This week posts continue to round-up 2020 or set ambitious hopes for 2021. There’s Top 12, a Top 5, a 30-day challenge, 100 things, 21 things and lots of favorites from 2020.
What’s your magic number for 2020 or planning for 2021?
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While hanging out on Mike’s Friday Live Chats, I’ve been tempted to try Shigure Inks. Just before Christmas I decided to place an order and I received Tono & Lims Kaleidoscope Maboroshi (30mL for $22). Unfortunately it is a limited edition that is now sold out, but I was intrigued by a beautiful red shimmer ink from a new to me ink company.
Tono & Lims is a Japanese company and the ink line is produced in collaboration with a South Korean ink producer, Lim’s Lab. Maboroshi is a limited edition offering, described as red with a hint of shimmer.
Maboroshi literally translates to “phantom,” but I also saw it translated as a “trick of light.” Sort of an apt description for a shimmer ink right? So let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
The ink is slightly less saturated than I was expecting. It is a pinkish red, redder in darker applications and sort of a light watermelon red/pink in lighter applications. I can see the shimmer very slightly on the Col-o-Dex card but the only place it really shows up is in those ink splotches that I love. As far as I can see, it doesn’t show up much at all in my writing samples, but I am using a fairly thin nib to do those. I did shake the bottle before I started, but there was “dust” on the bottom of the bottle so I would imagine it does settle slightly.
In terms of color comparison, it reminded me instantly of Pen BBS #220, Watermelon Red. It seems closest in tone to Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji, although it feels a touch lighter and more pink. Aside from the pink vs. orange tone, it’s very similar in saturation and shimmer to Pen BBS #140, Bloom, which also has a bit of iridescent sparkle in it.
This particular ink feels like a bit of a dryer ink. I suspect I won’t use it as much as I had hoped if only because it’s a bit lighter than I expected in thinner nibs. However, it’s a gorgeous color if it’s what you’re looking for!
I’m going to cut to the chase and give my opinion before I even start on this review of the Platinum Procyon ($52.80): I don’t like it. After reading Jaclyn’s review, I thought for sure I would enjoy the pen but at every turn, I was annoyed. Let’s start with the price point compared to the other pens in the Platinum line-up.
There is Platinum’s entry fountain pen, The Preppy, which, for all intents and purposes, has exactly the same nib. The Preppy is about $5. The Procyon is about $50. Sure, the Procyon is metal barreled and the Preppy is inexpensive clear plastic. So, yes, the Procyon looks more professional. The next pen in the Platinum fountain pen family is the Prefounte. It’s also translucent plastic but in pleasing “grown-up” colors, with the same nib and costs about $10. Next, is the Plaisir which now competes with a metal body and the same Preppy nib. It’s under $20. So, why is the Procyon $50?
The pen shipped in a large plastic clamshell box with the pen strapped under an ultrasuede band on it’s ultrasuede bed. When the tray is lifted out, there is ONE cartridge included. ONE! At $50, I was expecting a converter for the price. That seems fair, right? The Pilot Metropolitan, which is also metal comes with a converter at $20. It’s not the best converter, to be fair, but at least Pilot includes one!
This also make me ask myself, “Why did Platinum bother putting this pen in a big box if not to have room to include a converter?” Since they didn’t, this is clearly WAY over packaged. I get itchy about over-packaged pens.
A plus is the minimal branding, just under the clip. The matte finish on the barrel is also a pleasing texture.
My next point of contention is the color. Which, despite all my efforts photographs better than it looks in person. These photos show a lovely citron yellow color. It’s a lie. The pen is a powdery pale dirty yellow. If dirty butter yellow is your jam, then I apologize for grousing about the color. However, I find the color extremely indecisive.
Pantone’s chosen yellow is more golden. It is, IMHO, a more appealing color.
The close-up of the nib shows that the nib is the same or at least looks and feels the same as the Preppy nib. I would include a side-by-side photo but I cannot find my Preppy for comparison.
