New Pilot Vanishing Point Limited Edition And Bookbinder's Exclusive Ink Now At Anderson Pens

One of my most used pens is the Pilot Vanishing Point, and the new 2016 Limited Edition Guilloche model has rocketed to the top of the must-have list.

This design takes its inspiration from chased hard rubber pens from the early 1900’s, featuring precise, interwoven lines flowing throughout the body of the pen. The result is a subtle texture and stunning look that sets it apart from other Vanishing Points.

If you are looking for a fresh ink to use in you new pen, Anderson Pens is the only authorized US retailer of Bookbinder’s Ink from Australia. Colors such as Emerald Boa and Everglades Ratsnake jump off the page as much as their snake-related names.

To complete the writing trifecta, Life Notebooks offer some of the best fountain pen paper on the market. This Japanese brand comes in several formats, styles and colors to meet your writing needs. The light green Pistachio paper is a personal favorite of mine.

Anderson Pens has everything you need to Ink It Up and get writing. My thanks to them for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Posted on October 31, 2016 and filed under Featured Sponsor.

Sailor Professional Gear Earth Fountain Pen Review

I am a huge Sailor fan. This is known. So when Sailor announced last year’s Sky model, I went big. I went way out of my wheelhouse and bought my first King of Pens model. And it is amazing.

At the time, the Earth model had just been announced as the second in this special edition series, but wasn’t available yet. Did I just lock myself in to buying the complete set of these pens? And what is after Earth? Wind and Fire?

I liked the visual of Earth when I first saw it, but it was a little too gold for me to commit to a King of Pens model once again. I received this Pro Gear model on loan from Goldspot to try out though, and I have to say it is pretty great.

What makes it so great? I think Sailor’s Professional Gear shape and size is one of the best all-around fountain pen models on the market. It is the perfect combination of weight, balance, quality, and choice for nearly anyone. One of the two I own is always finds it way into my rotation.

With the Earth, you get what at first looks like a brown barrel with gold hardware, but closer inspection reveals red undertones, and importantly in my book, some transparency. The body of the pen is generally solid, but the end of the cap and the grip section transition into a lighter, see-through color. It is a really nice effect.

The 21k nib is fantastic. This model is an H-MF so the firmness and line width is nearly ideal for my handwriting. Sailor nibs aren’t glassy smooth, and this one has the normal feedback I expect. It was flawless on the page, but you know the nib is there.

I did have one issue with this pen, and I wonder if it is a one-off situation, or if it appears on other units. In some areas around the gold cap band it looks like the barrel finish or coating went a little wild during manufacturing. I didn’t notice it at first, but if you look closely you can see that there is some bleed onto the gold hardware, giving it a tarnished look. I didn’t try to get it off because I don’t own this pen. If I am spending this kind of money I would ask to have mine checked before it shipped for a clean cap band. (UPDATE: Thanks to the commenters below, this is an issue Sailor caught and has since corrected.)

That bug aside, I love the Pro Gear as a daily writer. It has everything I look for in a fountain pen, Earth, Sky, or any of the dozens of other options.

My thanks to Goldspot for loaning me this pen for purposes of this review.


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Posted on October 31, 2016 and filed under Sailor, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

2017 Hobonichi Techo Planner And Cover Winner

There is no hotter item on the stationery market this time of year than the Hobonichi Planner and I'm excited to be able to give one away to a lucky reader. And the winner is:

Congrats Ravi! Please send me your shipping information via the Contact Page and I will get this sent right out.

My thanks to JetPens for sending me this product to give away to readers of The Pen Addict.

Posted on October 30, 2016 and filed under Giveaways.