Mitsubishi PiN Watertype 03 Felt Tip Pen

One of the pens I wanted to try from the Tokyo Pen Shop was the Mitsubishi PiN Watertype Felt Tip Pen , a waterproof and fade-proof needle point pen which comes in black or blue ink and in 01, 02, and 03 tip sizes. I chose the blue 03, the largest tip, so I could see how thick the line is on this (someday I'm going to do a comparison of pen lines, just to see how the different sizes actually look next to each other).

The Mitsubishi PiN's tip is fairly firm, not squishy, but does have a bit of give to it. The pen is round and matte black, with clean lines that reminds me a bit of the Muji Gel Ink pen. The cap has two clear windows so you can see the tip, which would identify the size if you don't feel like looking at the top of the cap or at the printed number running around the barrel (although the printing is in a medium gray, not really visible on this pen from a foot away).

I'm definitely interested in trying the 01 and 02, and will put them on my wish list for the next order. Just an FYI, the Tokyo Pen Shop has now added Nomadic Pen Cases to its lineup, including bright orange. Definitely worth checking out.

Review: FAF Un Bloc Pad

My FAF Un Bloc Pad arrived last week from Design Within Reach and I had a few quick thoughts, mostly I was surpised and very pleased that this is an Exacompta product. It is a top quality, elegantly spare notepad with a lot of thought put into the design. If you happen to be looking for a stylish and minimalist present for yourself, this is something to consider (maybe in the smaller size, which is more purse/tote/bookbag friendly.




The first thing to notice is the packaging: a sturdy presentation box that opens to show off the notepad and it's wrapper, with lots of French to let you know this is one elegant import. Many of the items at Design Within Reach are sleek and unpretentious. Their stores are spare and modern, but they only sell furniture--no paper or notepads. When I stopped by one on West 14th Street I did get to see the small notepad that the sales manager was using, and it is a great size for mobile writing.





Anyway, it's available in large and small sizes and the steel back has rubber rounds on it to prevent slipping or damage to surfaces. There are 200 sheets of roughly 10 inch x 10.5inch two-hole paper, held in place by a metal bar and two brass washers.


One detail you notice when you take the washers and metal bar off is that the paper is both notched on the side and scored along the length When everything is put back, the side of the metal bar now fits into the notch of the paper, allowing the sheets to be ripped off the notepad smoothly and evenly.

Here's another view of the notepad without the metal bar or washers, you can see the scoring along the length and the notch in the side. The top of the steel notepad curves over and acts as a stopper so the paper is even when it is placed in the two metal spike/tacks.

Another side view, this time from the front of the notepad. One interesting point that you can see in a few of the pictures above is that the paper has four holes punched into it although there are only two spikes The other two holes are in-between the spikes, and I'm not sure what use they might have.

I love that the Exacompta name is right on the metal bar above the left washer. On the right is says "Un Bloc Pad."





Put it all together and you get this, a beautiful and functional notepad that turns heads at meetings. The paper is actually better than I had originally thought. It's very light and feels like regular copy paper--definitely not Rhodia or Clairefontaine, but sturdy nonetheless. What was surprising was how much my gel ink and fountain pens liked it. They pretty much glided over he paper with no resistance, although when I was writing with the fountain pen that was the first time I actually heard myself writing. There was a definite shadow on the opposite side but not bleed through, making this paper a good choice for the notepad. I'm not sure if I'll be ordering refills or looking for alternatives. I have a few MiquelRius notebooks that have paper that will fit this with a little tinkering, but it's really not the same.

Pilot Custom 74 Clear Demonstrator

Being a Pilot Namiki fan I thought I'd review The Pilot Custom 74 from my collection, an interesting fountain pen. The Custom 74 has a clear demonstrator barrel and the nib is solid 14K gold with rhodium plating. The tassie (the cup shaped bezel at the end of the barrel), grip and cap are in a contrasting smoke grey resin. The appointments--the clip and trim--are plated in rhodium. The pen can be filled using a converter or ink cartridges, in this case I'm using the onverter and have filled the pen, which has a fine nib, with Noodler's Old Dutch Colony Sepia exclusive to th4e Fountain Pen Hospital.

