Congrats to Louise for winning the bottle of Monteverde Moonstone!

Art by Naeviss of Deviantart, ink: Diamine Earl Grey

This is a special ink chosen by members of the fountain pen Reddit community. It’s a warm grey ink that shades nicely especially when I filled it in my Pilot Custom 823 Waverly nib. It can go dark, almost black grey to a warm slate grey. I quite enjoy this particular grey. Normally my preference is towards cool grey but Diamine Earl Grey is a keeper.

Similar Inks:

• Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri Same
• Sailor Jentle Chu Shu
• Delta Black

Elixir is a Singapore based ink maker. As far as I know they are the only ink maker here. I got a limited editor set of three inks sold exclusively during the 2017 SFPL Pen Show. Midnite Marina is one of them. It comes in a bottle that reminds me of the poster colours we used to use during art class. Ok now to the ink, Midnite Marina is a dark blue ink that shades even in a Japanese fine nib. It doesn’t write like a very lubricated ink but the drying time is on the longer end. This is a good first experience with Elixir inks. #SuppportLocal

Similar Inks:

• Noodler’s Kung Te-Cheng
• Noodler’s FPH Henry Hudson Blue
• Pilot Iroshizuku Shin Kai

My thanks to Straits Pen for the ink sample. I’ve got this sample a while back and I just got quite a lot of ink samples to run through. I’ll get through all of them. On to the ink, Francisan is a wine red ink that’s scented to smell like Merlot. I’m not a wine drinker so I’ve no idea how accurate the scent is. Francisan shades nicely keeping within the red end of the purple-red spectrum. It’s dry time is longer than usual for me.

Similar Inks:

• Blackstone Uluru Red
• De Atramentis Vineyard Peach
• Robert Oster Astoquiza-Rot

My thanks to Straits Pen for the ink sample. I’m super behind on reviewing and using my ink sample stash. Ok, I’ll stop whining.

KWZ IG Green #1 has the characteristic scent which I actually like. IG Green #1 is part of KWZ’s Iron Gall series. It’s a dark teal colour that shades beautifully. It goes from deep dark green almost black to a rich teal, more green than blue. I love this colour a lot. This is a rather wet ink but the dry time is rather good. If you enjoy green or teal inks and need some water resistant properties, check out this ink.

Similar Inks:

• Diamine Twilight
• Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen
• Noodler’s General of Armies

The Numbers:
Weight: 29g
Length (capped): 15.3cm
Length (uncapped): 13cm
Price: 30000 JPY from Tokyo Quill
Body Material: Plastic
Nib Material: 14K gold
Filling Mechanism: Vacuum
Colours: Clear, Amber and Smoke

Intro:
I’ve reviewed the Pilot Custom 823 in fine nib previously. This review is done exclusively for the Waverly nib version. It’s a fundamentally different nib and it provides a very different writing experience between the two.

My Pilot Custom 823 comes in a clear barrel with a Waverly nib. This particular combination is, as far as I can tell, exclusive to Tokyo Quill only. The waiting time for these pens can take months but it’s pretty obligation free. Just drop your name onto the waiting list, when it’s available the owner will drop you an email and a bill. If you’ve changed your mind about buying the pen, that’s fine. If you still want the pen, just pay and in two business days that pen will be in your hands.

Easy peasy.

Packaging:

The packaging isn’t anything spectacular. It’s the standard silver cardbox box on the exterior and the black plastic case inside. That’s ok though because the gem is the pen after all. Inside the plastic case, you will find the pen nestle safely between foam pieces. Buying from Tokyo Quill means you will get a paper crane and a Pilot Frixion pen with the shop name printed on the barrel.

Performance:

The cap, barrel and filling system is completely the same as any other Pilot Custom 823 pen. I went for the clear barrel because it’s always nice to see the ink sloshing around inside right?

Let’s get down to the business end of the pen - the nib.

Physically the nib looks like it has been dropped and oh no, it’s bent. But don’t worry, it’s meant to look that way. The nib shaped that way allows you can write in a variety of angles. The higher the angle you write, the thinner and less wet the nib will be. However, this doesn’t have the variety of a zoom / fude nib. It’s more like a European fine / medium kind of line width.

