There are hundreds of notebooks on the market and everyone has a preference on size and format but when people are just dipping their toe into the world of higher end stationery, there are really just a handful of products that get recommended over and over again. Partially, these are the products that are the most ubiquitous because they are available in the widest array of sizes and formats, solve a very specific problem or are the most exquisite.

1. Stalogy Stalogy has moved to the top of my list as my favorite notebook. First and foremost, it’s available in both A5 and B6 sizes which are my favorite notebook configurations as well as in blank and the palest grid lines I’ve ever seen so there are printed grids but only just barely. The paper, which seems Tomoe-esque, has great color fidelity and is similar weight making large 360+ page notebooks the same thickness as a standard 100+ page notebook. For a daily journal or planner, it is my gold standard. (starting at $11.50 on Jet Pens)
2. Midori MD (preferably MD Cotton but the regular and Light are excellent too, so technically this is 2, 3, and 4): Midori MD is probably my personal favorite everyday writing paper and it’s probably the least discussed in the pen community. There are three grades of MD paper and I think they are all awesome. There is MD (smoothest), MD Light (second favorite and a rival to Tomoe River IMHO) and (my personal favorite, it’s toothy) MD Cotton. Midori MD has minimal branding, comes with a plain cream cardstock cover, and available in lined, grid or blank. (starting at $6.75 on JetPens)
3. Nakabayashi Yu-Sari I promised that the Yu-Sari was going to move into my top ten favorite notebooks and it has. It is an all-around good performer with minimal show through and bleed through. Its a thicker paper than the Tomoe River and Stalogy papers for those who want to use both sides of the paper without show through and it is extremely reasonably priced. (starting at $14.40, available at Gentleman Stationer)

Honorable Mentions:

Paperblanks: These notebooks have exquisite covers and some styles are now available with 100gsm or 120gsm paper (review here). The best way to guarantee that you get a Paperblanks notebook with the superios paper is to order directly from their web site. (starting at about $16 via Paperblanks)

Kokuyo Perpanep: This line of simple, grey notebooks is available in three paper types (previously reviewed here): textured Zarazara paper (lightly toothy), Sarasara (balanced smoothness) and Tsurutsuru (super slick, smooth paper). Each paper style is available in either 4mm dot grid, steno style or 5mm graph. The only size available is A5. The paper variety offers something for just about every writers preference but the choice of line rulings and no blank option or other sizes drops the Perpanep line into honorable mention territory. ($14.25 on JetPens)

Loose paper and/or available in bound notebooks from various makers:

1. Tomoe River 68gsm
2. Sanzen Tomoe River 52gsm
3. Cosmo Air Light (discontinued)

All three of these papers are sold and rebound into notebooks by various companies and makers. The Sanzen Tomoe River is what is now available in the Hobonichi Techo planners. The 68gsm Tomoe River has some of the great color fidelity with slightly improved dry times over the 52gsm. Odyssey Notebooks uses the 68gsm Tomoe and Cosmo Air Light in their notebooks.

Cosmo Air Light can still be found from makers on Etsy but it will soon be a rare bird indeed. It’s powdery texture and unique color properties has made it a favorite at Desk HQ for some time.

Sketchbook, Drawing and Heavyweight Papers:

1. Stillman & Birn Epsilon Sketchbook: While many won’t agree that a sketchbook is a notebook, I couldn’t complete a list of my favorite/most recommended/best notebooks without including the Stillman & Birn Epsilon Sketchbook which I probably recommend at least once a week. If not the Alpha, then one of the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks. The hardest part for many in picking out a sketchbook and specifically picking out a Stillman & Birn sketchbook is working through their complex naming system.  The Epsilon is the toothier of the two 150gsm sketchbook options. Even I have goofed on occasion and purchased the Alpha by mistake as it is described as being medium grain and cold press. It’s not quite as toothy as the Epsilon which I’ve discovered I like better. YMMV. That said, overall, I have not been disappointed by the overall quality of any of the S&B sketchbooks I’ve used. For day-to-day sketching I do not need the heavier 270gsm paper in their other sketchbooks. (available from JetPens and your local art supply stores)
2. Col-o-ring: I know it appears self-serving to mention Col-o-ring here but when I look at the notebooks and paper products I use on a daily basis, the Col-o-ring, Col-o-dex  and Col-o-ring Oversize figure heavily into my rotation. I suppose I wouldn’t have made them if I wasn’t going to use them. While the Col-o-ring and Col-o-dex serve specific purposes of inventorying my ink collection, the Oversize is used for everything from comparing various inks to drawing and doodling to just writing notes and testing pens. When we originally made the Oversize, I wasn’t sure how much I would actually use it but it turns out it gets used as much or more than a lot of other notebooks in the house. Partially, it gets used because I’m so familiar with the paper so I know how pens and ink are going to behave but also because its a really convenient size. (available in our shop or through your favorite online retailer)

Previously in the Top 10:

1. Rhodia ($2-$25.95 on JetPens)
2. Leuchtturm1917 ($12.95-$27.95 on JetPens)
3. Baron Fig Confidant (Available directly from Baron Fig or from your favorite online retailer)
4. Field Notes (Subscriptions via Field Notes but past limited editions can be found at Wonder Fair)
5. Traveler’s Notebook : Traveler’s Notebook was the first leather cover notebook option that allowed for a variety of smaller, cahier-style, staple-bound notebooks to be added. As such, TNs can have different paper depending on where or what refill notebook is added into the cover. The overall experience of the TN will be entirely based on which inserts you choose so trying different ones will be key to whether the TN is the best notebook for you.  (starter kits $41-46.50 on JetPens)
6. Musubi : Musubi is more about the gorgeous binding and materials used to create the notebook. As Musubi has begun introducing different paper options, the specific papers will influence where the notebooks fall in my list. I love how beautiful and unique the notebooks are but the paper stock can make or break my overall experience. (purchase directly from musu.bi)

From our previous Top Ten list, the Rhodia and Luechtturm 1917 both represent some of the most accessible decent notebooks available. Over time, I’ve found the slick surface of the Rhodia and the oft-very-yellow paper color to be off-putting. If you can get one of their white papers (often called “Ice”), the experience is good, especially if you prefer top-bound pads. The Leuchtturm 1917 is the option for someone who is liess likely to reach for a fountain pen as their first-choice writing tool. The paper is better than Moelskine but the quality is not as good as it may have been in the past and this inconsistency is why its been bumped off the list. Both the Baron Fig and Field Notes are popular but for superior fountain pen experience, there are other, better options.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this post were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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1. What is the pencil they’ll have to pry out of your cold, dead hands?

My Prismacolors . The new ones, the vintage ones and all the ones in between. Prismas make me happy. Sure, they break easily and shatter often. Sometimes. The core aren’t always centered but oh. The colors are so good. And when they work, they are the yardstick by which I measure the quality of all other colored pencils.

There are other pencils you would have to fight me for as well like my NoBlots, my Pantone Colored pencils and my collection of vintage red/blue pencils.

2. What’s your guilty pleasure pencil?

I have so many guilty pleasure pencils I can fill multiple cigar boxes with them. I love custom stamped pencils — especially if they have pithy messages on them. I love tourism pencils that are from specific places (often found in museum gift shops and such). I love advertising pencils, bullet pencils, vintage pencils and pencils from other countries. In general, I think my graphite pencil collection is 100% a guilty pleasure.

3. What’s the pencil you wish existed?

Good mechanical colored pencils. I want a creamy, saturated pigment core with a maximum diameter of 0.8mm that doesn’t break easily. I love having a colored mechanical pencil for travel and outdoor drawing adventures.

