Smythson MEGA Review Part 2 – 12 Writing Papers Reviewed!

Part 2

(Be sure you don’t miss Part 1 and please stay tuned for Part 3, including a US buyer’s guide)

Marston Mill Thick (135 gsm / 36 lbs)

Smythson Marston Mill Thick

This is a thicker laid paper that is a light cream color with a touch of green in it.  No bleed through no feathering and smooth on the back.   Another excellent paper with a somewhat unusual color but it’s quite subtle.

Smythson Marston Mill Thick

Three Crowns (140 gsm / 37 lbs)

Smythson Three Crowns Paper

This is a woven light mint colored paper.  Compared to its counterpart, Cream Wove, I noticed some mild feathering with some of my juicier pens.

Smythson Three Crowns Paper

The feathering doesn’t put me off of this paper as it’s unique color.

Smythson Three Crowns Paper

Despite the minor feathering there was no bleed through.

Bond Street Blue (115 gsm / 30 lbs)

Smythson Bond Street Blue Paper

There are four “standard” blues in Smythson’s line but Bond Street Blue is touted as their signature color.  It is a very nice pale blue.  Many luxury goods manufacturers have signature colors that are often denoted by their boxes: Hermes in orange, Cartier in dark red, Tiffany & Co. in robin’s egg blue, and Rolex in dark green, etc.  Smythson boxes however are not Bond Street Blue they are the darker Nile Blue…oh well.

Smythson Writing papers

Bond Street Blue is a woven paper slightly heavier than White Wove.  Excellent performance all around no bleeding or feathering.

Smythson Bond Street Blue Paper

Blue Linen (105 gsm / 28 lbs)

Smythson Blue Linen Paper

Same finish as Mayfair White Linen but noticeably lighter in weight with the same feedback and feel.

Smythson Blue Linen Paper

No feathering or bleeding.  The color is identical to the Bond Street Blue.
Smythson Blue Linen Paper

Featherweight Blue (85 gsm)

Smythson Featherweight Paper

This is the paper that Smythson uses in their famous Panama diaries and in the majority of the organizers and books they sell.  “Featherweight” paper is trademarked and even its unique watermark reads “REGISTERED”.

Featherweight watermark
The featherweight watermarks are spaced much closer together than the standard Smythson watermarks as this paper was designed for use with much smaller paper formats.

The reason for all the fuss is that Featherweight allows you to get lots of absorbent fountain-pen-friendly-pages into a diary with minimal bulk.  This is less important when we are talking about loose sheets but it is a lovely paper even in loose leaf form.

Smythson Featherweight Paper

The color is a pale blue slightly lighter than that of Bond Street Blue.  I have noticed some color variation with this paper and when I asked Smythson about it they replied that because it is”handmade” there is variation between runs.

In my experience some batches will be a bit darker but it is always a pale blue.  There is no bleeding no feathering.  Compared to the heavier wove papers Featherweight has a smoother texture.  It has a nice feel too it without getting crinkly like Tomoe River paper (though to be fair Tomoe is 52 gsm).  For my purposes I prefer Featherweight because I can write on both sides where TR has a bad case of ghosting.

Nile Blue ( 100 gsm / 26 lbs)

Smythson Nile Blue Paper

Last but not least is Nile Blue (the color of the boxes).  This is a laid paper in a much darker blue.  Nile Blue is the lightest (in weight not color) of Smythson’s laid papers and despite this it performs as well as the thicker ones with no feathering and no bleed through.   Because it is a darker paper you do start to lose the ink colors a bit.  Out of all of the laid papers in Smythson’s line the ribbed texture is the most visually apparent with Nile Blue.

Smythson Nile Blue Paper

I will post Part 3 soon with a US Buyer’s guide and conclusion.

 

Smythson MEGA Review Part 1 – 12 Writing Papers Reviewed!

Smythson Writing Paper

Smythson of Bond Street is a stationery and luxury goods manufacturer that holds three proper Royal Warrants.

The print is quite small but left to right are UK warrants for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Price of Wales
The print is quite small but left to right are UK warrants for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales

Smythson’s focus these days appears to be on overpriced luxury leather products rather than the stationery that made them famous.

Smythson Writing papers

The good news is that Smythson still makes a lot of excellent papers.  By my count there are fourteen different writing papers; that is far more than any of their competitors (namely the Wren Press, Dempsey & Caroll, and Crane & Co.).

