The Well-Appointed Desk

Ink Drop: March 2013

AnaApril 1, 2013September 18, 2014Leave a comment

Once again, I am woefully behind on posting the Goulet Pens Ink Drop reveals. At least, I’m not spoiling the surprise for anyone who is waiting for their colors to arrive in the post this way.

This month was the darkest of the darks, called Fade to Black, to go along with everyone’s murky feeling about the gray, slushy March we faced. Hopefully, as it is now April, we can all look at these dark colors as sharp and crispy and not sad and depressing.

I’m always so surprised how different each shade of black can be. This month included three blacks: Pilot Namiki, Monteverde and Lamy, each with its own subtle color difference. The Pilot Namiki black seems to be the most neutral black of the three with the Monteverde having a purplish cast and the Lamy black being more of a dark gray. There are dozens upon dozens of other black inks on the market so it could take a lifetime to find the one that is “just right” but these are definitely a nice range. The Pilot Namiki black was the most water-resistant of the three if that’s a factor for you.

The other inks included were the De Atramentis Silver Grey which is a cool neutral gray and the Diamine Graphite which is a greenish gray in the Q-tip smudge but looks like a green-black in the writing sample.

If you are looking for a smart, professional ink for your fountain pen, any one of these would be appropriate.

In Fountain Pen Review

Sailor Desk Pen EF Review

AnaApril 1, 2013May 27, 20172 Comments

The Sailor Desk Pen EF doesn’t look like much with its fleshy-colored, plastic cap but under that cap is what makes this sub-$20 pen such a little gem. It does not have any fancy packaging and even the two black cartridges that came with the pen came in a plain plastic bag but for less than $20, I do hope more effort is put into the nib than the packaging. Its a simple, black plastic body with a white plastic dot on the end. Its a long tapered pen designed to fit into a desk pen holder (imagine the registry desk of a fine hotel).

The gold tone F-4 EF Sailoir nib is the smoothest, finest nib I’ve used.

I was stunned at how smoothly the Sailor Desk Pen writes on paper. From the minute I put the Sailor cartridge into it, it wrote. Perfectly. For such a fine nib, I expected it to be scratchier but its not. Compared to my Pilot Prera, this is much smoother! I don’t feel like I’m stabbing the paper or catching fibers as I write. Sadly, my Prera is still in the exhibit at work so I couldn’t do a side-by-side comparison.

The long slender shaping makes it easy to hold and write. The length gives it a nice balance and weight in the hand.

I did compare it to my EF nib Kaweco and the Sailor is noticeably finer. The closest comparison to the fineness I could find was a 0.38 gel pen like the Uni-Ball Style Fit in blue-black.

If you have been looking for a FINE fountain pen, this is the best I’ve found at a very low, low price.

($16.50 from JetPens)

In photo

Today’s a Good Pen Day!

AnaMarch 31, 2013Leave a comment

Look what just arrived in the post today! New tools from JetPens to be reviewed this weekend. In the mix is the Ohto Ceramic Pencutter recommended by Donovan at the Letter Writers Alliance, two Pilot Juice 0.5 gel pens in leaf green and blue black, a Uniball Signo DX 0.38 in Pantone-Color-of-the-Year Jade and a Kokuyo Kadokeshi Stick lime green twistable mini plastic eraser.

Hope you had a good pen day too!

In feature

Kickstarter: IPX-PRO Notebook Covers

AnaMarch 28, 2013Leave a comment

Have you ever wished that your notebook had a more durable cover? If so, then you may be interested in the latest Kickstarter project called the IPX-PRO. These all metal covers will be available in two sizes to fit a pocket-sized (3.5″x5.5″) or A5 (roughly 5″X8″) notebooks and in silver or black. These covers will protect the corner from being bent and provide a solid hi-tech look to your low-tech tool.

There is just ten days left on this Kickstarter project so if its something you might be interested in supporting, you’ve still got time. Just $49 will secure a small, silver, pocket-sized cover (and their very own notebook) when the product goes into production.

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In feature

Piccadilly Essential Notebook Review

AnaMarch 28, 201311 Comments

Several years ago, The Pen Addict reviewed a Piccadillly Notebook and I have wanted to try one ever since. Last weekend, while browsing the shelves at our local Half-Price Books, I found that they carried a large collection of blank books and journals, not to mention a huge wall of stationery, notecards and postcards. Half-Price Books is an untapped resource for paper junkies, for sure! What I was pleased to find was that they had the Piccadilly line of notebooks.

I purchased a plain black, lined, medium Essential Notebook which is about 5×8″ in size and comparable to the Moelskine large notebook. The book, for all intents and purposes, looks exactly like a standard black hardcover Moleskine with the black elastic, black leatherette cover, black ribbon bookmark and manila gusset pocket inside the back cover. But there are some notable differences:

bookmark is sealed so is does not fray
book contains 240 pages of 80gsm off-white acid-free paper. 80 GSM!
Piccadilly’s suggested MSRP? $4.99

A Moleskine at the same size is now selling for $13-18 depending on the retailer mark-up so a notebook with a hardcover for $5 is a great deal. Based on price alone, if the Piccadilly notebook had the exact same paper as Moleskine, this would be a no-brainer. BUT… the paper is SO much better! And for me, the paper has always been the sticking point with Moleskines. Ink feathers and bleeds through. I can seldom use boths sides of the page for this reason and must limit myself to using pencil and very fine gel pens.

When I started putting pen to the pleasantly-weighty 80 GSM paper in the Piccadilly, I was thrilled. There is just enough tooth to the paper to keep my pens from sliding across the surface and nary a hint of ink feathering. The lines are light enough that even the lightest ink colors still stand out.

From the reverse of the pen tests, there is no bleed-through and only minor show-through. Once I completed these tests, I immediately started using the notebook as my go-to book. The more I use it, the more I like it. I have always appreciated the simple aesthetics of a Moleskine — the plain black cover that belies what your contents might be. In an office environment, I can be a little self-conscious of carrying a particularly elaborately decorated or designed notebook (floral covers or Hello Kitty might undermine my professionalism) so the Piccadilly is perfect. At $5, there’s no reason not to pick one up and write it all down.

Highly recommended.

Piccadilly Essential notebooks are available in 3 sizes and come in black as well as a variety of brightly colored covers. Essential Notebooks are available in plain, lined and grid. Check out your local Half-Price Books, search Amazon or check out the Where To Buy section at the Piccadilly site..

Other reviews:

Gourmet Pens reviews the soft-cover edition
No Pen Intended reviewed a small grid notebook
DIY Planner tried a small graph version
Biffy Beans did a thorough write-up of a medium notebook (but I think Piccadilly must have changed the lines since then because my book had lines that seemed lighter than a Moleskine)
Black Cover calls marketing on Moleskine when compared to the Piccadilly