Ink

My friend Dan Bishop and the gang at Karas Kustoms are back at it again. Monday marked the launch of their latest Kickstarter campaign - simply called Ink - which features a machined aluminum rollerball or fountain pen in a rainbow of barrel colors. Finally, a fountain pen worth backing on Kickstarter!

Dan was nice enough to send me an aluminum prototype model to check out, and I am impressed. The barrel shape is a huge winner in my book, with the size and diameter of classics like the Nakaya Piccolo and Edison Pearl. Beauty in simplicity I say.

Despite the size, the Ink is far from too heavy to write with. It has some weight to it, but the aluminum barrel is balanced so well that writing is effortless with the cap unposted. When capped, the extra heft gives this pen an indestructible feel that works as well in your jeans pocket as it does in your suit pocket.

L to R: Karas Kustoms Ink, Edison Pearl, TWSBI 580

The choice of a medium Schmidt #5 nib was a good one, giving this pen a solid foundation to lay down ink, plus some choice for those who like to tinker and may want to swap it out for a different size or other compatible nib (Note: I tested my TWSBI and Kaweco nibs and neither fit.) It is a firm, smooth writer and I have had zero issues with ink flow in the few days I have had this pen inked with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts.

The coup de grace in parting me with my money is the ability to back different color barrels at launch. The orange Render K is still my single favorite Karas Kustom pen, and an orange Ink will be joining it soon. And maybe black. Or blue. Or grey. And maybe a rollerball model because it fits my favorite Retro 51 refill. The options on this campaign are fantastic and it was hard to limit myself to one. Addicts have budgets too, right?

Check out Ink on Kickstarter. It's a great pen by great people and would make an excellent addition to any writing arsenal. Thanks to Dan for giving me an early look at was is sure to be Karas Kustoms best pen yet.

(P.S. Video. Is. Amazing.)

Esterbrook J Fountain Pen Review

(This is a guest post by Garrett Kubat. You can find more from Garrett on Twitter @gazkubat.)

The Esterbrook J is my first vintage fountain pen. Of the pens that I own it is one of the most consistent workhorses that I can rely on to write. It writes when I need it to and only stops when the nib leaves the paper. The reliability is a huge plus in this vintage fountain pen. Reliability means that it can go from a novelty item to something that can be used every day. My estimates put this particular fountain pen to have been manufactured around 1948. I came to this conclusion by the fact the pen and lid both have the black plastic "jewels" on the ends. If someone more knowledgeable than I has a more accurate estimate I would be glad to hear it.

I purchased the pen from Brian and Lisa Anderson on their wonderful website for $60.00. They had others for sale that were cheaper, and I had read that eBay regularly sold them for even around half the price, but I was smitten by the blue colour and how I knew it would be a functional pen. Pens are beautiful, but I would rather have an ugly pen that wrote than a gorgeous one that didn't. That being said I was able to have the best of both worlds with this pen. This particular pen seems to be in a near flawless condition with no worn spots or scratches.

I would credit Brian and Lisa with the exceptional restoration I assume this pen received, but the state of the pen also speaks to how well these pens were made. They were made to be an affordable pen that used cheap but durable materials and were solidly crafted. It feels durable and write consistently, just like another amazing pen: The Lamy Safari. There are obvious differences but the two greatest similarities are they are long-lasting and reliable.

One element that makes this pen unique amongst the pens I own is the filling mechanism. Within the pen is an internal sack that can be depressed by the lever on the barrel of the pen. When the sack is depressed and the nib placed in ink all you do is push the lever back flush with the pen and allow the ink to flow into the pen. The ink capacity is not up there with say a TWSBI but it holds enough that I am not worried about running out of ink if I take the pen with me for the day.

This is an excellent choice to begin the vintage fountain pen journey with. The pens come in a variety of colours as well as other models like the LJ (Full length but slimmer than the J) and the SJ (shorter and thinner than the J). They can be found at a relatively affordable price and the large amount of nibs available makes these extremely versatile. An extensive list is available on Esterbrook.net, which is managed by the aforementioned Brian Anderson. I only have the 9556 (Fine Writing) and the 9555 (Gregg Shorthand) but I would love to get my hands on a stub nib.

This is my only vintage fountain pen so I can't compare it to others but I would say it stacks up well to a Lamy Safari, it was made to last and (most importantly) write.

Huckberry Pen Project Giveaway Winner

Awesome stuff again from my friends at Huckberry! Thank you for sponsoring this great giveaway and I hope everyone got the chance to explore just how cool Huckberry is.

The winner of The Pen Project and Word. Notebooks is:

Congrats David! Get in touch with me via the Contact page and I will arrange your goods with Huckberry. You have one week to claim your prize.

Thanks again to Huckberry for this great giveaway. There aren't many shopping days left folks!