One of the projects I am most excited to back on Kickstarter this year is the Pay-It-Forward project. I was lucky enough to see the table in action in Washington D.C. last year, and I’m happy to call it’s creator, Oscar Rodriguez, a friend.

Oscar was kind enough to send over a bottle of Heart of Gold ink, by Papier Plume, that is part of several reward tiers in this project. Seeing how cool this ink is I couldn’t keep it to myself, so why not give it away to one lucky reader, and shine a little light on this awesome project? Read the rules below, and enter away!

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Tombow Mono Zero eraser is a delightful little tool that packs quite a punch when it comes to removing errors. I have several different retractable erasers, but this one actually looks professional. The classy aluminum finish paired with a rectangular body make it both visually pleasing and easy to handle.

Retractable erasers aren't known for being classy and stylish — in most cases, they're just stuffed into an art case or pencil bag for correcting the inevitable graphite mistake. I wasn't even aware I wanted a stylish eraser until I saw this thing. For less than ten bucks, you get a clean, classy eraser that actually does a great job of erasing.

Given the small rectangular shape of this eraser, you can use the 2.5mm sides or the 5mm sides to tackle different sized problems. Or, if you need an even more precise edge, use one of the four corners of the eraser for that fine-tuned erasing.

One of the first things I look for in a retractable eraser is how well the eraser core stays put when actually erasing. Poorly-designed erasers can be difficult to use because they tend to retract while erasing due to a lack of friction. In the case of the Mono Zero, it has no problems staying put while erasing. This is due to both the low tolerance between the eraser core and the body and the advancing mechanism. The "eraser advancer" operates similarly to a mechanical pencil. Instead of relying solely on a clutch system to advance, retract, and hold the eraser, this eraser uses a plastic rod on the interior to manage these operations. In practice, it works really well.

Each full click advances the eraser by about 2mm, but you can also half-click to advance the eraser by 1mm. The clip on the eraser is much stronger than it looks, and due to the light weight of the tool, it has no problem staying attached to anything to which you clip it. And, since the clip is so strong, you can clip this to the cover of a notebook. The slim profile of the eraser makes this an ideal (and probably intended?) carry option.

As far as branding goes, the Tombow logo and name are printed on only one of the four sides of the eraser body.

I've been really impressed by this little eraser. It's not the most exciting stationery tool one can purchase, but it fulfills its purpose while also looking elgant and classy. If silver isn't your jam, you have a few other color options like black, pink, and blue.

At just under $10, this is a great deal for a retractable eraser that uses metal parts. And, you can also pick up extra eraser cores for just a couple bucks (two erasers per pack), making this eraser sustainable as well.

If you need a retractable eraser that looks great and performs well, look no further. The Tombow Mono Zero is an excellent option.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

Brush pens are so fun, but so tricky. I learned a lot listening to Ana on the recent Pen Addict Podcast (episode 292). These Zebra Funwari Fude brush pens have the firm, reinforced felt tips she mentioned that are ideal for beginners.

The pens have a white plastic body with a snap cap that matches the color of the ink (sort of). The cap does post, but not very deeply. Overall, it's a plain design. The real feature on these is the brush point.

The tips are felt, but reinforced with some plastic so they aren't as flexible as some. That helps a lot with line control and learning how and when to add pressure to get your desired line width. At first, they didn't seem to flex much at all, but they did break in after some use. They were still firm enough that the tip could be used to write with to get a finer line. Gentle pressure adds some width to the line, and then using the sides of the tip adds even more variation.

All the ink colors are water-based, but the black has some extra water-resitance so that it can be used for sketching and outlining. The pens would be great for drawing or calligraphy, though I did get a little feathering where I put down more pressure.

This set includes eight colors--black, grey, red, golden yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink. It's the full color range of the model, which has a lot of gaps, unfortunately. There isn't an orange! That shouldn't be allowed.

At $22, I do think they're a bit pricey. The overall feel and use is more school supply/beginner tool, rather than an artist's pen, but they're priced higher than some much fancier models. If you're wanting to get more into brush pen techniques,though, and struggling with the full-flex brushes, these are a great way to ease into the hobby.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I am on a Holy Grail search for the best modern flex nib. I realize I am doomed to fail, as modern nibs just can’t match vintage ones, but, like Don Quixote, I like to dream impossible dreams.

