Off to college!

Yep, just a quick mobile post--it's 4:36 am here and I'm leaving for college in a couple of hours, for band camp at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Lamy Vista fountain pen review

It’s been a cool two years or so since I bought this pen from a shop in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany—and honestly, it’s my favorite pen.

                Period.

                Everything from the totally-transparent , industrial modern styling to the smooth nib and comfortable writing makes this pen the top one, for me. It’s been a faithful companion for this time, even spending some time in a friend’s car while I wondered where my pen had fallen out of my pocket! Believe me, I was distraught until I saw it sitting in the cupholder a couple months later.

                The ergonomics may not suit everyone’s writing style, given that the pen’s molded triangle grip forces you to to hold the pen in the (correct) grip every time. Not a problem for me, as this was one of my first true fountain pens.

                What makes this one even more special for me is that I got it while I was on a scholarship-sponsored 3-week trip to Germany—it holds memories of that fantastic time I had there with it!

                Originally I used the Lamy carts I bought at the time I got the pen, but then my Dad gave me one of his Lamy converters, so I used his blue Parker Quink in it for the longest time. About a month ago, I had the chance to get some different ink, so I opted for this not-too-basic black Noodler’s Bulletproof Black. It flows really well, is really truly deep black, and waterproof—all qualities that the previous ink didn’t really have. I’m in heaven—and on my second fill of this awesome ink in this great pen.

                In any case, the fact that I’m rambling on about the man virtues of this pen (whoops—missed the fact that the nibs are totally user-interchangeable) tells you that it’s awesome.  If you’re in the market for a fountain pen, even if you already have a Safari, try some new ink in this awesome fountain pen, the clear, always-ready Vista by Lamy!

                [Another thing I forgot to add in the handwritten review is that you can always see how much ink is left in the converter, making it much more practical for everyday use; you know how much you can write before it runs out of juice!]

detail of the Lamy branding, minimal.

great pocket clip--actually useful!

posted.

detail of the nib. nib creep is due to the ink, noodler's bulletproof black

Invisible Ink and Index Card Burning.

Failed attempts.

Closeup of above (left).

The successful attempts (L to R): "fire in the hole!"; "appear!"; "invisible ink"

Two Years of Typewriters

MANILA_2H46 Notepad Design Updates/Upgrades

Retro 51 Tornado Lava Flow Fountain Pen Review

 Retro 51 Tornado LAVA FLOW fountain pen
First thing I thought when I saw this pen: whoa. That looks really cool! Upon opening the elaborate packaging, the luster of the yellow, orange, and red-on-grey body reflects the light emphasizing the three-dimensional appearance of the material.
                As for the writing and nib quality—it’s pretty smooth and by far the biggest nib I have seen.
                Ever.
                The pen takes short international cartridges, but as I own almost exclusively Lamy pens, which use their own proprietary long cartridges, I was kind of out of luck. But I did manage to procure a syringe to fill up the original cart it came with, so all was well. Crisis averted.
                This is, however, a pretty short pen—it feels kind of unbalanced with the cap posted, but too short even for my average-sized hands with the pen unposted. Just me.
                Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that this pen looks absolutely amazing in person—the pics definitely don’t do it justice.
                When I’m looking for a bold pen to make a short note, or a relatively comfortable pen to write medium-length pieces with, I turn to the Tornado.
                Overall rating: 4.5/5. Though it suffers from very slight balance issues, it looks cool and writes very well, with little-to-no scratchiness and even ink flow. Definitely recommended.
 

Homemade Notepads.

The Giant Scratch Pad. 

Inner of above.

Small thin notepad.

Inner of above.

Portable fastened with bolts, nylon.

Inner of above.

Binding Posts.

Two-hole punch.