This is part of an ink series that Sailor has discontinued a while back. Never understood why they decided to do so. Epinard is a dark olive green that shades well. It reminds me of Tokiwa Matsu from Sailor’s current series. Epinard is a nice lubricated ink that works well in my Sailor pen. Personally I think Tokiwa Matsu is a close enough with match to Epinard. I’m not that sad that it has been discontinued. Blasphemy, I know.

Similar Inks:

• Diamine Evergreen
• Robert Oster Signature Jade
• Sailor Jentle Tokiwa Matsu

Another year has come and gone. It is time to tally up my purchases for the year. I have purchased 20 pens and returned 1, that makes 19 pens. Surprisingly, I also have purchased 19 bottles of ink. I swear that wasn’t on purpose. I have purchased the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter, a custom A5 leather cover both of which I’ve sold before settling for the Midori Traveler’s Notebook. Out of the 19 pens, 4 were sold within the year notably among them was the OMAS Arte Italiana. It doesn’t pay to rush into the hype and buy things without serious consideration. Only 2 inks made such a turn around.

Looking into my pen purchases, out of the 19 pens, 9 were Japanese pens. Well, that’s not surprising since that’s reflected in my pen collection. There were a good mix for the inks. The majority was dominated by Sailor thanks to the re-issue of their older 4 seasons ink series. I’ve also purchased a new Block.

In total I’ve spend more than $5000 this year just for my pens. It is really scary when you tally up your purchases like this. Slightly less than half of it was the price of my Nakaya Piccolo - A Fox with the Harvest Moon so technically if I don’t get another super pricy pen I shouldn’t be looking at such a figure next year. In the ink department, I spend considerably less, coming in at slightly over $300. Adding in the various notebook covers I’ve purchased along with the accessories I think this year I’ve spend at least $6000. I can’t be absolutely sure because I didn’t keep a close track on the price of the various accessories I bought for the Traveler’s Notebook. At the same time, I’ve recuperated slightly over $1500 from selling some pens, inks and accessories. All in all, 2016 has been a fruitful year in terms of purchases. Do you dare tally your pen and pen related purchases?

I’ve written about my wish list for 2016 when Maybelline of On Fountain Pens requested that I write a guest post on her blog.

My list has:

• Pilot Custom 742 with Falcon nib
• TWSBI Vac Mini
• OMAS Milord Noir
• Edison Pearlette
• Nakaya - A Fox with the Harvest Moon

I’ve purchased 2 out of the 5 on my wishlist, namely the Pilot Custom 742 with Falcon nib and the Nakaya fountain pens. I’ve not gotten around to doing a review of the Pilot Custom 742 because the falcon nib just doesn’t lend itself to daily writing. It’s sole purpose is just to do flex writing on my ink reviews.

Whereas the Nakaya fountain pen was also something of an impulse purchase. I didn’t expect myself to be placing an order for another Nakaya pen so soon after purchasing my first. However the news of the price hike prompted me into action. There is no regrets buying the pen.

Technically I did buy an OMAS fountain pen just not the Noir. I had a chance to handle a Noir but I found I didn’t enjoy the finish. I picked up an Arte Italiana in Liquid Green instead but I sold it in the end because of the slippery grip.

I had decided against buying the TWSBI Vac Mini but picked up a Pilot Custom 823 instead. Also a vacuum filler just not so mini. The only pen I didn’t buy or get something similar is the Edison Pearlette. I’ve not stepped into the realm of custom pen yet but someday I will. Meanwhile I shall be contented with the pens that are already or will be available in 2017.

Update: Apparently I wrote this blog post too early in advance that I've picked up the Edison Pearlette second hand from Leigh Reyes. So, I guess I am 5 for 5?

My wish list for 2017 will be:

Number 5: Pilot pen with Waverly Nib

I’ve been interested in Pilot’s speciality nib selection especially the Waverly nib. The Waverly nib is said to be smooth regardless you are pulling or pushing the nib across the page. It might mean as a lefty, the Waverly nib might be the perfect nib for me. I’m personally not keen on the pen body options for the Waverly nib so here’s hoping that a more interesting pen body comes along.

Number 4: Custom fountain pen

Maybe next year will be the year I’ll put money down on a custom fountain pen. It doesn’t have to be one from Edison, maybe I’ll order one from Shawn Newton or Scriptorium Pens? Who knows, in the world of custom pens the world is my oyster!