When writing, the Procyon does have a bit of friction, even on the smooth Rhodia paper I used for testing. This is actually a plus for me but may be a negative for others. Even with the decent-sized M nib, it wasn’t scratchy, just toothy.
In terms of weight and size, the Procyon is comparable to other lower-priced pens. Due to the metal construction, it is heavier than some but decently weighted.
When compared to other pens, with similar looks, size or price point, the Procyon is comparable to the TWSBI Eco and Lamy Safari/AL-Star in terms of size. In terms of price however, the Procyon remains higher. The TWSBI ECO is a piston filler (no converter needed) and even with the need to purchase a converter, both the Lamy Safari and AL-Star are cheaper.
Compared to metal barrel pens, there is one more point of contention with the Procyon — it’s a twist cap. Every other metal barrel pen I own under $75 is a snap cap. The comparably priced Caran d’Ache 849 fountain pen, is a snap cap and take non-proprietary cartridges and converters. The durability of a metal pen lends itself to being an EDC but without the snap cap, I did not find myself reaching for this pen throughout my day. I would skim over it for all the snap cap pens shown above instead. Besides the Procyon, only the TWSBI Eco and Sailor ProColor are twist caps. For short, quick writing like an addition to my to-do list or grocery list, I much prefer snap caps. Sure, the twist cap is going to keep my ink wet for a year, according to Platinum but as it stands right now, it will be the pen that sits on my desk for a year without being used so the ink will need to stay wet.
The Procyon does post and is about 155mm (approx 6″) when posted which is similar in length to the Traveler, the Metropolitan and the ProColor. Capped, its 140mm (5.5″) and uncapped its 120mm (about 4.75″).
Despite Jaclyn’s convincing post, I just don’t think the Procyon has a place in my pen collection. I love Platinum pens in general but this pen either needs to have better options, include a converter and more interesting colors or the price needs to drop to be competitive with other pens with a similar build quality. As it is, I feel like I got fleeced buying this, especially since I will have to invest in a converter for $7 to continue using this pen. I suggest buying one of the many less-expensive options or saving your pennies for a Platinum 3776 which is genuinely worth the price.
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
My father-in-law who passed in 1988 used a variety of fountain pens which we just uncovered in the attic. The pens have not been used in probably 35 to 40 years. Can you recommend a site that would recondition the pens? These pens have a rubber bladder Which would need to be replaced. Thanks.
If you know what brands, some repair people specialize in certain brands and will have parts on hand for that particular brand. For example, Martin of MartinsPens51 specializes in lever fill, button fill, Parker Vacumatics, Sheaffer snorkels, Touchdowns, and PFM’s, Osman Sümer in MontBlanc, Sheri in Sheaffer and Ron Zorn at Main Street Pens started on Vacumatic-filling (Parker Vacumatic, Sheaffer and Parker “51”) pens, Aerometric Parkers and Sheaffer Snorkel and Touchdown pens but does handle other pens.
There are many other repair people — too many to list here but any web site for a pen show will often list vendors which often includes many repair people.
Rob asks:
Hi: I see references to beginner fountain pens and next step fountain pens, but what is an expert fountain pen? Is it based on price? Performance? I have not come across a suitable explanation. Thanks in advance for your help.
I don’t know that anyone would call them “expert” but there are some advanced level pens.
Some pens will not resonate with a fountain pen user until they’ve had some experience with pens. Sometimes this can be pens with flexible nibs (or just a little more bouncy like a Montblanc), pens that utilize a more complicated filling system or pens made of particularly unique materials (urushi, casein, etc). Advanced or Expert-level fountain pens can be 21K instead of 14K gold nibs as well. Then there’s pens that just fall into the top tier price points because they are limited edition and designed for a specific fan base (the Writer’s Series from Montblanc).
Any one of these attributes can make a pen significantly more expensive and difficult to find. Many of these characteristics would be lost on a new user who hasn’t had extensive time with a lower-priced pen to be able to appreciate or care for these more finicky or collector-level pens.
