Raymay Davinci System Tomoe River Paper Refill Review

The recently released Raymay Davinici System piqued my interest for one reason, and one reason only: The use of Tomoe River paper.

Tomoe River paper is something special. When I reviewed it earlier this summer I was taken aback. How could a paper this thin be this receptive to ink? I put it through the fountain pen ringer and it performed so well I started seeking out other products that use it. That was, and still is, a challenge.

The tide is changing though, and Tomoe River is starting to become more available. One of the new sources is the aforementioned Raymay Davinci planner system. I opted to pass on the full Davinci planner since I have a Hobonichi Techo on the way for 2014 (which also uses Tomoe River), but I wanted to give the paper a test run so I ordered the plain, pocket size refill pack.

As expected, the paper performed like a champ. It is very smooth with all inks, with only wider-tipped liquid ink pens like the Lamy Tipo and Pilot brush pen bleeding through to the back - barely. That is an amazing accomplishment for a paper this thin. The lone tradeoff is that inkier pens do take some time to dry. It's not as immediate as more porous paper.

I wanted to see if my first experience with Tomoe River paper held true when used in other products and it did with flying colors. This is not a paper for everyone, but if you want to try something unique - and quite frankly, amazing - search it out and give it a shot.

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

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 72 - It’s A Shame You Picked The Wrong Pen

The Brit is back! Myke rejoins me after a week of wacky schedules. We discuss two reviews we have been meaning to get to for a while - the Lamy 2000 and the Cult Pens Kaweco Mini - plus my part in a recent Wirecutter article, Field Notes eBay data, and a few other timely tidbits.

Show Notes & Download Links

Sakura Pigma Calligrapher Review

I feel positively evangelical about this pen, which I think is unknown and underrated. At under $3 per pen when you buy a pack of 6, they're cheap enough to stash everywhere. I keep them at the office, in the car, in the kitchen, because at that price point I can afford to misplace them as often as I do.

I've been able to buy these locally as single pens (I live in Minneapolis) but I've only found the 6-pack online via Amazon. There are colors I'm less fond of than others - I find I almost never need to write in purple - but even the less loved colors get used as for quick jottings around the house.

The pen I'm using here is a 1mm. You'll see you can get some line variation, though not a ton. For me, it's just enough variation to make my writing look a little nicer while not being such a prominent italic tip that I feel like I need to slow down to write with it. The pens also come in 2mm and 3mm sizes. I've used the 2mm, but I just find it a little too thick for daily writing.

If you're looking for a cheap way to see if you'd like to write regularly with an italic point, this is probably your best bet. The chisel tip doesn't get soft and spread out like many, many other markers I've owned, and the colors look vibrant on every type of paper I've thrown at it.

The Sakura Pigma Calligrapher is available in packs of 6 at Amazon.