Number 3: Graf von Faber-Castell Intuition Platino

I have seen and caressed one. It was a great understated and classy pen. The EF nib that came with it was a lovely and almost sensual writing experience. I would love to get one in the Grendilla wood. Plus the wood box it comes in is just on point. Good job on presentation, Graf von Faber-Castell.

Nummber 2: Montblanc 1912

Now this pen might be a lost hope. The Montblanc 1912 is an interesting pen that has a retractable nib but it was launched quite a while back and locating one in a reasonable price might be tough. However, the nib that came with the pen I’ve tried is just a great writer. If I’m able to find it, it would be my first Montblanc pen!

Update: Remember the Singapore Pen Show that happened recently? I've seen the pen sold there so I've placed an order for this pen in EF but I've not picked up or paid for the pen so can I still leave it in the wishlist?

Number 1: Nakaya Negoro “Nuro Kise” Hon Kataji

Another year another Nakaya pen, maybe? This is the next Nakaya pen I am eyeing. It is way more affordable than the one I got this year. The cracked finish has caught my eye from the start when I began browsing the Nakaya website. Maybe I’ll be able to afford one again next year?

Update: Remember the Singapore Pen Show? I've placed a pre-order for this pen but I've not fully paid up for the pen so I guess I can count it as a 2017 pen too?

What pens are on your wish list for next year? Tell me about them in the comments below.

This is part of Sailor’s recently re-released of an older 4 Seasons ink series. Rikyu-Cha is an odd blend of green and brown. Like most Sailor inks, it is fairly lubricated. I really enjoy this one of a kind colour. The shading is just wonderfully. Why Sailor ever discontinued this ink is a complete mystery to me. It goes down a dark green but dries to a brownish hue. In the water test, all the green and brown hue washes away and strangely leaving just a blue colour.

Similar Inks:

• Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
• Sailor Jentle Epinard
• Sailor Jentle Tokiwa Matsu

The Numbers:
Weight: 12g
Length (capped): 135mm
Length (uncapped): 123mm
Price: 144 Indian Rupee from Amazon India
Body Material: Plastic
Nib Material: Stainless steel
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge / converter
Colours: Various

Intro:
Parker Beta is an Indian made fountain pen by Parker. It is only available exclusively in India. It costs SGD$3 and is geared towards the student market.

Packaging:
The Parker Beta comes in a normal blister pack. I wonder if they sell these in packs of 6 like how ballpoint pens are sold. The packaging is nothing special it just serves as a way for the product be displayed on racks.

Performance:
The Parker Beta has a simple flat top design. The body is straight and of a single diameter throughout. The cap is slightly wider and snaps on and off with a click. Mine has a white and purple polka dot pattern on the body accented with a black clip and rings around the top of the cap and end of the pen body. Unlike most pens where you will find the logo stamped or etched onto the finial of cap, instead the Parker logo can be found at the bottom of the pen.

The black clip is in the traditional Parker arrow shape. It isn’t the tightest clip and it does have quite a bit of side to side play on the clip too. The cap comes off easily and posts to the back of the pen with a click. I found the Parker Beta to be a light weight and balanced pen. Personally I prefer using it unposted but posting it wouldn’t change the balance too much.

The grip is a faceted textured black plastic. It tapers slightly towards the nib. The section is long enough to accommodate a variety of grip styles. It has enough texture for my fingers to maintain my grip on the pen. The barrel twists open to reveal the converter. It is a push / pull style converter, the first I’ve seen so far. I quite like the push / pull style converter as this would make quick work of flushing the pen.

The Parker Beta comes only in two nib sizes namely fine and medium. Mine is a fine stainless steel nib. It writes well with a slightly hint of feedback. The nib is a very boring affair but for a pen of this price I am not expecting any scroll work on the nib.

Conclusion:
Personally I am impressed by the amount of value you can get out of the Parker Beta. It is not a fancy pen but it works. It does what it is designed to do. It provides a no frills reliable writing experience without fuss. Plus it comes equipped with a converter right in the pack. I would say this would be able to rival the value for money aspect of some China made fountain pens.

