Pen Review: Stipula Adagio Seaglass

Pen Review: Stipula Adagio Seaglass

By Jessica Coles I recently fell in love at first sight with a pen – the Stipula Adagio and specifically the Seaglass variety. I fell in love with it just from the photo but then I started looking into the details a bit. Stipula, in my mind, is a rather expensive pen manufacturer – one…

Pen Review: The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande with Oversized #8 Nib

Pen Review: The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande with Oversized #8 Nib

I remember vividly the first pen show that the Nibsmith had Leonardo pens stocked at his table. The Momento Zero model caught a lot of people’s attention at that show, and for good reason. I was not immune. It’s one of the only pens I can think of that I purchased immediately when seeing a brand…

Pen Review: Sailor Lucky Charm and a Music Nib

Pen Review: Sailor Lucky Charm and a Music Nib

By Jessica Coles Recently I wrote a post about a local art supply store (Meininger’s) that happens to have a wonderful selection of ink and fountain pen friendly paper. Well, I did forget to mention it also has a huge variety of pens. Among these pens I forgot to rave about are Sailor pens. But…

Retrospective: Retro 51 Fountain Pens & Rollerballs

Retrospective: Retro 51 Fountain Pens & Rollerballs

By Jessica Coles The Retro 51 news hit me hard.  If you haven’t heard yet, Retro 51 announced that they would be retiring and closing the business at the end of the year. I’ve loved Retro 51 pens since I first became enamored with pens and the first two pens I purchased in a brick-and-mortar pen…

Pen Review: Faber-Castell Ambition Pearwood

Pen Review: Faber-Castell Ambition Pearwood

By Jessica Coles Recently I was pushed outside of my comfort zone with pen reviews – you know, the comfort zone of the same three or four pen manufacturers that make a style and size of pen that fits, that works, that feels good. Comfortable. This time, I had the chance to review a Faber Castell pen.…

Fountain Pen Review: Pelikan M600 Violet & White

Fountain Pen Review: Pelikan M600 Violet & White

By Jessica Coles Earlier this year, Pelikan announced the newest special edition: the Pelikan Violet & White M600 ($440-$535). As soon as I saw the photos of this pen, I fell in love with it and I wasn’t alone. Purple seems to be an especially rare color in the pen world. So far, I have…

Fountain Pen Review: Lamy Pastel Mint Glaze

Fountain Pen Review: Lamy Pastel Mint Glaze

By Jessica Coles Each year, Lamy announces a new color of their best selling Safari (plastic) and AL-Star (aluminum) pens. From the moment I first heard the colors for the 2019 special editions, I started counting down until I could get them in my hands.  2019 was the first year that not one but three…