PEN REVIEW: Edison Nouveau Premiere – Summer 2014

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

As soon as the mail carrier knocked quietly on the door (she doesn’t want to disturb the dogs…haha), I jumped up because I knew what was going to be on the porch waiting for me.

Days before, I’d seen the preview and knew I was going to own this pen – the Edison Nouveau Premiere – Caribbean Sea (Summer Edition 2014).

I have its Cherry Blossom – Spring 2014 sister. And I practically squealed when I saw the color of the Caribbean Sea.

Anyway . . . what I didn’t know was that within a few days of learning about this pen (a Goulet Pens exclusive from Edison Pen Co.), I’d have a note from Rachel Goulet – yes, the Rachel Goulet!!! – asking if I’d review some items for them from time to time and in exchange I’d get to keep the items. Are you kidding? Of course I will! I love what they’re doing over at Goulet Pens and how they’re doing it. I’m a frequent customer and huge fan. I’m seriously honored that they would ask me (just don’t tell them that I probably would have bought this pen anyway, ok?)

So..that’s the disclaimer, I received this pen at no charge to me and I’m being totally honest about what I think of it.

I love it.

The name of this pen is perfect – Caribbean Sea. The color is a gorgeous blue-green with lots of depth, swirls, and sheens. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it from different angles, in different light, on different surfaces. If you like the way it looks in my (very amateur) pictures, you’ll love the way it looks in person – seriously.

The shape of the Premiere is . . . interesting. It has the pointiest cap ever. In fact, I challenge you to find a pen with a more pointy cap.

I love that the section (the part you grip) is contoured and there is no steep drop-off between it and the body of the pen. It’s very comfortable in the hand.

The cap can be posted, but I’m finding that I like writing with it unposted better. It’s definitely not a weight issue – more that the pen is longer than average when posted and that may take some getting used to.

Of course, looks are only part of the equation when it comes to fountain pens. How does it write?

I’m going to pat myself on the back for choosing the perfect color to go with this pen: Toucan Bright Blue. (More on Toucan inks coming soon.)

Here are some scanned handwriting samples. Click here to see the full-sized handwritten review.

Someone on Instagram asked me how the nib compared with the nib of a Lamy Safari. My answer is that the Edison Nouveau is more buttery smooth than the Lamy Safari. Some people like a little feedback when writing and others like a super duper smooth experience.

I’d say that the flow is a bit wet – but I like that. This nib is a medium, by the way.

I just checked and the Carribean Sea is sold out. I’m pretty sure it will be back in stock, though – summer has just begun!

OK, that’s that. What do you think? Did you order this one as soon as it came out? Will you be waiting for it to come back into stock? And…do you match your ink to your pen colors?

I’ll be back later this week with an ink review!

xoxo

Edited to Add: It’s in stock – get it here!

Found Around Friday

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

Ever wonder how much that converter will hold? Apparently, someone measured and you can read about it here.

Fountain Pen Quest reviews NockCo’s Pen Cases. These cases have received so much attention from the fountain pen community – I may need to check them out myself.

The Missive Maven posted about Postcard Happiness Project. I’m in!

Pens! Paper! Pencil! reviewed Sailor Jentle Apricot – a favorite ink of mine. Don’t get too attached, though – it’s being discontinued.

FP Geeks talks about taking care in how you store your pens.

I’m going to have this pen.

I’m thirsty. Really thirsty.

Have a good weekend! I’ll be back next week with a great new review!

xox

Toucan Group Buy

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

I hadn’t heard of Toucan inks before I saw the news of a group buy over on FPN, but I was definitely intrigued. Ink in a bag instead of a bottle? Say what?

First, I’ll apologize for the quality of some of these images – not my best work. Maybe my hands were shaking with excitement 😉

I ordered 16 different ink colors, 30 ml each, for a grand total of around $52 + $13 for shipping. The inks came from Australia and the seller was offering to ship the bulk order to a member of FPN who would then split the orders and ship from her home (that was the $13 part). Minimalist packaging for the win!

The whole thing could not have gone more beautifully from my perspective. My inks arrived sealed (from the seller) in a big bag. Each individual ink had tape placed around the screw top and was in it own individual baggy. I have no drips, spills, or other damages to report.

I have no idea what the kind of seal below is called, but it was a “break-the-seal” deal to open.

I was definitely a little nervous to start pouring into the bottle. (This is an empty Noodler’s 30ml bottle.)

