Inspired by a tag challenge I found on TarotTube (yes, that’s a thing), I decided to modify the questions a bit and turn it in to a pen community tag. If you would like to participate as well, copy and paste the questions at the bottom of the post and add your answers into the comments. Fellow bloggers and content creators, send me a link if you decide to do this challenge as well.
Okay, let’s go!
1: What is the pen they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands?
My Sailor ProGear Slim in Starburst Galaxy. Its got an awesome nib and it’s black and sparkly! It touches my inner goth girl.
2: What’s your guilty pleasure pen?
The old, ridiculous Platinum (Carbon) Desk Pens. They are too long to fit in most pen cases so I hack the ends off with a Dremel tool. The old models had those weird little rubbery, plastic caps. But damn if I don’t love these stupid pens. Platinum has since changed the pens and don’t ship with Carbon ink cartridges, but have real snap caps. The nibs are different and I just don’t love them as much. I love the old ones in their weird, ugly bodies with their amazing extra fine nibs.
3: What’s the pen you wish existed?
A Platinum 3776 in a glittery material with silver hardware. I almost don’t care what color material I just want it glittery. Platinum, embrace the glitter. Take some cues from Sailor and make all the sparkly, colorful beautiful things. Call me if you need suggestions. I have my Pantone book ready and waiting.
4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast?
Kaweco Sport. Its inexpensive, easy to use and pocketable so a new user might be compelled to take it with them rather than keeping it “safe” on a desk.
5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked?
TWSBI. Anyone who knows me well knows that TWSBI pens (ECOs, 580s, Mini, Swipe, whatever) never seem to perform for me the way they do for other people. I think I may have had a couple bad experiences early on and now I just have a TWSBI curse. Most of the TWSBI reviews on the site were done by other people because me and TWSBI just don’t see eye to eye.
6: What pen do you only keep only because its pretty?
My 18111.com Cherry Blossom with twig roll stop. It was a pricey pen and then I put a fancy modified nib on it too so I made it even more expensive and fancy. Its beautiful but is definitely a pen I keep safe in its case and don’t take it around with me much. It’s also a bit too big for my hands so its not something I would use regularly anyway. But its SOOOO pretty.
7: What pen (or stationery item) did you buy because everyone else did?
Musubi notebooks. They are gorgeous. I love what Musubi is doing creating jobs for people but they are too precious for me to use. I have bought several and good friends have gotten them as gifts because I couldn’t bring myself to use them.
8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you?
What baffles me is how much people love the Plotter. Every time I see one I flash back to my Filofax which I love. And so many people complained about how expensive Filofaxes were so I am a bit baffled how people are spending WAY more for Plotter covers. The Plotter papers are really nice but if you already have a Filofax or other ringbound planner, I don’t understand investing in a Plotter. YMMV.
9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you?
Because I am not a big Tomoe River 52gsm fan, I put off buying a Stalogy Notebook because everyone said it was basically Tomoe River paper. I was so sure I wouldn’t like it that I asked Laura to review it knowing she liked Tomoe River paper more than I did.
What makes it such a surprise for me is that the Stalogy paper is lightweight like Tomoe and shows a lot of ink properties (maybe not as many as Tomoe River) but it also dries much faster. I have gone through a whole A5 365 notebook and am working through an A6 365 as my daily journal. Surprised? You betcha! Happy about it? Yup.
10: What pen (or stationery product) doesn’t really work for you but you keep it because it’s a collectible?
I dug through my pen collection and realized that I keep pens for sentimental reasons way more than because they are collectible. Many “collectible” pens have been re-homed. The pens I tend to collect aren’t very expensive — like new colors or the Kawceo Sport or Lamy Al-Star/Safari. I probably have more “collectible” inks than “collectible” pens like pedestal bottles of Bungubox inks and vintage bottles of Montblanc inks.
11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)?
For sparkly pens, I would probably have to pick my first ever sparkly fountain pen: the Bungubox Sailor Pro Gear Slim Pink Love. As for inks, I like the PenBBS shimmer inks best and will always choose them over other brands.
12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen? (or vice versa)?
See Monday’s post about the Caran d’Ache 849 fountain pens. Love the pen, hated the nib.
