Ryan Krusac Legend L16 Wood Fountain Pens

I borrowed these fountain pens from a friend and have had them for some time, much to my friend's dismay... I also have my own Legend L14, which I adore! I hope you enjoy!

Find Ryan Krusac online but the real excitement is seeing the display at a pen show so keep that in mind for when things get going again.

Check out my Legend L14 Custom Pet Portrait review here!

Pilot Parallel Letters A B C D

I am not a trained calligrapher by any stretch of the imagination but I sing the praises of the Pilot Parallel Calligraphy fountain pens on the regular. In fact, I even did a Pilot Parallel Calligraphy Fountain Pens 101 video awhile back and it's - if I may toot my own horn - a great starter guide to the pens and how to use them. 

Obviously these are fantastic pens for practicing calligraphy, lettering, and alphabets in general. I like to play around with styles because before you know it, you’ve morphed several into one new style and it looks really cool. Well, usually they look terrible and wrong but sometimes it works out. That’s why messing around is fun. I typically eyedropper mine (again, instructions in that video I linked) but you can also use a Pilot cartridge/converter. Ink flow tends to be quite generous when eyedroppered and consistent with the cartridge/converter set up. I prefer the eyedropper set up because I love the super juicy, gushing type of ink flow to really make inks pop. If this applies to you, I'd say they are the best for shimmery and sheeny inks. They are just so easy to clean and maintain, they are nice and juicy, and they're affordable. 

The shape of the plates does result in having somewhat sharp corners but a light hand is all you need for these pens. If you find the corners catching on the page, you might want to lighten your pressure, ease up on the grip of the pen, but also perhaps try practicing writing with the pen in general to get more comfortable with its angles. One of the things I did over and over was learn how to rotate the nib in all directions without lifting it off the page - this helped me learn to keep a light hand when rounding the corners. 

There is no shortage of resources and guides out there if you do some quick Googling. Toronto Pen Company has released a free Gothic Batarde workbook for the first group of miniscule letters. Check it out here and get started on some Batarde practice! If you follow TPC on social media, you can stay tuned for new releases and other fun goodies. FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM    TWITTER

The above three inks: Diamine Manggis for Pen Gallery

Ink: Diamine November Rain from Papier & Stift

Montblanc Donation Pen Homage to George Gershwin Fountain Pen

The Montblanc Donation Pen Collection is honouring world-famous classical musicians of the past decades. The Donation Pen supports carefully selected cultural projects from pioneering artists the world over with a donation of 20 euros per fountain pen and 10 euros per ballpoint or rollerball. This year's edition pays tribute to George Gershwin, an American composer and pianist. The clip is in the shape of a clarinet - a tribute to the clarinet opening from Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". Another tribute to "Rhapsody in Blue" is the ink window which features a blue colour. The cap ring is inspired by the Brooklyn Bridge to symbolise the close relationship George Gershwin had with his place of birth. The cap and barrel are made out of black precious resin combined with platinum-coated fittings. The special gift box additionally contains three prints of the Brooklyn Bridge. - Montblanc

Thanks to Appelboom for loaning me this Montblanc Donation Pen Homage to George Gershwin Fountain Pen. Get yours at Appelboom! If you use the discount code 'friend', you will receive 10% off your purchase but Montblanc excludes their products. Useless to share it on a Montblanc post maybe, but perhaps you'll see something else you like.

Lamy Safari Mango Fountain Pen and Ink

Every year Lamy releases special colours of the Safari and Al-Star and sometimes there is a matching ink.

What brings as much joy as a bagful of colourful candies - and without the sugar hit? The new Special Edition LAMY safari candy. The fresh trio, composed of violet, aquamarine and mango, is reminiscent of pop art, fruit sorbet and sugar icing. - Lamy

The trio is pretty fun but I only bought the Mango. I have several Safaris - two Neon Corals, Blue Macaron, Yellow, Pink, as well as the Lamy LX Rose Gold so I didn't really need three more. Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits and I love things - bags, clothing, brands, inks, pens, papers, anything - named after food.

