I was thumbing through the Miquelrius medium flexible 300 grid paper book I use for all my pen and ink testing, when I stumbled across this comparison between the vintage Sheaffer Scrip Washable Blue and the more recent Diamine Washable Blue. I think the Sheaffer Scrip Blue looks more like a blue-black and the Diamine is a brighter blue. Just thought it was interesting… which do you prefer?
I’ve had the TWSBI Mini ($50-$55) since Christmas but I haven’t reviewed it because I’ve been waiting for a new EF nib unit. Initially, I got it with the F nib thinking I’d like to be able to compare the F nib with the EF nib I have on my TWSBI Diamond 540*. What I discovered is the F nib is quite broad and made me quite sad — I tend to prefer either razor fine or italic/stub nibs, no in-between. So, in order to give a fair and balanced review of the new Mini, I decided to wait until I could swap out the nib unit with the EF and compare apples to apples.
I liked the overall looks of the clear demonstrator model of the TWSBI 540 so I purchased the clear demonstrator Mini as well. The clip shape is ever so slightly different (I think the new 580 uses the same clip design) and TWSBI added threads to the end of the pen so that the cap will post snugly. The silver band at the base of the cap is narrower as well. Otherwise, the size is the only visible difference between the 540 and the Mini.
The 540 is about an inch longer than the Mini which measures about 4.5″ capped which is about half an inch longer than a Kaweco Sport. The barrels on the 540 and the Mini are the same diameter. Uncapped, the Mini is about 4.25″ long and with the cap posted its 5.5″ long which is comparable to most full-sized pens. The Mini weighs 20gms (full of ink and capped) which is 7gms heavier than a Kaweco sport but 8gms lighter than the full-sized 540. In my current pen collection, the TWSBI 540 is as weighty as my Lamy Studio which has an all-metal body.
The nib of the Mini is more slender than the 540 nib but the same length with the sample decorative filigree and logo.
As expected, in writing tests, the Mini performed exactly the same as the full-sized 540 but was more comfortable in my hands for long writing sessions. The nib is smooth on the paper and writes continuously without any need to prime it. (If pausing while writing, some other fountain pens will dry out requiring that I scratch on a scrap of paper to get it going again which is often referred to as “priming.”)
The ink capacity is not as large as the 540 but both use the same built-in piston filler which is easy to use. The Mini has held enough ink to keep me writing for about a week without needing to refill so it definitely hold more ink than the standard European cartridge.
If you are looking for an upgrade to the Kaweco-sized pens or want to use a lot of bottled inks, I recommend the Mini.
*The TWSBI 540 has been discontinued and replaced by the upgraded Diamond 580.
(This pen was tested on the Miquelrius medium flexible 300 grid paper book purchased from B+N.)
Goulet Pens continues to delight with their monthly themed Ink Drop ink samples. For February, the colors were inspired by Valentine’s Day naturally. There were two pinks (Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo and Diamine Deep Magenta), one shade of red (Sailor Jentle Grenade) — which reminds me of J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite with more of a pink undertone — and two shades of purple (DeAtramentis Aubergine and Rohrer & Klingner Cassia).
The DeAtramentis Aubergine is almost a purple black and reminds me of Scribal Work Shop Cryptid Nessie from the October Ink Drop. The Yama-Budo is a raspberry pink and the Deep Magenta is a bright magenta pink. I prefer the Yama-Budo color — its a fun pink color but not quite so princess-y pink as the Deep Magenta. The Cassia is a vibrant violet. Which color is your favorite?
The more I test these inks them more I’m coming to discover consistencies in the inks. De Atramentis inks always seem wetter which I find works well later in finer nib pens. Diamine inks are more solid — I can almost use them with crow quill dip nibs without too much bleed. I think these inks would work well in broader pens like a 1.1 calligraphy/stub nib. Just an observation…
I tested these inks using my vintage Parker and vintage Sheaffer pens, both with lovely striated details in the bodies and gold nibs. I need to get them both re-sacked so that I can use them more often. As it is, I use them like dip pens.
Thought you’d like to see how messy I get testing all my inks. My manicurist would faint dead away if she saw what I did to my hands.
Sometimes, being left-handed really blows. I usually get this feeling whenever someone talks about fine calligraphy or rollerball pens. The classic Uni-Ball Vision rollerballs literally throw me into apoplexy because every time I try to use them, they skip, stutter or seize up completely. I believe that they were designed to roll for right-handed people but not lefties and I tend to avoid them. Somehow, when presented with the option of loading ink cartridges with fountain pen inks and using them with the J. Herbin refillable rollerball ($9.75) — I thought things might be different. As you can see from the writing sample above, I was wrong. Skipping, stuttering and generally making me a very unhappy writer.
To make sure that the issue was me and not the pen, my darling husband agreed to take the pen for a spin, pink ink and all. As you can see, it wrote fine for him though he did complain that it was clumping as he wrote, especially when he tried to write small.
So, the long and short of it is that you love the array of colors available in fountain pen inks, use a fountain pen.
Not recommended.
