Selling a few non-pen items…

The shortest of posts as we head toward the weekend. I've updated my for-sale page with a few pens and a few non-pen items too: knives, flashlights and multitools (hey, didn't you read my post about EDC?). I have plenty more items to add, but figured this was a good start. I'm keen to raise …

Pilot Fermo: the thinking person’s Vanishing Point

To me, Pilot is a little bit like the Mafia. You try to escape, but they reel you back in. I have written at length about my love affair with the 912 FA, then reluctantly sold it when I admitted to myself that my grip doesn't suit flex. I bought, sold, bought and sold the …

A very special blue-black: “Randall” by Nick Stewart

I'm a sucker for blue-black inks. So when Nick Stewart offered me the chance to try a sample of his new ink, Randall (named after one of Nick's aquatic adventurer friends), I jumped at it. I don't claim to the mastery of ink and lettering that Nick has, but even I can see that Randall …

The Karas Pens Starliner is ruining my reputation

Blast off I pride myself on my rational thought, my insight, my critical eye and my consistency. The new Reaktor Starliner pens from Karas Pens have made a mockery of that. But let's rewind. The Starliner and Starliner XL are two of the new 'Reaktor' budget pens from Karas Pens, whose Decograph I recently reviewed. …

Review: Dingbats ‘Serengeti’ Earth notebook

Way back last year I reviewed quite a few notebooks, including a fetching red number from Dingbats' Wildlife series. (If you're interested: Summary was here. Recap was here.) I was hugely impressed by the spec of the Dingbats notebooks, but I commented that the feathering and bleedthrough bothered me. So, when the founder of Dingbats got in …

Kaweco Dia2: my pen palate cleanser

I recently sold my trusty Kaweco AL Sport, leaving me with just one Kaweco: the Art Sport Alabaster. But it transpires that my Art was only destined to be lonely for a short while. The itch to experience the Kaweco Dia2, which I'd resisted since reading Rupert's excellent review, finally overtook me. And I'm glad …

What I did on my holidays

You may have spotted that things have been quiet on the blog for a while: just two posts in May. Well, good news: the drought will soon be over. My mailbox is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new Earth notebook from Dingbats, as well as the new Karas Reaktor pens and the Stilform Kosmos. …