Quick post: more for sale

As of this morning I am back up to 32 pens, which is more than I can fit in my pen drawer. Time to make some tough decisions. These are all good pens that I like and enjoy, but some don't suit me or I simply prefer other pens in my collection. I've updated my …

Going on a diet (recalibrating to smaller, cheaper pens)

My pen hobby has, at risk of generalising, broadly trended towards larger and more expensive pens (I covered this in 'boiling a frog'). I started with "normal" pens like the Pelikan M205, Lamy Al Star, Platinum 3776, Sailor Pro Gear, Kaweco Sport and Pilot 91, and have escalated to rare and costly giants like the …

My Japan haul: ink, paper and more

As is my way, I went to Japan with an exhaustively researched shopping list. I knew which items I wanted to investigate, I knew where was likely to stock them, and I knew roughly how much they were going to cost. But I still gave myself a few surprises. Inks Tokyo is the home of …

Travels with pens: Japan concluded!

If you remember from my last post, I've spent the past week in Tokyo for work. The schedule has been punishing at times, but I've had a blast. What's really stuck with me has been the hospitality of the people and the amazing service, the great food, and just how incredibly clean and well-kept everything …

Travels with pens: Tokyo (part 1)

Edit: if you've arrived directly here from a link (eg Pen Addict), you might be interested in the second part of the trip report, here! Sometimes, the pen gods smile upon me. This is one such time. I write this from my usual haunt in Heathrow Terminal 3, shortly before boarding a Japan Air flight …

Close, but no cigar? Getting to grips with the Conway Stewart Winston

Spurred on by my discovery of Onoto and my joyful first experiences with a friend's Conway Stewart Churchill, I set off on a mission to get my own Conway Stewart. I didn't want one of the current versions from Bespoke British Pens, with their conventional 'flag' nibs... no, I wanted one from a few years …

Mail call: the Italian Job

I always get excited when the postman knocks at my door. Today I had extra reason to do so: he was bearing a box laden with some very special Italian pens from a dear friend. Chief among them was my grey Scribo, returned from its sojourn to Scotland. But it was not alone. Yep, that's …