Expert Advice & Product Reviews Archives

Caran d’Ache Ecridor “Retro” fountain pen review

September 13, 2022 ♦

♦

Caran d’Ache is a well-known fountain pen maker primarily famous for the “849” ballpoint pen, one of the most iconic stationery objects ever made. For quite some time, the recognizably hexagonal-shaped writing instrument is also available as an entry-level fountain pen. One step up the ladder in the mid-tier level,…

A review of the Sailor 1911 Ringless fountain pen

April 14, 2021 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews

♦

0 Comments

If there is something like a ‘most iconic’ pen shape out there, it is certainly the ‘cigar’ shape. And few pen manufacturers execute the ‘cigar’ in the excellence and variety in which Sailor does. The ‘cigar’ at Sailor is called 1911, and it comes in three sizes: the smallest one…

A review of Staedtler’s Pigment Liners

August 18, 2020 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews, Pens

♦

0 Comments

As a fan of both writing and (amateur) drawing, it was only a matter of time until I added the highly regarded Staedtler Pigment Liners to my stationery collection. The Pigment Liners are available in black and a wide variety of colours. I knew I wanted the black fineliners for…

Ink review: Graf von Faber-Castell in Deep Sea Green

August 13, 2018 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews

♦

0 Comments

Details: Ink name: Graf von Faber-Castell in Deep Sea Green Unit capacity: 75 ml (in a glass flacon) Price: £25/25 € Price per ml: 22p/ca. 0,33 € Handwritten review on Leuchtturm 1917 paper Graf von Faber-Castell Deep Sea Green is an ink that is slightly similar to Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine, but with a twist. It is a…

A review of the Lamy cp1 multifunction pen & highlighter

April 12, 2018 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews, Pencils, Pens

♦

1 Comment

1974 is a special year — not only for me (I was born that year) but also because of all the other things that happened that year 😜 In the USA, Star Trek: The Animated Series got cancelled; in the UK, ABBA won the Eurovision song contest in Brighton with…

A review of the Staedtler Mars 502 Lead Pointer Pencil Sharpener

March 1, 2018 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews, Pencils

♦

1 Comment

Today: something different. A video product review. A quick look at Staedtler’s 502 Lead Pointer pencil sharpener, which works great with the Mars Technico 788C clutch pencil and the more luxurious 780C clutch pencil. The Mars 502 sharpener has been around for fifty years which just proves what a timeless, high-quality…

Extra Fine fountain pen nibs – Writing robot & handwriting comparison

October 19, 2017 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews, Fountain Pens, Handwriting

♦

10 Comments

Fine or Extra Fine? That is the question. We’re frequently asked about the various nib widths of our fountain pens and we fully understand your curiosity. After all, the most important thing about a pen is how it writes. Over the years we’ve discovered nib widths can vary quite…

Kaweco Skyline Sport mechanical pencil review

August 1, 2017 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews, Pencils

♦

1 Comment

This review is of the Kaweco Skyline Sport mechanical pencil in Mint with a 0.7mm HB lead. If you’re already a fan of Kaweco, like me, you will immediately recognise the silhouette of this Skyline pencil as the classic octagonal Sport design; this shape has certainly stood the test of…

Pilot Capless Matte fountain pen review

July 18, 2017 ♦

Expert Advice & Product Reviews, Fountain Pens

♦

2 Comments

The Pilot Capless Matte fountain pen (aka Vanishing Point) is very interesting in many ways. First of all, it is one of the very few – if not the only, good and widely available – retractable fountain pens on the market, which means that the pen combines the comfort of…

Kaweco Skyline Sport ballpoint pen review

July 17, 2017 ♦

Ballpoint Pens, Expert Advice & Product Reviews

♦

0 Comments

After seeing a photo of the Kaweco Skyline Sport range, I was so excited for its release. I’m a Kaweco fan generally, but the colours in this range really spoke to me – such as Mint, Grey, Macchiato and Pink. I needed a new ballpoint pen for my collection, and…