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
experiences
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
Eight second chances to get it right
Looking over my pen tray I am often struck by how many pens I have sold, only to later repurchase. You might well say: if you liked it enough to rebuy it, why did you sell it in the first place?! It’s a fair question, but I have a few answers. Sometimes (as the song … Continue reading Eight second chances to get it right
Benu, cartridges, interviews, queues and more
A few days ago I started writing a September 'State of the Collection' post. But the scale of the task has overwhelmed me. With more than 20 posts since the August SotC, and at least as many pens in and out... well, I figured nobody would want to read a post that long. But I … Continue reading Benu, cartridges, interviews, queues and more
