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I was not part of the craze in 2016 for this ink so I never raced after a bottle, and wasn't going to pay a premium price for one either. Sometime earlier this year someone sent me some samples, and one, was this ink. So it was nice to actually try it. The only time prior that I had used a Lamy ink was a cartridge that came with a pen. Lamy Blue perhaps? It wasn't impressive. This ink is so far from Lamy cartridge ink I can understand what all the fuss was about. This ink was head and shoulders above standard Lamy ink. I don't have a purple/violet that matches this color so I can't offer a substitute. The ink was in my Gate City Belmont for about three weeks, and no staining of the barrel was experienced. There is some shading on some papers, whereas on others it's a more one-dimensional color. There is gold sheen on Tomoe River paper.

This one just popped up in my mailbox from La Couronne du Comte: Available from February. Definitely more tempting to me than the pastel safaris 🙂 What do you think?

Rohrer & Klingner is continuing their Limited Edition yearly inks after the Aubergine last year. This year it is labelled "R & K Kastanienbraun" or Maroon. https://www.rohrer-klingner.de/?page_id=1056&lang=en Looks more brownish and not maroon to me though...

Endless Pens started putting Leonardo Officina Italiana pens in its (pre-order only) catalogue earlier this year, including a store-exclusive Bacio Del Diavolo ("The Devil's Kiss") limited edition of the Momento Zero model. There seemed to have been a lot of flux in its pricing of the Leonardo models since; first the prices dropped briefly for less than a week†, then went back up at the same time as free international shipping subject to a minimum spend threshold of US$149 was introduced, and then up and up again over the past couple of months (when I glanced at them occasionally; I haven't been watching and charting all the movements). During that time, the Bacio Del Diabolo was always priced at least the same as, and sometimes higher than, more commonly available models of the Momento Zero such as the Blue Hawaii. Right now Endless Pens has issued a special promotion code of 25% off that applies to pre-orders of The Devil's Kiss edition only. That brings the price of the steel-nibbed version to US$149.25, and that of the gold-nibbed version to US$267. (The text of the product listing seems to suggest that the 25%-off code will not work for the gold-nibbed version, but I tried it and it does work, at the time of writing.) For the first time, Endless Pens is offering its store-exclusive, 100-pieces-only limited edition for less than its contemporary pricing for the Momento Zero Blue Positino; I'm not going to speculate why here. However, I also note that the minimum spend threshold for free shipping has now been raised to US$250, so an order of the discounted steel-nibbed version alone will not qualify. I think it's an attractive-looking pen, and some fellow FPNers have had reported good experiences with Leonardo nibs. But then, some others have had problems with the nibs as delivered (and mostly sorted out with good customer service by European retailers from whom the pens were ordered). My own experience with the EF nib on a Leonardo Momento Zero was not great, so now I'm hesitant to buy another, especially when I either have to pay for shipping or top up the order with yet another US$100 worth of products I don't need.

Some forecast for 2019 emerged on the net. New Joy, Aion, Safari, Studio, and the very confusing AL-Star and Lx. See here: https://frankunderwater.com/2018/12/30/a-peak-into-lamys-2019-special-editions/

KWZ inks are my favorite inks after Sailor. And last year I had the chance to snag a bottle of the Chicago Blue LE from the Chicago Pen Show. Woo-hoo! Only recently did I get to open the bottle and try it. I first loaded up an Edison Menlo, and the ink was so wet it simply flowed from the nib when pointed down. That was unexpected. So I switched pens and filled one of my Edison Beaumont pneumatics. Not as wet as the Menlo, useable. But still it was very very wet ink. Placing the nib on absorbent paper caused a spreading blob of ink on the paper. That doesn't happen with other inks. They may leave a dot, but ink flows when you write. Another unexpected behavior. Because of this behavior it dried instantly on absorbent paper, but with lots of heavy show through and some bleed through. Quite a bit of spread. No shading on MvL, but decent on Tomoe River and Rhodia, though over 30 seconds dry time on the Rhodia. The color is a nice rich blue. Now if you have a really dry pen... This is the only KWZ ink that ever disappointed me in its behavior. Someday I'll have to give it a go in my Aurora or a fine nibbed Pelikan and see it this ink can be tamed. It'll probably be pretty nice in that case.

