This is not a guide to choosing a fountain pen. There are plenty of those out there, several of them on this site. No: this is a guide to actually buying a fountain pen, from the moment you've decided on which pen you think you want, to the moment you happily lay it in your … Continue reading How to buy a fountain pen without screwing up
experiences
Failure is the best test
There's an old truism in business that you only really earn your customers' loyalty when things go wrong. Customers (generally) accept that mistakes happen; if you step up and solve the problem, they can actually be happier with their overall experience than if no problem had happened in the first place. This week I really … Continue reading Failure is the best test
My Top 3 pens
It's been going on a while, but Joost from Appelboom's 'top 3 fountain pen' video series has just landed on my radar. The premise is simple: ask pen-celebrities like Figboot, Azizah, SBRE Brown, Scrively and Brad Dowdy to record videos talking for about 15 minutes about their top three pens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HphQ-Tqi508 I wasn't invited to … Continue reading My Top 3 pens
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?
It’s not you, it’s me
Update: I've added to my for sale page as I start to wind down. Time for contemplationI'm just coming up to the third full year writing UK Fountain Pens. I started the blog because I had things I wanted to say about stationery and my journey through it, and all the things I was learning. … Continue reading It’s not you, it’s me
So much for my global shopping?
Warning: rant ahead. I love this worldwide community of stationery that we live in. WordPress tells me that this blog is read in more than 150 countries (shout out to Vatican City), and I'm just as excited to discover an inspiring new maker, whether they live here in the UK or in some farflung part … Continue reading So much for my global shopping?
Sometimes what’s good for you feels bad
In case you missed it, I'm selling some pens again. A garage full of supercars — which Ferrari would you sell? I've long since passed the point of selling the pens I've bought but don't get on with (although there are always a few of those); I'm mostly selling pens I really enjoy, that write … Continue reading Sometimes what’s good for you feels bad
True grails
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
Should I have stopped buying pens in November 2016? Thoughts on the Lamy 2000 Bauhaus
In November 2016 I bought a Lamy 2000, with medium nib, on sale at WH Smith. I think it cost me £90, which seemed like a lot at the time. That pen is still with me today. It has seen heavy use, although less now that I have 30 other pens -- some ten times … Continue reading Should I have stopped buying pens in November 2016? Thoughts on the Lamy 2000 Bauhaus
