I would probably wager that Visconti is one of the pen brands out there that most people have heard of at some point, but may find they don't ever ending up owning one. Why is this? Why are there some brands that have wide awareness and brand acceptance while others tend to fly under the radar? Very curious. Nonetheless, I know there are a lot of people that love the brand and are very loyal to it.

I'm definitely in this boat as I've never actually owned a Visconti, but they are on my list. They are a bit of a unique brand in their styling and materials. A bit flashy and, at times, maybe even a bit flamboyant, but that is sort of their appeal I think. There is a sense of confidence in their designs and how they carry themselves which can make them attractive. 

Anyway, enough about these deep musings...

Pen Chalet was kind enough to send me over on loan one of the Visconti Homo Sapiens rollerball pens to review, so a special thanks to them.

When I've been thinking of getting a Visconti, my sights have only been set on the Homo Sapiens series, so I extra appreciate the loan to get a feel for the pen size and the fascinating material. The pens in this series are made from a resin infused with lava rock. Yes, LAVA. I mean, that in and of itself is enough to make the pen stand out as something really neat and interesting. (Trying to hold back the "liquid hot magma" meme)

This unique material gives the pen a matte black/grey finish that looks really stunning in contrast to the silver furniture that accompanies the pen barrel and cap. The finish is smooth, but does have some occasional pitting (super small) marks which I'm not sure whether they are intentional for effect or whether they are a result of the lava material. Either way, it adds to the overall presence that the pen is going for.

Also, the claim is that this material is almost unbreakable and flameproof, so add that to the list of cool.

Being a rollerball, there isn't really a lot to say about the writing experience. The pen comes standard with a Visconti branded ceramic roller (likely from Schmidt) which writes pretty good. I will say that I wish the refill wrote a little wetter and broader. Being the standard Schmidt long rollerball style there are likely a variety of refills you could fit in there like a fineliner (which would actually be pretty awesome) or even refills like the Pilot G2 as they are nearly identical in size. 

For kicks, I actually swapped in a Pentel Energel needle which fit fine, but did have a little play in the tip. Not enough to be distracting or unusable by any means. So, suffice it to say there are options if the standard refill doesn't float your boat.

The cap of the pen is big, but posts. I was having a hard time deciding if posting made it too long or not as it was fairly comfortable, but I did find myself writing more unposted. Posting makes the pen nearly 6.5" long...

With Pentel Energel Needle

A cool feature of the pen is the threading. The cap is spring load and pressure sealed, so the the threads have this cool twist and lock sort of feel. Upon first seeing them I thought it might be tricky to get them to work, but it is smooth and effortless which seems like a pretty strong feat to conquer.

This particular rollerball is in what is called the Midi size. In the fountain pen version there is also a Maxi size which is a good amount bigger, but personally I feel that the Midi size is great. The Homo Sapiens series isn't really slim or overly ergonomic design, so getting something bigger may only compound the effect for smaller hands. I'm a decent sized guy, and the Midi would likely be what I would choose if given the option of the two.

One of the more recognizable features of Visconti pens is the large arching clip. It is spring loaded which makes it a bit easier to wield when trying to put it in your pocket, but it doesn't seem to be a "press" spring clip like many others are. What I mean by this is that in many spring clips you merely have to push on the top of the clip and it pushes the bottom out. A simple pinch motion on the top of the pen. But not with the Visconti...

Maybe the spring loaded is just to make the clip more functional? Without some additional tension, I'd be curious if the clip would be overly helpful or if it would be too ridged as it is pretty hefty material. It is more of a thin "blade" sort of shape, rather than a wide, flat surface.

Slightly different than the fountain pen versions, this rollerball is adorned with two additional stripes of silver in the barrel. In talking with Ron from Pen Chalet, these stripes are due to the fact that this rollerball is a slightly more expensive, higher end version.

In conclusion, the Homo Sapiens series is pretty sweet. Really cool material, quality made, neat features. The catch? The price.

Standard retail price on these run between $300-700 depending on whether you're buying a ballpoint, roller, fountain, or are deciding between the Maxi, Midi or various other material options. Do I think the pen is worth the money? I would probably say yes. I don't like to inject my own personal value measurements into things because things are subjective from person to person. They Homo Sapiens series pens are extremely unique which makes them stand out in the market of otherwise "boring" acrylics. 

As Pen Chalet often does, they have these rollerballs at a pretty steep discount when compared to the full retail price so may be something to consider.     

Originally conceived as The Pen Project on Kickstarter (one of the very first pen campaigns), Ian Schon of Schon DSGN set out to create a super pocketable, minimal, and durable pen to be the perfect EDC.

Over the last four years, the brand has grown tremendously and he has definitely delivered on that goal and has been featured on sites like Huckberry, Every Day Carry, and most recently in the Martha Stewart Living magazine specific for his brass pen.  

Manufactured in small batches by a machine shop outside of Boston, MA, each pen down to the included Fisher Space Pen refill is 100% produced in the United States. Small business is a huge passion of mine and I love supporting people like Ian and those he works with.

The Schon DSGN pens are machined from solid metal and come in a variety of materials and finishes. You can choose from either clear or black anodized aluminum for a lighter carry, titanium for a little heft with extra durability, or brass or bronze if more weighty pens that will age over time is your preference.

Gearing up for the holidays, Schon DSGN is offering 10% off any pens in the store by using the promo code CLICKY10 at checkout through December 4th.

Special thanks to Schon DSGN for sponsoring The Clicky Post.

Wait, wait, wait... Dyson, as in, Dyson the vacuum cleaner company? I would imagine that most people have seen or heard of the highly engineered and edgy designs put out by the Dyson brand. We even ended up buying a Dyson vacuum cleaner for the Dudek household a few years ago and they are a company that is definitely passionate about their work. To some, you could say they like to "over-engineer", but that is what makes them revolutionary and leading the charge in changing the way we think about seemingly simple things like vacuums, fans, hand dryers... 

