The tour is in the books, and I have the goods to prove it!

We hit up all of the stores we planned to - C.W. Pencil Enterprise, Kinokuniya, Muji, and Goods for the Study - and I picked a pack of pens, pencils, and paper to send to one lucky winner. Read the rules below and enter away!

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Highlighters may not be the most exciting category of stationery, but they're extremely helpful and useful tools. Like any tool, most people like to use the best ones available to them. With the Tombow Mono Edge dual-tip highlighters pack, your highlighting bases are covered.

The Tombow Mono Edge pack contains six different highlighters that all pack two different tips on either end. In the set, you have a wide range of color options, from golden yellow, pink, purple, red, sky blue, and yellow green. These colors provide a lot of contrast when marking up pages, and they seem to play nicely with most inks (fountain pens excluded).

The main selling feature of these highlighters is the dual tip action. On the top of the pen, there's a cap with a clip that houses the larger of the two highlighter tips. This tip is about 4mm wide and has a nicely chiseled shape. You can also turn the tip on the end to get a fine line, and you can also orient the chisel sideways to draw a thinner line.

The bottom cap houses a small 0.8mm highlighter tip. In my experience, this has been great for underlining passages. This requires less ink but still does a great job of calling out the text later. The bottom tip is a plain round shape that doesn't offer much flexibility.

Both ends of every highlighter move across the page with ease, and I have had zero issues with ink delivery. On the other hand, I haven't had any bleed issues either. The tips and ink used in these pens is top notch.

Each cap can securely post onto the other cap while you use the pen. Since they're made of plastic, the pens are very lightweight, but they don't feel delicate or fragile. These have held up great in my daily carry without any other protection.

When testing these highlighters, I was pretty happy with the results. They caused bleed and smearing with most of the fountain pens I tried, but that's the nature of the inks when they mix. Anything non-water-based did fantastic.

I tried several types of paper, and it didn't make much difference with these highlighters. The short poem I used as a demonstration was printed on cheap 20# copy paper from Target, and it performed well.

Whether you're a student, artist, like keeping a journal or daily planner, or anyone who enjoys bright colors, the Tombow Mono Edge highlighters are excellent. They're also a great value. For just under $10, you get six double-tipped highlighter pens that cover the spectrum of colors. No matter your ink combo, you can find a highlighter color in this pack that contrasts well.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Image via JetPens

Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:

Anderson Pens is taking pre-orders for the stunning new Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen in Red. This is sure to be a hit this holiday season.

JetPens received the new Colorverse Wisdom of Trees ink sets, featuring a beautiful selection of six new colors.

Pen Chalet has the new Kaweco AL Sport Night Limited Edition in stock, which is the blacked-out pen many have been clamoring for.

Goldspot takes us to London for their latest exclusive Retro 51 Skyline release. Is this the best one yet?

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

Last year for NaNoWriMo, I blogged about how I hand-write all my novels and short stories (and I'm hand-writing another novel this month!). Once you've written your book, though, it doesn't do much good sitting hidden away in that beautiful notebook. These days, to reach readers, your story must--at some point--become digital. It must shuffle off its analog coil and join the ranks of pixels and kb in the great big data cloud. And it's going to be there a while--months, years--before it assumes its final paper form back in your hands again.

So how do you keep the analog spirit alive during those digital years?

You're going to have to do edits--probably lots (and lots) of them--and sure, you'll have to input them into the digital doc, but if you're analog-minded, I highly recommend making your edits on a hard copy. You can get your manuscript printed and spiral-bound very inexpensively at a print shop. Of course, the paper will not be luxurious, but it's better than nothing and definitely better than a screen. Once you've got a paper copy in your hands, break out the color-coded pens, the sticky notes, make doodles or sketches, add whole scenes on the backs of pages--use those margins.

It's great to have a hard copy of your edits. You can refer back to them if you need information from a previous draft, and you can track the visible footprints of your writing process. That bound draft can go with you anywhere, so you can always be ready to get some work done. And when the work is done, the drafts make nice keepsakes.

I have two bound drafts of my first novel, plus the hand-written one, and in a few months, it will exist as a real book. There's something magical about being able to hold physical copies of its life cycle. You can feel all the weight of the work you've put into it over the years. It's tangible. Of course, the first hand-written draft is hugely different from its final form, and a lot of that development I was able to do with pen on paper.

