Vintage Review: Esterbrook Ballpoint Pen Brought Back to Life

Review by Jessica Coles It’s no secret that I (Jesi) love Esterbrooks.  I believe for the price and quality, there is no single pen better as an introduction into vintage pens.  Of the Esterbrook models, the one that is most prolific on the market today is the J series due to its popularity at the…

Brush Pen Review: Tombow Fudenosuke Double-Sided Gray/Black

Review by Tina Koyama One of the simplest sketch tool combinations I use is a black brush pen to make a line drawing shaded with a gray marker. When I’m feeling minimalist, I grab one of each, and I’m good to go. I was excited when the Akashiya Keicho double-sided brush pen first came out:…

Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Vanishing Point, Raden Stripe

Review by Laura Cameron Aesthetically, I’ve never like the look of the Pilot Vanishing Points and Pilot Decimos.  Until recently, I never understood the need to have a retractable fountain pen, and I thought the clip just looked odd in the middle of the pen. Then I attended a conference and had to take notes…

Fountain Pen Review: Pineider La Grande Bellezza Gemstone Hematite Grey Fountain Pen XF Quill Nib

Fountain Pen Review: Pineider La Grande Bellezza Gemstone Hematite Grey Fountain Pen XF Quill Nib

The Pineider La Grande Bellezza Gemstone Hematite Grey Fountain with extra fine nib ($398) is certainly a mouthful to say and probably not a pen brand most people are familiar with. It’s an Italian brand of fountain pen with a lot of history behind the brand (264 years according to the documentation included in the package)…

Fountain Pen Review: Pelikan Souverän M600 Turquoise White

Review by Laura Cameron When Pelikan released the photos of the Souverän M600 Turquoise-White I was pretty smitten.  Even though it was more than any pen I had owned previously, I was dying to get my hands on one.  So when Pelikan offered to loan a ballpoint and fountain set to the Desk for review, Ana…