4. What pencil would you give to a new enthusiast?

For graphite pencils, any modern Japanese pencil from Tombow Mono or Uni-Mitsubishi Hi-Uni. They feel beautiful in the hand and write beautifully. Pencils do not have to be scratchy, gritty objects that people remember from grade school.

For colored pencils, I would recommend the Caran d’Ache Bi-Color in red and blue. Its creamy and luscious and its water soluble too. Its a great gateway into bi-color pencils AND colored pencils.

5. What pencil do you want to get along with but it just never clicked?

I know lots of people love the Uni Kuru Toga pencils. I appreciate the idea of a self-rotating mechanical pencil but I must be too fidgety because I don’t get the experience. I am not yucking someone else’s yum but this pencil is more technology than I need in a pencil.

6. What pencil do you keep only because it’s pretty?

I have some fancy designed pencils from Louise Fili. They are not the best tools but OOOH! the packaging and lettering is fantastic!

7. What pencil did you buy because everyone else did?

Not to parrot Tina but I also found the Irojiten colored pencils a bit overrated. I knew I wasn’t going to love them going into the purchase because I had heard they were harder cores, the pencils are all white except the end caps which are dipped to indicate the color which is a pet peeve of mine. Colored pencils benefit from being colored from top to bottom. It makes them easier to identify quickly.

8. What pencil is over your head or just baffles you?

Pretty much any pencil, particularly mechanical pencils, that have the gel grip section really makes me wonder. I wonder why pencils more often feature this grippy grip section than pens. And I also wonder why do we need this?

9. What pencil surprised you?

Magic pencils! I bought my first on a whim and fell in love with them. I prefer the classic red-yellow-blue Magic pencils over any of the other color combinations. The shades in the Koh-i-noor Magic pencils is the perfect shades of color and blend to create really uniquely. Thanks, Milton Glaser, for the inspiration too!

10. What pencil do you love in theory but not in practice?

Please don’t hate me, Tina! I want to love the Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencils but I find the cores a bit too big. They feel like a jumbo pencil in my tiny little hands. They also don’t fit in my regular pencil sharpeners and they are SOOOOO expensive. I have a few and they are fantastic cores but I just don’t reach for them very often. The best way to try these is to visit a local art supply shop like Dick Blick and buy just a couple to try rather than buying a large box set.

11. What’s your favorite vintage pencil? And 12. What’s the pencil that got away?

The last two question, for me, are really the same question for me. Sanford NoBlots are my favorite vintage pencil and the ones that got away. I got my first (and last) full box of Sanford NoBlots on Amazon for about $15 about 15 years ago. It was 100% an accident. At the time I didn’t really know anything about NoBlots but they looked cool and $15 for 12 pencils was a steal no matter what they were. Well, by the time I figured out that I had the amazing indelible “ink” pencils, the dealer who was selling them on Amazon was sold out. Had I known what they were, I would have bought every box that was still available.

To be honest, this list is only slightly different than my Top 10 Pencils post from a couple years ago. Clearly, my tastes have not changed much.

Okay, now its your turn!

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Other items in this post include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

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10. Diamine

Diamine is a tried-and-true brand with a huge range of colors and multiple lines: the standard line, the 150th anniversary collection and the new Inkvent collections. The prices for each of the collections are so reasonable that I think the inks are often overlooked — and sometimes overwhelming. Diamine has often worked with fans like FPN and Reddit to create custom limited edition inks too. The most recent Celadon Cat was a Reddit fans collab.

The standard line of inks are available in 30ml (about $8 each) and epic 80ml bottles (about $17 each). The 150th anniversary line come in 40ml pie-wedge shaped bottles and sells for about $18 per bottle. Many colors can even be purchased in standard international cartridges (18 cartridges for approx.$9) .

If you’re just looking into Diamine inks and haven’t fallen down the rabbit hole of the Inkvent inks yet, one of the most popular colors is Red Dragon, a deep red with a bit of gold sheen. Ancient Copper is also a popular choice.

9. Pen BBS

Pen BBS is a Chinese online fountain pen community much like FPN in the West. They started creating their own inks and pens pre-2016 (thats the earliest date I have on a bottle of ink) and has continued to produce new colors ever since then. Originally, Pen BBS inks came in massive 60ml faceted bottles with engraved logo caps. As new series have been released the bottles have changed size and shape but the quality and wide range of color options have continued. When the shimmer inks trend first took off, Pen BBS lead the way with the finest shimmer particles and remains one of my favorite options for shimmer inks. June Pearl No. 226 is a delightful pale purple with silver shimmer. If you can find a bottle, I highly recommend it.

Lily of the Valley No. 507 is a great option as well, its a watery green with just a hint of blue. Its another one to keep a look out for. Vanness is clearing out the Pen BBS inks so what’s left is marked down considerably. Get a bottle while you can!

8. Pelikan Edelstein

Pelikan 4001 is a classic ink but when Pelikan introduced the jewel-inspired Edelstein line, they really helped to launch a new era of fountain pen ink fans. As a result of being one of the earliest to create new inks in a wider range of colors, Pelikan Edelstein is often overlooked until they announce their “ink of the year”. The 2023 color is Rose Quartz. Each bottle is 50ml for about $28 per bottle. It’s not the most affordable ink in this list but its a good ink in a beautiful, desk-worthy bottle.

One of my favorite Edelstein colors is Jade, a bluish green. It’s a very pretty, unusual shade. But if you are purchasing your first Edelstein ink, Smoky Quartz is also a great option.

7. Callifolio

Callifolio is an ink made by a French art supplies company.  Each of their ink colors come in a 40ml pie-shaped bottle (just like the Diamine 150th Annivesary inks for about $13 per bottle) or a 50ml refill pouch for about $10.25USD. The palette of colors (or should  say “colouers”) is truly sophisticated and refined.  Inti and Heure Doree (Golden Hour) were early alternatives to the coveted but hard to get KWZ Honey for a short time but now I think that the Callifolio options are a better option for those golden-y yellows without the controversial fragrance of the KWZ inks. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the way KWZ Honey smells but I think I might be in the minority.

If you’re looking for a gateway color from Callifolio, I recommend Gris de Payne (Payne’s Grey), a smoky steely blue-grey color. The previously mentioned Inti and Heure Doree are also solid first-time Callifolio options.

6. Papier Plume

Papier Plume is a small New Orleans pen shop that makes their own inks. They have made many standard colors as well as New Orleans-themed colors and many, many special editions. Their standard 30ml bottles sell for $8 to $10 per bottle.

Get in touch with your inner Nawlins with one of the New Orleans collection colors like one of my favorites, Sazerac, a deep orange that makes me thirsty just looking at the swatch.

5. De Atramentis

DeAtramentis offers over 475 (actually 492 inks according to Vanness Pen Shop) different ink colors including the most insane array of scented inks. If you’ve ever participated in one of the Vanness open house events during the Arkansas Pen Show, you might have been forced to endure one of our “guess the ink stink” games and been forced to sniff Leather, Motorbike, Cannabis, or help us all, Horse. No joke.

They have lovely floral scents as well. And document inks, artists inks, shimmer inks, . But the array of colors is why I stick with DeAtramentis (40ml bottles for about $14) after all these years. My favorite ink from my earliest days of fountain pens in Pigeon Blue but the Deepwater Obsession Black Edition series is a great collection of dark colors. I especially like Black-Red.

4. Kaweco

While the Kaweco ink line is a little smaller than most with just 10 colors, it’s a classic assortment. Previously, the inks came in the 30ml bottles shown above but now the inks ship is square shaped jam jars. These 50ml bottles sell for $11 per bottle.

The Summer Purple, Smokey Grey and Paradise Blue are my favorite shades in the line so if you’re trying to decide where to start with Kaweco inks, I recommend one of these three.