13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies?
Any pen with a GIANT logo on it. I don’t want to wear a giant logo on my shirt or printed on my handbag so why would I want a BIG logo on my pen. I won’t name names but if I want something from a fancy brand, bury that logo.
14: What’s your favorite pen for long form writing?
Any of my Sailor Pro Gear Slim fountain pens. They are light, small and easy for me to use for long writing sessions.
15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice?
The Kurutoga mechanical pencils. This might also be more of a product that baffles me because I don’t get the benefit from the rotating lead.
Also, the Pilot Vanishing Point or Decimo. I like the idea of the retractable fountain pen but I have never used one that was actually comfortable for any length of time.
16: What pen (or stationery product) would you never let someone else use?
There is no pen I wouldn’t let someone use, or at least try. As for stationery, I would be hesitant to let someone use my journals because there is some personal info in them but I’d probably let someone flip to a blank page and test out the paper. Pretty much, my stationery cabinet is full access.
17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself?
I know this will come as a shock to many people but I don’t really love Tomoe River 52gsm. So, all the hullballoo about the change in the paper was interesting to me and I cared for other people but, for me, it wasn’t a big deal.
18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy?
I love the Minä Perhonen Hobonichi covers but they are so expensive. I look at them every year and lust after them but I cannot justify spending the money for these covers, especially since I don’t use a Hobonichi for my planner.
19: What’s your favorite vintage pen?
I am Lady Sheaffer — I mean I love Lady Sheaffer Skripserts. I think there are several other people vying for this title but I’m willing to fight for the title.
20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen?
Kaweco AL-Sport. ‘Nuff said.
21: What’s the pen (or stationery product) that got away?
I can’t believe I have missed both the original release AND the follow-up releases of the Blackwing Red and Blue Pencils. I love red/blue pencils but both releases landed at times when I was either very cost-conscious or crazy busy and lost track of the release schedule.
That’s my list. If you’d like to try this yourself, the questions are posted below. Remember to use the hashtag #21PenQuestions if you post this on social media. Thanks for playing along!
The questions:
1: What is the pen they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands?
2: What’s your guilty pleasure pen?
3: What’s the pen you wish existed?
4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast?
5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked?
6: What pen do you only keep only because its pretty?
7: What pen (or stationery product) did you buy because everyone else did?
8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you?
9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you?
10: What pen doesn’t really work for you but you keep it because it’s a collectible?
11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)?
12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen?
13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies?
14: What’s your favorite pen for long form writing?
15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice?
16: What pen (or stationery product) would you never let someone else use?
17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself?
18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy?
19: What’s your favorite vintage pen?
20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen?
21: What’s the pen (or stationery product) that got away?
Updated: 05.10.23. A kind reader pointed out that I forgot to include #16 so I’ve added it. Sorry for the oversight!
I thought I was the only one who disliked the Tomoe River 52gsm paper! Glad to know I’m not alone. 🙂
The pen you’d have to pry out of my cold, dead hands would be my Pelikan M205 Aquamarine. It has a 14K M405 Broad Stub nib, custom ground by Gena Salorino in 2016 when she was working at nibs.com (she has her own shop now). That stub nib is so awesome, it oughtta be in the dictionary next to “stub nib.” Just a few days ago I sent Gena my new Pelikan M205 Apatite with a 14K M405 Broad nib so she can stub that one, too. Can you tell I love aqua/teal colors and stubs? I can’t wait to get the new one back from her!
How dleightful! Smeday, I’d like to see and try your extra special M205s. I bet they are amazing!
What happened to question 16?
These are some thought-provoking questions that I think I am going to file away for future use (perhaps at a Pelikan hub?). Thank you for sharing them!
I feel like I’m still a bit too new at all this to answer the questionnaire. But I definitely agree with you Ana about Kuru Toga pencils. I don’t think they are bad, per se, and I even own one. But I don’t see the big deal about the mechanism is. The whole “rotating the pencil to keep the lead pointed” is something I don’t really notice unless it’s pointed out to me. But oh, does Japan love Kuru Toga pencils! So many different varieties, pencils branded with Studio Ghibli, Kuru Toga in the 7-Eleven. They are everywhere!
