I don't think I can buy a pen at RRP any more. I've been so conditioned by discounting that I expect a saving by default. Pelikan and Aurora seem to get the biggest cuts -- I saw 50% off Optima flex the other day -- but discounting is common even for Montblanc, with Wheeler's offering … Continue reading Discounting has broken my brain
Pen design red flags: seeing the bigger picture
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
The up days and the down days
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
Carolina, Clyde … and classic Montblanc
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
Forever inks
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
Simple pleasures
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
Nine pens for sale
Updated to remove sold pens. So. I’m taking my collection even tighter. It took some effort to hit the 'publish' button on this post, but I’ve listed nine pens below for sale. There's over £3,500 of pens here so it's probably my biggest sale yet, and for those keeping track, this will bring me down … Continue reading Nine pens for sale
Shimmering silver: the Montblanc Martele
I'm a bit out of practice at writing reviews, but I felt an impulse to put something to paper about the Montblanc Martele. I've owned this beast of a pen for a few months now, and I realised that I keep wanting to write with it every day, leaving all my other pens to gather … Continue reading Shimmering silver: the Montblanc Martele
Finding joy in black ink
Since I found myself getting into fountain pens, I've never really used black inks. Grey inks, sure: a good grey can be as expressive as any other colour, ranging from a clean crisp silver to the colour of 2B pencil, and with an infinity of tints, from almost lavender purple, to murky fog-brown. But the … Continue reading Finding joy in black ink
So mechanical keyboards is now an acceptable crossover for a pen blog, eh?
I've mentioned a couple of times in previous posts that, as well as loving pens, I've been variously smitten with typewriters and, more practically, mechanical keyboards. And now Jeff posts at the Pen Addict about his journey into keebs, which I'm taking as permission to tell you all about my dalliance with the digital side … Continue reading So mechanical keyboards is now an acceptable crossover for a pen blog, eh?