I did a review of the Aurora 88 Anniversario with flex nib back in March 2017. If you remember that review, I wasn’t much impressed. But, because I am a nutcase, I became obsessed with owning the blue Aurora 88 Anniversario in spite of the fact that I wasn’t impressed with its flex. I believe I bought the last blue Aurora 88 flex on earth. Isn’t it gorgeous?

I purchased a Pilot 912 with FA nib a long while ago and reviewed it here. It’s a great pen, and I love the FA nib.

And, recently, I purchased a Franklin-Christoph 14k SIG flex nib. I put it in my Iterum 03 reviewed here.

Since I own three modern flex nibs, I thought it would be fun to compare them. I realize that various factors make this review less than scientific. First, I used different inks in each pen, and ink can affect line width due to variances in viscosity and saturation. But, I used different inks mainly so I could more easily distinguish the pens. Second, although I tried to use the same pressure with each pen, there’s no way to guarantee exactitude with the human hand. The Aurora, in particular, required quite a bit more pressure to get some flex. Third, the three nibs are quite distinct though all are made of gold. The Aurora nib relies on the flexibility of long tines to create line variation. The FA nib and the Franklin-Christoph nib both use cutouts to increase line variation.

I compared the nibs with various writing tests. First, I did swirls.

Pilot

Franklin-Chistoph

Aurora

In this test, the Pilot 912 with FA nib definitely showed more line variation. The Franklin-Christoph SIG flex nib came in second with good line variation, and the Aurora was last with the least line variation. Plus, the feed didn’t keep up with the flex resulting in railroading.

My second test was writing the “Quick Brown Fox” line. Here, the differences between the nibs isn’t as obvious. The Pilot still wins first place for line variation, but the Franklin-Christoph and Aurora are very similar

Pilot

Franklin-Christoph

Aurora

In the third test, I simply drew vertical lines while flexing the nib. Once again, the Pilot provides the most flex, measuring a little over 1mm, but the Franklin-Christoph and Aurora were pretty similar, both just under 1mm.

Pilot

Franklin-Christoph

Aurora

After comparing these three modern flex nibs, I have to give first prize for line variation to the Pilot 912 with FA nib. This nib simply flexes more easily and with more line variation than the other two nibs.

The Franklin-Christoph SIG Flex Nib gets second place. Not only is this nib a pleasure to write with, it offers good line variation and the nib can be used in any Franklin-Christoph pen that accepts a size #6 nib. Unfortunately, when I use my FC SIG flex nib for regular writing (such as when I’m taking notes in class), it has a tendency to dry up and require a little tongue lick (I know, gross) to get the ink flowing again. Still, I love the bounce that the cut outs give, and the pen itself is light and easy to write with.

In third place is my very expensive Aurora 88 Anniversario. I just cannot get this nib to flex without putting lots of pressure on it. That said, it is my favorite pen of the three, mainly because it is a piston filler and it’s blue. What can I say? I love blue pens and Aurora nibs are incredibly well made. True, the Aurora struggles as a flex nib. Of the three, it was the only one that railroaded. But, as an every-day writer, the Aurora is excellent.

After comparing these three modern flex nibs, my conclusion is that the Pilot FA nib is the best nib for creating line variation using flex. If you want a more interesting pen design, then I suggest you go with any Franklin-Christoph model that accepts their #6 SIG flex nib. I still cannot recommend Aurora’s flex nib if you want excellent line variation. It simply requires too much pressure and the feed does not adequately supply ink when you use flex (thus, the railroading).

That said, Aurora is offering flex nibs in their newest Optima models. If you really want an Aurora flex nib, I encourage you to purchase one from Dan Smith. He can tweak the feed and nib for better flex and ink flow.

You can purchase the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 from Vanness Pens for $225.00. Although most (if not all) of the Aurora 88s with flex nibs are sold out, Optimas will be available in March (retail $650), and I suggest you contact Dan Smith to pre-order one of these. Franklin-Christoph offers numerous pen styles that accept the #6 SIG flex nib. Prices vary between models.

**Author’s note: My comparison omits one other modern flex pen: the Wahl-Eversharp Decoband (reviewed here). In terms of flex, this pen surpasses all three of the pens I reviewed above. However, two factors made me decide not to include it in this comparison. First, it truly is an oversized pen, much larger (and heavier) than the three pens discussed above. Second, it is a great deal more expensive (retail $850) than the other pens, especially the Franklin Christoph and the Pilot 912. Please read my review if you think an oversized pen would suit you best.

