Thursday Drops: More Pencil-Related Content

As I mentioned on Tuesday, when I noted that we had restocked on M+R pencil sharpeners and replacement blades, one goal of mine has been to establish a small curated retail outlet that continues to stock specialty pencils and high-end pencil accessories. While you can always read more in the “Resources” section of the blog, and specifically the “Best Pencils” section, I thought I’d take some time this morning to talk about five of my favorite pencils that I enjoy so much I want to continue to offer them to you directly.

1. Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Pencil. Sure, some people call it the “Stinkwood,” but I actually enjoy the smell of the classic beech pencil, which to me isn’t overpowering or unpleasant. (For an unscented Swiss Wood experience, you can always opt for the lighter pine version instead of the beech.) This is a pencil that I think every stationery enthusiast should experience at least once. It’s pricey, but the point retention on this pencil is beyond exceptional - I have a few Swiss Wood pencils in rotation that have lasted for years. You can read my full review here.

2. Tombow 2558 Pencil. If you forced me to declare loyalty to one yellow office pencil for the rest of my life, it would be this one. Whether in the HB or B grades, this Japanese pencil works quite well with nearly all long-point sharpeners and holds a reasonable point while leaving a dark (but non-smeary) line. (I actually need to do a stand-alone review of this one. I can’t believe i haven’t already.)

3. Caran d’Ache Fixpencil. Do you enjoy the larger core of a woodcase pencil, but still appreciate the feel and convenience (no wood shavings!) of a mechanical? Consider trying a leadholder. Originally conceived as a replacement for woodcase pencils due to wartime materials shortages, the Fixpencil features a hexagonal barrel and a clip for convenience. We highly recommend pairing with a dedicated M+R lead pointer, which will give you a much finer point than the integrated in-cap version.

4. Caran d’Ache Edelweiss 3B Pencil. Typically 2B is as low on the “dark” scale as I can go, but given Caran d’Ache’s generally harder graphite, this 3B pencil hits the sweet spot. Exceptional value for the quality here.

5. Full Pencil Sets. Unsure of your preferred hardness and looking to explore the different grades of graphite? We currently offer two separate options: One pencil set from Midori MD featuring 6B, 4B, 2B, B, and HB pencils (plus a sharpener and pencil caps), and another from Mitsubishi, featuring 22 high-quality Hi-Uni Pencils in all grades on both the H and B scales. We also sell certain grades of Midori and Mitsubish Hi-Uni pencils individually.

We currently have both the standard matte black Fixpencil and the colorful Fixpencil 884 in stock, along with leadholder refills.

If there are specific pencil and pencil accessory brands that you feel are not adequately reflected at retail, and you would like us to stock, please reach out and let us know. That said, we can only continue to stock them if you spread the word among other enthusiasts and let us gain visibility (pencils are a very niche market, as you all know), so we greatly appreciate anyone spreading the word in forums, Facebook groups, on social media, etc.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Market Watch: What's Up With All the Rainbow Pens? (NOT A COMPLAINT)

Unless you’ve been completely ignoring new releases over the past two years, you’ll have noticed that nearly every pen company, ranging from larger manufacturers down to small-batch makers, has begun to release pens in a “rainbow” finish. How this coating is described varies from company to company: TWSBI has dubbed their Diamond 580 and Vac700R models as the “Iris” finish, Conklin and Fisher Space Pen both use the “Rainbow” moniker, and Ben Walsh of Gravitas Pens has branded the finish “Skittles.” Even Leonardo has released a limited edition Momento Zero (the “Prisma”) in collaboration with Italian retailer Stilo e Stile.

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Gravitas pens offers a wide variety of “Skittles” finishes. The two shown here are Matte Paisley (center), as well as the darker TiSiNX finish (right), discussed further below.

So how exactly do companies achieve the “rainbow” effect? While most companies protect their exact processes - trade secrets and all - from what I read it appears to be achieved by applying a Titanium Nitride PVD coating, with different companies varying the formula to achieve unique looks. For example, Ben Walsh is releasing the Gravitas TiSiNX, which adds Silicon Nitride to the coating in order to achieve a darker blue/purple tone, and I was lucky enough to take home one of these pen from the D.C. Pen Show.

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Comparing the standard Gravitas “Skittles” finish to the TiSiNX finish (right).

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The coloring on the Conklin All-American is pretty intense, and also leans much more orange/yellow than the TWSBI Iris finish, which has a pink/purple/magenta tone. I think I prefer the more subtle options.

Because PVD coating is extremely durable, you shouldn’t have to worry about the finish wearing away. In my experience to date, the PVD coating has not affected writing performance, even where the nibs have been treated. And while the special finish typically comes with a small upcharge to the standard pen, it’s not much. The prices I’ve seen have remain reasonable, ranging from $80 for the TWSBIs to around $180 for the Leonardo.