Someone on Instagram said that milk and wine come packaged like this in Canada. I’m thinking I need to travel more.

Not a single drop spilled! Yaay!

I’ve been asked a good number of questions about these bags . . .

…The opening is too small to dip a pen – and even if it wasn’t, you’d have to be mighty brave to try it
…I think it would be possible to draw the ink out with a syringe or pipette if you’re super-careful
…The cap can be placed back on the bag – I have no idea how well it seals
…I’d buy like this all.the.time – the savings on shipping and packaging make it an easy decision for me
…the group buy is over, but you can find these inks from JustWrite in Australia

I’ll be back with reviews of some of the inks soon!

Dudek Modern Goods – Part 2 (Interview with Mike Dudek)

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

Two posts in one day – crazy! Here’s a link to my Dudek Modern Goods review from earlier today in case you missed it.

After talking with Mike off and on for a couple of months on the custom-designed penholders, I felt that I had a pretty good impression of him. I’ve also been following MrMikeDudek on Instagram nearly forever and getting a glimpse into the kinds of things that are important to him.

My final (ha!), “Hey, Mr. Mike . . . I have an idea,” message to him was a request for him to answer some questions that I could publish here – an interview of sorts.

True to form, his response was, “Let’s do it!”

Enjoy!

Do you remember when/how you became interested in pens and pencils?
It probably really developed after high school when I started noticing that I found myself only using certain types of pens (office supply store stuff). For awhile it was the Pilot G2, then the PaperMate Flair (still a love of mine), then the Pentel Energel. Honestly, I didn’t really know early on that “fancy” pens existed! Once I found out about this new world, I’ve obviously been hooked and now enjoy all sorts of fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints.

Which came first – the blog or the shop?

Definitely the shop. Prior to The Clicky Post and Dudek Modern Goods as it exists now, I was always a tinkerer of sorts and enjoyed building/creating things. I suppose I have a short attention span to things at times… once I learn of something cool that someone could make I often push myself to acquiring the tools and skills to make it happen.

One example of this are some coin rings I crafted for a time which was really fun. I’d seen other people selling them or had seen pictures and thought, “I can do that”. It seemed like I quickly had the tools to do so and started making and even selling them. As you can imagine, this “flighty” behavior with regard to hobbies can become expensive after awhile, so I usually try to learn to make something and sell enough of them to simply cover the costs of acquiring the tools and materials. Not necessarily as a “business idea” so-to-speak, but to keep spending and time in check.

Dudek Modern Goods and my pen holders probably started out a bit like this as well, but has grown into much more for which I am extremely grateful and humbled!

What do you have in mind for the future of Dudek Modern Goods?

This is something I have mulled over in my mind many times. For the moment it keeps me busy with several sales per week (less than a full fledged business, but more than a hobby), but it is something I’d like to expand and grow. The only problem with this is manufacturing and time considering each piece is handmade by me personally. I have a full time job and small family which keeps me very busy, so squeezing more time out of my days and weeks is unlikely from a growth perspective as things are now.

To expand the line and potentially move into select retailers would require a somewhat uncomfortable word called outsourcing or outside manufacturing. Perhaps this is something I personally need to get over as the product designs are sound and they are still mine, but to get them into the hands of more people would require some help. I want to expand, but at the same time don’t want to feel like I am diluting the experience of the true “handmade”. Deep thoughts…. I’m sure eventually it will sort itself out and I’ll partner with an awesome local company to help with my production, but rest assured that my hands will still be in the mix.

What are your other interests? Tell us about your family, your work – something, anything!

Outside of The Clicky Post and Dudek Modern Goods, I enjoy spending time playing with my two small kids (ages 2 and 7 months) and trying to find quality time with my wife whom has been so supportive of everything.

I’m kind of a geek at heart and enjoy learning about all sorts of random things like history (particularly WWII), the development of technologies from the past, architecture, or ancient cultures. I don’t have much time to watch TV or movies, but when I do it is usually some sort of documentary… haha. Like I said, GEEK.

I work for a software business here in Arizona that helps small businesses with marketing automation. I’m not one of the programmers for the company, but act as a small business consultant and strategist to help provide direction for these small entrepreneurs. I LOVE small business and am genuinely excited to work where and with whom I do. No matter what the business: window washing, organic oatmeal and soap production, or business coaching, I find enjoyment in hearing about people’s passions in their work. Doing what I do has actually fueled a fire in me to have more entrepreneurial pursuits like Dudek Modern Goods in my own life. I feel that everyone should find something they love and take a leap of faith to present it to the world in some consumable way.