I wasn’t sure there would be any benefit to my newfound left-handed reliance. That’s a close-minded way of thinking, and I gave myself a good shake last week to not let this temporary setback affect my curiosity. Why not embrace the situation, and figure out what makes me smile?

As it turns out, it was a group of stationery that normally doesn’t work for my right-handedness. That group? Softer and darker wooden pencils, such as those found on the B side of the graphite grading scale.

Normally, anything 2B or softer finds its way to the back of my stash. I prefer writing with firm, fine, long-lasting cores, and don’t mind the lighter marks they leave. But that was my right-handed style. Assuming that same style would work when the script was flipped was a mistake.

I’m not sure what made me pick up the Blackwing MMX (Proper name: Blackwing Matte) to test out, but it was a revelation. A pencil core that has traditionally been my least favorite Blackwing core is now my favorite. What gives?

When writing left—handed I’ve discovered that I hold the pencil with a much lighter grip. There is some force behind it, but nowhere near the vise grip surrounding my right-handed writing instruments.

Also, with the softer core, I get a bit of an angle on the tip when writing. That helps with my letter shapes, which still retain the block print style of my normal writing. Unlike the rigidity of a fountain pen stub or cursive italic nib, this edge remains pliable enough to not fight against my strokes, while maintaining character not found with a round-tipped rollerball pen, for example.

The MMX revelation led me to dig into my pencil stash to see what else I have been missing. Here are a few favorites:

Tombow Mono KM-KKS 4B: I’ve raved about this pencil before, but within a drawing/sketching context more than a writing context. It has a smoother, less gritty feel than the MMX, but that’s not to say the MMX is gritty. It’s more that the KM-KKS is viciously smooth. It’s also the best looking pencil of this bunch.

Caran d’Ache Grafwood 2B: I’ve found 4B to be the top of my preferred left-handed writing range, and 2B to be the bottom. Well, except for the next two pencils I’ll mention - for good reasons! The Grafwood has a slightly wider diameter than Blackwings, as well as a slightly wider core. Both of those features have proven beneficial to my left-handed writing.

Musgrave Tennessee Red: I’ve mentioned before that while I found the Tennessee Red to be a beautiful pencil, the core was too soft for me. Well, that softness makes it ideal for me now. Listed as a standard #2/HB core, it is softer and darker than most other HB cores I put it up against.

Ticoneroga Laddie: What is even happening here? I would have never tried the Laddie if a friend didn’t send me one, and I’ll be darned if it isn’t a great pencil. It’s a combination of the three pencils above - the thick core of the KM-KKS, the intermediate barrel diameter of the Grafwood, and the softer/darker than normal #2/HB graphite of the Tennessee Red. That makes it a real joy to write with.

I tested many more pencils than these thinking I might find a few other options, but in the end something about them didn’t work. For example, I thought jumbo pencils with soft cores would be a good choice, but they were too wide. They are a better fit for my casted right hand and pincher grip. Cores softer than 4B failed as well. There were diminishing returns the softer I went, as I couldn’t control the lines as well.

2B to 4B, minus a couple of exceptions, are the pencils I need to be using right now. The Blackwing MMX will continue to dominate my usage, and I look forward to continuing my test for the next several weeks.

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

The holiday season is here and we’re beginning to think about what we’ll be gifting those important people in our lives. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of ystudio and their minimalistic designs. They offer unique and practical pens, including attractive desk pens, portable fountain pens made for the road and other cool ballpoint and rollerball pens that are all intended for daily use.

What ystudio creates is not just the object itself, but also the true meaning behind their pens, as shown by their slogan “the weight of words.” The packaging is very attractive and they make for great gifts. If your curiosity is piqued, head over to Pen Chalet and take advantage of their Black Friday sales and this special free gift.

My thanks to Kenro Industries for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

I’m a big fan of everything Soumkine makes, including an amazing selection of Planners to get you ready for 2021. The 2021 Weekly planner SLIM Traveler's Notebook Size Planner is a layout perfectly suited for how I like to plan out my weeks, and Soumkine has kindly sent one over for giveaway on the blog. Read the rules below and enter away!

