Pens, notepads, et cetera. (Not stationary. )

Fountain Pens

I like pens. In this day and age, writing with pen and paper is very rare (if you've graduated high school, I guess), but I still like the feeling. I've had a fair share of practice as I like to doodle or write down random sentences here and there when I'm bored, but I'm by no means a calligrapher.

Fountain pens are an even rarer breed. Why use something so complicated and high-maintainance when you can just pick up a good ol' Bic pen for cheap anywhere? For me here are a few reasons:

• environment-friendly --- a good pen will work forever given proper care
• you get to choose nibs and inks that you like
• makes writing more fun and ceremonial
• many pens are well-made and beautiful

Lamy AL-Star

I got a black one at the mall. The difference is night and day compared to the crappy fountain pens I used to be forced to use when I was in elementary school. AL-Star is just Safari with aluminum body. Lamy Safari line is known for its iconic design, and I'm very happy with it as well. The fine nib is nice and smooth and the grip is comfortable.

Lamy LX

Got a silver one, since I liked my AL-Star so well. The design is the same except the decorative piece at the top of the pen is shiny metal. Works great as expected.

Lamy 2000

Got it as a gift. Amazing craftsmanship, especially the part where the piston connects to the rest of the pen. Nib is very very smooth, almost too smooth. I'm neutral about the hooded nib.

Faber-Castell Grip

I got it in grey colour at a stationery shop in Montréal. Very reasonable pricing as it's made of plastic, however that is not bad in any way. The pen feels excellent in the hand, light to hold and easy to grip. FC is well-known for their steel nibs and this one is no exception. I believe it was stolen from me on campus.

Faber-Castell Loom

Got it in white colour. Basically the same as the Grip but less grippy and more shiny thus more prone to fingerprints.

OPUS 88 Demonstrator

Nice resin body with a very large ink capacity. It easily lasts months on a single fill. A bit clunky but I still like it, especially how the clear body shows off the ink colour.

Inks

Fountain pen inks.

Pilot Iroshizuku

My most used brand, water-based colourful inks. They have yet to disappoint me. Colours I've tried in chronological order:

• Konpeki: saturated light blue
• Tsutsuji: saturated pink, gifted
• Yamabudo: purple
• Shinryoku: deep green
• Syoro: blue green, my favourite so far

Nibs

Fountain pen nibs.

Lamy Z55 EF

This is a 14-carat gold dual-tone nib I got for my LX. Writes smooth, soft, and extremely wet. Sometimes feels even better than the 2000. Very happy with it.

Edison Steel B

This is a JoWo #6 nib I got for my demonstrator. The nib is hard and writes smoothly. The feed however is a tad disappointing, flows a bit too dry for a nib this size. I disassembled the nib, carved the feed ridge a bit wider and deeper with a razor blade, but it wasn't very effective.