Sunday Reading for February 5, 2017

The Winter doldrums have definitely set in around here. I need to get to a pen show, but it doesn't look like that will happen until March at the earliest. (Little Rock, maybe?) In the meantime, I'll be here! 

1. Social Norms and the FP Communities (via Fountain Pen Economics). A new post from Dr. Deans and his thoughts on causes of conflict between various groups in the pen community. 
2. Montblanc Lucky Orange (via Gourmet Pens). Ok, between Azizah and Brad, I'm going to break my ink fast and order a bunch of orange inks, including this one. 
3. The Wink Pen (via Pen Addict). Susan reviews the "Wink Pen," which is a glass nibbed pen outfitted with a converter and is pitched as capable of writing with "alternative" liquids such as wine and coffee. How exactly that would work always puzzled me, and apparently the process isn't as easy as it sounds.  
4. Fountain Pen Sales Are Surging (via Bloomberg). This Bloomberg article has received much attention over the past week. It's worth a read, but parts of it struck me as a bit condescending in tone. (Why is it "peculiar" to use a fountain pen as your daily writing instrument?)
5. Introducing the Pencil Box (via CW Pencils). I hope you got in on this if you were interested, but CW Pencil Enterprises' new quarterly subscription service has (unsurprisingly) already sold out. I didn't jump in time, but it will be interesting to how this replacement for the "Pencil of the Month" subscription evolves. 
6. Lamy AL-Star Pacific Blue (via Pen Chalet). Lamy announced its 2017 Special Edition AL-Star, which will be turquoise. I've heard, however, that the "Pacific Blue" ink sold to accompany the pen is relabeled Lamy Turquoise. Kind of lazy on Lamy's part, if this is true. They really need some help with their limited edition game.  
7. DUO Pen and Stylus by 529 Studio (via Clicky Post). Mike puts the DUO Pen and Stylus (currently pending on Kickstarter) through the paces. 
8. Cross Calais Review (via the Pen Habit). Matt reviews one of Cross's offerings that you can usually find in your local Staples or Office Depot (along with the equally mediocre Cross Aventura). It's disappointing that many people's first - and only - exposure to fountain pens often comes via one of these pens. There are so many better options at a price point far lower than $50.
9. Double Baron Fig Review (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana reviews the first two limited edition Baron Fig Confidants from this year: the Work/Play II and the Askew.
10. January Stationery Usage (via The Finer Point). Three pocket notebooks in a month!? I wish I could get close to that when trying to eat through my stationery backlog! 

PLEASE VISIT MY SPONSORS AND AFFILIATES!

Please take a moment to visit these fine folks who help keep this blog going! It's next to impossible to keep up a steady stream of fresh review content without some form of blog sponsorship. I'm grateful to everyone who's helped me out along the way.    

1. Pen Chalet. Pen Chalet has a wide variety of available pens and offers unbeatable value on pens, inks, pen cases, etc. They recently announced that they are carrying Ezra Arthur, a new line of leather notebooks featuring Tomoe River paper.    
2. Anderson Pens. In addition to having the largest offering of bottled ink in the world, Anderson Pens is an authorized retailer of a wide range of brands, including Aurora and Faber-Castell. Check out the sponsor profile I published here.  
3. Huckberry. Huckberry is one of my favorite stores offering a curated selection of goods, including many with a heavy analog flavor. You can grab limited deals and discounts on notebooks, pens, and other stationery and EDC-related items.
4. Say Nice Things Stationery. SNT is a new UK-based notebook company that makes some really nice, reasonably priced journals and notebooks. Check out my review of some of their offerings here. 
5. Tom Barrington Leather Goods. Tom Barrington manufactures high-quality leather goods, including pen cases in stingray and ostrich leather. (Review of their leather two-pen sleeve here.)
6. Dudek Modern Goods. If you haven't already, you should head on over to Dudek Modern Goods and check out Mike's handmade wooden pen holders and pen rests. Mike recently launched his latest model, the Stationer. 

Subscribe to Digital Divide

For the last issue of Digital Divide, I went with something a bit different, offering some further thoughts on David Sax's book, The Revenge of Analog. Be sure to subscribe on the sidebar so you don't miss future issues!

In Case You Missed It …

This week on the blog I offered my thoughts on Baron Fig's new "Askew" limited edition Confidant notebook, and I also reviewed the Visconti Homo Sapiens "Dark Age" fountain pen, one of my purchases from the 2016 D.C. Pen Show. Finally, if you haven't already, please check out this week's Deals and Drops. 

