Stationery-related

San Francisco Pen Show 2015 | Owl Ink
Who knew there was a pen show in San Francisco? Elaine’s write-up on her day at the show, along with gorgeous pictures, let me experience it vicariously.

LIFE Bank Paper | pencils and other things
As usual, Sola provides us interesting nuggets of information on Japanese stationery, particularly this “bank paper” produced by LIFE, made with Mitsubishi Paper Mills paper. (And yes! A PSA worth repeating: Mitsubishi Pencil Company is unrelated to the Mitsubishi Group!) I enjoy using pads of paper as much as bound notebooks, so I think next time I spot this, I’ll give it a try. Big fan of LIFE here. :)

Stationery Shopping in NYC & New York Stationery Haul — The Finer Point
Looking at others’ shopping hauls is fun, not just to drool, but to learn their thinking process behind their purchases. And Jenny’s post was of particular interest to me, as my interest in pencils has been on the rise lately.

The Beginner’s Guide to Fountain Pens (By a True Beginner) by Adam Di Stefano at The Pen Addict
I guess I’m no longer a novice to fountain pens, but reading this guide was still useful to me as a reminder to have fun and assess what I want to do next with my pen hobby. I wonder if I’ll ever reach the fishing vest level?

You Think This Comes Along Every Day? by Jon Bemis at The Pen Addict
How sweet! Another personal pen story from Jon Bemis that made me smile. :)

Things I tried recently (and liked)

Blackwing Pearl
I’m still road-testing the different Palomino Blackwings but I think I can safely say I like the Pearl better than the black Blackwing.

Mitsubishi 9852EW Master Writing Pencil HB
Smooth and light. And I love the dark purple ferrule + black eraser combo.

Sharpie Magnum
OMG, where have you been all my life. Perfect for crossing stuff off package labels before I toss them.

Adding to my wishlist

Midori MD Notebook Diary 1Page Per Day
I can’t believe it’ll be 2016 soon, and I realize I have to make an important decision. Do I continue using Hobonichi or try a different planner? Should it be a planner, a diary or a hybrid? Whatever it is, this Midori MD notebook (new to me!) is looking very tempting, as I want to try using non-Tomoe River paper next.

Yamahon Gacha Bookcharms
How cute are these book charms that come with tiny books? I don’t know much about this bookworm character called “Yamahon” but I find him endearing and wouldn’t mind getting the pink (coffee) and the blue (black cat) charms. Not that I have a choice though (or in Japan to have a chance.. ha!); these are gachapon items, meaning they’re a “blind purchase.”

Blackwing Volume 211
I didn’t get the first set (Volume 725) but I am definitely buying the second volume for the natural with clear coat finish.

Uni Style Fit Sesame Street
In mid-October, in Japan, Uni Style Fit is releasing another set of limited edition pen bodies and refills, this time with the Sesame Street characters. Cookie monster!! What more can I say?

Updated July 2017 with new links. Some of these pens have unfortunately been discontinued.

Updated November 2017 with Amazon affiliate links at the bottom of the post.

What’s a stationery blog without pens?

Here are some of the black gel pens I’ve discovered over the years and my thoughts on them. I’ve never done an in-depth review on any specific pens before, and I don’t claim this to be one. This is just a way to organize my thoughts on my gel pen journey so far.

Let’s start with the negatives. Gel pens I will probably not buy again.

1. Pilot Hi-Tec-C (0.25 to 0.4): Man, I really don’t remember what pens I used before Hi-Tec-Cs. That was a long time ago. I thought they were great at first, and it took me awhile to realize they’re not for me and that there are other options out there. As soon as I found Zebra Sarasa (see #6), I never looked back. I just find it uncomfortable in my hand, especially, the grip area, and the ink flow frustrated me often, especially at the start of writing. I will never choose Hi-Tec-Cs for my daily writing but I do look out for any special colors they release, like the Yawaragi colors, just for the fun of it. Side note: I tested a Hi-Tec-C Maica in brown recently and was pleasantly surprised. Okay, never say never.

2. Muji Hexagonal Polycarbonate Gel Ink Pen (0.38): It writes well but it's nothing too special. I got it because of its hexagonal body. Feels kinda cheap.

