Wordless Wednesday

Ink Shot Review: @Kaweco Ruby Red Ink @JetPens

A new review series! Of course, it's all about ink. 

 

ABOUT

Color: Red
Bottle: 30 ml
Price: $17.50USD
Price/ml: $0.58/ml
Where to buy: JetPens

PROS

• Beautiful, deep, sultry red ink.
• Nice shading but reaches full saturation quickly. 
• A great red - not bright correction red, but not too dark either.

CONS

• Expensive. 
• Tastes gross.
• No water resistance.

OVERALL

I love the colour of this ink - it's a deep red, but not the correction type red. Good properties, well-behaved, and a bottle that isn't something you have to wrestle with.

I received this ink free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Pen, Ink & Paper P0rn: Waterman Music Nib & Sailor Jentle Sky High Sheen

If you haven't already noticed, I like flex nibs. Especially Waterman flex nibs. Especially this Waterman music flex nib. I also really like Sailor Jentle Sky High ink and I'm really bummed that Sailor discontinued it (and I am skeptical whether Souten will be a replacement for it. Le sigh.).

I love this nib because it really highlights the shading and sheen of just about every ink I've ever used with it so far. Also: crazy delectable ink pooling.

Check out my review of the music nib here, as well as my music nib post if you're curious about music nibs!

Whiskers & Paws: December 2014 Edition

Sigh. There's always at least one that won't sit still. Or one that won't look at the camera. Or both happening at the same time. It's like herding cats, I swear. 

Wordless Wednesday

Review: @Kaweco Sport Art Amber - Broad @Fontoplum0

Thank you Sebastian for sending this beautiful fountain pen for me to review! Now, of course, I am obsessed with all the others...

ABOUT

Body Material: Acrylic
Trim: None (unless you buy a clip separately)
Length (capped): 10.5 mm
Length (uncapped nib-end): 10.0 mm
Length (posted): 13.1 mm
Barrel Diameter: 11.0 mm
Section Diameter: 10.9 mm
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 12 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Price: €89,50
Where to buy: Fontoplumo (no amber left)

PACKAGING

The Sport Art fountain pen came packaged in a Kaweco tin pen case in a molded felt bed. This whole tin is inside a cardboard sleeve. I like this packaging because it's simple, and not terribly wasteful (although the cardboard sleeve is unnecessary), and the tin can be reused. If the little felt bed is removed, it can hold many other things!

APPEARANCE

Each of these pens are made out of solid acrylic bars, therefore, each pen is unique. The Sport Art is a beautiful pen. I much prefer it to the regular Sport pen and the only difference is the material. The pen is a compact pocket pen, with a gold Kaweco logo on top of the cap, a wider cap than barrel, and both the barrel and cap have eight sides which are slightly rounded so they are not sharp edges.

The section is small with threads that blend into the barrel, and it flares slightly towards the nib. Kaweco Art Sport Germany is engraved on the cap very tastefully.

This is a really gorgeous pen. The acrylic is stunning and looks awesome as the Sport model, particularly with the gold trim. I wish it was still around, or that Kaweco had expanded the line even more.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is a small gold-plated broad steel nib that looks great with the finish of this pen. The warm gold-plating is a perfect complement for the rich amber acrylic. This nib has the Kaweco logo stamped on it, along with the nib size, and some scroll work.

I found the nib a little dry, but that was simply due to the nib tines being too tight. A little "making the nib wetter" and it was much better. Easy peasy. It would be a shame for this beautiful pen with this lovely broad nib to be DRY. Ink flow was good, the nib was smooth with no feedback. I used a Kaweco ink cartridge in the pen as I actually really like the paradise blue ink. Performance is on par with the other Kaweco Sport pens; comfortable, satisfactory.

IN HAND

The Sport Art is light and very comfortable, being a compact pen. It's fairly small unposted, so I prefer to use it posted, but it posts wonderfully, deeply, snugly, and it's delightful. Mmmm. I love the feeling of the acrylic and how it warms up in my hand. The section is small but suitable for my grip and the threads do not get in the way.

It's a great fit. If you have really large hands, it may be too small, but since it posts, it becomes a useable pen for most!

PROS

• Beautiful finish. 
• Compact, portable.
• Interchangeable nib units. 
• Can be used as an eyedropper (if you're brave!). 
• Nib performs reliably and consistently.
• Clip available separately, if you need one.

CONS

• Discontinued.
• Expensive.

OVERALL

While I'd love to suggest you go get one of these amber Sport Art pens, it's discontinued, so you  may have a tough time finding this particular finish (although I do know of someone who is about to sell theirs...). There are a few other beautiful finishes available though. If you are looking for a compact, portable pen, the Kaweco Sport series is a great choice, and if you're willing to splurge a little, you can get a beautiful acrylic body!

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.

Review: Leather On The High Street Leather 3 Pen Case

ABOUT

Leather: 2mm Yarwood's Finest Genuine Leather
Size: 16cm x 10cm (as they are handmade, sizes may vary slightly)
Price: £20.99
Where To Buy: Leather On The High Street
eBay: Leather On The High Street

This solid, rugged leather pen case is from Leather On The High Street. This is genuine tan leather. It looks, feels, and smells like leather! It has some grain and texture to it, which I think gives it some character, and along with the tan colour, I can see this being a gorgeous piece in some time when it develops even more character.