Last week, I posted a link to Richard’s Pens informative article about the difference between stub and italic nibs. As I own a few fountain pens that fit this description, I thought I’d put them altogether to see the differences. I own a Lamy Studio with a 1.1 mm italic nib, a Kaweco Sport with a 1.1mm italic nib and a vintage Esterbrook with a # 2442 nib known as the fine stub.
In the close-up above you can see that the Esterbrook nib is much narrower than the 1.1mm nibs that flank it. If I had to guess, I’d say that the Esterbrook is half the width of the other two.
In the writing samples at the beginning of the post (or click on the photo to see a larger version on Flickr), you can see that the character of the writing is different with the italic nibs versus the stub. The italic nibs create much sharper angles between its wide lines and its fine lines — it could almost be described as crispier. The stub softens the variation of the line widths but still allows the shading from the ink to show.
All three of these pen models easily allow you to swap out the nibs at a fairly reasonable price. Have you considered a stub or italic nib? Do you like it?
After lampooning the Pilot Varsity, I got a lot of feedback from readers that they had a good experience with the pen and that it helped to inspire them to try fountain pens. While I am still not over the bruising experience of the Pilot Varisty, I was willing to try some other sub-$5 fountain pens. I did like the Zebra V-301 that I’m willing to admit that not all entry-level fountain pens are cheap. So I ordered a Platinum Preppy 03 ($3.30) and a Pilot Petit 1 (fine) ($3.80) from JetPens in hopes of finding a gem or two.
The most notable difference between these two pens is the length. The Platinum Preppy is a full-length pen (5.5″ closed) while the Pilot Petit 1 is a tiny pocket-sized pen. The Pilot Petit 1 is about the same length as a Kaweco Sport when closed at 4.25″ long. It’s 3.75″ uncapped and 5.25″ with the capped posted. The Preppy is 5″ uncapped and 6″ with the cap posted. If small pens are uncomfortable in your hands, then the Preppy will definitely be better suited than the Pilot Petit.
Both nibs seem similar in width. The Pilot Petit actually has a longer nib-to-grip ratio and the Preppy nib is tinted to match the cap and ink color chosen at purchase. Both pens are cartridge-filled and use a proprietary cartridge style. Preppy cartridges refills are available in packs of two for $1.65 and the inks work in both the fountain pens and their line of Preppy sign markers. The Pilot Petit 1 cartridges work with the fountain pen and their two other pen styles — the marker and brush pen. Their cartridges come in sets of three for $1.90.
In writing tests, they both preformed really well. For me, surprisingly well. The Preppy had a little bit of friction on the paper but no more than a pencil would have — I never felt like the pen was moving without my control. The Pilot Petit 1 was silkier on the paper but I think the grassy green ink is much wetter than the red in the Preppy.
I will probably refill the ink cartridges in both these pens with my syringe method to see if they behave differently with other inks. In general though, I am quite satisfied with the results of these pens. If I had to pick one, I like the way the Preppy writes a little better than the Petit 1 but I think both are great options if you are just getting into fountain pens or are looking for pens you wouldn’t be heartbroken to lose in the office or while traveling.
Lefty-approved. Recommended for anyone.
(This pen was tested on the Miquelrius medium flexible 300 grid paper book purchased from B+N.)
I’m a little late to the party with the reveal of the January Ink Drop from Goulet Pens but you’ll forgive me, won’t you? The more I think about this set, the more I like it. The theme for January was the Aurora Borealis which I think is a great idea for January — to think of the bright color-shifting skies on those long dark nights. But the more I delve into these colors, the more I am just pleased with the mix of colors and how unusual they are.
As you all know, I am always looking for the perfect shade of green and the DeAtramentis Moss Green has an awful lot to recommend it. Its in the yellow-green side of the spectrum which I prefer and its not so light that it would be unreadable. Its a perky springy green.
The Diamine Majestic Purple is quite a royal purple — more purple than violet. I’m not inclined to choose a vivid purple ink but this is one I might use.
The Noodler’s Rome Burning is the most unusual ink color I’ve seen. Its not brown, sepia or yellow. It has a sort of mustard hue which I keep looking at, trying to discern its hue. The closest ink comparison I could make is the DeAtramentis Gold in the July 2012 Ink Drop: Olympics Edition. According to Noodler’s, Rome Burning is a bulletproof ink that turns purple when submerged in water. Check out the video on the Noodler’s site to see how it works and amuse yourself with the Indiana Jones-style epic soundtrack. Talk about a crazy ink!
Noodler’s Borealis Black is a very deep black, the blackest of black. According to Noodler’s site, this is a 1950s-formulation and it is water-resistant but not bulletproof. It is a wet ink so I put it into my Pilot Prera which is very fine nib and worked fine.
Now, can I wax rhapsodic about the Diamine Eau de Nil? The name translates to Water of the Nile and its a teal blue with a little black in it. This is a color in my wheelhouse. The closest comparison I can make is to DeAtramentis Pigeon Blue but its more turquoise while Eau de Nil is leaning more towards a blue black.
Needless to say that Eau de Nil was my favorite color in this collection though I am amused with the wild color-changing properties of Noodler’s Rome Burning.
See larger photos of each ink test in my Flickr Set.
