If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Tim W. of The Writing Arsenal‘s Loadout

Tim’s Description:

Pocket Carry:

Lately I’ve been carrying a Davis Leatherworks Simple Cover modified with an extra band up the spine. Inside, I have one plain Field Notes and one ruled Moleskine Cahier. I use the Field Notes for my general “brain dump”. The Moleskine is where I’m working on a current short story. I only use pencils in my pocket notebooks, so I carry a pencil (like this Blackwing 602) that has been worn down short enough to fit in my pocket. This system has been working like a charm so far.

Pens / Pencils:

1. Kaweco AL-Sport (F nib) with Noodler’s Bulletproof Black: If I carry a fountain pen out on the town, and am not carrying my bag, this is usually the one I go with. It’s a tank and I’m not scared of hurting it.

2. Lamy AL-Star Purple (M nib) with Diamine Syrah: I’ve said it many times. This is the most striking pen I own. It’s simple, but the tone of the purple and the steel clip gets me every time. The Syrah is a wine color, so it complements the pen perfectly. I’m not usually one for matching a pen’s color to an ink, but I can’t deny this combo is a home run.

3. TWSBI Diamond 580 (M nib) with Diamine Red Dragon: At my desk, this is the pen I use more than any other. The medium nib is just right, and it’s behaved well with every ink I’ve thrown its way. The Red Dragon is a new favorite of mine too. I’m a sucker for deep, warm colors.

4. Lamy AL-Star LE Black (F nib) with J. Herbin Terre de Feu: This combo happened on accident. I’d been underwhelmed by the Terre de Feu since the bottle arrived in the mail. As soon as I got it, I realized it was too watery for my taste. But, I like to use fountain pens to grade papers at school, and when I gave this one a shot on the cheap paper we use in our copy machines, it looked great! It’s now my official grading pen/ink.

5. TWSBI Diamond 580 (1.1 stub nib) with Diamine Ancient Copper: Can’t say enough about this ink. The shading is amazing and it quickly became my favorite ink in this stub nib (and maybe my favorite ink overall). Lately, this has been my primary pen for letter writing.

6. Pilot Metropolitan (M stub nib from Plumix) with Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium: I’m still playing around with this pen. Before the Plumix nib, I had the stock nib with Kon-Peki and it was amazing. But, the Kon-Peki sample ran out and I wanted to test the stub, so I did surgery. This combo looks great, but I haven’t found myself reaching for it too often because the stub seems to write dry. I’ll likely switch the nibs back.

7. Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie: I recently reviewed this pencil, and it’s become my desk pencil for journaling. To broad for quick notes in a Field Notes, but perfect for my big cursive handwriting.

8. Palomino Blackwing 602: The rock star of the pencil world. Half the pressure, and twice-ish the speed. I’ve married this pencil to my pocket notebooks. Makes me feel like Nabokov, writing stories with a Blackwing on his index cards.

9. Palomino Blackwing Pearl: The Pearl is a great middle ground between the Blackwing and the 602. This is another journaling pencil for me. Really, this is my go to pencil out of the three pictured. I can carry it in my Nock Co. Brasstown, put it in my Dudek Modern Goods Groove, and use it for any type of writing. It writes darker than the 602, but doesn’t wear down as quickly as you’d expect.

Favorite Combo:

Tell us what your favorite combo(s) were for the week!: Tough call between the TWSBIs. I’ve been writing lots of letters for InCoWriMo, so I’ve been able to enjoy the stub nib and Ancient Copper a lot. But, the Red Dragon has really been wooing me since I loaded it into the M nib, which is my workhorse pen. If I’m choosing one, the 1.1 stub with Diamine Ancient Copper gets the KO…

Least Favorite Combo:

Pilot Metropolitan with the Plumix nib. The Metropolitan’s stock nib felt way better than this one. I’ll probably switch it back soon and put the stub nib back on the Plumix. All will be well again.

