As is my way, I went to Japan with an exhaustively researched shopping list. I knew which items I wanted to investigate, I knew where was likely to stock them, and I knew roughly how much they were going to cost. But I still gave myself a few surprises. Inks Tokyo is the home of … Continue reading My Japan haul: ink, paper and more
Travels with pens: Japan concluded!
If you remember from my last post, I've spent the past week in Tokyo for work. The schedule has been punishing at times, but I've had a blast. What's really stuck with me has been the hospitality of the people and the amazing service, the great food, and just how incredibly clean and well-kept everything … Continue reading Travels with pens: Japan concluded!
Travels with pens: Tokyo (part 1)
Edit: if you've arrived directly here from a link (eg Pen Addict), you might be interested in the second part of the trip report, here! Sometimes, the pen gods smile upon me. This is one such time. I write this from my usual haunt in Heathrow Terminal 3, shortly before boarding a Japan Air flight … Continue reading Travels with pens: Tokyo (part 1)
Close, but no cigar? Getting to grips with the Conway Stewart Winston
Spurred on by my discovery of Onoto and my joyful first experiences with a friend's Conway Stewart Churchill, I set off on a mission to get my own Conway Stewart. I didn't want one of the current versions from Bespoke British Pens, with their conventional 'flag' nibs... no, I wanted one from a few years … Continue reading Close, but no cigar? Getting to grips with the Conway Stewart Winston
Mail call: the Italian Job
I always get excited when the postman knocks at my door. Today I had extra reason to do so: he was bearing a box laden with some very special Italian pens from a dear friend. Chief among them was my grey Scribo, returned from its sojourn to Scotland. But it was not alone. Yep, that's … Continue reading Mail call: the Italian Job
State of the collection: May 2019
It's time to give you another tour of my pen drawer, since I last posted one back in March. Let's take a look. Italy and Visconti On the left are my Italian pens. You may remember the Visconti Van Gogh Room in Arles, which I retired a few months ago when I discovered cracks in … Continue reading State of the collection: May 2019
Wooden wonder: Faber-Castell e-Motion
I received this pen at no cost from Executive Pens Direct. If this worries you at all, see my ethics page here. I'll cut to the chase: I wish I'd bought an e-Motion a couple of years ago. After a few weeks of use I can say with confidence that it's a great pen, and … Continue reading Wooden wonder: Faber-Castell e-Motion
What I leave out of reviews
I'm a professional writer by background, and I've learned over the years that writing anything is an exercise in choosing not just what to say, but what to leave out. When I write a review, I tend to approach it by focusing on the experience of examining the pen for the first time: what it's like to … Continue reading What I leave out of reviews
At last: reviewing the Desiderata Soubriquet
This review is long overdue. I bought my first Soubriquet (cocobolo barrel and ebonite cap prototype) from Desiderata Pens in September 2018, although it feels like I've owned it forever. I bought a second Soubriquet in amber acrylic in March 2019, and ordered a third, with a one-piece cocobolo barrel and cocobolo cap, in April … Continue reading At last: reviewing the Desiderata Soubriquet
My pen “capsule wardrobe” (cheating at a top ten of fountain pens)
Whenever I buy a new pen recently, I'm finding there's a smaller and smaller chance that it will stick in my collection. Even though I'm learning more about my tastes, and making (hopefully) better and better purchases, the new pens have a huge task scaling the heights of my current collection, which I have been … Continue reading My pen “capsule wardrobe” (cheating at a top ten of fountain pens)
