Knight's Writing Company

Fine Pens, Paper and Inks

Fountain Pens

Six Reasons Why A Noodler’s Ink Fountain Pen Is (Or Is Not) For You.

Noodler's Tiger Tortoise

We recently updated our collection of Noodler’s Ink fountain pens on the Knight’s Writing Company website. Although we don’t have a vast selection to choose from, what we have are popular with customers.

Noodler’s Ink produces fun fountain pens that have their place in the world, but they are a different beast compared to Kaweco, Waterman, Lamy and other mainstream manufacturers.

So how do you know if a Noodler’s Ink fountain pen is for you? Take a look at the six questions below and you'll quickly have a sense of whether to invest or not.

Do you want a pen that you will most likely have to tinker around with?

The first thing to know about a Noodler’s Ink pen is that you are likely to get inky fingers. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the friction fit nature of the nib and feed will at some point need adjusting. There is a high chance that you will experience leaks and you could have a nib and feed fall out of the pen causing a colourful pocket explosion.

Sounds terrible? Yes if you love predictable well known fountain pens, no if you love the idea of a quirky fountain pen and all the intricacies that might come with it.

Do you enjoy unique products from boutique companies?

Noodler’s Ink is a boutique company. To me this means that the products have a different level of quality and a different target market than the mainstream manufacturers. Their fountain pens are very unique and as I mentioned, fun!

We have had one or two customers complain about the nibs and leaks but as I tell them, you can’t compare a $29 pen from a boutique company to a $120 Waterman.

Noodler’s Ink have the philosophy of creating low cost fountain pens similar to those produced in an era long gone. Remember this and you’ll enjoy the experience.

Do you mind a scratchy nib?

Noodler’s Ink produce some of the worse nibs on the market (in my opinion).

The great thing about the nibs is that you can fix them yourself if you do experience scratchiness, by smoothing the tip with a super fine grit pad similar to those used for polishing wood.

I would never do this with my favourite Kaweco! For a Noodler’s Ink fountain pen, it’s all part of the tinkering. That’s not to say your nib will be scratchy, but be aware that it might.

Do you mind a smelly pen?

Odd. Smell. Hmm. And they do. It’s the plastic they use. The smell will wear off and oddly it’s something I love about Noodler’s Ink fountain pens.

Are you looking for a flex nib or a nib that gives a consistent line?

Noodler’s Ink fountain pens generally have ‘flex’ nibs. These nibs have some give in them so that you can vary line thickness and give shade to your lettering similar to a calligraphy dip pen.

I don’t know anyone who uses a Noodler’s Ink pen for calligraphy as the nibs for dip pens are specifically designed for this purpose, but there are those who write beautifully with a Noodler’s fountain pen and make full use of the flex.

For us beginner’s it sometimes ends up a little splotchy. You can reduce or increase the flex by moving the nib higher or lower in the feed (remember what I said about inky fingers and tinkering?) but if you’re looking for an every day writing pen with a consistent line then they might not be for you.

Are you happy to use only bottled ink?

One thing I really love about Noodler’s Ink fountain pens is that they have a piston converter built right into the pen. And they take a lot of ink. This is pure genius in my opinion.

While I love using cartridges, I often want to use bottled ink and I do get annoyed when I have to get hold of a converter and plug it into the pen. Noodler’s Ink solves this problem beautifully and the converter mechanisms are really fun to use.

Conclusion?

While I do use Noodler’s Ink fountain pens from time to time, they aren’t a pen I would use on a daily basis. I wouldn’t carry them around in my pocket or bag. I’ve had some nibs fall out causing a bit of a mess. But I would keep them on my desk for occasional use and tinkering.

The pens are more than a gimmick and have a large following of people who love them. They have their particular market.

If the six points above don’t scare you away then give a Noodler’s Ink fountain pen a try and enjoy the unique experience that owning one brings. You'll end up loving it in some strange way.

Do you have a favourite Noodler's Ink fountain pen?

Diplomat Excellence A Evergreen Fountain Pen Review

Diplomat Excellence A

Introduction

I’ll be the first to admit that I keep dropping the ball on the blog over the last couple of months. We’ve been very busy since the beginning of the year (the chess store as well) and my blog schedule keeps getting pushed back. I’ve resolved to try to change this and I certainly have more than enough pens and inks to tell you about.

In January I reviewed the Diplomat Aero. This pen was a bit of a surprise to me. The pen was gorgeous to write with even if it did have an odd Zeppelin-like style. It was an attractive pen but I couldn't get used to writing with a hot air balloon. And because of that, I couldn’t wait to try the other pen from Diplomat. Enter the Excellence A. Oh boy, I do like this pen!