Editor’s Note:

Thank you for submitting, Tim! I still can’t get into pencils myself, especially those of the wooden variety. You have some real nice stuff here with all of your bases covered. I haven’t tried the Plumix nib, only the Penmanship’s EF which was actually quite nice.

You can find Tim blogging over at The Writing Arsenal, or talking about pencils on The Erasable Podcast!

Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Jeffrey Bruckwicki of Nock Co.’s Loadout

Jeffrey’s Description:

From left to right:

Favorite Combo:

Render K with a black Hi-tec C and our note cards. It’s just so damn smooth and it forces me to write more clearly. 

Least Favorite Combo:

I don’t sketch a huge amount so the Pro-Use doesn’t get much love. I have tried other pencils like the Kuru-toga but always come back to this. 

Editor’s Note:

He is the one who Nocks. No really, he’s the man responsible for feverishly cranking out your brand new Nock Co. cases. It’s awesome to see what the man behind the cases is carrying. There’s not too much of any one thing here, and it’s clear that he chose the best tool for the job. Thank you a ton for submitting Jeffrey!

You can find Jeffrey whipping up some delicious looking vegan-friendly food over at The Sunday Recipe, making all sorts of awesome goods at Bruckwicki.com, and of course bartacking away all of our pen cases at Nock Co.!

Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

Left to Right:

• Rotring 800 Pencil - Pentel AIN HB lead, 0.5mm
• Karas Kustoms Render K - Pilot Hi-Tec-C Refill – 0.4mm
• Omas Vintage Arco Celluloid - Medium nib, Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo
• Sheaffer Taranis - Medium nib, Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
• Parker IM -  Medium nib, Noodler’s Cayenne
• Montblanc Meisterstuck No. 149 - Medium nib, Montblanc Mystery Black
• Pilot Custom 823 – 0.7mm Architect Point by Richard Binder – Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo
• Lamy 2000 – Binderized Medium Nib – Sailor Kiwa Guro Black
• Case - Nock Co. Brasstown zip up pen roll

Notes: There are a bunch of pens in here that are loaded up for review, specifically the Parker IM, Sheaffer Taranis and the Omas Arco. Be on the lookout for full reviews soon! My Lamy 2000 is always inked up, and this loadout is no exception. I think this is one of the first times I’ve loaded it with the Sailor Kiwa Guro, making it an ultimate workhorse pen. The Pilot Custom 823 is loaded up with Tsuki-Yo (which made two appearances) and it’s just awesome. I’ve had this pen since March, but I have yet to review it. I don’t know why it’s taking so long, but the 0.7mm Architect point is really something special.

I’m not huge on the Sheaffer Taranis, but I still have to put it through some more writing tests. The Parker IM is surprisingly nice, especially considering the price point. I haven’t inked up the Montblanc in a while, and I figured I’d break it out. It’s not seeing too much use, but it’s fun to write with such a large pen. Everything is all bundled up in the Nock Co. Brasstown – which I absolutely love. It keeps everything safe and in place without taking up too much valuable bag space. I love that the roll zips into the case as well. There’s some extra room around the pen roll section that I’ve been throwing the Rotring and Karas into. Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for the launch of their webstore!

I’ve also been getting acquainted with my new Canon 7D, which I am absolutely in love with. It’s a huge step up from the Olympus I was using for everything else and the image quality is just so much better. I’ve been using a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 general purpose zoom lens, as well as a 50mm f/2.5 Macro lens. All of the photos are processed using Apple’s Aperture 3. I’ve been wanting to take my photos to the next level and now I have the tools to do so!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed seeing what I’ve been lugging around!

If you need a daily dose of fountain pen pictures, check out my Instagram.

Gallery:

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Steve H’s Loadout

Steve’s Description:

I enjoy carrying a number of pens and typically use one each day as it provides a clear demarcation between each day’s writing in my work journals or personal notebooks. I have a couple of lovely vintage pens (including a Sheaffer Pen For Men V and my late father’s Parker 51) but found that they just didn’t work as reliably as modern pens and I value being able to just pick-up and use my pens with no fuss.

