Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Opus 88 Demonstrator Sapphire 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 for pre-order!)

Another winner in the lineup of Opus's ink tank pens. This limited edition Opus 88 Demonstrator in Sapphire is a stunning acrylic in sparkly, swirly blue and purple. The finial and end cap are a clear blue resin. The demonstrator name is a little misleading in this edition, as the body of the pen is opaque enough that you can't see much of what's going on inside. But there are cool things going on inside.

This pen is an eyedropper fill pen, and it comes with a glass eyedropper you can use to fill it. The grip section unscrews from the body, then you use the eyedropper to fill the whole entire pen body with ink. It's a lot of ink. This pleases me. Also in the pen body is an ebonite piston and gasket, which seal the ink chamber off from the feed and nib, which helps to prevent leaks and burping. To set the ink free, you unscrew the clear blue end cap, which pulls the gasket away from the feed and lets all that good ink flow. This is great for longer writing sessions, when you want to drain as much ink as possible. Then you can close the end back up for transporting the pen.

Pro tip: after filling the pen, loosen the end cap and let it sit nib-down for a few minutes. If you fill it and let it sit with the gasket closed, you're going to wonder why there's no ink flowing and be puzzled for a minute, before you realize that the ink is sealed off from the feed, so of course it's not writing, and then you'll feel kinda silly. Hypothetically.

Once it is writing, which will only take a few minutes if you are very clever, or few hours if you haven't had enough coffee that day, it writes very well. The pen uses a black stainless steel #6 JoWo nib that comes in EF, F, M, B, and a 1.5 stub. My pen has the stub nib, which is perfect for working through all that ink.

This pen ended up being the MVP of my NaNoWriMo efforts. I wrote four pens dry before I inked this one up, and it saw me through to the end of the month. The fact that it's so dang pretty doesn't hurt, either.

You can snag this pen at Pen Chalet for $140. Between the looks, function, and great build, I would likely have bought one, myself, if Brad didn’t send it to me. I'll be happily writing with this pen for a long time. Today. Because it's the last day of NaNoWriMo and I'm not done yet.

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

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Posted on November 30, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Opus, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Reflections on Some Currently Inked Pens

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Despite being in this rabbit hole for 6.5 years, I continue to learn not just about pens, inks and all that, but about my preferences and habits. There isn’t a right or wrong way to be in this hobby and what works for someone may or may not work for you. For some reason during the past few weeks, a few of my currently inked pens were good reminders of lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Pelikan M215 Blue Stripe

*Hard to tell from this picture but there are silver colored stripes on the barrel of this pen.*

Patience (and research), Grasshopper - I have wanted this pen for 3-4 years (maybe longer) and have seen it on eBay for very high/ambitious prices. And I am definitely not one for patience. But I also don’t want to overspend. Doing research ahead of time, including reaching out to folks who have better pulses on the Pelikan secondary market, made it easier for me to pounce on a listing that was finally in the right price range.

Inks & pen combinations matter - As I mentioned in recent ink reviews, inks behave differently in different pens (and also on different papers too). This M215 is currently inked up with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite, which is a lovely blue-black ink. Is it a shocker that this is a good matchup? No, not really, but I haven’t used this ink since I first tried it, gulp, way back in 2017, in a Lamy Safari. I absolutely hated the combination because it felt like writing with sand and I wondered if I should dump the ink out of the pen and get rid of the sample. What I didn’t know then, was that Lamy pens can be on the drier side and that Pelikan inks are also on the drier side (to compensate for their wetter nibs), so that combination was doomed from the start. What’s sad is that I was hesitant to try the ink again, even though I learned more about pens and inks since 2017. I’m glad I decided to try the ink in this pen, because it flows just perfectly from this pen, and it’s a great match colorwise, too. I’ve also since learned that it’s ok to empty out a pen if the ink just isn’t doing it for you. Life’s too short to write with a bad combination.

TWSBI Classic, Blue

Oldie but goodie - One of my first TWSBIs is the Classic, in Turquoise. I love the non-demonstrator look but I don’t really think about them as much because I usually want a demonstrator when I want to ink up a TWSBI. I needed to ink up a blue pen so I decided on the blue Classic. It had a Fine nib and even though Mediums are my usual jam, I just shrugged and inked it up anyway. Then I wrote with it and was shocked at how much I liked the Classic AND the fine nib. It is so easy to ink up the latest acquisitions and forget about the older pens (and inks). I try to balance that urge by having a mix of old and new pens in the “to-be-inked-next” tray. I do this with inks too. It’s like discovering a lost treasure.

Visconti Van Gogh, Starry Night

It’s ok if looks are important - As a Van Gogh fan, and more specifically of Starry Night, I love this pen. Not because it is an amazing writer (I mean, it writes fine) but because looking at it makes me happy. It makes me think about my favorite piece of art and that makes me happy. People place different levels of importance on the nib vs the appearance and that’s one of the many wonderful things about this rabbit hole. My personal pen preference emphasizes looks over writing (probably 65:35 as long as the nib doesn’t write poorly). In the end, as long as you’re happy, whether it’s with the looks, the nib (or both), it’s a win in my book.