In general, I found the nib wet and smooth regardless of the direction and angle I pull or push the nib in. As a lefty, this nib is one of the best in terms of the smoothness. I personally really enjoyed this nib. It is totally useable for me despite the wetness of the nib. Of course the ink you fill the pen with plays a big part in the writing experience.

Pairing the wet, smooth nib with the ink capacity of the Pilot Custom 823 is a match made in heaven. My experience with my other Pilot Custom 823 with a fine nib was I barely was able to finish half the ink I fill it wait, with the WA version I was emptying my barrel so quickly.

Sure, the pen body plays a part in the overall writing experience, and the Waverly nib isn’t available in all pen bodies. Right now, the Waverly is only available in the 742, 743 and 912 models if you don’t want to get the 823 model from Tokyo Quill. Personally, I think being able to get a pen in a colour that isn’t black and silver or black and gold is worth the difference in price. That, plus you get the vacuum filling system and the larger ink capacity.

Conclusion:

If you are a lefty, you owe it to yourself to at least try the pen out. Go to a shop pen and give it a test run. It might be the nib that solves your lefty writing issues. I don’t not have much problems with regular nibs but the WA has opened up the world of boarder, wetter nibs to me. Maybe it will do the same for you.

Pros:

• Ink capacity
• Smooth, wet nib
• Vacuum filling system

Cons:

• Only available in selected models
• Pricey

Additional Reading:

• The Well Appointed Desk’s review of the Pilot Custom 912 WA
• Tina Koyama’s review of the Pilot Waverly nib

My thanks to Glenn for the ink sample.

Robert Oster Green Diamond is a solid green, bright and strong. It does shade. It shades best with the 1.1mm stub nib. Robert Oster Green Diamond reminds me of Montblanc Irish Green. The green just pops right off the page. Though it isn’t my kind of green ink but green ink lovers do check it out.

Similar Inks:

• Chestfield Emerald
• Montblanc Irish Green
• Diamine Sherwood Green

My thanks to the Desk Bandit for sending me the ink.

Kobe inks are usually sold exclusively in Japan but in recent years Kobe inks can be found sold at a number of online stores. Desk Bandit is one of them.

Tarumi Apricot is a bright orange that shades well going from a yellowish pale orange to a strong bright orange. It’s a good alternative to the fabled Sailor Apricot. I really enjoy this ink. It’s a well lubricated ink like many other Sailor inks.

Similar Inks:

• Robert Oster Signature Ng Special’16
• Sailor Jentle Apricot
• Sailor Jentle Kin Moku Sei

My thanks to the Desk Bandit for sending me the ink.

It’s a wonderfully vibrant, bright shading turquoise-mint ink. Nunobiki Emerald is firmly on the greener end of things. It’s lubricated and runs from a teal to a pale mint green. I must say this is a rather unique shade of green / turquoise. I highly recommend everyone who is interested in this ink to cheek it out. I’m really happy to discover Kobe Nunokibi Emerald.

Similar Inks:

• Visconti Green
• OMAS Green
• KWZ IG Green #1

Elixir Siloso Sunset is one of the limited edition inks sold exclusively at the SFPL Pen Show 2017. Siloso Sunset goes down with a bright vibrant reddish-orange but dries to a duller shade. It’s not really my kind of orange even though it’s vibrant. It pops and shades. Personally, it’s way too red to be one of my favourite orange but this is just personal preference. But on it’s own, Elixir Siloso Sunset is an interesting colour.

Similar Inks:

• Diamine Pumpkin
• Montblanc Lucky Orange
• Sailor Bungbox Hamanako Fresh Mandarin Orange

This is one of the newer Graf von Faber-Castell inks. Yellow-greens especially darker ones have always been my favourite range of colours. Olive Green is unsurprisingly totally my cup of tea. Filling it in a wet nib the Pilot Custom 823 Waverly nib is the best combination. How this ink shades! It goes from a dark almost black green when ink pools to a muted lemon grass green sort of green. I really enjoy this ink a lot. It writes a little on the dry side so pair this ink with a wet nib.