I carry my pens in an Enveloop pen roll which I’ve customised to make room for a small glass Midori ruler and Faber ‘flying saucer’ eraser. The pens I carry at the moment are:

* Rotring 600 Lava rollerball on the outside of the case so it’s easy to grab.
* Nakaya Aka-tamenuri, portable writer with a flexible fine with elastic finishing loaded with Pilot Iroshizuku yama-budo (crimson glory) ink
*  Pilot Falcon with a fine nib loaded with Aurora Blue ink
* Pilot Custom 823 with a medium nib loaded with Pilot Iroshizuko Asa-Gao (morning glory) ink
* Pelikan 805 with an extra fine nib loaded with Pilot Iroshizuki Shin-ryoku (forest green) ink
* Platinum #3776 Motosu demonstrator with a fine nib loaded with Diamine Passion Red ink
* Faber Alpha Matic mechanical pencil. I’ve been using this pencil since I bought it when studying my engineering degree and I think it’s the best mechanical pencil ever made.

Favorite Combo:

I’ve only recently received the Nakaya pen and I’m already in love with the new nib and the lustre of the layers of urushi lacquer. It makes it hard to stay on my daily cycle of pen use! Although the Pilot ink colour is a very attractive red I think Diamine Oxblood in this pen would make for a stunning combination.

Least Favorite Combo:

The pen I retired from the rotation is an Onoto Classic Grand with a fine nib (ground down to EF by John Sorowka). Although this is another wonderful big pen with a buttery smooth nib, the rigidity of the clip makes it more of an ‘executive pen’ designed to sit on a desk rather than being carried. 

Editor’s Note:

Steve, great carry! Beautiful Nakaya! I love my Custom 823, at first I wasn’t huge on the color of the pen, but it’s really grown on me. I can’t help myself from staring at my Nakaya, the lacquer has such great depth to it. Oxblood is one of my favorite inks, it spends a lot of time in my kuro-tamenuri Neo Standard.

Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Adam B.’s Loadout
The Desk of Adam
Adam’s Description:

Paper – Rhodia grid 80g/m

From top to bottom;

• Lamy Safari Aquamarine (EF) inked with Sailor Jentle – Sky High
• Lamy Safari White (F) inked with Omas – New Grey
• Kaweco Sport Skyline Grey (M) inked with J. Herbin – Perle Noire
• TWSBI Diamond Mini Classic (EF) inked with Yard-O-Led – Claret
• Pilot Prera Transparent Light Blue (F) inked with Montegrappa – Turquoise

Favorite Combo

I’ve been loving the Pilot Prera, writes beautifully and the Montegrappa Turquoise is so nice to write with.

Least Favorite Combo

The Kaweco is my most recent addition and it’s taking me a while to adjust to how light it is, so i’m still a little on the fence about that. I love the J. Herbin ink though!

Editor’s Note:

Thanks for submitting and great site! I love my Lamy Safaris and I have several myself. The color scheme you have going there is cool too. I like how the turquoise in the Lamy matches that of the Pilot. Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Dries’ Loadout
thepencilcaseblog.blogspot.com

These are the pens I use most of the time. I don’t really use expensive or special pens on daily basis, but opt for a more forgiving, reliable selection.

(From left to right)

Palomino Blackwing 602:

Has recently regained its position in my EDC after being unused for almost a year. I really missed the smooth leads and the great overall quality of this one!

Lamy Safari with Fine nib:

Since I bought this pen, it has always been in my rotation. it’s such a great pen, with a great nib and light but durable construction! This is one of those pens that I don’t mind throwing around (not literally)and taking it to school, because I know it won’t be a total disaster if it breaks or gets lost. This one always gets filled with a plain blue or black ink (mostly Lamy bottled ink), so I can use it in school.