Pros:

• Very cheap
• Reliable writing experience

Cons:

• Only available in India
• Comes in F and M nibs only

Bungbox Hamanako Fresh Mandarin Orange is another Bungbox exclusive ink made by Sailor. I had hoped it might be a Sailor Apricot look alike. It is similar but not quite the same. Hamanako Mandarin Orange is a beautiful shading orange ink in its own right. It shades from a pale yellow to a saturated bright orange even in a fine Japanese nib. Though Hamanako Fresh Mandarin Orange isn’t exactly like Sailor Apricot, it is still a worthy alternative to the beloved ink.

Similar Inks:

• Caran d’Ache Saffron
• Noodler’s Apache Sunset
• Sailor Jentle Apricot

The Numbers:
Weight: 21g
Length (capped): 135mm
Length (uncapped): 121mm
Price: USD$220 from Pen Chalet
Body Material: Acrylic
Nib Material: 14K gold
Filling Mechanism: Piston
Colours: Clear, (Orange, Smoke and Blue Japan only)

Intro:
I wasn’t expecting to be an owner of the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 but I spotted one listed for sale on the local pen group. It was a great price so I grabbed it without hesitation. The main reason I sprung for the pen was the orange barrel. Now I have a matching set of orange Pilot Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 92. How could I say no to that?

Packaging:
The pen comes in a regular black plastic clamshell box that Pilot regularly packs their pen in. Inside is nothing fancy, just an insert with a felt-like texture and an elastic band to secure the pen to the insert.

Performance:
The Pilot Custom Heritage 92 is a light weight pen with flat ends. It is a clear orange mostly, accented with a smoke grey at the top of the cap and the piston knob. Together with a silver clip and centre band, this is one stylish looking pen. Though I’ve complained about the “boring-ness” of Pilot fountain pens, I love the way the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 looks.

Holding it in the hand, I found it light and just the right length for me. It is balanced unposted but the cap can be posted if you prefer it that way. The cap posts deeply so the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 doesn’t end up overly long. Accidentally twisting the cap while it is posted wouldn’t result in your piston knob being turned at the same time.

Pilot fountain pens when it comes to the Custom or Custom Heritage series comes with 2 types of clips. The round tops have the clip with the blob at the end while the flat tops has the well… flat clip. Personally the flat clip is my preferred clip shape, I’ve never really warmed to the blob clip.

The cap twists easily and gets uncapped with 2 turns. Underneath is the #5 sized (Pilot size) 14k gold nib. The grip section is a lighter smoke grey acrylic. Comparing the acrylic used for the grip section, I found my Pilot Custom 74’s is darker and matches the top of the cap and end of the barrel better. The grip section is slightly tapered towards the nib and flares out just before it reached the nib. It might be a little shorter for people with larger hands but there is next to no step between the barrel and the grip so shifting your fingers higher up the barrel is no issue. The threads are also smooth and doesn’t hurt my fingers.

The Pilot Custom Heritage 92 is a piston filler fountain pen. That means it has a piston fitted inside the pen body. The knob at the end of the barrel twists to push or pull the piston up or down the length of the barrel. The piston mechanism operates smoothly. One thing to note though, Pilot uses a single seal piston rather than the double seal one that TWSBI uses. Logically, a double seal would have a better chance of preventing ink from back flowing into the piston mechanism but after a few months of use, the Pilot’s piston seal hasn’t failed me.

Given that this is a piston filler fountain pen, it might be a pain in the ass to clean the pen. Luckily, the nib and feed is friction fit so if you prefer cleaning or filling your pen without twisting the piston multiple times you can get access to the ink chamber by removing the nib and feed. Take care to grip both the nib and feed at the same time before pulling. This also mean you can nib swab between all your other #5 (Pilot size) Pilot nibs.

As for the writing experience, the F nib that came with the pen writes very smoothly. I love the way the 14K gold nib glides across the paper effortlessly. The line width is narrow enough for me to use wet inks without any problems of smudging. Pilot’s F nib is one of my favourite nibs out there.

Conclusion:
The Pilot Custom Heritage 92 is very much a workhorse fountain pen. Though it has larger ink capacity, it isn’t more than the Pilot Custom 823. Though it is an affordable piston filler fountain pen, it isn’t as cheap as a TWSBI is. However, the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 is an affordable gold nib piston filler fountain pen with a good rate of working well right out of the box. You can’t go wrong with a Pilot fountain pen and as the only piston filler fountain pen in their lineup, check it out before looking at other piston fillers with gold nibs that are more expensive.

Pros:

• Piston filler
• Smooth writing nib
• Nib swap!

Cons:

• None!