That's not the only way to keep analog in your life while you're eyebrow-deep in edits. Edits require lots of Keeping Track of Things. Lots of planning. Reminders and restructuring and outlines. Deadlines to schedule, lists of people who have been helpful. Lists and lists and lists. I keep what I call a "brain book" (or sometimes several) for every project where I can track all of this information. In the last few years I've been using the Bullet Journal method to help tame the chaos of these notes. That brain book becomes like a book planner--and it, too, makes a nice keepsake of the process of a big project. It's fun, and a little daunting, to flip back through those notes and see all the work that went into the book.

Between paper edits and a book planner, you can at least keep your pens in rotation while you're deep in the digital doldrums of novel writing. Of course, you can also be hand-writing a new book while typing and editing a different one. Or at least outlining or planning the next one. Or all of the above. It's a slightly maddening level of multitasking, but your pens will love it.

The point is to stay busy and keep those pens inked up. And good luck at NaNoWriMo this month! I'll be posting my progress on Instagram @inkwellmonster.

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

It was an eye-opener of a trip, and Ana, Myke, and myself recapped the entire thing in person from our Toronto hotel room this past Sunday night. Join us as we search for superlatives.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Blue Apron: A better way to cook. Use this link to get 3 free meals.

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Dee Charles Designs is a company made up of two individuals who are passionate about fine writing instruments and the art of handwriting. They say,

“People find joy, value and purpose in putting their stories, personal histories, notes and letters to paper. The written word tells a story about a person and relays their feelings, trust and love clearly. Feelings that are much harder to express with an e-mail, text, or post” (from the Dee Charles website).

The Dee Charles single pen sleeve comes in a simple black box with the Dee Charles logo and name in silver.

This sleeve is Midnight black with red stitching. A very cool fountain pen logo is embossed in the leather. The case is 6.5 inches long (165mm) and 1.8 inches (45mm) wide.

The top grain leather is thick and soft. You can see the thickness in the photo below.

The pen sleeve can accommodate both large (up to 5/8 inch in diameter) and small pens. I tried it with my largest pen, a Danitrio Takumi (see review here). Although the pen fits, it is quite snug. With use, I’m sure the leather will stretch out a bit.

However, the top of the pen is exposed at the opening.

If you carry your pen in a case or purse with a pocket, the fact that the top is a bit exposed to the elements shouldn’t be a problem. But, if you plan to drop the pen case into a bag with other items, it’s possible the top could get scratched or damaged. Thus, with large pens, such as Danitrios or Montblancs, I suggest putting the pen case in a pocket of some sort to protect the top of your pen.

Smaller pens fit much more easily into the pen case. I tried my Leonardo (review here) (a mid-sized pen) and my Aurora 88. The Leonardo fit quite well with only a bit of the cap exposed.

The Aurora 88 is small enough that it is below the stitching, so the top is barely exposed at all.

All of the pens fit snugly into the case, and, because of the leather grain on the inside, they won’t slip out.

The Dee Charles Designs single pen sleeve is well made and looks quite sophisticated. If you’re looking for a sleek, classy, leather pen sleeve, you’ll be very happy with this case.

You can purchase Dee Charles Designs single pen sleeves from Pen Chalet. They come in several colors (black with black, gold, or red stitching; rawhide with blue, brown, or gold stitching; and sunrise with black, blue, or red stitching) and retail for $22.00 (though they’re on sale right now for $17.60). You can also purchase double pen sleeves and Field Notes covers.

(Pen Chalet provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

I’ve been looking forward to the Urban Survival Gear TS-Bolt Version 2.0 since Kelvin teased me with a few test shots early in the design process. If I had my way, I would Cerakote all the things, and with this project you can do just that. Now with more Unicorn Dust!

The project has cracked the $46,000 mark with four days left in the campaign, so take a look if you need a highly durable and functional pen to add to your every day carry.