Happy Sunday, and as always, thanks for reading! 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Pen Review: Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Ages

Some of my favorite pens in my collection are what many people refer to as “blacked out” or “stealth” pens. I’m not sure where the trend originated, but I suspect it started with Pilot’s Matte Black Vanishing Point. That’s the earliest “stealth pen” I can recall receiving a lot of attention. Next, I purchased the Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black fountain pen, which remains a personal favorite to this day. I like this pen not just because of the ion-plated trim, but because of its compact size. The Pro Gear is the perfect pen to stick in a shirt pocket and take to work: it’s portable, but when posted expands to a comfortable length for longer periods of writing. 

But I still found myself looking to add a larger pen that would spend most of its time at my desk at home, for journaling and the occasional letter writing. I’d been eyeing Visconti’s Homo Sapiens line of pens for a while, and had come close to pulling the trigger on the “Steel Age” model but never loved the overall look enough to do it. Then, last year, Visconti introduced the Homo Sapiens “Dark Ages,” and I finally jumped. 

The Homo Sapiens Dark Ages features a blacked-out version of Visconti's trademark "arc" clip, plus "Homo Sapiens" engraved around the barrel. If you look closely, you can see that the lava-resin composite material is porous. 

First, a bit about the Homo Sapiens line in general. Visconti markets these pens as being made from hardened volcanic lava from Mount Etna in Sicily, which is mixed with a proprietary resin to create what most vendors describe as a “virtually unbreakable” pen. Much like celluloid and ebonite, the pen warms to the touch as you write with it, and absorbs moisture from your hands. Originally, the Homo Sapiens only came with bronze trim (the “Bronze Age” pen), but Visconti has since released the HS with steel (“Steel Age”) and the all-black (“Dark Age”) furniture. 

The Homo Sapiens pens are sold in two sizes: Maxi and Midi. The Maxi size - what I have here - is a large pen that realistically can only be used unposted. It features Visconti’s 23ct Palladium “Dreamtouch” nib with Visconti’s “Power Filler” filling system. I love the nib, but I’ve found the “Power Filler” to be a bit overrated. I understand that the slightly smaller Midi pen also features a Palladium nib and a piston-fill mechanism. 

The Nib and Writing Experience

The "Dark Ages" Dreamtouch 23ct Ruthenium-plated Palladium nib, with classic Visconti engraving. You can also see Visconti's "locking" threat system, which allows the cap to attach securely, 

If you like soft, wet nibs, then you’ll love Visconti’s Palladium nibs. Once these nibs are set up properly (more on this in a minute), they write with almost no pressure. “No pressure” is key: apply too much and you could end up springing the nib or gushing ink onto the page. I purchased this pen at the 2016 DC Pen Show, and immediately had Mike Masuyama grind this nib down to an EEF and attempt to reduce the ink flow as much as possible, yet this pen will bleed through even very thick paper if I bear down too hard. That said, once you get the hang of writing with little to no pressure, this is a very pleasant and comfortable pen to use. 

The ink in this writing sample is Montblanc Leo Tolstoy Sky Blue. You can tell how wet this nib is from how dark the ink appears. 

The Puzzling “Power Filler”

The filling system on this pen merits extended discussion. I’m not sure what the purpose of Visconti's “Power Filler” is, because it doesn’t seem to hold a lot of ink, which, to me, is what the name would imply. It's a vacuum-fill system, similar to the Pilot Custom 823, where to fill the pen, you place the nib and section in the ink bottle and depress the plunger. From a normal ink bottle, I’ve found the usual fill holds just over 1ml of ink. (Supposedly, you can get a bit more into the barrel using Visconti’s “Traveling Inkwell,” but I don’t have one and don’t particularly fancy spending more $$$ just to get a couple ml more into the pen.) For a pen of this size, that’s not a huge ink capacity, and certainly seems to fall well below what my other similarly sized pens (i.e., the Pilot Custom 823, Pelikan M800 or Montblanc 146) can hold. Given that most Visconti pens are very wet writers, you'll probably find yourself refilling your Power-Filler pen more than you’d expect. 