Similar Inks:

• Robert Oster Signature Jade
• Pen BBS #224 Tolstoy
• Noodler’s Army Green

The Numbers:
Weight: 25.5g
Length (capped): 149mm
Length (uncapped): 138mm
Price: USD$120 from Pen Chalet
Body Material: Plastic
Nib Material: Steel
Filling Mechanism: Eyedropper
Colours: Clear

Intro:
Jin Gi is a Taiwanese company that specialises in making OEM / white labelled stationary since 1988. Opus 88 is their private brand.

Opus 88 fountain pens had been all the rage earlier this year and when pens were available in Singapore, they were sold quickly. I was one of the lucky few who managed to get a set.

Packaging:
My Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator came in a simple box. It has a brown cardboard sleeve with the Opus 88 logo printed on it. Sliding it out, you will a black box underneath. Inside, is the pen and a glass eyedropper as well as a card with relevant information. There are foam inserts that secure the pen and the glassdropper inside the box. It’s a very functional packaging for the price I paid for this.

Performance:
First thing right out of the gate, you will notice is the size of the pen. It is huge. I’d say it is similarly sized to the Pelikan M1000. I do not personally a Pelikan M1000 but based on the measurements I found online, the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is just slightly longer than the Pelikan M1000.

However, despite the length of the pen, the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is a light pen. It is made of clear plastic accented with a matte black clip, giving it a classy look. Now a demonstrator pen just calls for a nice bright ink to show off the interior.

The Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is polished to a nice glossy finish on the exterior. The cap just slightly wider than the body. The black words “OPUS 88” printed on the cap just under the clip.

It takes a full 3 revolutions to get the cap off. This isn’t something I like. 3 turns is 2 tunes too many in my book but this is just a minor pet peeve. Once the cap is off you will see a very generous space on the grip and a #6 size Jowo steel nib. The grip is smooth to the touch and tapers towards the nib, ending with a slight flare. The threads are nice and smooth. The balance of the pen tips towards the nib so it helps with keeping the nib on the paper.

Since this is an eyedropper pen, to fill you have to unscrew the nib and grip and fill the pen that way. The body of the pen holds a whooping 4ml and it will last you a good long time. But this isn’t simply an eyedropper pen, it has a small seal attached to a piston mechanism to seal the ink chamber away from the feed. That makes flying with the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is way safer than a regular eyedropper pen. But when you are ready to use it, unscrew the knob at the end. You just need it about 2mm of space for regular use.

Then the nib, I opted for a fine nib which in hindsight is a bad choice. The steel nib writes ok, nothing special but it is dry, very dry. And pairing a dry fine nib with a 4ml ink chamber seems like a bad idea after I’ve used it for a while.

Now, comes the cleaning. I don’t usually cover cleaning but this pen has frustrated me with keeping it clean. This is a demonstrator pen so the hope is I’d use inks that do not stain. I’ve filled it with Sailor Nioi Sumire and before that Monteverde Moonstone. Both of them stained to a certain degree and it wasn’t easy to get all the ink out even though it is an eyedropper pen. There is ink clinging to the inside of the pen barrel and cap for no reason I can figure out. Washing it with an ultrasonic cleaner helped some but there are still ink stains that just won’t go. The stains only got removed by soaking it in pen flush. The pen flush worked like a miracle but I don’t want to resort to a pen flush to clean this pen every single time.

Conclusion:
Overall the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is a value for money fountainpen but the pen is just not for me. The larger size doesn’t fit my hand well, the nib coupled with the large ink capacity is also not working well for me. The nail in the coffin for me is how hard it is to keep the pen stain free. The pen is entirely serviceable but it is just not for me.

Pros:

• Huge ink capacity
• Lightweight for its size
• Takes #6 Jowo nib

Cons:

• Stains easily, harder to wash out
• Doesn’t fit my hand
• Dry nib

Additional Reading:

• The Gentlemanstationer’s Review of the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator
• The Pen Addict’s Review of the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator
• The Pencilcase Blog’s Review of the Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator

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.

