The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 572 - A Time of Great Upheaval

Retro 51 Pan Am Airlines Tornado Rollerball Pen.

Myke and I went off the rails immediately this week. What was the cause? Social media, of course. We try to wrap our heads around the Wild West we are currently living in. It’s quickly on to the pens from there, specifically, Muji Polycarbonate updates from around the world, a compelling Retro 51, and a discussion on how to review 15 fountain pen nibs.

Show Notes & Download Links

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Endless Explorer Refillable Journal Review

(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!)

The Endless Explorer Refillable Journal is Endless's take on the classic modular notebook system. It's a minimal design, just a leather cover with a system of elastics to hold up to three notebook inserts. The inserts are Endless's Storyboard notebooks.

The inserts themselves are very nice. They have a sewn binding that holds 64 pages of dot-grid Tomoe River paper. The Explorer pack only comes with one insert, so others would have to be purchased separately to get the full benefit of the system. The set also has the option of adding a pen holder that is also an elastic band that wraps around the cover vertically. It can wrap around the whole cover and serve as a closure strap, or just around the front cover. Either way, I found it mostly got in the way, either acting as an obstacle to getting into the notebook, or as something bulky that made for a lumpy writing surface when using the back side of pages. If you don't write on the back side of pages, it may work well for you.

Tomoe River paper hardly needs further review; it's still the best out there, in my opinion. This is the 68 gsm weight, and it can handle anything, even Sharpie, with just some faint ghosting. Because it's so lightweight, the inserts look slim while still packing a generous number of pages.

The elastics that hold the inserts in place are nicely finished so there are no knots or frayed ends loose in the book, and the elastic has a nice amount of tension so that it holds the notebooks snugly, preventing them from wiggling or sliding out when you don't want them to.

The system comes in a very fancy presentation box with a drawer that pulls out from the side. The box can then be used as an archive for filled inserts, though it's a bit bulky for that purpose. An included paper provides instructions for how to insert multiple notebooks, as well as a way to register your notebook system. It all feels very high-end and snazzy.

The Endless Explorer Notebook system sells for between $40-$50, with inserts that cost around $10, depending on where you get them. That's a very fair price for the quality, and it's in line with similar notebook systems. And there are a lot of similar systems. Where this one differs is in finishing touches--especially those neatly finished elastics. It's also a good size. It's smaller than an A5, but wider than the Traveler's Company notebook, making it a nice middle ground as far as portability and writing comfort. There are a lot of options to choose from in this style these days, but I think this Endless version is a particularly nice one.

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

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Octopus Fluids Purpur Ink Review

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

It's getting difficult to keep up with all the new ink makers that have popped up in the past couple of years, and I'm not complaining. The latest new ink to hit my desk comes from Octopus Fluids in Germany, and it's a gorgeous purple ink with a little bit of shading and lots of personality.

Octopus Fluids Purpur is a medium purple with a little hint of red that makes it a great choice for everyday writing and doodling. This color is part of the standard line of inks that Octopus Fluids offer, and I think it's a great standard representation of purple. It's not as vibrant as some, but it's also dark enough to make it easy to use in a professional setting.

Writing with this ink is a pleasant experience. It flows easily and smoothly, and works well with all the pens I've tried it with so far. The ink doesn't feather or bleed, and it cleans up easily as well. There's a bit of shading in this ink, but it isn't extreme. In the medium cursive italic nib I've been using recently, you can see slight color variation in each stroke, but it doesn't jump out at you. Still, it does add just a touch of variation that indicates that a fountain pen was used to make the marks.

An interesting feature of this ink that I've only seen when doing swatches or making large pools of ink is that there's a reddish sheen that hangs on top of the dried ink. It looks great under the right light, but it's only easy to pick out in swatches or areas where ink has pooled significantly. Realistically, you won't see the sheen under normal writing circumstances.

Dry time for this ink does leave something to be desired, though. In my testing, the ink normally took between 20 and 40 seconds to dry to the point where it wasn't easy to smudge with light pressure. This isn't the slowest ink to dry in my testing, but it is pretty slow. Definitely something to consider if you're left handed or want to use this ink in a notebook where you plan on quickly jotting down notes and closing the book. There will be ink spots on your hands and/or opposite pages of your notebook.

Despite the dry time, I have zero complaints with this ink. I'm partial already to purple inks, and this color just makes me happy when I'm using it. It's not as bright as some of my other purple inks, but the medium hue is gorgeous and makes it easy to use in any setting while still being obviously purple.

I'm excited to explore more from Octopus Fluids because my initial exposure with this ink has been a great experience. The 30ml bottle of Purpur cost $14, so the price is fairly standard for other small-shop ink vendors. Vanness also offer a small 4ml sample vial if you want to try it out (and others while you're at it) to see if you want to commit to a larger bottle. Try out Octopus Fluids the next time you're able!

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

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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!