What is your favorite (clean) joke?
I may have to get back to you on this one… : )

And there we have it!

Thank you for everything, Mr. Mike!

Here’s where you can find Mike . . .

The Clicky Post (blog)
MrMikeDudek (Instagram)
Dudek Modern Goods (shop)

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a look a Toucan Fountain Pen Ink from Australia – it comes in bags instead of bottles!

Dudek Modern Goods – Part 1

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

Do you know about Dudek Modern Goods and Mr. Mike Dudek?

Not only is Mike into pens and pencils, he’s also into woodworking and made The Cube shown above. I originally bought it for Mr. Pentulant (it’s true!), but my greed for all things pen-related took over and The Cube ended up living on my desk. Oops 🙂

I had a Major Pen Organization Issue. Pens everywhere + very little organization. I realize this is a problem many people would love to have – so many pens that they aren’t staying organized – but it’s still a problem and it was driving me cRazY.

And then I had an idea and sent Mike a message that went something like the following:

Hey Mr. Mike. I have an idea and I think you can help. I need a pen holder. A BIG pen holder – something like The Groove so I can use it to hold small notebooks, but bigger. Way bigger. Like – big.

Within a few hours, I had a sketch. Within a few weeks, I had this . . .

Like. Whoa. Right?

It originally had a second Groove on the other end, but the post office seriously manhandled the package (ugggg) and it had to go back to Mr. Mike for a little fix-it revision. No big deal and the repair is perfect – if I didn’t tell you, you’d never know. Perfect!

So perfect so that I wanted another. Yes, another.

And then Mr. Mike had an idea that went something like this:

Hey Mrs. Darling, (we’re so formal) I have an idea. What if we put the grooves further into the design to give you pen holders on either side of the notebooks.

Yes! And that’s when I ended up with this . . .

And as much as I love the first. OMG, this one? Yes x 1000. I love that the end sections look like the original Cube.

Not the best quality image, but here they are next to each other . . .

And here are all three of them . . .

Wait. What? Four?! Mr. Mike tossed in the Cube on the bottom for Mr. Darling. Of course, I’ve claimed it as my own! (Just kidding – Mr. ~~Darling~~ Pentulant is taking this one to his fancy new job – probably so I can’t get my hands on it!)

A few more pictures . . .

Here’s what I love about Mike Dudek and Dudek Modern Goods . . .

..amazing quality – I saw a competing product at the LA Pen Show, but there was really no comparison. Mr. Mike’s items are solid walnut – they are weighty. The finish is stunning and smooth and allows the natural grain of the wood to take center stage. I love that the “groove” is actually grooved, too. Not only does it add a bit of texture to the design, it also helps keep the notebooks upright. The quality is 100%.

..Mr. Mike – I love entrepreneurship. Small businesses grown organically from love. Go find what you love and freakin’ do it. That’s what Mr. Mike is doing and he’s doing a fantastic job. Quality products, good prices, and outstanding service. (And he’s into, “Hey, I have an idea!”)

..my pens are organized! The small openings the perfect size for Lamy Safari and the larger openings easily hold the Al-Star and larger pens. Mike can do all small openings or a mix of small/large. I like a mix.

Even after really really thinking about it, I have nothing negative to say about Dudek Modern Goods. The pens aren’t as well protected in these holders as they would be in a velvet-lined drawer. How’s that?

In the end, I sent Mr. Mike a note, thanking him for working so hard on my projects, telling him how wonderful they are, and closed with something like the following:

“Hey, Mr. Mike, I have one more idea . . .”

He said yes to that, too! I’ll be back later today to share that with you.

Found Around Friday

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

I have a Major Big Post planned next week to discuss the picture above. Spoiler Alert . . . I love Dudek Modern Goods and you should, too.

On to this week’s finds . . .

Check out this cool pen that My Supply Room found on Kickstarter.

Lots of us have pen pals. Is it ok to have a pen pal of the opposite sex if you’re married? FPN members attempt to answer this question in three pages of posts.

The Unroyal Warrant takes a close look at the newest Montblanc ink. I have a bottle (or two) of this ink, but haven’t had the time to dive into it yet. Ditto for the Field Notes Arts and Sciences edition.

Fountain Pen Physicist scribbles with her new Noodler’s Ebonite Konrad.