Additional Reading:

• The Gentleman Stationer’s review of Pilot Custom Heritage 92
• The Clicky Post’s review of Pilot Custom Heritage 92
• Gorgeous.Ink’s review of Pilot Custom Heritage 92

There is an affiliate link in this review. I may get a small amount of store credit if you purchase anything via the links. You are under no obligation to do so but if you would like to do something nice, do buy what you need via my links.

Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline is Pelikan’s 2012 ink of the year. It seems like I’ve missed out on a good pink ink. I really love the bright pink colour of Turmaline. It’s vibrant, it’s loud, it’s in your face. Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline shades, going from a bright pink-violet to a dark pink-red. My thanks to a friend for sending me a sample of Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline. You have successfully poisoned me.

Similar Ink:

• Callifolio Andrinople
• Caran d’Ache Sunset
• Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji

I initially got Diamine Majestic Purple as a possible replacement for Bungbox L’Amant. Not that L’Amant is getting discontinued, it’s just really expensive to buy and ship. Turns out Diamine Majestic Purple is not quite there as a L’Amant replacement. However, Diamine Majestic Purple as purple inks goes it’s quite nice. It shades nicely going from a deep purple to a less saturated violet colour. I like that it is a deep and saturated colour.

Similar Inks:

• Diamine Imperial Purple
• Bril Violet
• Visconti Purple

Noodler’s Golden Brown is a good shading ink but the colour is just too similar to Pilot Iroshizuku Ina Ho. I think my dislike of Ina Ho is quite obvious now. Noodler’s Golden Brown just happens to be in that light brown colour that I rather dislike. But colour aside, Golden Brown is a wet ink that shades well. If you are looking for a shading brown ink, Golden Brown is one you should check out.

I realised I do not have a swab of Pilot Iroshizuku Ina Ho. If anyone want to spare me enough to do a swab of the ink, please get in contact with me. Thank you.

Similar Inks:

• Akkerman Hopjesbruin
• Private Reserve Copper Burst
• Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan

The Numbers:
Weight: 25g
Length (capped): 143mm
Length (uncapped): 123mm
Body Material: Resin
Nib Material: 14k gold
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge / converter
Colours: Blue only

Intro:
Platinum released Kawaguchi, the last of the 5 Fuji Lake series and it is the only one that I have purchased. Kawaguchi is basically a limited edition Platinum 3776 Century with a different design for it’s body.

I got mine from Aesthetic Bay because I wanted to get a special nib on mine plus the ability to choose the number for this numbered limited edition pen. 2500 pens were made for this particular release and I picked 1012. My name in Chinese sounds like 10 when the numbers are read individually while 12 in Japanese sounds like my English name. Of course, 1012 is going to be mine. Plus, Kawaguchi is the only of the 5 lakes that I’ve actually visited. I’ve already reviewed the Platinum 3776 Century previously so I won’t be repeating myself since most of the facts are still the same.

Packaging:
The Kawaguchi comes in a white box with all the regular user manual, cartridge and converter. There is nothing particularly special about the packaging other than having the name of the pen printed on the inside of the box.

Performance:
Kawaguchi is made of a blue resin with lines etched across the body in a wave like pattern. The blue resin isn’t exactly the same shade as the regular Chartres Blue’s. Also instead of gold accents, Kawaguchi has silver accents. One plus point, Platinum has thrown in a matching silver converter with this pen. I feel the lines help to enhance the feel of the pen when compared to the standard Platinum 3776 Century. I can tell it is a slightly more premium product.

Like all other 3776 Century, the Kawaguchi also has the slip and seal technology. However this is also a cartridge converter fountain pen, the ink capacity isn’t fantastic. It is unlikely to leave your ink in there for 2 years unless you forgot all about it. Personally I never had the opportunity to really try it out.

On the other hand, the nib is the star of the pen. The nib is a 14k soft medium gold nib. I don’t think you can get a soft medium nib from online retailers as far as I know. This is one of the perks of buying from a brick and mortar store, nib swaps are available if they have the nib in store. Since I have to have the 1012, I picked the soft medium that was available. I was hoping to get a FM nib instead but sadly that wasn’t available.

