AskPA: What pen has been discontinued that you wish you could bring back?

@tascavision: @Pen_Addict @dowdyism what pen has been discontinued that you wish you could bring back? #AskPA

I’m still working out the posting format for answering the #AskPA questions but this is one I wanted to get to quickly because it is something I think about all the time.

We all have those long lost loves, even in the stationery realm. For me, it is the Pilot Explorer. Long time readers have heard me go on and on about this pen. During the time it was on the market it was a pen I always had with me. The barrel was such a unique design, the knock and the clip worked flawlessly, and the extra fine rollerball ink cartridge was one of the best writing pens I owned.

Sometime in the early 2000’s the Pilot Explorer became scarce. It may have been sooner than that actually - I had moved on to a few other pens and wasn’t totally paying attention. I just know that when I wanted to buy more they had all but vanished.

I’ve had a few readers reach out since I started The Pen Addict and send me a few for my stash, even a full box of blue fine tip Explorer’s from a treasure trove in Denmark.

The reason I want to bring back the Pilot Explorer so much is that I think it would do well in today’s market without changing a thing about the original. It was a pen ahead of its time, and if Pilot could find a way to resurrect it I think it would be a hit.

Thanks for the question @tascavision! I plan on answering larger batches of #AskPA questions as we move forward, so be sure to use that hashtag on Twitter, or send me a message via the Contact Page.

A Story Of Office Subterfuge

(This is a guest post by Jon Bemis. You can find Jon on Twitter @jtower42)

Since becoming a Junior Pen Addict a year ago, I have tried to evangelize the message of a better writing experience. As is the case in many offices, our supply closest is stocked with the cheapest paper (generic legal and steno pads) and pens (BiC “Xtra Comfort” medium points) our purchasing people can find. By sheer accident, there are some gems like PaperMate Flair plastic tip pens and Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, but mostly the shelf is a cathedral of mediocrity.

I have made some inroads with a few co-workers. I noticed one of our commodities buyers is a woodcase pencil guy, so I gave him a couple of Palomino Blackwings. I checked in with him after a few weeks, and he somewhat sheepishly told me “When you said I would feel a difference between these (Blackwings) and the pencils I normally use, I thought you were nuts. But wow, these are SMOOTH.”

A member of our graphic design team is a kindred spirit as it relates to design and typography – I have introduced her to Field Notes and Mr. Aaron Draplin, and she’s digging it. Our sales analyst admitted to me that she “really likes, you know, GOOD paper.” I gave her an extra Rhodia A5 top staple-bound notebook that I had lying around, and it blew her mind.

I’ve had failures, too. Our corporate attorney, who happens to be a friend, is a Pilot G-2 fan. That’s a great pen; I thought that might serve as a gateway into fountain pens, so I lent him first my Lamy Safari and then my Pilot Metropolitan. It hasn’t taken. He always quickly goes back to the G-2’s he loves so much.

But the effort of which I am most proud was not so overt. This office needs to know the love of writing, dammit. So I did something a little sneaky. A little underhanded. I stocked the pond, if you will.

I decided to make a contribution to the supply cabinet. I knew the Pilot Varsity was a great entry-level fountain pen, and they’re inexpensive. I bought about two dozen in blue and black from JetPens, and snuck into the supply cabinet with them on a Tuesday afternoon. I carefully reshuffled the Bics and the Flairs to make a space. Luckily, JetPens had included a Varsity box, so once I was done it looked as if the interloping pens belonged there.

The pens I snuck into the supply closet.

Two weeks later, they were gone.

All twenty-four. GONE. In seven working days (not counting days the office was closed for Christmas and New Year’s.

About a hundred people share this particular supply closet, which is a lot. But for FOUNTAIN PENS to disappear that quickly? I couldn’t believe it. People had actually taken them to use. This only served to increase the audacity, the sheer madness of my next move. I didn’t plan it. I hadn’t thought about it. But in the moment, it seemed right.

I took a Post-it note, stuck it on the now-empty Pilot Varsity box and scribbled (hoping I was disguising my handwriting) “Please reorder. Thanks!” My heart was pounding. I felt like I had crossed some line, violated some rule. It was a little silly – I know some people ask for specific pens or paper from time to time, and my company generally will try to accommodate. Requests for staplers, tape dispensers, letter trays, wall calendars and white boards are generally approved without any raised eyebrows. But still, I had hacked the system! I had introduced a foreign life-form, and now I was hoping the office supply ecosystem would accept this new animal.

A week later, this.

Fresh boxes. Ordered by whoever orders office supplies.

Three fresh new boxes of Pilot Varsities. It worked. I couldn’t believe it.

What I don’t yet know is if fountain pens are on the regular re-order rotation yet. I will be monitoring the inventory to see if folks are still taking them, and I’ll be keeping a sharp eye to see if I can spot people using the pens they’ve acquired.

Basking in the glow of having pulled off my own version of a “covert op,” I find myself wondering why I did it.

I’m excited that my co-workers will have the opportunity to use a pen that’s new to them, to have an experience that maybe they’ve never had. Moreso, I’m hopeful that just a few people will enjoy using a fountain pen so much that it makes their day a little better. We have a pretty great work environment here – people treat each other with respect, we’re pretty family friendly, and people stay a long time. But work is work, and days can get frustrating or mundane. Maybe, just maybe, my little surreptitious act will add a dash of enjoyment to someone’s day.

Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A6 Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There are as many different types of notebooks as there are fountain pens it seems, but you can also argue that each different type excels in different areas for different purposes. In this case, I've had the honor of reviewing an extremely high quality notebook from Apica that continues to blow my mind when I write in it.

The Apica Premium C.D. notebook is one of the most high-quality books I've had the pleasure of using. It makes me smile to move the pen across the page because it glides so effortlessly and never produces any feedback — sometimes I'm amazed that it's even making a mark on the page because it feels so smooth.

According to JetPens, the paper in these notebooks is called "A.Silky 865 Premium," and that's a very apt description. This is a premium product offering from Apica, so the price coincides with that, but it really is worth it if you value the pleasure of writing on paper as smooth as silk.

Of course, there are plenty of other premium notebook offerings from Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Kokuyo, Mnemosyne, and more, but I don't think any of them are as smooth as the paper in this Apica notebook. It really is incredible. Don't get me wrong, the other high-quality notebooks have some awesome paper, but it just isn't glassy smooth like this one.

The notebook I got is a blank version, and I think I'd prefer lines next time, but that's just my own preference. I'm too sloppy of a writer to use a blank notebook effectively.

Moving on from the paper in the notebook, the rest of the book is high-quality as well. The stitching and binding is neat and tight, the covers are sturdy but just a bit flexible, and the notebook is easy to open and lays flat without much problem.

The size I have is A6 (4.1 x 5.8 inches) and contains 96 sheets, although other sizes are available. The A6 size is a bit large for pockets, but does well in purses and smaller pockets in bags.

Quite simply, this notebook comes at a premium price for good reason. It's a dream to write in, and it's built to last. Oh, and it looks pretty classy at the same time. I love the silver embossing and accents. Want to try out a fancy new notebook? Give an Apica Premium C.D. book a try.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)