Smythson Writing papers

I will be reviewing twelve different Smythson writing papers in a two three part review.

Part 1

The first six for Part 1
The first six for Part 1

Per my understanding Smythson papers are all made in the United Kingdom out of 100% wood pulp.  The absence of cotton or linen makes these papers highly suitable for use with fountain pens.

Cotton and linen papers are generally considered superior to ones made out of wood because they can last much longer.  If you are signing important documents that you expect to be around for 500+ years then cotton is the way to go.  If you want to maximize the joy of writing with fountain pens wood papers are far superior (and with some care can last as long as 200 years).

All of Smythson’s papers carry the watermark shown below (with the exception of one special paper that I will cover in Part 2).

Smythson Watermark

Because the paper is produced in a larger format than it is sold, most sheets do not have a complete watermark and this is especially true if you buy the Kings format that I prefer.   Kings writing sheets are similar to A5 but are slightly taller and wider measuring W16 x H20.5 cm.  Writing sheets are sold in packs of 50 for $15.  All of the papers cost the same but most unfortunately most of them are not available in store or online.  You will have to call Smythson and specifically request them ( I will discuss which ones these are later on).

Also it should be noted that the sheets I have used here (with the exception of the Featherweight paper) are from a personalized stationery sampler and as such have the name of the paper and weight engraved on the top left corner.

Lastly, before we jump into the individual reviews, I am sorry to say that all twelve of these papers are wonderful and there isn’t one I wouldn’t recommend.  It is a bit anticlimactic to read through this two part post to learn that they are all excellent but it is what it.

White Wove (110 gsm / 29lbs)

Smythson White Wove

This paper is lightly textured and handles fountain pen ink very nicely.  Feedback on this paper is very minor; pens glide nicely over the surface even though it’s not glass smooth.   Minimal feathering and almost not bleed through.   The back is ever so slightly smoother than the front and you can write on both sides no problem.

Smythson White Wove

Cream Wove (140 gsm / 37 lbs)

Smythson Cream Wove
Shot alone my camera tries to make this paper look very white so please see the pictures with multiple papers above to get a better sense of the actual color.

Similar texture as White Wove but thicker.  To me the White Wove is a bit more elegant with a more delicate but sturdy feel.  The performance is the same as White Wove though I so no bleed through at all.

Smythson Cream Wove

Mayfair White Linen (135 gsm / 36 lbs)

Smythson Mayfair White Linen

This paper and the Mayfair Smooth White are the whitest papers in the Smythson line.  Despite being called White Linen this paper is 100% wood pulp and as a result it works beautifully with fountain pen ink unlike most papers made out of real linen.  The gorgeous linen texture provides more feedback than the other finishes but still works very nicely with my pens.

Smythson Mayfair White Linen

I do make an effort though to hold the page while writing as nibs can grab.  This paper has no bleed through and no feathering that I can see.  The back of the page is much smoother than the front and you can write on both sides of the paper.

Smythson Mayfair White Linen

 Mayfair Smooth White (135 gsm / 36 lbs)

Smythson Mayfair Smooth White

Same color and weight as Mayfair White Linen but with a smooth finish.  It is smoother than Rhodia’s 80 gsm paper and comparable to Clairefontaine’s 90gsm.  In other words, this is on par with the smoothest paper on I own.  Performance is excellent.  No bleeding nor any noticeable feathering.  I highly recommend this paper for finer scratchier nibs.

Smythson Mayfair Smooth White

Ermine White Laid (115 gsm /30 lbs)

Smythson Ermine White Laid

This paper is the most off white of the papers that Smythson calls “white”.  Laid paper has a ribbed texture to it and is an older form of paper making.  In most mills laid paper was superseded by wove paper.  This paper is smooth on the back but you can write on both sides.  This paper does not feather but because of the ribbed texture lines may look slightly less clean.

Smythson Ermine White Laid

I saw no bleed through on this paper and overall it is the best performing laid paper I have ever owned.  If you want to see what bad laid paper looks like see my review of Original Crown Mill’s laid paper.

White Matt (150 gsm / 39 lbs)

Smythson White Matt

This is simply a heavier version of White Wove.  The finish and color is exactly the same.  I saw no bleed through once so ever on this paper where the White Wove had the slightest signs of spotting.  This is a nice paper but I prefer the lighter White Wove.

Smythson White Matt

Please stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink Review

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink

As a general rule, I do not purchase ink while traveling.  My reasoning is that if a $15 bottle of ink breaks in my luggage I would be out hundreds of dollars in ruined clothes.  Yes, I broke my rule.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink

On my way out of Itoya in Tokyo  (after buying some pens I didn’t need) I saw some well-packaged mini bottles of Iroshizuku in a lovely presentation box and that was that…I picked the three colors I wanted and here we are:  The Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink Review.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink
I wish all inks were packaged like this. 

Yama-Budo in Japanese means “Crimson Glory Vine” and it is a pinkish burgundy color that I really like.  Like all Iroshizuku inks, it performs beautifully, well-behaved with a good flow.  This ink has really nice shading to it.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink

This ink isn’t really appropriate for a professional setting but it is a fun color that looks great in a demonstrator.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo Fountain Pen Ink

 

I am not sure I could go through a full-size 50ml bottle of this one but I feel confident that I will be able to make my way through 15ml.

Pelikan Fount India Black Fountain Pen Drawing Ink Review

Pelikan Fount-India Drawing Ink

Pelikan Fount India ink is an oddball ink.  India inks (most often) contain binding agents like shellac that provide permanent and waterproof characteristics and consequently make them unsuitable for use in fountain pens (NEVER put real India ink in a fountain pen).

By making an “India-style” ink for use in a fountain pen you have to forgo the binding agent and you are left with a non-waterproof and non-permanent ink.  So, you may be asking, “what’s the point?”

Unlike regular fountain pen ink, Fount India, has a thicker consistency that affords a very smooth lubricated feel on the paper.  It is not the blackest fountain pen ink out there but it has a richness to it that few black inks can match.

Pelikan Fount-India Drawing Ink

It should be noted that unlike real India ink, Fount India dries matte and not glossy.

Because of it’s thicker consistency it can take a little bit to get the pen going after it has sat overnight but once it starts flowing the ink performs wonderfully.  I have also noticed that this ink is especially prone to “nib creep”.

Pelikan Fount-India Drawing Ink

I really enjoy using this ink but I only use Fount India ink in my more affordable pens that are easy to dissemble as it is a bit harder to fully clean out.  I have left the ink in my pens for three weeks without any consequences but I would urge caution when using a hybrid ink like this.

 

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery Review

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

Fabriano is one of the oldest paper mills still operating in Europe and they produce a plethora of high quality papers.  Medioevalis is the most affordable line stationery in their “prestige correspondence” range and it is the only one that can be easily bought in the United States.

Medioevalis comes in two colors, a cream, and a white, as well as various paper weights.  There are numerous formats including ones specifically designed to be used with inkjet and laser printers.

The format I am reviewing is the A5 writing pad and envelopes.  The pad is in the cream color and contains twenty-five A5 size sheets and one blotting page.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

The blotting page is a really nice feature that most stationery writing pads omit.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

The mold made paper is 120 g/m² and has a hand torn deckled edged.  The sheets are “self-deckling” such that when removed the top edge has the same delicate deckled finish as the other edges.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

Despite its textured finish this paper works very well with fountain pens.  There is a minimal but pleasant amount of feedback and being made out of a wood pulp it accepts fountain pen ink quite nicely.  The paper absorbs the fountain pen ink making for quick dry times.  In my test there was no bleed and very minimal ghosting a feathering.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

This paper is not watermarked and the envelopes are unlined.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

I prefer self adhesive envelopes but these ones close up just fine.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery

This have been one of my favorite papers for several years now.  The writing pad costs $9.50 and the envelopes are $10.99 for 25.  At less than 50 cents a sheet you can’t really go wrong with this paper.  I highly recommend it.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery
Medioevalis logo on the blotting page.

 

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen Review

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

When I discovered the Romillo Pen brand last year I knew I had to have one.  On the surface Romillo embodied my perfect pen; one with no frills, just a simple pen focused on writing pleasure through a giant hand-made nib.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

After some back and forth with the pen maker, Álvaro Romillo, I decided on an Essential #9 in blue/black hard rubber with a semi-flexible #9 italic nib with rhodium trim and a solid silver lentil.

The lead time was only 1 month and after half a year with this pen I am finally ready to review it.

Appearance

The design of the Essential is ultra simple, flat ends, slight taper on the cap and barrel, and a rhodium plated solid silver roller stopper.  The blue and black mottled rubber has a nice semi-matte finish.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

The rhodium plated 18kt gold nib is enormous and paired with the skinny the long skinny pen body it really stands out.  The nib features hand engraved wings and the Romillo logo.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

I am very fond of the Essential’s simple shape, it’s not flashy, it’s subtle.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen
Swirled mottled rubber on the top of the cap

Score: 5/5

Build Quality

The Essential is all hand made and this shows for better or worse.  The fit and finish of hard rubber is excellent with not flaws that I could detect.  It is a beautiful material.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

There is an engraved number on the end of the barrel that isn’t well aligned and while it does not bother me, I point it out simply because I have never seen a pen numbered in this (sloppy?) way.

387 is the number of my Essential
My Essential is #387

The cap material is very thin but so far no issues to report.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

The finish on the nib is not perfect.  There is a dirty area on the left side at the base of the nib.  It is some sort of flaw in the finish.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

On the left tine if you look closely you can see what I am guessing is an air bubble in the rhodium finish.  Neither of these imperfections are really noticeable.  My fingerprint on the nib looks much worse than any of these flaws.  If you turn the nib upside down you can see that the underside of the tines are badly finished.  This flaw stands out the most.

Badly finished tines
Badly finished tines

There is a lot more handiwork that goes into making this nib than I have seen with other “handmade” pens.  I suspect that these flaws are a byproduct of more manual processes.  These imperfections could likely be avoided but the end result is still a beautiful and unique handmade nib.

When I think of the best fountain pens made today, I think of Japan and brands like Hakase, Nakaya, Ohashi-Do and Pilot/Namiki; while their nibs are of excellent quality they are all more or less based on a mass produced nib and that is where Romillo really stands out.

Score: 3/5

Size & Weight

The Romillo Essential #9 can be ordered in a custom length for no additional fee.  I went for the standard 153mm length (capped).  The Essential is a very long pen.  It’s longer than my Nakaya Naka-ai and my Montblanc 149, yet it is skinner than both of them.  At it’s widest point its about 14mm.

Left to right: Nakaya Naka-ai, Romillo Essential #9, Montblanc 149
Left to right: Nakaya Naka-ai, Romillo Essential #9, Montblanc 149

Uncapped the Essential measures just under 15mm.  The pen can be posted but the cap doesn’t sit very far onto the back of the barrel.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

The Essential weighs a 26 grams empty.  Because of the brass threading it is not well balanced and makes for a nib heavy pen even when posted.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

The nib is nearly 30mm long and I found “finger writing” to be quite uncomfortable with this pen. When I use my arms to write (as one should) I found no discomfort after 5 pages of writing.

Left to right: Aurora Afrika, Nakaya Naka-ai, Romillo Essential #9, Montblanc 149, Soennecken 1 Extra
Left to right: Aurora Afrika, Nakaya Naka-ai, Romillo Essential #9, Montblanc 149, Soennecken 1 Extra

If I were to do it again I would opt for the smaller #7 size nib as there are times when I do revert back to finger writing.

Score: 2/5

Performance

Performance is what a Romillo is supposed to be all about.  My nib was setup to be a “semi-flexible” 0.7mm italic with a generous flow.  First things first, it is not semi-flexible in the way that a vintage nib can be.  The tines do spread with ease compared to a modern rigid nib but it is no where near as soft as a vintage nib.

A huge thirsty ebonite feed
A huge thirsty ebonite feed

In addition to the enormous nib there is an enormous feed and I found that when freshly filled it can take a little while to get going.  Once it starts flowing there is no interruption in service and the pen performs beautifully.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

Again, there is an issue with “finger writing”.  The nib, like most italics, has a sweet spot but unlike other italics I have come across, the Romillo doesn’t provide the same sharp feedback, so initially, I found it difficult to get the pen writing properly without skipping.

If you write (again, as you should) with your arm and not your fingers the nib works flawlessly.

The biggest success of this pen is the nib, it feels like none other.

Score: 4/5

Filling System

Pens fitted with #9 nibs are only offered as eyedroppers and I was told that was because a converter could not provide enough ink flow to the feed.  The #9 is indeed very thirsty. The Essential has a large 2.1 ml ink capacity (roughly four times as much as a standard converter) and despite this I find myself having to refill this pen quite often.

