It occurs to me that I have written a lot recently about 'bad' nibs, and it may not be completely clear what I mean by that. Here's what I look for when I get a straightforward F or M or B nib — one with a round ball of tipping that's designed for general use. … Continue reading How do you spot a ‘bad’ nib?
QC
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
A public service announcement about Aurora italic and stub nibs
I recently bought an Aurora 88 with italic nib. It was not what I expected. This is because Aurora does not make it easy. Over the years it's offered different kinds of italic nibs, including different widths of italics. Try to find pictures on the internet and you often turn up ten-year-old threads on FPN. … Continue reading A public service announcement about Aurora italic and stub nibs
Oldwin? Beautiful pens, frustrating experience
I mentioned Oldwin nearly a year ago in my roundup of small European pen makers. This small French manufacturer, the in-house brand of Paris-based store Mora Stylos, has been on my radar for a while, but in recent months it's been all over my Instagram feed. I gave up on getting one of its torpedo-shaped … Continue reading Oldwin? Beautiful pens, frustrating experience
UK fountain pens 