Review: @OrganicsStudio Emily Dickinson Posie Pink Ink

Shout out to Tyler of Organics Studio for sending this delectable pink ink for me to review and share with you. My god. Is it ever spectacular. 

ABOUT

Color: Pink
Bottle: 55 ml
Price: $14.00
Price/ml: $0.25/ml
Where to buy: Anderson Pens

PROS

• Exquisite flow.
• Wonderful pink colour.
• Gorgeous for broad-nibbed calligraphy.
• Lovely shading, especially in a flex pen.
• Dries quickly, despite being such a wet ink.
• Very legible, even in fine nibs.

CONS

• None. Seriously. I absolutely adore this ink.

OVERALL

Hey. This is a gorgeous pink ink. Seriously. Look at it. Okay, if you don't like pink inks, then you're biased to begin with. I happen to like pink ink, but I'm also very particular about my pink standards. This one blew me away with its wet flow, which I absolutely love. I also love the bottles, which are not glass. I like a nice glass ink bottle, but I worry a lot less about dropping and breaking this one (um, yes, I have dropped glass ink bottles. Fortunately, none have broken thus far...). Do not be disturbed by my taste test. You don't need to lick your ink to use it. I very highly recommend this ink!! Pick yourself up a bottle from Anderson Pens - or just a sample if you're nervous about a bottle of PINK ink.

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This ink was provided free of charge for review (and ridiculous enjoyment) purposes. Wasn't paid, y'all. I'm completely honest. I mean, look at the taste test.  

Whiskers & Paws: August 2013 Edition

Monsieur Notebooks: A Real Leather Alternative to Moleskine @M_Notebook

Monsieur Notebooks produce a series of leather notebooks and sketchbooks, combining charm and function. The covers are made from one single piece of thick hide, and are inherently strong and flexible. Monsieur Notebooks have a leather cover to protect your ideas.

Retailing at a truly affordable price, Monsieur Notebooks have wide variety of choices, from a teeny weeny A7 Mini-Monsieur, to an epic A4 landscape sketchbook. Raw materials are personally chosen; high quality acid-free papers, and leathers that reveal the natural scent and grain of the hide.

Monsieur Notebooks are currently available from distributors in Australia, Germany and Turkey. A contract for the USA and Canada have been signed. In a very short space of time, Monsieur Notebooks have moved from batch production, to full-time manufacture. They are at manufacturing capacity, and need to meet minimum orders to justify expansion with their manufacturers.

Do check out the IndieGoGo campaign to help bring Monsieur Notebooks to the USA and Canada! Pledges start at a mere $1USD but you won't get a notebook until the $20 pledge. Not bad. With options like different leather colors, sizes, papers, LASER ENGRAVING...?! This is dangerous...

Review: Sheaffer Sagaris Wine & Chrome Fountain Pen - Medium @ThePenCompany

This lovely Sheaffer Sagaris was sent by The Pen Company - a wonderful family-run online company based in the UK. They do offer international shipping and are great to deal with so be sure to browse their great selection of tempting goodies! Or not... if you have no self control like me.

ABOUT

Brand: Sheaffer
Model: Sagaris
Body Material: Lacquer
Trim: Chrome
Length (capped): 132mm
Length (uncapped nib-end): 118mm
Length (posted): 147mm
Barrel Diameter: 10.5mm
Section Diameter: 9.25mm
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 31 g
Barrel design: Round
Fill type: Cartridge/converter
Price: £41.67 excluding VAT
Where to buy: The Pen Company

PACKAGING

Simple packaging on this pen - a Sheaffer box in a sleeve. Inside the box, the pen was nestled in a felt bed, held down by a felt strap. Under the felt bed is the Sheaffer booklet with two cartridges, in addition to the converter supplied with the pen. It's a sufficient box, but not one I will be keeping. It takes up far too much space.

The Pen Company also sent this leather pen case that is quite handy. Um.... I need pen storage. Mine is shameful.

APPEARANCE

The fountain pen (and rollerball pen) comes with a tapered push-fit cap and the classic gloss black grip section. The wine, chrome, and black combine well and look great together, which is why I was attracted to the wine colour in the first place. The wine is a solid wine colour with a gloss on the body. The clip has the Sheaffer white dot on it.

I very much like the taper to the cap and barrel. I am fond of this shape in pens, even if it's just slight, so the Sagaris has me there. 

The Sagaris is also available in chrome and black, if wine isn't your colour.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The pen wrote right out of the box - no flushing was necessary. The nib is a solid medium and is quite stiff. There is little line variation obtainable without serious pressure. This is not feasible when writing, so I will stick to my conclusion that it is a stiff steel nib. It is decently smooth though, which surprised me - there was a little feedback but to the extent that I liked it, especially on very smooth paper. It is not a wet nib - it lays down a good line of ink without gushing. Personally I prefer wetter pens so this nib might need a touch of work, but for most users, I think they would be pleased. Unposted, the pen is very comfortable to write with and my writing was uniform and consistent.

