The Frixion 3-Colors Slim came with the standard red, blue and black erasable gel refills. Being spoiled by the endless variations in color in fountain pen ink, I get really pouty if I have to use “boring, standard” colors in any writing tool. So, I was delighted that many alternate color refills were available for the Frixion multi-pen (individual refills start at $2.30).

I tested the Frixion pen and inks on two paper types: a standard big box store composition notebook and my fancier Tomoe River as well.

I’m really happy with upgraded ink colors though it did make the multi-pen exponentially more expensive than using the stock inks. I did not find a Frixion multi-pen option that came empty though so if you are hoping to upgrade the ink colors in the Frixion multi-pen the final price will come in at about $15USD. While the refills might fit into a different multi-pen body, the “frixion”-specific multi-pen bodies are the only ones that include the built-in eraser. It is possible to get a stand alone Frixion eraser ($1.65) if you want to mix it up.

On the very porous composition book paper, the Frixion eraser erased adequately. It was a lot of ink converage and probably not the same as erasing a couple words of text so, depending on your paper YMMV.

Next up is the Tomoe River paper. Overall, the Frixion multi-pen performed similar but there was a noticeably longer dry time for the ink on Tomoe River.

The color and line weights all looked similar on the TR paper and the ink erased quite easily. I would even say that it erased better and more completely than on the composition book.

Overall, the Frixion multi-pen is a lot of fun and the erasability is a really great feature that I always forget how delightful it is to be able to erase ink.

Other sizes and configurations are also available with 2- to 4-color components. See the full collection here.

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

The post Pen Review: Pilot FriXion Ball3 Slim 3-Color Multi Pen (0.38 mm – Pearl Green) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The nib is custom made by Schon DSGN in their Philadelphia workshop and is formed from a single piece of titanium. There is so much thought and consideration in the development of this nib that I could prattle on about how it was created but I won’t do it nearly the justice it deserves. I recommend reading the details directly from Schon DSGN and even take time to watch the video.

I mean, I couldn’t even get a good clear photo of the full depth of this nib what makes you think I can talk eloquently about it?!?! But dig that star engraved on the back side of the nib! Such a nice touch!

For a comparison in size, the Pocket Six is similar in size to the Kaweco Sport but the aluminum material feels weightier and sturdier.

While the Monoc nib will fit into any pen that takes a JOWO nib unit, putting this unique nib in one of Schon DSGN’s awesome anonized aluminum fountain pen designs seems like the best way to show off its unique looks.

In writing tests, I used the pen on both Tomoe River paper and a Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook. I purchased the fine nib but it is definitely a European fine and more comparable to a MF or medium nib for me. It’s silky smooth to write with and can be used in a wide variety of angles. The nib can be flipped over and used upside down and it writes with a slightly finer point. It can also be angled from a low- to high-writing angle without any issues. If you’ve ever had issues with fountain pen nibs do to an unusual writing angle, the Monoc nib might be the perfect option for you.

Overall, I am thrilled I can support (with help from my Patrons!) Ian and his crazy adventures in nib making. The looks and overall quality of his pens in next level. They are modern and echo to our fountain pen history at the same time. The term visionary gets thrown around a lot but what Schon DSGN is doing really is visionary.

The Monoc nib is expensive but it is made in the US using premium materials and is tested before its sent out. If you are more interested in the Pocket Six, I also can’t recommend them enough. This galactic look Pocket Six is my second Pocket Six.  The original has been a daily carry since I got it and I suspect the new galactic Monoc will join its sister, the “Ferrara Rocher” hammered brass with a custom nib from Franklin-Christoph.

The post Pen & Nib Review: Schon DSGN Monoc Nib & Anodized Aluminum “Pocket Six” Fountain Pen appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Despite really liking my TWSBI ECOs, I’ve never actually branched out and tried any of their other pens. (I take that back, I tried the TWSBI Swipe a while ago and thought it was ok.) But this time I saw the TWSBI Diamond Mini AL in Grape (a limited edition color!; $62.50) and decided to give the more expensive model a go!

The Diamond Mini AL is TWSBI’s version of a pocket pen. It is styled similarly to the other pens, in the sense that it has a transparent plastic barrel which gives you a bird’s eye view of the piston filling system. There are differences though. The grip and part of the piston system are designed in aluminum. The barrel of the pen is faceted (hence the “Diamond” feel and look). While the ECO and the SWIPE tend to be boxier, with edges on the cap, the Diamond Mini’s edges are rounded, and the cap is tapered. Overall while the ECO is utilitarian, the Diamond Mini is a bit sleeker looking.

