In February 2020, Esterbrook hosted a competition for anyone willing to open their minds and allow their creative juices to flow. The premise was a sticker contest and all participants had to do, regardless of drawing abilities, was to design a sticker. Whichever design won would be honored as an […]

Back at the tail end of last year, I was contacted by Grand Vision Pens and was asked if I’d like to review one of their new Gioia pens. To which I responded yes, please! This was quite fortuitous actually, as I had been browsing the brand for some time. […]

Today we take a look at a Nakaya, featuring a contemporary interpretation of a symbolic insect of Japan.  Background Nakaya specialises in Urushi and Maki-e and as such are more pricey than your regular pens. For those that don’t know Nakaya and Platinum are closely linked together, with retired platinum employees making […]

For a company to survive, many people think they must continue to innovate in remarkable and sometimes outrageous ways. For Graf von Faber-Castell, the opposite approach was taken. Since 1761, the German brand has stuck to a principle of Luxury in Simplicity that has influenced their products ever since. While […]

In the year 2000, the 823 was born and since then has become one of Pilot’s biggest success stories. With thanks to the vacuum filled barrel, this pen really sets it apart from the rest of Pilot’s line up and one could argue, with any pen within this price range. What […]

New Discoveries  What does New Year mean to you? For me, it’s a time for discovery and to seek out new products. This is precisely what I did last year. Taccia was a brand that until recently I had never come across, and it was with thanks to David Parker, […]

I like to think of my pen collection as a microcosm of my own wardrobe. There are my more formal pens, for instance a Montblanc Classique. There are my everyday go-to’s, like my Sailor 1911S. And, occasionally, there are my pieces I wouldn’t be caught dead in, other than the […]

In a day and age of fast consumption and a disregard of times gone by, I have often pondered about tradition and how new ones form and old ones disappear.  It’s those traditions that are dying that I want to emphasise.  Japan is a country steeped in traditions and with […]

Art expresses life, beauty, and at times suffering that reveals an unspoken communication between artists and viewers. In many ways, writing with a fountain pen explores artistic abilities through several methods, which include writing about daily experiences in a journal, jotting down a swift expletive on a scrap of paper, […]

I don’t know about you, but the holidays seem to be approaching much faster this year. Perhaps it has something to do with now being vaccinated, so I am antsy to travel. Perhaps it is simply something to look forward to in the doldrums of winter. In any case, Hanukkah […]