Tomoe River Paper Review

I am rarely caught completely off guard by a product these days. Sure, there are plenty of surprises and disappointments along the way, but to be shocked is a rarity. Tomoe River Paper shocked me.

I heard many of my fountain pen friends sing the praises of this brand but I never dug in and learned more about it. Who knew how much I was missing. A kind reader emailed one day offering up samples (hi Rachael!) and before you know it they landed in my mailbox.

Since I hadn't done any previous research on Tomoe River I was nothing short of stunned when I opened the envelope. Did you ever use tracing paper when you were a kid? That is essentially the look and feel of Tomoe River Paper. It is thin, transparent, and crinkles with ease if you are not careful. There is no way fountain pens will perform well on this paper, right?

Wrong. In so many ways.

To begin with, Tomoe River Paper is very smooth when writing. Rhodia/Clairefontaine level smooth. No matter the size of the nib - from 1.5 mm stub nibs down to my Japanese EF nibs - they all glide across the page with no feedback at all. On top of that, there is no bleed or feathering. That is the real shocker to me. I'm not sure how a paper this thin manages that but it is the truth.

As great as it is there are some downsides to consider. With the Rhodia-level smoothness also comes Rhodia-length dry time. Lefties beware. You also will not be able to use the back of the page either. Remember my tracing paper comparison? That's what the back of the page looks like. And like I mentioned before, it is fragile, crinkling with ease if you bump it around a lot.

That said, I'm sold. The uniqueness and feel of the paper has me wanting more. Nanami Paper seems to be the main source at this time, and bookbinder Jesse Aston has journals available from time to time (reviewed here). Both sell blank Tomoe River Paper - where are my beloved grids?

I may not be completely out of luck if I want to branch out a little. Did you hear me butcher the name Hobonichi in episode 54 of the podcast? What I was referring to is the Hobonichi Techo Planner, which uses gridded Tomoe River Paper. I'm not a planner guy, but this might make me change my mind (see how the Japanese use their Hobonichi Planners). If nothing else, it gives me hope I will be able to get gridded Tomoe River Paper in the future.

To read more about Tomoe River Paper and see many more ink samples and dry time tests check out Azizah's review at FPGeeks.

Ink Links

-- Lamy White Joy Set Special Edition (2013) (kmpn)

-- A No-Number Nineteen-Twenties Swan (Goodwriterspens's Blog)

-- Testing my Lamy Safari (Hjertnes.me)

-- Lamy Safari 2013 Neon Yellow (Does This Pen Write?)

-- Esterbrook J Double Jewel – Restored – NPI Gregg 1555 Nib (No Pen Intended)

-- The Sketchnote Typeface (Rohdesign)

-- "Premium" Writing Paper (Clairefontaine & Rhodia) (The Daily Acquisition)

-- Ask The Desk: Pen Testing Notebook (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- WAY Better Than Poi or Don Ho: Retro 51 Vintage Surf Tornado Rollerball (Limited Edition) (From the Pen Cup)

-- Ink Notes: Namiki Blue (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Palomino Drawing - Luxury Notebook Series (Pens Paper Inks...Whatever!)

-- Burton’s technical drawing arsenal (doane paper feed)

-- Newest additions to the Collection: Faber Castell TK 9600 Clutch Pencil and Ohto Graphic Liner Needle Point Drawing Pens Set (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Pilot Vortex Fountain Pen (OfficeSupplyGeek)

-- Review: Montblanc Je T'aime Love Letter Ink (Gourmet Pens)

-- Aurora Talentum Black/Chrome inked with Rohrer & Klingner Blau Schwartz LE (JustDaveyB)

-- Pilot Custom Heritage 91 Fountain Pen Broad Nib & Tsukiyo Body (Ink of Me Fondly)

-- Pilot Petit 1 Fountain Pen Review (Write to Me Often)

-- BIC 4colours (penfan.ru)

-- Kokuyo Ink (Crónicas Estilográficas)

-- 2013 Lamy Safari Special Edition - Neon (My Orange Brompton)

-- Rotring 600 Ballpoint - Lava Pen Review (The Clicky Post)

-- Handwritten Post: The Story of My Pen and Paper Addiction (A Penchant for Paper)

My Fountain Pen Education: The Pilot Metal Falcon

As was the case with many of my friend Thomas' pens that he sent me, I didn't know what to make of the Pilot Metal Falcon when I first inked it up. I had heard raves about its flexible nib but never having used one before, I was tentative. It didn't take long for me to get the hang of it and I discovered quickly why it is so well regarded.

It is hard to explain the feeling of a flex nib to someone who has never used one before. In a nutshell, the nib is reasonably firm and produces a fine line while using light writing pressure. When pressure is added, the tines spread and the lines become wider, giving the output on the page a little more flair.

My written review actually does a poor job of showing off the line width variation. Part of that is due to this being an SEF nib, or Soft Extra Fine. The other part is me not wanting to really lean into someone else's pen and spring the nib. If you need more variation, the Falcon nib is available up to Broad.

There were two things I did not like about this pen. One, the metal barrel felt awkward in the hand. I'm not sure if it was the added weight or that it was cool to the touch at start, but I never got used to it. Two, at nearly $250 from most US retailers it seemed expensive for what it is. I didn't find that much novelty or uniqueness to justify the price.

All was not lost though, as Thomas later pointed out to me that there is a Japanese model in black resin with rhodium trim for about $100 cheaper, which we both subsequently ordered. And you guys think I have a problem?

Look for more on my very own Falcon in the near future.