A penchant for pens and inks
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.
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”.
The Pineider Arco Blue Bee flew through my door this week for review, courtesy of United Inkdom. This is a Limited Edition of 888 units. The Arco Blue Bee was designed by Dante Del Vecchio, a renowned Italian pen designer and founder of Visconti, with whom he parted company a few years ago to join Pineider.
Back in February, I purchased the Gravitas Skittles pen, in the brushed finish with a Fine nib, and was rather smitten. I’ll confess that now, so you are under no illusions as to how this review is going to go. You may want to read on to know more about the pen and its maker though.
As part of the United Inkdom review team, I received a Manuscript Dodec Calligraphy Set and also a Manuscript Hand Lettering pen to review. These are very much budget, entry level options and ideal as a sub-£10 toe-dipper into the world of decorative lettering.
Continue reading “Budget Calligraphy – Manuscript Dodec Review”
Alongside the big manufacturers, there are many bespoke pen makers creating custom and unique pieces. Today, I review six truly beautiful handmade pens from John Sanderson of Silverburl Pens. They include a variety of materials from wood burl, a resin embedded pine cone, diamond cast, kirinite and ebonite. Prepare to pick your jaw up off the ground and put your credit card on to chill. You have been warned!
Continue reading “Bespoke Pens Handmade (Silverburl Pens) Review”
The Schon DSGN Pocket 6 is named for the full-sized #6 nib it uses, rather than the smaller nibs found in most pocket pens. I’m a bit of a sucker for gadgets and, for me, pocket pens definitely fall into that category. This is a high quality turned metal pen. It may be small, but it is mighty. At approximately 90mm closed, this is one of the shortest pens I have used, though not the lightest. This solid brass model weighs in at 43g.
Continue reading “Small But Mighty – Schon DSGN Pocket 6 Review”
It’s been a surprisingly busy time here for the last few months, despite Covid. As usual, I am spreading myself thinner than a bungee rope at full stretch, albeit with considerably less bounce. Consequently, I have rather neglected this blog and the posts I had been planning to write. However, as part of the United Inkdom revival, I have found myself with a Kaweco Supra to play with and so here is my review.
With the current confusion as to which day it is*, you might be forgiven for wondering if Christmas has come around again early with the release of Diamine’s Inkvent Blue Edition inks. These were first issued as limited edition 10ml bottles in Diamine’s 2019 Inkvent calendar and proved such a hit that all 25 inks have now been re-released in a very funky 50ml glass bottle. Continue reading “Advent Again?”