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon here and the rains have finally arrived. I had reviewed the HS Bronze on a similar afternoon. If you are looking for the HS Bronze review, here it is: HS Bronze Review The Blogger view runs below for the HS Florentine Hills review: The Visconti Homo Sapiens Florentine Hills Review So here goes the review. THE HOMO SAPIENS In late 2009, Florence-based luxury pen maker Visconti announced in a press-release covering a nib made of 95% Palladium (23k) alloy. Commonly available nibs are 14k/18k/21k Gold alloy (Sailor), with a few exceptions (Danitrio & the Japanese karat warriors), and this was the first of its kind perhaps after the Esterbrook or Sheaffer PdAg nibs. The other side of the snippet showcased a pen christened with a name of HomoSapiens(HS), which was forged from an equal mix of basaltic lava and resin, adorned with bronze and protected from competitors by a patent. The lava came from Mt. Etna (one of the active volcanoes) on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. I came to know of the HS a few years later. Visconti (estd. 1988) promised the HS lava to be unbreakable, flameproof (upto 100°C), albeit with a slightly hygroscopic body, oxidation prone bronze trims, but with a corrosion-resistant titanium power filler. The available designs now range from lava plus bronze/steel/black PVD to a 388-limited edition (bronze LE) or some 1000-LEs Crystal Swirls or Florentine Hills or 888-limited-London Fog (made up of Acroloid/Sterling Silver). Besides, fountain pens there are also roller-balls and ball-point pens in the HS range, but those, of course do not concern our primary interest. Initially after getting a HS in bronze, I was always on the lookout for one of these beauties in silver trims. DESIGN (6/6) AN ITALIAN JOB Visconti started the Homo Sapiens in Bronze & Lava as an homage to the evolution of mankind. Bronze Ages predates us by around five thousand years is the period, when humans began smelting and mixing of metals like copper and tin, to produce alloys like bronze. Also during that particular period, a system of writing/recording had evolved, mostly through the use of symbols. The trim-fittings including the HS Bronze clip are all made of bronze. The Florentine Hills carries the same design but is an acrylicdemonstrator fused with ribbons of coloured celluloid suspended within - thereby the nomenclature acryloid. The ribbons range from light green to vivid tinges of yellow and reddish brown. These colours remind of meanderings through vineyards and olive groves, from the beechwood forests to the grassy groves of the countryside. The splendid works of Tuscany art and those picturesque landscapes somehow seem to share quite a common inspiration in spirit. A large silver centre-band at the start of the grip section with a HOMO SAPIENS imprint is followed by the particular LE number of the piece. So it’s typicallyXXX/1000 unless you ended up with the thousandth piece. The overall shape tapers towards the ends where you can enjoy the translucency of vivid green. Looks almost photosynthetic! The cap & blind cap might carry some of those celluloid ribbons, in a more subtle manner. The taper is more pronounced at the plunger end/blind cap rather than in the cap itself. A sterling silver loop embellishes the design at the start of the blind cap. It’s actually the filler collar. You can perhaps see a drop of Yama Budo The unique locking system of the cap is nothing new if you have tried a HS. The quick hook safe lock threads (six) enable disengaging the cap, with a quarter of counter-clockwise twist. That little twist will of course reveal the dazzle of 23 karat Palladium nib and another photosynthetic grip section! A click is heard, once you correctly twist-lock the cap. A view of the inner cap locks..The cap has a spring inside to assist the locking mechanism. The section starts with the upraised locking threads with a faint resemblance to the Greek Key, and then tapers comfortably before ending up with a slightly raised stop. The finial mentions VISCONTI with the company trademark of the mirrored V. As always, the medal is customizable via Visconti's My Pen System with your initials or zodiac sign or gemstone (available from $15 onwards). You can pull out the visconti medallion from the finial by using any magnet and replace it with a gemstone of your choice. VISCONTI is embossed within a dark enamel background on both sides of the Ponte Vecchio clip which is made of sterling silver. The cap itself has a subtle taper towards the finial. Two spaced silver rings adorn the middle of the cap, dazzling within the greener pastures. The clip is spring loaded and you have to lift it to put it in your shirt pocket. The HS Bronze cap seems to have its own allure. FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) A silver loop logically separates the blind-cap, from rest of the barrel. On rotating the blind cap till its end-stop, you will be able to pull out a plunger, much like a tethered sword pulled from its sheath. The inside of the blind cap carries a silver insert to run the threads and so that the acrylic is protected from any damage. The plunger rod is made of Titanium, a metal which has proved to be phenomenally resistant to most corrosive of fluids. Titanium rods are often placed as support inserts by dentists, in order to rebuild broken tooth structures! However, the shining filler collar made of sterling silver shines down condescendingly on the rather dull rod. The filler collar in the HS bronze is made of titanium with a graphite like dull lustre. Once you push in the knob with the nib dipped inside an ink bottle, you can feel a surge of ink inside the pen. An ink capacity of around 2.2 mL doesn't allow your favourite ink to last that long, given a generous flow of even for a fine nib! Here you can observe the secondary ink chamber (double walled), which can be loaded/drained into the main chamber, once you pull back the piston seal. My flight experience has been pleasant with a fully filled secondary chamber. So unless one is taking the HS FH to Mars/ISS, one doesn't have to worry about it. The small chamber lasts quite a few pages with the Fine nib and can be filled once the wetness reflects a paucity of fuel! During longer writing sessions or broad nibs, I keep the piston seal open. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (3/6) The giant two-tone nib with an usual iridium tip comes in four main sizes – EF, F, M & B along two special widths – BB (double-broad) & Stub (S). The nib has an leverage of around 2.6 cm and it is a #6 Visconti nib. These dreamtouch nibs are manufactured by Bock. Half of them are probably out of touch due to a tine issue or the other! At the tail end of the nib, lies the nib width, above which embossed are the specifications of 23k Pd 950 and a word FIRENZE. Firenze refers to Florence in Italy which is the birthplace of both Italian Renaissance and Visconti Pens, thereby its borrowed tagline - The Writing Renaissance. Palladium is the dazzling silvery and matches well with the overall trims. Personally though, I prefer the two-tone gold adornment. The silvery finish diverges from the lunar-eclipse breather hole across the inside of the tines and over to the tail. The name VISCONTI lies below the moony breather hole, with splashes of shapes of diamonds, droplets and half-moons to ornament the nib. This one is a fine nib and came with misaligned tines. Now it writes smoothly after adjusting the tines, thankfully I didn't have to send it to Visconti again. The feed is a standard visconti feed with closely spaced fins, carrying the V logo at the delta region. The nib is screw-fit onto the grip section and can be swapped with ease, provided you take care of the tines. It has a bit of flex (which increases with use), although there is not much difference for an EF & F nib, when it comes to line variation with mild pressure. Be careful with over-flexing the palladium nib, it might result in a permanent damage. This nib initially ran wet, though it gave a strong feedback at certain angles due to the right tine, which was misaligned. The right tine stood lower than the left. And the width it lay was close to a true EF. That’s was what bewildered me, how come a Visconti Fine write so thin! I bet it was still better than some of my bad sailor nibs! Post alignment of the tines, the width of the lines increased to a true European fine or a Japanese medium and it now runs with heavy juice. PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING With a cylindrical body forged out of acrylic and celluloid & adorned with silver rings, it does give an earthly greenish repose. The overall weight has got a significant contribution from the cap due to the silver clip. A girth of around 1 cm is quite comfortable and it’s one of the most comfortable pens for me. As an analogy, the cap itself could be as heavy as a Pelikan m400 fountain pen. The HS bronze is heavier compared to the FH. Capped Length ~ 14.4 cm Non-posted Length ~ 13.2 cm Non-posted Weight ~ g Nib Leverage ~ 2.6 cm Overall Weight ~ 37.8 g (HS Bronze ~ 43.7 g) Overall Weight (inked) ~ 40.1 g Weight Without Cap ~ 22.8 g (HS Bronze ~ 26.6 g) Comparing capped lengths, the HS (Since HS LEs are Oversize/Maxi) does seem similar to a Pilot Custom 823 (which is not as hefty), a m1000 is there to reference a comparison with the Size#8 nib (its heft is on the higher of HS). ECONOMIC VALUE (4/6) Though the Homo Sapiens Florentine Hills sells around USD 800, it is available for lower street prices. I was able to get the pen at a pretty good price, and I don't want your decision to be coloured by this price, apart from discussing it. Still, I do fail to find a great economic value for a piece of acrylic with some silver(@50 cents/gram), even though it does feel great to hold, write and a pleasure to see. I feel the bronze edition is a rather memorable pen to keep. OVERALL (4.8/6) One thing regarding the misaligned tines, it was an easy fix for me and did not require specialised services. It’s the most common problem across many luxury brands and sometimes it does run worse. Had it been something worse where I would have had to send the nib back, my rating would have been 1/6 on the nib, 1-for the design. I am used to a few large pens, I like the balance and do not find any problem with either the heft or balance of HS. Personally I like the Lava model more, since the materials and workmanship seem much more elegant. There is some line variation as the #6 nib does render springy softness to cushion mild writing pressures. No hard starts, no skips! The Fine nib lays a line which runs true to its European standards and for a cross-reference it runs more like a Japanese Medium nib. The pen feels well balanced for my hands though it does seem to have a short section for gripping. The hook-safe threads might interfere with your grip, if you tend to hold a pen higher. I have used multiple fills of Iroshizuku Yama Budo & GvFC Moss Green inks, and the pen runs rather nicely with Iro. Which pen doesn't Being a wet writer out of the box, the Fine nib lays a nice juice but thinner line, which takes around 35 seconds to dry a GvFC Moss Green (I find Moss Green to dry quicker) on MD Paper. The flex is evident due to the springy nib, which with a gentle pressure delivers thicker strokes, though the range of strokes run broader with increasing nib-width. Personally, I would have saved up for a Conid in acrylic, but the lure or Palladium/Silver/Acryloid vs a Titanium/Acrylic marched right ahead in my head. Perhaps some day else, since titan is already there. REFERENCES HS Bronze ReviewPress Release - 23kt Pd nibTine Adjustment Video (8:00 onwards)- Brian Goulet Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here. Comments are welcome

