Quietly confident: the Tibaldi N.60 in Rich Black

TL;DR: watch the video review (but scroll to the end anyway, trust me!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AtirBeA6hQ The full story I have a soft spot for the modern incarnation of Tibaldi. As the "affordable" arm of Montegrappa's parent company, it's up against stiff competition (think Leonardo, Maiora, Venvstas, Visconti, Gioia...), and is putting up a plucky fight. Behind …

On a roll

Do you ever have months where your hobbies suddenly seem fresh and exciting again? Well, I'm having one of those months. Was it the pen show? Maybe. I did buy two very different pens from brands that had been absent from my collection for a while, not to mention the haul of products for review …

Does Kaweco’s Premium nib write like gold?

In case you missed it, Kaweco has started offering a "Premium" nib unit for its pens with a screw-in nib, like the Brass and AL Sports. For about £35 you get a different nib imprint and a fancy metal tin with very pretty retro packaging, and some claims like this: Those who focus on writing …

Onoto’s The Flanders Pen is a tasteful tribute

As we head towards November, and Remembrance Sunday, for many of us the two World Wars will be on our minds, and the familiar poppy symbol will start to appear on the lapels of our winter coats. Despite this, the events of World War I in particular can seem a little unreal, barely more than …

Guest post: fountain pen truths, part one

Welcome to the first of two guest posts from the inestimable Claire. I follow her sharp-tongued posts religiously on Instagram, and while I don't always agree with her, I think her voice is well worth sharing... with minimal editing. Speak truth, Claire! Hello! And welcome to my random, candid (read: snarky), stream-of-consciousness style musings on …

Vinta Ulap: an exclusive worth having

I was destined to fall for this ink, for three reasons. First, I'm a fan of Vinta, the young ink brand from the Philippines. Since I first discovered them 18 months ago, its bottles have quietly become a presence in my core ink box, with inks like the bright Android Teal and the murky Kelp …

Onoto leather pen roll: a matching case for your Magna

I call this product the “pen croissant”. I’m hoping the name sticks. I hope the product sticks too, because I really like it. What we have here is a simple, rustic-feeling case for a single pen, made from thick, soft leather with a single popper closure. It’s available in three colours. I picked the blue, …

Montblanc notebooks: a real luxury experience

I'm a fan of Montblanc's pens and inks, but I've never before tried its paper products. Why? Partly it's because I'm a Tomoe River addict. But it's also because I had bad experiences with awful demo paper used in the boutiques. I assumed the notebooks would be the same. I wish I hadn't made that …

State of the collection: October 2021

Gosh, it was May when I last did a SotC post, and here we are nearly hitting November. Naturally, there's been a fair bit of change. Two long-standing, much-loved pens from my main tray back in May have gone: London Fog and Sequoyah. I still feel very positively about these pens, but I wasn’t using …

The (nearly) heavenly Visconti Divina Bordeaux

TL;DR: watch the video https://youtu.be/Blugujo5E8A Prefer to read? Here's the written review If there's been any doubt in your mind that Visconti can make beautiful pens, the Divina Bordeaux should lay it firmly to rest. The Divina is gorgeous in photos, but in person it is utterly stunning. The wine-red resin is interesting and swirly, …