Tag Team Pen Review: Tom’s Studio The Wren Refillable Writing Pen

Tag Team Pen Review: Tom’s Studio The Wren Refillable Writing Pen

Ana’s Review:

The Tom’s Studio Wren ($45) is a beautiful brushed aluminum pocket pen with a refillable Japanese-style fiber tip. The Wren comes in a variety of colors and contains a cotton fiber reservoir that can be filled from any bottle of fountain pen ink.

Above are images of the paperboard box packaging which include lots of helpful information about the pen and luckily is recyclable if you don’t keep your pen boxes.

Inside the box is a small bottle of ink and instructions for filling the pen.

There is a streamlined, ergonomic grip area on the barrel that tapers gently to the tip.

My first goal was to find an ink color that would best match or coordinate with the pen. I decided to go with a color a little bit darker than the pen since the fineliner tend to write lighter than when the ink is used in a fountain pen.

I chose Colorverse Able (No. 43) for the ink for the Sage Wren.

It took just a second or two for the ink to travel up the ink reservoir.

I stuck it back on to the nib end and it took a minute or so for the ink to use the capillary action to soak the nib tip.

 

In writing, the Able ink ended up looking MUCH lighter than I had hoped.

When you look at the swatch next to the writing you can see just how much lighter the ink appears in the Wren. So, if you decide to invest in the refillable Wren, plan on picking an ink color much darker than you want as it will appear lighter.

I decided to try to rinse the ink out of the cotton reservoir and refill it with a darker color. It was not difficult to rinse the ink out but I am not sure if I needed to let the reservoir dry overnight before refilling. But who has time for that?

So I refilled the pen with a darker more saturated ink: Colorverse Pillars of Creation (No. 88). It seemed like a good complimentary color to the light sage color of the pen barrel.

It took awhile to work out the green ink from the tip but eventually, with some scribbling I was able to get it to write.

The Wren did not show any sheening from either of the ink colors.

I did decide to compare the Wren to the more budget-firendly Kuretake Karappo Felt Tip pens (there’s another review of the Karappo here too..

The nib tip on the Karappo is a little bit wider than the Wren but they are quite similar. They both use the same capillary filling reservoir and the ink flowed with a similar color and coverage. The Karappo is sold in a set of 5 for about $15. Aesthetically, the Wren is much prettier but beyond that the two pens are quite similar.

Overall, I really wanted to love the Wren. Its pretty, pocketable and a clever idea but the ability to swap ink colors is pretty limited (it would probably be better to purchase new reservoirs than trying to reuse the old ones and it would probably also be more efficient to replace the nib tip as well.

I think the Wren is better suited to be used with one ink color like black, blue or blue-black rather than trying to get all fancy with it, especially at the price point. I would definitely be inclined to swap out the ink with a Platinum Carbon Ink so that I could use it with mixed media.

Now, its Laura turn!

So without knowing the Ana was going to come home with pens from Tom’s Studio, I decided to try out the Wren as well! I haven’t tried the Kuretake, but I did previously review the Meister Felt Tip Point, which was a roughly full size pen adaptable for cartridge or converter. I’m always a fan of pens that allow me to use up my ink stash (mostly likely stocked up beyond my life expectancy!)

I think I liked the Wren a little bit more than Ana did. Or maybe I just liked the concept a lot? I found the pen easy to use, and I loaded it up with Colorverse Photon ink. I did expect it would be a bit lighter than when I use it in fountain pens, but it still gave me enough color to be satisfied. I did notice that there’s no shading in the writing though.

I do think the pen writes nicely. The ink flows consistently and I do like the tip and how it feels on the page. I agree with Ana that it’s probably not the most convenient for changing out inks frequently. I did order more of the spare ink reservoirs, and I’m not too fussed about the changing color in the tip. I’m interested to see how long the tip lasts – Tom’s Studio suggested it’s about the length of writing up to 50 A4 pages.

I do like the pen, and I think I’ll get a lot of use out of it. But I do think the Wren has a few potential detractors. One – it is tiny. I don’t think there’s any way to use this pen comfortably without posting it. I have small hands and it’s “right-sized” for me, but I think those with larger hands might find it uncomfortable. Also related to size – that bit on the end of the barrel where you pull the pen apart. That section is really small and hard to grip, particularly if you don’t have small fingers!

The second detractor is the price. Don’t get me wrong – I love the anodized aluminum body and I’m not arguing that the pen is priced incorrectly. However, for what it is – a small EDC type pen that will need to have the reservoir and tips replaced on a semi-regular basis, I think it might be a bit pricey compared to some of the other offerings in the marketplace.

Your mileage may vary! (as a note I purchased my Wren with my own funds directly from Tom’s Studio. Shipping was prompt, but took a few extra days from the UK).

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

Is the 2025 Hobonichi Paper Inadequte?