This post is about a very special pen produced by Dyson of which they kindly sent me a sample, so special thanks to them.

As another little tidbit of history, the original inventor of the ballpoint was a man named László Bíró who first presented his this new technology back in 1931. Up until that time, people used fountain pens or pencils as their writing instruments, both of which are not ideal in all writing situations. Bíró changed the way we consume writing.

Dyson settled on the name Biro for the pen in honor of László, which is very fitting and a nice tribute.

Dyson engineers were likely using simple ballpoint pens in their labs and offices but, Dyson being Dyson, found that to be not good enough and so they set out to create their own version of a perfect ballpoint pen.

How could I not pair it up with Doane Paper?

Working on their lunch breaks, after work, and on weekends, a team of engineers at Dyson (including James Dyson himself) used their free time to develop over 50 prototypes until they finally settled on the right design.

I mean, how amazing is this? As mentioned above, this could seem like a bit of overthinking as Mr. Bíró himself and nearly a century worth of ballpoint pen production would make us assume that we had already surpassed the pinnacle of this technology. So why produce their own?...

Because this is what they do. They dream big, and they seek to revolutionize the way we think about products. They don't settle on "it's just a...", no matter how simple it may be. There are only a handful of companies that have shaped the product landscape like this, and that doesn't happen without a little bit of zealous passion to create (and an ability to wade through naysayers that may find it ridiculous).

The presentation of the pen is the first thing that catches your attention. Each pen is sealed up in a specially made clear acrylic tube which is capped on both ends by machined metal plugs held in tightly with rubber washers. Adorned on the acrylic is the Dyson logo in a silvery print that matches the overall aesthetic. The packaging alone is an effort in and of itself to make an amazing statement about the thought that went into this piece.

Overall the pen design is very minimal, modern, and sleek. Practical and comfortable, but striking. Machined from stainless steel, the color is completely uniform and gives it a sort of futuristic and space age appeal. 

rOtring 600 Ballpoint, Dyson Biro, LAMY Unic

Like the packaging, the pen itself is etched with the Dyson logo on the clip and "Designed by Dyson" on the back.

The pen has a click mechanism, but not really a true click. More like a click and release. By pushing the knock down, the tip is extended, but you can't simply "click" it back up. To release, you push slightly on the top or clip which then internally triggers a release to retract the writing tip. Ultimately this surprised me as I thought by having a mechanism like this it would make the tip more susceptible to retracting while writing, but this was not the case. Somehow the engineering inside knows that when you are writing it doesn't trigger a mechanism for release even though there is pressure on it.

The clip is integrated with the design and matches the shape and contour of the pen. It is machined as one piece with the top of the knock which is made from the same stainless steel stock as the barrel. Although the clip does have some flex, it is quite strong and I am not worried about bending it. Even though there is a space between the clip and barrel, it works excellent whether clipping to paper or your shirt pocket.

From the tip of the pen all you see is a round opening that is way too large for your average ballpoint, but once the knock is pressed another metal sleeve extends with the refill giving a bit of a stair step up to the barrel. This is a very engineering type look that brands like rOtring and LAMY have used in their designs over the years (which are awesome).

The closest "relative" I would say is the discontinued LAMY Unic designed by Gerd Müller, the creator of the iconic LAMY 2000. The Unic is also cylindrical in shape and has a retracting tip.

Now, what type of refill does it take? After extending the tip you can unscrew the metal sleeve which exposes a small D1 refill. The brand of refill that was inside is called Premeo and was a ballpoint, but the options here are huge. Fisher Space Pen, Zebra Sharbo Gel, Uniball Jetstream... There are probably 100 different D1 refills to choose from.

The question that I'm sure is on everyone's mind: "how do we get one?"

Unfortunately, the Biro pen is not something that Dyson plans to produce for retail. Currently it is used by internal employees or given as a special gift to partners, suppliers, and key vendors that Dyson works with. That in mind, I feel privileged to have been given one to review here on The Clicky Post. I'm usually reluctant to review items that can't be bought or acquired easily, but this pen was too cool to pass up and not share with everyone.    

There is also another great review by Gizmodo on the Biro pen.  

As we're heading well into December you know what that means... holiday shopping. While we all like buying gifts for other people, sometimes we just need to buy stuff for ourselves too. Especially pens!

To spread a little holiday cheer this month I wanted to offer up two $25 JetPens gift certificates to a couple of lucky readers! Writing the blog is a lot of fun and I appreciate everyone that visits.

CONTEST RULES (the "fine print"):

- Contest will run through Sunday, December 13th and will end at 11:59pm Arizona Time, USA

- To enter, leave a comment below (limited to one entry per person; no cheating!): Why do you enjoy pens? Or simply, "why pens?!" which is the question I get a lot. Is it design, writing, engineering, status... nostalgia? This is something I've thought a lot about and would love to hear what you think!  ...and, take a moment to read what others have written. : ) 

- I will arrange the entries in numerical order and randomly select two winners.  The winners will be announced on the blog on Monday, December 14th and will need to connect with me within a week to claim their prize (or someone else gets it!).

- This giveaway is open to both US and International readers.

I want to offer a special thanks to everyone that took the time to enter this particular giveaway! There was a very selfish part of me that was excited to hear everyone's thoughts on why you enjoy pens (or obsess over them) as it is sometimes difficult to put into words for those that don't share our same sense of enthusiasm...

And the winners of the JetPens gift certificates are:

Congrats! Send me a message through the contact page so I can get your prizes to you!

Again, thanks to everyone for entering!

I'm just gonna lay it out there; December has been crazy. During the holidays my Dudek Modern Goods brand is at its busiest with orders coming in for gifts (thanks everyone that ordered!), so my evenings and weekends are pretty jammed with production. Not a complaint, but with being busy comes limited posts here on the blog. Excited to get back on a more consistent schedule!