 

IN HAND

This Sheaffer Sagaris feels quite solid and durable in hand. It is much more slender than I was expecting. It feels slightly thin in my hand, especially at the section which thins out, compared to the barrel. However, the weight is comfortable and nicely balanced when unposted, which is how I chose to write with it. Posted, it becomes top heavy and not particularly comfortable for my hand. I suspect users with larger hands won't have issues with posting and the weight.

PROS

• Accepts Sheaffer cartridges or converter.
• Writes right out of the box.
• Well-balanced pen,
• Suitable for smaller hands unposted, and larger hands when posted. 
• Cap clicks on very snugly. I love it. (FPGeeks loves it too.)  
• Classic appearance. I like it.

CONS

• If you really like to post your pens and you have small hands, it may be difficult - it becomes top heavy.
• Dislike the grey converter body. Ink is still visible but I don't understand why it's grey. 

OVERALL

The Sheaffer Sagaris is a very nice pen, especially in its price range. It offers a reliable, solid nib in an attractive body, at a very decent price point. Just over that of the Lamy Safari, giving you a more elegant pen. I also like that there are other colour options available, all of which are quite professional and tasteful. I had a very positive experience with the Sheaffer Sagaris (and the lovely Pen Company, as always), therefore I can happily recommend both to you!

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This pen was sent by The Pen Company for review. I was not compensated monetarily, but I am spoiled rotten and get to keep this delectable thing. All opinions here are 100% my own, cross my heart.

Wordless Wednesday

Mailbox Goodies: Korean Yummies

A kind and sweet reader sent me this awesome box all the way from South Korea! Thank you so much, Suhjin! I have started playing with the pens (and um...snacking on the treats...).

Sunday Reads - August 25. 2013

• Inkdependence shares Part 2 of the DC Supershow, and then Part 3!
• The Pen Addict shares his Lamy 2000 fountain pen review.
• Giveaway at Pentulant: Brush Dance journals!
• The Clicky Post reviews a black Rotring 600 rollerball pen. And now I want it. I need a Rotring, don't I? Yes.
• No food p0rn yet? Here it is. The ultimate chocolate cupcakes. I haven't made them, but it's food p0rn. Also, Texas Sheet cake. What is this magic?
• Anderson Pens are now carrying Zequenz notebooks - the 360 degree roll up journal! Most fascinating, and I must get one ASAP, obviously. 
• What do you want to see reviewed on EdJelley?
• Our very own Pen Addict introduces Nock Co. - PENCIL CASES!!!
• Cool wedding favours.

Review: Noodler's Konrad Flex Fountain Pen - Hawaiian Tortoise @JetPens

I took the plunge and got a Noodler's Konrad flex fountain pen from JetPens. My third Noodler's fountain pen. And this time, I was really hoping this one would actually work. (If you interact with me personally, you probably know I have two Noodler's flex fountain pens and neither of them work, despite my best efforts. I have tried everything under the sun to get them to work.) I thought, there was no way this one won't work. Peeps. Let's just say from now, I'm super happy. Now on to the pen.

ABOUT

Brand: Noodler's
Model: Konrad
Body Material: Plastic
Trim: Chrome coloured
Origins: India
Length (capped): 13.0 cm
Length (uncapped nib-end): 12.6 cm
Length (posted): 13.4 cm
Barrel Diameter: 12.0 mm
Section Diameter: 10.5 mm
Nib type: #6
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 15g
Barrel design: Round
Fill type: Piston
Price:$20.00USD
Where to buy: JetPens

PACKAGING

Simple Noodler's style packaging - arrived in a plastic sleeved, wrapped in Noodler's info paper, placed inside a cardboard box with artwork on it. For the price, I don't mind terribly, and because I rarely keep the boxes for my pens anymore, I prefer less packaging. Less waste, less resources. The pen arrives safely and without damage.Don't expect much from the packaging!

APPEARANCE

Shape-wise, the Noodler's Konrad fountain pen isn't a bad looking pen at all. The pen has a classic style and shape with blunt ends, a metal center band and clip, and features a piston-filling mechanism. The screw-off blind cap can be removed to reveal the piston-turning knob.

What is going to catch your eye with this Hawaiian Tortoise Konrad is the smooth, colourful body - a yellow/orange/gold mixture, which also goes as dark as a deep amber, of translucent plastic with a clear ink window. It varies from translucent to opaque but it's quite interesting and there are many colours to choose from.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

For starter's, one should always flush a new Noodler's fountain pen before use, so I did that. Afterwards, I inked up with Noodler's Apache Sunset. I knew the pen would write for a few lines at least because it had just been inked, but after my previous experiences, I was expecting it would run dry and just never write again.THIS DID NOT HAPPEN!

