You ever had a situation where you knew you were making a really stupid decision, but you did it anyway out of fatalism, or curiosity? Well, that's me with buying the Montblanc M. This is not some never-before-seen pen, bought as a brave experiment to satisfy your curiosity, dear reader. The M has been out … Continue reading The Montblanc M as product design thought experiment
reviews
Diving in to the world of Ferris Wheel Press
I'm a closet (graphic) design lover. I will stop in the street to admire a carefully chosen colour palette, and I mentally applaud when I see evidence of good typography practices in an advert or on packaging. So Canadian brand Ferris Wheel Press is kinda like catnip to me. As they'll proudly tell you, they … Continue reading Diving in to the world of Ferris Wheel Press
Introducing Eureka fountain pens from South Korea
Eureka Pens is a one-man-band run by a guy called Dovidu from South Korea. He posted up a thread on FPN a couple of months back introducing two entirely new fountain pen designs, fabricated entirely in-house except for the ink converters. The specs were interesting and Dovidu made bold claims about the quality and design … Continue reading Introducing Eureka fountain pens from South Korea
A survivor of a more refined age: the Waterman Carene
The Carene and I have passed like ships in the night a few times over the years — which is ironic, because it's a pen designed to evoke the curves of a speedboat, and the word itself means 'hull' in French. I dismissed the Carene for a few reasons. Sometimes I lumped Waterman in with … Continue reading A survivor of a more refined age: the Waterman Carene
My new companion: the Nock Burton
Nock cases are, to me, a high water mark of design in pen carry. While I dally with other brands (from Franklin-Christoph, Esterbrook, Hurlestone and others), I return to Nock for my daily users. I have accumulated quite a few... I like the robust, colourful materials. I like the fact they're lightweight and flexible, with … Continue reading My new companion: the Nock Burton
The epic Montblanc Homer
Indulge me. I'm about to review a fountain pen that almost none of you will buy: the Montblanc Writer's Edition Homer. Why won't you buy it? Well, it's last year's model, and a limited edition of 9,800. You still see them about in boutiques, but it's not that easy to find. Oh, and it costs … Continue reading The epic Montblanc Homer
The TARDIS-like Schon DSGN fountain pen
I've always liked the idea of a pocket fountain pen, but I've never managed to find one that I actually carry on a daily basis. The Kaweco Liliput and Milim Pocket Pen are marvels of miniaturisation, but they're just too narrow to use for more than a few sentences. The Kaweco Sport is famously the … Continue reading The TARDIS-like Schon DSGN fountain pen
Legami notebooks: ready for fountain pens?
Notebooks must get nervous when they see me coming. I'm such a Tomoe River snob that I immediately start looking for faults in any other paper. I know, I know, it's unfair of me — there are plenty of other important qualities to look for in a notebook. And so I came with fresh eyes … Continue reading Legami notebooks: ready for fountain pens?
The small and sparkly Pelikan M205 Star Ruby
One of my earlier 'proper' pen purchases was a Pelikan M205 in the Aquamarine colour, a tie-in to the Edelstein ink of the year for 2016. It was a sweet little writer, packing a proper piston filler into a tiny package. This M205 Star Ruby is much the same recipe, following on from the Smoky … Continue reading The small and sparkly Pelikan M205 Star Ruby
Quick take: Baron Fig Strategist Note Cards
I've been through a few phases in my life where I've used Index cards. Exam revision at school. A brief foray into the Hipster PDA. But I mostly gravitated towards using a Field Notes-sized notebook as a pocket carry, and an A5 notebook for work. I've been experimenting a little with different kinds of paper … Continue reading Quick take: Baron Fig Strategist Note Cards