A brand I love and that has had a prominent place on the blog pretty much since the beginning is Karas Kustoms and the recently formed sub-brand, Karas Pen Co. I work and live just a short drive away from their shop which grants me the pleasure of popping in and hanging out from time to time. Great guys making great stuff.

About midway through the year they released their first version of the Fountain K, but only in a small batch. The Render K is my favorite design in the Karas lineup, so when I heard a fountain pen version was coming out I was pretty thrilled. They've since released version 2 of the pen which has a slightly longer section as well as a new Bock nib instead of the original Schmidt nibs they've traditionally used in the Ink.

I've had the pleasure of writing with all of the Fountain Ks in their various materials of aluminum, brass, and copper, but we're going to focus today on the most visually brilliant of the three (in my opinion...), the copper.

As are all copper pens, it is probably redundant to say that it is a hefty pen. Weighing in at close to 2.75 oz inked, it will grab your attention when you pick it up. Personally, from a utility standpoint the aluminum versions are my go to. Most comfortable to hold for the long haul, and won't weigh down your pocket.

But the copper is so dang pretty...

I don't find that it would be a pen that I would take out and about with me due to the heft, but for some folks they love carrying around a really heavy pen with them. The copper and brass pens I do have I tend to enjoy while I'm at my desk.

The pen doesn't really post, although you could technically rest the cap on the back. I don't recommend it as it isn't a snug fit 

I can say openly that the machining process on the Karas pens has improved by leaps and bounds since those first Render Ks went out. The originals were still solidly made of course, but with new machinery, tumbling processes... the guys have really stepped up their game and it shows. I say that as a huge compliment that they are continuing to perfect their craft so we have the best products they can make in our hands. So a kuddos to them.

The copper is so polished that it has a more reflective surface. This means, fingerprint city initially until it builds up a patina (if you can hold out long enough without cleaning it...).

Regarding the Bock nib to replace the Schmidt, I'm not entirely sure why the change, but there are pros and cons for me. I really enjoyed the Schmidt nibs as they seemed to come out of the box with more ink flow which made a smoother experience on the page. The downside with them was that they seemed to feather a bit more which made the lettering not quite as attractive. 

The Bock nibs seem a little grabby on the page with less ink flow, but the lines are sharper. I feel a need to get one of the Bock nibs adjusted for more flow and it would be about perfect.

The pen can take a standard international short or long cartridge as well as your standard converter.

Although the guys provided me this copper version free of charge for review purposes, I've bought two other Fountain Ks on my own and really enjoy them. Definitely take a minute to check out the selection they have and they also recently released the colors series in the aluminum editions!  

Thanks again to Karas for providing the Fountain K for review

I received three of these 90th Anniversary Omas journals awhile back from the fine people over at Kenro Industries and am excited to provide two of them for a giveaway here on The Clicky Post! Kenro is the US distributor for several pen brands we might recognize like Aurora, Montegrappa, and (obviously), Omas.

Special thanks to Kenro for sending them over!

CONTEST RULES (the "fine print"):

- Contest will run through Wednesday January 6th, 2016 and will end at 11:59pm Arizona Time, USA

- To enter, leave a comment below (limited to one entry per person; no cheating!): Do you have any pen/writing related goals or thoughts for 2016? Any pens in particular you want to try and acquire?

- I will arrange the entries in numerical order and randomly select two winners.  The winners will be announced on the blog on Thursday, January 7th and will need to connect with me within a week to claim their prize (or someone else gets it!).

- This giveaway is open to both US and International readers.

Vintage pens are something I've barely scratched the surface on. They make me nervous. They seem a bit frail, unpredictable... will it work? For how long?

Up until now I've only owned three different "vintage" pens (excluding all of the Pilot stainless series of course), but every once in awhile a pen crosses your path that might be a good fit. Oddly enough, this pen came through a non-pen person, my mom. She is a collector of vintage things and happened across a pencil and fountain pen set on one of her searches. Someone had found it in an old estate and all I had to go off of was a photo in a text message (which is always interesting, right?). I made an offer of $40 for the set which was accepted and I was willing to take a chance.

Text message image from mom. This was my buying process...

The set was in the original box and was a Parker 61 stainless steel Jet Flighter series. I've had my eye on some vintage Parker Flighters (Mr. Thomas Hall loaned me a 51 Flighter earlier this year) and thought this might be fun to look into.

Epic packaging, right?

The pictures made the pen appear to be in decent shape, but upon arrival the cap jewel was missing on the fountain pen and it had ink dried up inside...likely, 30-40 year old ink. And the pencil didn't work, but I wasn't really banking on that. Discouraging? Not really. I was excited to see what could become of it.

When the pen arrived I didn't know much about it. I wasn't sure when the pen was from, how it was going to work, but what I did find was that the filling system was a bit unique. Instead of a cartridge or converter of some kind, the section had a plastic tube sticking out from it that was permanently attached. After some searching and studying I found that this filling system was called the capillary system. Very odd.

The capillary system was initially announced in 1956 as a revolutionary and "no mess" filling process as all you needed to do is dip the teflon coated "converter" end into the ink and let it wick for about 30 seconds. Inside the system is a tightly wound porous plastic that would hold the ink in the feed.

Ultimately, Parker discontinued the capillary system as it was prone to being clogged and had mixed/poor reviews from customers, so I suppose I had my work cut out for me. Still, I was up to the challenge. The capillary system puts the pen somewhere between 1956 and into the early 60's which is fun.

Since the feed was clogged with likely 40 year old ink I got to work soaking and flushing it with a bulb syringe and after over 2 hours of squeezing through what seemed ridiculous amounts of blue ink I decided to give it a go.