The SM nib is writes bouncier than the standard medium nib but not much wetter. I would say Platinum gold nibs tend not to be soft when compared to Pilot’s. Even their SM nib is not particularly soft, just springier when compared among their own nibs. It is also said that Platinum nibs are Nakaya nibs. That might be true but when comparing this nib to my Nakaya SM nib, I found that the Nakaya’s nib is just slightly bouncier. It might be down to the rhodium plating that’s on the Kawaguchi’s nib since my Nakaya nib is the regular gold one. The nib has the characteristic Platinum feedback that I love. I really like this nib.

Conclusion:
The Platinum 3776 Century - Kawaguchi is a special pen to me personally. As a regular pen, I don’t think there is anything to warrant the difference in price between the regular edition and this limited edition. If the pen design doesn’t speak to you, you are better of going with a standard 3776 Century.

Pros:

• Slip and seal technlogy
• Interesting design on the body
• Soft medium nib, delicious!

Cons:

• Pricer than the regular edition

There are affiliate links in this review. I may get a small amount of store credit if you purchase anything via the links. You are under no obligation to do so but if you would like to do something nice, do buy what you need via my links.

I do not have much experience with Rohrer and Klingner. Blu Mare is a turquoise ink by Rohrer and Klingner. It’s bright, cheerful colour that pops right off the page. It shades nicely even in a Japanese nib going from a cerulean blue to a light shade bright blue-green. It shifts between a greener or bluer turquoise depending on the paper and nib. Blu Mare is fairly lubricated and feels like a wet ink. If you are are looking for a nice bright turquoise, Blu Mare is one to check out.

Similar Inks:

• Pilot Iroshizuku Ama Iro
• Bril Turquoise
• Sheaffer Turquoise

This is part of an ink series that Sailor has discontinued a while back. Never understood why they decided to do so. Epinard is a dark olive green that shades well. It reminds me of Tokiwa Matsu from Sailor’s current series. Epinard is a nice lubricated ink that works well in my Sailor pen. Personally I think Tokiwa Matsu is a close enough with match to Epinard. I’m not that sad that it has been discontinued. Blasphemy, I know.

Similar Inks:

• Diamine Evergreen
• Robert Oster Signature Jade
• Sailor Jentle Tokiwa Matsu

My thanks to Robert Oster for sending me this sample.

Robert Oster Signature is an Australian made ink series. Burgundy is just one of the many colours found in the line up. Burgundy is not a particularly wet ink. When paired with my Platinum 3776 Century it performed well. It shades slightly, going from a dark maroon to a muted red. Burgundy goes down bright and vibrant and dries to a darker muted shade.

Similar Inks:

• Montblanc William Shakespeare Velvet Red
• Montegrappa Special Reserve 1996 Red
• Sailor Jentle Grenade

The Numbers:
Weight: 25g
Length (capped): 145mm
Length (uncapped): 134mm
Price: USD $19.99 from ebay.com
Body Material: Plastic
Nib Material: Stainless steel
Filling Mechanism: Piston mechanism
Colours: Demonstrator only

Intro:
My thanks to Sunny of Straits Pen for providing this pen for review. Look out for more details below to find out how to win this pen.

The Wing Sung 698 is a China made piston filling fountain pen. As far as I can tell it only comes as a demonstrator. It is a no frills fountain pen that does what it is made for. The pen is well balanced and it is sufficiently long enough for me to use without posting. However you can still post the cap if you prefer that.

Packaging:
The Wing Sung 698 comes in a plastic blister pack that reminds me of the Pilot Kakuno. In fact I’ll say that the packaging is a direct copy. Inside you would find something that resembles a Lamy converter but don’t be fooled. It is actually a sealed tube of silicone grease.

Performance:
The Wing Sun 698 is not a small fountain pen. In terms of height, it is just slightly shorter than the Pilot Custom 823. However, the plastic body ensures the pen isn’t overly heavy. The clear plastic body is accented with silver finial, clip, centre band and piston ring. I like the clean cut look of the pen. Looking at the way the pen looked, it was clearly made to compete against the TWSBI Eco. It looked similar to the Eco but not entirely copying it. That’s a plus right there.

The cap takes only one revolution to uncap the pen. The clear cap makes it very very obvious if you splatter any ink inside the cap. So if you are bother by such things, it is best to avoid demonstrators in general. The clip is super stiff so it takes a little effort to slip it over thicker things. The finial is a silver sun burst pattern that I thought looked really nice.

