The Well-Appointed Desk

Notebook Review: NAVA Design Haiku Notes – A5 Notebook

Laura CameronMarch 26, 2019March 25, 20191 Comment

One of the items Ana brought home from the LA Pen Show for me to review was a new offering from NAVA, the NAVA Design Haiku Notes – A5 Notebook (240 pgs, $12.00). At first glance these notebooks are simply stunning. Ana brought me the Amethyst color, but the Haiku also comes in Blue and Black.

But the cover isn’t the only thing that’s eye-catching – the paper inside is a gradient as well. The paper starts at a deep pinky purple at the center spine and fades out to white at the edge of the page. On each and EVERY page.

The cover is white cardstock, with matte lamination and an embossed Haiku logo. My notebook is A5 (although B5 and pocket sizes are also available), and measures 5.9 x 8.3″ (15 x 21 cm) with 240 pages of 100 gr/m paper. So let’s talk about this paper.

Of course, one of my first questions is always whether the paper is fountain pen friendly. The answer, in this case, is mostly. I qualify with mostly, because near the center of the book, where the gradient color is the deepest, the paper doesn’t seem to take the ink quite as well as elsewhere. It feels like the fountain pen ink is sitting on top of the printed ink on the paper and I notice a bit of spotty coverage, as if you were trying to write with fountain pen ink on a glossy surface. I did let the ink dry, however, and it did seem to dry fairly quickly and didn’t smear on the opposite page when I closed the book. So I’d say you can use fountain pens in this book, but you may wish to stop a bit shorter of the center.

The remainder of my testing was with a variety of fine liners, gel pens, and of course a Sharpie!

I will say that there was no bleed through on anything except the Sharpie. Even the ink on the bottom right, Robert Oster Fire & Ice in a medium nib, didn’t bleed through. There is a bit of ghosting, but the camera didn’t even pick it up.

This journal is eye-catching and fun, and a great price for a thick notebook with some wow factor. I enjoyed using it and will be incorporating this beauty into my daily musings. If you’re interested check out Amethyst and the other colors (and other sizes) at Vanness!

DISCLAIMER: The notebook included in this review was provided to us free of charge by Vanness for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Aurora Optima Fine Flex LE

AnaMarch 25, 2019April 9, 2019Leave a comment

I was so honored to receive an Aurora Optima Fine Flex LE as a gift in New York from the fine folks at Fountain Pen Hospital. It is a beautiful candy apple red which looks lovely with my favorite make-up from Bésame (no, I am not getting kickbacks for endorsing them. I just really like their products).

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I did not include any images of the packaging for the Optima Flex as it is the same as the regular Optima (Turns out, I didn’t include the packaging in that review either. It’s a big box).

Over the course of 2018, Aurora released a wide array of colors of the Flex LE pens which made the limited edition-ness of this pen a bit less limited feeling. Rather than staggering the release of each color over several years, they came out one month after another which meant that the colors towards the end of the release cycle ended up being less coveted as many people decided whether of not they liked (or didn’t like) Aurora’s flex nib. The red model was one of the very last to be released and it is one of the colors that would probably have been the most popular if Aurora had chosen to release the pens all at once.

I love the combination of red and silver tone rhodium hardware. It’s classic and elegant.

The nib is 14K gold and rhodium-plated to aesthetically match the rest of the pen.

When I was writing with the pen, I had some issues with hard starting that I finally decided to take to a professional I waited to post this review until I could put this pen into Dan Smith of The Nibsmith’s hands. He looked at it and did some very light smoothing and recommended that I try a wetter ink to avoid the hard starts. I switched the KWZ that I got in Toronto on the same trip to DeAtramentis, some of the wettest ink I could think of, and hoped that would help. If I don’t try to push the nib for flex writing, it seems to write quite well but if I try to really flex it, it starts to hard start and railroad. It also requires a great deal of pressure to get it to flex and I actually write with a fairly light hand.

I might have the nib ground down a bit finer and just treat it as an extra fine fountain pen.

Honestly, I like to think of this pen as more of a soft fine rather than a flex nib. I think it would make me feel a lot less frustrated. It’s a beautiful pen with a beautiful nib but it is not a flexible nib in the way that I think of flexible nibs.

