New Arrivals: Don't Sleep on Tombow as a Brand!

Tombow remains a deeply underrated “sleeper” Japanese stationery brand. Known more in the states for their art supplies than writing instruments, Tombow also offers a deep lineup of pens and pencils. We’ve long carried the Tombow 2558 woodcase pencils - one of the best standard office pencils around - as well as the high-end Tombow Mono in various degrees of graphite. This year, we’ve expanded our selection of Tombow “shaker” mechanical pencils, and just recently added pens, including the L105 ballpoint and “Airpress” pressurized pen!

The L105 belongs to a class of ballpoints that I’ve recently come to enjoy: full-sized retractable ballpoints (as opposed to multi-pens) that use the universal D1-sized refill. The L105 is a cylindrical twist pen that ships with a standard .5mm Tombow ballpoint refill, but which is also compatible with other D1 cartridges like the Uni Jetstream and the Zebra Sharbo gel refills. Similar to the mechanism in the Craighill Kepler pen, the D1 refill attaches to a longer “holder” inside the pen body, allowing you to use a full-sized twist or click mechanism to extend the tip.

I keep one of these Tombow extendable Mono erasers in my pencil case at all times!

Finally, we recently expanded our range of Tombow Mono extendable erasers. Now available in three different formats (rectangular, 2.3mm round, and 3.8mm “Mono Knock” round), Tombow makes some of the best erasers on the market. The “Mono” line sets the standard for me personally, whether it’s a retractable stick eraser or the standard Mono block erasers. They erase cleanly and without much residue. Pencil lovers should have at least one stand-alone Tombow eraser in their kit!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Tombow and other brands sold. TGS is supported entirely by purchases from the Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

New Arrivals: Kaweco Collection Sport in Apricot Pearl!

After a bit of a delay due to customs, our allocation of the 2024 Kaweco Collection Sport fountain pens has arrived! This year’s color is “Apricot Pearl,” a muted orange with a translucent, pearlescent finish. Each pen ships with a cartridge of Kaweco Sunset Orange ink. The Apricot Pearl Sports are currently available for purchase, in nib sizes EF through BB.

Kaweco continues to sell the Kaweco Collection releases from prior years, and if orange isn’t your thing, we have plenty of these muted pastel Sports available. We also recently received a restock of the 2024 Kaweco Art Sport releases, which were a huge hit at this past weekend’s Arkansas Pen Show. People couldn’t get over the feel of the turned resin as opposed to the standard plastic on the Sport - it has a lot of warmth to it. Happy Shopping!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Kaweco Pens.

Weekly Drops: Hi from the Arkansas Pen Show!

I’ve been quiet for the past few days, both here on the site and social media, and it’s because most of my time has been occupied by prep for and travel to Little Rock for the 2024 Arkansas Pen Show! Now that I’m here at the show, I can put out the public code for the standard pen show weekly discount and also highlight some new arrivals and special discounts. Take 10% off most shop orders (excluding certain brands that we are not allowed to discount) using the coupon code “PENSHOW10” at checkout. A few of the things we will be spotlighting at the show, plus new arrivals can be found listed below:

1. E+M Clutch Pencils in Various Finishes. We have wood E+M clutch pencils that can be used as either sketching tools or highlighters available for purchase! From the contoured “sketch” model to the round workman, these cool pencils are made in Germany and come in a wide range of both colorful and natural stains.

2. Blackwing “Illegal Pads”. We talked a bit about Blackwing last week, when we launched the Blackwing pencil collection as well as their sharpeners and other accessories. What I’m really excited about, however, is their range of legal pads that feature very good paper in a variety of rulings. These are good for both pen and pencil.

3. Anterique Brass Ballpoints. These well-balanced ballpoints pair a brass barrel with the excellent “Mach Ball” low-viscosity ballpoint refill. Nearly everyone who handles one of these pens in person loves them.

4. Lamy 2000 Multi Pens. The Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (or “4 Color Ballpoint”, for the purists) is one of my favorite workhorses because it’s capable of holding four different D1 refills, including the Uni Jetstream D1 or your preferred brand of choice. You can read more about why we like this specific pen here.

5. Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pens. On our table this weekend we have the full range of Pilot Custom 74 fountain pens in all the various colors and nib sizes. If you’re interested in seeing them in person, do stop by, and of course we also have them available online!

6. Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pens. Another classic workhorse, the Vanishing Point fountain pen is perfect for those who don’t want to give up retractable pen convenience when they want to write with a fountain pen. Plus you can amass quite the collection of interchangeable nibs!

7. Lamy Special Edition Safari Ballpoints. The latest Lamy Safari ballpoint releases have arrived! Pink Cliff and Violet Blackberry have a more “blacked out” look than the brightly accented fountain pen and rollerball options.

8. Lamy Special Edition AL-Star Fountain Pens. The Safari’s slightly larger aluminum sibling is now available in several additional special edition finishes, including Whitesilver, Azure, and Cosmic. We’ve been trying to get whatever stock we can! Ballpoints are also available in Cosmic and Azure finishes.

9. Camel Pencils. These Japanese pencils with an integrated eraser are a longtime favorite among pencil aficionados. Available in two different wood stains with grey or white erasers.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

New Arrivals: E+M Clutch Pencils (Plus Highlighter Leads), and Blackwing "Illegal" Pads!

I spent much of this weekend both preparing for the upcoming Arkansas Pen Show AND listing a bunch of new arrivals online, all of which I will try to bring to the show with me, but no promises! Most of the new products are from German maker E+M, known for their expansive line of wooden clutch pencils, which we now stock in multiple shapes and colors. The rounded “Workman” comes in both shorter and longer versions, and the contoured “Sketch” in three wood finishes with chrome or brass trim. Sharpeners are available for purchase separately.

The E+M Workman Short and Long, shown side-by-side.

We’ve also received another shipment of the Kaweco “Softfeel” Clutch Pencils in Black and Yellow - though not as many as before as I understand these are no longer part of the standard line and I’m limited to what the distributor has on hand - and the standard metal finishes. Graphite, Highlighter, and Colored Lead refills are available in the 5.5mm and 5.6mm sizes. E+M and Kaweco refills are interchangeable, and as I’ve written before, you can also use them as nib holders for the Kakimori Metal Dip Nibs.

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Blackwing “Illegal Pads” disappeared for a while, but now it appears that Blackwing has them available again and you are starting to see them more. That’s good news because they’re fabulous.

Finally, we have Blackwing’s “Illegal Pads” in stock, which frankly are one of the best high-end legal pads that I’ve used. Sold in packs of two, these bound pads feature perforated sheets and high-quality paper that works well with pretty much any ink, as I observed a few years back in this review. The “ruled” format has the center line that old-school legal pad aficionados enjoy. For non-attorneys, this format can traditionally be used to divide questions and answers at deposition or trial (questions in the right column, answers on the left). Dot grid and graph rulings are also available!

I will be traveling to Little Rock for the Arkansas Pen Show on Thursday and returning early Monday. Since our shipping time is 1-3 business days, any orders placed Thursday and Friday will likely still ship in this window, but if you absolutely want something to arrive this week, please get any orders in by Wednesday morning. Thanks so much!

New Arrivals: Lamy Dark Lilac Is Here!

After all the hype and “controversy”, the wait is over! The new Lamy Dark Lilac Ink is here! While I no longer have a bottle of the original that I can use to compare the exact shades as they dry, I do have a swatch I made years ago of the limited edition version so I can do a side-by-side.

The new Dark Lilac is a much darker purple with reddish undertones - I’d describe it as a true purple-black with green sheen. Honestly, the new ink is not the former limited edition, but to me it lives up to its name and is an excellent purple ink standing on its own. If I’m going to go for a sheener, I love green sheen!

Let’s be honest, I was never as obsessive about this color as many were - I would never consider paying hundreds of dollars for a bottle when similar colors were available on the secondary market. But at $12 addition to the regular Lamy lineup? Give me something similar and I’m good to go because I love a good dark purple. Dark Lilac ink is now available in standard Lamy ink bottles in the shop, priced at the standard $12. (It’s listed with the standard lineup of colors because it’s not a limited edition but rather will be a regular bottled ink color going forward.) We also have fresh stock of the recently released “Cliff” and “Blackberry” 2024 edition inks, in both bottles and cartridges.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Lamy products.