The Penwell Craftsman, Now on Kickstarter! (Sponsor)

The Penwell is one of the more fun and functional products on my desk, and with the launch of the new Craftsman model on Kickstarter, Good Made Better has me making room for another.

The Penwell is a writing tool that makes using capped pens handy, and the new Craftsman model brings that same function in a heavy, handmade concrete form. Available in either a Standard model or Deluxe (which doubles the weight with a heavy brass base), the Penwell stays put on your desk and manages your pen cap so you're able to efficiently use your favorite pens for stop and go writing with only one hand. The Craftsman is now available on Kickstarter in three colors and starts at $59 for the Standard, $79 for the Deluxe.

My thanks to Good Made Better for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Diamine Meadow Fountain Pen Ink Review

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

As we head into the colder months of the year, I'm already missing the bright and saturated colors of spring and summer. To get past the dreary winter, there's always bright inks. Diamine Meadow is a rich medium green that goes down smooth and reminds me of fields of grass moving in a gentle summer breeze.

I don't have a huge collection of green inks to compare against, but Meadow is what I consider to be a medium green that strikes a fantastic balance between the cooler mint tones and the richer yellows that you sometimes see in different shades of green. But, it's also not so dark that you can't enjoy the happy colors in even a fine nib. It's a fun color, and I see myself using it quite a bit over the next few months as all the greenery fades away outside.

Like every other Diamine ink I've used in the past, Meadow is very well-behaved in the pen and on the paper. It starts writing instantly after being capped for days, and it also doesn't have any issues with stuttering or skipping if left uncapped for a couple of minutes. It's a solid performer and also easy to clean out.

It's not a fast-drying ink, though. It takes roughly 25-30 seconds before the ink is fully dry and resistant to smudges. Not a great pick for any left-handed writers, and also something to consider if you want to use this in a notebook that you close shut quickly after finishing making your marks. The 30-second dry time applies to the Rhodia I was testing with, but the ink does dry a bit faster on uncoated papers. Though, I did notice some slight feathering on uncoated cheap paper with the 1.1mm stub nib. This didn't happen with a smaller nib, so it's likely a fringe use case that won't impact a lot of people.

As far as shading goes, Meadow has a pleasant amount of variation from rich medium greens to lighter greens. There isn't much in the way of yellow or blue in this ink, even when it shades. I really appreciate how solid it is in the green color-space. It shades nicely in a broader nib, but you can tease out a little bit of color variation in small nibs too.

If permanence is a requirement for you, then look elsewhere! This ink isn't even remotely water resistant or archival quality. When introduced to small amounts of water, it runs easily. Lots of water (ie. submersion) can easily wash away almost all traces.

This ink reminds me quite a lot of Standard Bindery's Road Trip, though Diamine's Meadow is a bit cheaper and much easier to find.

Diamine Meadow is a great green ink that really hits the happy middle ground of greens for me. It's not too dark, not too late, and stays true to basic green while also being quite vibrant. If you want to pick some up for yourself, you can choose between a 30ml bottle or a much larger 80ml bottle. At $7.50 and $16.50 respectively, they're also a fantastic value. Here's to some joyful colors to brighten these cold months!

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

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Pebble Stationery Co. Traveler’s Regular Sized Undated Planner Giveaway

After a one-week giveaway hiatus, it is time to get back into the 2021 planner flow, and what better one to restart with than the Pebble Stationery Co. Traveler’s Regular Sized Undated Planner. This is one of my favorite sizes and layouts, and it is filled with the always amazing 52gsm Tomoe River Paper. Read the rules below and enter away!

Pebble Stationery Co. Traveler’s Regular Sized Undated Planner Giveaway