Tools:

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 18 with 6mm guide sheet
Pens: Aurora Optima Flex LE in Red ($575)
Ink: DeAtramentis Deepwater Obsession Black-Red ($14 for 35ml bottle) and KWZ Maple Red (a limited edition color for the Toronto Pen Show 2018)

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

In Tools

Review: Lihit Lab Smart Fit Carrying Pouch A6

AnaMarch 22, 2019March 22, 20191 Comment

Back in February, you may have read about how I misjudged the size of the Lihit Lab Smart Fit Mobile Pouch – it’s too small for my Samsung Galaxy S9. But I still need a replacement for my little bag that I use only for bare essentials when I’m fitness walking. This time I read the specs carefully before ordering the Lihit Lab Smart Fit Carrying Pouch in the A6 size ($16).

Made of water-resistant (essential in these parts) Cordura, the Smart Fit pouch is available in black, olive, navy, orange, camo and houndstooth. I chose the cute houndstooth pattern, which looks just a bit dressy (you know, in case I decide to pop in at a Michelin-rated restaurant for lunch after fitness-walking around Green Lake). The pouch does not come with a strap. In the photo below, I’ve attached the strap that I took off my old bag that’s being replaced. It clips onto the pouch’s rings easily.

Lihit Lab A6 pouch with strap

The back of the pouch has two snapped loops that can be attached to a belt and worn fanny-pack style. You can also omit a strap altogether and toss the pouch into a larger bag as an accessory organizer.

Lihit Lab pouch back view

Opening the flap reveals a Velcro closure and two compartments – one large enough for my phone and a skinny one for a couple of writing instruments. Behind these is one flat pocket large enough for a pocket-size notebook or two. And behind that is one large compartment.

Lihit Lab A6 pouch open view

Here’s the stuff I consider my bare essentials that I would not leave the house without: my phone (shown here is my spouse guy’s Galaxy S7 so that I could take the photo with my S9; it’s the same size as my S9), keys, wallet, glasses, two Field Notes notebooks, a Zebra disposable brush pen, a Uni Jetstream 4+1 multi pen and a white Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen (yes, of course, it’s essential. . . how else would I sketch in a Field Notes with orange paper?).

All of that fits comfortably without making the pouch bulge or being so tight that I have to struggle to get things out.

Lihit Lab pouch filled, view from top

I took it out for a walk over the weekend, and it offers a bonus I hadn’t considered: The Smart Fit pouch’s vertical format seems to hang with a better balance than my previous bag, which had a more squarish format. Even though the strap is the same length, the vertical shape doesn’t bounce against my hip with every step the way the other one used to. A winner!

DISCLAIMER: Some of 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.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Sailor Studio 150

Jessica ColesMarch 21, 2019September 16, 20192 Comments

Review by Jessica Coles

Ah, purple inks. If I had to choose only one color of ink to use for the rest of my life, it would be purple. I love that purple spans from nearly pink or red all the way to dark blurples. I love how purple inks have experienced a renaissance lately as evidenced by Montblanc’s special edition, Psychedelic Purple and Lamy’s Dark Lilac. The Pantone color of the year for 2018 was Ultra Violet! What a great time for purples.

I have found pastel purple inks very difficult to find, however. Not that they don’t exist, but the exact shade that I crave seems to be hard to find. Robert Oster has a beautiful variety of purple inks, but nothing quite right. Sheaffer had a beautiful shade of lavender ink, but it was discontinued in the late 80s or early 90s and the bottles of lavender are coveted by those who can find them.

I was delighted when I found Sailor Studio 150! This ink is very close to Sheaffer Lavender but is still easily legible in writing.

Studio 150 also has the bonus characteristic of colors that separate slightly, showing unusual shading at times. The ink also varies in color based on the paper being used.

Sailor Studio is somewhere between Diamine Amazing Amethyst and Toucan Violet (another difficult-to-find ink that has been nearly discontinued) in color but shows the complexity seen in Robert Oster Viola (an ink that can be difficult to read since it is so pale.

Tucan Violet is the ink that I have historically seen as a replacement for Sheaffer Lavender. Of course, it also has now become quite difficult to find. It seems I was doomed to be always searching for my perfect lavender until I found 150!

Papers: Birmingham Pen Company A5 Slim Notebook ($8.99)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10)
Ink: Sailor Studio 150 (20ml for $21.49)

Disclaimer: All items in this review were purchased by me. For more information, visit our About page.

In Link Love

Link Love: Beards and Bronzer?

AnaMarch 20, 2019March 20, 2019Leave a comment

Laura and I are back from Little Rock and trying to get caught up on our “real lives” while trying to download all our purchases and fun stuff. Laura is planning a recap of the Arkansas Pen Show and I will try to post a purchase dump soon.