Takeaways and Where to Find This Finish

I’m actually enjoying the “rainbow” trend far more than the “glitter pen” trend that preceded it, especially as companies such as Gravitas experiment with darker tones. Of course, any trend can suddenly seem overdone (looking at you, shimmer ink), and given how successful these pens have been, I think we can expect more pen manufacturers to release their own titanium nitride pens if they haven’t done so already. So far, most companies have exercised retraint, trying to differentiate themselves with unique design touches. For example, Leonardo paired the “Prisma” trim with a bead-blasted, matte acrylic. Kaweco has even released an “Iridescent Pearl” acrylic that achieves something of the same look, and it’s safe to assume that at some point, a rainbow AL Sport or Steel Sport will follow.

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The variations in tone between the various models is not necessarily apparent until you compare different pens from different companies side-by-side.

What are your thoughts? Do you find this trend played out, or do you want to see more? Personally, as long as companies keep experimenting, I’m interested to see what manufacturers can do. I generally love PVD coated pens for their durability, and it’s interesting to see colors other than black.

This post does not contain links to paid sponsors or affiliates, though the T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of TWSBI, which is featured here. T.G.S. is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

In the Shop: M+R Brass Sharpener Restock (Including Replacement Blades)

Our top selling products over the past two years have included the brass pencil sharpeners from M+R (Mobius & Ruppert), ranging from the simple brass bullet sharpener to brass lead pointer to the fancier long-point Castor and Pollux. As we re-envisioned how we wanted the shop to look going forward, we considered reducing pencils and pencil accessories, but so many of you were vocal about needing a retail outlet specializing in pencils (especially these sharpeners and their specialty replacement blades) that we decided to keep them on, and potentially expand the segment moving forward!

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In addition to M+R Sharpeners, we carry high-quality erasers from Tombow, and a range of woodcase pencils, mechanical pencils, and leadholders from brands such as Caran d’Ache, Tombow, Midori, and Uni-Mitsubishi. We have focused primarily on high-quality Japanese and Swiss graphite to date, since I have found that it works best with the longer-point sharpeners and also tends to offer the smoothest writing experience.

Both the Tombow Mono 100 and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni are stocked and available in a range of graphite hardnesses. All pencils are sold individually and by the dozen.

If there are specific pencil and pencil accessory brands that you feel are not adequately reflected at retail, and you would like us to stock, please reach out and let us know. That said, we can only continue to stock them if you spread the word among other enthusiasts and let us gain visibility (pencils are a very niche market, as you all know), so we greatly appreciate anyone spreading the word in forums, Facebook groups, on social media, etc.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Sunday Reading for August 14, 2022

1. 2022 DC Pen Show, Part 1 (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel has a huge 4-part review of the 2022 DC Pen Show, which will kick off “DC Pen Show Recap Sunday”!

2. DC Pen Show Recap, 2022 (via The Looped Square). Joseph fired the blog back up after the show! It was great to spend time with him and Dan behind the T.G.S. table.

3. 2022 DC Pen Show - A Really Quick Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Kimberly has her usual incredibly thorough review of the DC Show, as seen from behind the Franklin-Christoph table.

4. DC Pen Show (via Figboot on Pens). David has a nice video recap of the show, including the pens he brought home.

5. My Big Red Ink Swab Fest (via Fountain Pen Blog). I love a good red ink swab-fest! One of my favorite color families that inexplicably gets very little love.

6. Galen Leather Medic Bag Review in Pen World (via KraftyKats). Congrats to Chloe on her first Pen World review! Be sure to check it out.

7. Some Thoughts on Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne Notebook (via a fleeting ripple). Mnemosyne paper continues to be the reasonably priced workhorse paper in my everyday carry. The perforations are key.

8. Esterbrook Phaeton 300R (via Dapprman). I’m glad Esterbrook dropped this one; it just didn’t go well with the rest of the line.

9. Namiki Emperor Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The absolutely massive urushi pen from Namiki/Pilot gets the review treatment. For good reason (they’re expensive), you don’t see many of these out there.

10. KWZ Prairie Green, Galen Leather Exclusive (via Well-Appointed Desk). Galen apparently had this exclusive release at the D.C. Show, and it sold quickly.

In Case You Missed It….

I posted my own thoughts on the 2022 D.C. Show, and pen shows in general, on Wednesday, and it’s provoked some thoughtful discussion in the comments, as intended. I also posted this article on “practical planning,” which I wrote in response to questions I received at the table in D.C. on how I use undated calendars and planners.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

We’ve been making an effort to consolidate and focus the store, and things are starting to take shape, including more unique offerings from our favorite brands. This week saw the arrival of both the Platinum Plaisir Aura limited editions (which really are stunning, especially if you enjoy pearlescent white finishes), and the latest releases from Caran d’Ache, including the 2022 Claim Your Style Pens and the Dark Violet and Pastel Yellow 849 ballpoints. I’m especially excited about carrying more Platinum fountain pens, as I believe they make some of the best lower-cost pens on the market, which provide an enjoyable writing experience for both new and veteran fountain pen enthusiasts.