I really am going to have to find something special to get for this inky FPN friend who has supplied me with generous amounts of limited edition Noodler's inks. Thank you inky friend! This was the third ink of the 2015 Commonwealth Pen Show special inks. And it might be the best of the three. Normally I don't go for such magenta inks as this, but when I started writing I realized this was the most beautiful ink I'd ever seen. It is really such a pity that this was LE. Gone! Unobtanium forever! Especially since the dye used in this ink was discontinued, or no longer available. A shame really. Pen: Aurora Ipsilon Deluxe (M-14kt) Papers: MvL=Mohawk via Linen, TR=Tomoe River, Hij=Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, Rhodia=90g Rhodia ivory This ink is extremely water resistant. It dries nearly instantaneously on somewhat absorbent papers, and quite fast on others. With wet pens you may get some show through. The Aurora I used here is not a very wet pen, and I didn't encounter problems. There is some light staining on the converter. I haven't emptied the pen yet, so I don't know if it will be difficult to clean, but it doesn't seem like much. So, that could be an issue for demonstrators, pens with clear barrels, and the like. Fairly rapid drying even on Rhodia. Quite water resistant.

Thanks to a wonderful FPN inky friend I have a very generous sample of the limited edition Noodler's ink from the 2015 Commonwealth Pen Show. Sadly, not available at all, probably for any price. I didn't find any even on ebay, but there never was much of this available in the first place. This is a nice grass green ink, with some water resistance, very fast drying especially on absorbent papers. Drier pens might be better for this ink as experienced some show through using my M-nibbed, wet, Edison Premiere. It wasn't terrible, but for those writing on both sides of the paper, to minimize and problems keep your most wet pens for another ink. On Tomoe River there's red sheen wherever the ink pools. Pen: Edison Premiere (M-steel) Papers: MvL=Mohawk via Linen, TR=Tomoe River, Hij=Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, Rhodia=Rhodia 90g ivory While somewhat water resistant, the problem is that the ink penetrates the paper to the verso. So you might have difficulty recovering writing due to that. A most unusual ink droplet.