My thanks to Urban Survival Gear for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

We made several stops on our recent NYC Stationery Tour, and I have the goods to prove it! This sampler pack contains products picked from C.W. Pencil Enterprise, Kinokuniya, Muji, and Goods for the Study, and they are all going to the winner of this giveaway. And the winner is:

Congrats! I’ll be sending you an email shortly to collect your shipping address.

Thanks for having us NYC!

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— Fountain Pen Review: Birmingham Pen Co. Model-A Liquid Hot Magma (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Montblanc Recognizes James Dean As Great Character (Forbes)

— Henry David Thoreau’s 160-year-old notebook shows us just how fast global warming is coming (Quartz)

— A New Distributor and Other Updates from Diplomat, Germany's Unsung Hero (The Gentleman Stationer)

— Loaf goals. (Present&Correct)

— Review: Uniball Signo DX 0.38 Capped (Comfortable Shoes Studio)

— A Joyous Cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart Again? (Kottke)

— Inside the oldest pencil company in the world (CNN Video)

— Ink Review: Montblanc Heritage Spider Metamorphosis Web Grey (Macchiato Man)

— Conid Minimalistica Stealth Fountain Pen (Gourmet Pens)

— S.T. Dupont and World Chess launch an exclusive limited edition pen collection (FIDE World Chess)

— Andy Warhol's Daily Practice of Photography During the Last Decade of His Life (Hyperallergic)

— A Searchable Database of Japanese Woodcut Prints (Kottke)

— BlizzCon 2018: New Overwatch Lego Sets And Toys Announced (GameSpot)

— Shots of Old-School Pre-CAD Drafting Pools (Core77)

— Stationery events in Tokyo, autumn 2018 (Fude Fan)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

Where do I put my beloved Caran d’Ache Fixpencil?

I think we are there.

The 2017 version of my Top 5 Pens list was telling. It was the least amount of product turnover I have ever had on this list, and I think there is even less this year. While seeing movers and shakers all across the board may be more fun, I’m content in knowing that there are many quality products on the market that have withstood the test of time.

That doesn’t mean there are no changes or new additions on this list - there will always be movement in and out. What it does mean is that my confidence level is high on the products I do recommend. Like I just mentioned, time has a way of sorting these things out.

I’ll never make a change for changes sake. Products on this list are there because they deserve to be, not because I feel like shaking things up.

Keep this in mind while reading this list: It is based on what I would recommend. That may or may not be different than how I would rank them for my personal use. The Micro Gel ink pen category is the perfect example of this. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm is number one for me, but number five on this list due to its particularness.

Two new, highly specific, lists have been added for Blue Black and Orange fountain pen inks. I’ve been asked to do these lists for a while, and since they are my two favorite ink colors, and I have experience with dozens of them, I feel good putting together five excellent ones of each shade.

Finally, before you head over and pick through the list, I have one product that I love that doesn’t have a home: The Caran d’Ache Fixpencil.

If I kept a daily usage log of all of the products I have used over the past year, I would wager that the Fixpencil would top the list. I love the design, the quality, and most importantly, the performance. It’s the portable pencil I need for the way I work. It goes everywhere with me.

But what list should it be on? It’s not a wooden pencil, that’s for sure. It’s sort of a mechanical pencil, but not in the traditional sense. It is a clutch pencil, with a 2.0 mm lead and a built in sharpener under the cap. I find it endlessly useful, and I don’t have a place to put it.

Because of this pencil, I’m looking at reviewing other clutch pencils and leadholders just so I have a list to put this one on. Do you have a favorite? I’m taking recommendations for spots two through five on the list, because nobody is going to top my number one!

As always, let me know your favorites that I am forgetting or that I need to take a further look at. Leave a comment on this post, or drop me a message on Twitter and Instagram.

I’ve been a fan of Andrew Sanderson and his work on the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil since it’s launch in 2015. Needless to say, I am primed for the launch of his Modern Fuel Pen, the pen made to last a lifetime.

The Modern Fuel Pen is a sleek, minimalist design, with each pen machined from a solid piece of metal. For this project, you can choose from Stainless Steel, Copper, Bronze, or Titanium materials. In addition, the knock was designed from scratch to give the pen a mechanism befitting the quality of the overall design.

