fountain pen

by Tony Thomas I ordered a pack of "pitch black" Field Notes brand notebooks to try out recently.  Although I have been familiar with the brand for quite some time, this was the first time I have had a chance to use them. A Bit of Background If you are not familiar with Field Notes, they are a company that makes a line of pocket-sized (3.5" x 5.5") notebooks in various colors and styles.  They are sold in 3 packs of plain, ruled, grid or assorted pages.  They are well-known for their limited-edition notebooks which are very collectible.  When I saw their new "pitch black" edition in dot grid, I thought it was time to try some. First Impressions Upon opening the pack, I was instantly impressed with the quality and attention to detail of the notebook.  It is staple-bound, has rounded corners and feels good in the hand.  According to the specifications, the cover is French Construction 100#C "Blackstop".  The ink is a soy-based  Saphira ink...

by Tony Thomas I decided to participate again in Rhodia Drive's Paper Project.  The project allows you to test free samples of their most popular products.  Up this week (13) is their "Clic Block" mouse pad paper.   According to the Rhodia web site, this product has a non-skid backing, iconic grid (5x5), 80g paper and a smooth surface for mouse and pen. First, I tried it as a mouse pad.  Works great.  Next, as a writing pad.  Although the grid lines are darker than I would like (I prefer the faint violet lines), it performed flawlessly for writing using a variety of fountain pens and inks.  No bleed through and very faint show through.  I also tried it with pencil and was very impressed with its smoothness. Another great product from Rhodia and highly recommended! For more information: http://rhodiapads.com/collections_boutique_mousepad_clicbloc.shtml http://www.rhodiadrive.com/2015/02/16/week-13-of-the-paper-project-free-samples-from-the-rhodia-m...

by Tony Thomas The Pilot Metropolitan is probably my favorite cheap fountain pen.  I carry one with me daily.  It is well balanced, writes beautifully and the construction is great.  (See my review here .) Although I write with fountain pens as much as I can, I also use pencils and gel roller balls.  My favorite gel roller ball of all time is the Pilot G4.  It is a great and reliable pen. You may not realize it, but Pilot offers a Pilot Metropolitan in a gel roller ball version and it accepts the standard G4 refill (yea!).  It is the best of all worlds in my opinion. Check one out if you get a chance.  They are available from my friends at Jet Pens! http://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Metropolitan-Roller-Ball-Gel-Ink-Pen-Fine-Point-Black-Plain-Body/pd/11038