24 Apr 2019

introducing the kaweco student 70s soul fountain pen in extra fine

So, I must confess. I have a weakness for the colour orange. The Platinum Procyon is proof but that wasn't enough. Enter this Kaweco Student in 70s soul! My experience with Kaweco has been mixed. My first Kaweco was the Skyline Sport in mint and I didn't get on with it very well. I still have it but apart from the initial use, I've not used it since. The pen was too small and too light - I can deal with one of those qualities but both in the same pen? It was never going to work out.

It took me a good few years before dipping my toe in the Kaweco waters again and this time, it was for the Kaweco AL Sport in Rose Gold. I went through a rose gold phase (didn't we all) and that pen was one of the results of said phase.

In late 2018, I found this offering. And well, the retro colour scheme attracted me initially. I just can't explain it and I can imagine this design being a niche one but it just appeals to me.


Design and Usability

The pen is predominantly made of plastic so is lightweight in hand; perfect for those prolonged writing sessions or your rambling 'dear diary' entries. With the cap posted or unposted makes no difference either - both are nicely weighted. I prefer my pens longer (I have big hands) so I prefer to use it with the cap posted.

Lengthwise, it isn't too long, nor does it feel short in the hand (like the Skyline or AL Sport) but those with smaller hands may find it too long when used with the cap posted.

The grip section looks like it could be slippery but no such problems for me so far...

Can we talk about the colour scheme again? I absolutely love it. The orange cap with the cream body and the gold coloured accents. *insert love heart eyes emoji here*

The cap closes with a couple of turns which gives it a secure feel.


Nib

Extra fine nibs often get a bad rep: scratchy, full of feedback, poor ink flow, etc. However, none of these issues with this nib at all! Even from day one, it wrote perfectly. Not scratchy at all; in fact, extremely smooth and no discernable feedback either. I have used a variety of inks in this pen so far: De Atramentis, Diamine, Pilot, Lamy, Monteverde, J. Herbin, etc, and I have had absolutely no issues with flow so far.


Price

Priced at £60, it is in the medium price range. For me, it definitely feels like a step up from the Kaweco Skyline but whether it should be priced almost the same as a Kaweco AL Sport is another question. For a few pounds extra, you can get a pen made of metal, albeit on the smaller side. So I guess it comes down to what you want from a pen: pocket and metal or normal sized and plastic?

Overall

This pen has been constantly inked since I got it and I think that speaks for itself. I genuinely love this pen and use it pretty much daily. Everyday, I write in my 'One Line A Day' journal, my other journal where I just ramble and in my planner to ensure my tasks for the day are accomplished and to plan the following day too.

For me? The only things that could make this pen even more perfect would be ink cartridges/a converter with a larger capacity and a snap-cap. However, I'm still very impressed!

NB: this pen was bought with my own money and I have not been paid to endorse it. All opinions are my own.

17 Apr 2019

katie leamon lay-flat notebooks

Most of you probably know this but I am currently a Foundation Year two (FY2) doctor within the NHS. After an FY2 year, some doctors choose to go into specialty training - that is choose what to specialise in, be that surgery, medicine, A&E, GP, etc. More and more FY2s are choosing to do a gap year, or an 'FY3' year which is not counted towards training. I know of people who have even done two or three gap years before going into specialty training.

Anyway, I have opted to take a 'gap' FY3 year and have secured a role combining my clinical interests (Emergency Medicine) with some education bits and bobs. I'm very much looking forward to it as the job description sounded like my perfect job so when I received the job offer, I was pretty much over the moon.

A new job and new role calls for new stationery (as always) and I knew a dedicated notebook would be ideal for it. There will be a fair few projects on the go within the job and this notebook will help me stay on top of things (along with my planner... but more on that in the coming weeks).

What I wanted was a notebook which has a substantial number of pages, can lie flat but also have paper of a high enough quality to take fountain pen ink. Enter... Katie Leamon.

This notebook claims to lie flat, contains 300 pages and has 90gsm paper. I chose the yellow one to try and bring some sunshine into my life ;)


First impressions are as follows:

1. This notebook definitely lies flat. And astoundingly so.

2. The 90gsm paper is amazing - barely any showthrough, a small amount of bleeding (but not enough to bother me) and is smooth with my fountain pens gliding on it like butter.

3. The plain pages are ideal for drawing arrows from one thing to another, noting down diagrams and gives me the freedom to use the pages how I please. Perfect for project management!

4. Love at first sight!

It's rare to find a notebook which ticks all the boxes as often, I have to compromise on one of them: be it the number of pages, the quality of the paper or its ability to lie flat (without being a spiral bound notebook).

I've written a few pages of notes in it already and though I can't show those, believe me when I say that this notebook is one that has me liking it more and more with each use.

10 Apr 2019

introducing the platinum procyon fountain pen in orange, fine nib

My only other Platinum pen is a Platinum 3776 Century Nice and it's not really one I feel comfortable taking to work with me just in case I misplace it. So when I heard about the Procyon, I knew it could be the pen to replace my current work pen of a Lamy Al-Star. The fact that it came in orange was perhaps the main reason I gravitated towards this pen. I decided to order it from Appelboom, having never used them before, and I was very impressed with the service. Because they also sell a wide range of De Atramentis fountain pen inks, I added a few of them to the order as well (trust me, it was tough to find only a handful I wanted - I want all of them!).


The Procyon came in a lovely black box with a black sleeve. And upon opening the box, we see the fountain pen lying there comfortably.


I would liken the colour of the pen to a salmon-pink but leaning more orange than pink? If that even makes sense? Kind of like smoked salmon. And I quite like it - it's orange but not an 'in-your-face' shade of orange.


Design and Usability

The pen is lightweight and when closed, is the same length as a Pilot Capless. It feels lovely in hand and evenly weighted, with the cap posted or unposted. It is simplistic in design with a barrel that is thicker in the middle and thins towards each end. The only way to describe it without a picture is to say it has soft lines! The grip is made of smooth plastic but despite this, I've not encountered my fingers slipping.

I mentioned the colour earlier and for me, it is a true orange with a tinge of salmon pink in there too.

In terms of ink flow, it is excellent - I've experienced no skipping or hard starts.

The cap is secured with a couple of turns - I like this as it ensures the nib does not drive up - but for work purposes, this is not ideal. Sometimes, I need quick access to the nib for some swift note taking.


Nib

I chose the fine nib because, well, I'm a creature of habit. I have small handwriting which looks best with a thinner nib and this Platinum fine nib did not disappoint. It is a true fine and writes with a small (and bearable) amount of feedback. It is quite a stiff steel nib so don't expect any flex! For a fine nib, it is not scratchy at all.

Next are some writing samples on Tomoe River Paper in an old, partially filled Hobonichi planner. The ink is the standard Platinum blue cartridge that comes with their pens.


Price

I paid just under £50 for this fountain pen which is on the pricier spectrum for a work pen that is not intended to be used as a desk pen. For another £20 or so, you could get a Platinum 3776 on the grey-market... Make what you will of that!


Overall

Overall, Platinum pens write wonderfully for those who want a true fine nib. Although this one writes wonderfully and is great for long note-taking sessions, I don't think the price matches up to the target market.

As an aside, my pen came with these special commemorative inks with an ink mixing guide too!



NB: this pen was bought with my own money and I have not been paid to endorse it or Appelboom, where I bought the pen from. All opinions are my own.