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Of all the Visconti’s I’ve had the opportunity to try at pen shows, etc., none of them spoke to me more than the Homo Sapiens Dark Age. It’s a great-looking pen, and as modified, the nib is a very nice writer. That said, my experience with this pen doesn’t have me jonesing to go out and buy another Visconti without careful consideration. This pen was a temperamental and inconsistent writer out of the box, and if I hadn’t had Mike Masuyama there to work on the nib immediately, this experiment definitely would’ve ended in frustration. If you’d like to add a Visconti to your collection, I’d recommend purchasing at a pen show or from an online vendor who is willing to check the nib prior to sending it to you. 

I purchased this pen from Bryant Greer of Chatterly Luxuries at the 2016 D.C. Pen Show. I’ve made several purchases from Bryant in the past, and have nothing but good things to say about him and his company. (I've heard that Bryant will also ship new pens directly to Mike Masuyama for nib customization/tweaking.) If you have a relationship with another major pen retailer, most of those who carry Visconti keep the various Homo Sapiens models in stock. For example, both Pen Chalet and Anderson Pens have the Dark Ages available on their website. I’ve not seen anything to suggest that this pen is a limited or special edition, and will likely be available as part of the regular Homo Sapiens lineup for the foreseeable future. 

Disclaimer: I purchased this pen with my own funds for my own collection. While certain links in this post are affiliate links, I have not otherwise been compensated in any way for this review. 

Deals and Drops (and a Handful of Kickstarters)

There are a lot of Lamy deals out there this week, including this odd "Buy a Lamy 2000 Black Amber-Get a regular Lamy 2000 free" promotion. I'll continue to highlight availability of other limited/special editions for as long as they stick around, particularly Pelikan, which should see a change over to the new 2017 models and colors shortly. Finally, there are several stationery-related Kickstarter projects that should be of interest to readers of this blog. 

1. Pen Chalet Specials. Pen Chalet is running a series of specials right now on some very nice pens, including this Platinum Izumo that's listed at 50% off. Also check out this Pilot Ageless Ballpoint at 50% off and Pilot Stanza ballpoint at 40% off.
2. Goldspot Clearance (via Goldspot Pens). Some great deals in here, including the 2015 Pelikan M205 Amethyst Special Edition. 
3. Pacific & West Notebooks (via Huckberry). Thanks to Pacific & West for sending me one of these notebooks for review, which I should have up on the blog shortly. I'm enjoying the paper, and the wood covers look outstanding.
4. Appointed Notebooks (via Huckberry). I've not tried the paper before, but these are nice looking spiral notebooks, if that's your thing.  
5. Bellroy Notebook Cover (via Huckberry). Near the top of my acquisition list. I love my Bellroy wallet, and this notebook cover has received rave reviews.
6. Retro 51 "Donut Dollies" Special Edition (via Vanness Pens). The first of the 2017 Retro 51 Limited Editions is out. Vanness Pens has them in stock. 
7. Lamy 2000 Black Amber Special Edition Offer (via Goulet Pens). I'm not sure how many people would be motivated to take advantage of this offer, but I'll throw it out there anyway. Lamy's apparently had difficulty moving their Limited Edition "Black Amber" fountain pen, so they're throwing in a Makrolon Lamy 2000 for free if you purchase one.
8. Pilot Vanishing Point Vivid Red 2009 Limited Edition (via Anderson Pens). Anderson Pens managed to source some extra 2009 Limited Edition vanishing points. Limited Availability!
9. Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen in EF (via Amazon).
10. Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen in B (via Amazon).
11. Lamy 2000 Ballpoint Pen (via Amazon).
12. Lamy Safari Dark Lilac (via Amazon). If you were waiting to grab one of these, I'd do so quickly. Lamy will likely release the 2017 Limited/Special Editions shortly.
13. Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange (via Amazon). Ridiculous deal, with limited quantities on this pen that will likely be unavailable soon. Check out my recent review of this pen here.
14. Otto Hutt Design 02 Pinstripe Fountain Pen (via Massdrop). 
15. Wink Pen (via Massdrop). Write with wine, juice, tea, or ink (if that's your thing).

Kickstarter Projects to Check Out

1. Pen Addict Live 2017. Send Myke to the Atlanta and DC Pen Shows (and to Field Notes HQ)! Snag yourself a unique backers-only case from Nock Co. in the process. 
2. DUO Ballpoint Pen and Stylus. Many people like stylus pens, and this is a good one. It uses the Wacom Bamboo stylus tip. Check out my impressions here.
3. Namisu X-01 Pen. A new retractable rollerball pen from Namisu available in titanium, brass, or aluminum. I'm not sure how this one flew under my radar.  
4. Lattice Cubed 3D Printed Titanium Pen. A very interesting idea, and one I hope funds, though the price is (understandably) high for a Kickstarter. 
5. Flow Pen. Last but not least, please read the comments on this Kickstarter before you back this project. It's extremely likely that the "Flow Pen" is the Visionnaire, Part II. Save your money, please. 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. All deals are accurate as of the time of posting, with both prices and availability subject to change at any time. 