Here's why I find it interesting. Various write-ups mention it's flexible nib, which puts me in mind of the Falcon and Falcon II. But my Custom 74 doesn't flex, it's as hard as a nail. Not only that, it feels scratchy when I write, like a tooth diggining into the paper. I don't know if I've got the bummer of the batch or what, but I'm definitely going to have the nib tamed down. Perhaps into a fine cursive italic, as I've gotten to like my Rotring 900 CI quite alot.

Other things of note: it's a lightweight pen, medium-sized, and the smokey grey cap is still clear enough to see ink drops from the nib. I haven't noticed any ink creep on the nib, and other than the scratchiness the Custom 74 writes wonderfully well. The piston converter can be a royal pain but with time and practice you get used to it.

I'm not sure this is a great pen, but it's definitely a good one to add to your collection. Especially if you love clear demonstrators, as I do.

The Carnival is Here!

The Seventh Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is now posted at School Supply Dance. Lots of great posts, and two fantastic Editor's Choices: Julie (Okami) on the Sheaffer Statesman Snorkel and Passion from The Pen Archives compares pencil cases.

In addition, Jack's review of the Jinhao Evening Stripes Fountain Pen is also presented.

The Eighth Carnival in March doesn't have a host yet, but you can submit your posts here.

Happy Imbolc!

February 2, known also as Ground Hog Day and Candlemas, is Imbolc in the Wiccan Year--the return of the light, really when you start to notice that there are a few extra minutes of sunlight at the beginning and end of the day. And whether the ground hog sees its shadow or not, Spring is only six weeks away.




~Magickal Graphics~

Talking About Detective Fiction

I'm currently reading P.D. James's Talking About Detective Fiction, much of which is about the Golden Age of British detective fiction that is essentially the period between the two world wars. While I might disagree (Richard Jury and Alan Banks, as well as Adam Dalgliesh, immediately come to mind), James dissects the work of the four major writers of that period (and beyond, in some cases): Agatha Christie (who James does not care for and isn't shy about saying why), Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh.

One particular quote from the book:

In his book Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster writes:

"The king died and then the queen died" is a story. "The king died and then the queen died of grief" is a plot..."The queen died and no one knew why until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the king." This is a plot with a mystery in it, a form capable of high development.

To that I would add, "Everyone thought that the queen had died of grief until they discovered the puncture mark in her throat. That is a murder mystery, and it too is capable of high development.

And I would add, the Parker Duofold on the front cover is the perfect pen for making that puncture mark on the queen's throat or for writing a mystery story about it.

I'm particularly in love with historical whodunits, such as Steven Saylor's Rome Sub Rosa Series. I also love alternative universe mysteries, such as the John Taylor series by Simon R. Green (I've read a TV series is in the works, a la Sookie Stackhouse and True Blood). Of course, now that I'm writing this all my favorites go right out of my memory. Anyone else?

Tombow Reporter 4 Compact Multi Ballpoint

I was looking through the wares at Tokyo Pen Shop and came across this mini multi-pen, the Tombow Report 4 Compact. It looked interesting and I'm a fan of Tombow pens so I popped it into my cart with the other ballpoints and gel inks.

The Compact has four oil-based inks in the standard colors: black, blue, red, and green. One particularly interesting feature is that each of the "knock levers" used to push down a cartridge has a different shape to it. After a few uses you'll remember which shape is which color, and be able to choose red (two rounded nibs) by feel rather than sight.

All the inks write quite well, although like any ballpoint there is the problem with ink blots as you write. In this case, the Compact ink dried quickly, so I didn't get the smearing that happens when you run over one of these blots when writing.

The pen comes in 6 pastel colors with descriptive names. I chose the "Cheerful Yellow" most likely because I was feeling slightly down that day and thought the Tombow Compact might give me a boost. At $5.50 it's fairly inexpensive for a multi-pen, and while the green and red are a bit light the Compact is a good choice if you like multis and ballpoints.