Is the 2025 Hobonichi Paper Inadequte?

This year I bought my first Hobonichi Weeks. I’ve used a Hobonichi Techo in the past but I’d never tried the Weeks.

I purchased the plain pistachio fabric 2025 MEGA Weeks ($41) and added the Cover-on-Cover “Beautiful Season” ($10) which is printed with yarn and craft details in opaque white ink that pops off the lime green cover.

My plan is to use the Weeks for planning projects, videos, blog posts and other topics related to the blog and running my own business.  I wanted the MEGA version of the Weeks so that I could use the extra pages for notes on the go since the Weeks is considerably more streamlined and portable than the Techo or Cousin.

Most everyone here has already seen the Hobonichi Weeks either in their own hands or on another blog or vlog so I won’t go into a lot of detail about it as it would feel too repetitive.

I do want to delve into some of the rumors I’ve heard about the new Tomoe River paper in the 2025 Hobonichi products. There’s been some hullaballoo that the paper bleeds more easily, feathers more easily and is more translucent. So, I decided to do a little investigation.

I tested all my standard pens ranging from fountain pens, felt tip, gel, pencils and such to get a feel for the quality of the paper in the 2025 Hobonichi planners.

My first batch of tests, both front and back, were pretty consistent with what I would have expected. I only had one or two outliers: a brush pen and the wider of my fountain pen nibs had a bit of show through. Overall though, the performance of the 2025 Hobonichi paper was what I would have expected. It was good.

I decided to go ahead and test the pens and colors I’m currently using for my October planner set-up as it represents a good range of tools I might use next year including pencils, brush pens and felt tips as well as fountain pens.

Both the front and the back of the paper seemed to handle the inks well. It leads me to think that there are a lot of people who have not experienced the new Sanzen Tomoe River and the new 2025 Hobonichis are their first experience with it. I’ve been using the Sanzen Tomoe River paper for several months and the new Hobonichi feels more than adequate.

I think the complaints and concerns mentioned elsewhere have been overblown. Because the space in most Hobonichi is limited most people won’t be using wide nibs which will limit the issues. If you are concerned, I recommend testing inks and pens in the back of the Hobonichi before using them on your daily pages if you are concerned about performance.

No one can test every ink or pen combination so there are bound to be some pens and inks that will not perform as well as you want but, in general, the 2025 Hobonichi appear to be more than adequate.

There are some lovely little details in the back of the Weeks that I haven’t seen mentioned before like the 100 List. They suggest that you use the list for whatever you want throughout the year. I thought it would be great for a books list or movies list.

There’s also a 365 day list where you can check off each day in the year for a specific task or just for surviving another day.

Below are the pens I used for testing.

I wasn’t sure if I would like the Weeks but I think but having a specific purpose for the planner has made it the perfect book to help me get organized for 2025. I am delighted to see that I can start using it the last week of November since its going to serve a different purpose than my regular journal.

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

Yarn & Ink & Doodles, oh my!

It has been a hot minute since I had some knitting and ink palettes to show you. This week I’m working on a delightful chicken that’s made of bits and bobs of all the colors of the rainbow. I decided to pull a few of the colors together. I like to call this autumn rainbow.

I find that I seem to be missing a good butter yellow – everything I have is too honey colored or bright and searing.

Coincidentally, I’ve been working on doodles for October (doodletober? that’s more for another post) and one of this week’s was rainbow inspired.

Have a great weekend!

Notebook Review & Giveaway: Notegeist Bindery Everydays

Notebook Review & Giveaway: Notegeist Bindery Everydays

Review by Tina Koyama

The latest entries in the pocket notebook field are from Notegeist Bindery. Notegeist itself has been around for a while as a purveyor of carefully curated notebooks, pencils and other stationery items. Most recently, owner Gary Varner has added his own line of handmade notebooks and memo pads, including Everydays, Jotters and specialty refills for Traveler’s covers (stayed tuned for a review of Jotters and Traveler’s). Very limited editions are occasionally offered, too, with unusual papers or unique cover designs.

Available in a variety of design themes, Everydays (3 for $12.95) come in the popular 3 ½-by-5 ½ -inch “Field Notes” size. Gary sent me Modern Believe and Vintage Lace, shown here. The Vintage notebooks have slightly heavier covers that are blank on the inside, while the Moderns are printed on both sides with coordinating patterns. All four corners are rounded, which is a nice touch (most pocket-sized notebooks are rounded only on two corners).

Distinctive to the Notegeist line is the paper: 48 pages of fountain-pen-friendly 70 gsm Maruman Basic, a Japanese paper. The Modern books are dot-grid ruled; the Vintage are graph ruled. 

