I love the term "grail pen". It conjures such great mental images of cathedrals and warm-glowing gold, of Indiana Jones on a quest, of the ultimate sacrifice for eternal salvation. A Lamy 2000 doesn't quite measure up, does it? Depending on your financial means, a Lamy 2000 may be your ever-out-of-reach ideal pen — but … Continue reading True grails
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UKFP Uncapped: 13th October 2019
Welcome back to Uncapped! This is my 301st post on UK Fountain Pens. I hadn't realised I'd passed that milestone, so raise a belated glass with me here.... Community Fudefan took us on a photographic tour of the Tokyo pen show. I practically hyperventilated with excitement. It looked amazing. Mary from From the Pen Cup … Continue reading UKFP Uncapped: 13th October 2019
The TARDIS-like Schon DSGN fountain pen
I've always liked the idea of a pocket fountain pen, but I've never managed to find one that I actually carry on a daily basis. The Kaweco Liliput and Milim Pocket Pen are marvels of miniaturisation, but they're just too narrow to use for more than a few sentences. The Kaweco Sport is famously the … Continue reading The TARDIS-like Schon DSGN fountain pen
Legami notebooks: ready for fountain pens?
Notebooks must get nervous when they see me coming. I'm such a Tomoe River snob that I immediately start looking for faults in any other paper. I know, I know, it's unfair of me — there are plenty of other important qualities to look for in a notebook. And so I came with fresh eyes … Continue reading Legami notebooks: ready for fountain pens?
UKFP Uncapped: 6th October 2019
Today has been a pen-heavy day, thanks to my morning at the London Pen Show. So today's Uncapped will be on the short side... Community Bungubox's latest edition Tears of Alice pen and ink leapt straight on to my radar when Kaoru posted it on Facebook this week. I find these Japan-only special editions inexplicably … Continue reading UKFP Uncapped: 6th October 2019
Becoming the “sumgai” at the 2019 London Pen Show
If you're not familiar with the word "sumgai", let me educate you. It's a term for someone who gets an amazing deal: "sumgai got here before me and snagged a Nakaya for a tenner". Well, I didn't quite get that deal at today's London Pen Show, but I do feel quite pleased with myself anyway. … Continue reading Becoming the “sumgai” at the 2019 London Pen Show
The small and sparkly Pelikan M205 Star Ruby
One of my earlier 'proper' pen purchases was a Pelikan M205 in the Aquamarine colour, a tie-in to the Edelstein ink of the year for 2016. It was a sweet little writer, packing a proper piston filler into a tiny package. This M205 Star Ruby is much the same recipe, following on from the Smoky … Continue reading The small and sparkly Pelikan M205 Star Ruby
For sale
Since I have now hit double the capacity of my pen tray, it's time for a ruthless clear out. Over the next few weeks I'll be listing 19 pens for sale. I'm selling some darned good, nearly new pens here, sometimes just a few weeks after a positive review. I'd like to emphasise that selling … Continue reading For sale
Countdown to the London Pen Show
The London Writing Equipment Show. or London Pen Show as it now is, is this Sunday. Curiously, I'm in a position where I am planning to go, but I don't have anything on my wishlist to buy. I mean, if Regina Martini is there with any killer deals on Grafs, I'd love to have another … Continue reading Countdown to the London Pen Show
State of the collection: October 2019. Fit to burst
I didn't do a SotC post in September. It felt like things were changing too much in my collection. And they're still changing, but this is long overdue. So much has changed, in fact, that I'm not going to do my usual what's in/what's out: I'm going to start from scratch. My collection has outgrown … Continue reading State of the collection: October 2019. Fit to burst
