I've had a few requests recently for ink-related posts. Despite my mediocre photography, I thought I'd share a few inks that I'm really enjoying at the moment — and a few that disappointed. Winners Edelstein Star Ruby After the faded sadness that was Edelstein Ruby, Star Ruby is simply fantastic. Vibrant, well-behaved, non-staining, and a … Continue reading Inky fingers, June 2019
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My Japan haul: ink, paper and more
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
12 inks for 2019: progress report and substitutions
If you remember way back to the start of the year, I set myself a challenge of using only 12 inks for my daily use in 2019. My only exceptions were to be for reviews and other 'one off' uses. So, three months in, how am I getting on? In short: much better than I … Continue reading 12 inks for 2019: progress report and substitutions
12 inks for 2019
What does an empty ink bottle look like? I watched in amazement in 2018 as people on my Instagram feed actually finished bottles of ink. The #emptyinkbottlechallenge seemed to me as crazy, admirable and impossible as running an ultramarathon. As of today, I have 166 full-size bottles of ink (excluding sample vials and duplicates), and … Continue reading 12 inks for 2019
The magnificent seven: week five
My poor pen collection has had a very disruptive week. Two of the pens in my week four selection (the Pineider and Diplomat) went into the 'for sale' pile, so I took them out of rotation. But I wrote the Lamy 2000 dry, and had good runs with the 149 and Optima. And then today … Continue reading The magnificent seven: week five
Magnificent seven: Black Friday edition
I swore to myself: no new pens before Christmas. But (predictably) I failed. The Black Friday discounts got the better of me. I'm undecided how I feel about this ultimately consumerist holiday, and what it means for the small retailers and brands that I try to support. But my actions speak louder than my words. … Continue reading Magnificent seven: Black Friday edition
The magnificent seven: week two
Last week's seven turned out great. I used every pen heavily, with the exception of the Pelikan M400. At last I managed to gel with the Pilot 823, although it still doesn't feel 'right' to me every time I pick it up. The Montegrappa Extra and Montblanc 1912 proved deliciously smooth for evening journalling; the … Continue reading The magnificent seven: week two
A very special blue-black: “Randall” by Nick Stewart
I'm a sucker for blue-black inks. So when Nick Stewart offered me the chance to try a sample of his new ink, Randall (named after one of Nick's aquatic adventurer friends), I jumped at it. I don't claim to the mastery of ink and lettering that Nick has, but even I can see that Randall … Continue reading A very special blue-black: “Randall” by Nick Stewart
The return of Mabie Todd: Blackbird Inks
Mabie Todd is one of those vintage pen manufacturers that everyone's heard of, but I confess I've never used one, or even held one. A Google suggests that it started as an American company in NYC pre-1900, but became established as a quintessentially British brand that persisted until the 1950s, long after the American operations … Continue reading The return of Mabie Todd: Blackbird Inks
Ink-oming!
I've gone a bit mad with ink purchases (and review samples) in the past few weeks. You'll no doubt have seen the Pure Pens roundup. Well, I now have samples of six beautiful new Blackbird inks from British maker Mabie Todd. Here's a sneak peek: I can tell you now that a couple of these … Continue reading Ink-oming!
