The Well-Appointed Desk

Tool Review: Kakimori Stainless Steel Dip Nib

I cannot believe I have waited so long to write a review of the Kakimori Stainless Steel Dip Nib. Some of this may be that the nib was released in the last few years and I have a very established method for doing ink swatching and ink testing. That said, I can no longer ignore its existence.

One of my issues with the Kakimori nibs ($58) that kept me from picking one up is that they are expensive. When compared with a dip nib, the price is staggering. A dip nib from John Neal Books ranges in price from $0.60 to about $25 for a set. A standard nib holder is usually less the $10 for a standard holder and some are as cheap as $1.64. So, reasonably speaking, for under $5, you can get a dip nib set up but Kakimori nibs are not exactly a dip nib so its a bit of an unfair comparison.

The Kakimori nibs are probably a little more similar to a glass dip pen which are more expensive than a standard dip nib and can be much more fragile. A stainless steel nib is much more durable.

Finally, my experience with Kakimori dip nibs (while I only have the stainless steel here, I have used both the brass and stainless steel) is that the line quality can be inconsistent and the nibs can be scratchy.

The Kakimori nibs will fit into any standard dip nib holder so you are not required to purchase the Kakimori nib holders ($34-$92). If you already have a dip nib holder, you do not need a holder. You can buy a fancy one if you want, its just not required.

Holding the Kakimori nib and a high angle for finer writing

After doing a more in-depth test, I did discover an advantage for the Kakimori nib. By changing the angle you hold the pen/nib, you can make a wider or finer line. This makes a more flexible tool since you can do a large swatch of color and write with one tool. Also, you can change the angle to show a fine and wider writing sample.

Holidng the Kakimori Stainless Steel nib at a low angle to do a wide swatch of ink.

My suggestion is that there are so many tools available for quickly swatching and testing inks that you can choose what your needs are and what your budget is.

I recently tested the Dominant Industry Ink Muddler/Glass Dip Pen, while fragile glass so there is a risk for breakage, is only $17. Its a flexible tool with easy clean up as well.

The Sailor Hocoro dip pens are also reasonably priced and are available in a variety of nib sizes and are durable with a flip nib to make it great for protecting the nib and travel.

I don’t mean to be a party pooper about the Kakimori dip nibs but I can also offer so many other options that I have a hard time recommending the Kakimori nibs without these caveats.

I know Colorverse has introduced their own metal dip nib called the Shuttle ($42) which is slightly more affordable and I’ll test it soon. The Colorverse nib holders ($60-$80) are super fancy and pricey!

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: It’s My Birfday! You get a treat!

AnaJune 11, 2025June 12, 20253 Comments

Today is my birthday so I thought I’d let you celebrate since I can’t give everyone a cupcake like grade school. I don’t normally do sales on the shop but for one day only, everything* is 20% off.

Use the coupon code: MYBIRTHDAYTREAT on any order over $20
(*Sale does not include De-stash. Offer expires Jun 13, 2025 @ 12:00 AM Central)

A real birthday treat would be if you considered becoming a member of our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site and keeps me in the occasional birthday cupcake. Without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In feature

Yarn + Ink: Yellow!

Laura CameronJune 10, 2025June 8, 2025Leave a comment

Do you have any colors you dislike? If I’m being 100% honest I’ve never been much of a yellow fan. Sure it’s sunny and bright and happy, but somehow I just never cared for it much. In recent years I’ve come to appreciate a good honey or mustard, but they’re never my first choice.

This week’s chicken knitting is yellow. I didn’t pick it, and it wouldn’t be my first choice, but it got me thinking about yellow yarn in my stash, and yellow inks.

Do you use yellow inks? Some of the light ones are so light that they’re not super legible. I can get beyond a deep honey or gold ink though. Yellow is definitely a color that I don’t stock up on. Here’s what I seem to have in my stash:

Ban Mi Yellow
Vinta Hanan
Papier Plume Yellow
PenBBS No 134
Robert Oster Aussie Cold
Platinum Classic Citrus Black
Colorverse Gluon

And those last two? I’m not even sure they’re yellows – they sort of stray into the more green area.

Do you have any colors you dislike?