3. Lamy

Lamy’s stock ink line (AKA T52, approx. $12.50 per bottle) comes in the most unique 50ml bottle. The exterior of the bottle includes a channel with an absorbent tape to wipe off your nibs after filling your pen. While there are not a ton of colors in the line, if you need a staple ink, having one of the colors available from Lamy is a great addition to your collection.

Lamy has their posher T53 “Crystal Ink” line but these come in smaller 30ml bottles for approx. $16 each. The colors are more sophisticated but the bottles don’t have the tissue tape.

Both the Crystal Inks and the standard line offered the Vibrant Pink color which is one of my favorites. It’s not super vibrant but provides a stunning pink color. The Vibrant Pink was a limited edition color for 2018 and can still be found if you look around for it. The Vibrant Pink contains some gold flecks which gives off a fabulous gold sheen. Rhodonite from the Crystal Ink line is the same color if you can’t find it in the T52 bottle.

2. Waterman

Waterman inks are the inks I most recommend to people looking for inks that are “safe for vintage pens”. But Waterman inks aren’t just for vintage pens. The line of 10 classic colors have some hidden features at a price that won’t shock your wallet. Several of the 10 colors have some sheening properties including Serenity Blue Audacious Red and Tender Purple. Each 50ml bottle costs about $12. If you’re looking to have a couple tried-and-true inks that can be used in any pen, you can’t go wrong with Waterman.

…and finally…  1. Monteverde

Monteverde is by far one of my favorite inks. It’s well-behaved and some of my favorite ink colors are from Monteverde. Its not an ink that people talk about in rhapsodic tones but I do. It’s inexpensive, there are some amazing colors. The box sets of 10 colors in 30ml bottles ($100 pr set)  are great gateways for new ink collectors too.

Monteverde inks are available in 30ml (MSRP $10)  and 90ml bottles (MSRP$20) so ints relatively inexpensive to purchase a small bottle and, if you really love an ink, 90ml for $20 (or less) is a deal. A couple years ago, Monteverde had a brief issue with a couple colors of ink having mold or scumming issue but those have been resolved. Unfortunately, it has given a lot of folks pause before purchasing. I spoke with a representative from the company earlier this year and he assured me the problems have been resolved and any bottles with issues were replaced with no questions — even when people insisted they had issues with bottles that were not actually from the affected batches. That said, there’s no reason to hesitate in purchasing ink from Monteverde.

Monteverde inks are also available in standard international packs of 12 for approx. $6 each, not all colors are available in cartridges but this gives some great color options for on-the-go needs.

If you’ve not tried a Monteverde ink before, I recommend either California Teal, a great green-teal with sheen or, my favorite ink, Birthday Cake.

California Teal was a favorite sheening ink a couple years back but as more ink makers have created sheening inks, people have forgotten about California Teal. I still think its one of the best sheeners. Its a deep green that has a hint of blue and a red sheen. It looks good, even in fine nibbed pens.

Birthday Cake is a deep, muted purple ink is the perfect balance between a unique, unusual color and a good everyday writer, even subdued enough for the office. Birthday Cake has been my go-to ink all year and I may have to invest in one of the 90ml bottles.

There are lots of other ink brands I could have mentioned here. Which under-appreciated inks would you include in a list like this?

The post Top 10 Under-Appreciated Ink Brands appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

In honor of twelve years of The Well-Appointed Desk, I thought I’d pull together my current favorite items. I wanted to include more than just pens so I’ve included my favorite pen case, bag and even pencil accessories.

As a bonus, I have also listed my 12 favorite inks.

1. Galen Leather 3-Pen Case ($39): I recommend the Crazy Horse Leather. It ages beautifully and takes ink stains well. And, with some creative organization, I fit five pens in my case but I use pretty slender pens. (full review)

2. Rickshaw Bags Soho (Sm/Med or Large): I own the Sm/Med version that I use as my everyday carry bag but friends of the blog have been recommending that I upgrade to the Large for maximum tote-ability. Rickshaw allows for full customization to get just the color combo you want as well as their velcro pocket system for as much compartmentalization as you want.

3. Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen (approx. $27): The new Iridescent model is a true “unicorn” but I still love the Frosted Collection. If you haven’t added a Sport to your collection, the most difficult decision will be choosing which color.

4. Schon Design Pocket 6 Fountain Pen (starting at $142) : I have a custom faceted model that we here at The Desk call the Ferrera Rocher in brass but any of the Pocket Six pens are a delight and a favorite from the mottled anodized aluminum to the brass and copper models. (full review)

5. Caran d’Ache 849 (ballpoint and fountain pen, starting at $20) : While I love the fountain pen with an unexplained passion, the classic ballpoint is a must-have for any pen collector. There are dozens of colors and finishes available as well as special editions available so find a design that speaks to you to add this classic pen to your collection. (full review of ballpoint, full review of fountain pen)

6. Opus 88 Koloro (starting at $93): The Koloro is the smallest pen left in the Opus 88 line-up and the first I purchased. It remains a favorite. I’m particularly partial to the Blue-Blue filled with Monteverde California Teal which is a perfect match. (full review)

7. William Hannah discbound leather planner (A5 starting at £120): The issue I’ve had with discbound boteeks and planners in the past is that they tend to look and feel cheap. This is where William Hannah elevated the discbound planner with leather covers and metal discs making the discbound system competitive with traveler’s notebooks and ringbound planners like Filofax. (full review)

8. Midori MD Light (available in A5, A6 and B6 Slim, starting at $11 for a pack of three cahier notebooks): I know the pen world loves Tomoe River but when I discovered MD Light, I found a new paper passion. While I wish there were more notebook styles available in the MD Light, I will continue to stockpile the cahiers just in case they are ever discontinued.

9. Stalogy Editor’s Series 365Days Notebook A5 Dot Grid (starting at $25): While I am not always inclined to use A5 size of Tomoe River paper, the Stalogy has 52gsm Tomoe River paper (the best I can tell) and has the lightest dot grid of any notebook so its not too distracting. The “Editor” series does not have the date markings at the top of each page like the original Stalogy notebooks so they are great for bullet journaling or any note taking needs. (full review)

10. Blackwing Pencils ($27 for a box of 12): While these are not cheap, in the world of fountain pens, they are reasonably inexpensive. They are well made, have that unique ferrule and eraser and can be a great gateway into high-end office supplies for friends and family. (full review)

11. Sakura Foam Eraser ($1.60): Best eraser on the market. Any foam eraser will work but the Sakura is cheap and effective. (full review)

12. KUM Long Point 2 Step Pencil Sharpener ($5.50): I can’t pick favorite pencils without also choosing a favorite sharpener. This sharpener give a wicked point without stabbing your wallet. (full review)

Bonus: 12 Favorite Inks:

These inks are in no particular order. I can’t rank my favorite inks anymore than someone could rank their children. These are the inks I couldn’t live without. Could you make a list of 12 of your favorite inks?