First Impressions

The Excellence A is a classic styled pen compared to the Aero. It looks like a fountain pen and feels like a fountain pen. We carry the chrome trim edition with steel nib and the pen exudes quality and solid craftsmanship. Often you pick up a metal bodied pen and feel a slight tinny quality to it. This isn’t the case with the Excellence A. On a lower cost pen you can sometimes find that the lacquer feels like plastic. Again this isn’t true of the Excellence A.

The pen has a decent weight to it and the beautiful barrel and trim just ask to be handled. I love the snap mechanism of the cap. It feels solid and reassuring. You can click the cap back onto the pen and know that it will stay on. I tend not to write with the cap posted but it does fit snugly should you want to.

I often get inquiries whether expensive pens are really worth their price. The Excellence A oozes quality and the nib is sublime. If you were to compare it to a $15 fountain pen you would certainly understand that the answer is a resounding yes.

Diplomat Excellence Capped

Barrel

What can I say. The barrel is beautiful. The evergreen lacquer is particularly nice to the eye, feels good in the hand and might even withstand being dropped from a great height. The barrel has a very pleasing shape and is medium in size. The Excellence A is not a huge pen but is an ideal size for average hands.

I’ve mentioned the snap cap but the other thing that I love is the plastic grommet that is present on the nib section screw. When the nib section and barrel are screwed together, the grommet provides friction preventing the two from coming undone. The lack of this erks me about other fountain pens. Occasional rotation of the cap can undo the nib section from the barrel, but not on the Excellence A.

The chrome trim finishing is gorgeous and complete the barrel. I particularly like the solid feel of the clip and the Diplomat propeller insignia on the top of the cap.

Ink System

Like the Aero, the Excellence A is fitted with a converter allowing you to use bottled ink. You can also remove the converter and use international standard cartridges. A black and a blue cartridge are included with the pen. I felt a bit guilty dipping the nib section into an ink bottle, so found myself removing the converter and filling it directly. The ink flowed through the feed and nib straight away and the quality of the whole package seems to guarantee that ink flow will never be a problem. I also left the pen capped and unused for several days but the ink flowed without any problems when I started to write.

Nib

Oh sublime. Oh what a lovely nib. Yes, price does make a difference. Yes, expensive pens tend to have lovely nibs. Yes, modern stainless steel nibs are as good as (if not better than) gold. The nib is a reasonably large size and is the same as the one on the Aero.

I felt that this pen needed a high quality ink so I filled it with Waterman Serenity Blue and was not disappointed. I have to admit that I wouldn’t put a boutique ink into this pen. I feel that this lovely nib would feel a little under utilised unless it was fed with a high quality commercial ink.

I generally love a medium nib and I find that Diplomat’s tend to be a little finer than nibs from other German manufacturers. The nib is smooth and not scratchy in the least.

Diplomat Excellecnce A Parts

Options

The Excellence A comes in black, evergreen and midnight blue. We currently only stock chrome trim models with fine and medium stainless steel nibs, but we may bring in gold trim and gold nibs to the store later in the year.

You can find the Diplomat Excellence A at Knight’s Writing Company.

Lamy Safari Green Fountain Pen Review

Lamy Safari Green

Introduction

We finally stock Lamy! For me this is quite a hefty statement. It's taken us over a year to be able to have these wonderful pens and inks in stock and the biggest problem I have is stopping myself from stealing them off the shelf. 

We have bottled inks as well as Safari, Vista and AL-star fountain pens in the store. Shortly we will have cartridges. It's a very exciting time for Knight's Writing Company!

First Impressions

I’ve always been a bit of a Lamy fan. The only thing that really bothered me was that the converter and cartridge system did not follow international standards, but truth be told that’s not too much of a problem. With plenty of ink options available in cartridges and bottles, the whole package fits together rather nicely. This is particularly true if using a converter because it fits snug and tight in the pen. Using bottled ink is a joy!

Lamy fountain pens come in several flavours. The Safari comes in plastic barrel, the AL-star anodised aluminium and the Vista, clear plastic. The green Safari that I decided to review gives an amazing bang for your buck. It's a low cost pen with exceptional quality for the price.

Barrel

The majority of fountain pens you pick up will have a round barrel and nib section. This isn’t the case with the Safari. Most notably the nib section is made in an almost triangular shape that forces your fingers to be in the perfect writing position. It took me a while to be comfortable with this and I’m sure this is true of many writers, but persevere and you’ll soon find it is an addictive pen holding position.

The upper section of the barrel contains a cut out window so you can see exactly how much ink you have left in your converter or cartridge. It’s a neat system that actually works. Stopping you from having to unscrew the barrel every so often to check the reservoir.

