I always look forward to the next Write Notepads releases - and the past ones too. The Copper Anniversary Edition is the most recent limited edition, and this three pack is headed to:
Congrats Doug! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.
(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
I’ve written a couple of reviews about William Hannah notebooks (see here and here), and it’s clear that I absolutely love them. But, one feature many William Hannah fans have been asking for is some kind of notebook closure. If you keep your notebook in a bag or backpack, the lack of closure means that the pages can get crumpled or snagged.
The solution David Round (the genius behind William Hannah) came up with is elegant and simple: a pen band. The pen band comes in all the regular color combinations of WH notebooks. You can even order a bespoke pen band, if you like. Mine is Agave and Petrol to match my A5 notebook.
The pen case portion of the band is made from the same luxurious leather as the notebooks. It is thick and the suede portion is soft. The stitching is beautiful and strong.
The band portion is made from thick matching elastic. This is not a wimpy band. It fits perfectly around the notebook--it’s not so tight that it mars the top or bottom edges, but it is snug enough that it doesn’t move around and it won’t accidentally fall off.
The pen case accommodates a good variety of pens, as long as you’re willing to let it stretch out a bit for larger pens. My band is still pretty stiff, so I had to work to fit my larger pens in it. The pens that fit well were all medium-sized pens: a Lamy 2000, a Platinum Century 3776, and a Leonardo Furore.
My Montegrappa Mia was a bit of a tight fit, but if I really wanted it to be the “chosen one” for my William Hannah, I could stretch the leather out.
The only pen that didn’t fit well was my Kanilea. I could get the pen in the case, but it stuck out quite a bit at the top.
And that brings me to what I don’t like about the pen band. Regardless of what pen you choose, some or all of the cap is exposed. If the point of the pen band is to keep the notebook closed when you toss it into a larger bag, you are taking chances that the top of your pen will get scratched. I wouldn’t put a delicate pen in the pen band for this reason.
Although I like the Pen Band, it’s not my favorite sort of closure. It requires removing the entire band to use the notebook, and I can see myself accidentally leaving it behind somewhere. Plus, I don’t typically use just one fountain pen, and I already carry a pen case that offers better protection for my pens.
I would much prefer a small leather piece that would attach to the William Hannah button on the front of the notebook.
Unfortunately, this would require a redesign of the entire notebook because the leather piece would need to be sewn into the back cover. The good thing about the pen band is that you don’t have to buy a new notebook in order to use it. Still, I’d prefer the option of a William Hannah notebook with a snap closure or a closure that integrates with the current metal button.
That said, if you haven’t taken a look at William Hannah notebooks, you’re really missing out. They are absolutely exquisite and the paper refill options are so useful (see here for a review of the wonderful Intentions Pages refill). The notebooks come in A5, A6, and pocket size.
You can purchase a pen band for the A5 and A6 notebooks. Both cost £29.00 (about $38 USD).
(I purchased the William Hannah Pen Band with my own funds.)
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
I first saw the Fine Writing International Bronze Age in one of its many Instagram glamour shots. There was definitely an element of love at first sight--it's a really beautiful pen. But I was a bit wary, too. I had never heard of the brand before, and it seemed a bit underpriced, actually, for a brass pen. While I thought it was lovely, I was suspicious of its quality. So when the opportunity arose to review it, I was doubly excited--excited to try out this mysterious beauty of a pen, and excited to satisfy the lingering curiosity I'd held onto since I first saw it.
My curiosity is happily satisfied, and this pen is as nice as it looks. The first thing you can't help but notice, when you hold this pen, is that it is very heavy. The cap, end, and grip section are solid brass, and the pen weighs in at 53g before it's even inked. Most of that weight alone is the cap. Because of that, I worried about what it would feel like to write with, but the grip section and end cap are very well balanced, so I didn't actually experience any hand fatigue, even during a longer writing session. The cap is lined with a special plastic sleeve that seals the pen when closed to prevent dry-out. It works very well, but it does prevent the cap from posting at the back end. You really wouldn't want to post this pen, though. It would be incredibly back-heavy if you did.
The body of the pen is clear acrylic. It bears the claim of being nearly indestructible. It's a bold claim, and I get a bit nervous any time I see metal pen parts that thread directly onto plastic ones. But so far, I see no signs of any stress to the acrylic. Despite the fact that I forgot I put this pen into a pocket of my notebook cover, and then it fell out of the pocket inside my backpack and spent an afternoon tossed around in my bag like in a tumble dryer. I had a moment of panic when I realized what had happened, followed by surprised delight when it was entirely unscathed. There wasn't even the slightest leak from its eyedropper fill.
I was also nervous to eyedropper fill this pen. The brass is exposed to ink inside the pen, which I thought was a big no-no, but apparently it's okay with brass. And so far, so good. I also thought that the metal/acrylic join would probably leak, but it doesn't. There's a slender o-ring at the join that is there for reinforcement, but no ink has ever even made it that far up the threads. The body holds a whopping 4ml of ink, which will last even the most devoted scrivener a good while. The pen even comes with its own syringe for filling. It also comes with a converter, which it can use--or it can take any standard international cartridge. Lots of options! The included converter is pretty, and looks good inside the clear body.
The nib is gold-plated steel, and is available in EF, F, M, B, and 1.1 stub. This model has the stub nib. The nibs are made by Jowo and are engraved with the lovely quill design for Fine Writing International. My nib writes perfectly, with a consistent line that's just wet enough to show off the ink, but not too gushy. The feed keeps up with the stub very well. It's a #6 nib, and it can be interchanged with any other #6 nib that you like.
Despite all those very practical details, my favorite thing about this pen is the beautiful engraving. The images represent the Taotie, a beast from ancient Chinese mythology that often appeared on bronze vessels during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Taotie is one of the four evils of the world, said to be representative of gluttony and known for eating people, namely human sacrifices. While all that sounds a bit scary, that's the image intended for those on the outside of the mask. For those inside, the Taotie is a symbol of strength and protection. It is believed that the alarming visage would serve as a warning for those who were covetous.
That warning didn't come through on Instagram, where I think we all became a bit covetous of this pen. And, fortunately, it's very fairly priced at around $100. That's still an expensive pen, but reasonable, given the build and materials. I've certainly paid more than that for pens that are not as good as this one. This is one I see myself continuing to use on a very regular basis, especially when I travel for writing, where I'll need a durable pen with a high ink capacity. I'm delighted that this pen exceeded my expectations.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