It’s Gift Guide time! Ana Reinert, from The Well-Appointed Desk, is back once again to put up with our nonsense. We covered a lot of ground in this episode, so be sure to check out the show notes to play along with us. Since we ran a bit long this week, some of the gift-specific #ASKTPA had to be cut, so I answered those below.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code PENADDICT at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

Good Made Better: Magnify the delights of life. Get 15% off your Penwell purchase with code PENADDICT.

Via Tyler:

Hi! For the upcoming gift buying episode, I was wondering what you’d recommend for a standard pen gift. Rollerball or ballpoint at any price point. You can assume the recipient is a person well-versed in pens and such. Also forgot to mention, ideally it’d be cap less and have a twist or click mechanism.

To me, a standard gift pen would be the Retro 51. Good quality, great refill, excellent price point, tons of design choices. What’s not to love?

For something classic, but a bit different, I love the Lamy 2000 Ballpoint, which is retractable.

Via Chris:

I discovered you guys in June and now I already own 4 fountain pens with a 5th on the way and about 13 inks counting those on the way. I’m looking to gift some friends (and myself) some things and I’m mostly still on the lookout for some inks. Do you know of any good budget friendly inks other than Diamine? And what blue ink would you recommend for a first blue ink? (doesn’t need to budget because I somehow managed to not get a blue ink yet.)

Robert Oster is the easy answer to this. They are some of my absolute favorites, and check in at a Diamine-like price point. Any and every color you want, they have.

For a first blue ink, how traditional do you want it to be? For a standard, any of the European manufacturers brands (Pelikan, Montblanc, Aurora, etc.) are excellent. For something with a bit more character, Sailor Blue Black is a personal favorite, and Robert Oster Fire and Ice is a modern classic.

My thanks to Kenro Industries, US distributor for ystudio, for sponsoring The Pen Addict This Week.

ystudio is one of my favorite pen brands, and right now they are offering a free ystudio Pocket Journal with the purchase of any ystudio pen at site sponsor Pen Chalet. Take a look at these great pens, and all of the Black Friday deals now live at Pen Chalet.

Soumkine has an amazing selection of Planners to get you ready for 2021, and I have this 2021 Weekly planner SLIM Traveler's Notebook Size Planner to give away to one reader this week. And the winner is:

Congrats Christopher! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.

As much as I have enjoyed writing with pencils during my newfound left-handedness, I have struggled with using fountain pens. Why is that?

For starters, fountain pens are a more rigid writing experience. There are rules - such as the angle of attack with the nib, and the correct amount of pressure on the tines - that other writing instruments don't have.

In my case specifically, my preference for very fine nibs and nibs with a sharp edge (think cursive italic) work against me as I try to learn to write with my left hand. Now, life-long lefties should have no trouble with fountain pen nibs on the far ends of the writing spectrum. But coming in fresh, after decades of opposite hand writing, is more of a challenge for me given my current nib inventory.

So, how do I make my left-handed fountain pen writing experience more enjoyable? Use bigger nibs.

I knew exactly which one I'd go for too, seeing how I own so few of them. It's hard to beat Pelikan nibs when you are looking for an ultra-smooth, wide line, so I grabbed my M800 Demonstrator with a medium stub nib and inked it up with Akkerman Dutch Masters 05 Israel's Zeeblauw to play around with.

For comparison, I matched it up against my Leonardo Momento Zero Grande with a stock extra fine nib, inked with Akkerman 28 for good measure. This is normally one of my favorite all-around writing nibs when writing righty, but I haven't gotten along with it as well from the opposite side.

The difference was immediately clear to me. My extra fine lines were shaky, and my medium stub lines had that nice “I’m just learning to write left-handed” look that I've come to enjoy. Like my pencils.

My writing state requires larger nibs for now. That's why pencils work so well, and why wider tipped fountain pen nibs do too.

I do miss my regular handwriting, and I hope to get back to it around the New Year. But until then, I'll keep learning about what works well for me now, and why. Maybe I'll try out gel pens next?

Schon DSGN changed the expectations of what a pocket pen should be.

Launched in 2012 following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Ian Schon has left an indelible mark on the stationery world. His uncompromising designs range from the Classic Machined pocket ballpoint pen to the Pocket Six, one of the most fun and functional fountain pens on the market.

With the introduction of wild anodization and detailed barrel faceting you are certain to find a pen for you, your friends, or your family this holiday season.