The grip section is narrower than I had expected given the size of the pen. The grip section is narrower than the barrel plus it tapers down towards the nib before ending with a slight flare. However, the grip section is long and could accommodate larger fingers than mine. My preferred grip for the Wing Sun 698 is right on the threads but they are nice and smooth so switching to a higher grip is no a problem as well.

The Wing Sung 698 has a large ink capacity. After inking it up for at least 3 weeks I hardly made a dent in the ink sloshing inside the ink chamber. At first when I was trying to fill my pen I found I couldn’t twist the piston knob. For a while I wondered if my pen was faulty. Then, it turned out that the piston mechanism has a trick to it. It has a locking mechanism that prevents the piston knob turning by accident. All you have to do is to pull the piston knob. That will extend the piston knob slightly and then twisting it. The piston operates smoothly and without trouble once it is unlocked. I think this is an interesting design. I think it should be incorporated into more piston filler fountain pens.

The Wing Sun 698 has a clear feed to match the clear barrel. It came with a stainless steel nib in EF. The nib is slightly on the drier side but not overly so. It writes smoothly and well. The ink flow kept up without any trouble. The nib is stiff and well suited to my writing style and quick notes taking. Also, the nib and feed is interchangable with the Pilot Kakuno, Metropolitan, MR and Prera but I've not tested it for myself.

Conclusion:
The Wing Sun 698 is an impressive piston filler fountain pen. For it’s price and reliability it is a really contender against the TWSBI Eco. Pick one up and check it out for yourself.

To have a chance to win this particular Wing Sun 698 fountain pen, please leave me a comment telling me what ink you would like to fill in a demonstrator pen. Please also include your email address so that I can contact you. I won’t be sharing your email with anyone else. It is collected only for the sole purpose to contact the winner. This giveaway is only open to anyone residing in Singapore. The giveaway ends 12th January 2017.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Demonstrator
• Large ink capacity
• Interesting piston knob lock

Cons:

• None that I found

This is the latest addition to Pelikan 4001 series. Dark green is a nice strong colour. Plus it shades nicely. It goes from a deep dark green to a vibrant grass green. The most enticing thing about this ink is the price. At only $4 per bottle, this is one of the most affordable and readily available inks around. I’m liking this ink quite a bit!

Similar Inks:

• Blackstone Daintree Green
• Diamine Sherwood Green
• Robert Oster Signature Emerald

The Numbers:
Weight: 12g
Length (capped): 124mm
Length (uncapped): 123mm
Price: USD$380 on Pen Chalet
Body Material: Resin and cellulose acetate Nib Material: 14k Gold nib
Filling Mechanism: Piston filler
Colours: Various

Intro:
I’ve been lusting after the Pelikan M800 Brown Tortoise ever since I’ve laid eyes on one. I love the play of light and dark colours of the brown tortoise shell finish. However the price have always put me off buying one of my own. Maybe Pelikan has heard my prayers and launch the Brown Tortoise in M400 size this year. With a quick check on the price, I promptly ordered one for myself.

I’ve previously reviewed the M205 and I went into detail about what does the various model number mean in the Pelikan lineup. Do go over there to read about it, I won’t be repeating it here.

Packaging:
The M400 Brown Tortoise comes in a regular Pelikan box that can be open by pulling on the tab at the side. It also has the standard white faux leather pouch which holds the pen. There wasn’t anything particularly more fancy in terms of the packaging for this special edition fountain pen.

Performance:
The M400 is mostly made of black resin and brown striped cellulose acetate for its barrel. It is accented with double rings of gold around the end of the cap and at the piston knob. The clip and finial is also gold. The pen looks very classy but the brown stripe barrel adds a flash of character to the otherwise standard looking Pelikan fountain pen. You can tell that this is a quality fountain pen, the fit and finish of the pen is flawless.

It takes slightly less than a single revolution to uncap the pen. The M400 being a pen on the smaller end of the Souveran lineup, the cap can be posted to extend the length of the barrel. The cap securely at the end of the barrel. Personally I found it comfortable enough without posting.

The grip section is relatively short and thin. I would say the M600 would be a comfortable size for most. Those with larger hands should try it out in person before buying. I had some issues with my M205 previously. Maybe this is a special edition fountain pen or the M400 series generally get better quality control, the threads that I found sharp on the M205 are smooth here.