I decided to compare a few pens that I use as daily writers to give you a sense of size.

L to R: TWSBI Eco, TWSBI Diamond Mini AL, Kaweco AL Sport, Sailor Pro-Gear Slim.

While the pens vary quite a bit in length when capped, when uncapped the Diamond Mini AL and the Kaweco AL Sport aren’t that different in length. The nibs, however, do have a size differential. In terms of weight they’re very similar: The Pro Gear comes in at 19gm, the ECO at 20, the AL Sport at 21g, and finally the Diamond Mini AL is the heaviest at 23g. But that’s not a HUGE range.

So what do I think? If I’m entirely 100% honest, I don’t feel much of a writing difference between the ECO and the Diamond Mini AL. This is my first extra fine nib from TWSBI, and given that TWSBI tends to use western-style nibs, I don’t find the extra fine to be scratchy in the least. In fact I quite like it. The pen is a bit weightier in my hand, and it’s smaller in size, but I have small hands and it seems like a comfortable writer. So what would make me pay more for the Diamond AL Mini? To me, it comes down to aesthetics. The Mini is fun, and often I do prefer aluminum to plastic (see my preferences for Kawecos!), but given that I don’t see a huge writing difference, I feel like I’m more apt to stick with the ECOs than amass another collection.

Do you have a favorite TWSBI? I’d love to hear about it!

• Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Notebook – A5 – Graph ($10.00)
• Pen: TWSBI Diamond Mini AL in Grape ($62.50)
• Inks: Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu (50mL for $26.00)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge or at a discount for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Fountain Pen Review: TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape – Limited Edition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Dip nibs are not a new concept. In fact, they much more closely resemble some of the original quills and pens that didn’t have ink reservoirs from which to draw from. Imagine the old-time writer dipping a nib in ink, writing a few letters or words, and dipping again. Today, many folks use dip nibs to test a variety of inks, play with new nibs, or do quick sketches or drawings. I’m not aware of anyone who uses dip nibs as their primary writing instrument (maybe Michael Sull with his Spencerian Script).

So today I’ll be looking at three pens:

• MD Dip Pen ($28, purchased with my own funds from Yoseka Stationery)
• Pilot Iro-Utushi (retails for $11-$26, given to Ana by Pilot USA)
• Sailor Hocoro ($16.00, purchased with Ana’s funds from Yoseka Stationery)

MD Dip Pen

At the most expensive and weighty end of the spectrum, this all started with the MD Dip Pen from Midori. The pen is only available in a Medium nib as far as I can tell, and it isn’t removable. The pen body is plastic and weighs the most of the pens I tested at 11g. The length is comparable to the others.

The Pros: I like the weight of this one – though I know many prefer lighter pens, this one feels really lovely in my hand. It was probably middle of the road in terms of being able to write at length – sometimes I managed to get through a whole line, sometimes I needed to re-dip fairly quickly.

The Cons: The price. You can get the other dip nib pens for a bit cheaper, and even get some additional choice and functionality.

Pilot Iro-Utushi

This pen was the longest, and the tapered body was interesting looking. The pen is available with two nibs and two body choices. Opt for plastic for $11, or upgrade to wood at $26. The nib is not removable.

Pros: With two nibs and two body types to choose from (and a few colors available in each) you have some choice with this one. The plastic body puts it at the cheapest of the three models, and the nib was my favorite out of the three to write with.

Cons: The only con on this one for me is that the nib isn’t removable. It’s not unique in that, but if I could put other Pilot nibs in this body, I’d probably be inclined to invest in this one.

Sailor Hocoro

The Sailor Hocoro was the most interesting option that I tested. It’s available in 4 different nib types, including calligraphy nibs, which I tried. The most unique part of this pen is that the nibs are interchangeable. And they pop out and can be inverted (the nib fits into the hollow barrel) for storage. That makes this one the most versatile of your dip pen options I tried.

The Pros: The combo of the price and the versatility make this pen my top choice of the three I tested. It’s cute, provides easy on-the-go storage and is comfortable in the hand.