My thanks to Schon DSGN for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

The Sunderland mk1 is one of my favorite machined pens on the market, and Brad Sunderland is offering up not one, but two of his awesome pens up for giveaway this week.

Both the Purple Anodized mk1 and Nickel Plated mk1 are recent additions to Sunderland’s already deep color and material options, and one of each are up for grabs. This giveaway is limited to ship in the US only, so please keep this in mind when entering. And be sure to enter both giveaways below!

Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:

Goldspot kicked off their 12 Days of Pens 2020 promotion today to get you ready for the holiday shopping season.

Vanness Pens has the perfect holiday fountain pen gift with the just launched Diplomat Traveller Show White, in both gold and silver trim.

JetPens launched the latest from Fine Writing International with the beautiful new Fenestro model in two different colors, Snow Scene and Winter’s Night.

Pen Chalet has all of the new Tibaldi Fountain Pens in stock, which feature many styles and colors to fit your style.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

The Kokuyo Campus Business 105BT-DB A5 notebook is easy to miss based on the name alone, but underneath the non-descriptive number/letter name is a fantastic little notebook. There are so many different A5 notebooks to choose from; it's basically one of the most popular notebook sizes available, and for good reason. It's large enough to write comfortably, but small enough to easily transport and carry around. Why choose this notebook over another? Well, like most things, it comes down to personal preference.

To me, one of the big distinguishing factors of this notebook is the cover and binding. it's a flimsy, flexible cover and a blued binding that gives the notebook more of a permanent journal feel over a spiral-bound notebook for school notes. It's still fairly economical, though. At just over $3, it's a great value for the level of quality. The glue binding feels strong, but also pliable enough to allow the notebook to easily stay flat when open.

The cover is a dark blue with white text, but there's also a subtle gray honeycomb pattern all over the cover. I really like this extra visual texture on an otherwise "all business" notebook.

Inside the covers, there's 50 sheets of Kokuyo's lovely 70gsm paper. The paper is lined (30 lines per page), but there are also dots along the lines to provide some guidance for separating things horizontally. The paper has a silky smooth coating that makes most pens glide across the surface, but some pens/inks have trouble getting enough "grip" to make the ink flow freely. In my testing, I've only had issues with a 1.5mm stub nib and the Schmidt P8126 rollerball refill. The rollerball seems to lack the amount of friction required to rotate the microscopic ball that distributes the ink on the page. Once it's moving, it's not bad, but it does take a little scribbling to make it start. Aside from that, I really love using this paper with all manner of writing instruments (provided they agree with the paper coating).

Show-through on the back of the sheet is fairly prominent with fountain pen inks, but not so bad with everything else. This is typical and expected for the paper weight (70gsm) but something you should consider if you mostly use large fountain pen nibs or anything else that lays down a lot of ink compared to a traditional fine fountain pen or gel ink refill.

This notebook is utilitarian on both the outside and inside. There's some normal branding and retail markings on the exterior covers, but the inside covers are bare (aside from a few diagrams with suggestions for using the dots system). No name labels or anything; the notebook just gets right to business with the first page. The pages aren't numbered, but there is a convenient spot in the top outer corner of each page for the date.

The Kokuyo Campus Business A5 notebook is a no-frills workhorse of a notebook. I've really enjoyed using it over the past several weeks. The size is perfect and the flexible covers make it comfortable to carry and handle. While it's not a great choice for writing in environments where you don't have a hard surface to work on, it's an excellent choice for notes and journaling as long as you have a desk or table to work from. The silky smooth paper is enjoyable and the unique Kokuyo dots/lines paper layout is useful. At $3.30 a notebook, they're a great option for stocking up on this handy size notebook.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

My calendar and to-do lists are always in need of a little brightening. Midori makes some of my favorite stationery products, so I thought these lovely Film Sticky Notes Mini Stars might do the trick. And they do! They're the perfect way to add fun pops of color to your pages without adding any bulk. They are, however, a bit tricky to use.

The microscopically fine paper that these notes are printed on makes them weightless and bulk-free, so you can use them abundantly without doubling the thickness of your planner. Their thinness also makes them transparent, so you don't need to worry about them covering up useful lines or information. In fact, they work great to highlight important text or dates. In addition to being able to put them over text and still see it, you can also write on top of them in pen or pencil, like a traditional sticky note (as long as your message is very small). The whole card of 150 notes fits easily inside the cover of a notebook, so you can access them anytime. In this pack, there are fifteen notes each of ten different colors.