I recently acquired a Visconti Australis Opera Master LE for multiple reasons. I like Visconti.... and it was half the price of most other Opera Master size pens. I like the rose gold, and it has a gold nib, versus the current palladium nibs. I do not know much about it. It was mint, NOS, in original box with all paperwork. It was limited to the Australian market. It is made of Black Lucite and rose gold. It has the Double Power Filler, and a 18k gold nib. It even came with a letter opener. Does anyone have more info about this pen? Why was it called the Australis? When was it released? I would love any information!!! Comparison in sizes. The Opera Master in Back, Homo Sapiens in the Middle, Opera in the Front.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/jasonchickerson/_FUJ0043-Edit.jpg http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/jasonchickerson/_FUJ0041-Edit-Edit.jpg Original Crown Mill Pure Cotton Paper, dipped (top) and Lamy 2000 F/M (bottom) http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/jasonchickerson/_FUJ0046.jpg Quick wash on Original Crown Mill Classic Laid Paper (envelope) This is the brown I've been looking for. Cigar is not perfect. It looks its best on high quality, absorbent paper and looks flat and everything else, including high-end vellum (sorry, Clairfontaine Triomphe lovers). It behaves perfectly in a dip pen, but it's dark enough to lack depth. I'll stick with Tokiwa-matsu for my go-to dipped green. This is such a strangely complex color. It is a dark, unsaturated (in the chroma sense) green with a unique satiny sheen that makes it appear brown. This has the result on aborbent paper of being both green and brown at once. Fantastic. FPN member Sandy might call this one indecisive. That's OK with me. It works so well with my new sketching brown (Yama-guri), and washes so beautifully, I think it may be my new sketch-worthy green, too. Time will tell. Because of the cost of importing this ink from Japan, I attempted to mix my own. I came very close with a 2:5 mix of Sailor Tokiwa-matsu and Iroshizuku Yama-guri. You can see from the first pass (q-tip/earbud) that the subdued green is similar. However, more ink gives red sheen that causes the ink to look brown in the Cigar, while no sheen arises with the faux Cigar. Strange, as Tokiwa-matsu and Yama-guri each have a nice red sheen on their own. So while I could mimick the color of the ink, the effect is not the same. This is special stuff. I will be buying two bottles. http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/jasonchickerson/_FUJ0044.jpg http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/jasonchickerson/_FUJ0056-2.jpg Iroshizuku Yama-guri (top), Sailor Cigar (middle), Sailor Tokiwa-matsu (bottom) http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac209/jasonchickerson/_FUJ0051.jpg For the sheen lovers, clockwise from left: Cigar, Sailor Oku-yama (sheen king), R&K Alt-Goldgrün, Sailor Tokiwa-matsu and Iroshikuzu Yama-budo (center) As always, reasonable care has been taken to ensure color accuracy. However, this is a complex ink, impossible to represent fully in photographs. If you can get a sample and try it for yourself, do it. A big THANK YOU to FPNer fire ant for providing me with this sample!

I got this pen just recently among other pens, I was totally amazed by its beauty and wanted to share few pictures with you all, hope you will enjoy. Best regards. Return it? Is this guy drunk or what???