I have full reviews of the Safari available for you to read if you'd like as well as a video of last year's Blue Macaron. The long story short is I am a big fan of them for many reasons and there are few things I dislike. Some of the good stuff: they're pretty affordable, they're available in many colors especially if you're considering the special edition colors per year, they are pretty solid, robust, and can handle some heavy use, they are practical and lightweight in hand, super simple to clean and maintain, and the nib range is not particularly limited. I personally like the broad (gold or steel) nib and the 1.1 mm stub calligraphy nib a lot. I always tune them to be a little wetter than when they leave the factory, but overall, I have found the writing performance out of factory quite decent. There has been some variation in tipping sizes - for example, a medium that is more of a fine and an extra-fine that is probably a medium (!), but overall they're decent. I don't have much issue because I usually lead towards the broad nib anyway.

Nibs are interchangeable and replaceable, and it's easy to do yourself even if you aren't super comfortable with this kind of thing. I think they are fairly priced to purchase a full set and keep them for all sorts of writing needs. It's a bit frustrating if you're looking for a particular tipping size and you end up getting one of those off sizes. I imagine most retailers would make sure you get the tipping you need, though. In terms of comfort, I really like the pens. Some people hate the triangular grip but it works fine for me.

I think the next Safari should be Dragonfruit with a pink body and green accents. And a white finial. What would you love to see?

I bought my Safari and ink at Take Note in Toronto.

I mean, the pen is so much more popping than the ink is, right? At least it shades so that's fun but the pen and its yellow happy goodness is really where it's at. I'm really happy with that part of the pair. The Safari is just so easy. Cap pops on and off with a satisfying snap, it posts snugly and securely by friction and it won't fly off, the clip is just super cute in its matching glossy yellow outfit, and the pen has a matte texture to it. 

This year Lamy only released the Mango ink in cartridges and bottles. It's sort of an odd choice since there are obviously two other colors they could have included is a little less orange than I was expecting but the pen is PERFECTION. I only have the cartridges because I am trying to be sensible about my ink purchases. I figured I could use up a few cartridges before a bottle (although I am known for burning through ink bottles using my Toronto Pen Company folded nibs). I feel like it's just not quite juicy enough to really be mango. It's also a bit on the dry side, which does not match up with my experience with juicy, delicious mango goodness! However, it's not totally terrible but I am glad I only got the cartridges. It's just not the right yellow-orange for moi and that's fine because goodness knows I have enough ink to last ... a year or two.

You can see from the smeary swab, which does show a range of shading, that it's not all that intense or saturated. It doesn't show any sheen but on the bright side, it is pretty easy to clean and it is well-behaved other than being a bit dry. I really only use it in a broad nib because it's just so naked looking in something finer. Looks good in a splat, though. 

Esterbrook Composition Camden Fountain Pen

Thank you to Esterbrook for sending this pen for me to share with you! I was pleasantly surprised by it. In the video, I comment on the price but of course I shot this video before it hit retailers. Fortunately, the price is around where I said "I'd like to see this priced at..." so YAY! What do you think of this one? Are you liking where Esterbrook is going?

Grab one at your favorite Estie vendor!

Sailor Studio 150

Sailor really needs to stop making delectable inks because I don't have enough pennies or space for all the colors that strike my fancy.

Based on the know-how cultivated at the event "Ink Kobo" and the voice of customers of more than 20,000 colors, 100 color inks newly manufactured. You can always enjoy the fun of choosing colors.

Image from Sailor Japan

When I get a new ink, I spend some time deciding what pen to put it in. I don't have many purple pens but I do have a sparkly pink Sailor, and a Sailor-Sailor pairing seemed ideal! Behold: my Sailor Pro Gear Slim Sakura ⁣from Pen House. It started out as a delightful zoom nib but I really wanted to try out my very own architect grind so I handed it off to Salman at Toronto Pen Company for some magification. Lo and behold: a wicked architect! Ideal for fun writing, lettering, showing off inks, and daily writing with pizzazz. It's a fantastic match for Sailor Studio 150.

