For your Friday night enjoyment, a new episode of “Currently Inked” is live over on the YouTube Channel, where we take a hands-on look at our Hinze Pen Collaboration and “Summer Sangria” Ink! Happy Weekend!
Pen Review: Newton Pens Hale Fountain Pen
When it comes to custom penmakers - especially those who display at pen shows - Shawn Newton is one of the originals. We've both been involved in the pen hobby/business for around the same amount of time (going on 13+ years?!?) and I've enjoyed watching Newton Pens grow and Shawn's lineup of pen models expand! To read more on the story behind Newton Pens, you can check out their website, as well as my earlier review of the custom Newton Shinobi I commissioned many years ago.
What makes the Hale unique is that the cap threads on to the very tip of the section and sits flush, compared to a typical fountain pen where the section sits inside the cap. See the comparison photos with the Newton Orville, below.
The pen I'm reviewing today is the Newton "Hale", a cylindrical-bodied pen with a short cap that first caught my eye at the 2021 Chicago Pen Show. This year, Shawn kindly let me take one home from Arkansas for review. It may not go back. I discovered that I actually enjoy this style of pen ("Short-cap pens"?) and it's possibly opened up a new category of products for me to try.
This “short-cap” style is a recent trend in penmaking, with many penmakers introducing variations on pens where, as here, the cap attaches to the end of the grip section, and, sometimes, where the pen features no traditional grip section at all and you hold the pen by the barrel. (Check out these pens from Tesori/HelloTello Studio, Mayfair, and Franklin-Christoph as additional examples.) The Hale does have separate grip area, though it's nontraditional in that it features a slightly tapered hourglass section that ends up flush with the rest of the pen and cap.
The Hale isn't just visually interesting - I find it insanely comfortable to write with. Initially, I had my doubts about this particular shape, but it didn't take long for those concerns to disappear, at least with the Hale. This slightly contoured grip area works for me, and the pen is well-balanced. For purposes of this review, I chose a "Concord"-style nib unit ground by Mark Bacas, which has a VERY fine tip akin to a Pilot PO ("Posting") nib. This style of pen, with a wider grip, offers a lot of control over your handwriting - or at least it feels that way to me - particularly important when you are writing with such a fine point.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
Count me a fan of the Newton Hale! Shawn's designs are well thought-out and well-executed, and this pen is no exception. The particular material used in the pen shown here is the same used in pens like the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande "Girasole/Sunflower", and one of my personal favorites. While I didn't use a Newton Pens nib for this review, it's worth mentioning that Shawn tunes all of his nibs before the pens ship, and they generally write very well.
From Left: Newton Pens Hale, Newton Pens Orville, and Newton Pens Shinobi.
The Hale starts at $170, featuring a stainless steel JoWo No. 6 nib unit. Shawn typically has inventory available for purchase on his website and at shows. While you can also commission fully custom pens, Shawn's a busy man and has quite the wait list, last time I checked! Personally, I enjoy shopping his show stock. Between shows he keeps busy making pens, and part of the fun for me is selecting from the various options he's chosen to make for himself. Come visit Shaw Newton and Newton Pens to see the Hale for yourself at the upcoming D.C. Pen Show, which will be held from August 3-6, 2023!
The pen featured in this review was loaned to me by Newton Pens for review purposes, and I was not compensated for this post. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. To support the site, please consider visiting our store and checking out our offerings, including our recent product collaborations!
New Arrivals: Midori MD Dip Pens, Stalogy Notebooks, and Laban Aphrodite Pink!
At customer request, we’ve also started adding some dip pens to the shop. The first to arrive are the Midori MD dip pens, featuring the same super smooth nib as on the Midori MD fountain pen. I’ve been using this pen to swatch inks, and am very much enjoying the hexagonal holder, which is apparently made from a blend of paper and plastic and has a unique tactile feel. The nib on this dip pen has a medium point, and it’s intended for standard writing/ink testing as opposed to calligraphy.
Stalogy Notebooks are also back in the shop, including the 2022 and 2023 limited edition covers in both 1/2-year and 365-day formats. Colors include, from left, Cream, Forest, Salvia, and Fog.
