UPDATE: The Scholar is live on the Onoto website to order. I've been singing the praises of the Onoto Magna for at least three or four years now (Flanders, Shakespeare, Sequoyah, Mammoth...), and still I find that people don't see the value proposition until they've held one. A plastic converter filler with steel nib for … Continue reading The Onoto Scholar was worth the wait
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Silverburl hybrid pens: creative, but with quirks
I dunno about you, but my Facebook feed is absolutely swamped with people pouring epoxy resin on to pieces of wood. Often it's a coffee table. But you can also get phone cases and myrid other objects, large and small, made using this technique. While this 'hybrid' effect is on the verge of being overdone, … Continue reading Silverburl hybrid pens: creative, but with quirks
Introducing Pen7 ebonite pens
At time of writing, Pen7 has just a couple of hundred followers on Instagram — so this is a great opportunity for me to do what I enjoy best, which is to put a new maker on your radar. Pen7 is a chap local to me called Dominic. I spotted his work on Instagram before … Continue reading Introducing Pen7 ebonite pens
Onoto Heritage Overlay by Henry Simpole: artistry, at what cost?
TL;DR: check out the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs9db1kEDFE The full story This is an unusual, even special, pen. It features a skeletonised sterling silver overlay on both cap and barrel, created by the late Henry Simpole. Overlay pens are not common nowadays, and to me they are strongly associated with vintage pens: you find overlay pens … Continue reading Onoto Heritage Overlay by Henry Simpole: artistry, at what cost?
Onoto’s The Flanders Pen is a tasteful tribute
As we head towards November, and Remembrance Sunday, for many of us the two World Wars will be on our minds, and the familiar poppy symbol will start to appear on the lapels of our winter coats. Despite this, the events of World War I in particular can seem a little unreal, barely more than … Continue reading Onoto’s The Flanders Pen is a tasteful tribute
Atoms to Astronauts: UK-made, fountain-pen friendly notebooks
I used to review a lot of notebooks. Like, a lot. Then gradually I settled on (mostly) Tomoe River paper from a select roster of makers: Pebble, Elia Note, Musubi, Galen, GLP. And now I have a stockpile of more than 25 notebooks, enough to last me years. So you could say I'm not actively … Continue reading Atoms to Astronauts: UK-made, fountain-pen friendly notebooks
The big bargain: John Garnham JG8
John Garnham's pens (previously reviewed here) are difficult to get hold of. You can still only buy them through the Fountain Pens UK Facebook group, and he makes them only in limited quantities. He's not interested in building a business around pens, so he doesn't even have a website. But that doesn't mean he avoids … Continue reading The big bargain: John Garnham JG8
Re-reviewing Loft Pens: how does v2 stack up?
After my original review of the Loft Pens bespoke pen a few weeks ago, Sam reached out and offered for me to test out the improvements he'd made to the design and manufacturing process. I am always happy to re-review products that have changed significantly since I tested them: it doesn't help buyers like you, … Continue reading Re-reviewing Loft Pens: how does v2 stack up?
The mighty Sequoyah from Onoto
This pen grabbed me from the first photo I saw of it, and I'm happy to say it's even better in person. After a series of Scottish-themed releases, and after many releases celebrating British luminaries like Nightingale and Churchill, Shakespeare and Dickens, Onoto's release of the American-themed Sequoyah came as a bit of a surprise … Continue reading The mighty Sequoyah from Onoto
Review: Namisu Horizon
Remember the Brutalist Namisu Naos I reviewed a couple of weeks back? Well the pen I'm reviewing here, the Horizon, could not be more different in its design approach. While the Naos was all ruler-straight lines and flat ends, the Horizon, when capped, is all curve. Run your finger from end to end, past the … Continue reading Review: Namisu Horizon
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