1.  Pilot Iroshizuku Ku Jaku ($22.50 for 50ml): When I am incapable of making a choice about what ink to fill a pen with, I reach for Ku Jaku. It’s aqua blue but also a little bit teal. Dark enough for everyday writing but has some shading, a little sheen and some haloing around letters as I write (depending on the paper stock). (full review)
2. Vinta Mermaid Green Sirena 1952 ($12.50 for 30ml): Sirena was one f my first experiences with a color shifting ink. When wet its a watery green. As it dries in becomes more muted aqua blue-grey with a pink cast. This is total mermaid ink. (full review)
3. Pen BBS #224 Tolstoy ($16 for 60ml): I love a lime green ink and Tolstoy is a deep olive/lime. Pen BBS inks are also well-behaved and reasonably priced. (full review)
4. Robert Oster Caffe Crema ($18 for 50ml): I know most people go for Oster’s blues like Fire & Ice and Blue Water Ice but I love his more unusual colors. If you have ever seen me at a Vanness table at a pen show, I’ve probably recommended either Caffe Crema or Viola to you. This is my favorite brown ink, it shades, has some variation and is not so dark as to look black.
5. Robert Oster Viola ($18 for 50ml): This is one of the first muted purple inks to come to my attention and it remains a favorite. There is great tonal variation and shading. (full review)
6. Callifolio Andrinople ($13 for 35ml bottle): This is a pink that’s not too pink, too bright and rich enough to use regularly. (full review)
7. Platinum Carbon Black ($25 for 60ml bottle): This is the one permanent black that rules them all. You need a black ink, might as well be permanent. (full review)
8. Waterman Inspired Blue ($11.30 for 30ml): Perfect for vintage pens and an absolutely gorgeous shading, sheening turquoise. Do not overlook this classic brand of inks.
9. KWZ Standard Honey ($ 15 for 60ml): I know not everyone loves the smell of KWZ inks but I think the scent added to the ink makes it smell like vanilla or like honey making the honey ink (chef’s kiss) perfection. (*Turns out, I had run out of KWZ Honey so I inserted my favorite alternative to it, Callifolio Heure Dorée. If you don’t like the smell of KWZ, I recommend Heure Dorée as an excellent alternative.) (full review)
10. Sailor Shikiori Yama Dori ($14 for 20ml): Yama Dori is a dark blue-black ink with a reddish-purple sheen on some papers. If you need a business appropriate ink with a little pizzaz, grab a botlle of Yama Dori.
11. Monteverde California Teal ($10 for a 30ml bottle): California Teal is one of the best sheening inks. Its a beautiful shade of green with a vivid reddish sheen. It’s reasonably priced and available in both 30ml and 90ml bottles. I really need to invest in the full 90ml. (full review)
12. Montblanc Oyster Grey ($24 for a 60ml bottle): I love a grey ink and choosing just one favorite is always a challenge. Oyster Grey is a fairly neutral grey, not to warm, not too cool. I am also swayed by the delightful “shoe” bottle. There are some thing that Montblanc WAY overcharges for but their stock inks (at present) are not one of them.

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So, I hope you enjoy getting a peek into my pen case.

1. Schon DSGN “Ferrero Rocher” Fountain Pen: This pen is my first Schon DSGN fountain pen and it is seriously gorgeous.  It’s weighty and the texture is fantastic. The cap screws on to the back to make this pocket pen full-sized. It is also super meaningful to me because there are two other people who own the same pen. I customized it with a SIG fine nib from Franklin-Christoph.
2. Pelikan M300: The M300 breaks the numbering system set in place by Pelikan where the fountain pens get progressively larger as the numbering gets larger — except in the case of the M300. Like so many of my pens, this little Pelikan came to me by way of a story.  At the 2019 Pelikan Hub, I let one of the gents from our local pen club try one of my Esterbrook Estie fountain pens and he let me try this little M300. He told me he didn’t realize that the M300 was smaller than the M200 and was surprised when it arrived and it was so tiny. I’ve always wanted one. He was mesmerized by my Esterbrook Estie. He sheepishly asked if I’d be willing to trade one for the other. I said yes before he changed his mind. It’s such a lovely little pen.
3. Franklin-Christoph 45: I love the Franklin-Christoph 45 but this particular one, with the Woodshed Pen Company pearly oyster moonbeam material is my favorite. I have stained it with ink but I still love it best. It has history, mileage and love.
4. Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Lamé: People always mistake this for the newer Purple Cosmos but this is a rarer Purple Lamé. It is not as dark purple nor does it have as many sparkles. But my true love for this pen lays in its nib: a custom grind needlepoint by Greg Minuskin. I purchased the pen secondhand from a friend a few years ago and it’s probably the only pen I have kept inked ever since.
5. Sailor Pro Color Demonstrator with Gold Fleck: This is a pen that is supposed to have a steel nib but the gold hardware seemed to lend itself to gold nib. My tempter, Jimmy from Total Office Product AKA the host of the Atlanta Pen Show, suggested upgrading the nib to a gold nib and lo and behold he had a little stash of gold nibs. So, I was able to upgrade the nib with one that cost several times the value of the pen. So, it’s basically a 1911 Large-ish but with a great story.
6. MontBlanc Rouge Et Noir with Custom Nib Studio Custom Grind: This fountain pen was purchased secondhand through the Pen Addict Slack group and was a pen that I’ve always wanted so I was delighted to be able to get it. It’s probably one of the few MontBlanc pens I will probably ever purchase. Then Gena at Custom Nib Studio made the nib something really special.
7. Opus88 Koloro: The Opus88 Koloro was the first Opus88 I ever used and it has remained my favorite. I love the Japanese eyedropper filling system and the simplicity of the Koloro is the nicest example, IMHO. The combination of translucent resin and ebonite and the massive ink reservoir makes it so versatile and lovely. Monteverde California Teal is a perfect ink match, if you’re curious. (EF)
8. Caran d’Ache 849 Fountain Pen: I got my first 849 Fountain Pen for a review and Ron at Pen Chalet humorously sent me the hot pink one to match my hair. I was surprised how much I ended up liking the pen. I’ve always liked the 849 ballpoint but the fountain pen was such a great everyday pen for the office. The snap cap was easy to pop on and off. The extra fine nib can withstand being used on crappy copy paper. And the standard international cartridge meant I could swap out from my cartridge roulette stash on-the-go. I loved on this pen so much I broke the plastic threads off where it connected to the metal barrel. Caran d’Ache immediately replaced them nib unit. But while I waited for the replacement part, I bought a lime green model to hold me over until it arrived. So, now I have two!
9. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen: I modified this Platinum Carbon Desk Pen to fit in my regular pen case by chopping off the bottom of it with a craft knife (see favorite desk accessories post). The pen barrel is hollow plastic so it’s easy to cut. I always fill it with Platinum Carbon Black permanent ink for drawing. After my Sailor Pro Gear, this is always inked up and ready to go.
10. Pilot Parallel Pen in Custom Barrel by Red Dragon Pen Company with Custom Naifu Nib (Tom Oddo Mod): This pen is the most modified Pilot Parallel pen EVER. And I love it to pieces. First, I got the modified nib. It’s a “Naifu” which was done by Tom Oddo at Goldspot Pens. He showed me the modification at the DC Pen Show years ago and I basically chased him around until he promised to make me one. Then Brian Chu of Red Dragon Pen Company showed me his custom resin Pilot Parallel barrels. He was making them to match the caps and grips. So, the Naifu nib met the Red Dragon pen body. Hello, perfectly wonderful Pilot Parallel pen. I have a full set of Red Dragon Pilot Parallel barrels and Bob is learning to make Naifu-like nib grinds for me. Life is good.

Bonus Pens: Clearly, I can’t seem to keep any of these lists down to ten. I had to include some pens that are my favorite color — which is actually GREEN! I had to include my two favorite lime green pens. One pen has been in my collection for some time and the other is very new to my collection.

• Diplomat Traveler: The Diplomat Traveler is a great, smaller scale pen that’s available in great enamel colors as well as a flame-singed look. I’ve spoken about the merits of this pen already this week. If you favor smaller, snap cap pens, it’s worth consideration.
• Esterbrook Camden Composition in Lime: This pen is larger in size than I would normally lean towards if I just saw it online but it’s actually lightweight and very comfortable in my hand. The speckled “composition book” pattern creates such a unique look as well as a fabulous texture.