The Cons: The calligraphy nib was fun to play with but they most frustrating to use of all the nibs I tested. I think this is because it’s basically a stub nib, and lays down quite a bit of ink. It means that the ink was very inconsistent, and it ran out quite quickly, requiring lots of dipping. I’d love to test out the fine or fude nib.

My overall conclusion is that I have a limited use case for dip nib pens. I use them most often when doing ink reviews, as it allows me to show how the ink would appear in a variety of thicknesses, and exhibit shading and sheening if it has any. I have tested a few dip nibs in the past, and tend to stick with my tried and true Delike Glass Signature Pen (spoiler: it’s not really glass). What I love about it is the ability to switch the nibs out, and that the glass nib holds a bunch of ink, meaning I don’t have to dip as frequently.

• Paper: Baron Fig Mastermind Dot Grid
• Inks: All Robert Oster – Honey Bee, Spearmint, Velvet Crush

DISCLAIMER: Some of these items in this post were purchased with my own funds, others were provided for free or at discounted cost for the purposes of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Pen Trends: Dip Nib Mania appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

My Google-fu tells me that the Pilot Explorer debuted in 2019 and I’m not quite sure how I missed it. Well, I have a few guesses. My first Pilot love was actually the Pilot Metropolitan series. When I first started getting into fountain pens, the Metropolitans were in the “under $20 crowd” which meant they were easily obtainable for me. They came in a variety of fun colors, an array of nib sizes, and were lightweight and felt good in my hand. I may still have several (I can find at least 3 sitting right near me!)

So back to the Explorer. The Explorer is an odd little pen. It’s now priced in the same range as the Pilot Metropolitan (as of writing this the Explorer is $25 and the Metropolitan is $25.42 at JetPens), but it’s a plastic body. Yes, even though it looks like a metallic finish that’s all plastic baby! It comes standard with a steel nib in either Fine or Medium, and a black clip. I also think it looks a lot like the Lamy Safari or AL-Star – doesn’t it remind you of the Vibrant Pink edition?

Then pen comes with a snap cap that is postable, and a proprietary cartridge and converter. (It’s one of the squeeze-y ones so make of that what you will.) The pen is around 5″ uncapped (12.5 cm and 4.8″ to be precise) and 5.5″ capped (14cm and 5.6″). It weighs in at a cool 14g which makes it about the same as the Platinum Preppy that I reviewed a few weeks ago.

All of this is to say that this pen looks and feels like other pens I’ve written with. And while it is perfectly serviceable and nice enough to write with, there’s nothing in it that grabs me and makes me say “Gosh I LOVE this pen.”

Have you tried the Explorer? What do you think?

The post Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Explorer appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Back in April of 2022 Mike collaborated with Pennonia to produce a Cheerio Waterbus ink and, at the same time, his wife Audrey created a special edition nail polish color of the same name. The ink was a lovely emerald green with lots of blue pigment – a blue green color after my own heart. So when the pen came out I just couldn’t skip it.

The Cheerio Waterpen was designed as a full size Schon Dsgn pen. It has an aluminum barrel with an anodized finish, and houses a Jowo #6 nib which I ordered in fine. Despite being a full size pen, the Cheerio Waterpen is a small size (nice for those of us with small hands!) coming in at about 5″/13cm capped, and 4.875″/12.5cm uncapped. It is postable, but I choose not to as it’s perfectly balanced without. The pen came with a standard international converter and can be used with cartridges as well.

In terms of weight, it weighs in at 27g, not unexpected for a metal barreled pen.

As part of my green/teal/blue collection, it stands in good company.

L to R: Kaweco x Hello Kitty Opal Green AL Sport, Franklin Christoph Vanness Pocket 45, SchonDSGN Cheerio Waterpen, Pelikan M205 Apatite

The pen itself is exceedingly pretty, but it’s also a delight to write with. The nib is perfectly bouncy and writes smoothly, with good ink flow. The pen itself is fairly lightweight, and the section in particular is the perfect length and circumference for me to write comfortably.

So now I’ve got a pretty new pen and a great new notebook – I just need a few meetings to get started!

The post Fountain Pen Review: SchonDsgn x Inkdependence “Cheerio Waterpen” appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I went ahead and bought the Aurora 3-color pack ($11.00), which is unfortunately sold out. The pack contains three pens with 0.7mm tips, and something that looks a bit like an eraser (but certainly doesn’t feel like your standard rubber eraser).