Success! After inking it up it wrote smoothly and with great flow. And actually, it is really pleasant to write with. A nice wet writer with clean lines and just enough feedback on the page.

The 51 Flighter that Thomas loaned me was quite heavy in the barrel as it was machined from a solid piece of steel, but the 61 is quite light. Each end of the pen is fashioned with a jeweled adornment (cap one was missing as mentioned) which I think reduces a bit of weight.

The barrel and cap didn't have any dings or dents, but did show signs of use. That actually made me pretty happy to know that its previous owner enjoyed using it. Being stainless steel, I may take a piece of soft scotch bright and re-brush it to a a consistent pattern. But, maybe not.

The nib is a hooded style much like the 51 and the section is made from a black acrylic and adorned with a steel, inlaid arrow. From what I've read the 61s often lose this inlaid arrow sometime during their life, so I'm pleased that this one has held on. The sections in these older pens are often prone to fractures and cracking, but luckily mine is in great shape.

With what I consider my small "vintage" collection of non-Pilot pens.

There was the issue of the cap jewel... I was directed to a site called pentooling.com which is run by a gentleman named Dale Beebe. After a quick email exchange, Dale informed me that he had an original Parker 61 cap jewel that he could send out right away. The cap jewel cost $18 which I felt was extremely fair for an original Parker piece. Dale was great to work with and I'd recommend his services without question. 

Considering the set was $40, paying $18 for an adornment piece may seem high, but overall I am happy to have paid in the range of $60 for a cool vintage pen that works even with a little character. And that helped me to learn quite a few new things.

I'm not certain I'll ever get into the hobby of pen restoration or play too much in the vintage arena, but this was a really fun experience that helped me step a bit outside of my comfort zone.

Kind of an impromptu giveaway, but thanks to everyone that took the time to enter to win the 90th Anniversary Omas Journals! I enjoyed reading your thoughts/goals for 2016 and I hope you're all off to a great year.

Also, a special thanks again to Kenro Industries for providing the notebooks!

And the winners are:

Tony and Pascal!

Congrats! To claim your prizes, connect with me via the Contact page with your details and I'll get your books sent out. 

Thanks again to everyone! Keep an eye out for more giveaways soon.

A few years ago in the early stages of the blog I posted some images of a walnut pen holder storage project I was working on, and what came out of it was something I didn't expect... A side business, Dudek Modern Goods, hand making walnut pen holders in various shapes and sizes that I would soon be shipping around the world. This has been a humbling ride as the support for my products has been tremendous throughout our amazing community. Thank you!

Every so often I work on and develop new items in the shop, and I've recently created three new pieces that I'd like to share!

What is different about these from previous pieces is that they incorporate a place to include a small succulent, cactus, or plant on your desk to liven up your work space. I've been wanting to make something like this for myself (selfishly) for awhile and worked out all the details to now bring them to you.

The three new pieces are The Greenery, The Sprout, and The Planter.

One of the driving forces behind the philosophy I try to follow with Dudek Modern Goods and in my own life is buying things that have a sense of heritage and personality. It's not simply buying "something that works", but something that carries the obvious stamp of someone who cares about the product they're making or selling to you. When you purchase a product from a person that has made it just for you, I believe there is a value in that and hopefully something that is reflected upon during the time you own it (hopefully forever). 

Thank you again for the tremendous support over the last few years and thanks for taking a look at the new pieces!

- Mike Dudek

I must admit, I'm not generally the type to be drawn to "sparkly" things. Things I buy usually fall into the categories of black, grey, silver, or brown (when wood or leather are concerned). But, every once in awhile something catches your attention that seems to break the mold.

Hence, I am now the happy owner of a Sailor Sapporo or Pro Gear Slim Starburst Galaxy (mouthful) fountain pen that I picked up from Pen Chalet.

I've been a bit of a fan of the Sailor fountain pens ever since Brad Dowdy loaned me his 1911 Black Luster, so I eventually picked myself up a bright orange Pro Gear which I subsequently had tuned by Mike Masuyama last April in Atlanta.

Generally the word "slim" with fountain pens makes me think of the word "small", which isn't as appealing as a more full size. At first I was a bit nervous to pick up the Starburst Galaxy due to what may turn out to be petite pen, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is definitely smaller than your standard Pro Gear,  but I've found the size to be quite comfortable.

The cap posts and is the most comfortable way to use the pen for me. The clip is pretty flexible, but sturdy. 

Another difference apart from size when comparing to the standard Pro Gear is the nib. The larger pen boasts a bigger 21k gold nib, while the slim a smaller 14k. I feel the size of the nib fits the pen very well and isn't too large or small. 

A common claim about Sailor nibs is that they have a lot of feedback. This is completely true in all experiences I've had with the pens I've tried. Some people prefer a glassier writing experience (perhaps like the LAMY 2000), and if that is the case for you a Sailor nib may be a bit uncomfortable. It could obviously be smoothed and tuned by a nibmeister, but out of the box you may feel like they are scratchy.

Personally, I prefer a wet nib with a fair amount of feedback. A dry writer I can't really handle, but feedback with sufficient ink flow lets me know each stroke is happening on the page.

This is the first pen I've ever bought that had a music nib on it. There are a few bloggers that tend to get a little excited about all things music nib (I'm calling out Azizah from gourmetpens.com in jest a bit...), but I suppose I've never felt a need to give one a try. I mean, are people really writing our their sheet music with fountain pens anymore?... and I don't write music... I think the name doesn't really matter.

So, I still decided to try one here on the galaxy.

The best way I can describe a music nib is like a big stub-nibbed marker. It is large and in charge on the page to say the least, and lays down a lot of ink, but is fun! Still has the standard Sailor feedback, but not uncomfortable for me. 

