21 Friday Jan 2022
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Before I start I need to clear one thing up for those not aware. Raden is the use of mother of pearl with urushi and maki-e work, not the material itself. This is the reason why pens with that finish are so expensive. Mother of Pearl and the abalone sourced variant can be cheap, depending on where they are fished and the sub genre.
Continue reading14 Friday Jan 2022
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We all have different preferences when it comes to how we hold a pen and the sizes we like. This can make it difficult to judge how accurate a review can be if you’re looking to buy a pen as you first need to know what the reviewer likes. Sure with fit and finish it should not make a difference, however when it comes to the writing experience personal tastes do. Ideally if you find a reviewer who likes the same pens as you then the chances are this will carry on through to other pens, but it is not guaranteed. Thus for a little bit of fun and for a guide on my partialities for the reader I thought I would write this article. Enjoy and have fun trying to identifying your own preferences.
Continue reading07 Friday Jan 2022
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I can’t believe it has been almost half a year since I last did one of these and recently there have been some changes, partly due to the 2021 International Fountain Pen Day and Black FridayWeek sales.
24 Friday Dec 2021
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It’s been a weird year 2021. The global pandemic still in effect, but with restrictions being relaxed in many places (well until the Omicron variant arrived). In the UK we saw the return of the pen show along with the introduction of various new models, yet at the same time many people still preferred to stay away and be safe.
Continue reading17 Friday Dec 2021
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What is better to most petrol heads than one Pininfarina designed car? Two Pininfarina designed cars. Perhaps the same may be the case with the products of their Segno subsidiary and perhaps I should be nervous if they expand their range of fountain pens, for having bought a PF Two on International Fountain Pen Day, come the Black Friday week and a PF One followed its way in to my collection.
Continue reading03 Friday Dec 2021
I musty admit I had been contemplating trying a Kaweco Student for quite a while, though always from afar as I knew no one who owned one (as far as I am aware) and at pen shows traders just brought variations on the Sport and Lilliput models. Fountain Pen Day and a discount at Cult Pens gave me the excuse I had been looking for and while the ‘music’ range was more expensive than the base two pens, the 20s Jazz ticked all the right boxes.
Continue reading26 Friday Nov 2021
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fountain pen, Italian, Pininfarina, Pininfarina PF2, Pininfarina Segno PF Two, Pininfarino Segno
It is an often mentioned convention that you can not be considered a true petrol head until you have owned an Alfa Romeo. Now you might be wondering why I have mentioned this and you may also be wondering if this in connection with me having previously described certain Italian fountain makers as being like Italian car manufacturers. Thing is I did own an Alfa, really enjoyed it, and like so many of that brand it was designed by the automotive studio and former coach builder, Pininfarina.
While there have been various high end collaborations over the years, in recent times Pininfarina have expanded out from the automotive world and now have a number of sister companies, one of them concentrating on writing equipment, Pininfarina Segno, working with a number of other Italian design brands.
Continue reading22 Friday Oct 2021
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Scrittura Bolognese are keen to emphasise that while they have DNA from OMAS they are a new company with new products. After a number of successful years with their first consumer offering, the Feel, rumours started to emerge of a new pen that would again surprise us. In early 2021 the Piuma was launched in four limited edition finishes, offering a deceptively sized pen with some unique elements to the design.
Continue reading15 Friday Oct 2021
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In July it was back and the new style pen show worked well. This time we saw the benefits of people becoming more relaxed in the new post lock down world with the result of more vendors, more occupied tables, and more people.
Continue reading09 Saturday Oct 2021
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At the end of a quiet week with the review I was writing put back for a short while, I’m now looking forwards to tomorrow and the London Pen Show, the second to be held at the Novotel at Hammersmith.
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