I’ve been meaning to pick up one of the Komamono Dip Pens that they’ve been stocking at Vanness Pen Shop but I always miss my chance at pen shows. In DC, I was able to grab one of the Komamono Afternoon Tea Strawberry Cake Glass Dip Pen Sets ($20 per set) though I do have my heart set on one of the cat styled ones someday.
There are three color options in this collection: the Strawberry Cake (pink dip pen and blue green pen rest with coordinating dip inks), Macarons & Chocolate (purple pen and brown pen rest with matching inks) and Soda & Cherry (turquoise blue pen with cherry red pen rest and matching inks). The pink and green set seemed very “desk-y” and it is simple but lovely.
The simple rod shape makes the blunt end perfect to use for doing quick ink swabs with easy clean-up.
The glass dip pen nib is fine-to-medium in width and pretty smooth. It is a glass nib so the angle its held at can affect how smooth or scratchy it is. If you try a glass nib, play with your writing angle or twist it if you are having issues with the nib being scratchy or hard-starting.
The inks included in the set are small (maybe 5ml?) and each ink includes a shimmering ink. These are definitely DIP PEN ONLY inks. Once dry, there is a bit of sheen that suggests the inks have shellac in them so DO NOT USE IN FOUNTAIN PENS. The colors are bright and vivid but didn’t have a ton of shimmer particles in them so don’t expect other the top shimmer. Honestly, I bought the set for the pen and rest, not the ink so I’m not too upset about the inks.
If you are a fan of the Dominant Industry Ink Muddler but are looking for a longer pen barrel, the Komamono glas dip pen is a great alternative and not significantly more expensive.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.