I picked up this Paper Tasting Memo Box from Yamamoto Paper at the 2022 San Francisco Pen Show, and it’s time to get this into one of your hands. The five different paper types in this box are:
You can read more about these paper types, and many more, on this page, but really, just enter to win below and test them all out!
We stationery lovers love picking out perfect product matches. Whether that is a wooden pencil paired with a textured paper, or a fountain pen inked with a complimentary color, we all spend way too much time and effort getting things just right. It’s our nature, and we love it!
One thing I am going to start doing is sharing some of the pairings I make, especially when testing new fountain pens and inks. I have plenty of both that come across my desk, and do consider how products work together, even if it is mostly aesthetic.
I went matchy-matchy with this pairing of the Onoto Scholar Highland Fountain Pen, inked with Ferris Wheel Press Central Park Greens. The greens of both work well together, with the ink color bringing out the subtle shades of green in the acrylic pen barrel.
This is my first experience with the Onoto Scholar, from the classic British pen maker. Onoto’s original run as a manufacturer ran from 1905 to 1958, with the Onoto we know today re-launching in 2005, restoring these British-made pens back to their former glory.
As great as Onoto packaging is, I’m not sure I need two pen sleeves. The leather option is beautiful, but removing that and dropping the total price to under $250 might be an easier sell.
Modern Onoto pens are classically-styled, and feature amazing craftsmanship at many different price points. Up until the release of the Scholar, there wasn’t a dedicated introduction product lineup to the brand. To jump into an Onoto at a base-level would cost you somewhere in the $400-$500 range, but the Scholar brought that down to a more reasonable $270 price point, while keeping the high quality they are known for. Yes, that is still pricey, but is a far better solution for those wanting to test out the brand for the first time.
That’s what I’m doing with the Scholar, and it has been great in every way. This gold trim model (silver trim is also available) features a uniquely-patterend green and grey polished acrylic barrel and cap material, with a polished black grip section and top finial. The Fine Steel two-tone gold-plated Onoto #7 nib is rock-solid, with a firm feel and a smooth line. It works perfectly with the overall size and feel of the pen, which checks in at a mid-range 25 grams in total. It uses a cartridge/converter filling system.
This is a Fine nib, and was a wet writer out of the box.
As a fan of classic designs for modern times, I would be remiss if I didn’t call out the beauty of the Onoto chevron clip. That, in conjunction with one of the best logos in the business on the top finial, completes this British design wonderfully.
To match the Highland, I went with another first-time test in Central Park Greens. Despite being around for years, this is my first Ferris Wheel Press experience. This is a standard ink, with good flow, average shading, no sheen, and a moderate dry time. The green ink leans slightly yellow, but is more than legible on most pages. In short, it is an excellent writing ink, and a great choice for putting words on the page.
The Onoto Scholar comes in many classic solid barrel colors including the vintage-styled Mandarin, and Rosso-both of which harken back to classic fountain pen barrel colors found in the early 1900’s. Along with Highland, Onoto has done a fantastic job bridging design philosophies of old and new, and now price points as well.
I stuck the converter directly into the bottle to fill due to the small opening, and unbalanced bottle.
As for Ferris Wheel Press, the choice is endless. I will say, as great as the ink is, and as beautiful as the bottles are, they are some of the least functional from a pen filling perspective. Syringes or pipettes may be required for wider-barreled pens, and a more solid bottle base maybe be required, less you end up with an inky mess on your hands-or counter top.
This pairing was a party, and a fun way to look at two products together-especially when both products are new to me. I’ll be looking for ways to work in more pairings posts into future reviews.
(Vanness Pens loaned this product 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!
Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:
— Bunnies Exclusive // Nahvalur Nautilus – 2023 Year of the Rabbit (Weirdoforest Pens)
— Pen Porn: Nahvalur Nautilus Brilliant Bunny (Rachel's Reflections)
— Schon DSGN Monoc Titanium Nibs & JoWo Fountain Pen Nib (Gourmet Pens)
— Original Crown Mill Pure Cotton Writing Pad Review (Blake's Broadcast)
— In the Studio With Amos Kennedy (Hyperallergic)
— “Drawing feels a lot like cooking”: Tarn Susumpow crafts delicious illustrations as if following a recipe (It’s Nice That)
— 2023 Arkansas Pen Show Recap, Day One (The Gentleman Stationer)
— Introducing the SBREBROWN Fountain Pen (SBREBrown)
— Reader Question 1: Paper as a Read Later App? (Analog Office)
— Cortex Brand Sidekick Review (Writing at Large)
— Thinking in twos while I slow down this week (mnmlscholar)
— Pure Pens People’s Charter on Midori MD (Inkcredible Colours)
— Notebook Storage Boxes (Notebook Stories)
— A Book and New Documentary Explore the Possibilities of Ink-Making in Urban Environments (Colossal)
— Nahvalur Ikkaku Ye-Yu (Figboot on Pens)
— Enigma Stationery Acrylic Sample Vial Display (The Well-Appointed Desk)
— Ink Review #759: Pennonia Danuvius Danube (Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
— Grün? SUPER5! (Lexikaliker)
— An Earthy Pen & Ink Pairing (From the Pen Cup)
— A Handful of Kaweco Nibs (Dime Novel Raven)
— Crochet Your Next Big Catch with Free Patterns from the National Park Service (Colossal)
— Ferris Wheel Press LE's 2022 (Mountain of Ink)
Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!