Wide vertical strokes and narrow horizontals. At least this is how it is working out for me. Although, I wonder if music nibs are meant to traditionally be held a different way? When writing music notes, the verticals should be narrow and the horizontals wide, right? Like you would get with an architect grind. 

Like in the shameful stock photo I borrowed from Google below: 

This makes me think either you write music with the sheets sideways or you turn the pen counter clockwise 90 degrees while writing... if anyone has thoughts or insights on this I'd love to hear some of the rationale.

Now, for what makes this pen so awesome: the sparkles. Yes, the sparkles. Not something I normally say, but dang. 

The barrel is a deep, dark blue/black but all throughout are tiny, glittering specs of silver and light blue everywhere. Seriously, like looking up at the clearest night sky full of stars. It sounds like I'm getting all poetic here, but its true. They really nailed it on the material and it is captivating. Its one of those pens you find yourself looking at a lot.

Sadly, Sailor only produced a limited number of 500 pens which means they may be getting scarce. Pen Chalet has a huge selection of Sailor pens (which I'd recommend checking out), but is now sold out of these.

The barrel doesn't have any "limited edition" writing or numbering signifying that it is a one time thing, so maybe they'll come out with others like it. The retail pricepoint on it was $250 which I felt was reasonable.  

Every so often I go through and try and consolidate what I'm using most and part with things I'm not. I pretty much love all pens, but can't use all of the ones I buy long term.

At the top of the site there is a Pen Sale tab where I have some things listed if you'd like to take a look.

It is safe to assume also that any ballpoint/rollerball refills may be dried out and all listed fountain pens do not come with cartridges or converters (but I'll probably toss something in with them if I have it...).

Thanks!

Probably something I've always known, but realize more so now is that I'm probably a bit on the compulsive side. I am usually pretty logical (almost to a fault), but when something fascinates me I feel a need (compulsion) to educate myself about, pursue, and ultimately experience most of what that "thing" has to offer.

There have been a few posts around the pen community from time to time about the pursuit of "Grail" pens. Below are links to a few: 

My Pen Needs Ink

Ken Crooker

Pen Economics

Ed Jelley

With some obvious reference (albeit religious in nature which hopefully doesn't drive too many people nuts) to the mythical crusade in search of the cup Christ used at the Last Supper, seeking out a grail pen could mean different things to different people. It could be price, scarcity, rarity+condition, etc.

What I mean by rarity+condition is that maybe it is fairly easy to find one of your grail pens, but they all seem to be in really poor condition. Perhaps you're looking for something NOS (new old stock) that is as mint as the day it came from the manufacturer, even if decades later. I've been bitten by the NOS bug for sure, but generally that means you'll be paying a bit more to get what you want.

Maybe they only made a very small number and there are few surviving examples... Whatever your grail quest is about, it can be your own.

The title of this post suggests taking the grail pen journey to a different level: grail sets.

If you've been following the blog for quite some time you'll know that I went through a pretty heavy patch (understatement) of buying and reviewing vintage rOtring pens. Ok, I went nuts about the brand for a time. At one point my collection of vintage rOtring pens was near 25 or so, but slowly over time I parted with many until I'm now down to about 7 or 8 "core" rOtring pens I know I'll use and enjoy. Even though I bought a lot of them, I'm not sure I ever had the idea in my head that I needed one of each or anything like that.

There are some other pens that I'm finding a need to complete... which is proving difficult, but a fun challenge.

The Striped Pilots

Once the rOtring thing died down a bit for me I found myself enamored with vintage steel Pilot pens like the MYU, Murex, Custom, and Elite. Such a fascinating time in pen manufacturing.

While I have bought a good range of these pens, there is a specific sub-group of them that has really gotten ahold of me. For a time in the early 70's, Pilot produced a specific style of these pens in a black vertical stripe pattern which I find absolutely stunning.

They produced several different pens in the line with this design:

Ballpoint, Mechanical Pencil, Custom, MYU, Feltliner, and Capless (notice this one is not pictured...)

Once set side by side, they are just an amazing looking group of design and pen history and I am smitten by them.

Some of the regulars that come up are the striped MYU and Custom, but you'd be surprised at just how scarce the others are. I could go months and months without catching a glimpse of the others on eBay or other sites.

I received the striped pencil from an awesome reader and Instagramer, Nic (@NIC_V5) who knew I was on the hunt, and I'm so appreciative he gave me the opportunity to get it from him.

Oddly enough I found the feltliner and ballpoint in two separate auctions on eBay in the same week, although they are also super rare it seems.

The Capless (retractable fountain pen) version is my true-true grail pen it seems. I've only seen them pop up once every few months or so, but when they do they are either in terrible condition or they end up going for really, really high prices (that I'd just need to be comfortable paying). It isn't even that attractive of a pen, but it is fantastic... and I need it.

The LAMY Unic

The other bug I was bitten by over the last year and a half was the LAMY Unic, a discontinued line of slim, cylindrical ballpoints and fountain pens designed by the beloved Gerd A. Müller, the father of the iconic LAMY 2000 that we cherish.

One of the things that makes the Unic different is that the ballpoint versions have a telescoping tip which retracts in and out. The clip is sort of bolted on and carries a very "Müller-esque" appeal. It was created in the early 80's, held on for probably about 15 years or so, but was ultimately pulled from production. Not sure why, but info is pretty scarce.

Now, getting your hands on just ONE Unic can seem somewhat daunting enough, but how about trying to acquire all of the possible variations? Probably crazy.

What I discovered pretty quickly from an Instagram friend, Marcel (@marcellix), was that the ballpoint came in four finishes/materials: stainless steel, matte black, titanium coated, and gunmetal. And from what I could find the fountain pen came in matte black and stainless, but I'm not entirely sure about the other finishes.

Wow. Even with only six potential pens to find, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Take a moment to go on eBay and search "LAMY Unic" and see how many come up... not many, and usually always in the matte black. And, expensive.