This is a review of a Limited Edition ink made by Sailor for Bung Box. Each glass bottle had a number on the bottom that was molded in the glass. There were only one hundred bottles of this ink made. By sheer dumb luck I happened onto one. I bought for a friend that was dying to get it. They gave me the sample used for this review. The bottle was rather beautiful, (image taken from Bung Box's Facebook page.) The ribbon and seal were a nice little add-on that made the entire opening festive and special. According to Bung Box, Sakurasaku means to celebrate. http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/Screen%20Shot%202016-01-30%20at%206.02.14%20AM_zpsf9ex4gtt.png This ink behaved very strangely from the normal Bung Box ink: The ink had no discernible sheen, even on Tomoe River paper with a medium (modern) flexible italic nib.On Tomoe paper the ink looked a bright red leaning a bit toward pink.On 32 pound HP Premium Laser paper, it looked almost like a cotton candy pink with some red.On both papers the ink felt dry, less so on the Tomoe but I noticed it.I was very surprised by the apx. 9 second drying time on Tomoe, I found that very unusually fast.This is the paper towel droplet: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/Droplet_papertowel_zpsgjqlya26.png I used the same pen on both pages: a TWSBI 580 AL. The nib is a MED, modified by Pendleton Brown with his lovely BLS Italic Flex. The Tome River paper: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/BB_3rd_Tomoe_zpsszgpcccn.png And the HP paper: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/BB3rd_HP_zpshuotdwef.png Finally: to demonstrate how different they are: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/BB3rd_side_zpsrucosvfg.png These were scanned together and overlapped. I couldn't quite get the HP paper color corrected. This would be a great ink if you liked pinkish-red and dry inks without sheen. I was afraid to try this in a vintage pen, but I might take one and use it as a dip pen to see if it will behave different under gold. I didn't do the water test as every flat surface has varieties of Apricot inks drying, and I wanted to post this before I forget.

Hello, I have recently acquired my first Aurora, a 75th Anniversary LE (no. 1013). It is a gorgeous pen, writes well, and has a smooth piston filling. However, the cap is loose. To elaborate, the cap has a screw on mechanism, but it seems that the threading on the cap and the barrel are not working in sync. I can only put the cap on in a particular angle, and that too needs careful handling. Any suggestions will be helpful, including suggestions of repair centres.

Does anyone know on this pen, the LE Michelangelo, not the Grande, does the piston filler use the power filler method? My understanding is it was introduced much later than in these pens. I will find out soon and glad to join this amazing forum. My new pen has the portable ink well and the old Visconti clip. Thanks for the help. Well looks like per Coles ofLondon site I have the origonal piston filler not the double res one... again great to be here anything I should do for an new unused old stock pen to insure it works ok?

Hello, Lamy newbie here. I wanted to get a Safari and saw the Neon Coral is still available on eBay for around $25 from different sellers. That seems a little strange, since the Coral was a 2014 LE and I figured there'd be none left to sell in 2016. I bought one there anyway, but I'm already suspicious that it may be a fake. However, JetPens is also still selling it, in Medium only, for $28.50, and they're an authorized retailer. Again, we're talking about a 2014 Limited Edition here. Has anybody happened to see something like this before?