3. Muji Polycarbonate Gel Ink Pen in round body (0.38): Similar to the hexagonal one, nothing special. Maybe I just don’t like how the polycarbonate looks and feels. Meh. Edit (July 2017): this pen has apparently been discontinued.

4. Muji Gel Ink Pen in round body, refillable with cap (0.38): I thought this was great when I tested it at the store but when I actually used it for an extended period of time, I realized it’s not for me. The top tip of this pen is a small plastic part that seals the refill in, and it becomes unscrewed over time, if you post the cap. Annoying! Otherwise, I’d prefer this over the two previous Muji pens.

5. Uni-ball Uni Style Fit: M and I actually discovered this pen while on a trip to Tokyo! It looks great and writes well but over time, we realized it’s too slim. And, naturally, the ink reservoir is tiny. I think Style Fit is how we found Jetpens because we were looking for refills for it. Ha! Anyway, we’ve moved on. I’ve tried the multi-pen body with different types of refills too but I wasn’t blown away. I like that they release special designs in collaboration with other brands though, like with Majolica Majorca. I have tons of those. Oops.

Now, onto the positives. If I reached for a pen in my pen cup and grabbed any of the aforementioned pens, I’d put it right back and look for any of the pens below. Struggle’s real.

Thumbs up! (Tray is from Muji, if you must know)

6. Zebra Sarasa Clip (0.3 and 0.4): As mentioned before, this is the pen that replaced Hi-Tec-Cs in my life. Cheaper, better grip, better ink flow. I’ve gone through countless numbers of refills for these, for both work and personal use.

7. Uni-ball Signo RT UM-138 (0.38): This sort of replaced the Zebra Sarasa for me, except my local stationery stores never seem to restock them (this was before I shopped for pens online). Retractable, sturdy grip, great ink flow. I think the Signo fits my hand slightly better than Sarasa.

8. Muji Gel Ink Pen in colored hexagonal body (0.3 and 0.4): What a handsome pen. I love its design. And it’s smart. There’s a slim window at the bottom as an indicator of the ink level. The whole body is grippy and it’s hexagonal! I think I have a thing for hexagons. This was in heavy rotation until I discovered Pentel EnerGel Euro (see #10). Edit (July 2017): this pen is now available only in 0.25mm.

9. Uni-ball Signo RT1 UMN-155 (0.38): A recent discovery. I tried it because it looks like a fancier version of the other Signo RT. It certainly looks great and writes smoothly. Might be a tad too thick for my hand, and my fingers tend to slip down over time but I still really like it.

10. Pentel EnerGel Euro (0.35): My current #1 gel pen. This writes like buttah and feels SOLID. I truly love how it writes. It’s almost like a holy grail pen for me. Except, it lacks in the looks department. Why on Earth is it BLUE?? WHY?!? *sobs uncontrollably* It really would be my holy grail gel pen if it had a black body without those stupid slits on the cap and were refillable. Maybe it’s so solid because it’s not refillable? Still, I would flip some serious tables if this pen ever got discontinued.

Gel ink pens are what I use probably 80% of the time. They’re all I use on my Field Notes. I do own and use other types of pens but they’re more purpose-specific. And I’m a big fan of black ink! This was all about black gel pens because colored pens probably deserve a separate post. Occasionally, I seek dark, non-black colors, like muted brown or gray but never blue black. Nothing personally against the color blue, I just don't prefer it for my own writing. Hence, my lament on the unfortunate color of Pentel EnerGel Euro’s body.

Hm, I’m sure I left out some pens here and there but I’m also sure this won't be the last time I write about gel pens. As I was searching for links to add, I found even more pens I’d like to try. So much to keep up with! :) What are your current favorite black gel pens?

Links

These may not be the best deals, but in case you prefer to shop at Amazon, here are some product links related to this post. These are affiliate links, which means, if you follow these links and make a purchase, I'll earn a tiny commission. Every little bit will help support the hosting of this site, and I’d very much appreciate it.

Stationery-related

Things I tried recently (and liked)

Adding to my wishlist

Fun

Not San Francisco

Links

WELCOME

COPYRIGHT

Field Notes by Theme

Field Notes Item Numbers

LEGIT “PRESS”

LATEST ENTRIES

MY WISHLIST