Both the wire pen clip and the non-uniform nature of the barrel will stop your pen rolling off the table. And just so you don’t forget it, the word Lamy is embossed on the end. The pen performs well posted as well as without the cap on the end.

Lamy Safari Green Close

Ink System

Our Lamy fountain pens are sold with a converter included (let us know if you don’t want one and we can adjust the price). The converter fits securely into the nib section and has two little protrusions that guide it to the correct position. It feels very solid once fitted and because of this I'm encouraged to use bottled inks - reminding me just how great it is to use them instead of cartridges.

Nib

German engineering is quite brilliant, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Lamy nib. All sizes produce a great line. My preference is medium but remember that European nibs tend to be a little thicker than their Japanese counterparts. Lamy nibs are easy to pull off and swap out giving you the option of using multiple nibs without having to purchase a new pen.

The nib feels a little stiffer than Kaweco (for example) but is very enjoyable to write with. I threw the pen in my pocket and bag for several weeks and didn’t have any leaks. 

Options

The fountain pen comes with one cartridge as well as the converter. The pens come in variety of bright colours as well as the more traditional charcoal or black. If you prefer a demonstrator then go for the Vista. The AL-sport is the same wonderful pen as the Safari and Vista but with an aluminium body. All you have to remember is that you won't be able to use international standard cartridges.

Lami Safari Green Posted

All in all Lamy has provided one of the best quality fountain pens for the price. The Safari is a joy to own and use and I have a feeling that I won't be able to stop collecting them!

Find Lamy fountain pens at Knight's Writing Company! What's your favourite Lamy?

Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen Review

Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen

Introduction

In late 2016 we started to shop around for new fountain pen brands to bring to Knight's Writing Company in the New Year. We had discussions with several manufacturers and distributors. We were researching the possibility of bringing in Conklin when a strange turn of events re-introduced us to a company we had approached around two years ago. We don’t have Conklin, but we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to carry Diplomat fountain pens and we jumped at the chance.

Diplomat is a fairly recent manufacturer, operating since 1922. I have never really heard too much about the company and I suspect their low profile marketing and sales has something to do with this. However as you might expect, German technology and engineering have really delivered a magnificent fountain pen.

Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen

First Impressions

I like high end fountain pens. Yes they are expensive, but you do really get what you pay for! At $185 the Aero isn't the most expensive pen but it is worthy of its price.

Diplomat’s packaging is attractive as well as interesting. Once the box is opened you will find a high-quality cardboard container protected by a metal cover. The cover can be slid off to reveal the fountain pen. Pretty neat and certainly unique. There is an air of quality to the packaging that adds excitement to the unboxing.

The Aero is a good weight with a large nib and a very nice feel. It looks like a Zeppelin, as it was designed to. I chose to test drive a medium nib matte-silver pen, although the pen also comes in an attractive black and brown.

Barrel

The barrel feels great in the hand and is made from high quality anodised aluminium. Holding the pen in your hand is comfortable experience. The barrel is great for rolling in the fingers and the grooves in the barrel are extremely pleasing. The ends of the barrel are silver trim and the Diplomat propeller logo is printed on the tip of the cap.

Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen

Ink System

The Diplomat Aero comes fitted with a converter that allows you to use ink straight from the bottle. The pen also follows the international standard and two such cartridges are included. I love a premium pen that comes fitted with a converter. There are some brands that don’t and it always feels like they are reducing the quality of their product. Even the Diplomat branded converter has a ring of quality about it.

Nib

Writing with the Aero reminds me very much of writing with a Staedtler. There is no doubt that when you write with a premium pen, you expect the nib to be exceptional. The Aero delivers. I filled my medium-nib Aero with Diamine Terracotta and the pen wrote immediately with a solid, beautiful line. The nib is stiff but lays down ink smoothly.

Options

The pen comes in in black, matte-silver and brown and all three pens look stunning. The cap is snapped on and off as opposed to being screwed, but the mechanism has a solid feel to it.

The clip and nib sections match and the dulled gunmetal trim is very attractive. The rounded nib section isn’t a problem to hold and the fingers don’t seem to slide too easily. The cap can be posted solidly but the pen performs well when not posted.

Given the Zeppelin-like shape of the Aero and the size, it might be a better fit for larger hands. But don’t let that stop you if you like the look of the pen. It promises to deliver a luxurious writing experience regardless of hand size.

You can find the Diplomat Aero at Knight's Writing Company.

Five Tips For New Kaweco Sport Owners

Kaweco Parts

I think of all the fountain pens we currently stock at Knight’s Writing Company, Kaweco are among my favourite. While I love the awesome feeling of writing with an amazing Staedtler Lignum, not everyone has $280 to spend on a fountain pen.

Kaweco are extremely good value for the price and I always carry an AL Sport with me wherever I go. The are just plain fun! Below are five simple tips that I’ve found add to my enjoyment of these superb pens!