TWSBI Diamond Mini with 1.5 Stub:

Since I put a 1.5 stub nib from a diamond 580 in it, this has become my absolute favorite pen. The nib is incredibly smooth and lays down a wet line. It’s incredibly reliable and has a springy feel to it, love it! I mostly use this for ink reviews as it is great for bringing out shading. Unfortunately I cracked the barrel a while ago, so now it stays at home because I’m afraid it might start leaking . Currently I have this one inked with De Atramentis Rote Rosen, a great ink with a lovely dark pink-purple colour and shading (Did I mention it smells like roses?)

Lamy NEXX with 1.5 Stub:

The Lamy nexx is another great value pen, I don’t like the flashy red cap (I did when I bought it a couple of years ago) but nevertheless this pen always stays inked! Because of the stub nib –which is lovely, though not quite as good as the TWSBI stub – this one also gets used mostly for ink reviews. Currently inked with Montblanc Forest Green ink, a lovely dark green with beautiful shading!

Pilot Prera with Medium nib:

Great writer, pocketable, durable. The converter has a painstakingly low capacity, but apart from that it is great! I always keep it filled with black ink, mostly Lamy, sometimes Kaweco black or J.Herbin Perle Noire, this one – just like the safari – is ready for every task that requires a subtle ink.

Parafernalia Linea 2mm leadholder:

Since I did the review on the linea, I bought a couple more because they are the sturdiest, most comfortable and best looking leadholder pencils ever. Period.

Favorite Combo:

Tell us what your favorite combo(s) were for the week!: TWSBI mini or Pilot Prera, difficult call, but I guess the TWSBI has the edge with the stub nib. Even though the TWSBI is semi-ready for the garbage bin (The cracks are multiplying and the cap doesn’t post anymore) it still remains a great pen! I’ll definitely get a new one the second this one dies! De Atramentis rote rosen with the stub TWSBI is a match made in heaven! The Prera is great too, but with intense use it dares to start leaking from the feed (I don’t know why).

Least Favorite Combo:

Did something just not click? Tell us why!: Tough call, probably the Lamy Nexx. I don’t really like the design, it’s a bit childish and the clip is just plain ugly. The ink is not to blame here, Montblanc Forest green is most definitely my favorite green ink.

Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Paul J’s Loadout

Paul’s Description:

These are the pens that I am using for journalling and correspondence writing. In general, I choose inks that display some shading or have a sheen when dry. While this is not the case for all of the inks loaded, the first three are all good shaders.

From left to right:

Franklin-Christoph Model 65 with a Masuyama Broad Stub Nib:
This pen is inked up with Noodler’s Golden Brown which is a new ink for me. It has some of the same hues as Iroshizuku Ina-Ho but is warmer in tone. Having seen this ink now makes me want to try Kiowa Pecan which appears to be a little darker in the reviews that I have seen online. This pen is wonderful to hold. I have experienced some ink delivery issues with this pen but Franklin-Christoph has been very responsive and a replacement feed is in the mail.

Edison Nouveau Premiere – Summer 2014 Edition with a Fine Nib:
This pen is inked up with Private Reserve Blue Suede. Even though the line width is quite narrow, this ink still displays good shading on the Clairefontaine and Tomoe River papers that I use for letter writing. This pen always starts up right away, even when uncapped for several minutes at a time. A true pleasure to use. I expect that more Edisons are in my future.

TWSBI Diamond 580 with a Broad Nib:
This pen is inked with Private Reserve Ebony Blue. I received a sample of this ink through the Goulet Ink Drop subscription. After working through the sample I ordered a full bottle and have really enjoyed using it. As for the pen, well more on that below.

TWSBI Diamond 540 with a 1.1mm Stub Nib:
This pen is inked up with a 1:1 mixture of Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa and Salix. I heard about this concoction via Brad Dowdy’s twitter stream (@dowdyism). Being comprised of two iron gall inks, it is permanent and gets regular use for addressing envelopes. I find the colour a bit sombre but it is the first pen I reach for if I have to write a letter to someone in a professional context. Probably a good choice for sympathy notes too. This pen’s feed has a hard time keeping up with the stub nib and you end up having to prime the pen several times per letter.