Liz asks:
My perfect notebook, which has eluded me my whole life: A4 (or 8.5×11), quad ruled but with bigger squares (4 to the inch), spiral-bound at the top (not the side), and of course, high-quality paper. The options at Clairefontaine and Rhodia are so so close, but the grid squares are too small and they literally cramp my style. As a result, I’ve been settling for the crappy paper of Top Flight’s Silverpoint Quad Planning Pad, which makes me sad. Is the perfect notebook for me out there somewhere? Willing to shell out big bucks for it if it does …
My first thought was to get a custom pad made from Blank Slate. They are not spiral bound but that’s easy enough to fix with a trip to a local copy shop that can put a spiral on a pad for a few dollar. Your requirement, 4 square to the inch, is approximately 7mm, if that helps in your hunt.
Amy asks:
I found a number of old pens in my desk and would love to use some of them again, but am having trouble matching pen refills. The first is an Anson twist up pen (chrome with gold accents?). The ink in it is labeled Mitsubishi Pencil Co., LTD Japan UBR-7P. A quick search did not come up with anything that matched or even really looked like it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
I would recommend trying the RefillFinder app to try to find a comparable match. If that doesn’t work, there may be a newer refill from Uni Mistubishi available through JetPens who stocks the largest variety of Japanese refills.
Over the last few years, I’ve tried to look back over the year and highlight the ups and downs in the stationery world. 2020 was chock full of challenges both big and little but sometimes, its nice to just look at a little wedge of the world and fuss about the good and not-so-good that happened. Hopefully, you’ll find a little amusement in all this.
J. Herbin despite confusing corporate naming — Are you Jacques Herbin or J. Herbin today? I thought I’d figured it out with the fancy $45 per bottle inks being the Jacques Herbin branding and everything else rolling up under the J. Herbin branding but then the new Anniversary ink was released. Which is what I wanted to cheer: Vert Atlantide ($29.50 for 50ml bottle). While it’s still hard to acquire, it makes makes me happy. As the first ink brand (to my knowledge) to really experiment with unique properties in inks and releasing just one specialty ink per year, the 1670/1870 and now 350 series of inks is always a seasonal release that is watched and welcomed with enthusiasm and much discourse. While some reviewers received samples as early as July, the ink did not hit the new world until late fall. They are generally worth the wait.
The release of the Diamine 2019 Inkvent “Blue Edition” inks (starting at $15 per 50ml bottle) in the uniquely shaped bottles made the summer a bit more bearable. Both Mountain of Ink and myself did a little “Christmas in July” review of the inks to celebrate. While Diamine did not release a 2020 Inkvent calendar, many bloggers and folks on Instagram created their own “Inkvent” by swapping samples with friends and swatching a new color everyday leading up to Christmas. We here at the Desk have been celebrating the end of the year with our Inkmas posts where we try to “catch up” with inks that did not get reviewed throughout the year. More inks are released than we could ever possibly review but our 12 Days of Inkmas at least allow us to share a few.
On the topic of ink bottles, Krishna released the S Series bottle which is a beautiful desktop ink bottle with reservoir. It rivals Akkerman for most interesting ink bottle.
This year saw a rise of mix-it-yourself ink kits. The 3 Oysters My Color DIY Ink Kit ($52) and the Kuretake Ink-Café Ink Mixing Kit ($40) for example show that as the ink obsession grows more fervent, the option to mix one’s own custom ink color has grown as well.
On the topic of inks, the absolute wealth of new ink brands available in the US is definitely something to celebrate. Shigure Ink has brought new delights to us like Tono & Lims and Lennon Tool Bar. JetPens introduced me to Kala Nostalgia inks. Vanness Pens brought Ancient Charm to the US along with adding Pennonia and Ink Institute.
Both Ferris Wheel Press and Birmingham Pen Company have been releasing a huge array of custom created inks and each takes a beautiful approach in their themes, colors, and presentation.
This year was a good year to be an ink lover.
Pens:
Pelikan did it again this year with the M205 Moonstone. The Star Ruby from last year was a roaring success and the Moonstone, in its glittering grey translucent material, is equally striking.Unfortunately, there was no Pelikan Hub event this year which is usually about the same time as the release of the Color of the Year M205 pens. And speaking of Color of the Year, points to Pelikan for actually being ahead of Pantone on the color for 2021.
