Here's another under-the-radar Chinese pen well worth a look. The Natami Inception is a Platinum #3776 Century clone. And a very well made one. I've never treated myself to a Platinum #3776 Century - as much as the Chartres Blue appeals.
The...
The 323 was an early PenBBS model, coming to market in late 2017 - a bit before PenBBS came on my radar.
Was the 323, after the 266, the second pen PenBBS released? Drop some knowledge in the comments. It's hard to find background info on Pe...
The PenBBS 456 is what the TWSBI Vac 700 could have been. Great size. Great weight. Great balance. This has got to be the best pen PenBBS makes right now.
The PenBBS 471 is like a little jewel - a bauble of sorts - at least when closed. Assembled for writing, it's as big as a PenBBS 355 and less than two grams lighter.
It's no secret I like the PenBBS 350 aluminum pen, especially since I swapped a #6 M nib for the standard PenBBS one. It's a great writer and very comfortable in the hand.
I can safely say, however, I like the PenBBS 380 even more. And it com...
Attention fountain pen lovers. PenBBS is at it again. They've just rolled out another new pen. The new PenBBS 355 is interesting from a couple of angles:
Bulk Filling System Pen makers have been thinking about ways to make pens hold mor...
The pen business must be OK in Taiwan. The Lee brothers have moved their store 小品雅集 to new digs around the corner.
The new place is impressive.
More than enough pens to keep you busy for a while. The Lee brothers have their own pen models...
Wing Sung have released a lot of pens recently. But, then again, so have Moonman and Delike. It’s easy to lose track, especially when new pens don’t jump out and generate a bunch of buzz in the pen community. The Wing Sung 627 is a release that...
Think PenBBS, think great pens and quality nibs. Even if the nibs only come in one size. 😄
Think ink too! I just got my hands on a bottle of no. 232, Ugly 丑. What a name! What a color!
More and more, think crazy-cool materials. Stunning eye-...
Kaco has been busy. Their new pen is interesting.
Kaco is a Chinese stationery company that put themselves on the fountain pen map with their Sky model.
The Sky set itself apart is a couple of ways.
All in all, the Sky has been well recei...
First things first. This pen works really well. It's an achievement in terms of design and functionality. The more I use and understand it, the more I appreciate what the Parker 45 accomplished. What? Parker? But this is a Moonman... More on t...
Article originally posted in Nov. 2015 on the Fountain Pen Network. The nibs were part of a group buy that took place on the forum.
The Ambitious Nib group buy proved to be a real treasure trove and a great experience personally in trying out d...
For a moment there, orange was my color of choice. I think I was coming off a sepia phase, but don't rightly recall. I got myself some Diamine Autumn Oak and took a flier on J. Herbin Orange Indian.
The Autumn Oak was a great success but I c...
Part of the pleasure of vintage pens is thinking about what it was like to experience the the golden age of fountain pens. The drawback is it’s an impossible task.
NOS (new old stock) and vintage pens in near-unused condition is a game for f...
A vintage Aurora 88 has been on my grail list ever since I first encountered pelahale’s landmark video paean to this pen, HeartBreaking Pens of Staggering Genius. Naturally, I set my sights on an original 88 in Nikargenta. The Aurora 88 is intr...
I’ve waited some time before writing this review. This has been my go-to pen for about a month now, making lists, jotting notes and annotating life as it goes by. The regular stuff.
The long and short of it is: this is a high-quality writing ...
Chinese pens continue to impress. It’s clear manufacturers are investing in improving their products to grab market share. The Wing Sung 618 is an excellent case in point. Bottom line: this is a terrific pen and, at under $8 on Taobao, a great ...
This was a pen I was prepared to like. At $12, it's a bargain. Its small size, however, will keep it from becoming a personal favorite. But for some folks, this new Delike wood fountain pen can be a real winner.
I love the wood. After my positi...
This is a fun, diminutive-sized writing instrument, with a twist. The nib retracts! It's proving to be a pleasant alternative to the larger pens I've been enjoying lately. I can see it as a take-along pen for notes or general writing duties any ...
If you'd asked me a year or two ago to have a look at a wood-bodied fountain pen, you'd not have gotten much more than polite interest. I mean, where do you find wood in vintage pens or among modern makers? Wood, I figured, was for home hobbyis...
The PenBBS 308 is a pen designed by fountain pen lovers. People who know their stuff. For me, it's an instant classic.
I want to start off with the fact that I am personally not a very good dancer: but definitely one in learning. I have never found 'not knowing how to dance' a huge problem (except for in school dances, of course) until I started to do theater.
...
This is a VERY debated over topic, especially with those of us in the music community. Everybody has a different preference whether it be listening with playing these types of groups.
Chamber Music (Quartets, Octets, Duets) usually involve muc...
Theater has always been apart of my life ever since I was pretty little, but it was recently reintroduced into my life as something way more important.
Before, I believed theater and acting was mostly about learning your lines, and pretending ...
There was a moment there when mechanical pencils took my fancy. My interest was peaked partly because of my son. Deep in the math weeds, pencils were his weapon of choice in his studies. It was also partly thanks to a friend from across the pon...
It doesn't take too long poking around the pocket knife world to discover great swaths of titanium.
Traditionalists may consider it out of bounds, but titanium is a premium handle material for all kinds of modern folders. And for good reas...
This pen really puts it all together:
Yes, it's another new Chinese fountain pen. If you like the Wing S 698, you'll appreciate the Caliarts Ego. The two pens are virtually the same size and weight and use interchangable Pilot 78G-compati...
There's something going on among knife collectors and hobbyists. Folks are looking back to the roots of the art and finding much to like. And I don’t mean antiques. Traditional patterns in folding knives are coming back. Traditional folding ...