Studio 150 is a lovely dark lavender purple - it shades really well in wide, wet writers, ranging from a lilac purple to dark lavender. There's a lot of blue in this purple, which I love. The wee square bottles hold a mere 20 ml and that's just not a lot of ink when we have been spoiled by PW Akkerman's 120 ml Dutch Master bottles but realistically, it's enough to last a little while and give you some fun while writing. Don't come at me and say 120 ml is too much either because there's no such thing, dammit. There isn't much sheen to talk about but this one specializes in shading. Honestly, I prefer shading over sheen anyway so that's fine by me. It performed well - no feathering on fountain pen friendly paper, pretty fast drying times, and I didn't have any staining in my converters. Like all Sailor inks, it has that Sailor ink smell and I love it, but some friends of mine don't, so you have been warned.

You can get your Sailor Studio Ink from Papier & Stift! Each 20 ml bottle is about €14 (or more if you have to pay VAT). While you're at it, you can check out some of the Diamine German exclusive inks like November Rain, Skull & Roses, and Smoke on the Water.

Oddly Satisfying Writing with Pelikan Broad Nib Fountain Pens

I always enjoy writing with Pelikan nibs. I have a couple of their extra-broads and they're smooth, juicy, and gushy! Delicious.

Pelikan M800
Triple Broad nib
Montblanc Toffee Brown

Pelikan M1000
Triple Broad nib
Kaweco Paradise Blue

Pelikan M1000
Triple Broad nib
some blue-black I cannot recall

Pelikan M1000
Triple Broad nib
Sheaffer King's Gold (vintage)

Pelikan M800
Triple Broad nib
PW Akkerman x Diamine SBREBrown

Colorverse Inks 59 & 60 Ginkgo Tree & Golden Leaves

Colorverse 59 & 60 is Gingko Tree and Golden Leaves is such a beautiful pair. The larger bottle is 65 ml and that color is the brown Gingkto Tree. Golden Leaves, which is just delicious, is the wee adorable 15 ml bottle. The inks are available in the boxed set and as always, my favorite color is the smaller bottle. I love the theme of the pair. Gingko leaves are so cute and pretty and I love their shape and yellow ink in this shade is my thing so this set really spoke to me. I saw it quite some time ago at a pen show at the Vanness Pens table and I couldn't leave without it. Had to check out that yellow!

The little bottle is super handy for traveling with, like taking to pen meets to ink up a pen or two. It's just so tiny and adorable, like a wee little snail. The bigger bottle shares the same shape but it's larger and less cute. Like a larger, still cute snail, but not as cute. Gingko Tree is a medium brown ink that shades nicely and is a touch dry. It has a touch of red in it so it's on the warmer side, which is how I like my brown inks in general. Golden Leaves is a warm yellow, leaning toward the lighter yellow side. It shows some shading and flows well. Both inks are pretty well-behaved and are easy to clean. Golden Leaves can be a little difficult to read if your nib isn't wet enough. It looks stellar in a nice wet stub nib. In fact, all inks look best in a wet stub nib, but in this case, both inks shade beautifully if you use a wide nib.

Overall, I have no complaints. I'm not really a packaging person but Colorverse offers an experience, with a bookmark/pen stand, stickers, napkin, and ink details. I don't have the space for so much packaging but I don't have many Colorverse inks so in this case, it's not too bad.

I know they're not inexpensive but they're unusual and inspired. You can grab the pair for $36.00USD. Not bad because you get some seriously special packaging and two great inks.

Jacques Herbin Sloop Fountain Pen

Thank you to Appelboom for loaning me the Jacques Herbin Sloop Fountain Pen in amber with gold trim. It's an interesting release from Jacques Herbin but not my favorite pen. Get yours at Appelboom! With the discount code 'friend' you will get 10% off your purchase, excluding Montblanc products. No commission, just a sweet deal for you.