I'm in the midst of looking hard at my collection again after a few additions, and planning a forthcoming "my favourite dozen pens" post. I'm thinking about selling the following to get as close as I can to a limit of 15 pens. I'll see if there's any early interest before I do a lot … Continue reading Spontaneous sale (now with photos)
Where I buy pens
This sounds like a dumb thing to write a blog post about. But I buy a lot of pens, and I thought it would be good to share some wisdom I've accrued – and maybe open your eyes to some new possibilities to snag a bargain. Pen and ink retailers Let’s start with the mainstream … Continue reading Where I buy pens
9 genius pen features
To the untrained eye, most fountain pens are basically the same. There's the pointy bit, the holdy bit, the screwy on bit, the clippy bit. Ink goes in, words come out. But look a little closer and there's so much diversity, so many innovations, so many great features to celebrate. Here are nine that I've … Continue reading 9 genius pen features
Travels with pens: colours for California
On Monday, I fly to California. Again. That makes three weeks, three trips (and for those keeping track, my sixth trip this year). I feel like I'm living in a hotel. So it's time to freshen up my carry a little bit and get my enthusiasm back. I expect to be doing a lot of … Continue reading Travels with pens: colours for California
Nock Tallulah: two’s company
Yep, two days, two pen-case reviews (in case you missed it, yesterday I posted about my first experiences with New Zealand-based Hurlestone). Up today is the Tallulah two-pen case from my perennial favourites, Nock. The Tallulah is, like most Nock cases, crafted from colourful nylon. Mine's a rather lovely terracotta orange on the outside, and … Continue reading Nock Tallulah: two’s company
Quick review: Hurlestone pen cases
I came across Hurlestone on Instagram. It had everything I need to be immediately suckered in: small, new maker based out of somewhere unusual (in this case, New Zealand); pen cases in a variety of sizes; and unusual textile materials in a range of colours. I placed an order for two pen cases: a two-pen … Continue reading Quick review: Hurlestone pen cases
Travels with pens: York, and a visit to Signatures
For once, I'm packing pens for a trip that's not work-related. Yes: I'm on holiday in York! This trip ran almost back-to-back with my trip to Miami. My Conids and Geometry served me well in the US, and I took them home joined by my latest acquisitions, the Karas Re-Entry Starliner XL and Wahl-Eversharp Decoband. … Continue reading Travels with pens: York, and a visit to Signatures
Travels with pens: prepping for Miami — and a few fabulous new arrivals
Tomorrow morning I'm off on my next travels: a few days in Miami. Waiting for me there is my new Wahl Decoband Jade and Karas Re-Entry with Ti nib, so I'm travelling pretty light: just three pens, in my Franklin-Christoph "glasses case". Here's what I've picked: Conid Kingsize, F Ti, Graf Burned Orange Conid Regular, … Continue reading Travels with pens: prepping for Miami — and a few fabulous new arrivals
Boiling a frog
I'm not sure when it started to feel OK for me to spend £500+ on a pen, or when I started to think of a £100 pen as "cheap". I definitely remember agonising about buying a £70 pen, not that long ago. But somehow my brain has gradually acclimatised to higher and higher prices, just … Continue reading Boiling a frog
13 hard-learned lessons from a veteran fountain pen addict
(Enjoy the blog? Please consider donating – there's a PayPal button at the top right of the site!) Over the past several years of spending far too much time and money on stationery, I've learned a thing or two — about mistakes I make over and over, about what I like and why, and what … Continue reading 13 hard-learned lessons from a veteran fountain pen addict