Finally, yesterday’s pleasant surprise was the arrival of a full box of Laban’s Aphrodite Pink ink, the perpetually backordered favorite color from this ink series! We now have a full restock of all colors of the Laban Greek Mythology Inks, available to ship immediately.
Is it a pink? Is it a red? Is it a “Brown Pink?” However you describe it, I absolutely love this color and it’s long been a go-to when I want to write with something interesting.
The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including the brands sold here.
TWSBI Orange-Yellow “Rainbow”!
Sunday Reading for July 9, 2023
Nib Comparison: Lamy 14k Extra Fine & Lamy 14k Perspective Grind (Custom Nib Studio) (via Line Variation). This article checks all my boxes: an homage to Lamy’s 14k gold nibs AND a comparison between the Naginata-style “Perspective” grind and an architect.
21 Pen Questions: 21 Pen Answers (via A Fleeting Ripple). I love how widely this “challenge” has spread!
Make All the Notebook Pages Perforated? (via Stationery Pizza). YES.
On Tomoe River Paper Planers, Bullet Journaling, and Aesthetic Dissonance (via Analog Office). I’ve also long been a fan of the “early” version of bullet journaling, and have actually used what turned out to be a modified version of the system long before it became the juggernaut that it is today. Also, the Tomoe River planners featured in this article look interesting.
Ghosts of Planners Past: Bullet Journaling (via Writing at Large). A pretty accurate run-down of the current state of Bullet Journaling and how it can be used. I think part of the beauty of the system is that it can be as simple or involved as you want - if you find adorning/decorating your planner is relaxing and meditative, go for it! If you want simple, straightforward lists to track tasks and plan effectively, that’s there as well.
TWSBI ECO-T Saffron (via Scrively). A video review of the TWSBI ECO-T, which is the standard ECO with a subtly triangular grip section - like the Lamy Safari, but without sharp-ish edges.
In Praise of Bookmaking (via From the Pen Cup). I’ve always been fascinated with bookbinding, and have been following Johnny’s adventures over at Pencil Revolution Press. (In fact, like Mary, I just bought two.)
Ranga Premium Ebonite Abhimanyu Fountain Pen Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). If you’re going to the San Francisco Pen Show, be sure to check out the selection of Ranga Pens at the Peyton Street Pens table. They got me (twice) last year.
Endless Explorer Refillable Cactus Leather Journal (via Well-Appointed Desk). While their experimental designs tend to draw strong opinions, I love the experimentation, especially with this non-leather material.
Delfonics Rollbahn Horizontal Spiral Notebook Review (via Pen Addict - Jeff). Chalk up another win for team “landscape notebook”?
In Case You Missed It…
This week on the blog, it was all about me! (I only say that halfway tongue-in-cheek.) No, seriously, I answered the #21penquestions challenge, and then published a follow-up in which I answered #5morepenquestions that I found myself wanting to talk about while completing the original post.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - TGS x Hinze Is Available!
The big news this week was the general launch of our fountain pen collaboration with Hinze Pens and Starry Night Resins! We still have pens available in all nib sizes, as well as bundles where you can pair your pen and limited edition ink with a T.G.S.-exclusive Penwell in “Aged Red”. (Note: We still have one pen available with a Crimson 1.1mm stub nib!) This week, the TWSBI ECO “Heat” launched, alongside a general TWSBI restock that topped off most models and nib sizes, so we should have nearly everything in the lineup available!
Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!
T.G.S. Patreon is currently the only non-shop means of support for the site, and features not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support! [Note: we currently have gently used / open box samples available for purchase in the Patreon Shop, including some older limited edition Baron Fig items and notebooks, so now may be a good time to join!]
#5MorePenQuestions: What I Really WANTED to Answer
As I was drafting out my answers to the #21penquestions challenge from earlier this week, I found myself really enjoying the exercise but also wanting to take it a step further. The original questions, while thought-provoking, focus a lot on stuff and the tools we use. After reading everyone else’s answers, I'm especially interested in hearing more "behind the scenes" backstories! I'll start.