Each pen ships with a Fisher Space Pen refill, giving you a quality writing option, plus the opportunity to swap in your favorite Parker G2 style refill. All of the machining and assembly for the Modern Fuel Pen is handled in house in Austin, Texas, with 100% Made in the USA materials. Each pen is 100% guaranteed too, with Andrew repairing or replacing your pen throughout its lifetime. No questions asked.

Andrew’s pencil projects have raised over $300,000 on Kickstarter, and the Modern Fuel Pen is adding to the totals with over $75,000 pledged in the first week. Early Bird pledge levels end soon, so head over to the project page to check out the details, and pick out your pen today!

My thanks to Modern Fuel for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Story Supply makes awesome notebooks, and their latest edition - titled Morning - is the perfect compliment to an already stellar lineup. The dark, moody covers elicit feelings of cool Fall mornings, which, paired with a cup of coffee, make for a wonderful writing environment.

I have one three-pack of these notebooks to give away. Read the rules below and enter away.

The Récife Waldorf fountain pen is a charming and well-made fountain pen from a company located in Paris, France. The body design has lovely lines and grooves that elevate the aesthetic to something that is reminiscent of Art Deco. In fact, Récife cites New York as the inspiration for this design, and I definitely think of the Empire State Building when I use this pen.

The pen is a solid metal and lacquer construction, and it feels great in the hand. The cap screws on securely, and there are also threads on the back of the pen so that you can securely post it when writing. I found the pen to be too long and unbalanced when posted, so I haven't used it that way very much.

The grip section is a polished chrome look and is very comfortable to hold. Despite the polished metal, there are plenty of ridges surrounding the grip section to provide ample finger holds when writing.

The body of the pen is a rippling wave of sparkly purple lacquer. You can pick your color, of course, but the purple version look amazing under light when accompanied by the shiny accents.

The clip is quite strong and is integrated into the finial. The finial itself is decorated tastefully to continue the Art Deco aesthetic.

The only branding on this pen is found in two small places: the cap band and the nib. The nib has a small "Récife" logo along with the nib size, while the band says "Récife" and "PARIS" on opposite sides. I love the minimal branding on this pen. The overall look of the pen is ostentatious, and I'm glad they didn't take it too far with vivid branding.

Uncapping and capping the pen is a smooth process for the most part. I've had a little bit of trouble with the unit I have when trying to cap it sometimes. Every now and then, the threads don't want to line up straight and I have to try several times to find the right path for the threads. It isn't a big deal, but I do think it should be smoother for the price.

Writing with the pen is a delight. The nib was perfect out of the box and I've enjoyed every minute with it. The fine nib is true to the size I expect, and it's a true performer. The flow is perfect, the steel nib is stiff but comfortable, and I can find no flaws in the tip. Writing is smooth, reliable, and pleasant.

Along with the pen, Récife include one international short cartridge. There's no cartridge converter included, and that's disappointing to me because the size of the pen makes it impossible to fit a standard converter. I haven't found a cartridge converter that fits yet, but I only looked through my own collection, which is not extensive. In order to use my own ink, I opted to use a Kaweco bulb converter. It works fine, but it's difficult to fill and doesn't hold much ink. It would be great if Récife included their own converter as part of the purchase so that buyers could use their own ink to match these brightly colored and beautiful pens.

I've really enjoyed using this pen. It has a bold design, but I think it works well. It definitely attracts attention and comments, and people can't wait to get their hands on it. Even better, it's an excellent writer.

My only concern with this pen is the same concern I share with many other luxury pens in this same price bracket: it has so much competition. On the Récife website, it lists the retail price for this pen as €125. In current prices today, that translates to just over $140 USD. In my opinion, that's a bit high for this pen, but it's also the full retail price. If you look at other pen offerings in the $140 price range, you are easily overwhelmed with high-quality pens that feature gold nibs, piston filler ink reservoirs, fancy click mechanisms, and more. At full retail, I can't recommend the Waldorf unless you're absolutely in love with the design. If you just want a good pen for your money, there's a long list of readily available pens that I would recommend first.

This price conundrum will always exist, but it's always so great to see new players and new products in the stationery space! If the Récife Waldorf speaks to you, I encourage you to pick one up. It's an excellent writer and a well made pen that won't let you down.