For the love of St. Nibbius, it actually writes!!! I didn't even have to tweak the nib (although I will to make it a touch wetter). There is some feedback and is fairly fine but flexes well - not a soft flex - it does require decent pressure to flex. Consistent ink flow, and with slow and steady pressure, ink flow keeps up with the nib's flexing capabilities. For me, it was well worth the $20 risk. This pen lays down a good, solid line, even without any tweaking, and the wetness is quite decent without pressure. The nib snaps back quickly to its original position after flexing. 

The piston operates very smoothly and easily. No issues there. 

IN HAND

This pen is light and comfortable to use. It has good balance and isn't particularly slippery at the grip section or sharp at the threads during use. It is well weighted both posted and unposted, though I prefer to use it unposted. It posts well, which I appreciate and I'm sure a lot of other users will appreciate. I gave the pen a good test run and wrote extensively with it - no issues with ink flow keeping up and no issues with hand fatigue. I was most pleased.

PROS

• Piston-filling pen (for only $20!)
• Good ink capacity.
• Easy maintenance - easy to take apart and put back together, even as a new user.
• Affordable.
• Many colours available.
• Ebonite feed. Can be heat set to fit various nibs. 
• Lovely line variation!

CONS

• Some units may require tweaking to achieve optimal performance. May be difficult for new users. (But there are many, many tutorials and guides online on how to do this!)
• Nib needs to be broken in with use before becoming a softer flex.
• Pen must be flushed before use to remove machining oils. If you don't do this, chances are your pen won't write properly. 
• They do have that strange smell. Smell will fade or a few washings should help it wear off. 

OVERALL

I was hesitant to try the Noodler's Konrad flex fountain pen and I am most happy that I finally took the plunge on it. The pen is not as translucent as I had expected, but it's a very nice swirly colour that is growing on me daily, and more importantly, it actually works. It offers decent line variation and the ink flow can actually keep up! Not bad for $20, not bad at all. If you can spare $20, I would recommend you pick one (or if you have $40, pick up another in a different colour), and try it out. Give one to a friend. JetPens offers a variety of colours, if Hawaiian Tortoise doesn't strike your fancy. These are good pens to try out flexible nibs and flex handwriting - affordable and easy to get!

Wordless Wednesday

@Montblanc_US Ink Giveaway at @FPGeeks

Watch and win! Head over to FPGeeks and watch this week's Inkcyclopedia to find out how to win yourself a bottle of Montblanc's Honoré de Balzac! Do not miss this ink. It is BEAUTIFUL.

Mailbox Goodies: I Should Go Away More Often.

I was away from my mailbox for three weeks. I didn't have time to prepare this post last Monday, so it had to sit and wait for an extra week, so this is actually only three weeks of waiting. Only, she says.

This is what was waiting for me on my desk when I got back. The first thing that was opened was the tube, which contained the most fascinating letter I've ever received (pictured in this post, I'll point it out). Speaking of letters...

Tallia, girl, you know my taste. Thank you!!

I FINALLY broke my three month pen and ink-buying hiatus - you know, the one that Eric challenged me to way back when. Okay, not way back when, but three months ago. I finally bought myself the Pelikan M400 white tortoise, a pen I have wanted for a long time now. I have the BB nib ground to a stub by John Mottishaw. And then I had to wait an extra two weeks to come home to it, which was torture. And I still haven't had time to ink it.

Some inks and an eyedropper pen (my favourite) from Organics Studio - reviews to come.One of these are pink. Yes. Yes. If you can't wait for reviews, pick some up at Anderson Pens for yourself. I won't judge you. Thank you Tyler!

From JetPens, I placed TWO orders. Well, I broke the hiatus. May as well go all out, right? I actually took the plunge on another Noodler's pen. That ink is Diamine Graphite.

Some awesome surprise stamps from my pal Steve!! Note the circle resembles the logo in my banner!! I will have to incorporate this into some artistic logo art somehow! Thank you so much Steve.

Andy sent me the super cute pink Clairefontaine notebook and Calepino notebook - which you will see up on FPGeeks but not for a little while. Thank you Andy! Adorable, right?

Here is what was inside that mysterious tube - a scroll of a letter, with more letter around it, and some ink samples, including Parker Penman Sapphire (which I had, shockingly, not yet tried!!). One of the coolest pen pals ever. If you're reading this Bill, thank you.

Thank you everyone, for the wonderful letters, surprises, parcels, random things... thank you. You are all so kind, so generous, so thoughtful. I appreciate you all so much.