The post My Ten Favorite Fountain Pens appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

1. Pilot Hi-Tec C: The Pilot Hi-Tec C Pen single-handedly turned many people’s attention back to the potential of good quality writing tools. This lead some people to build machined pens and others to start blogs and others to launch whole online businesses. It lead others to discover fountain pens and inks and specialty papers and more. This pen lead Pilot to continue to fine tune it’s gel pen technology and create the Juice and Juice Up pens and it’s competitors to create equally good gel pens like the Uni Signo, Zebra Sarasa and Pentel Energel. Whether the Hi-Tec C was really the first gel pen, for many of us, it was our first experience with good gel pens and became the gel pen by which all others were measured.
2. Palomino Blackwing Pencils: The iconic Blackwing pencils were seen in episodes of Mad Men which started the craze of trying to acquire these vintage pencils in the early 00s. Thankfully, Palomino re-launched the brand in 2010 and saved us from spending $75 a piece for pencils. They have continued to add various graphite hardnesses and colorful variations through its editions since the launch. It was brought to my attention that pencils might not be as revolutionary as some of the other products on the list but I disagree. The Blackwing was instrumental in the Blackwing launched a podcast or two, a zine, several blogs, YouTube channels and a renewed interest in pencils in general.
3. Tomoe River Paper: In the last few years, Tomoe River Paper has become THE paper recommended by fountain pen users for writing. It shows the most sheen with the least amount of feathering. It is very thin so there is a lot of show through but the thinness of the paper means a notebook can have 100s of sheets so using just one side of the paper is not that big a deal. The paper does have very long dry times however. Slowly, it’s becoming easier to acquire in the US and easier to find printed with lines, dot grid or graph on it in a greater range of sizes. Whether Tomoe River paper is something you love or not, it’s hard not to refer to it when comparing other paper now though.
4. Traveler’s Notebook: This simple leather wrap with elastics to hold various notebooks really started to impact the stationery community about 2013 around the launch of the 5th anniversary edition of the Midori edition. Some discovered it much sooner and others a couple years later but the Traveler’s Notebook has made a firm impact on the stationery community. Whether you have an original Midori version or under the Traveler’s Notebook branding or if you have a custom leather notebook cover made by a leatherworker from Etsy or a craft show or pen show, it’s hard to avoid the ubiquity and convenience of these covers. Even if you prefer non-leather, there are many options as well.
5. Hobonichi Techno: The Hobonichi Techo completely changed the landscape of personal planners (Wow! Back in 2014, I included it in a Ten Tools I Can’t Live Without post). It brought journaling, planning and freeform logging back into vogue when ringbound planners had started to lose their luster. The Hobonichi featured Tomoe-like paper that withstood lots of mark-making tools, they were small and portable and did not require tons of commitment. With essentially a page-a-day, busy millennials and younger could doodle, stamp, collage, test pens, make lists and bullet journal in their Hobonichi. Paired with one of the many covers available through the covetous website or on Etsy or Ebay to personalize their Hobonichi each year, the planners have developed cult-like followings and lots of variations and iterations including Traveler’s Notebook versions that are Field Notes-sized… it’s a melding of worlds!
6. Field Notes: We cannot talk about the landscape of the stationery world without talking about Field Notes. Whether you love them or not, they redefined how and what stationery is over the last decade. Their Field Notes Editions created the need to covet pocket notebooks  in a way that used to be reserved for comic books, Pokemon cards and 7″ vinyl releases. They elevated the aesthetics by making conscientious decisions about staple colors, edge painting and clever editorial throughout the notebooks. While not every notebook met the exacting paper standards of fountain pen aficionados, I’m hard-pressed to find a designer who can find fault with the aesthetics of any edition. Field Notes also helped to forge the way for subscription-based stationery that has been followed by other companies and embraced by everything from cosmetics to food to pet toys. While Field Notes might not have invented the subscription box, they certainly proved it can be profitable.
7. Bullet Journaling: While Bullet Journaling is not specifically a tool, it changed how so many of us think about and frame how we use our notebooks. Ryder Carroll created a system for himself that launched a whole movement. It created notebooks, Facebook groups, YouTube “plan with me” videos, and countless set-ups flatlays on Instagram to make most of us wish we were more organized, had nicer handwriting and more pens. The foundation of Ryder’s system however have nuggets of honesty and truth that may have gotten lost under the pounds and pounds of over-achievers. I commend anyone who was able to get more organized, improve their handwriting and be more focused as a result of all this enthusiastic embracing of Bullet Journaling. I’ve tried the system many times and, in the end, my notebooks still end up just being mad lists of scratched notes in no particular order with things occasionally glued in when they are written down on some other piece of paper. That does not mean that the term “Bullet Journaling” has not become as ubiquitous in the stationery community as “sheening inks” and “stub grinds”. To anyone else they would think we were speaking gibberish but among the community, it’s shorthand for the coded notebook formatting of a highly organized person (i.e. not me).
8. J Herbin 1670 Ink Series: While J. Herbin’s 1670 series releases only one shimmer ink each year and somewhere along the line they introduced the JACQUES HERBIN 1798 to differentiate the silver metallic from the 1670 gold metallic which only confused most consumers, then they decided to drop the “J” in their branding of their standard ink line altogether and THEN (yes, there’s an “and then”) they introduced yet another branding with their premium JACQUES HERBIN Paris 1670 line. But I’m getting away from the point of this listing. J. Herbin really launched the shimmer trend in inks. And honestly, they have made some of the most popular and unique colors with Emerald of Chivor, Rouge Hematite, Kyanite du Népal and Stormy Grey. I think this lead the way for more experimentation in inks across the board.
9. Karas Kustoms Render K:  Several other machined pens pre-dated the Render K on Kickstarter but when Karas launched the Render K they proved that it was possible to create a brand and a business model building analog products using Kickstarter as the foundation. Many other pens have been launched since then via Kickstarter proving that analog tools can be launched via a digital medium.

10. Resin Casted Pens: From larger makers like Edison Pens and Franklin-Christoph who both use a vast array of unique resins to smaller shops like Jonathan Brooks (Carolina Pen Company) who have created unique resins for Kanilea Pen Company and others. Manufacturers like Esterbrook have even started collaborating with resin makers like Tim McKenzie of McKenzie Pen-works. Many other small makers use unique resins like Hinze Pens and Woodshed Pen Company to create their designs. These resin materials have changed the look and feel of the pen community. Some makers buy their resins from various sources and others are creating their own unique materials like mad scientists. It’s given pen makers the chance to create and lathe truly unique pens.

The post Top Ten Most Influential Stationery Products of the Last Ten Years appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

What I attempted to do here was provide a “best option” (consider those air quotes) for the ROYGBIV colors plus a brown, grey, black and blue-black. So — it’s about eleven colors. I left out any inks that are specialty inks that have glitter sparkles or are super-sheeners or those specialty color-shifting colors like Sailor 123. I wanted to provide a basics palette here based on the experiences of five years of helping sell inks at pen shows and these are colors I recommend over and over again as well as colors I personally reach for over and over again.

I also tried to provide a lower priced option or a more-easily available option if my first choice is a pricier ink. Hence, the dozens of swatches in the photos. So, shall we?

Pink: Lamy Vibrant Pink ($8 for 50ml)/Crystal Rhodonite ($16 for 30ml) (It’s the same ink, just repackaged) Okay, well, I already broke my own rule about no ink with sparkle since Lamy Vibrant Pink has sparkle in it but it’s a good solid pink whether you shake it up and use the sparkle that settles to the bottom or not. Once Vibrant Pink is sold out, Rhodonite is the same color but considerably more expensive. Callifolio Andrinople ($13 for 40ml) is my go-to pink. It’s pink without being too pink. Taccia Momo Pink ($13 for 40ml) is the eye-searing pink when you need to make a pink statement. It’s a great ink at a great price.