Caran d'Ache

Traveler's Company

TWSBI

Lochby

Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

I would love for the T.G.S. Patreon to become a core method of support for the T.G.S. website, and have tried to streamline it. I’ll also need to be a bit more vocal about its availability and what it offers. The Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens.

Practical Planning: How I Use Planners

Somewhat surprisingly, two of the products that received the most interest at this year’s D.C. Pen Show were the two undated planners we had at the table: The Write Notepads Weekly Planner, and the Planner Desk Pads from WMS & Co. I learned two things this weekend about interest in planners: People LOVE having the option of an undated style, and there are many, many people who would love to use a paper planner but are somewhat intimidated by “Planner Instagram” and the ornate bullet-journal style planners that dominate online. Well, I’m here to tell you that doesn’t need to be the case!

Two undated planner options: Write Notepads (top) and WMS & Co. (bottom).

My Planners Are Objectively Ugly, and I’m Fine With That.

Personally, I stick to a practical approach to planning that focuses on task management. First, I don’t keep a paper calendar to manage appointments or deadlines, at least for work stuff. (It’s much easier to use an electronic calendar when you have to coordinate with multiple teams and other people need the ability to see your schedule and make changes to common events.) I do, however, use the Write and WMS & Co. “weekly layout” pages to generally sketch out my week, typically in a list or bullet-style format that allows me to think through what I want to accomplish on each day. This is 30,000-foot level planning stuff that I do on Sunday afternoon and quickly revisit each morning - I very rarely go back to these “planners” after the week is over, and since the WMS & Co. is a tear-off pad, I usually just shred the calendar page after I’m done. If there are notes I make to myself that I want to retain, I’ll transfer them to another notebook or my laptop.

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The Keyboard-sized WMS & Co. Planner fits perfectly underneath my Macbook Air (as well as my full-size keyboard that I use at work). I also like the narrow ruling - I write small.

I keep another “Bullet Journal”-style notebook that is more “work journal” than “planner”, which currently lives in my blue Standard Traveler’s Notebook containing a cut-down Stalogy 1/2-year and a homemade Tomoe River refill. In the Stalogy (which has lasted for just under a year and will likely need to be replaced next month), I have the notebook tabbed by numbered month using these inexpensive Midori numbered labels, with the first page of each month containing a Midori MD Diary sticker, followed by a “monthly task list” page. [Note: Obviously, I can’t show you an actual page of this journal in use because I would literally have to redact EVERYTHING and it wouldn’t be useful at all.]

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While I don’t track deadlines and appointments on paper, I still find it helpful to have one of these planner stickers at the front of each monthly “section” in order to visualize the month and block off dates when I am out of the office, traveling, or needing to focus exclusively on certain things.

I use the “Monthly Tasks” page to track, in list format, projects and open items that come up as the month goes on. It’s a running list, and one of the reasons I enjoy the Traveler’s-style layout is that the long, narrow page is conducive to this type of task-tracking and list making. Even though I have dozens of action items that come up in any given month, I can use the Stalogy’s narrow ruling to keep this section to a couple of pages.

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Here’s where I depart from standard bullet journaling technique. After the “Monthly Tasks” Section, I have pages of “daily entries,” but I don’t start a new page for every day. I will write the day, record what it is that I worked on and any notes I need to make for myself relating to follow-up, and once that day is over, I’ll skip a couple of lines and write a header for the next day. This method works for me because (1) it doesn’t waste paper; and (2) I often have days where I will work on two or three things, and I don’t need to make a full page of notes to record what I’ve been doing. The purpose of this journal isn’t to serve as a general purpose repository of information - I have separate binders and project-specific notebooks for that - but rather to serve as a record of how I spent my time.

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These Midori page tabs are infinitely useful. There are options other than “numbered”, and we also carry metal versions and Maruman labels as well.

Other Things I Keep In My Notebook

The second refill, after the Stalogy, is used solely as a scratch pad (i.e., infrequent rough calculations, notes from impromptu phone calls, jotted phone numbers, etc.). This notebook is typically thrown away after it’s full - I often find that what’s written in there makes no sense to me even a week later.

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At the front, I have two pockets on the inside cover to hold loose papers and cards, a PVC zippered pouch that holds miscellaneous stamps and flags/labels, and my Traveler’s Sticky Notes. I use the back flap of the PVC pouch refill to hold some index cards, and I usually keep a ballpoint or other “write anywhere” pen in a Traveler’s Notebook Pen Loop.

Fountain pen friendly sticky notes are few and far between. These Traveler’s Company versions are great.

You never know when you might need index cards!

Takeaways and Final Thoughts

To be sure, there is nothing ornate or pretty about my “Planner”, though I personally find a notebook that’s been used as intended to be oddly satisfying, and for that reason I have shelves full of them that I’ve finished that I can’t bear to throw away. I’m torn over whether or not anyone will be interested in a post like this, but given the feedback from the table in D.C., I thought I would go ahead and test it out. What do you think? Do you want to see similar content? Maybe more practical posts on pen-and-paper notetaking?

The Gentleman Stationer is supported exclusively by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain links to paid third-party sponsors or affiliates.