Almost the entire back of the note is sticky, so they stay in place well, though they can also be cleanly removed. They can also be applied to various surfaces, like glass and plastic. They're a great hybrid between a sticky note and a sticker.

The only downside to these is that they're so thin that it's a little tricky to just peel off one at a time. Only the top prong on the star is not sticky, so that's the best place to try, But it takes a fair bit of fiddling and squinting to separate just one note. A few times I've gotten two or even three. So you can't really grab one quickly--you've got to be pretty intentional about it. But once you get the hang of it, they're really delightful.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Sailor Be You.

Pilot I Like Me, I Like You.

It’s all happy fun times in the stationery world this week! Myke and I talk about what Sailor and Pilot have been up to with these new product lines, the new Bullet Journal notebook launch, and I break down the the very unique TWSBI ECO Golden Horse.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Ooni Pizza Ovens: Bring the world’s best pizza to your own backyard. Use the code PENADDICT10 for 10% off.

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

When Bungubox announced their limited edition Sanctuary Blue Sailor Professional Gear fountain pen, I was immediately smitten: blue and green, sparkles, unusual white finials, and a wee, little raden turtle on the cap finial. I sent an email right away and bought the pen.

It arrived from Japan in a Sailor clamshell box, the outer cardboard sleeve decorated with the turtle theme.

Inside was a card explaining the origins of the pen. It is based on a green-blue ink called Sanctuary Blue. Off the coast of Enshunada, Japan, the sea is a deep blue color. That color, and the beach's white sand and sea turtles, became the inspiration for the pen.

The pen is Sailor's Professional Gear model. It is 128mm/5.04 inches capped, 115mm/4.5 inches uncapped, and 150mm/5.9 inches posted. It weighs 25 grams (capped and inked).

I absolutely love the colors of this pen. The cap is translucent blue with gold sparkles and gold trims.

The white finial provides a striking background for the little raden turtle twinkling in the sun. This detail makes me happy every time I look at it.

The cap ring is engraved with "Bungubox Sanctuary Blue" and tiny turtles.

The body of the pen is translucent green with gold sparkles, and twin gold rings adorn the barrel where it meets the grip and above the bottom finial.

A cartridge/converter filler, this pen is supplied with a unique converter that has a white knob to match the white finials on the pen.

The nib is a 21k hard medium-fine. It is engraved with an ink bottle because the pen is based on an ink color. I wish the nib had a turtle engraving instead.

I usually don't order anything smaller than a medium-fine with Sailor nibs because they can be scratchy (or, as some say, "They have feedback.") This nib is super smooth and writes like a Western extra fine.

Because the pen is small and light, it is a joy to write with. I can write for long periods of time without any fatigue. I inked the pen with Taccia Sabimidori (reviewed here) and wrote the alphabet and a section from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

I love doing doodle patterns, so I attempted one I saw on Instagram (mine didn't turn out nearly as cool as the original, but oh well). Sailor nibs are wonderful for drawing because they are so fine, and I love how juicy this particular nib is.

Unfortunately, the Sanctuary Blue pen is sold out. However, the good news is that Bungubox now has an English-based online store so you no longer have to email them to place an order. The store currently has a few special Sailor models in stock: the Mangata, the Omotesando, and the Hello San Francisco. You'll also find the gorgeous Bungubox inks in special bottles on the site.

For a person who typically likes larger pens, I've grown quite a collection of Sailor Pro Gears. They are a bit like candy--colorful, shiny, and sweet. It's hard to resist these jewels, and the nibs are impeccable.

(I purchased the Bungubox Sanctuary Blue fountain pen with my own funds.)

My thanks to Schon DSGN for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Ian Schon makes some of the best, and most unique, pocke pens on the market. From the Classic Machined ballpoint pen to the Pocket Six fountain pen, Schon DSGN is the perfect holiday gift for you, your friends, or your family this holiday season.

Head over to Schon DSGN and gaze at the amazing lineup of pens, materials, and colors.

Sunderland Machine Works manufactures one of my favorite machined pens in the mk1, and I had not one, but two available to give away this week. The winners are:

Congrats Mario and Mike! I’ve sent emails your way to collect your shipping address.