Kaweco Nib Section

1. Use Peripherals.

Being a computer scientist by training, I found that most enjoyment was had from adding parts that hung off the CPU. Fountain pens are no different, and Kaweco provide peripherals by the bucket load. Consider adding a clip (nostalgic or standard) to your pen so it clips securely in your pocket. If you are a fan of bottled inks then consider a converter. Kaweco have two types of converter for Sports. The classic squeeze converter and the mini piston converter. We’re hoping to have piston converters before long but so far they remain elusive.

2. Pull your nibs people!

I’m going to tell you a dirty little secret about Kaweco plastic Sports. Ssh... don’t tell anyone. It’s not an official thing. Did you know you can remove the nib from a standard plastic Sport? Grab the nib section then give the nib and feed a good hard tug.

This gives you the opportunity to do something no one really talks about in the world of plastic Sports – exchange nibs by pressing in a new one! Premium fountain pens come with the ability to swap nibs using the replacement nib system but you don't get this luxury with plastic Sports... well now you do... sort of.

Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen

3. Post your pen!

It may seem obvious but you wouldn’t believe the number of phone calls we receive from new Kaweco Sport owners complaining that the pen is a bit short. In fact the Sport is designed to write posted. Remove the cap, put it on the back of the pen barrel, and write to your heart’s content!

4. Woohoo! International Cartridges!

One thing that I really love about Kaweco fountain pens is that they accept international standard cartridges. You can use as many different inks from as many different manufacturers as you can possibly find – as long as they also manufacture to the international standard.

5. Grab a pouch.

I always carry my AL Sport in a Buffalo pen pouch. For me it always seems to complete the package. Kaweco Sports just beg to be thrown into a pocket when you are on the move. Add a pouch and it makes you feel special! Pouches come in black, cognac and buffalo.

Do you have any tips for the new Kaweco Sport owner?

The Waterman Expert III, A Quick Review

Expert III Fountain Pen by Waterman Paris

It’s been a few weeks since I managed to write any new blog posts! I have been travelling through western USA and now I’m in U.K. on business. Rest assured we will be back to normal within the month and we will also be at Scriptus Toronto on October 30th.

We hope to see you there!

The Waterman Expert 2 has long been a favourite fountain pen for those business-like folk. The design was elegant and the finish gave an impression of an expensive luxury fountain pen, but without the price tag. Slight updates were made to the Expert 2 in 2011 and the result was the Expert 3.

The redesign was subtle and wouldn’t be noticed by most fountain pen aficionados. The engraved trim on the cap now contains more metal and the nib has a slight re-design. But the overall shape of the body remains unchanged.

It has to be said that while the pen feels a little light in the hand when not capped, it is extremely well made. I put it through its paces for several weeks. I dropped it on the floor a couple of times and also kept it in my pocket with loose coins. Not a mark.

The Expert 3 is a big pen and gives an air of quality without compromise. Balance of the pen is excellent whether posted or not. The cap is of the clip-on variety and I love the fact that the cap clips onto the top of the pen when posted. It gives you a great feel and lets you know that it’s not going to fall off when you least expect it.

Expert III Fountain Pen by Waterman Paris, Posted

I chose a fine nib for my review model and kitted it out with my favourite Diamine blue-black ink. Waterman do give you a full size cartridge but I do like that Diamine!

The nib performs extremely well. I’m not one to talk badly about steel nibs because I personally find modern engineering can produce a steel nib that is as good as a gold nib. This nib is no exception. It’s not a particularly stiff nib but writes very well on Leuchtturm1917 paper. The nib responds well to a little pressure and I have a feeling that after more use it will develop a very nice worked in character of its own.

The pen does not come fitted with a converter, which can be purchased separately, but does accept international style cartridges. I seemed to find it hard to put a spare cartridge into the body of the pen although perhaps I was having a bad day.

The design of the matte black Expert 3 attracted me more than a shiny black, but the stainless steel model is particularly attractive. I love the slight gloss but not overly shiny finish on both pens. Although I generally like a smaller pen, I did fall in love with the Expert 3 after a few hours of writing. It is a joy to use and is an eye turner in the office or among friends. It has an executive air about it, so I might prefer to use the pen in a more formal setting falling back to my trusty Kaweco AL Sport everywhere else.

All in all, the Waterman Expert 3 is a wonderful pen. I have nothing bad to say about it aside from struggling to fit a spare cartridge in the body. Price-wise it’s at the luxury fountain pen level, but I think it’s certainly one that you should keep on the list of possibles if you are looking for a pen with a little more pizzazz.

Find the Waterman Expert 3 in Matte Black at Knight's Writing Company.