Pen of the Day – Page 6 – Fountain Pen Follies

Pen of the Day: Lamy 2000

January 15, 2016January 14, 2016 Laura4 Comments

Lamy 2000 with fine nib. This pen is the definition of understated excellence for me. I love everything about it, from its design to its writing performance, but I admit that it’s more of a workhorse than a show horse. I know a lot of people think it looks dull. And some don’t find it comfortable. But if I could only have ten pens, this would be one of them.

I really want to try one with an extra-fine nib, though. Someday. Maybe.

This is filled with a new-to-me ink from KWZ called Dark Brown. But Dark Brown looks black, doesn’t it? And I surely love an ink that has something unexpected like that. So I’m going to put a few quick thoughts about KWZ Dark Brown in a separate post.

Pen of the Day: Parker 51 Double Jewel

January 12, 2016January 11, 2016 Laura1 Comment

Parker 51 Cedar Blue with fine nib. Because of its sentimental value, I’ve been using this 51 continuously since it was restored. But with each fill I’ve experimented with a different ink. This time it’s filled with J. Herbin Bleu Nuit.

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Pen of the Day: Pelikan M400 White Tortoise

January 8, 2016February 12, 2016 Laura2 Comments

Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with medium nib. This is pen you’ve seen before, but I couldn’t resist. A friend of mine just ordered one. And I was looking for a pen for a green ink.

That ink is KWZ Foggy Green, which is an appealing dark green ink without much shading but in a great color.

My favorite part of the pen is the binde, but I’ve photographed that a few times before. So, uh, here’s the cap band.

Pen of the Day: Pelikan M605 Marine Blue

January 5, 2016January 4, 2016 Laura2 Comments

Pelikan M605 Marine Blue with extra-fine nib. This is a recent Pelikan special edition. It’s not a demonstrator, but a stunning dark blue translucent plastic.

The trim is plated with palladium, and the nib is rhodanized. This one has Pelikan’s usual generous extra-fine nib.

The ink is KWZ Iron Gall #5, which has gorgeous deep color, beautiful shading and generous flow. I’m going to be reviewing it in depth, but I think it’s a wonderful ink.

Pen of the Day: Sailor Professional Gear Kanreki

December 18, 2015December 17, 2015 Laura4 Comments

Sailor Professional Gear Kanreki with fine nib. This is another favorite. The Kanreki was designed to celebrate the 60th birthday of one Sailor’s nib designers. It features three different red colors — cherry red for the pen body, a plummy red for the cap and deep burgundy at the ends.

As a special edition, the Kanreki come with a 21k nib. Mine features Sailor’s precise, ultra-thin fine nib.

Diamine Red Dragon ink works so well in the Kanreki that I almost always pair the two. I like variety, generally. But it’s hard to pass up such a perfect pair.

Pen of the Day: Parker Vacumatic Maxima

December 11, 2015 LauraLeave a comment

Parker Vacumatic Maxima with fine nib. This week has turned out to be “fancy pen week” for me, because this is my most blingy pen. It’s a Vacumatic Maxima in Emerald Pearl, and it just shines.

The Maxima is the second-largest Vacumatic, and it’s the perfect size for me. This one was a birthday present from my parents, and so it is both my first and last Maxima. There wouldn’t be another I could like any better or would choose to use instead of this one.

The ink is Diamine Tropical Green, a green with just the right amount of blue for me.

Pen of the Day: Montblanc Heritage 1912

December 8, 2015February 12, 2016 Laura3 Comments

Montblanc Heritage 1912 with broad nib. This is one of my best pens, I think. It’s a modern pen, but is based on the design of the Simplo Safety Filler, with a retractable nib and a more elaborate piston-filler than usual because the knob both operates the piston and retracts the nib.

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Pen of the Day: Kaweco Classic Sport

December 4, 2015December 2, 2015 Laura2 Comments

Kaweco Classic Sport with broad Architect’s nib. Today’s Pen of the Day is really a disguised Ink of the Day. This is one of my oft-used Kaweco Classic Sport demonstrator pens, now with an Architect’s nib.

The ink is Caran d’Ache Infra Red, courtesy of an early Black Friday sale. One of the blog’s readers turned me on to this ink. It’s a great color.

Pen of the Day: Pelikan M200 Anthracite

December 1, 2015November 30, 2015 LauraLeave a comment

Pelikan M200 Anthracite with fine Architect’s nib. This is a loaner pen from Dan Smith, the Nibsmith, with a fine nib that he ground to an Architect’s point.

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Pen of the Day: Custom Edison

November 27, 2015November 26, 2015 LauraLeave a comment

Custom Edison with medium nib. Brian Gray made me this Edison in tortoise lucite in a clipless cigar style. It features one of Edison’s excellent gold nibs in medium, which is positively cushy.

I love the material.

It’s inked with a sample from a friend of Diamine Racing Green. Made by Diamine exclusively for Missing Pen, a German eBay dealer, Diamine Racing Green is based on the discontinued Montblanc Racing Green ink.

I’ve never used the original Racing Green, but I’ve seen it in letters. This Diamine version looks lighter and greener, but it’s still a nice color, with a lot of shading, and I feel very lucky I’ve gotten to try it. I might mix some with a bit of black, to see how that looks.