The LE Stipula DaVinci Samurai Review and photography by Laura Elizabeth Bullock Introduction The LE Stipula DaVinci Samurai was produced in a collaborative effort by music publisher Leeds Levy and Chatterley Luxuries’ Bryant Greer. Leeds and I have a mutual friend from the Big Apple Pen Club, Tim Ettenheim. Tim brought the pen to my attention and, along with Leeds, asked that I write a review of and photograph this unique pen, which is available for purchase at https://chatterleyluxuries.com/product/stipula-samurai-rose-gold-overlay-limited-edition-fountain-pen/ I am in no way affiliated with Stipula or Chatterley Luxuries and this review is a noncommercial effort. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7284.jpg Appearance and Design The barrel of this exquisite pen is transparent blue resin with rose gold vermeil overlay bonded permanently to solid sterling silver. The overlay is hallmarked in three places with 925 and a five-pointed star followed by 1770 and FI for Firenze. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7299.jpg The gorgeous overlay echoes the legendary tosei gusoku armor of Japanese samurai right down to the gilt kanamono used on the helmets, shoulder guards and plates. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7300.jpg The pen's trim is also rose gold vermeil as is the unique sword-like clip with the suggestion of a samurai at the top of the clip. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7314.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7311.jpg The clear end of the blue resin barrel shows 0/18 as the pen is limited to 18 worldwide and this particular pen is a prototype. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7321.jpg Perhaps the most interesting and most unusual feature of the Samurai is its retractable nib that appears with a clockwise twist of the barrel through a half-moon shaped door bearing the Stipula name and disappears with a counterclockwise twist as it’s retracted and the door closes. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7326.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7328.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7330.jpg Finally, this Stipula pen features an interchangeable writing system. When the nib is retracted, the barrel pulled out and the universal cartridge or piston converter removed, the section and nib can be easily removed by applying light pressure to the section’s metal wings and gently pulling. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7309.jpg Construction and Quality The Samurai is extremely well made and hand-designed with superb attention to detail. Its sturdiness is apparent in its heft and solid construction. A firm grasp is required to remove the barrel and once the barrel is replaced, there is a satisfying, solid click. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7303.jpg The removable writing section is also of solid construction with a tab and hole mechanism to ensure its proper replacement without incurring damage to the nib. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7335.jpg Size The Samurai is 136-140 mm (5.35-5.51 inches) in length and the diameter is 16.1-18 mm (0.63-0.71 inches). Its weight is 61 grams (2.15 ounces). Its formidable size and girth are impressive. Because of this, it may be better suited to larger hands. However, this would not preclude usage by a woman. I am perfectly content using this pen and I can comfortably grip the barrel and write for an extended period of time. Nib and Performance This is a medium 14 kt. gold nib with the Stipula leaf logo in two places and a 585 gold mark, meaning the gold is near this percentage (58%) pure. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7331.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_7333.jpg The nib is not a flex nib; however, it does provide amazing line variation depending upon the angle at which the nib is used and how much pressure one exerts when writing. The paper I used to assess the nib’s performance included a Rhoda Webnotebook, L. Writing Paper made in Japan by Life Company, 60 lb. Fabriano sketch paper, a Moleskine lined Legendary Notebook, and 100 % cotton Crane Monarch sheets with Ecruwhite Kid Finish. The inks I used were J. Herbin Rouge Hematite, Waterman Florida Blue, Akkerman Passage Blauw, and Pelikan 4001 Violet. The Samurai performed well on all papers with all inks although the Moleskine did not provide quite the level of quality writing experience as the other papers. This paper paled in comparison to the similarly smooth, but higher quality, writing surfaces of the Rhodia and Life Company Japanese papers and there was even pleasant feedback on both the Crane and Fabriano papers. The pen performs better on higher quality, heavier papers but it must be mentioned that there was no skipping or hard starting on any of the papers with any of the inks. The pen performed well inked with the Pelikan 4001 Violet, the driest of the inks. There were consistent uniform color and even some subtle shading apparent. This pen was made for the very saturated J. Herbin Rouge Hematite with the extremely beautiful green-gold shading standing out and the rich color flowing freely. My Stipula Gladiator with medium nib is a wonderful pen; however, its nib doesn’t have the range of this Stipula Samurai and the Rouge Hematite in my Gladiator puts down a red line with no shading. I have to use a flex nib, such as the one on my Bayard LE 4 or the nib on my Morrison’s gold overlay ring top to see the shading. The Waterman Florida Blue (a wetter ink than the Pelikan 4001) and the Akkerman Passage Blauw (perhaps the wettest of the four inks) have a discernable flow, more so than that of the J. Herbin and especially more than that of the Pelikan 4001. Filling System The filling system utilizes a universal cartridge or piston converter, both of which are included with the pen. The converter took up the ink immediately. Cost and Value This pen retails for $1095. In my opinion, the pen is worth it. The quality and construction, the understated elegant design, uniqueness and outstanding performance are worthy enough to commandeer such a price. Conclusion This pen provides a truly luxurious writing experience. I’ve used it consistently for several days and for as much as an hour at a time. I’ve not experienced anything approaching fatigue or cramping, even owing to the pen’s size. If I were working a desk job, I would use this pen as a daily writer, however ostentatious it would appear; it’s that comfortable and that lovely with which to write. If one is looking to turn heads with a work of art that also happens to be a fountain pen, this is also the pen for you.