Fountain Pen Quest reviews an oldie – the Waterman Edson in Sapphire Blue. This is a pen that is very near and dear to my heart.

Franklin-Christoph pen cases are the best!

I may have reached the tipping point with these Kaweco Sport pens.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

INK REVIEW: FOUR FABULOUS BLUE INKS (Part 2)

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

Last week, I took a really close look at four fabulous blue inks.

Some of these inks are not easy to find. Let’s take a look and see if we can figure this thing out…

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire

After a little searching, I’ve found some sources for Bung Box inks . . .

Bungubox Facebook Page

Amazon (affiliate link)

Rumor has it Cool-Japan had them over on eBay at one time. As of this writing, there are no Bung Box inks listed, I’ve bought ink from Cool Japan in the past and had a great experience.

The bottles and packaging look amazing and I’ve definitely enjoyed using the sample Gerald sent me.

Here’s the trouble: money. The Bung Box inks are not cheap – add in some shipping (from Japan!) charges, and you’re at right around $45-50 per bottle. Yikes.

Parker Penman Sapphire would also be a good substitute for Bung Box Sapphire. Because the Penman ink is no longer available, I’ve listed some good replacements in that section. Zoom down to see.

Bottom Line: If $ isn’t a concern, go for it. It’s a great-looking and well-performing ink – you wouldn’t be disappointed. If $ is a concern, DC Supershow Blue is a fine alternative.

Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium

Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium is only available from Goulet Pens. The good news is that Goulet Pens has a fantastic reputation in the fountain pen community for excellent customer service. They will also ship overseas.

I shop at Goulet Pens regularly and mention them frequently. I’m not related to the Goulet’s, I receive no discounts, free product, special treatment, or anything else from them. Unfortunately, in our relationship – the money only flows in the one direction 😉

PW Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue

I got mine direct from the Netherlands. Shipping was fast, seemed reasonable (though I was buying multiple bottles), and everything arrived in good condition.

Vanness Pen Shop also carries Akkerman inks. You’ll have to call or email them for specifics.

It’s expensive. The Akkerman bottles are super-fancy and they’ve come a long distance. If you don’t want to put out the money, my strong recommendation is Diamine Majestic Blue (see image below).

Parker Penman Sapphire

No longer available, there are some inky recipes out there for replacing Penman Sapphire. A quick search turned up these two links for you . . .

Faux Parker Penman Sapphire

Another Parker Penman Sapphire Replacement

The difficulty here is that while I think it is possible to get the color right (or at least close enough), I’m feeling pretty certain that it’s quite impossible to get the feel of Parker Penman right on target. That is to say this: the color is only part of what makes an ink so special. The feel of the sample I had is wonderfully different from all of the other blues here and I seriously doubt that mixing 6.5 drops of ink #1 with 3.75 drops of ink #2 is going to result in that same feel* – and without that, well, there are plenty of off the shelf colors that come close enough. Have a look . . .

Some of the above ink swabs are showing the sheen – and maybe you’re thinking Penman Sapphire doesn’t have much sheen here or in my review from last week, but look at this review over on FPN – crazy sheen.

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire also looks like a good sub for Parker Penman Sapphire, but there are difficulties in obtaining that ink, too. (See the above section for those details.)

Bottom Line – DC Supershow Blue is the color I would choose if I was trying to match the color of Parker Penman Sapphire.

Of course, you could search eBay for it, but there are rumors that it was discontinued because it may contain metallic bits (hello, sheen) in it and it causes pens to clog. I’ve not had trouble with it in my Pilot Metorpolitan, however.

* Did you know that mixing inks can be an invitation for Major Trouble? Some inks don’t play well with others and you could end up with a blobby globby mess – in your pen. Some mixtures will take some time to form the blobby globby mess and by the time it does, you may have already loaded it into your pen. Be careful.

Annnnnd…that’s that! Four Fabulous Blue Inks. This has been a fun fun project and I really have to thank Gerald again for sending me samples of some of these inks. If you’re not following me and Gerald on Instagram, you simply must.

You tell me . . . Are you going shopping for one of these? Or maybe you have another favorite blue ink?

IN-DEPTH REVIEW: Four Fabulous Blues

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Christine (Pentulant)

I’m so excited to bring you this super-charged review of four fabulous blue inks:

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire
Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium
Akkerman Shocking Blue
Parker Penman Sapphire

First, a huge and happy shout-out to my Instagram buddy, @mycoffeepot. Gerald provided me with generous samples of Sailor Bung Box Sapphire and Penman Sapphire. He’s a fountain pen nerd (in the best way possible) and if you’re not following him on Instagram, you should be.