Red: Diamine Matador ($7.50 for 30ml) This is a good red-red. The price is extremely reasonable and Diamine ink is very well-behaved. Everyone has their favorite shade of red but I tend to recommend this as a good place to start. Sailor Jentle Irori ($15 for 20ml) is my favorite red and THE INK I used when testing paper leading up to the stock we use for the Col-o-ring. It has a gold sheen that shows on certain papers like the Col-o-ring on the edges of letterforms or big swashes of ink. It’s a little more orange-y than Matador.

Orange: Sailor Jentle Apricot ($25 for 50ml) is my go-to orange. It’s the happiest orange and Sailor’s inks are really well-behaving. The bottle is a little annoying for larger nibs but if you can transfer the ink to a taller bottle or syringe fill your pens, it’s not a big deal. My less expensive option is Papier Plume Sazerac ($10 for 50ml). Sazerac is a little bit darker, smokier orange but I am not complaining. More inks need to be named after cocktails, don’t you agree?

Yellow: I’m not sure it really qualifies as yellow but overall yellow inks are not terribly usable on a daily basis so I am using this slot to recommend Callifolio Huere Dorée ($13 for 40ml). Yes, there is KWZ Honey and Franklin-Christoph Honeycomb and Robert Oster Honeybee but Huere Dorée is an unsung beauty and deserves to be recognized. In general, Callifolio is a brand that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves but that’s a topic for another day.

Brown: I am going to slot my pick for brown here next to yellow for lack of a better place to put it. My pick here is Robert Oster Caffe Crema ($17 for 50ml). I don’t tend to pick brown inks very often but when I do, its either Caffe Crema or Melon Tea. People wax poetic about Robert Oster’s blues but when he creates colors outside of his comfort zone, he often makes some really amazing colors. These two browns often prove my point. If you need more options, check out our post about Sepia.

Green: I lean towards greens that are a little more yellow green or olive-y than grass green so my apologies here for my green-bias. I chose Pen BBS #342 Matcha Green Tea  ($16 for 60ml) or Sailor Waka-Uguisa ($14.99 for 20ml) which matches a great number of my pens. Both inks perform really well. I really like Pen BBS inks and they are a great value.

Teal: Monteverde California Teal ($9 for 30ml bottle) is an ink I basically just stick into people’s hands when I see them at pen shows and they look bewildered by the many choices available to them. If they don’t have any inks or only have black and blue ink, I recommend this ink. It will open the world of colors to them. Yes, its a sheen-y color but not too sheen-y. It’s not crazy expensive and it’s not an enormous bottle. The color isn’t too garish to put off someone who’s worried that it won’t be “work appropriate” and it’s funky enough to win over someone looking for something “a little different”. If you don’t have a bottle of California Teal yet, you need one.

Turquoise: When people ask me for a great turquoise, the words jump out of my mouth so fast they often do a double take: Robert Oster Torquay. “Not Fire & Ice?” “Nope. Trust me.” So far no one has come back and hit me with the 50ml plastic bottle so hopefully they’ve been happy with the ink. It reminds me of the color of swimming pools when you write with it. Let me know if you agree. My other recommendation is slightly darker, it’s Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku ($22.50 for 50ml) and it’s one of my most-reached-for inks. For me, it’s my neutral. It’s bright but not too bright. It’s turquoise but not garish. It’s totally readable and becuase it’s Pilot, it’s a high performance ink in any pen.

Blue: Waterman Inspired Blue ($11.30 for 50ml) (my bottle was rename Obsession Blue for some weird reason, don’t ask… it’s the same color) is one of my favorite blues. I like to blow people’s minds by telling them this. I also like to show them how it sheens too. It’s safe for vintage fountain pens, it’s inexpensive and it’s fairly readily available. Have a bottle handy at all times. If blue isn’t your thing, Waterman also has a great purple. Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki ($22.50 for 50ml) is another great blue option and is a fan favorite. It’s a lubricated ink designed for Japanese fine nibs and comes in a pretty bottle.

Violet: I have only one favorite violet and it’s Sailor Jentle Fuji-Musume ($12 for 20ml). There are others that I like but they are darker, dingier violets or they are more red-purples. This is a true violet and a gorgeous ink with good ink characteristics.

Blue-Black: My favorite blue-black is Bungbox 4B (¥3500 for 30ml, directly from Bungbox in Japan) but it is difficult to get in the US right now. I assume it’s a result of our current shipping issues and that it should be available through Vanness, Pen Chalet and Goldspot in a few months. Bungbox is a small Japanese pen shop that gets custom made Sailor ink for it’s shop. So, it’s extremely good quality ink and colors that are chosen under the watchful eye of pen enthusiasts like us. Of course, Bungbox ink is also pretty expensive too. So, my second recommendation is Taccia Aogura ($12 for 40ml) which is also a beautiful Japanese ink but is considerably  less expensive and much easier to access. It’s a little darker but it’s still a beautiful ink. Another option is Kaweco Midnight Blue ($14 for 30ml). It’s another great blue-black that’s reasonably priced. It’s a little brighter but still perfect for the office or other professional setting.

I have one more option for you. I know, I already gave you three options but you have to understand, after the blue/turquoise and teal category, blue-black is probably the most popular color category. So, here is my other recommendation: Diamine Denim ($7.50 for 30ml). It’s my casual Friday blue-black. You’re welcome.

Grey: With grey inks, there are warm greys and cool greys and sometimes neutral greys. I tried to find one of each but you can decide how close I got. Montblanc Oyster Grey ($24 for 60ml) is as close as I could find to a neutral grey. It’s probably a little more on the cooler side with a hint of blue and a little golden sheen but it’s pretty grey-grey. This is part of MontBlanc’s standard line-up so it’s pretty reasonably priced. Lamy Crystal Agate ($16 for 30ml) is a green grey with a bit of sheen. It’s really quite lovely and is my current favorite grey. Diamine Earl Grey ($7.50 for 30ml) is a warmer grey with more red making it almost a purple-grey.

Black: Everyone needs a bottle of black ink. Once we discover the great spectrum of color, it’s hard to buy a simple bottle of black ink but there’s always a place for simplicity. If you have vintage fountain pens, you can’t go wrong with a bottle Waterman Intense Black ($11.30 for 50ml) which will be safe for your vintage pens as well as all your modern pens as well.  If you only have modern pens, Monteverde Raven Noir  ($9 for 30ml) will be an excellent option.

Bonus Waterproof Black: I consider Platinum Carbon Black ($22.50 for 60ml) a must-have ink for anyone who likes to draw, paint or do any kind of arty pursuits with their fountain pens. I have put this ink through some pretty lengthy tests to see how safe it is for pens and how waterproof it is and it has performed admirably over several years of abuse. I have sacrificed a Lamy Safari to a let-the-ink-dry-in-the-pen test and it washed out with nothing but water. A longer dry test could probably clean out with a sonic cleaner without breaking a sweat. Sailor Nano Black was mentioned as an alternative but studies by other artists have indicated that Nano Black is not as waterproof throughout the life of a bottle of the ink as Carbon Black.

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The post MORE Than Top Ten Fountain Pen Inks appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

There is no hierarchy other than how the images ended up in the photos.

