Pens

It has come to this: my obsession with pens requires its own page.

nothing if not efficient
(pictured: Visconti Van Gogh Midi with PR Tanzanite)

I don’t quite know when it began. From a very early age, I was fascinated with “office supplies”, the generic category that encompassed paper products, pens, and the like. As a child, I learned calligraphy, so I must have owned my first fountain pen then. It didn’t turn into a full-blown obsession until 2003, and I’m still not sure why.

My collection consists of a Faber-Castell Ambition Birnbaum, a Lamy 2000, a Lamy Logo, a Monteverde Olympia, a Namiki Vanishing Point, a Pelikan M 400, a Recife Baby Press Constellation, a Retro 51 Tornado, a Rotring Core, a Sensa Meridian, a Visconti Van Gogh Midi, a Waterman Carène, and a Waterman Philéas.  If I could ever justify the expense, I would complete my collection with Jules, the most beautiful pen I have ever seen.

Despite all this, I am not a snob about writing instruments; I appreciate any pen that provides a compelling tactile experience. I love to talk pens with anyone, so ask me anything!

Useful Links

Inexpensive Fountain Pen Favorites

Awesome (and Alphabetized) Ink

  • Diamine Imperial Purple: vibrant violet
  • Diamine Monaco Red: blood-red with a brown tinge
  • Diamine Woodland Green: slightly darker than medium
  • Levenger Amethyst: the prototypical amethyst purple
  • Noodler’s Air Corp Blue-Black: more of a teal-black, thick and wet
  • Private Reserve American Blue: just like the blue in the flag
  • Private Reserve Avocado: medium brownish green
  • Private Reserve Burgundy Mist: syrah, really
  • Private Reserve Tanzanite: deep bluish purple
  • Rotring Ultramarine: bluish purple, brighter than PR Tanzanite
  • Pelikan Blue-Black: blacker than blue
  • Visconti Black: velvet and fast-drying
  • Waterman Blue-Black: bluer than black

Non-Fountain Goodness