Now that my quest was started, Marcel was kind enough to help me get going with a matte black set and eventually a titanium coated, but I was on my own for the others.

I later found a stainless steel fountain pen on ebay that I scored for a solid deal (which also had a gold nib to boot), and got a stainless from an auction house in Germany I think.

Even looking at the Unic pens, I'm still not sure what it is that makes me so drawn to them. They are just super cool, interesting, designed by one of our favorites, and maybe even a bit obscure. Maybe all of that is a recipe for intrigue. 

If you've been keeping track, you'll have noticed that I was missing one more: the gunmetal.

With a pretty decent pulse on the available eBay Unic pens, I only saw one gunmetal go up for sale in a year... 

Although by pure happenstance, another Instagram friend shot me a photo of a Unic as we were randomly messaging about the model. It was a gunmetal version. Swoon.

After a few months, we came to an agreement where I could acquire the gunmetal Unic from him and complete the set. You would think it would leave me feeling empty now that the search was over... nope. Feels great.

Besides, I still have the striped Pilot Capless to find... 

Do you have a grail set? I would love to hear what you're searching for...

I'm very pleased to announce a new sponsor to The Clicky Post, Appelboom!

Appelboom is a pen retailer that has been serving the Netherlands for over 20 years and has a fantastic reputation for customer care and value. I've made several purchases from them myself and I always receive my pens promptly and well packaged (gift wrapped actually).

They carry an extensive variety of pens from our favorite brands like Sailor, LAMY, Kaweco, and others and are even a distributor for Montblanc. I've personally found several unique models that I've not seen carried by other retailers, so definitely take a look at their lineup.

For buyers outside of the EU, the pricing removes the included 21% VAT (value added tax) which can often translate into big savings for more expensive pens with Appelboom's competitive pricing.

Also, when placing an order use the promo code FRIEND for 10% off of your purchase for more savings.
(The promo code is not applicable for Montblanc pens due to their non-discount policies, but is available for all other brands.)

Thanks so much to Appelboom for sponsoring The Clicky Post! 

Pencils are something I admittedly dabble in quite a bit less than pens (although I really enjoy pencils too), but occasionally people in the pencil fanatic communities like our friends Tim, Johnny, and Andy over at The Erasable Podcast talk about certain products enough that I can't help but buy them.

In comes the KUM "The Masterpiece" pencil sharpener. Sounds pretty impressive, right?

Apparently these particular sharpeners have traditionally not been sold by retailers in the United States, but that changed recently and the awesome ladies at CW Pencil Enterprise got them in and I quickly placed my order.

In addition to the sharpener I also bought a few pencils (because, it is impossible not to) and I'm using at the moment an older Eberhard Faber Mongol 482 (which may be gone now) that I got from their "vintage pencils" section. They have an older Mongol from around the turn of the 20th century that has an awesome ferrule which looks amazing, but is $30. A steal for the avid collector no doubt...

In a nutshell, this sharpener creates an incredibly sharp and long point. I mean, super long and super sharp. Like, wicked sharp. Like, don't let little kids or people who have difficulty with pointy things play with kind of sharp.

The Masterpiece comes in a little stretchy, spandex-like pouch with a snap closure and big KUM logo on the front, wherein lies a little plastic box that holds the actual sharpener. Full disclosure, this sharpener costs $17 which seems like a lot, but the results it produces are astounding. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up long term.

The sharpener is of the hand sharpening variety and has no moving parts. It also has no shaving collection process, so you'll need a place to put them as you go. I don't smoke, but on my desk I have a vintage brass ashtray from the 1939 New York World's Fair (like this one) which acts as my shavings collection bin, and it looks cool. I actually got the idea from Dan Bishop of Karas Kustoms to use a vintage ashtray. There are so many cool ashtrays that really are works of art or history that don't get used and this is a perfect repurposing application for them. 

In addition to being a hand sharpener, it is also a two step sharpening process. The solid magnesium block has two sections each with their own blade for each part of the process. The first hole marked with a "1" shaves away the wood and leaves a long cylinder of nearly unsharpened graphite sticking out of the end. Almost like it strips the graphite clean... amazing.

There is a blue piece of rubber that is attached (but optional) to the magnesium block which acts as a stopper. While sharpening during step 1, when the graphite touches the blue stopper you're done.

Hole "2" is for step 2 and is where we take that cylinder of graphite and gently sharpen it to a point. Slowly the blade shaves away bits of graphite dust until you are left with what equates to a writing spear. 

Seriously, the result is so fantastic. Although, I'm not entirely certain as to why a point like this is desirable over other sharpness angles, but it is sure to allow for a pretty decent writing session.

I did an initial test with two pencils of seemingly very different grades: the vintage Eberhard Faber Mongol 482 mentioned earlier and a much softer Palomino Blackwing 211. Also, paired up with the Doane Paper Idea Journal because I enjoy the slight "tooth" that Doane Paper has when using pencils.

The Mongol kept its point and sharpness pretty much throughout the whole test (without even breaking which was impressive for a 50 year old pencil), but as you can imagine the 211's tip snapped off a bit with the first few letters. Even still, it held an awesome writing point for several lines of writing which I generally don't get with a shorter sharpening.

Is this one of those need to have items? For the price, maybe not, but the results are amazing and worth getting if you are a pencil enthusiast. I'm super pleased with it.

Many people really enjoy the the modern look and feel of the various LAMY ballpoint models, but absolutely hate the M16 refill that comes with it. Now, I personally don't find it too offensive to use for everyday writing, but what if there was potentially a better way?

About a month or so ago I got a message through Instagram by Anson Chiu (@neotrooper) with a picture of something he had just bought that I had never heard of: an adaptor for your LAMY ballpoints...

I was intrigued.

This seems highly enthusiastic!