1. Why do pens and stationery continue to play such an important role in your life, especially in an age when everything is supposed to be going paperless and digital? The "why" of things might not be as important to some people as it is to me, but because I've devoted a now-significant portion of my life to running this site and have since decided to go even bigger, it's worth my time to think hard on this. For me, it's always gone beyond the things themselves. Sure, it's fun to shop and track limited editions and even design my own stuff, but the act of writing things down - regardless of what I'm using - has far more significance to me than any specific pen or piece of stationery. Stretching back as far as I can remember, writing has been what centers me when I need to focus (or refocus), such as trying to understand difficult, increasingly complex concepts as I made my way through school or worked through thorny personal and professional relationships. I think I value it even more today because thoughtfulness and introspection weren't just disregarded in my home growing up - I would say they were actively devalued, even denigrated, in 1980s and 1990s go-getter America, and my family was no exception. Being labeled an "introvert" was quite possibly the worst “insult” you could hurl at someone. From talking to many of you, this experience isn't at all unique even today: despite countless studies and books about the immense value of quiet reflection, mindfulness, and, yes, introverts in the world, our culture - especially here in the states - seemingly stops at nothing to destroy any attempt to build a peaceful inner life, either through intrusive technology or office workspaces designed to destroy any opportunity for independent thinking. As I’ll discuss a bit more below, this is more than a bit ironic given the benefits. Moreover, writing things down, in a medium I alone control, is to me the purest form of independence and freedom. You own your own thoughts, if nothing else.
2. What do you view as the key benefit of writing by hand? Writing by hand forces you to focus your thoughts and attention, and enables you to distill your ideas into more usable form. Another personal anecdote: I attended an all-boys middle and high school that taught according to an educational model (since updated) that hadn't changed much since the 1920s. We didn't have regular computer access until the mid-to-late 1990s, so all of our writing was done by hand in a strict five-section format: Introduction, Three-Part Analysis, and Conclusion. While I hated this forced methodology at the time, it’s an invaluable part of my life today. As a practicing litigator (trial/arbitration/appellate attorney), I always outline (and usually draft) every single written or oral legal argument by hand. If I had to name my single core strength and professional advantage, it would be my ability to quickly identify key issues and develop targeted responses. You can't do this without an ability to focus on what’s important, and I track this skill - which I find in short supply in a world of constant distraction information overwhelm - directly to my handwriting practice. There may be other solutions for other people, but writing by hand serves as my failsafe and my brain doesn't really work any other way.
3. What is your favorite thing about the pen/stationery hobby? The realization that there is a LARGE community of people who care about this stuff as much as I do. It's been fulfilling to watch not just my own readership grow, but pens and stationery as a whole become far more mainstream as people look to escape from their digital devices and carve out reflective time for themselves. I also love the extent to which this hobby builds connections and friendships between people who otherwise never would have met, simply because their paths wouldn’t have crossed or, if they did, they would have have assumed nothing in common. It's a common complaint that your circle of friends shrinks as you get older, and I've been blessed to have experienced the opposite. Even where acquaintances begin online, traveling to shows and other events to meet people in person confirmed for me that these are genuine friendships that have endured over the years, and that even much-maligned social media apps can be a force for good if they're used in the right way.
4. What is your least favorite thing about the pen/stationery hobby? Easily the FOMO and hype-driven marketing that occasionally rears its head on stationery social media, typically driven by those manufacturers and retailers who don't really engage in the community and value it in the same way that many of us do, seeing it only as an opportunity to profit. In the same vein, like many hobbies, there exists a level of toxic fanboyism that can devolve into trolling and pointless sh*t-stirring, such as, for example, attempting to get people worked up by pressuring them to "choose sides" over largely meaningless controversies and business conflicts involving corporate brands. I have no interest in this and generally choose to ignore it.
5. If you could choose one combination of stationery items to use for the rest of your life, exclusively, what would those be and why? A Lamy 2000 fountain pen with either an extra-fine or fine nib; Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo ink, and Midori MD Cotton Paper in either pad or notebook form. No surprises here. The Lamy 2000 has long been my favorite fountain pen, and the EF and F nibs usually feature a subtle architect-like grind. Tsuki-Yo is a reliably good blue-black ink with a touch of reddish undertones/sheen to keep it interesting; and Midori MD Cotton paper is all-around excellent.
Will this catch on? Who knows, but I always enjoy sharing my personal backstory from time to time, especially as it adds context to why I do what I do here at T.G.S. Feel free to "steal" these questions for your own blog, social media, or even to answer here in the comments!
The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.