(Artistic Paper, the US distributor for Récife, loaned this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

If you're a professional artist or letterer, the ShinHan Art Touch Liners are probably going to rank pretty close to perfect. They have a great build, and the ink is archival, acid-free, water resistant, lightfast, and smear-proof. They tick a lot of the essential boxes for creating a quality piece of work--though, of course, some of those features come with compromises.

These pens are constructed really nicely. The body is strong and well-molded. The cap fits and posts well. The clip is a bit shallow, but it's flexible without being too bendy. I do wish the colors were more clearly labeled--it's just a narrow stripe at the bottom or a disc on top of the cap that indicates color. If they were in a case looking straight-on, there's no way to tell. The body is also a bit busy with text. A lot of it is useful information, should the pens be mixed in with other media in a case, but some of it could be cleaned up a bit, I think.

The brush tips on these are really impressive. They're flexible and springy and make great lines from very, very fine to nice, thick swooshes. They've maintained their shape perfectly and I don't feel like I'm going to break them.

The only real disappointment factor for these, I think, is the pigment. While it boasts an excellent list of scientific qualities, the color is just not saturated or vibrant enough for me. Every color looks a bit washed-out. And perhaps it is its quick-dry nature, but it feels very dry to work with as well.

Still, I think they're excellent tools that will make artwork that will last. At $24.50 for a set of seven, they're not cheap, but the build quality will likely lead to a longer lifespan than some of the cheaper alternatives. They'd make a wonderful gift for an art student--or a snazzy reward for participating in Inktober!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

After a whirlwind couple of weeks Myke and I are back in our usual seats for this week’s episode. And it’s a big one. My Top 5 Pens update is always a popular topic, so we break it down as much as two nerds geeking out about pens can. Which is a lot.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Away: Travel smarter with the suitcase that charges your phone. Get $20 off with the code ‘penaddict’.

Casper: The Internet’s favourite mattress. Get $50 off select mattresses with the code ‘PENADDICT’.

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Regalia Writing Labs is the brainchild of Ralph Reyes, a college student who also happens to be a genius with nibs. Ralph explains that he was fascinated by flex nibs and Sailor Nagahara nibs, but because he couldn’t afford super expensive vintage flex nibs or Nagahara nibs, he set out to create his own. You can see a gallery of his creations here.

A few weeks ago, Ralph posted a new nib on his Instagram account (@reachingralph) called the Crossflex Nib. Only fifty nibs were available, and I snagged one for $150. The nib came in a small box decorated with a wax seal lookalike accompanied by Ralph’s business card.

The nib is a screw-in JOWO #6 steel and it fits a variety of pens, including Franklin-Christoph, Opus 88, Newton Pens, Herbert Pens, Carolina Pens, Woodshed Pen Co., Kanilea Pens, Desiderata Pens, Scriptorium Pens, and others. The ebonite feed and housing were specially designed for this nib by Flexible Nib Factory.

I put the Crossflex nib into my Opus 88 Koloro (review here). The Opus 88 is an eyedropper pen, and Ralph recommends eyedroppers to supply plenty of ink to the nib. I didn’t try the nib with a converter or piston-fill pen, but I suspect a converter would starve the feed.

The Crossflex nib is specially designed for flex writing. Ralph describes his goals for the nib better than I can:

Durability, snapback, softness, control. These are the qualities I search for, not "mushy" maximum flex. While this nib is designed primarily for flex writing, with extraordinary softness, the lines delivered must be beautiful. The sensation of creating those lines must be a pleasure. Snapback was highly prioritized when creating this nib. The nib starts as an extra fine, but with Ralph’s handmade modifications, it can flex up to 3mm. I didn’t try pushing it that far, but I will say that the nib flexes beautifully.

I practiced writing my formal calligraphy alphabet with the nib, and the results were every bit as good as a dip pen with a flex nib.

You can see the difference between the nib unflexed and flexed in these swirls:

When I measured the pen’s flex, pushing as far as I was comfortable doing, the lines measured a little over 1mm. Like I said, the nib is made to flex up to 3mm, but I never pressed it that hard.

This nib is a joy to write with. Unflexed, it is smooth and bouncy. The tines are perfectly aligned.