TWSBI White Rose Gold ($49.99) was released this year to much fanfare around the Desk. The simplicity of the white combined with the rose gold hardware made it a real standout.
Diplomat added more diverse color options for their flagship pen, The Aero, including Rose Gold, Green and Volute.
Stationery:
This year saw an explosion of new papers to rival (or replace) Tomoe River. Yamamoto Paper introduced their Paper Sampler in 2019 and has been steadily releasing pads of the most popular papers from the sampler this year. Bank Paper ($20 for A4 pad) and Cosmo Air Light ($18 for a A4 pad) have become a pen community favorite.
The Field Notes United States of Letterpress edition was both a personal and professional cheer. It turned out beautifully and was warmly received by the stationery community. It was also a huge part of the Skylab/Desk summer while we (and by “we” I mean Bob. He did all the printing and I did the bulk of the household duties and provided copious amounts of moral support and beer) worked furiously to produce the flyleaf pages included in every single book. Personal:
2020 will be the year I will say “At least we had Baltimore…” Just prior to lockdown, I attended the Baltimore Pen Show and was able to participate in the Erasable podcast as well as spend quality time with some of my favorite people. I also did my best to steal a pen from Cary at Kenro but was thwarted, temporarily.
I have spent the better part of the year adding new products to our online shops– Big Cartel and launching an Etsy shop and made plans for even more in 2021.
In July, an orange furball named Ollie came into our lives and into our hearts. He needed a home and our house clearly had a “vacancy” sign posted. He needed some fattening up but he’s well on his way to being a plump lump. He’s become the unofficial mascot of the Desk, a title Lucy gladly relinquished in exchange for her new life of leisure.
The worst thing that we can say about 2020 in regards to ink, there were just too many. Even ink addicts like myself, Jesi and Jaclyn just felt overwhelmed. We have done our best to stay on top of the releases but there are just too many for us to cover. Thankfully, there is Mountain of Ink and Fountain Pen Pharmacist who have devoted their blog endeavors to reviewing nothing but ink. Otherwise, 2020 was coined the “InkSwamp”.
Pens:
This year was also a “PenSwamp” year. Lamy released the delightful but overwhelming Safari Candy Collection, Sailor had so many special release designs that many were lost in the shuffle, Opus88 released new colors in their oversized Jazz, Flow, Bela and Demonstrator models.
Newer manufacturers like Narwhal, Schon Design, Leonardo Officina, Additive, Benu and more also added range to their product lines. This meant there were more options than ever for fountain pen users and collectors. Deciding which model or brand is right for you though, is becoming an even bigger challenge.
Despite the sad news that Retro51 was going to shutter its business in 2020, there was an absolute flood of new Poppers and Limited Edition Tornado designs released throughout the year. As it stands, Retro51 shows no indication of slowing down for the foreseeable future. SO… this is actually good news, right?
TWSBI also released a lot of color variations of its ECO, 580 and Vac lines. The least appealing had to be the Cement Gray. I know some will disagree with me but this isn’t the first time TWSBI has ended up in my Tears list. Some of their design decisions seem a little odd and the flat primer grey of the TWSBI ECO is a clear example.
Stationery:
This was not a good year for planners. Pretty much everyone bailed on their planner sometime in March when most major cities and towns went into lockdown. Some planners stayed in timeout, collecting dust. Some people found new uses for their planners: tracking the spread of the virus, archiving national and international events, testing inks or just creating gratitude journals to help get through the year. I am sure 2021 planner sales were seriously down. We are an optimistic bunch but not THAT optimistic.
Tomoe River announced changes to the beloved 52gsm paper causing a disturbance in the community that could be felt all year. Many people spent the remainder of the year scrambling to get a hold of the few remaining notebooks, loose sheets and pads of Tomoe River in the original formula. Others shrugged. 2020 messing with us again.
