, it’s unlikely to be as big as the first. I’ll keep you all updated! We also received a major restock of Write Notepads writing pads, reporter notebooks, and landscape notebooks, including new colors such as “Plum” (purple), “Arctic” (light blue), “Forest Green”, and “Coral” (an orange-pink). Finally, we are restocked on Caran D’Ache standard matte-black Fixpencils, as well as the M+R Pollux long-point brass sharpener.
T.G.S. “From the Archives” - Pilot Custom 74
In today’s “From the Archives” throwback post, I thought I would highlight a favorite pen of mine that’s still on the Recommendations List: the Pilot Custom 74. In the years since I last updated this post, Pilot has released the Custom 74 in several new transparent colors, all of which sell quite well at shows and online, and the nibs remain superb. Everyone should have at least one Custom 74 in their collection, IMHO!
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