Category Archives: Pens

Sheaffer VFM

08 Friday Jul 2022

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The era of the high end Sheaffer fountain pen being supported by the white dot mark of excellence are long gone. These days, having been sold then sold again, the brand now produces a range of solid low and mid level priced writing implements with even the most expensive barely exceeding $100. At the entry point you have two models. The cheap plastic Pop and for the same price the metal VFM. Thing is for just £18/$18 is this a bargain pen or something for the waste basket. Note this model was launched under BIC ownership, before the brand was sold (in 2014) to Cross.

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BENU Euphoria Scent of Irises

01 Friday Jul 2022

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No one can accuse BENU of producing boring pens. From the start they showed you can add sparkle and glitter in ways that can appeal to those who like subtlety as well as the ‘bling brigade’. Bright strong colours and bold designs help their produce stand out in a world of repetition. BENU was started in 2016, however it was not until 2020 that they finally produced a pen with a #6 nib. The Euphoria is the third model in their range to come with this sized nib, following on from the Grand Sceptre and Supreme.

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Coming Reviews

24 Friday Jun 2022

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Just a quick post this Friday. I do have a number of ink reviews already written (for the last 3 ScriBo inks and the first of the Cult Pens Flower Series), however I want to keep those for Wednesdays. I also have a completed review on a pen I was selling. Alas the buyer also had to sell a pen to be able to afford mine and as he was unable to do so at the time the deal went on hold. I’m not going to post it yet else it might seem like a sales pitch (plus it would need re-writing).

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Onoto Hurricane

17 Friday Jun 2022

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In 2020 Onoto once more teamed up with TMB Art Metal to work on a pen part made from metal recovered from a Battle of Britain fighter plane. Previously we had the Spitfire, made of Duralumin from a wing spare removed from P7350, a surviving MK2 that required the part to be replaced to remain airworthy. For this pen less metal has been used, coming from P2725 TM-B, the Hawker Hurricane Mk1 flown by Sergeant Ray Holmes and famous for being crashed through the tail of a Dornier Do17 bomber which looked like it was flying at Buckingham Palace. The incident was made famous as the German plane was filmed falling out of the sky and crashing on to Victoria Station. Alas P2725 faired no better and Holmes had to bail out. He not only survived the Battle of Britain, but also the war, dying in 2005 at the age of 90.

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ScriBo Write Here Tropea with 1.4mm Stub Nib

27 Friday May 2022

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This review will really focus on the nib and gloss over on the pen. Until I started to put pen to paper (sounds better than key press to WordPress) I did not realise I am yet to review the ScriBo Write Here, despite it being the first mainstream offering from Scrittura Bologenese, and despite me buying one of the first editions just after this store exclusive arrived off the flight from Italy at the October 2017 London Pen Show. A more in depth review will follow, meanwhile this piece is all about the nib. A ScriBo stub. 1.4mm width of tipping on a rhodium plated nib with its heritage going back to the old OMAS days and made on the same machines.

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Kilk Novo Baroque with Meerschaum Pipes – Pictures

20 Friday May 2022

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A month back I wrote my review of the Kilk Novo Baroque, and during that piece I did refer a few times to the emotive reasons partly behind my purchase. At one point I mentioned how the white barrel variant reminded me almost of meerschaum clay, as used in pipes, and which my late father used to collect and smoke. I mentioned I might add some photos of the pen alongside some of those pipes if I got a chance, but instead of adding them to the original article I decided to create this short piece.

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Graf von Faber Castell Classic Anello Ebony Fountain Pen

13 Friday May 2022

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Confession time. I should have written this review almost three years ago when I started to use this pen. This particular version is also no longer available so while Graf von Faber Castell do make a range of Classic Anello fountain pens, the ebony version has not been on their list for four years. This did result in my having to buy this pen earlier than anticipated and required, but more on that in a bit.

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Kilk Novo Baroque

29 Friday Apr 2022

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Confession time. My paternal great grandfather (edit – picture at the bottom) was born in Smyrna (now Izmir) in Turkey, coming over and settling in the UK near the end of 19th century. I do not remember my grandfather (and certainly not my father) maintaining any Turkish traditions or heritage, yet when I see a product from the country of my ancestors I feel a tug to the heart strings. So when a small pen maker pops up in Istanbul my attention is grabbed. Problem was the costs of getting a pen over to the UK were comparatively high due to taxes, duty, etc, so when I heard rumours Kilk were going to be at the 2022 Spring London Pen Show my interest and attention was alerted.

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