P.S. Oh how embarrassing. Apparently I already did this post a few years ago!

In Tools

MT Upcycle Washi Tape

AnaJune 9, 2025June 4, 2025Leave a comment

I love the idea that washi tape could be made from recycled materials (though washi paper is probably recyclable as is) so I was excited to see that MT is making Upcycle washi tape which is made from 70% recycled paper including coffee filter scraps.

The Upcycle washi tape is sold in kraft bags which would be challenging to figure out the colors of the tape in the bags if we were purchasing them in store but luckily I ordered them online. There are two rolls in each pack and there are currently 6 different packs available in solid colors. One pack is two rolls of natural colored tape but the other sets include two different colors. I purchased the Rose Pink x Uguisu (Pink & Green, $7 per set). I like all the other color options too so it was very hard to make a decision.

The Rose Pink is a warm, coral-y pink and the Uguisu is a lovely mossy green color.

In my first uses of the tape, the quality is on par with every other roll of MT washi tape I’ve ever used. IT tears easily, is good and sticky and the rolls include 7m (21 feet of tape on each roll) of tape.

Overall, I hope to see more recycled paper products especially for ephemeral items like washi tape. Thanks MT, for raising the bar.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Fountain Pen Review

Pen Parade: Kaweco x Hello Kitty Limited Edition Sport in Stardust Violet

AnaJune 6, 2025June 5, 20251 Comment

I love Kaweco Sport pens. It was one of my first fountain pens and I continue to acquire them when I find a design or color in particular.

So, today I thought I’d show off my latest acquisition: the limited edition Kaweco x Hello Kitty Sport ($80) called Stardust Purple. It is transparent purple embedded with silver glitter. The nib is engraved with Hello Kitty’s adorable face. It came with a little acrylic keychain with Hello Kitty riding a unicorn and a charm with a purple bow. I immediately stuck the charm onto my pen show badge holder. It made me so happy to have this silly little Hello Kitty charm. Deep down, I am a nine-year-old girl.

This pen was only available with a F nib, or that was what I was told when I purchased it. Luckily, I prefer the F nib on Kaweco so it just meant I didn’t need to make any decisions.

I, of course, put my favorite purple ink into into the pen: my Monteverde Sweet Life Birthday Cake. I think it’s a perfect match.

I picked this up at the Houston Little Craft Fest and it was 100% an impulse purchase. It’s pretty and makes me smile but it is ridiculously expensive for what should be a $30 pen. Would I do it again? Yeah, probably. But I feel like I restrained myself since I didn’t buy a Hello Kitty AL-Sport ($185) which is even MORE expensive. But if I won the lottery, I would 100% buy one… or all of them.

My takeaway: there is no price tag on happiness. Buy what you love and love it.

In Pen Review

Finding Mocha Mousse Gel Pen Options

AnaJune 5, 2025June 5, 2025Leave a comment

I was inspired by Laura’s Pantone Color of the Year Mocha Mousse ink experiments and decided to try to find the most Mocha Mousse-ish pen to use in my journals. I thought it would be fun to see how these pens looked when compared with the Pantone Color of the Year.

Our favorite ink to use for comparison is the Endless Alchemy Mocha Mousse Delight to use as a color comparison.

I had a few brown gel pens and markers in my stash but I also ordered a few new ones in hopes of finding the most chocolatey colors.

The pens in the running:

Iconic Iconic Un Jour de Rêve Gel Ink Pen 0.38 in Brown ($2.50)
Pilot Juice 0.38 in Coffee Brown ($1.75)
Pilot Juice Up 0.4 Brown ($3.60)
Marvy LePen Brown ($1.80)
Uni Pin Fineline 01 Sepia ($2.45)
Pilot Juice Up 04 Glossy Brown ($3.60)
Uni Ball ONE 0.38 Cappuccino Brown ($1.90)
Zebra Mildliner Mild Beige ($1.75)
Pentel Brush Sign Pen Pale Brown ($2.50)
Sakura Ballsign iD 0.4 Mocha Black ($3.30)

Mostly the pens I tested were gel or fiber-tipped but I threw in two marker/highlighter pens just because I wanted to see how they looked next to the more writing pens.

