The winner of our Narwhal Voyage Shanghai Fountain Pen is:
Thanks to everyone who entered and I love reading about all the water adventures you all would like to take from ocean cruises to swimming with sharks or meeting an octopus. You are quite the adventurous lot.
If you read nothing else this week, read Leigh Reyes’ post about the new Sanzen Tomoe River paper. Leigh doesn’t post often but when she does, its a week to celebrate. Her photos are stunning and shows how far you can take pen, ink and paper. I am always inspired by her work and this post is no exception.
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In my quest for perwinkle inks, I thought Vinta Inks Salimbay (30mL for $15.00) from the Fairy Tale Collection looked promising, and I wasn’t wrong!
It may be a bit bard to tell from my camera, but Salimbay is a lovely bright purple ink with deeper blue undertones and a pretty pink shimmer. It’s got that perfect twilight feel with almost a pearlized finish that makes it seem magical.
The ink is fairly light in smaller nibs (this one shades and sheens a bit), but still remains readable in print. Interestingly enough, the large droplets on this one don’t give off the sheen – they’re just purply blue, rimmed with darker edges.
In terms of other inks in my collection the closest in hue and intensity is probably Stipula Deep Blue. Dominant Industry Periwinkle Twinkle is much darker and blue leaning, and even Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire and Pilot Iroshizuku Ajisai are still very blue. I think Salimbay really gets at my desire for something a little purple and even a little pink on top of blue. It’s a complex color and I really love it – I just bought a sample, but I might need a bottle!
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
I have been a fan of Pens & Tea on YouTube for many years now. While we have never met, we have similar perspectives on pens, though sometimes our reasons differ. Her recent post: Top 5 fountain pens I recommend but don’t use myself was remarkably similar to a list I would make, though we have slightly different reasons for making these decisions.
Kerry’s list of Top 5 Pens she recommends but doesn’t use/own are as follows:
I 100% agree with the first two in her list. I recommend TWSBI fountain pens frequently to people but I have a TWSBI curse (every one that has ever passed into my hands has been weirdly scratchy) so I tend to give away or sell any that I buy. But when I know someone particularly wants a pen to use with bottled ink, it’s the first pen I’ll recommend. Every other member of the Desk staff loves their TWSBIs (whether its the Swipe, the ECO or a Diamond) so I am definitely an outlier when it comes to TWSBI pens.
While I do own several Safari/AL-Star pens, I don’t often reach for them nor do I plan to add anymore to my collection. I mean, c’mon, how do you top an Urushi Lamy? Seriously, though, as a lefty, I find the triangular grip section tends to dig into my fingers. Aesthetically, I prefer other pens, even at a similar price point (the Kaweco Sport line immediately comes to mind).
As for the Kaweco Perkeo, it is actually a pen I do recommend. The color combos are a little odd but the ability to accept a full-sized converter or standard international cartridge makes it a great starter pen. The low price point makes it also within the reach for a lot of people.
As for the Diplomat Magnum, I have to admit that I don’t own or have even tested the Magnum. I guess its time to put it on the list for future reviews.
And as for the Conklin Duragraph, I don’t own nor do I ever really recommend it. I think its name and its history is what often brings it to people’s attention but the current production quality is not something that makes it consistently good writer or aesthetically all that appealing.
So, if I were to write my own list of Top 5 Pens I recommend but don’t use/own:
I’ve already explained my feelings on the TWSI and Lamy Safari/AL-Star above so I’ll just go over the last three on my list.
I often recommend the Pilot Vanishing Point because it appeals to gadget-heads and fidgeters. The classic VP is too big for my hands but I do own a Decimo which I like but I’m disappointed that Pilot doesn’t offer the Decimo in more color options.
The Diplomat Aero is a beautiful pen with unique aesthetics and really good build quality. For eme personally though, it’s anther pen that is too big for me. In this way, Kerry and I are very different. My hands are tiny so many of the pens I use personally are often too small for most people so I recommend other, interesting and unique pens that I know are well-made and beautiful.
Finally, I often recommend BENU pens even though I don’t own one. They are just eye candy that it is often the gateway for people looking for a very unique, eye-catching pen. The quality is excellent and BENU offer an array of colors and sizes at reasonable prices so its often a pen people choose when they are wanting to upgrade beyond the under $50 pens. I haven’t found “the” BENU pen for myself yet though. I often love a finish but not the shape or vice versa. So maybe someday I will own one but for now, I will continue to recommend them and see the delight in someone’s eye when they hold the gem that is a BENU pen in their hands and know that it is their new favorite pen.
I hope Kerry doesn’t mind me hopping on her proverbial coattails but I was so tickled when she said she recommended TWSBI but didn’t use them that I felt a kinship and spent the rest of her video thinking what list I would make. So I did.
What pens do you recommend but don’t own or use?
The Narwhal Voyage Shanghai fountain pen ($150 available in Fine, Medium, Broad and Stub nibs) is one of three city themed models release din March of 2022 with a limited edition quantity of 500 of each. The other two models in this release are the New York and New Orleans editions.
The body of the Shanghai is a shimmery, blue-black swirl Diamond Cast resin by McKenzie Pen Works and features a clear ink window. The hardware is silver tone and the nib is a stainless steel. According to various comments on the internet the nib is a standard #6 Bock nib with a narwhal engraved on the nib. Its a screw-in nib so if you plan on swapping it out, the whole unit will have to be replaced, not just the nib.
The pen is described as an oversized piston filler. Having handled it and placed it next to some of my other daily-use pens, I completely agree.
The Narwhal Voyage, has been described as part of the “Nautilus” pen model but I think the Nautilus is distinct with its round “ship’s portal” ink window. The Voyage looks more streamline where the Nautilus looks a little more steampunk.
The Voyage cannot be posted but the weight and size of the pen means most larger hands should be able to use it comfortably. The grip section on the Narwhal Voyage is also wider than the other pens shown above.
When compared with other pens, the 33gms weight is definitely on the heavy end. A good deal of the weight is the cap and since the pen cannot be posted when writing, in use, the pen does not feel inordinately heavy nor is it off-balance but it is definitely a bit “too much pen” for me.
The nib is smooth and wet and seems a little wider than what I’d normally consider a Medium. I am not sure if Narwhal is tuning the nibs before shipping out the pens or if I just tested a particularly wet nib.
The Voyage is a large pen with great details and construction so far. I find it too big and too heavy for my little pixie-sized hands but I know that there is a reader out there who would love to take this pen on a voyage. So, we are going to give it away to a lucky reader!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell us what sea adventures you’d most like to experience. (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, May 24, 2022. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Wednesday. ONE winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules, one for each color (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.
Giveaway is for pen only. There is no original packaging but the pen will be cleaned and protectively wrapped for shipping.
DISCLAIMER: The pen included in this post was generously provided by Narwhal Pens for the purposes of this review and giveaway.
The Fairytale line of inks from Vinta has been released – a beautiful group of five inks with plenty of shading and sparkle as well. Rather than explain too much about these inks, let’s get to the photos instead. I received a set of samples from Vanness where they are priced at $3.50 for a 4mL sample or $15 for a 30mL bottle.
Lakambini has a base layer close to Sailor Peache with pink sparkle.
Vinta Pangtangi was a difficult color to match – in certain lights, it looks very close to ColorVerse Anti-Matter Glistening or even Mermaid from Dream Ink. But the base ink color is absolutely closest to Bookbinders Ground Rattler with gold sparkle on top.
Vinta Saysay may be the darkest sparkling ink that I have seen in a while. It is a blue-based black with silvery-blue sparkle.
Vinta Salimbay is a wonderful blue-purple complete with multi-chromatic shading and purple sparkle.
Last in the Fairytale line is Lakbay – a light ocean blue with pink-copper sparkle.
On Tomoe River paper, the Fairytale inks are beautiful at any angle:
But the five inks are amazing when the light hits them just right:
Cosmo Air Light paper shows the Fairytale inks differently:
I love the color combinations in these five inks – especially Salimbay and Lakbay. The sparkle in the Fairytale inks can spread from the ink to other surfaces – hands, paper, blotting paper, face. However, I do believe sparkle is extremely under-represented in everyday life, so that’s not a negative!
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
This past week there was some scuttlebutt about Noodlers Ink. I wasn’t sure how to to approach the subject because it hits so many hot buttons for so many people but since Inkophile tackled the topic, I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss the matter.
If you’ve been a part of the pen community for some time, you’ll know that Nathan from Noodlers Ink often includes his political views in the naming and design of his inks. Overall, I’ve always been of the opinion that Nathan was trying to draw attention to social and political issues but I know some of his choices have really bothered people. I just choose not to purchase Noodlers Ink both because of the politics and because of some issues with the ink formulations (Bay State Blue, I’m looking at you.).
In light of the announcement that Noodlers was renaming and rebranding many of the ink colors, as well as an apology and charitable donations will hopefully help to improve the public opinion of Noodlers.
We need each other. Please support our sponsors, affiliates or join our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!