Oldie but goodie, this time with ink - I inked this up with an ink that I once loved but sorta put by the wayside (shame on me) - Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo. When everyone was raving about Shin-kai (cough cough, Bossman), I instead fell in love with Tsuki-yo. With all the deluge of inks that currently exist and continue to be released, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest “must-have ink”. I had forgotten how much I liked that ink and I’m glad I decided to use it again.

Platinum Curidas, Matte Blue

It is not a popularity contest - Not gonna lie, the Platinum Curidas is probably one of the more polarizing pens when it comes to looks, nock length, design, etc. And yet, I still love it. I have the original demonstrator finishes but I love this Matte Blue with black trim. The Medium steel nib gives me the perfect line width. Do I love it more than the Vanishing Points or Decimos? Probably not, but I still love it, even if it’s not for everyone, and that’s what matters.

Don’t judge an ink before using it - I bought a sample of Taccia Ukiyo-e Hiroshige-Ruri and after swatching it, I thought “yet another dark blue ink” and was glad that I hadn’t bought a bottle. After pairing it up with the Curidas though, I’m loving the richness of this blue ink, along with its subtle sheen that can even been seen on Rhodia, and am now adding it to my “bottles to buy” list. It’s another reminder that I shouldn’t judge an ink too quickly!

Pilot Falcon/Elabo, Metal Blue

They can’t all be winners - The Pilot Falcon (or Elabo in other markets) is a pen that has a fun, bouncy nib that can give some line variation, which I generally love, but there’s something about this one that isn’t doing it for me. I really like the plastic version of this pen with a Soft Fine nib, but I don’t think it’s the minimally- added weight. The Akkerman Delfts Blauw ink is flowing just fine so it’s not that. Maybe it’s the Soft Medium nib which feels blobby and almost squeaky. I really want to love it, but I don’t, so I think it’s better to part ways, than to have it stay in the collection untouched and unloved.

It’s hard saying goodbye - Despite everything I just wrote about the pen not being a good fit, it’s still really hard for me to decide to sell a pen. I just have to remember that someone else will enjoy it more than I do and that I can use the proceeds to get something else, like that bottle of Taccia Hiroshige-ruri :-)

None of these things are earth-shattering or new in any way, but I don’t usually have these revelations when I’m writing with my pens. So when they do pop up, it’s worth taking a moment to pay attention to what they’re trying to teach me.

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Fountain Pens, Pilot, Pelikan, TWSBI, Visconti, Platinum.

Mike’s Pen Fun Fountain Pen Review

When I’m too busy using the pen instead of reviewing the pen, I know that is a good sign. That’s the case with this Mike’s Pen Fun Fountain Pen that I picked up all the way back in May at the Chicago Pen Show. It has been in my writing rotation for many weeks since, and given the fact that it is recently cleaned and re-inked, I finally decided to give it its proper due.

Mike Green has been making pens at his Minnesota home for the past several years, and has begun sharing them online and at various pen shows throughout the United States. I first met Mike as part of my Twitch community, and was excited to meet him in person this year and check out his craftsmanship. Needless to say, I came away impressed.

Standing in front of his table that Saturday in Chicago, I had incredible difficulty choosing which pen was coming home with me. Mike uses materials from ALL THE MAKERS for his pens. I finally settled on mine, turned from Divine Pens Plus Wicked Wisteria. I mean, how could I not choose this pen?

When buying a pen from an individual maker, especially for the first time, I look for a few things:

Does the weight and balance fit my hand?
Does the shape of the grip section work for me?
How is the acrylic finished? If polished, is shiny and even? If matte, is it consistently smooth?
Are the threads smooth? Not only the cap threads, but the internal barrel threads as well?

There are exceptions to all of these rules, but this is a good starting point when I’m fortunate enough to be able to handle pens in person.

With Mike’s pens, I was hooked by two things: the rounded ends, and the exceptional polish job. In conjunction, those two things made for a pen that I enjoyed holding, and looking at. After it was in my hands, I went through the rest of my checklist and found a pen that I wanted to come home with.

This Wicked Wisteria model is fitted with a Jowo #6 nib, but Mike does offer pens with Bock #6 and #8 nibs, plus various gold and titanium options. I almost exclusively buy steel nibs in my maker pens. I prefer the stiffness, not to mention the cost savings.

*I regret to inform you that this material, Wicked Wisteria from Divine Pens Plus, is no longer being produced.*

Speaking of cost, this clipless model runs $150, with clip and roll stop models starting at $170. That is a fantastic price for craftsmanship of this level. Mike offers pens directly from his website, and at several pen shows throughout the year. As with many small makers, if you see something you like, you better grab it because there may not be another one like it available.

Like this Wicked Wisteria.

(I purchased this pen at regular price at the 2023 Chicago Pen Show. Mike also provided a second pen for giveaway at the same time, which I did for Pen Addict Members earlier this year.)

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