Tong Family

Well every year, there are huge ups and downs, but in the end, I hope we are all grateful for what we have and have a plan for the future that makes it even better.

To that end, I started to collect and use fountain pens and it has been really great doing things that feel so time worn and ancient. The collection I have is pretty cool and I’ve previously talked about them all and also using a Hobonichi diary as well as a nice collection of inks.

So what does next year hold. Well, I dearly love my two Pilots Custom 74 and Custom 843 with FA Nib, Lamy 2000, Sailor, Narwhal, but there are always more on the Pen Addict list, so if you are looking for things to get, here’s a quick list. The sweet spot if you can afford it is in the $100-200 range. Prices seem to be coming down a little bit with a weak Yen and supply chain issues resolving so under $200 you have:

1. Platinum 3776. Another Japanese pen that is very close to the Pilot Custom 74. These are available from JetPens and there is normally a discount coupon. The base models are $208 and at Pen Chalet as well but with 10% discount. And there are also eBay deal at $135 direct from Japan.
2. Leonardo Momento Zero. They don’t have gold nibs, but the steel Jowo, but still supposed to be great. $171 at Pen Chalet
3. Diplomat Aero. Well, I really do like the Lamy and this is more German engineering at work. $188 from Pen Chalet (with 10% discount that’s about the same as the $149 on eBay, if you dare trust them)

And then there are the real splurges at over $200-500, it’s hard for me to pull the trigger on these but I’ll keep looking:

1. Pelikan Souveran M600. This is really the top of the curve and supposed to be worth it. Pretty expensive at $400 so don’t let it leave your home! Japanese nibs tend to be finer, so I like a fine for Japan and probably a medium for European pens. There is one M800 Demonstrator for $449 at Pen Chalet and the M600 is $512 at gold spot. If you dare, you can also get this direct from Japan for $335 on eBay
2. Pilot Customer C912. I don’t know if I need a third Pilot, but these are supposed to be great.

Stationary Redux

I don’t actually use that much paper because even though I have all these pens, I don’t use them everyday. I find that I type fast enough that taking notes is not really an issue. I did somehow lose my Amazon Scribe (which is very sad), but maybe I’ll go back to the iPad Pro for taking notes. But I’m always looking for another diary. The Hobonichi is terribly expensive and the paper is nice, so I’ve been looking at these below, but I feel kind of guilty in that I’ve not even used one Leuchtsturm 1917 pad yet:

1. Midori MD Notebook Light A5 Grid. This A5 size is actually really good for carrying around. I do find the Hobonichi I planner with 365 pages is pretty thick and bulky so this isn’t a bad option.
2. Maruman Mnemosyne US Letter Size Notebook. This is a double spiral and also supposed to be great.