River City Pen Co. Bon Air, now part of the raffle.
The Pen Addict Raffle for St. Jude is off to a roaring start, and more raffle goods have been added to the list! Check out the current goods here, and stay tuned for for more (much more!) to be added in the next week.
Thank you for all of your support!
(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 have no previous experience with Laban Pens, but in my browsing to find specs for this beauty, I feel a strong need to become better acquainted with the brand. This Laban Rosa fountain pen certainly serves as an excellent ambassador to further enabling.
The Rosa has an acrylic body, this one in the Lilac colorway, with gold-toned furniture. The body tapers slightly and has gently pointed finials. There are narrow rings at each end, and then a wider cap band with the Laban name against a matte gold background. There is a shaped gold clip that is quite stiff, but holds a notebook cover or pen case very securely.
The cap screws off with two rotations and shows a grip section made of the same material as the body. It's a comfortable section that is very slightly flared at the end to prevent fingers from slipping toward the nib. The threads are smooth and the pen is light and balanced, so it's great for long writing sessions.
The nib is a two-toned steel with the Laban name on it with some pretty scrollwork. This one is a fine nib, and it writes like a true fine. The nib does have a bit of spring to it, but I wouldn't call it flexible. It has just enough give to not feel like a nail. It writes a decently wet line, but has a dry-feeling feedback. If you like feedback, but dislike dry nibs, this is a win.
It comes with a converter for filling, but would also take a standard cartridge. The converter has the Laban name printed on it. It holds a decent amount of ink, filled well, and has a good seal.
I've enjoyed writing with this pen for the past few weeks. It doesn't hurt that this material is my two favorite colors, so I was immediately stricken by its loveliness. There are a lot of these standard acrylic pens out there these days, but I can't get enough of them. This one is well-made with a particularly pretty material, and the price is better than most of the similar pens I've tried.
The Laban brand runs the gamut on price range for their pens, but this one retails for a very reasonable $140, and is currently available at Goldspot for $111.95. Other colors are available at the same price. I'm very glad to have been introduced to Laban with this pen and I've now got my eye on more of their lineup.
(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
Just as fall is starting to appear and leaves falling, I'm already feeling the need to throw a bright ink into a pen and enjoy some nice pops of color as the last of summer for 2022 fades away. Anderillium Purple Gallinule Purple (or Purple Gallinule from here on) is a delicious purple ink that flies off the page and brings a smile to my face.
Just like other inks in the Avian Collection, Purple Gallinule is named after a real bird. The purple gallinule is a crane-like bird that has beautiful purple plumage along with some nicely contrasting green and turquoise. The bright purple is a great representation of the bird.
Like other Anderillium inks I've tried before, this ink is really well-behaved. The purple color is rich and consistent, the ink makes crisp lines that don't bleed or feather, and there's not much show-through on the back of the page even though this is a bright and fairly dark ink.
I'm a little disappointed that this ink doesn't have any sheen because I discovered that the purple plumage on the bird can actually change to green and turquoise in different lights. Seems like a great opportunity to add some green and/or turquoise sheen to this ink! That said, I don't have the first idea of how to add sheen to an ink, and the brilliant purple really nails the plumage coloration for a bird that, after all, has purple in its name.
One thing that shocked me about this ink is the dry time. I couldn't believe what I kept seeing when I starting timing the ink. I thought that surely I didn't get a good line or something. But after several more tests, I confirmed that this ink does dry extremely fast! When using a 1.1mm stub Monteverde nib, the ink was normally dry within 3 seconds, and always dry within 5 seconds. That's seriously impressive.
Whether you're looking for something that looks good during the fall or you want something to brighten up the upcoming dreary months, Anderillium has a color that can suite your tastes. And, for left-handed writers, this purple ink is stellar. Take a look at all the great inks that Anderillium have to offer. Purple Gallinule is a fantastic purple, and I look forward to having it in the rotation.
(This ink was purchased for retail price at the 2022 Atlanta Pen Show.)
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!
