It's been a long time since my last London Pen Show, back in October 2019. So when I parked up at the venue yesterday, I was a little apprehensive. The world had changed, of course, but so have I — gone are my days of splashing cash on lots of pens. Would I still find … Continue reading Pen shows are back, and better than ever
experiences
Travels with pens (and some new arrivals)
Travels with pens... my gosh, it's been a while. And the travel available to us here in the UK is still really only domestic. But the opportunity to pick out a selection of pens to accompany me to a place with a different view is one I still relish, every time, no matter the destination. … Continue reading Travels with pens (and some new arrivals)
Snippets: Schon, John Garnham, Pebble, GLP, Cross
It's been a quiet month here on the blog. I haven't posted anything for ten days, which is a long spell for me. But I do want to shout about a few things, so it's time for a Snippets. Bye to Instagram Thanks to those of you who took the time to email me to … Continue reading Snippets: Schon, John Garnham, Pebble, GLP, Cross
Cutting the collection in half: January 2021
My last SotC post was in early November — and what a lot of change there has been since! A number of review samples have crossed my desk, and more than a few personal purchases too, but it’s overall been a period of tremendous consolidation for me. In short: more out than in The last … Continue reading Cutting the collection in half: January 2021
Snap decisions
I take pens with me practically everywhere. Even when there's little likelihood that I'll actually write anything, I still like to have a case with multiple pens on my person or in my bag. As I've written in my 'travels with pens' series over the years, I plan the selection of pens I take when … Continue reading Snap decisions
The UKFP 2020 recap
2020 was a strange year in many ways, but it was a great year for fountain pens. As I sat down to prepare to write this post, scanning back over my Instagram feed and blog to refresh my memory, I was struck by, well, just how many great pens landed on my desk — even … Continue reading The UKFP 2020 recap
Craving the simple again: another ink purge
I was surprised to find that over the past five months — since I made my 'ink menu' back in June — I'd accumulated around 40 new bottles of ink. I knew I'd been splashing out (not literally), but I hadn't realised quite how much. Since my ink collection was now bursting out of the … Continue reading Craving the simple again: another ink purge
Snippets: Sunday 18th October 2020
I’ve not done one of these for a while, but it’s been a big week for stationery and I’ve got a lot to share that doesn’t fit into normal channels! Going big with Onoto It’s hardly been two minutes since I got the Sequoyah, and then Onoto hits my inbox with a set of pen … Continue reading Snippets: Sunday 18th October 2020
What are your collecting ‘guardrails’?
As I have written many times over the years, I am a man with poor impulse control, little willpower, and questionable financial sense. At times (such as right now) I've owned dozens of pens, keeping pens to review in one case, pocket pens in another, my cheaper 'toy' pens in another... But at the constant … Continue reading What are your collecting ‘guardrails’?
The three secrets of lasting pen love
I can reel off a list of fifty things I look for when reviewing a pen, in several broad categories. I can also tell you about the big dealbreakers that separate a great pen from being a bad one. Plenty are immediately obvious from first unboxing or even from photos and spec sheets (sharp cap … Continue reading The three secrets of lasting pen love
