The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 585 - No, Not That One

There was a pen show in London, England this past weekend, and I wish I was there! It looked like a great event from afar, and I may have even convinced Myke to show up at the next one. I also discuss an update to The Pen Addict 100, and break out the Schon DSGN Lure to clean some pens.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PENADDICT.

Enigma Stationery: Now accepting pre-orders for Inkvent 2023. Shop online with code PENADDICT for a free gift and discounted shipping on orders of $40 or more.

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

Gravitas Pens Quark Titanium Fountain Pen 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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available!)

I love tiny pens. So portable! So cute! I can fit more of them in my house! And I love Gravitas Pens, so trying out the Quark, the new itty bitty pen from Ben Walsh, was inevitable. Probably also inevitable that I was going to love this pen.

This is a really tiny pen! It's pocket-sized even for girl pockets. Its closest sibling in size is the Kaweco Liliput, which it is often compared to, as that is the other notoriously tiny pen. It's a bit smaller than the Liliput when capped, but a bit longer when posted. It's very comfortable to write with when posted, and the back end has threading on it so that the cap screws in place, keeping it secure.

The cap covers most of the body when closed, and beneath it is a full-sized grip section with a full-sized nib. There may also be a 5th dimension hidden under the cap, which would explain where all of the pen goes when the cap is closed.

The body unscrews from the grip section to reveal juuuust enough space for a short international cartridge.

This titanium version of the quark is very light, so it causes no hand fatigue after long writing sessions. This model also has a titanium flex nib and polymer feed. The nib flexes smoothly, and writes with a nice bounce when not flexing. The feed keeps up well, and I can write quickly with no dryness or skipping. It's a fantastic writing experience, and I've been reaching for this pen for both quick notes and long afternoons of writing.

I've carried this pen daily for over a month, from everyday routines to wild adventures. For daily carry, it's excellent--it may be a permanently inked fixture in my kit. It did not love going camping with me, however. I'm not sure if it was the rough hiking-pack life, or the temperature shifts from cool nights in the woods to hot days on the beach, but it leaked an entire cartridge on that trip. I had no leaking issues with it before that, and have had none since, so I definitely attribute the leaks to my own abuse of the poor pen (or it could have been a faulty cartridge). I would need another trip to the wilderness to be sure--hopefully I can do that soon, for many reasons. I will say though, that I had no idea that the pen had leaked, because the cap contained the entire mess--likely stored in that 5th dimension. Not a drop spilled out of the cap. Until I uncapped it, which was epic.

For my tastes, this is another win for Gravitas. Some may find the pen too small, even when posted, but I prefer smaller pens, and the light weight and fantastic nib and feed mean that I can write with it for hours.

The pen comes with a plastic tube on a lanyard that can be used as its carrying case, and mine also came with a wee canister to hold spare cartridges. The standard Quark is 90 Euros, or about $95, and the upgraded titanium flex nib with polymer feed increases the price to 110 Euros, or about $116. I think that's a very fair price, and it's certainly a lot less than I paid for my Kaweco Liliput Fireblue back when they were first released. This pen has definitely become my favorite pocket fountain pen, so if you're a wee pen fan, definitely give this a try.

(This pen was purchased from Gravitas Pens at full retail price.)

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!

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Gravitas, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Van Dieman's Birds of a Feather — Mandarin Duck Nape Ink Review

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

There's a reason that ink makers look to nature — and particular birds — for inspiration when mixing and naming their inks. The most recent ink that I've tried that borrows a name from the avian kingdom is Van Dieman's Mandarin Duck Nape, which is one of six in their Birds of a Feather collection. The Mandarin Duck is a colorful creature with lots of interesting characteristics, but the namesake of this ink focuses on the back of the duck's head (the nape), which is a vibrant teal.

I'm no stranger to Van Dieman's, so my expectations were higher than average due to my past experience. Mandarin Duck Nape is no exception here, which means it performs well and is gorgeous on paper. Based on pictures I've seen, the green-leaning teal of this ink matches the duck's feathers really well. It's a fairly dark ink, and it really works best in a wide and wet nib. Smaller nibs just don't show off the best characteristics of this ink, and it just looks like a dark green ink. In the flex nib I'm using right now, there's a small amount of shading from dark teal to a medium green-teal color. In some areas, you can even see some red sheen on top of the dried ink.

While the shading is a great feature of this ink, the dry time certainly isn't. In my tests, it takes more than 30 seconds for the ink to dry to the point that it won't smear from light to moderate pressure. In areas where the ink is a bit thicker, it can take anywhere from 40 to 60 seconds to fully dry. This is something you should definitely take into consideration if you're left-handed or if you want to use this ink in a notebook that will be closed shortly after jotting down some notes. Depending on your writing grip, smearing is a guarantee if your hand trails after the pen. And if you close a notebook within a minute after writing with this ink, there will be ink deposits on the opposite page. This is definitely a slow drying ink!

One of the features that I really love about this ink is the red sheen that you can see on top of the dried ink. Unfortunately, this is really hard to see in normal writing. It shows up easily in small pools of ink, swatches, or large areas of scribbles. If only the sheen was just a little less shy, this would be a fantastic perk!

To my eye, and according to pictures, this ink is really close in color and behavior to Robert Oster's River of Fire. River of Fire is more on the green side of the teal spectrum, but it also has a strong red sheen that you can see in large deposits of dried ink. Mandarin Duck Nape has more blue when you compare the two, but they're definitely both on the green side of the teal spectrum.

Writing with Mandarin Duck Nape has been a real pleasure. It works well in my pens, doesn't feather or bleed, and looks great. The slow drying time is a major caveat, so consider that before purchasing this ink. In the right situation, this beautiful ink is a great choice. You can pick up a 30ml bottle for $17 or a 4ml sample vial for just $4.25. If you go for the sample vial, be sure to add a few more samples that look interesting!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!