I have moaned about a lot of pen design features over the years (eg this) that I have later softened on. It turns out that, for the right pen, I’m not actually bothered by metal sections. For example, the Montegrappa Extra does just fine, as does the Montblanc Martelé. The right section shape, pen balance … Continue reading Pen design red flags: seeing the bigger picture

Today I flushed and packed my Graf Pen of the Year, Aurora Pacifico and Aurora Black Mamba into their fancy boxes ready to go to new homes. It’s always a sad little ritual to say goodbye to a pen, but doing three such major pens on one day really hit me. On the surface, the … Continue reading The up days and the down days

In an earlier post I mentioned a couple of pens that I was waiting for. Well, they're here — with extras. Primary Manipulation in the flesh Jonathon Brooks's wonderful 'Primary Manipulation' resin was what attracted me to this pen, and in the flesh it's even more impressive than in photos. Yep, it arrived at last, … Continue reading Carolina, Clyde … and classic Montblanc

I periodically check in on this thread on FPN, which basically asks which inks you'd rebuy if you suddenly lost your collection? It's great to read the huge variety of inks that people pick, both in terms of the colour families that they find impossible to live without, and the brands and inks they're loyal … Continue reading Forever inks

I promise I won't go all Covid-noodling on you, but now seems a good time to reflect on things a little bit. Hello to those of you out there who still follow this humble blog even in its dormant state. My poor, overloaded doormat For all my assertions that I was done with pen buying, … Continue reading Simple pleasures