Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Metropolitan Calligraphy Nib

Review by Laura Cameron When I was working at the Vanness table at the Chicago Pen Show, I noticed that the Pilot Metropolitans ($18.50) had an additional nib option that I hadn’t seen before, the calligraphy nib.  I resolved to order one to try and write up for the desk, since I do love my…

Fountain Pen Review: Platinum PTL 5000A Balance

Review by Jessica Coles The Platinum 5000-A Balance caught my eye a couple weeks ago when I noticed it had a gold nib.  That’s not actually a remarkable thing in itself; Platinum makes many excellent gold nibbed pens. However, I was looking at pens sorted by price.  There was no way I had scrolled down far enough…

Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen (AKA The Kung Fu Panda)

Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen (AKA The Kung Fu Panda)

Oh, Platinum! Why did you name such a beautiful pen with a name that sounds so awful to English speakers? I trie to resist the Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen on the name alone but when everyone kept telling me how stunning the color was, I couldn’t hold out any longer. Then Lisa Vanness…

Pen Review: Desiderata Precession Flex (Zebra G Nib) Fountain Pen

Pen Review: Desiderata Precession Flex (Zebra G Nib) Fountain Pen

Desiderata Pens is known for making some of the most unique pens that utilize the Zebra G calligraphy nibs in a modern fountain pen housing for flex writing experience. Every time I see Pierre at a pen show, he has developed a new design and refined, retooled or improved upon his previous designs for a…

Baron Fig Writing Tools: Elements Archer Pencil, Squire, & Squire Click

Baron Fig Writing Tools: Elements Archer Pencil, Squire, & Squire Click

Since all the Baron Fig writing tools I had seemed to coordinate so well, I decided to just review them altogether. The Archer Elements Pencil First, I’ll cover the newest item, the new Archer pencil release called Elements ($15 per dozen) which is a collaboration with Caroline Weaver from CW Pencil Enterprise. Like previous Baron Fig…

Pen Review: Opus88 Fantasia Fountain Pen (Fine Nib)

Pen Review: Opus88 Fantasia Fountain Pen (Fine Nib)

The Opus 88 Fantasia ($125) is a colorful pocket-sized pen with ebonite, striped cap and translucent acrylic body. This fountain pen model uses the same nib and filling mechanism as the Koloro and Picnic though I’m discovering that each nib seems to perform differently. The Opus 88 Fantasia Fountain Pen comes in the same sort…