Do I remember correctly that you’re left handed? I am, as well, and I swear that there’s something about TWSBI that makes the experience for lefties significantly worse than it is for righties. I’ve had three of them, every time convinced that this was gonna be the one that was the experience everyone else talked about, and it’s just never happened. I know a few other lefties who’ve had similar experiences, too. So if it’s any consolation, I don’t think it’s just you!
I like your theory! LEt’s blame my distaste for TWSBI on being left-handed. That’s a perspective I can live with!
1) My Edison Beaumont. Mine is a Fireball with a Franklin-Christoph SIG nib on it (I own SIGs of all nib sizes so that I can change it up). I eyedropper it and use it almost exclusively for long writing sessions. I sold multiple pens after a few months of buying the Beaumont because I simply quit using them.
2) My Pilot Elite because I bought it direct from Japan and not through US retailer, and I feel bad about that.
3) A custom-made Edison Beaumont, which is, of course, entirely possible if only I had the money.
4) Probably a Metro. I absolutely loved mine.
5) Sailor Pro Gear Slim. I ADORE the designs. I even loved the feedback of the nib. But too many rotations to uncap, and the converter was just not good enough.
6) Pelikan M200 Pastel-Green. I wanted this pen for so long. I think it is gorgeous. But in reality, I never write with it anymore. The edge of the lip is so sharp. (A close second is my Fountain K. Maybe not “pretty” per se, but I LOVE the aesthetic.)
7) A Namami Seven Seas notebook. Everyone raved about how great they were. I bought one and hated every second of writing in it, but I still filled it up.
8) Any of the 5 Lines a Day kind of journals. How on earth can you ever condense a day into 5 lines? I also loathe the idea of taking 3 or however many years to finish a journal. And it seems so… performative? Like you’re going to want this to be best highlights of your life, right?
9) I don’t have collectible pens. The closest I have are two Lamy special editions from the Pastel collection, and that collection wasn’t loved enough to make these really collectibles.
11) De Atramentis Violet Brilliant Copper. The ink that convinced me that I love purple, and I adore how different the copper shimmer is!!
12) Muji fountain pen. You can get a surprising amount of line variation out of it. But I loathe the cap.
13) Super permanent inks. I am too messy to be allowed around them.
14) Edison Beaumont. And I write a lot — I journal multiple pages everyday, plus my main job is writing.
15) My titanium nib on my Fountain K. I adore it — WHEN it behaves and works. But it just often doesn’t. Also, again, Sailor Pro Gear Slim.
17) Collectible notebooks. I put my notebooks through a lot, and I go through them pretty regularly. But I would feel bad about using up and damaging something special.
18) For some reason, the Esterbrook JR. I love the aesthetic, the size, pretty much everything about that pen. And yet I’ve never pulled the trigger. Mostly it’s that I’ve spent enough on this hobby and am wary of buying more pens.
19) A Sailor pocket pen from the 1970s with a quasi-inlaid nib.
20) See 19. I adore it. Small, lightweight, with a super fine nib. Slip cap so easy to uncap and post. I own a lot of pocket pens, but this one wins out against them all.
21) While I love my Fireball Beaumont, part of me also wishes that I scored the Twilight Embers before it left the production line.
1: What is the pen they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands? – My Pelikan m600 Tortoiseshell Red.
2: What’s your guilty pleasure pen? – My Pilot Custom 74 Grenadine. I had just received it in the mail–the package was unopened and in the back seat of our car. We were on our way to a concert. When we pulled into our parking space, the engine caught on fire. I opened the back door and grabbed the box with the pen (not thinking to grab my husband’s windbreaker underneath it) and backed away from the car. The car was totaled. Every time I write with this pen, I’m happy that I rescued it, but a little guilty that the windbreaker went up in flames.
3: What’s the pen you wish existed? – A new Pelikan M600 Tortoiseshell Brown. Pelikan made a few of these in the 90’s, I think, but they’re rarer than unicorns. It’s time for a reissue.
4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast? – A Pilot Prera: a fun, shiny little demonstrator.