My thanks to Straits Pen for the ink sample. This ink sample is from the original release of the ink. Nioi Sumire is a lubricated, wet blue ink that has a good shading. It goes down bright and dries slightly muted. Nioi Sumire is part of Sailor’s 4 Seasons ink series. It is still available but only in the new Sailor packaging. I’ve not compared my sample to what’s currently available but it’s supposed to be the same formulation. Blue inks are never really my go to colour. But this ink made my dry nib write so lubricated. It’s definitely a good ink for a dry writer.

Similar Inks:

• J. Herbin Bleu Ocean
• De Atramentis Liu Jue Ming
• Wahl Eversharp Everberry

My thanks to Goldspot Pens for sending me a bottle of Robert Oster Aussie Gold.

Aussie Gold shades well, going from dark olive oil colour to pale yellow. Even with how light yellow inks tend to be, Aussie Gold shows up well even in my TWSBI EF nib. Personally, yellow inks are never really my thing but Robert Oster Aussie Gold is a very useable yellow. So all yellow ink lovers do check out Robert Oster Aussie Gold.

Similar Colours:

• Scribe’ Ink Macallan Whiskey
• Kyo no Oto #4 Yama Buki Iro
• Diamine Amber

This is the third and last SFPL Pen Show 2017 exclusive ink by a local ink maker. Elixir River Safari is my kind of green. It’s a dark green yellow ink that shades even in a EF nib. The shade hints at dark and mysterious depths in the darker parts of the ink while the lighter / brighter parts still remained grounded. The colour is dark enough to be used in a professional environment. Of all three inks that’s in the set, River Safari is my favourite

Similar Inks:

• Monteverde Olivine
• Sailor Jentle Tokiwa Matsu
• Diamine Safari

The Numbers:
Weight: 26g
Length (capped): 140mm
Length (uncapped): 125mm
Price: USD$52 from Goldspot Pens
Body Material: Resin
Nib Material: Stainless steel
Filling Mechanism: Standard International Cartridge/Convertor
Colours: Amber, Ice Blue, Cracked Ice, Forest Green, Red Nights, Orange Nights, Purple Nights

Intro:
My thanks to Goldspot Pens for sending me the Conklin Duragraph for review.

Conklin is a true blue American fountain pen maker. It’s established in 1898 and it had been the forefront of fountain pen innovation with the Crescent Filler system back in 1897. Conklin has since been purchased by Yafa Companies.

The Duragraph was originally launched back in 1923. The current incarnation of the Duragraph comes in 7 colours. It’s available a variety of nib sizes namely fine, medium and stub. I was sent the Red Nights in F nib.

Packaging:
The Conklin Duragraph came in a sturdy blue box. It is sheathed with blue cardboard sleeve with a cut out over the Conklin logo. Once the cardboard sleeve is removed, you will find a tastefully designed box. On the outside you can see the Conklin logo as well as the stitching that outlines the box. The snap top box opens easily, and the pen is lying in the middle. Overall, I really enjoyed the look and feel of the Conklin Duragraph’s packaging.

Performance:
I was sent the Red Nights edition of the Conklin Duragraph. It’s black on the ends with a red semi-translucent crystallised finish in the middle. A silver clip, thinner top and end rings and a thicker centre ring accented the flat ended fountain pen. It’s designed to be at home in a professional setting.

The clip has a decent tension. I trust it to keep my pen secure in my pen case without problems. The centre band has the Conklin logo, crescent moons and the word “Duragraph” etched. The Conklin logo is just ever slightly off centre from the clip. I am not sure if this is standard across all the pens or it’s just mine that’s slightly off centre. It’s not a big deal, but it’s these tiny attention to detail that makes a good pen a great pen.

The cap takes a single full revolution to be uncapped. Once uncapped, you will see generous sized stainless steel two-toned nib. The grip section has a comfortable taper and flare towards the nib. The threads are smooth and doesn’t cut my hand. The pen itself is light and well balanced. The cap can be posted but I find it made the pen entirely back heavy. The Conklin Duragraph has a cartridge and converter filling system. The convertor provided is threaded, and it makes the converter that much more securely attached to the pen.

