The End Of Ink Links

I made a big announcement yesterday but for many readers this one may be more of a surprise. My Saturday Ink Links post will be no more.

These two decisions coming down at the same time was pure coincidence. They have been working their way through my brain at the same time, each on their own separate path. It just so happened that the time to make these changes was now.

The original intent of Ink Links was to share pertinent links I found online related to pens and paper. At the time I started doing it there wasn't much activity in the stationery blog arena, so it was a discovery process for me as much as sharing what I found with readers.

As the years went by and stationery blogs began to sprout, I wanted to be sure that readers of my blog knew there was great content being created and where they could find it. Ink Links became a staple of my blogging schedule and to this day generates a great amount of feedback and fellowship between readers and bloggers alike.

It's hard to stop doing something that has been so successful and so beneficial to me and to others but the timing feels right. Ink Links has become stale, repetitive, uninspired, and no longer poses a challenge. I used to enjoy the hunt for the next great product or blog, but expressing that in the form of an Ink Links-style post has turned into a robotic case of "I link you. You link me. We're a happy family!" I no longer see this post as being a value to the reader.

So, what is next for the Saturday time slot? I'm still figuring that out, but I have some ideas. I want to create content that is useful and meaningful while still remaining true to my strong belief in sharing and promoting others in this wonderful community I am lucky to be a part of. You can be assured that discovery will be a big part of it.

I'm not going to lie - I'm going to miss putting this post together every week. But the time is right and I genuinely look forward to what is next. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Weekly Sponsorships Now Available At The Pen Addict

Weekly sponsorship slots are now available at The Pen Addict, with the assistance of my friends at Syndicate Ads.

What does this mean, and why the change? I have long term plans for this blog, the podcast, and my work at Nock Co. to be my life. I want to do more, I can do more, and I want you to come along for the ride. This is the first step in making dreams become a reality.

Did I up and quit my day job all of a sudden? No...not yet anyway. But I think I can make a go at this and be successful. It is going to take time, and the time to start is now.

My primary focus with the blog has always been to be as reader friendly as possible. That's why you won't see, and will never see, things like Google Adsense, SEO-style writing and self linking, truncated RSS feeds, etc. I respect you, the reader, too much to put you through that.

With a weekly sponsorship, there is one featured advertiser for the week, and I have a say in who it is. This pays respect to the advertiser in that they have the focus for the week, and pays respect to the reader in that you aren't getting bombarded with nonsense.

There will be more to announce in the coming months. Thank you all so much for your passion and support in reading this site for all these years!

If you have a product or business and would like to sponsor The Pen Addict, head over to the newly created Sponsor Page for all of the details, or get in touch if you would like to book directly or have any questions.

Airfoil Click Pen Review

The Airfoil Click Pen is not Grant Takara's first Kickstarter rodeo. He has lived the ups and downs of funding with his previous project, the original Airfoil, and is back with a pen design that has already proven to be a winner.

This model differs from its predecessor in two major ways. The first is obvious: This is a click pen instead of a twist pen. It uses the popular Schmidt mechanism that many Kickstarter projects before it have used. It is a solid, simple, attractive, and an excellent choice for any machined pen.

The second major change, and the most important, is the reshaping of the barrel. The original Airfoil had a fin-based barrel, which, while extremely beautiful, was not functional for longer writing sessions. Early reviewers of the original model (I was not one of them) repeatedly made note of how uncomfortable it became and Grant took that feedback to heart when designing the Airfoil Click.

To steal directly from the product page, the barrel has been streamlined. The fins are gone, replaced by a smooth barrel with cutouts on each side that fulfills Grants vision of aircraft geometry as part of the pen, and also serves to reduce the overall weight. My first reaction when I saw this pen was to think of the Uni-ball Jetstream barrel cutout and now I wonder with if that is an aviation based pen too. It is named Jetstream after all.

I'm really impressed with the prototype Grant sent me. If I was forced to pick nits I would like to see the barrel seam connect more flush between the two halves, and the edges on the grip ridges could be softened just a bit, but overall this is a solid product.

The Airfoil Click is available in aluminum (natural or anodized in several striking colors) and titanium. There is even the ability to pick the finish on your clip bolts and push mechanism, which I don't think I have seen anyone offer before.

Thanks again to Grant Takara for sending me this prototype for review and be sure to check out the Airfoil Click Kickstarter project.