Second, let me tell you how I worked this thing: I loaded up four Pilot Metropolitan (medium nib) fountain pens and got to writing on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper. Lots of writing. So much writing. Then, I set everything aside and didn’t think about these inks for a couple of days. Finally, I wrote just a little more with each of the inks to see if my initial thoughts changed with a little time and separation.

Third, let me spoil things just a little here. You could, seriously, choose any of these four inks and be pretty happy. They each write wonderfully, flow is great in the Metropolitan, and the color and saturation are right up there with some of the best inks I’ve tried. These are truly four fabulous blue inks.

Let’s dive in!

Number 1 above will always be Number 1 (Sailor Bung Box Sapphire) below – same for Number 2, 3, and 4. I think I could have organized things a little better for you, but you’ll figure it out – I’m confident 😉

Smear Testing . . .

I wrote a little and then smeared across the writing. Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium (number 2) and Penman Sapphire look like the winners here. Then, I scribbled back and forth over the same area three times and smeared that – same winners.

Water Smear Testing . . .

I wrote, let it dry, and then went over my writing with a dampened cotton swab. The clear winner is Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium. I’d say that the other three inks are about even in their resistance to water.

So, which would you choose?

Still too hard to decide? Let’s take a closer look. (Warning: this is where things get really long.)

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire Review . . .

A solid medium blue, maybe not as saturated as the others. Not especially bright, no muddiness to the color. Just straight up blue.

Some nice shading. Would love to give this a go with a super broad nib because I’m seeing some pretty nice red/purple sheen in there, too.

Decent dry times.

Definitely not water resistant.

And it’s pretty smeary when tested with a highlighter.

My thoughts on Sailor Bung Box Sapphire:

i love the color and it’s suitable for any writing occasion
nice shading and some serious potential for sheen
this ink can be hard to find
once you find it, shipping costs may make the whole thing too expensive

Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium Review . . .

Pure bright blueness.

Not a lot of shading and definitely no sheen.

It’s interesting, I wrote in my initial review that this ink is supposed to be water-resistant. I’m positive this writing and the one above had been sitting for at least ten minutes when I dropped the water onto it. Maybe it needs to sit even longer? It’s also supposed to be semi-bullet-proof. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but there you go.

My thoughts on Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium . . .

this is an ink i own and love
the bright color may mean it’s not suitable for some professional settings
it’s only available through Goulet Pens – if you’re outside of the US or don’t want to order online, you may be out of luck
i’m not finding it particularly water-resistant even though it’s advertised as such

PW Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue Review . . .

A rich, dark, blue with a reputation for some fantastic red sheen.

Good shading . . .

Nice sheen . . .

It does just ok on the smearing tests . . .

Yikes. I wrote the word “DRAG” and then dragged a wet cotton swab over the writing after the ink had dried. Crazy, right?

And given the above, the below highlight test probably isn’t too much of a surprise.

My thoughts on PW Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue . . .

crazy sheening potential from this super-saturated ink
fun bottles
this ink can be hard to find and international shipping can be expensive. Vanness Pen Shop (in the US) carries the Akkerman line
zero water resistance

Parker Penman Sapphire Review . . .

True blue, dark blue, saturated blue.

Lots of shading and color variation . . .

Great dry time . . .

Not so great water-resistance . . .

Just ok on the highlight testing . . .

My thoughts on Penman Sapphire . . .

i love everything about it – the writing experience is different from all of the others – maybe a little bit more lubrication than the others?
impossible to get (i didn’t know this until i started writing the review, but it was the smallest of the samples that Gerald sent and I knew there must be a reason)

That’s it (enough already!) for today.

Just one quick question for you: which would you choose?

I’ll be back next week with more on these inks. Specifically, I’ll be looking at suitable substitutes for each. You know, in case you don’t have a time machine so you can pick up a bottle or two of Penman Sapphire 😉

In the meantime, here are links to some full-size images for you (they’re big!) . . .

Sailor Bung Box Sapphire Writing Sample and Review

Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium Writing Sample and Review

PW Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue Writing Sample and Review

Penman Sapphire Writing Sample and Review

Four Inks Compared

Ink Swabs (note, these are a bit out of order)