The Conklin Duragraph that was I sent is a generous and wet F nib. It writes very smoothly but I find the F writes more like an M. However the excellent writing experience more than make up for it.

Conclusion:
The Conklin Duragraph surprised me. I was expecting a serviceable pen, but it delivers more than a serviceable experience. It has a smooth and wet nib, it’s well balanced and comes with a threaded converter. It’s an attractive looking pen for a great price. For this particular price point, the Conklin Duragraph is an impressive pen.

Once again, my thanks to Goldspot Pens for sending me the Conklin Duragraph for review.

Pros:

• Smooth nib
• Threaded converter
• Attractive looking
• Affordable
• Lifetime warranty

Cons:

• Remember it’s a threaded converter, don’t just yank it out!
• The slightly off centre “Conklin” on the centre band.

Additional Reading:

• The Gentleman Stationer’s review of the Conklin Duragraph
• The Pen Habit’s review of the Conklin Duragraph
• The Well Appointed Desk review of the Conklin Duragraph

Way back in 2015, I started my Nakaya pen habit. It was my first pen visiting Aesthetic Bay when Yoshida-san, Nakaya's nibmeister visited Singapore. He held a pen clinic organised by Aesthetic Bay. There, he held court for three days. Tuning, grinding and basically blessing your Nakaya and Platinum fountain pens with his holy hands, so to speak.

Today is the start of Yoshida-san's three day pen clinic again at Aesthetic Bay. This time he isn't here alone. He brought along his padawan (his words) of 10 years along, Sanae Oikawa-san. Here are just the photos from the first day. This time I didn't buy any new fountain pens though I must say I am really tempted by the Piccolo Aka-Tamenuri. However I was strong. Instead, I got Yoshida-san grind the M nib on my Nakaya Negoro to a right foot oblique. Photos of that can be found on my Instagram.

Reviews of the three Nakaya fountain pens I've purchased since 2015.

• Nakaya Decapod Mini
• Nakaya Fox with Harvest Moon
• Nakaya Negoro style - Nuno Kise Hon Kataji Arai Shu

My thanks to Straits Pen for the ink sample.

Noodler’s Midway Blue is a bright blue that’s water resistant. It shades slightly but I think the draw is in the brightness of the colour. It reminds me of Pilot Iroshizuku Kon Peki. Even though the colour pops right off the page but I think this isn’t a very unique colour. The only stand out feature is its water resistance.

Similar Ink:

• Monteverde Capri Blue
• Organic Studios Nitrogen Blue
• KWZ Chicago Blue

My thanks to Goldspot Pens for sending me this bottle of Monetegrappa Turquoise.

Montegrappa Turquoise is a potent ink. Be mindful of which pen / nib you fill this in. On my Waverly nib, it bleedthrough on all the notebooks that I have. This includes Rhodia, Tomoe River, Traveler’s Notebook (both with regular and light weight paper notebooks). I’m not sure why is this ink is so prone to bleedthrough on wet nibs. That aside, it is a flat turquoise ink depending on the nib. It does shade but only subtly. Monetegrappe Turquoise is a beautiful colour but it just doens’t behaved ver well. Best to use this ink in a dry nib.

Similar Inks:

• Robert Oster Frankly Blue
• Robert Oster Signature Fire and Ice
• Akkerman Shocking Blue

My thanks to Straits Pen for the ink sample.

Scribes’ Ink Macallan Scottish Whiskey is a scented ink. Obviously it’s made to smell like Macallan Whiskey but how accurate it is, I have no idea. It’s a brown ink on the yellow end of things. It shades well going from a light yellow-brown to a saturated soil like brown. Scribes’ Ink Macallan Scottish Whiskey is really similar to Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-Ho and you all know my thoughts on that ink and that family of colours. It’s safe to say Scribes’ Ink Macallan Scottish Whiskey isn’t my favourite ink in terms of colour but this is a completely serviceable ink.

Similar Inks:

• Platinum Citrus Black IG
• Kyo no Oto Yama Buki Iro
• Louis Vuitton Or Audacieux