1. Pilot Metropolitan: This, for so many years, was our most frequently recommended entry-level fountain pen. It’s relatively inexpensive, it writes really well, comes in a lot of color options and its pretty durable. It continues to be a good option though we do recommend upgrading the converter. (starting at $19.50 at JetPens)
2. Diplomat Traveler or Caran d’Ache 849: These two pens are similar in scale with a more slender barrel than many fountain pens on the market, both feature snap caps and accept standard European converter and cartridges. The Caran d’Ache is a rounded hex shape and the Traveler is a smooth round barrel and slightly shorter. Both pens post but the Caran d’Ache is a bit long posted. Both the 849 and the Traveler is available in 6 colors each, $52 from Vanness Pens)
3. Kaweco Sport: This is one of my favorite entry level pen recommendations. It’s diminutive size, multitude of materials and classic good looks makes the Kaweco Sport a great starter fountain pen. It takes standard international cartridges so it makes it a great starter pen for many people and its super pocketable. (available at all your favorite online retailers)
4. Lamy Safari/AL-Star: It’s one of the most commonly recommended first fountain pens and there are a lot of reasons for that. The pen is uniquely styled to be appealing to a lot of people. It is available in bright colored plastic or aluminum. The price point is reasonable. There are many nib sizes available and it’s easy to swap out nibs should you decide you want to try a different size without having to buy a whole new pen. Lamy does require a proprietary cartridge/converter which is one of the downsides of the Lamy Safari/AL-Star. Some people do not like the molded grip section but, for some, it helps establish a proper hand grip for fountain pen use. (available at all your favorite online retailers)
5. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen: I had to get the PCDP in here. I have recommended this pen, given it away or otherwise inflicted this ugly but glorious pen on more people than I care to admit. What it lacks in physical beauty it more than make up for in drawing prowess. If you or someone you know is a loyalist to the technical pen or the superfine felt tip drawing pen (like a Sakura Pigma Micron 005 or 01) this pen will change their life. Add in a box of Platinum Carbon Black cartridges or a bottle of Platinum Carbon Black ink and it will be game over for bent, broken felt tips forever. Yes, it’s ugly but Sakura Pigma Microns do not exactly win any beauty contests and at least I’ve never had to throw away a PCDP, I just keep passing them on to new converts. At present, my favorite sources for the PCDP do not have them in stock and the info I have suggest that Platinum in Japan may not be manufacturing this model any longer. Maybe they are changing the design? I don’t know. So, if this is a pen you are interested in owning, jump on it before the prices skyrocket. The steel nib model should not sell for more than about $15.
6. TWSBI Eco/Eco-T: TWSBI ECO and ECO-T provide great options for anyone looking for their second fountain pen or an ambitious first-time fountain pen owner who is willing to purchase a piston-filling fountain pen. The nibs are all European sized on Taiwanese-built pens. (starting at €28.93 at Fontoplumo)
7. Faber-Castell Grip: Faber-Castell is releasing this fountain pen in different colors more often and the price is very reasonable making this pen a candidate in the entry-level fountain pen category. It takes standard European cartridges and converters so it’s easier to find ink cartridges for new users. (starting at $20 at Vanness Pen Shop)
8. Pelikan M600 Series: Originally, I was going to put the more commonly recommend entry level M200/205 here but honestly, I didn’t buy an M200/205 of my own until I had purchased an M600 in transparent white (“the Ghost“) and realized what all the fuss was about. Pelikan’s gold nibs make it a bit easier to understand their softer steel nibs but honestly, I recommend saving up for their more expensive pens rather than rushing to get a Pelikan just to say you have a Pelikan. The 600 series is just slightly larger in size than the 200 series. Wait for a color combination that speaks to you. It will be worth it but remember that Pelikan nibs run wider overall than most other European nibs so even the EF writes more like an F or M if you’re used to Japanese nibs. (Appelboom has a wonderful selection of 600-series Pelikans and they wrap all their orders like a gift and include a stroopwaffel)
9. Sailor Pro Gear Slim: Are you surprised I waited this long to include the Sailor Pro Gear? After Kaweco Sport and Franklin-Christoph 45s, I have more of these than any other pen. First, the Sailor 14k gold nibs are second to none out of the box. For larger hands and deeper pockets, the full-sized Pro Gear is just as appealing and features a 21k nib. (starting at $180 on Goldspot Pens)
10. Pilot Vanishing Point/Decimo: I prefer the Decimo to the Vanishing Point because the size fits my hands better but if your hands are larger, the Vanishing Point might be preferable. Of all the retractable fountain pens, the VP/Decimo is still the best in show and worth saving up to purchase. The nib is gold and available in a range of sizes. Pilot does not release a lot of new colors or materials of this model regularly but I feel like one of these pens is in a collection is adequate unless you want to have a variety of nibs options. ( available at all your favorite online retailers)

Honorary Mention: Opus88 Koloro This was my first experience with Opus88 and it has remained my favorite. It’s similar in size to a Lamy Safari but made from a combination of ebonite and resin materials and the unique Japanese eyedropper filling system holds a massive amount of ink making this pen a perfect candidate for a wider-than-usual nib. (Limited stock still available, starting at $74.40 at Pen Chalet )

Please consider making your next pen purchase from one of the shops that support this blog and let them know you heard about them here. Thanks for reading and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.

The post Top Ten Most Recommended Fountain Pens appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

So, without further adieu:

1. The Epic Refill Reference Guide: Rollerball, Gel and Ballpoints: This resource provide a guide (not definitive) of comparable refills for the most common rollerball, gel and ballpoint pens on the market. Not every refill in each category will fit in every pen but, depending on tolerances within a pen, there’s a decent chance they might.
2. Turn a Blank Notebook into a Lined Notebook, AKA The Guide Sheets: This free resource page provides a plethora of downloadable guide sheets to use with blank notebooks to provide lines, graphs or dot grids. We are delighted to be able to provide this free resource to the community. Feel free to include a link to this on your site or share it with the community, we just ask that you credit us. Thanks.
3. A Beginner’s Dive into Ring-Bound Planners: This 6-part series written over six years ago at what was probably the tail-end of the ring-bound planner craze is still accessed regularly. Of greatest interest is part two which features some great graphics illustrating the various binder sizes and some common paper sizes available.
4. 13 Things to Do With All Those Blank Notebooks: There are endless Buzzfeed posts on the internet of “XX of XX” and sometimes we are not above stooping to this if it means we will actually use all those notebooks we buy. I hoard them like they might stop making them one day, don’t you? We also did a follow-up to this post, 15 Things to Do with An Empty Sketchbook, leading up to Inktober the following year because I’m the same way with sketchbooks.
5. Ask The Desk: Storing Pens Up or Down?: It amuses me to no end that this post is in the Top Ten most viewed posts. I wrote this in 2013 and re-read it to make sure, seven years later I still agree with the information. Surprisingly, I pretty much do. I might store more brush pens upright these days or horizontally, but I have a lot of double-ended brush pens and felt tips so it’s harder to decided which end is up but otherwise, I still agree. Crazy.
6. Customizing a Midori Traveler Notebook: This post, along with a later post about Hacking a Traveler’s Notebook also get a lot of regular views. Neither are super thorough but have some good links and ideas to get folks started on the wide world of Traveler’s Notebooks.
7. 22 Planner Alternatives to a Filofax: This post is over five years old. Initially I thought it might be tired but it does mention most of the popular brands. It’s missing some of the newer Japanese planners (like the Jibun Techo) that have popped up in the last couple years so it may be time for a refresh… assuming we need to keep planners again, right?
8. Pen Show Schedule: Our Pen Show Schedule seems to have fallen down the list this year but under the circumstances we realize most people aren’t planning to travel and there aren’t many pen shows left on the calendar at this point. Laura and I have been frantically trying to keep it updated with the cancellations and rescheduling this year, something we have not had to do in the past. Hopefully, 2021 will bring about a fresh new pen show season. We can hope, right?
9. Review: ALL The Erasable Pens (Pilot Frixion + Uni Fanthom): Pilot Frixion is the best known erasable pen on the market and they have created gel pens, highlighters, markers and more but at the time of writing this review, Uni had released their Fathom line of erasable pens to compete and this was my first experiences with a competitor to the Frixion. It’s one of my earlier reviews so it’s not incredibly thorough. I guess it’s time to take another look.
10. Reconsidering Moleskine: Boy, did this post create a lot of controversy when I posted it. The review was written four years ago and I specifically went out and bought four different notebooks off-the-shelf to test. Since then, it’s possible that Moleskine has continued to change where and how it sources it’s paper but, at the time, my findings were above average. My photography though was sub-par!