5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked? – Platinum 3776. Gorgeous, but it doesn’t come alive in my hand.
6: What pen do you only keep only because its pretty? – see the Platinum 3776, above. I have the Chartres and Bourgogne in two different nib sizes.
7: What pen (or stationery product) did you buy because everyone else did? – a few Retro 51’s. I really like the rollerball but I bought a few designs in the heat of FOMO that I should have let pass.
8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you? – There’s something for every taste, and good thing, too.
9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you? – TWSBI 540/580. I’ve gone through three of these and always end up with cracks. Won’t buy ’em any more. I have a couple of Eco’s that are doing fine.
10: What pen doesn’t really work for you but you keep it because it’s a collectible? – Vintage Esterbrooks. They’re just too small for me and I’ve learned that I don’t like lever fillers.
11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)? – not a fan of sparkles.
12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen? – I have a Montblanc Slimline that has a lovely nib, but the pen is too damned skinny–it’s like a stick. Purchased many years ago, before I developed arthritis.
13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies? – Pens with 3D snakes or monsters crawling all over the caps…all that clutter!
14: What’s your favorite pen for long form writing? – Pelikan M600/605, also Pilot Custom 823.
15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice? – I have a gorgeous Levenger Conway Stewart pen with a wonderful italic fine nib – that I seldom use because the pen is so heavy.
17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself? – Sparkly pens. Not a fan of the sparkles. I did buy Pelikan Edelstein Golden Beryl ink, but I haven’t used it yet.
18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy? – Sparkly pens, 3D monster pens.
19: What’s your favorite vintage pen? – Pelikan 400NN Tortoiseshell Brown. Gorgeous piston filler, perfectly balanced, holds a boatload of ink. If only they made those awesome nibs today…
20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen? – Kaweco Al-Sport.
21: What’s the pen (or stationery product) that got away? Pelikan M600 Red o’ Red. (Sensing a pattern here?)
So fun to read! I debated putting the Chaos Pen (covered with snakes and whatnot) as the pen that gives me the willies. Heehee!
Exactly. I don’t like lumpy pens. Steampunk designs are more appealing to me–but again the clutter and weight would keep me from buying one.
Oh I forgot about retro 51s. I’ve definitely bought a few special editions of those!! But only as presents to gift.
I pondered the questions for quite a while and here are my answers…
1: The pen that they’ll have to pry out of my cold dead hand is my Pilot Custom 743 with a Posting Nib or my Pilot Vanishing Point Cross-Concord nib unit (made for me by CY) in whichever Vanishing Point I have it in at the moment.
2: My guilty pleasure pen is my Pilot Custom 823. I’m embarrassed to admit that I lost my first one when I left it in a grocery cart. After I triple-checked that I was not going to find it, I was forced to order the one I currently have.
3: The pen that I wish existed is a Pilot Custom 823 in an interesting color (a nice translucent dark green, since we’re wishing) with a Posting Nib.
3A: (my addition) What ink color (shade and properties) do you wish existed? My answer: a well-behaved permanent maroon ink (a permanent Diamine Syrah would be perfect!)
4: I would give a new enthusiast either a TWSBI Eco or a Platinum Plaisir. While the TWSBI is a nicer pen, the Plaisir is a great writer and very hard to hurt. I have given both as penabling gifts in the past.
5: The pen that I want to get along with but it never clicked for me is the Kaweco Sport. I hate the nib, and it always dry-started – even when I had used it just five minutes before. (Oddly, there’s a Wingsung that is almost a clone that actually works so much better on almost every front)
6: I keep my Additive Double Helix because it is a pretty pen, in spite of how impractical it is for me.
7: The single pen that everyone kept hyping until I bought one was the Kaweco Sport. It didn’t end well (see above)
8: I am baffled by the love that Italian pens get. In my experience, they’re too expensive for what you get, frequently too wild in design for my tastes, and, all too often, are too temperamental to be usable.
9: I have been surprised by Monteverde inks. For as cheap as they are, they perform extremely well.
10: Like Ana, I really don’t have any collectible pens that I don’t use. Now, collectible inks are a different matter!