What this adaptor does is allow the user to insert the tiny D1 refills that we most commonly find in multipens into a LAMY ballpoint pen format. There are a lot of beloved gel, hybrid, or other ballpoint refills like the Zebra Sharbo X, Uniball Jetstream, or Fisher Space pen that are made with a D1 size so this opened a whole new world of opportunity.

These adaptors only seem to be found in Japan, but I located a seller on eBay (from Japan) that had some listed. I can't seem to find that seller anymore, so these may be hard to get now.

Although, I did find it from a seller (maybe the same one) on Amazon for around the same price.

I wouldn't say it was at all inexpensive... I believe I paid around $15 total to get it, but I figured it would be worth a try. It took a month to get here, so I was hoping it was worth the wait.

The adaptor is a small piece made of two parts: a black plastic sleeve section where you insert the D1 and a metal base which you insert into the pen. It is very well made.

I had a 0.5mm Zebra gel refill available in my stash to test with, which also happens to be a favorite.

My initial hopes would be that it would work in my vintage LAMY Unic ballpoints, but it unfortunately didn't seem to fit properly. I'd wager that it is due to the telescoping tip mechanism which may have some slightly different tolerances. Kind of a bummer, but I may try to do some "modifications" to the adaptor to see if I can get it to fit.

Instead, I loaded the adaptor and gel refill into my stainless steel LAMY 2000 ballpoint and it fit perfectly. The tip extended and retracted without issue and writing didn't yield any of the dreaded "wiggle" we often get with retractable pens.

My thoughts are that the adaptor would fit well in most LAMY ballpoints like the Safari, AL-Star, Eco, and other less complicated ones. I've yet to try the Dialog 1 ballpoint by LAMY which I believe has a bit of a telescoping action, so this one may be out... we'll see.

All in all, this is a sweet little piece of equipment to help enhance your daily writing with the pens you love. Cheap? Not really, but may be worth it. I know I'll get a ton of use out of this thing.

Here again is that link to Amazon if you think this might be something you need...

I had seen Story Supply Co on Instagram and Twitter, but hadn't yet taken the opportunity to try out their notebooks. They were kind enough to offer me up a pack to review here on the blog, so a special thanks to them for sending a set my way.

The first thing that stands out to me about the Story Supply Co notebooks is their very simple, but classy looking covers. The set I received is a dark, matte blue with a contrasting cream/ivory colored logo. Nothing too fancy, but nicely done.

Before getting into the notebook a bit more, the company was founded under the idea that everyone has a story to tell. Hence, a little pocket notebook to carry with you to jot down your meaningful experiences, ideas, and maybe even your grocery list, but somewhere to intentionally capture your thoughts. Their mission to spread this idea around is translated into one of their business choices: to provide a kid in need a "Supply Kit" to tell their own story.

A snippet from their site that I found a bit inspiring: 

Stories matter. They help us connect and empathize with others. They make us a little bit more human. But most of all, stories, and the ability to tell and share those stories, give us a voice. 

Well done, Story Supply Co. Super cool.

Even with all of the motivational feel good stuff, these notebooks are actually solid performers. I put one of mine through a gauntlet of different writing choices and it came out pretty well on all accounts.

Palomino Blackwing 211 -

What I found was that the paper didn't have very much "tooth" so it didn't eat through a pencil, even on softer grades like the limited Palomino Blackwing 211. The notebook cover stock is pretty thick which made for a solid writing surface. It wasn't flimsy or flopping around.

The paper they provided me is the blank (which is a little outside of my comfort zone I might add...) which is also nice and sturdy. I believe their only option is more of an off-white, ivory colored paper, but it fits nicely with the branding colors and aesthetic.

LAMY Al-Star Fountain Pen -

Pocket notebooks are traditionally hit or miss when it comes to fountain pens, but I found that the Story Supply Co notebook performed pretty well with the new LAMY Al-Star (recently acquired from Appelboom) that I tested on it. 

As mentioned, the paper is a bit thicker and it seemed to have a bit of "grab" on the nib. LAMY nibs tend to be a bit glassy, so this could be part of it. I found the grabbiness of the page tended to result in some occasional skips with what has been a traditionally wet writer.

From a performance standpoint, the lines had very little feathering which is always the problem. I mean, was it "amazing" around feathering, not perfect, but passable for everyday writing for sure. 

The nib I used is a fine (German, so around a medium in most Japanese brands) and bleed through was minimal. That being said, if you're thinking you might want to go BB on the notebook, prepare for some significant bleeding onto the next page.

Uniball Signo UM-151 0.5mm and Schmidt Fineliner - 

The last tests I did on the book were with more of your normal, everyday writer type of pens. 

I chose a more fine-ish gel pen as well as a porous, felt tip pen as these are some of my favorites when not using fountain pens.

The gel wrote about as expected (great) with no problems, but I found that the Fineliner ended up even better. I really enjoy the more expressive lettering that comes with felt/plastic tipped pens, and the Story Supply Co book performed fantastic. I'll probably make this more of my go-to.

Special thanks again to Story Supply Co for sending me a pack to sample and review and, in conclusion, I was quite pleased with the product and results.

Take a moment to check them out and give them a try.  

If you are fairly new to the blog, in addition to writing The Clicky Post I also produce a line of modern handmade walnut pen and notebook stands under the brand Dudek Modern Goods. The support (worldwide) has been so huge over the last three years of making them!

All of my pieces serve a need in their own special way, but sometimes I play favorites....

The recent addition of The Planter, a piece to hold nine of your favorite pens or pencils as well as a succulent or cactus has been received with such a positive response that I felt that a giveaway was in order!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

The "Fine Print" (sort of):

This giveaway is open to US and International readers (woohoo!) and will run through Saturday, March 26th, until 11:59pm PST (Arizona). 

To enter, post a comment below about whether your desk is super organized, a complete mess, or somewhere in between...