Now, I thought it would be fun to make a list of our favorite posts… in no particular order. I asked Laura, Jesi and Tina to contribute to the list as well.

1. 1. Why Does All This Matter: A manifesto of sorts.: Reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and then listening to Magic Lessons rekindled such a passion in me. just this quote: “Live the most creative life as a means of fighting back against the ruthless furnace of this world.” is readymade for 2020, isn’t it. (Ana)
   2. Dudek Modern Goods “The Lady” Display: This post, while about the lovely pen display stand that Mike Dudek made for me is just as much about the pens IN the stand — my ever-growing collection of Lady Sheaffer Skripserts. (Ana)
   3. Planners: Where are they now? – We all buy them, sometimes sight unseen, and hope that they work with our processes. It was a fun exercise to go back and see what worked and what didn’t and it still informs my buying decisions today! (Laura)
   4. 5 Things You Should NOT Keep in a Planner: This was another of those posts that was written a long time ago and I needed to go back and re-read it to see if I still agreed with it. I do. These apply to any notebook. (Ana)
   5. Kickstarter: Wancher True Urushi Fountain Pen in Red: This post means a lot to me because there was a great deal of kismet in the timing of it. My dear friend Kasey was passing through town at the moment I was working on it and kindly loaned me his Nakaya Decapod for comparison. It added exactly what I needed to feel more knowledgeable and hopefully, make the review more well-rounded. (Ana)
   6. Blackwing Eraser Hack-a-Thon Tina says, of this post, “It was such a geeky thing to do (and to want to do), let alone in public.” (Tina)
   7. The “Upstairs” Typewriters: Since this post, I have sold several of these typewriters, and acquired several more. When people ask how many typewriters I own, I think it’s like asking a lady how old she is. My only response is “How rude!” Needless to say, there’s a bit of shame in my typewriter hoarding. But I am proud to say there are only THREE typewriters upstairs at present. (Ana)
   8. Chicago Pen Show Recap 2018 – Technically my second pen show, but the first that I got to experience pen shows after dark. I met so many people, ate chocolate cake bigger than my head and picked up some gorgeous pens that I still love to pieces. (Laura)
   9. Ink Review: Colorverse Sunspot, Black Hole, Vortex Motion and Dark Energy: I must have been punchy when I wrote this. I did about a week straight of writing Colorverse ink reviews when the inks were first available in the US. Everyone was reviewing them and I think I was trying to find how to put a new spin on them. I think this was it. I might have gone too far but I cannot ever look at these three inks the same way since this review. (Ana)
   10. Flashback: Pen Addict World Tour Toronto Video: This is just so silly and off-the-cuff and really summed up how much fun Brad, Myke and I had been having traveling together over the course of the year essentially. We could not have done it without the support of Kickstarter backers and Pen Addict listeners and I couldn’t have been a part of it without the kindness of the guys letting me tag along and be the third wheel. Like so much of the pen community, I am endlessly awed by the kindness I have found.

Honorary Mention: Coming Soon: Col-o-ring Ink Testing Books: This was the public announcement of our first Col-o-ring product and our real launch into the pen community as a business. It was scary and exciting all at the same time. It has changed our lives. It felt good to put something back into the community that we loved so much. And now we leave a trail of little white dots wherever we go. (Bob)

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Like all the previous 10th Anniversary posts, these pencils are not in any particular order but when anyone asks what my favorite pencils are, these are what I usually recommend. My pencil tastes lean towards pencils I can both write and draw with. As a lefty, smudging is a big concern for me as well so I tend to prefer a firmer core when I use graphite. Mostly though, I tend to prefer more wax-based or non-graphite pencils. I will always keep a few graphite pencils in my collection but they will be top tier quality.

1. Sanford NoBlot Ink Pencil. This is the pencil that brought me back to the analog fold. It is no longer manufactured but other indelible pencils can be purchased or you can become as obsessed with these nostalgic wonder sticks.
2. Caran d’Ache Bi-Color 999. Trust me, I’ve tried ALL the other red/blue colored pencils and I always come back to this one. It’s essentially a Supracolor since it’s water soluble so it’s the best of both worlds — it’s a watercolor pencil and a red/blue marking pencil all in one handy-dandy unit. It’s worth the price. ($3 from CWPencils.com)
3. Musgrave Tennessee Red Cedar. This is my signature pencil. As a girl from Tennessee, my fingers were crossed that this pencil would be one that I would like and I ended up loving it. It’s American made and lovely. It smells good, feels good and writes nicely too. ($9 for a dozen)
4. Palomino Blackwing. Shown is the Editions #24 but it is the same as the current Blackwing Natural core which is the extra-firm graphite. It is a classic, workhorse pencil. It looks good, classic and professional. Grab a box. ($24.95 per box of 12 from Blackwing)
5. Stabil0 All Multi-Purpose. It’s a waxy pencil that will write or draw on glass, plastic, wood and more. This pencil is great for collage art and multi-media. Unlike the China Marker mentioned below, the Stabilo All create a rich waxy line but is water soluble. ($1.90 each from CWPencils)
6. Faber-Castell Grip 2001. This rounded triangular pencil with it’s grippy little dots is a pencil I reach for over and over again. The graphite is a little scratchier than the Japanese pencils but I still love this pencil. I wish they wouldn’t put the stupid bar code on it. (3-Pack for $6.75 from JetPens)
7. Prismacolor Col-Erase (Scarlet Red). This is the illustrator/animator’s favorite tool for sketching. The advantage of the Col-Erase is that it does not smear or smudge like graphite, it will erase and even if you don’t erase, if you draw over with black ink, when the artwork is scanned, the “red” channel can be dropped out and VOILA! no sketch lines.
8. Tombow Mono100 F. This is a premium upscale Japanese pencil. It’s a bit softer but not super smudgy. It looks good and the matte finish doesn’t get slick. Other grades are available but the F is FINE. The Mitsubishi Hi-Uni is equally good but aesthetically, I prefer the Tombow Mono100. ($2.35 each at JetPens)
9. Koh-i-noor Magic Pencil. If you know me, you know I love Magic Pencils. These gems have blended red, yellow and blue into the core of the pencil. For doodling and sketching, if its good enough for Milton Glaser, its good enough for me. ($2.25 from CWPencils.com)
10. Sharpie Peel-Off China Marker. With a China Marker, the brand doesn’t matter but everyone should have one in their arsenal. It is essentially a grown up crayon that can be used to mark glass, plastic, cardboard, wood and other surfaces. You know when you go to a thrift store and the prices are written on all the ceramic mugs and glasses in what looks like crayon? Bingo! There is a strip of paper wrapped around a stick of waxed crayon and there’s a bit of string that you pull to tear the paper a bit to “sharpen” the marker. They are great fun to draw with on big sheet of paper or mark lumber or price your yard sale items. Grab a black and a white and they will last a lifetime. (Dermatograph China Marker $2.60 each from CWPencils.com)

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