Aug 18, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

First Impressions - Urso Luxury White Tiger

(This pen was loaned to me free of charge for review purposed by my friend, Wendy. This review represents my own thoughts only) Urso Luxury is one of those under-the-rader brands that I haven’t heard of until very recently. They specialize in creating very luxurious writing instruments which tend to feature precious metals and stones. One of their more popular series is the ones based off animals, such the Horse, Panther, Elephant, and Falcon.

Aug 16, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

Ruled Paper Templates

I often get asked if it is possible to turn a blank sheet of printer paper that is fountain pen friendly, such as the HP 32lb Premium Choice Laser. A simple solution would be to print rulings (lines, graph, or dot) onto their paper of choice. Personally, I print different rulings onto printer paper all the time, just for the versatility and cheapness of printer paper compared to other papers like Rhodia and Clairfontaine.

Aug 15, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

Napkin Forever Pininfarina Cambiano Pencil Review

What do you get when you cross a never-ending pencil with a luxury Italian car designer? You get the Napkin Forever Pininfarina Cambiano Pencil! The guys at Napkin Forever teamed up with Pininfarina, designer of numerous Italian cars, to create a pencil that is truly a beautiful work of art. When I first saw this pencil, I was a mix of skeptical and confused. The makers define this writing instrument to be a “pencil” so I will call it that too.

Aug 13, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

Private Reserve Spearmint Review

Private Reserve Ink is a small ink manufacturer based out of Indiana and founded by fellow fountain pen collectors. Private Reserve boasts a large color spectrum, with over 53 regular collection colors and occasionally release special limited edition inks, such as DC SuperShow Blue. Additionally they make refills for ballpoints, rollerballs, and stamp pads. One popular Private Reserve (PR) ink is their bright green, known as Spearmint. It is a very cheery and happy “summer” green and can be reminiscent of a “Christmas” green.

Aug 10, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

First Impressions - Delta Dolcevita Oversize

Delta, the Italian pen manufacturer, was founded in 1982 and is actually one of the youngest fountain pen manufacturers around. They are distributed in the U.S. by Yafa, the parent company of Conklin and Monteverde. One of Delta’s most ambitious pens is their Dolce vita Oversize which boasts a bright orange resin body and a solid 18K gold nib. This is the same barrel material found in their limited edition Skeleton Ballpoint Pen and is quite a looker!

Aug 8, 2015

Written by Connar Adlam

Preventing Pain from Excessive Writing

(This is a guest post by Connor Adlam of Fountain Pen Quotes) Before reading this, you should know that I am not a doctor or medical professional. If you experience excessive discomfort or pain while writing, seek professional help. Writing for long periods of time (over an hour) comfortably and without injury can be very beneficial if you take notes, journal, write letters, or write anything more than a shopping list or a quick note.

Aug 5, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

Best-Shaped Ink Bottles

Have you ever run into a time where your ink level is so low in the bottle that you have trouble filling your pen? For most pens, you need to have enough ink that the height of the ink will reach the grip section of your pen. That becomes quite a big problem when you are down to the last bit of ink in your bottle. Some manufacturers take proactive steps to aid filling from their bottles when the ink level gets low enough and devise some really unique bottles.

Aug 2, 2015

Written by Felix Jen

Storing Ink Samples

If any of you have dabbled in fountain pen inks (which most of you probably have), you may have acquired quite a handful of ink samples. Those small, round vials are great for sending little amounts of ink round, but they can really be a pain to store once you have a bunch of them! Also, they tend to tip over leaving a terribly inky mess all over your table, or worse, your carpet!