Kaweco Al Sport – Raw Aluminum with an Extra Fine Nib:
This pen is inked up with Sailor Sky High, a very cheerful blue. It’s too bad that this ink has now been discontinued. The pen was purchased as a jeans pocket carry pen but it hasn’t seen much daily carry use since I picked up a Brass Wave Liliput. I find the section of this pen to be a little too short and my hands feel a bit too close to the paper when I write. Because of this, it gets held more it the threaded region of the barrel rather than the section.

Pilot 78G with a Medium Nib:
This pen was an Ebay purchase and arrived at my door for under $10. The fine nib which it originally came with now sits in my Metropolitan. This pen writes well but is too light. The section has a tendency to want to unscrew from the barrel and is overall a bit creaky. For $10 I can’t complain. It is loaded with Parker Permanent Blue Black ink which was the first bottle of ink that I ever purchased. This ink is decidedly teal in colour. There is an argument to be made for the blue component but whoever put black in the name was smoking something at the time. The colour is similar to the Blue Suede currently in the Edison but it has none of the shading properties of the Private Reserve ink.

All of these are held in a NockCo Brasstown pen case that makes its way to and from work every day. It is a great case and I’m really glad that I backed its creation on Kickstarter.

For my daily carry pens, I have standardized on pens with snap caps and pigment based inks. The red/burgundy pen is a Pilot Stella90s with Fine Nib. In the US this pen is known as a Stargazer. This is the only pen that I own which has a gold nib. It’s small size makes a fantastic pen for daily carry and I always have Sailor Kiwa Guro loaded up in it. The second pen that lives in my shirt pocket is this Pilot Metropolitan. It was purchased before the fine nibbed variant was available so I swapped the Metropolitan’s medium nib for the 78G’s fine. This pen is always inked up with Sailor Sei Boku, a great blue/black ink. These two pen and ink combinations were chosen because they perform so well in pocket notebooks and on office grade paper. While they are not my choice for correspondence writing, they get used every day for the tasks for which they were chosen.

Finally there are two paper products that I use regularly. This pocket notebook made by Hitlist Books has awesome paper in it and I prefer it to the papers found in the Field Notes Shelterwood Edition or the Doane Utility notebooks. A great product that almost nobody has heard about. For journalling I have standardized on the Apica CD11 notebooks in A5 size. They are thin, stitch bound notebooks that contain good, fountain pen friendly paper. At less than $7 for three from Jet Pens, I don’t think you can find a better bang for your dollar. I burn through one of these books every month; good stuff.

Favourite Combo:
The Edison is newly arrived and I’m still in the honeymoon phase with this pen. The pen is gorgeous and apart from the scent of the freshly turned acrylic, I can find no faults.

Least Favourite Combo:
I am not in love with my TWSBI pens. When they were new I bought into the whole system, inkwells and all, but I think there are definite engineering flaws in the nib/section design. I know of no other pen design where the nib holder is used to attach the section to the pen’s barrel. I have had warranty work done on my 580 and the creaky section of the 540 doesn’t give me confidence.

Editor’s Note:

Wow, this is one detailed loadout! Thank you so much for explaining in depth the pens you’ve been carrying. I think notes like this are great – they really give people an insight into how a pen holds up over time.

Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Unroyal Warrant’s Loadout
The Unroyal Warrant

 Description:

Left to right:
Pilot Custom 845 – M nib – R&K Cassia
Conway Stewart 58 – Duro Stub nib – R&K Alt-Goldgrün
OMAS Extra (1940s) – EF (?) nib  – Diamine Mediterranean Blue
Bayard 2000 – M (?) nib – Diamine Black Green
Montblanc 136 – OB nib – Diamine Turquoise
Render K G2 – 1.0mm black Pilot G2 refill

Favorite Combo:

OMAS Extra + Diamine Mediterranean Blue

Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

Left to Right:

• Karas Kustoms Ink – Kaweco Green Ink – Hero 9018 Fude Nib
• Lamy 2000 Stainless – J. Herbin Orange Indien – B Nib
• Pelikan M805 Stresemann – Sailor Miruai Ink – B Nib
• Pilot Custom 823 – Iroshizuku Momiji – Architect Point
• TWSBI 580AL – Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron – M Nib
• Pilot Vanishing Point – J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche – M Nib

Notes: It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these and there are a lot of new things here. Also a few things I’ve had for a while but haven’t gotten around to reviewing yet. I just figured out that the Hero 9018 fude nib fits into the Karas Kustoms Ink and I’m having a lot of fun with that. I recently picked up the Lamy 2000 and the Pelikan M805 so those two are being put through their paces for official reviews – expect those soon! The Pilot 823 is almost always inked up, the architect point is so fun to use. I haven’t emptied out the 580AL in a while, no problems with the ink and no visible staining, which is nice. I’m not huge on this pen, but somehow it’s managed to stick around. I filled the Vanishing Point with the JH ink to do a review, it’s just about empty so it will be back in storage soon.

In the mean time, if you need a fountain pen picture fix, check out my Instagram.

Gallery:

Left to Right:

• Lamy Safari Griso Grey – Diamine Grey – F Nib
• Montblanc 149 – Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo – M Nib
• Pilot Custom 823 – Diamine Asa Blue- Architect Point
• Nakaya Neo Standard – Diamine Asa Blue – S-M Nib
• Lamy 2000 Stainless – TOP SECRET – B Nib
• Lamy 2000 Makrolon– Sailor Kiwa Guro Black – M Nib

Notes: It’s kind of a weird feeling to be completely content with a set of pens. I’ve spent the last four to five years buying, trying, and selling a TON of different pens and I feel like I’ve finally achieved a small collection of writing instruments in which I am completely happy with. Since the last loadout post, I’ve sold off my Pelikan M805 Stresemann – only reason is that I didn’t bond with it. I had the same experience with my M605. They both write wonderfully, look great, and were classic looking pens. The problem is that I found myself reaching for my Lamy 2000 Stainless that I bought at the same time way more than the Pelikan. As far as I’m concerned, this set of 6 pens is all I really need. The Safari is great for grab and go, the Montblanc is large and has significant presence, the Pilot 823 with architect point is super fun to write with, the Nakaya just has a feel in hand like no other pen, and I absolutely love my workhorse Lamy 2000s. Not in the pack are my Karas Kustoms Inks – I still have two of them and they’re not going anywhere. They’re just on a little bit of a break. I’ll continue to buy and try new pens, but right now I’m completely content with these and that is a really weird feeling…

The inks I’ve been using are a bit different too. Two pens contain Diamine’s Asa Blue (Pilot 823 and Nakaya) – a wonderful medium blue that really pops off the page. It’s like a slightly toned down Kon-Peki and I’m loving it. I picked it up in one of Diamine’s smaller bottles to try out, and I suggest you do the same! The Grey Safari is loaded with Grey ink, also by Diamine. It just makes sense in there. The Tsuki-yo (I think it’s Tsuki-yo…can’t remember!) in the Montblanc is a darker blue that just feels right loaded in there. It looks a bit more serious and it’s a serious pen. The Lamy 2000 is loaded with Sailor Kiwa Guro Nano Black – one of the blackest black inks out there. It’s also pigmented and permanent. I had to sign some really important documents this week, so I loaded that up specifically for that. The last on the list is the broad nibbed Lamy 2000 with a mystery ink. I’m sworn to secrecy on what the ink is, the brand of the ink, and the color of it. Trust me, this one is REALLY exciting. I should be able to uncover it within a few weeks so keep an eye out!

In the mean time, if you need a fountain pen picture fix, check out my Instagram.

Gallery: