Fountain Pens

Over the last several years, I’ve had the opportunity to use several pens from the Italian pen maker, Montegrappa. It’s a brand that is well-known in the community, but despite that, doesn’t seem to have a huge top-of-mind presence among … Montegrappa Passione Review Read More »

My first experiences with wood pens were not great. I was brand new to fountain pens (literally…my first ever pen was wood) and I couldn’t have told you what made a good pen from a bad pen. I just saw … Stylo Art Taut Read More »

Diplomat Excellence A Giveaway

Everyone comes to the fountain pen hobby for different reasons. Some come for the community. Others for the handwriting. Some are drawn to the pens, others the ink. Some become fascinated by the array of vintage pens available, and feel … Nemosine Singularity Review Read More »

When it comes to sweets, nothing can compare to the complex, rich, buttery taste of a perfectly-browned caramel. The browning of the Maillard reactions, which turn sugars into that toasty, slightly burnt, oh-so-intricate combination of sweet and savory, is the … Bexley Ebonite Amber Agate Read More »

Montegrappa Passione Zebra Giveaway

Franklin-Christoph Model 66 Stabilis Review

Custom pens are fun. They are a bit hard to review, though , because what are you reviewing? The material and design are transient things, changeable on each and every pen. What, then, do you base a judgement on? When … J and J Wood Designs Custom Pen Read More »

If you were to lay my fountain pen collection out on a table and ask 100 people to describe it, I suspect that the adjectives “utilitarian,” “industrial,” or “understated” would be conspicuously absent. Those are visual styles to which I … Conid Bulkfiller Regular Review Read More »

Watermans Ideal No. 56 (Semi-flex)

Danitro Takumi Tsugaru-nuri Kara-nuri Wine Review

Italian manufacturer, Delta, produces a truly mind-boggling array of pen models and variations thereof. Their stock of materials and finishes is impressive, but most of their pens tend to skew toward the large or very large end of the size … Delta Vintage Review Read More »

One of the best aspects of being a pen reviewer is getting to learn about new makers and companies as they come along. In an industry making products no longer at the forefront of most people’s lives, it can be … DeNobil 300 Review Read More »

I was first introduced to the Xezo brand last season when a user sent his Xezo Legionnaire to me to review. Xezo is a US-based retailer of luxury goods: mostly leather goods, watches, and fountain pens. They don’t do their own … Xezo Architect Azure FM Review Read More »

Seattle is a beautiful place to live and work. For about half the year, it is sunny, warm (but mild), and with no major extremes of weather. The scenery is beautiful, the people friendly. But starting each year in late … Kanilea Pen Co. Kahakai Review Read More »

The terms “mass-produced” and “handmade” are, in many ways, polar opposites. It’s difficult to scale handmade products, as production can’t be increased simply by investing in capital (i.e., manufacturing space, machinery, etc.) Scalability, especially in markets that require a large … Peyton Street Pens / Ranga Zayante Read More »