Unlike other eyedroppers I have seen this one uses brass threading and a rubber o-ring to seal the pen.

Brass threading and O-ring
Brass threading and O-ring

I don’t know if the brass will do anything to the ink or if the ink will do anything to brass but to me this is an unusual application of brass.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

When filling this pen I recommend being conservative with the amount of ink you fill it with.  1.7ml is pretty safe.  If you fill up to the O-ring you are going to have a mess on your hands as when the section is threaded in O-ring is pushed down approximately 5mm into the barrel.

The section in this picture is not fully screwed down
The section in this picture is not fully screwed down

Lastly, it should be noted that screwing the section onto the barrel needs to be done with care.  I found that the section needs to be quite tight on the barrel so I had to twist it on more tightly than other eyedroppers I have had to use.

Score: 2/5

Value

With shipping from Spain the Essential cost 965€, that is a whole lot of money for a pen.  It is hard to call the Essential a value as there are pens that perform as well for much less money; what those pens will lack though is the personality and feel of a Romillo.

So how does it compare to the likes of my similarly priced Montblanc 149 and Nakaya?

Left to right: Montblanc 149, Romillo Essential #9, Nakaya Naka-ai
Left to right: Montblanc 149, Romillo Essential #9, Nakaya Naka-ai

From a writing perspective the 149 is the closest.  The 149 has an oversized nib and even larger ink capacity.  The 14C OB nib on the 149 is softer, and being from the 1970s it has more of a vintage nib feel.  The Nakaya shares a similar handmade feel to Romillo.

The Romillo is the least practical of these three pens because it’s the hardest to fill and runs out of ink the fastest.  That said, no other bespoke pen maker that I am aware of makes their own nibs; that is reason enough to own one.

Score: 3/5

Bottom Line

The Essential #9 has a unique feel and enough charm to make you forgive its faults.

Romillo Essential #9 Fountain Pen

Final Score 19/30

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook Review

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook

For those unfamiliar, Romeo is Itoya’s store brand and under than name they sell pens and pen related items.  The products I have seen bearing the Romeo name are all of very high quality unlike typical store brand products.

The Romeo A5 spiral notebook is designed for use with fountain pens and even has a nib and ink bottle embossed in gold leaf on the textured black cover.  The interior contains 70 sheets of cream colored paper with a grey ruling and a rather precise 102.9 g/m² weight.  This is heavy weight paper and by comparison Rhodia’s paper is only 80 g/m².

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook

As you would imagine that paper handles fountain pen ink link a champion.  There was no bleed through in my test and only some minor feathering.  Compared to other papers/notebooks I have tested this one is one of the best in terms of ghosting; there is almost none to speak of.

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook
The ghosting is more apparent in the picture than in person

 

The paper is smoother than Rhodia’s, so if you like a lot of feedback, steer clear.  I normally prefer a bit of feedback but it is nice to have a Rolls-Royce smooth ride every once in a while.  I like to pair this paper with my fine and extra fine nibs as it makes them feel smoother than normal.

The double spiral binding is made out of brass wire and feels quite sturdy as does the stiff 600 g/m² cover.

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook

This is a great notebook that I have been enjoying using.  They cost only 800YEN (or about $6.5USD these days) and for that price you get a lot of notebook.  They also come in blank and grid versions and I have seen them for sale on Rakuten (no affiliation).

 

Hermes Nautilus Rollerball Pen!

After finishing a very nice meal in Osaka I received the bill and inside the folio I found an Hermes Nautilus.

The Nautilus is a capless pen produced by Pilot for Hermes and when it was released in October of last year for an eye-watering $1,670 USD I wrote it off (pun intended) as an overpriced Pilot Vanishing Point.

Well I was wrong…the pen amazed me to the point that I felt compelled to shoot a quick video of it:

[wpvideo 3jbB6jVM]

It really feels wonderful in hand and the mechanism is butter smooth.  The rollerball version I used is slightly cheaper at $1,380 USD but if you are going to spend that much money you might as well get the fountain pen.

I am quite smitten with this pen but $1,670 is simply too much.  If they did a Pilot branded version for half the price I would buy it.

 

March 2015 Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea Pen and Paper Haul!

