The daily carry

Ever since I had a good talk with my ink magician friend about decluttering my life, I've been meaning to work on getting rid of some of my pens.

Of course, I haven't gotten far with that yet, but I've at least confirmed my 8 daily carry pens. Why 8? Because I have two 4-pen cases, with 4 pens being the max number you can have in a case and still have that case fit in your pocket.

From now, if I want to get a new pen, I will have to get rid of another, to free up one existing slot, be it by gifting the pen or selling it.

Latest Update (October 2016):

These days I'm carrying five pens on me... The current five are the Pelikan (Noodler's Liberty Elysium), the 400NN (Black Swan in Icelandic Minty Bathwater), the Pilot (Noodler's Upper Ganges Blue), the Danitrio Cum Laude (Noodler's Pacific Dawn at the Golden Gate). and TWSBI 580AL Blue (Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine).

The handmade fountain pen my parents bought (Mont Tortoise Russet Cocktail) now resides in my pencilcase.

The Craftsman and Pharo are out of ink and sit at home. The Eco is sold, to be replaced with a 580AL. The M200 and Platinum are currently not with me. When they return, I will decommission the M200 - it shall be a souvenir to my pen days.

Future acquisition plans:
1. Pelikan M605 Dark Blue (and then I'll sell the Blue Silver)
2. Lamy 27 and/or 99 (predecessor to the Lamy 2000)




Without further ado, an introduction to my daily 8.

1. Pelikan M605 Blue Silver - A nice fit for my hand, since I don't like posting my pens. The blue and silver complements each other very nicely and it brings me joy to use this pen.

2. Pilot Custom Heritage 92 - A reliable workhorse, this has quickly become joint favourites with 1. I especially like seeing how the ink sloshes around in the demo.

3. Lamy 2000 - I have to say, I didn't like it initially. However, it slowly grew on me - to the extent that when I lost it, I searched for a replacement. And now, I have another piece again, making me a happy person.

4. Pelikan Pharo - My first nibmeister customed nib. I bought it for the Binder nib and it performs beautifully. I like it and use it when I want a little extra something, flourishing in my writing.

5. TWSBI Eco - The value for money demo. Although not as beautiful as the Diamond 580, it is cheaper and more robust (ie less prone to having parts cracking) due to its one piece construction. The 1.1mm nib comes in useful when writing Christmas cards.

6. Sheaffer Touchdown Craftsman - I won this last year during FPD. I admit, it is not something I would have bought for myself. But like the Lamy, it has grown on me. It's a beautiful little piece with a true 14k fine nib and looks great despite its age.

7. Pelikan M200 demo - My first pen upon getting back into the FP world. A sentimental piece, and one that brings back fond memories.

8. Platinum 3776 - The blue of this pen is mesmerising. I find myself taking it out to look at because of its immense beauty. Yes, I'm drunk on this colour! Writes with just a touch of feedback, something to my tastes.


Which do I like most? 1 and 2, but they all have their place and usage. I love them all.


PS. Happy February! And for all of you InCoWriMo-ers outside, here goes!

Spoilt

I think I'm spoilt. Oh my.

Spoilt by Noodler's... because now I insist that my inks must minimally be water-resistant. Better if they are partially bulletproof, or even fully bulletproof.

Which is why I was underwhelmed by the Iroshizuku line (that's good actually, for my wallet), and I don't plan on trying the Sailor/Bungbox inks (my wallet thanks me). Of course, they do have pigmented inks if I really wanted a waterproof ink, but nah. They are bland colours to me.

My daily use ink is Noodler's Liberty Elysium (LE), which is partially bulletproof. Next on the list is Icelandic Minty Bathwater, which is to some extent bulletproof, due to its components.

Of course, for inks I use occasionally (and on things that I don't plan to hand in), they can be totally non water resistant. I'm fine. (Ancient Copper, yup I'm looking at you.)

My obsessiveness over inks being water resistant came from my GP teacher two years back. I wrote with a FP on my comprehension script, and she told me she spilled water on it while marking. I was so glad that the ink used was LE so it was still legible. From then on I had this phobia over water ruining my script/homework and have never looked back on my choice of inks.

Noodler's is a brand I admire and like a lot. Come on, you've got to give the guy some credit, being a one-man show, he manages to create new inks, create new pens, and continue to churn out his regular lines. Plus, I like how he has a stand (see #41 Brown, Park Red, 54th Massachusetts etc), although I might not necessarily agree with his stand. Does the guy even sleep?

Still, I like the diversity of the FP world, even though I'm spoilt, there's still products for me to enjoy. Wonderful place this is.

BTW: Happy Mid Autumn Festival.

2015...