11: My Sailor Pro Gear Mojito (cocktail series) has about as much sparkle as I can stand in a pen. I’m not sure that I can name a favorite sparkle ink at this time.
12: I love the Sailor Cross Concord nib, but am so very bored with the pens that you can find them in (assuming that Sailor is actually offering the nib). Ditto for Pilot’s Posting nib. Great nibs deserve interesting bodies!
13: Almost anything from Krone gives me the “willies”… they’re expensive and they look like they would be uncomfortable to write with!
14: If I have a lot to write, I’m turning to one of three Pilots: my Custom 743 with posting nib, my Custom 823 with a fine nib, or my Faceted Vanishing Point with an extra fine nib.
15: I love the look of many Pelikan models, love the quality of the pistons, hate that the nibs are going to need work to be a useful size for me.
16: (I added in my own question): What color of ink did you think you were going to hate, but have wound up loving (and vice versa)?
– I have recently been enjoying purple inks, which is something that I never thought that I would say. An ink that I keep trying to love is Noodler’s (Dromgoole’s) Texas Live Oak. It’s a nice dark green and it’s permanent. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst-feathering inks I have encountered.
17: I would never use an orange ink unless I was sampling it.
18: As much as I wanted a Cross Concord nib, I could NOT bring myself to buy a Sailor Bespoke pen. See above…
19: My favorite vintage pen is my stealth black faceted Namiki Capless (Vanishing Point)
20: While I tend to swap out the pens I carry with me each day, I always have a Vanishing Point (or Décimo or Capless) with me.
21: There are two pens that I really regret letting get away from me: a Nakaya Decapod Twist in Ao-Tamenuri (by the time I could afford to order a Nakaya, they had stopped making Ao-Tamenuri for most models). A close runner-up was a used store-exclusive dark blue Pilot Custom 823 that I saw for sale on Nibs.com http://Nibs.com. By the time I had been able to verify that it was a real thing, it was long gone!
1: What is the pen they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands? My Ryan Krusac pen that’s all-over celtic knots and all moose antler.
2: What’s your guilty pleasure pen? The Benu Talisman
3: What’s the pen you wish existed? A pen with a Pilot Custom 74 B nib and a body made of something by Jonathon Brooks.
4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast? A Platinum Preppy, hands down.
5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked? Every Monteverde pen I ever tried
6: What pen do you only keep only because its pretty? Montegrappa Elmo Blue Gentian. Actually the nib is also great.
7: What pen (or stationery product) did you buy because everyone else did? Pilot Metropolitan
8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you? Hobonichi planners
9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you? LAMY 2000, I didn’t think I’d like it.
10: What pen doesn’t really work for you but you keep it because it’s a collectible? None. I offload these things promptly to make more room.
11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)? I’m infatuated with Wearingeul shimmer inks right now, and I really loved Deck The Halls and Memory Lane from the 2022 Inkvent.
12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen? LAMY 2000
13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies? Clairfontaine paper. SQUEEEEEK
14: What’s your favorite pen for long form writing? Pretty much any of my maker pens.
15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice? Hobonichi Cousin
16: What pen (or stationery product) would you never let someone else use? See #1
17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself? I’m just never buying one of those beautiful pens made with urushi. The thought makes me itch.
18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy? A pen made with the extremely expensive Oparex resin. I was smitten but could not pull the trigger on a $400 resin pen.
19: What’s your favorite vintage pen? Does the 1970s Sheaffer No Nonsense count? The only vintage pen I have, I’ve had it since it was new and it writes like a champ.
20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen? I don’t like pocket pens…
21: What’s the pen (or stationery product) that got away?
Love your guilty pleasure pen!
Ana, I added a blog post with my answers, too.
https://www.spinthecompass.com/blog/21penquestions
Adding my responses to the list – https://goldspot.com/blogs/magazine/21-pen-questions-answered
Thanks for hosting this, Ana!
These are great! I’m a little late to the game, but here’s my response to the 21 questions: https://english.pennenermektigere.no/nibby-sunday-get-to-know-me-through-21penquestions/
You replies will be included in this week’s link love!
Put mine here on 8/16
https://www.quantumtea.com/21-pen-questions/