Ink Links

-- First Impression of the Stillman & Birn papers (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- A Palomino Blackwing Pearl review (Woodclinched)

-- Franklin-Christoph Inks (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Lamy Safari Pink (2013) (kmpn)

-- Fountain Pen for Beginners 2 (Write to Me Often)

-- Cross Edge Gel Roller (The Clicky Post)

-- Kaweco Sport Italic, 2013 (Too many pens)

-- Aniki Yuki's Garden (East...West...Everywhere)

-- From the Archives, Early Sharpener Reviews (Pencil Revolution)

-- Behind the Scenes at The Edison Pen Company (Edison Pen Company)

-- Diamine – OxBlood (Informal Scribble)

-- New Release - Hero Summer Safari Fountain Pens (Ink of Me Fondly)

-- Lighten Up: Three Lamys (From the Pen Cup)

-- The Capless (1924) (Crónicas Estilográficas)

-- A benchwarmer finally scores (And All Other Tasks)

-- Palomino Blackwing Pearl (Design Concussion)

-- Kaweco AL sport ballpoint pen review (ThePencilCaseBlog)

-- Pilot Juice Metallic Gel Ink Pens (Office Supply Geek)

-- Last Week’s Ink: The Nibs (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Franklin-Christoph Olde Emerald (Inkdependence!)

Pentel Sign Pen Review

There are many pens with long and respected histories but not too many can compete with the history of the Pentel Sign Pen. What pen can claim they were left for dead shortly after introduction only to be resurrected by a US President and go on to live a long and healthy life? (More on this later)

Surprisingly enough, I have never reviewed the traditional Pentel Sign Pen before. Despite their history, they aren't the easiest pens to find on a store shelf, and I never bothered with buying a dozen from Amazon or ordering directly from Pentel. Luckily my dealer - street name "JetPens" - came through recently with flying colors. And by colors, I mean 11 of them.

Instead of going with the standard blue or black that would have made me feel more Presidential, I went with Sky Blue, which made me feel more, I don't know, fun? It is a fantastic color.

The Pentel Sign pen is more of a marker than a pen but I can see why it was so popular for signatures back in the day. This pen is designed for big, loose, sweeping strokes, allowing the user to tear through hundreds of signatures with consistency and ease. The fiber tip pen leaves a bold line that is unmistakable.

Is there much use for this style of pen today? Outside of artists and designers, maybe not, but it is worth owning at least one so you can say you own a piece of writing history.

Want more on the history of the Pentel Sign Pen? Don't miss this amazing manga .pdf about its creation.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 64 - Johnny Anypen

Visionnaire, Visionnaire, Visionnaire. That's all anyone has wanted to talk about for the past week in my social media feeds. What do Myke and I think about this white-hot Kickstarter project? Listen to Episode 64 of The Pen Addict Podcast to find out!

Show Notes & Download Links

For posterities sake, here is the list of questions I posed to Visionnaire creator Morgan Combes. I will post again if and when he gets back to me.

1. You have talked about designing the Visionnaire but you also talk about not having much fountain pen experience. How much of the actual design is yours, and how much is pre-made parts?

2. Did you fit your specs into an existing design, or is this 100% original design?

3. Are any new tools or dies being made to produce these pens, or will existing tooling be used for the manufacturing?

4. The full manufacture of your pen is Chinese. Why should someone buy the Visionnaire instead of a Hero Pen form the most well-known Chinese pen manufacturer that looks similar and only costs $4?

5. You mentioned several times that your margins are low for this project, yet you increased the the number of Early Bird backers exponentially, allowing more backers to get the pen at a cheaper rate. What was behind the decision to allow this if the margins are so low?