Kickstarter Alert: DUO Ballpoint Pen and Stylus

Many thanks to the folks behind the DUO Ballpoint Pen and Stylus for sending me one of their hand-machined prototypes to test out in advance of today's Kickstarter launch. The DUO is the product of 529 Studio, a UK-based design startup located in Bristol, UK.  

I've tested the DUO out for a few days, and I must say that it is a very high quality machined ballpoint. It's on the slim side - I'd compare it to a Cross Century - so those with larger hands be aware. The stylus works as well as any capacitative touch stylus that I've tried. The stylus is not a tool that I use on a daily basis, but this seems like a good one.

If you like slimmer machined pens, and find others too chunky, the DUO might be for you. 

“The DUO is designed to work with the industry standard ISO ballpoint Cross-type refills and the Wacom Bamboo 6mm stylus nib. The stylus is compatible with iPhones, iPads and all other multimedia tablets and devices using capacitative touch technology.”

— DUO Press Release

If you're interested in backing this Kickstarter, the project page is now live. Rewards start at £20 (approximately $25 US) for an early bird. You can also select rewards with additional refills and replacement stylus nibs. The color featured here is "Electric Blue," and the DUO is available in three other color options: Gunmetal Grey, Copper Orange, and Satin Black. (The Copper Orange seems really nice looking.)  

About 529 Studio

529 Studio is a start-up based in Bristol, UK, and co-founded by industrial designers Phil Reilly and Neil Macqueen, who formerly worked at one of the UK's largest consumer goods and technology companies. 529 Studio describes their focus as being on highly functional, quality products with beautiful aesthetics. 

Disclaimer: DUO sent me the sample featured in this post for review purposes, free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. This post contains affiliate links. 

Introducing the Baron Fig Askew Confidant Limited Edition

Well, Baron Fig did it, for all you doubters out there who met the company's announcement of multiple simultaneous subscription services for as many as four different product lines with skepticism that they could maintain their creative edge. I'm still not sure what, exactly, they're going to be doing with all those limited editions, but the newest version, Askew, makes it clear that it probably won't be boring.

Even the inside cover is hand-colored, with blue ballpoint.

Askew, a collaboration with graphic designer Debbie Millman, is entirely hand drawn, from the inside cover pages to the ruling on the paper itself. Spoiler alert (not really): the hand-drawn lines aren't straight, and on a handful of pages they even cross or devolve into scribbles. Obviously, you're not going to be able to use these pages as you would a typical notebook, but that's clearly not what Ms. Millman and Baron Fig were going for here. The goal of this particular edition is to foster creativity by encouraging people to think "outside the lines." Personally, I really like it, and can see myself using this book as an offbeat journal or for brainstorming sessions.   

Everyone has focused on the "usability" of Askew, and whether it was wise for Baron Fig to include this unusual notebook as part of Baron Fig's subscription service. That's a fair question, and one that I've addressed before in my review of the "Black Box" Vanguard notebook. Those who were considering a Confidant subscription, thinking that they would definitely get a standard notebook each quarter - as in, one they can use to take notes at work - may now have to reconsider whether they want to subscribe or purchase on a "wait & see" basis. Of course, Baron Fig could always avoid the issue by doing what Field Notes does - offer subscribers the opportunity to exchange the Limited Edition notebook for a standard Confidant of their choice, if they so choose.

The vibrant violet color of this notebook really changes things up for Baron Fig. I like it, especially the red bookmark. 

What's more interesting to me here is the collaboration aspect of this edition, and what it says about Baron Fig's prospects. Debbie Millman is a big deal in the design community: She hosts the wildly popular "Design Matters" podcast, and has been a guest on many other well-known podcasts, including the Tim Ferriss Show. That Baron Fig is attracting collaborators like Ms. Millman bodes well for the future, and I'm excited to see what else they have lined up. 

Where to Buy 

You can buy the Askew Limited Edition via Baron Fig's website for $20. If you're interested in subscribing to the Confidant quarterly subscription service (or one of the others that Baron Fig offers), you can do so here.   

Disclaimer: Baron Fig sent me this product for review purposes at no charge.