This week we are getting peeks at the release of the not-so-bronze Lamy AL-Star pen and ink and more of the Lamy gemstone inks are washing up on US shores.

There are two reviews of the Fa Vo notebook from the UK and a peek at the new Baron Fig pencil release. Make some ink splatters, getting your fountain pen mojo back, what makes watercolor paper what it is and drawing beard stubble. We’ve got it all!

Letter Writers Alliance have information about writing condolence letters and sending letters of support to Christchurch you might want to check out.

Pen Review: Jet Pens Coral Pen Sampler

Laura CameronMarch 19, 2019March 11, 20192 Comments

Review by Laura Cameron

I’ve always wanted to buy a JetPens pen sampler, but I haven’t had a good excuse until this year when JetPens developed a Coral Pen Sampler (10 pens for $20.00)!

The nice thing about JetPens’ samplers is that they include a variety of fine liners, brush pens, gel pens, and others so not only do you get pens in the color of your choice, but you get to try new types of pens!

Of the pens I received, the only one I had tried before was the Marvy Le Pen.

The pens came in a variety of shades of coral; some more red and some more pink, and a few in NEON bright.

I learned I have no idea how to use brush pens!

I think my favorites of the batch were the Pilot Juice and the Pilot Frixion Colors. Both had a pinky red color, but they were smooth and lovely to write with.

The Zebra Bold had an amazing grapefruit color, but again, I am not deft with brushes!

The neons were fun, but I’m not sure how well they’d fit in my day to day uses.

Nonetheless, this was a fun sampler to try and I would totally recommend it if you’re looking for something fun in your favorite colors!

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

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Faber-Castell Grip 2011 EF in Silver

AnaMarch 15, 2019March 10, 20196 Comments

There are not a lot of new, entry-level pens appearing on the market so its always worth taking a good look. The Faber-Castell Grip 2011 ($20) is definitely a contender. Especially in light of recent price increase on the Pilot Metropolitan (now MSRP $29.99, street price $23.99), there is definitely room for a new entry-level fountain pen.

Enter: the Grip 2011.

Faber-Castell took design cues from their Grip pencil, which has always been one of my favorite pencils. The pen shares the same soft, triangular shape and rubberized dots as the pencil, just a wider version.

On the end of the cap, is a raised version of the jousting horses. Oh, did I mention it’s a snap cap?

Printed on the side of the cap is the Faber-Castell logo and the clip is slim and elegant. Unlike other, lower priced Faber-Castell pens, the cap is a uniform cylinder shape which I really prefer aesthetically.

The nib is engraved with dots and Faber-Castell’s signature jousting horses. While I don’t know if the nib is custom made by Faber-Castell or if its a stock nib engraved for Faber-Castell but its good looking and smooth.

The grip section is a subtly molded grip section. Imagine if someone rubbed down the hard edges of a Lamy Safari. As a left-handed writer, I find the Grip 2011 far easier to use and more comfortable than the stricter, sharper edges of the Safari.

So, how does it stack up against other entry level pens? From left to right: a Kaweco Sport, TWSBI Eco, Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy Safari, Kaweco Perkeo and the Faber-Castell Grip 2011 — all capped. The Metro, the Safari, the Perkeo and the Grip 2011 all have snap caps.

The same pens shown in the previous photo, posted. The only pen in this price range that’s metal is the Metropolitan. The Perkeo and the Grip 2011 are the widest and both take standard European cartridges or converters. Generally speaking, I don’t post my pens except for pocket pens like the Kaweco Sport.

The Grip 2011 is a light pen weighing 15gms capped or or posted and 10gms uncapped. The Safari is a little bit heavier. The Perkeo is probably very close in weight.

The extra fine nib, being a European EF, is not super fine but I still find it really pleasurable to write with. I’ve been using this pen for several months and I really like it. I love that it is easy to use, takes standard European and long cartridges as well as a standard converter. It’s become my office pen, easy to cap and uncap throughout the day and I am using up that stash of mystery cartridges I’ve had for years.

If you need a quick, easy-to-use fountain pen for yourself or you’re trying to convert a friend to the world of fountain pens, I think the Faber-Castell Grip 2011 is a great option. It’s available in a variety of other colors and nib widths so there’s something for everyone.

Tools:

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 18 with 6mm guide sheet
Pens: Faber-Castell Grip 2011 EF in Silver/Grey
Ink: Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire ($8.75 for long cartridges)

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

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