The case is hand punched and stitched using waxed thread. The thread is thick and the stitching is solid and secure, which is important, especially for the securing strap.

The leather has been moulded around the pens and can accommodate some seriously large pens (think a Delta Dolcevita Oversize, a Taccia Savanna Special Edition, a Visconti Opera Crystal, etc).

They are deep pockets so even long pens will be well protected, right up to their caps. The slots are separated with stitching so your pens won't hit each other. They are well separated.

Your pens won't touch at all. The entire design of the case will ensure your pens won't touch, or be hit. It's very protective!

The slots do require a little stretching, but they're perfectly capable of that. Fitting a very thick pen like a Delta Dolcevita Oversize in these slots is entirely possible, but it took some effort the first few times. After that, once the leather was stretched a little, it was much easier to slide pens in and out. I would suggest breaking the slots in prior to use for ease and convenience.

The leather is finished with a saddle soap treatment when the case is done. This both protects the leather and treats it, and gives it extra luster. The case is very pretty and looks great with my Mitchell Leather Journal Cover.

What I really like is the cover flap is extra long, so if you have a very tall pen, it can easily stretch over it to accommodate the added height. It will still tuck into the securing strap as well. I don't understand why all pen cases don't have this. It just makes more sense.

As you can see, it's fairly thick and a little bulky. It's certainly not a case you could slip into a regular pocket very easily, but it would fit into a bag or purse with ease.

This case is made to order. Once your payment is cleared, it can be sent out within two to three days. Pretty speedy! And if you haven't figured it out, they're handmade in Great Britain.

This is a lovely case, well made, well designed, and I love that it's handmade because it adds a touch of character that factory made cases just don't have. I look forward to seeing how the colour will develop over time!

Sponsor Highlight: Fontoplumo For Fountain Pens! @Fontoplum0

Hey there folks! I just wanted to take a minute to welcome Frank of Fontoplumo to GourmetPens and thank him for his kind sponsorship. It's sponsors that make it possible for me to spend (all of my) time doing reviews, research, and answering all your questions/emails/comments, so here's a huge thank you to Fontoplumo and to you as well for supporting us!

Image from Fontoplumo

Fontoplumo carries a great variety of fountain pens, including Aurora, Caran d'Ache, Delta, Kaweco, Lamy, Montegrappa, Tibaldi, and more. You'll also find ballpoints, rollerballs, mechanical pencils, inks and accessories, notebooks, and more. There are also some hard to get things, such as the Kaweco Art Sport Asia fountain pens, and other goodies - such as the (coming soon) Kaweco 14KT gold nib.

Image from Fontoplumo

Fontoplumo ships worldwide and if you're outside the EU, 21% VAT will be deducted on checkout. Shipping internationally is safe and speedy as well.

Follow Fontoplumo on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Browse the webshop here! Frank has already sent over a Kaweco Sport in the limited production run dark brown so watch for a review of this one soon! And maybe a giveaway...

Review: Dr. Seuss 10 Colour Multipen @RaymondGeddes

Harry from RaymondGeddes sent me a parcel of goodies, which included MULTIPENS. I love multipens. I always need more multipens. I'm not sure why, but I do. RaymondGeddes has school supplies and novelties - there is a huge selection of things to look through. Huge. Lots of scented things, too! So anyway. Let's have a look at this Dr. Seuss multipen!

ABOUT

LIME GREEN MULTIPEN? Yes please.

Body Material: Plastic
Length: 5"
Price: $11.88USD/12
Where to buy: RaymondGeddes

APPEARANCE

These are relatively short, quite wide, and very cute pens! They are approximately 5 inches long. One of these pens is the red with the barrel decorated with the "Cat in the Hat" hats, and the green pen is decorated with scenes from Green Eggs and Ham. There are two other designs that are really cute. I totally wish I had all four, because I have one-of-everythingitis. There are ten tabs around the top of the barrel to select the colours, and a big button at the top of the entire barrel to press to retract the selected colour.

PERFORMANCE

The ten colours are: black, pink, light blue, purple, blue, red, green, orange, brown, and yellow. All the colours are pretty accurate, except the red may be a little less intense than expected. It's still obviously red though. The tabs extend easily and retract really well with the button on top. Often with novelty multipens, I have found the tips get jumbled and caught when trying to switch colours. The button on top fixes that problem by retracting the entire system so you can pick a new colour.

Notebook: Leuchtturm 1917 Whitelines Link notebook from Bureau Direct Academic Bundle.

You'd think that, with such a wide barrel, the pen may be uncomfortable to write with. Since it's such a light and short pen, it's actually not uncomfortable to use. It's quite easy to use it extensively. I really enjoy playing with it and scribbling extra notes to myself.

OVERALL

Since you can get them in packs of twelve, they'd be great for goodie bags for birthday parties, treats for giving out at Halloween, or for your classroom since the school year has just started. Or for yourself. Or Christmas. Or whatever. Do we really need a reason to get a multipen? No.

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.