I tested the smooth Maruman paper with my usual range of pencils and pens, and I saw no bleeding or ghosting with even my juicy Pentel brush pen or Sailor Fude de Mannen fountain pen with Platinum Carbon Black ink. With graphite, I prefer a little more tooth, but the paper is pleasant enough with a super-soft 8B pencil. 

Fountain pen users don’t have too many options in an everyday-carry notebook with dependable paper at a reasonable price, so it’s refreshing to see Notegeist Bindery’s offers. If you want a chance to get one of Gary’s very-limited-edition notebooks, better get on his mailing list – they sold out pronto last time. And if attending a pen show is in your future, you might meet Gary there with his wares.

Giveaway: Want to try a sample pack of Notegeist Everydays? We’re giving away one each of a Modern and a Vintage notebook to two Desk readers, and we’ll toss in some stickers and a cute pencil, too. (Miatagrrl might toss in some of her stickers, too.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell us which products over at Notegeist.com are your favorite? Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winners will be announced on Wednesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.


DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Notegeist 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.

Link Love: Jacques Cousteau — no! Herbin!

Link Love: Jacques Cousteau — no! Herbin!

Jacques Herbin ink is making waves this week. Inky waves! (That’s supposed to be a Jacques Cousteau joke — just roll with it.) Check out the multiple reviews below.

Hope everyone is having a great week. Be safe, Florida. Hope the Carolinas get water and power soon. And I hope the rest of the US gets cooler temps and lots of PSLs. The rest of the world, be safe, happy and inky!

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:


This is just my ongoing plea to consider joining our Patreon. I’m keeping it short this week. We do cool stuff, get good deals and bonus extras. If you are already a Patron, thank you!

More Plan With Me for October!

More Plan With Me for October!

I recorded my planner set-up video for the remainder of October. Its a lengthy video so add it to your “watch later” list and get your snacks, tea and planner ready and join me for some spooky planner set-up.

If you want to keep up with our more regular video content, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so the content will appear in your feed!

A full pen review will be posted tomorrow, after I clean up the tragic ink accident:

Pen Review: Sailor Hocoro Dip Pens

Pen Review: Sailor Hocoro Dip Pens

I love any new options for ink swatching and ink tasting so when I discovered the Sailor Compass Hocoro dip pens, I leaped at the chance to try them.

There are several versions available of the Hocoro dip pens. The pens can be purchased in a set with a bottle of the Sailor Dipton calligraphy ink (no safe for fountain pens, $29 per set) or just a pen-only package ($16 each).

The back of the packaging shows the fude nib writing angle.

The  dip pens can be purchased in a white plastic or a dark grey plastic — or in the set in clear or purchase the individual pen barrel ($8) in clear. Then, each color is also available in fine, medium, 1.0mm, 2.0mm, and fude (bent tip, brush style). Then the last variable is that not all the nib styles come with a feed unit. The models with a feed unit are the 2.0mm and Fude. Feed unit reservoirs ($4 each) can be purchased separately and added to any nibs that don’t have them but it seems like a strange decision to include the feed with some and not others.

Nibs popped out and ready to click into place for use.
Nibs flipped and clicked into the barrels for travel and transport.

The coolest feature is that the nib unit pops out and can be stored back into the barrel by flipping it over and snapping it into the barrel for travel and to protect the nib unit.

The first one I got was the 1.0mm model which does not include the additional feed unit. Then at the Dallas Pen Show, I picked up the Fude dip pen which did include a feed.

I was able to draw the arrow, write “one dip” and 3-ish lines before the nib needed to be re-dipped.

I experimented with the 1.0mm model a bit prior to getting the Fude model and was super disappointed because the 1.0mm without the feed did not hold ink well. If would either bloop out or run out of ink within a few letters. I even tried annealing (heating the nib with fire to remove excess oils) the nib to get the ink to “stick” better to the nib. It didn’t help.

I decided to go ahead and get the Fude with the feed unit to see if I liked it better. Oh, hell yes! The feed holds a massive amount of ink and did not have the same blooping issues I had with the 1.0mm.

Side view of both Fude and 1.0mm to show how the feed reservoir looks attached.
The back view of Fude and 1.0mm nibs from the underside.
I was able to write “one dip” and all the lines, squiggles and such and STILL didn’t need to redip. The feed is excellent!

The Fude, which is a bent tip-style nib, mimics the properties of a brush by creating varying line widths depending on the angle you hold the nib. If held at a lower angle (60º to 45º to the writing surface), the line widths are much wider and held at a higher angle (more at a 90º angle to the paper) the nib will write with a finer line.

Honestly, the feed on the Hocoro was a game changer. I had been quite disappointed in the 1.0mm model but I have now purchased a few additional feeds in order to plus-up my 1.0mm version and see if that improves that dip pen. In the meantime, I highly recommend picking up one of the Fude dip pens. The feed is great and the line variation is super handy for ink testing.


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