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The Pilot Metropolitan

3/24/13
One last pen before we go back to looking at inks. The Metropolitan is a new-ish entry-level fountain pen that will compete really well with the others in that realm like the Pelikanos, Safaris, and Sheaffer VFMs. At around $15, it is the same price as a VFM, but it comes with its own converter so you don't have to refill cartridges in order to use bottled ink. The price is well below the other entry-level...

Pentel Oh!Gel 0.7

3/18/13
This is the second of the Pentel gel pens that I have to show right now, and it's the better of the two. The styling is a bit more plain, and the whole pen is one uniform diameter and it is a bit longer than most of the other pens I have lying around. It's the same length as a retractable EnerGel. The pocket clip is longer than average, and made of a stiff and sturdy-feeling plastic. The click on...

Pentel HyperG 0.7

3/16/13
The next two pens are both gels from Pentel. I got both of these as singles from the local-ish Office Supplies & More. I haven't seen them in the other stores around here, but I'm sure they're available online or in store more exotic than Target. They really went for a more futuristic style on this pen, and I think it missed the mark. I don't mind the diamond-pattern in the barrel or...

Uniball Signo BOLD (1.0)

3/13/13
I'm sure that everyone has seen and used a Uniball Signo 207. They've been around for several years, and they're really good pens. I've used them in their regular (.7) and Micro (.5?) versions, and both are quite good. This one is much thicker than the other two, and much thicker than the other 1.0 pens that I've used in the past. It's boss. The differences between the regular and bold versions...

Pilot Bravo

3/11/13
Every once in a while it's it's good to step back from the noble fountain pens and inks that I generally talk about here. Full confession: I don't always use a fountain pen. I know. Shocking. Sometimes I use rollerballs and porous points and even ballpoints. I'll be putting up some reviews of those types of pens this week, so if you're not into that, then come back in a week or so when I've switched...

March 2013 Ink Drop

3/7/13
Alright, y'all. Here comes the March Ink Drop. It's called "Fade to Black," and they're mostly blacks with a couple of greys mixed in. It's pretty cool to get an ink drop that doesn't include a single ink that I already have. Bravo, Goulets. Bravo.  I've heard that black inks are the most popular inks among fountain pen folks (according to sales, anyway), but I just don't get it. They're...

Rohrer & Klingner Morinda UPDATE: Video!

3/1/13
It's grading time, and that makes me think about red inks. Some of the red inks that I've tried out have been kinda bloody-looking. Oxblood, Matador (that I'm using right now in my Rotring 600) and a few others make it look like I've opened a vein on my student's papers. Not Morinda. Morinda is a whimsical red. It looks kinda like dried katsup. (Google Chrome just tried to make me spell katsup...