I often wonder how the MB team comes up with ideas for new LE pens such as those in the writers series or special characters and POA series. There many possibilities that I can imagine. How about a WB Yeats pen? Another idea I had was a Malala Yousafzai pen inspired by this special person's sacrifice and dedication to education for women across all borders. What would others like to see? Do you think MB would listen?

Hello, so after years of "sobriety" from my pen addiction I've gone into a MB writers edition binge. The result of one of these binges was an apparently un-inked (Boxes/papers) Dostoevsky which I received with a broken piston. I attempted to then drown my sorrows with my Oscar Wilde which I've had for many years and the entire piston assembly came off. So the Dostoevsky has been shipped back to the seller while the Oscar Wilde will probably be visiting his birthplace in Germany. By the way I took a photo of the "precious resin" of the Wilde. It appears to be a thin acrylic or maybe celluloid acetate with a solid inner liner (What do you guys and gals think). All the best! Jose Garcia

I see that martiniauctions is accepting pre-orders for a M101N Red Tortoise. I think the red color would complement quite well the M101n Lizard LE in a collection. Expected availability is September. I really like the M101Ns. Speaking for myself, I think the series has the nicest modern Pelikan nibs and one of the best form factors. However, my excitement is tempered by the asking price of 360 Euros. That's $492US at current exchange rates. Correct me if I am wrong but this is a bit of a price jump from the initial release price of previous M101n LE tortoises. What do you think of the Red Tortoise LE and will you be saving up for it?

Hey there! I figured that, with a few here who use and appreciate fountain pens, then there might be some who have been (or, will be?) invited to receive a Parker 125. I haven't seen a lot of details about it, but the following is the invite (and click to see a larger view - the order of the images is from left to right, top to bottom): http://imageshack.us/a/img9/4091/z46o.th.png With only 125 of these handmade (and flawless?) specimens, I was hoping someone here would be selected (if this invitation is indeed a real item from Parker), and tell more about it. Or, is this still something to happen sometime in the near future?!? How do you think Parker chose those to be recipients of the Parker 125? If they're good reviewers, or if they spend a lot on Parker pens? Also, what do you think would comprise such a "best" writing instrument? And, with whatever features the best pen would include, is that something Parker could create? Anyway, not sure of the authenticity of the document* (the text on the signed page is a little suspicious; why would the 125 people already be selected, and yet, you can call someone personally at 9606513431 to join the 125?!?), and the 960 number seems to indicate the Maldives, but I just thought I'd pick your brain about the deal. *The original page with the information is here: http://j.mp/Parker125_invitation Just 'cuz of the dynamic nature of online content, I just cached it elsewhere in case the original information happens to get removed...

i got this pen in manila yesterday from the US. very nice pen and packaging (we know how CS packaging can go over the top--this diamond-shaped box actually goes into a larger rectangular box, which i had to leave in the US for easier shipping): http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/9584974513_3d85396575_z.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/9584976631_997d3200f3_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/9584981467_c88842f816_z.jpg it's a bit shorter than CS' flagship churchill, but a lot heavier; almost feels like marble. what attracted me too was its tortoise-y "bracken" color, a perennial favorite of mine (my churchill is bracken, too). and as i've learned to expect from my CS pens, the medium nib wrote smoothly out of the box. this pen came out in 2006 in a limited edition of 60 pens, to mark the 60th anniversary of new york city's famous fountain pen hospital. this is 11/60 (found the tiny imprint near the top of the cap). from what i can gather online, it was originally priced at around $600. (i got this on ebay for a fraction of that, so while i could make a tidy profit by selling it, as i'd first intended, it makes more sense for me to keep it in the collection, because i'm not likely going to see another one appear on the market at that price, if i ever see one again.)