While I did not have but one a few friend(s) announce that they had COVID, many people in my life were infected with the illness and no one I know has perished from this horrible virus. But many people near me have lost family members. The tragedy is on a scope that will take us years to fully process.
Even without pandemic-level illness, 2020 was fraught with upheaval and changes. I lost my job of 19+ years and spent the first half of the year on unemployment, a first in my adult life. I have since cobbled together an income through several part-time jobs. None of these came with health benefits so we are having to pay out-of-pocket for health care — not that anyone plans to visit a doctor in the next few months unless its a true emergency.
What else is there to say about 2020 other than, like most people, I’ll be glad to see the back of it. Onward… to 2021!
This week’s title is inspired by the latest issue of Uppercase Magazine and their newest volume, No. 48, which is all about stationery and paper goods and the lovely design on the back cover which expounds “Never Enough Stationery” in a lovely lettering design. If you’ve never purchased anything from Uppercase or subscribed, Janine is offering a special end-of-year deal. Use the coupon code brightspot for $15 off subscriptions, gift subs and renewals until the end of 2020. I am not being paid to say this. I am just a fan.
This week, we have a plethora of pink inks, more year end wrap-ups and people planning for 2021. Stationery nerds are nothing if not optimistic about the future with our pile of analog tools and empty notebooks, ready to be filled. To a brighter, healthier, happier future!
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Despite the fact that I didn’t go anywhere in 2020, I still used my Knitter’s Planner quite a bit to keep track of all of my work obligations. I also developed quite a few preferences for what I wanted to see in a planner going forward, and I think I’ve found it in the Year of the Optimist Planner ($28.95).
Creator Nikol Lohr has been producing these planners for quite a few years now and improving upon them each year. I purchased one several years ago, before I needed to track daily activities and didn’t end up using it very much. But now that I rely on pen and paper to track work activities, I decided this was the one for me.
The planner itself measure 9.5″ x 7″ (including the spiral) and approximately 1-1.5″ thick. The book is spiral bound, with cardstock covers and pages, boasting illustrations. There is also an elastic loop secured to the back cover that can hold the planner closed.
The planner begins with what Nikol deems the “Uber List.” As she notes:
Instead of grave, important resolutions, make a friendly little to-do list, numbered for the year. Then congratulate yourself as you bang out your incredibly easy goals. It’s like racking up Fitbit badges: meaningless, yet oddly satisfying.
After the Uber List, you move on to the real nuts and bolts of the planner. One of the first pages explains all the features of the planner. There are spots for weekly goals, tracking things like the weather, your mood, etc, and bullet points to highlight daily tasks or appointments. Each page includes 7 boxes (1 for each of the days) with plenty of room to write.
At the end of each section Nikol includes a page for “Garbage Soup.” This is the page where you declutter your brain by just jotting down everything that occurs to you. You can then use this to plan the current month, or the next. Finally, at the end of each section is a sturdy cardstock month-in-view section, allowing you a visual of the month and a place to note anything important. Whether or not this one will get used this year remains to be seen, but it is the year of the optimist!
I’m delighted that all of the pages in this planner are varying types of cardstock. Thought it does make the planner quite thick (perhaps less of a daily carry?) it means that the pages are very receptive to fountain pen inks! I did notice a bit of feathering with some inks and larger nibs, but in my finer nibbed pens everything looked fine.
Finally, at the back, Nikol includes a sturdy envelope for holding any mementos, receipts, or other detritus from your year!
I had multiple reasons for wanting to buy the planner this year. I can disclose that Nikol is a friend of mine and I wanted to support her endeavors in a year that has been hard for artists. I also discovered that I really enjoy a spiral bound planner, with lots of room for notes each week. I like recording weekly goals and daily tasks and appointments, and being able to cross them off as I go makes my wizened old heart go pitter patter. 2020 was the first year that my planner really became an indispensable part of my life, and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2021 brings.
If this looks like something you’d like to try, I encourage you to support Nikol at Year of the Calendar and get yourself set for 2021!
Disclaimer: This planner was purchased with my own funds for personal use and the purposes of this review.