The ink in these pens makes them a little bit like FriXion pens. It’s thermo-sensitive meaning that it will erase when heat (or friction from the eraser) is applied. They do caution that you shouldn’t leave these pens in a car on a hot day! And apparently if you get your writing very cold (i.e. the freezer), the ink reappears? What magic is this?

The only disappointing part for me is that I don’t see much glitter. I tried shaking the pens (hey it works for fountain pen ink right?) and I still saw only a scant spot or two, not enough to even show up in the photos.

Overall, I’d say these pens were a fun experiment and I’ll enjoy using them (and erasing any mistakes I make!).

• Papers: Ivory Paper Company Notebook ($27.95) – review forthcoming
• Pen: Pilot Kese Lame Erasable Glitter Gel Pen ($3.80 each, set of 3 for $11.00, set of 6 for $22.00)

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

The post Pen Review: Pilot Kese Lamé Erasable Glitter Gel Pen appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Cavalier line is only available in a Fine or Medium nib but does feature a snap cap and the interior of the pen is large enough to support a converter though the pen only ships with a cartridge.

The nib in different in shape compared to other lower-priced Pilot pens like the Preppy, Prera or Metropolitan. The nib shape is more similar to the nibs used in the E95 line except the Cavalier nib is a steel nib and the E95 is a gold nib.

I really appreciate the silver tone hardware on this pen, I think it accents the subtle pink shimmer barrel nicely. All the colors of the Cavalier at $36 feature silver hardware but the higher priced marbled designs feature gold tone hardware.

On paper like Rhodia, the Cavalier is a crisp fine nib. Over the past few weeks, I’ve tried the pen with various inks and papers and the line width will vary a bit depending on the wetness of the ink or the absorbency of the paper. I find on Stalogy, depending on my ink selection, the line width can skew wider. If you prefer a fine line, with the Cavalier, I recommend seeking out drier inks.

The Cavalier is a relatively light pen weighing in a 18gms capped and filled and just 10gms uncapped. That’s considerably lighter than it’s bigger brother, the Metropolitan.

(From left to right: Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Pilot Cavalier, vintage Platinum pocket pen, Kaweco Special FP, Caran d’Ache 849 and Lamy AL-Star.)

As you can see from the side-by-side comparison images above, the Pilot Cavalier is the most slender of the pens shown and I specifically chose a few pens that I consider to be the slimmer in my collection.  With the added convenience of the snap cap, the cavalier is a great journal pen. It fits easily under a notebook elastic or tucked into the pen holder in many planners.

The cap posts for those who are curious.

In general, I am a sucker for small slender pens. There are not a lot available on the market so when I do find one, I am often willing to purchase it. The Cavalier is no exception. The combination of the slim barrel and snap cap puts this pen in my sweet spot for a daily writer. It’s perfect for those short everyday notes, lists and meetings when you need a pen that is quick to use and easily portable. The metal barrel makes the Cavalier feel comparable to the Metropolitan line in terms of build quality in a smaller package and with a unique nib shape.

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

The post Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Cavalier appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Normally, I prefer easy-to-recycle packaging and The Scribe is both posh and recyclable. The pen comes in a square-shaped tin embossed with the company logo and a friction-fit cap. The packaging can be recycled because its metal but can also be reused. It’s pretty enough to look good on-shelf in a shop and present as a gift. This would definitely qualify as a pen that would or could be gifted to a graduate or someone who just got their doctorate or passed the bar.

While most readers here are avid fountain pen collectors, I suspect we all own some upscaled ballpoint or rollerball pens and The Scribe would sit beautifully amongst our fountain pens.

The Scribe is available in several different lacquer colors but I chose the millennial pink because …. why not? The pen itself is a rounded square shape that is comfortable in the hand. The hardware is gold tone and the pen features a hex-shaped, knurled end that will advance and retract the pen tip. The clip is long and slender with subtle engraving on the clip with the company branding.

The most disappointing part of The Scribe is the refill.  I discovered that The Scribe utilizes the Cross screw-in refill.  It’s probably one of the most limited refill options. While the Cross screw-in refill is available at most big box office supply stores, options are limited in terms of tip widths, colors and ink type. With the (more common) Parker-style refill, users can choose a wide variety of options and these refill are readily available just about any place that sells stationery from a drugstore to a pen shop.