I will arrange the entries in order as received and use a random number generator to pick the winner. The winner will be announced the next day and will have one week to claim their prize!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! We had 144 entries which was a solid turnout.

And the winner is:

Congrats, Eugene! Connect with me via the Contact page with your details and I'll get your prize sent out.

Spring Sale 10% Off

In addition to the giveaway I thought I'd also run a quick Spring special for 10% off using the promo code SPRING10 at checkout on any Dudek Modern Goods order through April 3rd.

Again, thanks to everyone that entered and for the continued support!

The past couple of months have been a bit crazy which has lead to posts being a little more sparse than usual. We welcomed a new addition to the family as well as bought and moved into another home, so those two things as well as keeping the Dudek Modern Goods shop open in the meantime has spread my days pretty thin. Things are getting more settled, so expect things to be a bit more consistent.

Earlier this year I received a pen that we've heard quite a bit about, the Montblanc M fountain pen designed by Marc Newson. There was quite a buzz when this pen was first announced as it has a few unique features that Montblanc has never done like having the emblem on a "plateau" of the side of the pen as well as a magnetic cap. 

Now, to be clear I am not a Montblanc aficionado by any means. Only within the last year or so had I acquired my first and the M is my second. Due to the pricepoint on these pens I have a hesitancy to purchase them because there is always a debate of "what you're paying for". I knew that over time I would eventually purchase one or two, but I don't foresee it being a consistent thing.

I got the pen from Appelboom of the Netherlands (also a sponsor of The Clicky Post) and the package came promptly and well packaged. Their shop has a wide variety of pens by most of our favorite brands, so definitely take some time to check through their selection. If you live in the states and purchase through Appelboom, 21% is automatically removed from the price due to VAT (which we don't pay), which can often make pricing extremely reasonable.

As expected, the pen comes in a pretty swanky Montblanc box which upholds the presentation that the pricepoint would demand. If ever you receive a Montblanc as a gift they definitely fulfill on the experience I think.

The M only comes in a black, "precious" resin that is buffed to a piano gloss finish. Most Montblanc pens are adorned with gold or platinum rings to add some "bling", but the M is a sleeker, more minimalist style with the clip being the only part that stands out. I would wager that there are some people that love this and others that completely hate it. Perhaps there is a perception of what a Montblanc pen "should" be or has traditionally been, and this pen stands to apply a shift within the brand to branch out.

Personally, I enjoy the design and its simplicity. Its a bit understated, maybe even a bit boring, but is still unique.

I've only owned a couple of magnetic pens outside of the Ti2 Techliner and the M's unique cap has taken a little getting used to. To its credit it has never popped off in my shirt pocket or when I've carried it in a bag, but there is always that nagging feeling that it might? The way the magnet(s) is positioned within the cap forces the clip to face the plateau. This is actually pretty neat and it performs this task perfectly. I like things that line up when they are supposed to.

The clip itself is also quite simple being comprised of a rounded hoop shape which also has no adornments or embellishments. The design fits the pen, but part of me wishes it was a solid, flat piece of metal all the way up. Or maybe it could have been ion plated black like the Sailor 1911 Black Luster... Oddly enough, on this pen they did some darker metal accents on the section and nib, so it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. A black metallic clip would've been pretty awesome. 

When you remove the cap (which does not post) you find the section is a darker grey, gunmetal type of finish which is almost completely covered with machined grooves. These grooves act as texture while holding the pen and aren't sharp to the touch. Just behind the grooves are a couple of additional lines and the engraving "MONTBLANC" several times wrapped around the section. 

The section is heavy and, in my opinion, makes the pen a bit unbalanced. You can feel the tip of the pen weighing down while holding it as the inability to post the cap coupled with an all resin barrel makes for a light tail end. It isn't unusably heavy by any means, but compared to the the platinum 146 Meisterstück which is extremely comfortable even when posted it is very unbalanced.

There is a considerable drop and edge where the section meets the barrel. My grip is of the traditional "triangle" sorts so it isn't much of a bother, but my thumb does rest a bit on that ledge.

Filling the pen you are limited to using the Montblanc ink cartridges (or other international shorts) as a standard converter doesn't fit. There are likely other, shorter converters that may fit, but I have yet to try any.

The nib is actually quite small, again, comparing to the Meisterstück, and is very simple or even plain. That being said, I believe this pen shares the same nib and feed as the StarWalker series which is one of the edgier designs within the Montblanc lineup, but is still quite popular.

The nib is rhodium-coated 14k gold and has a two-tone effect due to a ruthenium-coated inlay that has been placed over the tines. The nib also contains the initials "MN" for Marc Newson, the designer. Whilst I can appreciate the addition of his initials as the designer, I do feel it took a relatively unexciting nib and made it a bit less attractive. Sorry Marc....

One thing I cannot complain about has been the performance of the nib. It is flawless and exactly how I would expect a pen of this price range to perform. It is a wet and generous medium that I would rate more on the glassy side. While writing I know the nib is on the page, but there is no dryness and has just the slightest feedback. Other than some occasional slow starting when I've allowed it to sit for a week or so without writing, the nib hasn't skipped once. It really is a pleasure to write with and flows at about the perfect rate for my preference.

The nib is also a bit on the stiff side and doesn't have much of a softness or flex to it.

So, have I completely confused you about my opinions on this pen? I've been saying I enjoy the design even though it is a bit boring and that the writing experience is top notch even though it is a bit unbalanced... Luckily, my place is not to tell you whether to buy this pen or not, but just to share my opinions and experience. I'm personally glad to have the M in my pen collection as it is a bit unique and I've enjoyed carrying it when I do. It likely wont be one of my go-to pens I can't leave un-inked, but I know it will be one I fill from time to time. I don't know; maybe at some point every pen lover needs at least one Montblanc? I'm indifferent about that.