I really thought the colors in the gel pens would be closer to a chocolatey tone. Some colors leaned more purply and other were darker, more espresso colored. The Zebra Mildliner and Pentel Brush Sign Pen were no where near the Mocha Mousse Delight but it was nice to see them in comparison.

Despite the name, the UniBall ONE Cappuccino Brown was too light.

I think the winner is the Pilot Juice Up in Brown. Its chocolatey with that hint of golden undertones. The color is the warmest without edging into a reddish hue.

I think the Pilot Juice in Brown is a close second but is a bit darker. Sakura Ballsign iD 0.4 Mocha Black and the Pilot Juice Up in Classic Glossy Brown is tied for third being much darker in color but feel like a dark, 75% cocoa style mocha mousse.

Do you have a favorite brown gel pen or marker?

Tools:

Notebook: Odyssey A5 Tomoe River 68gsm Dot Grid Notebook ($49)
Clip: Draco Metal Journal Clip $16

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Triangle Show Weekend!

AnaJune 4, 2025June 5, 202510 Comments

Today’s Link Love is being written from my basement while the tornado sirens are shrieking above me. The likelihood of a tornado hitting us is probably (hopefully) pretty slim but, boy, does it make me think about how fragile our world is.

I didn’t “go-bag” my pens or ink or even my journal when I ran down here. I grabbed my phone, my laptop and the cats. Oh, and my cup of coffee, of course. I am reflecting on my lack of planning as I would be very sad if I lost my journal and many of my pens but I’d be devasted to lose all the products in my shop all stored in my studio. But I supposed if my house blew away, I’d have way bigger problems to worry about.

I know that wherever you are when you’re reading this, there is some severe weather that you fear from personal experience. I hope that you are safe and comfortable wherever you are and that the sun is shining or the stars are twinkling. Stay safe, have a plan for severe weather and remember that you and your family are more important than pens but you might want to pack one or two, just in case.

(Oh, side note: If I don’t get blown away, I’ll be in the Raleigh-Durham area for the Triangle Pen Show this weekend. Come see me at the Dromgoole’s table where I will be slinging ink and notebooks. Please come and say hi!)

Pens:

Montblanc 146 Bespoke Calligraphy Left Oblique Fountain Pen Review (via BLAKE’S BROADCAST)
The Hooligan Pen Experience (via The Pen Addict)
Fountain Pen Rotation: What’s in Your Cup this Month? (via Fountain Pen Chronicles and More)
Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Guilloche Fountain Pen Review (via The Pen Addict)
The LAMY 2000: A Comprehensive Guide (via JetPens)

Ink:

June’s Currently Inked Fountain Pens (via Writing at Large)
Ink Swatch Wednesday: Sailor Shikiori Yuki-usagi (via CJs Wunderkammer)
A Platinum Century Meets A Couple of Inks (via An Inkophile’s Blog)
ink review : Wearingeul Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland) (via inkxplorations)
Pilot Iroshizuku To-ro (via Inkcredible Colours)

Pencils:

Ask TGS: What’s The Best Paper for Pencils? (via The Gentleman Stationer)
Eversharp: Cornerstone of an Industry – trailer (via The Leadhead’s Pencil Blog)

Notebooks & Paper:

5 Ways to Use the Archer and Olive Kit Club (via Archer and Olive)
Guide to Changing Organiser Sizes (via Philofaxy)
Five Reasons I Prefer Undated Planners and Calendars (via The Gentleman Stationer)
Lessons Learned from my New Ink Book (via Dime Novel Raven)

Art & Creativity:

Why you should keep a junk journal (and this is how you do it) (via Flow Magazine)
On My Table: Beginning of June 2025. (via Apple-Pine)
Urban sketcher Len Grant (via Parka Blogs)

Other Interesting Things:

A Gentle Journey from Pixels to Paper // Jenny (via Baum-kuchen)

I might need a new pair of ruby slippers to get me out of Kansas (or more specifically in case I get blown into Kansas) so consider joining our Patreon. You will get an exclusive podcast, free printables, and more. Your support keeps us in “no place like pens and home”. Thank you!