Today I returned home from Seoul after spending a couple of weeks in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Here is what I bought back:

Japan Pen Haul
Pens (left to right): TWSBI Vac 700, Stylo Art Karuizawa BO, Platinum Izumo Yagumonuri, Nakaya Portable Writer, TWSBI Micarta
Japan Pen Haul
I already have too many notebooks but these managed to follow me home

Thanks to the favorable exchange rate in Japan there were a few pens that I couldn’t pass up.  While shopping at Itoya in Tokyo I noticed that prices for Pilot and Sailor pens were more or less the same as they are in the United States BUT prices for Platinum and Nakaya pens did not seem to be adjusted.  This Platinum Izumo Yagumonuri was just over $600 USD (after tax refund).

Platinum Izumo Yagumonuri fountain pen

This Nakaya Portable Writer was just over $400 (after tax refund).

Nakaya Portable Writer

While in Osaka I stopped by the Hankyu department store and to my surprise and delight they were having a pen fair!

Hankyu Pen Fair

The ink display was absolutely drool worthy, unfortunately my friend’s patience at the hour and half mark waned and it was time to go before I had a chance.

Hankyu Pen Fair
Sooo many Sailor inks (´ q ` ” )

I came across the Stylo Art Karuizawa table and was blown away by their beautiful wood pens.  I got to meet the pen turner, Motoshi Kazuno, and he showed me through the model lineup.  Depending on the model, the pens can be fitted with Platinum, Sailor or Pilot #10 and #15 nibs.

Stylo Art Karuizawa Bo Fountain pen
Stylo Art Karuizawa Water Buffalo Horn Fountain pen
Stylo Art Karuizawa Bo Fountain pen
Stylo Art Karuizawa Water Buffalo Horn Fountain pen

He also had two beautiful buffalo horn pens and I ended up taking one home with a Sailor Naginata Togi nib.

tylo Art Karuizawa Bo Fountain pen Sailor Naginata Togi nib

Naginata Togi nib point.
Naginata Togi nib point

In Taipei I stopped by T. Y. Lee’s pen shop and picked up a TWSBI Vac with a 1.1mm stub and a Twsbi Micarta.  I only planned on buying the Vac but when I saw the Micarta I had to have it

Twsbi Micarta Fountain Pen

Twsbi Micarta Fountain Pen

These pens have a distressed look and are lovely to touch.  It is my understanding that TWSBI stopped making the Micarta because they were too costly to produce and there was not enough demand.

Twsbi Micarta Notebook

The Micarta came in this great hollowed out notebook!

Twsbi Micarta Notebook

That’s all for now…I will be posting in-depth reviews of these items as soon as I get enough time with them.  Next week I will have a review of my Romillo Essential No 9…stay tuned.

Pilot V-Pen Varsity Fountain Pen Quick Review

Pilot V-Pen Varsity Fountain Pen

There are a couple of cheap fountain pens on the market for around $3-$4 but in my experience there is only one good one and that is the Pilot Varsity (or V-Pen as it is know in other markets).

The Pilot Varsity is cheap disposable plastic-bodied fountain pen with a stainless steel nib.  They come in seven colors and in only one nib grade: medium.  [Edit: It has been brought to my attention that the Pilot “V-Pen” branded version is available with a fine nib (thank you Mark for the tip).]

Pilot V-Pen Varsity Fountain Pen

The problem with most cheap fountain pens is a lack of quality control (and at $4 what do you expect?).  Most of them work very poorly; the Platinum Preppy and Sailor Clear Candy immediately come to mind.

I have been using Varsity fountain pens for years now and I have only had one bad one.  I have had closer to a 50% success rate with the Preppy.

The Varsity’s laser cut stainless steel nib is very smooth and quite springy.  You can also write just as easily with the nib upside down.  The medium point is on the finer side and should be agreeable to most users.

Pilot V-Pen Varsity Fountain Pen

The ink is not waterproof and to my knowledge there is no way to refill a Varsity.  Because of the rollerball-style feed you don’t have to worry (as much) about leaks or spills.  These pens are as airplane friendly as your standard issue rollerball.

The body has a translucent grip section allowing you to see the feed and the body has a small ink view window.

Pilot V-Pen Varsity Fountain Pen

The Varsity I photographed is the old pinstriped livery but everything else is the same on the current model.

The Varsity looks and feels inexpensive and as long as I can remember they have always been quite ugly.  The new design is hideous as are the V-Pen branded models but they work well and that’s what counts.

If you want a cheap worry free fountain pen it’s hard to beat the Pilot Varsity.