One of the most popular posts on The Well-Appointed Desk is our ultimate guide to refills. Over the years we get lots of feedback and updates from folks on refills that may no longer be available. To that end I’ve gone back and updated where I can. If you spot anything amiss that needs a fresh look, please let us know
Otherwise, grab all your refills!
Special thanks to Cult Pens for tipping us off to the changes.
Happy Fountain Pen Day! Thanks for being a reader of The Well-Appointed Desk! We love this community and are so honored to be a part of it.
We are offering a special coupon for our shop for Fountain Pen Day 2026. Receive 15% off any order over $25 with the code FPD2026 all day Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 (through 11:59pm CDT).
Orders over $75 qualify for free shipping but I cannot coupon stack so you have to choose which discount is better. Domestic shipping only. Sorry!
Thanks so much for all your support over the years and Happy Fountain Pen Day!
I fell in love with the musical film The Greatest Showman when I watched it on a flight a couple years ago (so much so, I made a sticker sheet inspired by it). I sat in the center seat on the plane bawling my eyes out as Keala Settle belted out “This is Me” that I think speaks to anyone who has ever felt unseen, ridiculed, belittled or worse.
This quote is for everyone out there who needs to be seen, to brave and to be accepted just as they are.
It was hard to pick part of this song so please go listen to the whole thing. It is an anthem to stand proud.
If you have an inspiring quote you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments and maybe I’ll feature it in a future Quote of the Week post. Thanks!
Many of our friends mourned the passing of the Sir Patrick Stewart this week. He was a kind man (so says one of my pals who met him at PlanetCon in KC a few years ago), a talented actor and the embodiment of role he played as Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard. I am not usually affected by celebrity deaths but Sir Patrick Stewart’s roles have touched this Trekkie-nerd’s heart. So, I’ll be pouring a cup of Earl Grey, hot, in his honor.
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A few weeks ago on her podcast (join the Patreon to hear it!), Ana gave her spicy hot takes about stationery. Today I decided to share my 5 hot takes!
NUMBER 1: Pens with plastic barrels and steel nibs with prices of $300-$400 are too expensive for me. Look I’m a fan of a lot of different kind of pens, and I’m not going to name specific brands. But at base, I have fallen out of love with plain plastic barreled pens with steel nibs that have huge price tags. Note, I’m not talking about resin blanks that artisans in our community are making. Pens I once idolized are now completely out of my price range. That’s ok, but it also leaves me questioning what the value of some of these pens really are?
NUMBER 2: As a corollary to that, I’m really getting back into the less expensive pens I was into at the beginning of my pen collecting. Earlier this year I wrote about using my Pilot Metropolitans again. I had a great time adding nail decals to my Kakuno and using it. I have always loved my TWSBIs because I ink them up and they continue to write, no matter how long I put them down for. And I don’t personally enjoy Lamy Safaris, but I know SO MANY people who do. The bottom line is you don’t have to buy expensive pens to love this hobby.
NUMBER 3: I’m kind of over shimmer inks. They are SO pretty, but they always clog my pens. And, given that I write with fine and medium nibs most of the time they never show the shimmer that I so love in the swatches. Most recently I was disappointed by Dominant Industry Sunset in my Jinhao with a medium nib. It barely writes and shows up only as light purple with none of the rust sheen. Give me a shading ink, or sheening ink like Waterman Tender Purple.
NUMBER 4: Miss me with Tomoe River 68gsm. Sure the paper shows all the properties of the ink beautifully. But it’s so thin I can only write on one side. And now it’s in rare supply, and some batches are questionable. I’ll stick with Midori and Rhodia.
NUMBER 5: I’m over my collecting phase. When I first came to fountain pens, I was excited. I wanted to try everything. I had a decent amount of disposable income to spend and a huge case of FOMO. These days, I look at everything I have and worry a bit about overconsumption. I have a drawer full of ink, more pens that I could ever use. I’m more selective now. I’m weeding out the things I desperately wanted and then don’t really use. I’m trying to buy all things with more intention. I don’t say any of this as criticism to anyone else’s habits. You are wherever you are in your journey and as long as that’s good for you, then go for it. But as for me, I’m less tempted by what’s new these days and more interested in using what I have.
So there are my thoughts. What are your hot takes?
I rolled back my biggest changes and went “back to basics” — for me anyway. This is a quick video just talking through what changed and what I did to fix it.
Referenced in the video: October Set-Up video “I Blew up My Planner“
I love that I could find a quote by punk icon Henry Rollins for this week. It’s perfectly “night before Halloween” as well so if you’re planning to go to a haunted house, watch a horror film or play ghost in the graveyard, may you make it to tomorrow.
But in all seriousness, what helps get you through the day? Is it a snuggle from a beloved pet, kind words from friends or family, or knowing you accomplished a task? Take time to reflect on what will get you to tomorrow. And the next day… and the next.
If you have an inspiring quote you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments and maybe I’ll feature it in a future Quote of the Week post. Thanks!