Pelikan Souveran fountain pens are all piston fillers. Thanks to that, they have substantial ink capacity. The resin barrel is clear, while the stripes are opaque. It makes it easy to monitor the ink level of the fountain pen when you looked at it against light. The Pelikan M400 Brown Tortoise comes with a variety of nib options, going from EF to B and special for this particular release an Italic Board nib. Me being me, opted for the EF nib. It wrote well out of the box but personally I found Pelikan nibs does nothing for me. They wrote broader and wetter than usual of their nib size so I promptly handed it off to a local nibmeister to have it ground down into a Japanese EF.

The result is a nib with delicious feedback. It writes very finely as expected of a Japanese EF nib. Though this nib wasn’t modded for additional flex, with a little pressure I can get some line variation from the nib. The feedback can be a little much so this particular nib modification isn’t for everyone.

Before moddiing

Conclusion:
The Pelikan Brown Tortoise is one of my grail pen, I “settled” for the smaller sibling but the colour of the light and dark alternating stripes is just as beautiful to admire. Plus, I don’t believe any two Brown Tortoise pen is completely identical because of the stripes. As a standard M400, this isn’t the cheapest model you can find out there, but the Brown Tortoise finish is just too hard to say no to. Though the nib modification is an additional cost but it is also what makes the pen special to me.

Pros:

• Brown Tortoise!
• Delicious feedback from nib modification
• IB nib option

Cons:

• Limited number of pens

Additional Reading:

• The Pelikan’s Perch’s news about the M400 Brown Tortoise

There are affiliate links in this review. I may get a small amount of store credit if you purchase anything via the link(s). You are under no obligation to do so but if you would like to do something nice, do buy what you need via my links.

Congrats to Marc Algeri! You are the winner of the Wing Sung 698 fountain pen. Please contact me within 7 days (19th January 2017) to claim your prize. You can contact me via the contact form on the blog.

My thanks to Robert Oster for sending me this sample.

Another beautiful ink by Robert Oster. This is one ink maker to watch! The turquoise isn’t the bright blend of blue and green that I expected. Turquoise is way more green than turquoise inks of other brands. I think Robert Oster Signature Turquoise feels like it’s right on the line between teal and turquoise. Robert Oster Signature Turquoise shades nicely and flows well even in my Sailor fine nib.

Similar Inks:

• Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen
• Diamine Teal
• Pilot Iroshizuku Syo Ro

The Lunar New Year is approaching and let’s assume you’ve been diligent in your spring cleaning. Your desk is now clean and free of clutter. You might be thinking, let’s put some pens in a pen stand and setup my work station, after all the desk is a vital piece of furniture for all fountain pen lovers. How about putting a bottle of ink on my desk for easy access? Of course we are working on the assumption your desk isn’t in direct sunlight and whatever ambient light won’t be damaging the ink in the bottle.

Let’s run through the different ink bottles that each brand provides. There are the basic ones from brands such as Noodler’s, Private Reserve, Sailor, Franklin Christoph, limited edition Montblanc, J Herbin and 30ml Diamine bottles. They are mostly made of glass except the 30ml Diamine bottles are plastic. Now these are no frills ink bottles, mostly cylindrical, rectangular or squarish in shape, some designs more useable than others but all not that attractive.

Then, there are bottles in the middle tier such as the older Bungbox vase shaped ones, Montblanc shoe shaped ones, Pelikan 4001, Maruzen Athena, OMAS and Pilot ink bottles. These are not just basic shapes. The Bungbox vases shaped ones and the Maruzen Athena bottles are among my favourites, the former for it’s functionality and the later for its shape. These are a step above the first tier of ink bottle attractiveness but these are not the best there is.

Up on the lofty heights of ink bottle attractiveness, there are the higher end inks such as the Pilot Iroshizuku, Graf von Faber-Castell, Pelikan Edelstein and Akkerman. These definitely look like and some actually cost a nice chunk of change. Personally the first three brands are what I’ll feel are the prettier brands of ink bottles while the Akkerman is a very different looking ink bottle. Plus it has that marble inside you can play with if you’re bored.

If all things being equal, regardless the kind of ink is in the bottle, regardless the price of the ink or the volume of ink contained, I will crown the Graf von Faber Castell bottle as the ink bottle for my table. Look at the elegance of the ribbed glass bottle and capped with a hefty metal cap. The label also looks like a blend of old world class and personal touch of the analogue world. I would buy the entire ink lineup they have just for the bottle.

Which ink bottle would you crown as the ink bottle for your desk? Tell me in the comments below.