For a non-pen-snob, the refill might not be a dealbreaker.  The Cross ballpoint refill is long lasting and available in blue and black. Its a solid refill.

For picky folks, like myself, this lack of refill options is a sad turn of events. Unfortunately, until I purchased the pen, I didn’t know what refill it would take. With most ballpoint pens, I already have a cache of refill options that I’ve hacked or modified to work but the Cross screw-in refill is the hardest to create an alternative. So, if you have. preference for gel ink, microtips or a wider range of color options, I wouldn’t recommend this pen. It’s beautiful but its usefulness is severely limited by the refill. I wish The Scribe had used a Parker-style refill or even the Schmidt rollerball refill. If it had, I would have definitely put The Scribe in the same class as the 849 or the Retro 51 Tornado as a new “modern classic”.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

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I can’t believe, in over 12 years of blogging about fountain pens, I’ve never reviewed a Platinum Plaisir. Thanks to Gentleman Stationer for sending over this extra special Platinum Plaisir Aura 2022 Special Edition ($41 available in 3 colors). This model of the Plaisir is a little bit fancier than the standard model (approx. $18) but the biggest differences is in the color choices rather than anything specific to the nib options or overall materials.

I received the Merry Pink color of the Plaisir Aura. This model features a white pearlescent barrel and cap color. The grip section is clear so that the user can see the contrasting color feed. As the name suggests, the Merry Pink has a pink feed. The Plaisir is available in Fine (03) and Medium (04) which are the same nib sizes available for the standard Plaisir models.

The Plaisir, like many of the other fountain pens in the lower end of the Platinum line, the pen opens and closes with a snap cap and features the “slip and seal” cap which keeps the ink from drying out in the pen. I love having snap cap pens in my office since most writing done during the day is short notes, meeting notes and lists and being able to quickly remove and replace the cap makes my life a little easier while still getting to use a fountain pen.

The only aesthetic issue I have with the pen is the bright silver-colored cap band. The engraved details make the cap band feel fussy when compared with how clean and modern the pen feels overall. Honestly, its the cap band that has probably kept me from purchasing the Plaisir in the past.

The Plaisir ships with a blue ink cartridge but if you want to use a converter, it will have to be purchased separately.

Comparison:

The most similar pen to the Plaisir is the Pilot Metropolitan (approx. $19.50). Both pens are roughly the same and feature an aluminum body.  Both have rounded ends like a cigar shape though the Plaisir is a bit rounder.

The Pilot Mertropolitan is a little slimmer and just a little bit shorter.

However, the Metropolitan is heavier than the Plaisir. The Plaisir weighs 17gms capped or posted while the Metropolitan weighs 26gms. Uncapped, the Plaisir weighs 10gms and the Metropolitan weighs 16gms. The difference in weight is minimal but it’s interesting to note that there is a difference.

Both pens can be posted and are being about the same length posted as they are uncapped or capped.

The nib on the Plaisir is the same nib used in the Procyon, Prefounte and Preppy. They can be interchanged among each pen should you want to swap them out. Similarly, the Pilot Metropolitan nib can be swapped out with the Penmanship, Prera, Cavalier and Kakuno (I feel like the last two should be the Pavalier and Pakuno — just to keep with the predominance of Ps in the pen names). You can see why I immediately made a comparison between these pens.

With these lower priced fountain pens, the converters cost almost as much as the pen. The Pilot CON-40 ($7.25) and the Platinum Converter ($11) are both surprisingly pricey. But, the converters can be swapped across all the pens in the brand’s catalogue so you don’t need to have one for each pen if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on converters. With the fine nibs, the cartridges will last quite awhile so you don’t need one right away.

Writing Sample:

When writing with the Plaisir, the nib is smooth and has a little bit of bounce. When compared with the Metropolitan (also a Fine nib) they are quite similar but the Pilot Metropolitan Fine is a little finer and as a result has a bit more feedback.

Overall, the Plaisir Aura is a lovely pen (cap band is being ignored because the white iridescent and bright feed colors are cool). Would I recommend paying $41 for a Plaisir Aura? Sure, why not. We are the same people who pay $20 for a Metropolitan when we could get a similar nib for $10 in the Kakuno or Penmanship. It’s all about aesthetics and FOMO. I think the Plaisir Aura is a nice opportunity to get a cool looking pen for under $50. Platinum makes good pens and their converters, while pricey, are some of the best in the business.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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