A penchant for pens and inks
Stationery reviews
The Stipula Etruria is made from a rather beautiful golden brown resin, which has a pleasing quality of depth and variety of tone. This review model is fitted with a 1.1mm Italic nib. Continue reading “Honeyed Words”
Browsing a well-known, Chinese, online emporium recently, I stumbled on several very cheap, but rather interesting looking fountain pens. It seemed rude not to give them a try, given the prices, and I thought they might make a change from high end, branded pens. Variety is always welcome, right? So I came away with a ballpoint-style retractable fountain pen, one with a supposedly 360 degree nib and one where I just liked its style. Three pens and change from £15, but would they be any good? Time for a cheap pen review. Continue reading “Under a Fiver”
The Scribo Tropea is a gorgeous object to behold and an exclusive edition made for Write Here of Shrewsbury. Named after the Tropea region of Calabria, home of the best red onions in Italy, the name is a fitting description of colour. The pearlescent material positively glows with shades of deep red. One could be forgiven for just gazing at this pen and completely forgetting to write anything with it.
I was delighted to receive a set of Scribo ink review samples via United Inkdom, and even more delighted when I’d swatched them.
The colours are vibrant, saturated and really beg for a much broader nib than I normally use. Nonetheless, they perform beautifully, exhibiting some. Nice shading, even with a fine nib. In the image below, I swatched them with water to see the potential range of tones. I was quite impressed. Continue reading “Scribo-ling in Colour”
Narwhal Key West is the latest pretty pen offering from the California-based pen company. Made from sparkly, semi-transparent resin and a traditional cigar shape, the Narwhal Key West series are priced mid way between the Narwhal Original and the Schuylkill*. At £40-£45, this makes them budget priced, by pen enthusiast standards.
Today I am reviewing two pens from the Visconti Homo Sapiens range: the Bronze Age and the Evolution. Both are made from a unique pyroclastic material, characteristic of the Visconti Homo Sapiens range. Sourced from Mt. Etna, the matte black Basaltic Lava is purported to be virtually indestructible.
Made For Ink notebooks are made by Rob de la Porte and are, as the name suggests, made for ink. You’ll have noticed the lack of my usual pithy title for this review. It seemed unnecessary, since, to borrow a well-known phrase, “it does what it says on the tin”.
Following on from my recent review of the Gravitas Skittles, a delightful rainbow of a pen, here is my Gravitas Skulls pen review. I really couldn’t resist adding this pen to my collection, having been something of a Goth back in the day. Continue reading “Gothic Delight”
The Kaweco Perkeo is the entry level pen offering from long established German pen makers, Kaweco. Comparable in price point to the Lamy Safari, it also has a similar triangular grip section. This is something of a marmite feature, with some people loving how it guides your grip, and others hating it for the same reason. As someone who holds a pen “correctly”, I don’t have an issue with it. I think that it is a useful feature for beginners, which is the target market for this pen. Continue reading “Budget Perks”
The Shibui Kibo is a pen like no other, Weighing in at a mighty 142g, it makes the steel Gravitas Skittles seem like a featherweight in comparison. If you like lightweight, plastic pens then then walk away now. On the other hand, if you like a heavy pen with some Urushi craftsmanship to it, read on. Lighter pens in aluminium are also available from this maker, though I have not had the opportunity to try one as yet. Continue reading “Ancient Copper”