When you write with flex, the nib behaves beautifully. The tines spread with gentle pressure and snap back with ease. You can really press into the nib without being afraid that you’re going to spring it (though Ralph warns it is possible to push it too far).

I am thrilled with my Crossflex nib. It makes my Opus 88 the perfect calligraphy practice pen. I no longer have to deal with the mess of a dip pen, but I get the kind of flex I want to form my characters.

Unfortunately, this run of Crossflex nibs sold out quickly, and there are no more. Ralph typically sells his nibs at pen shows, but occasionally he sells them via his website (as he did with the Crossflex nib). The best way to keep apprised of nib sales is via his Instagram account. But it’s definitely worth going to his website to see all the amazing and fantastical nibs--one of his creations has nine tines!

(I purchased the Regalia Writing Labs Crossflex nib with my own funds.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

The Modern Fuel Pencil has been a consistent presence on my desk, and I can’t wait to add the Modern Fuel Pen to match.

Closing in on $90,000 just two weeks into the project, these Stainless Steel, Copper, Bronze, or Titanium pens will compliment any carry lineup. And, with its Parker G2 refill compatibility, it will give you a great writing experience too.

Each Modern Fuel Pen is manufactured in house in Austin, Texas, with 100% Made in the USA materials. Each pen is 100% guaranteed too, with creator Andrew Sanderson repairing or replacing your pen throughout its lifetime. No questions asked.

Be sure to head over to Kickstarter and check this project out. My thanks to Modern Fuel for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Another new release from Story Supply, and another winner in my book. And, another winner of the notebooks!

Congrats Victoria! I'll be sending you an email to collect your shipping address.

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— The Designer of Nirvana’s Nevermind Cover on Shooting Babies and Working with Kurt Cobain (The Work Behind The Work)

— Creative Boom's pick of the best calendars for 2019 by leading artists and designers (Creative Boom)

— Book review: The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll (Rhodia Drive)

— There's a Japanese Subculture for Modding and Racing Crappy 1971-2003 Dodge Vans (Core77)

— Ink Review #500: KWZ Cappuccino (Mountain of Ink)

— Sound and Vision: Hole's "Live Through This" With Cover Photography by Ellen von Unwerth (Juxtapoz Magazine)

— The Leonardo Momento Zero is simply fabulous (UK fountain pens)

— Notebook Review: Hallmark Traveler's Notebook & Inserts (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Field Notes Rams edition (Irv's Stationery)

— Tools We Want to Try: Japanese Stationery Brand Stálogy's Translucent Gridded Sticky Notes (Core77)

— Kaweco x Milligram Skyline Sage Fountain Pen Review (Gourmet Pens)

— KWZ Northern Twilight Review + Giveaway! (SquishyInk)

— Dave Bell's bookshelf provides unlikely sources of inspiration (It's Nice That)

— Pebble Stationery Co. Notebook (Mountain of Ink)

— Review: Good Made Better Penwell Traveler Pen Stand ( | The Pencilcase Blog)

— Glow In The Dark Retro 51s (My Supply Room)

— How VW Turned Beastie Boys-Inspired Theft of Car Parts into a Clever 80s Ad (Kottke)

— The Oldest Confirmed Ever Sharp (The Leadhead's Pencil Blog)

— NaNoWriMo: My plans this year. (The Finer Point)

— A Beginner's Guide to EDC Sling Bags (Carryology)

— Review: M800 Stone Garden (2018) (The Pelikan's Perch)

— A Look at Gaming Workstation Set-Ups, Some of Them Surprisingly Tasteful (Core77)

— An Atlas of Literary Maps Created by Great Authors: J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island & More (Open Culture)

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As I have become enlightened about Muji and their stationery over the years, I can’t help but think about what the underlying brands are for this white label wonder.

It has been easy to sort out the origins of the gel ink pens: The refills come directly from the sources. Even though all of the normal markings are removed, the refill shapes match their source companies refills. Even the plastic parts of the refills are the same colors as the OEM refill.

A quick twist of the barrel and you will see refills from Uni-ball, Zebra, and Pentel in use in their various gel ink pens. And its not like they are trying to hide it either - the Muji pen that uses the Zebra Sarasa refill is a spitting image of the Zebra Sarasa Clip pen. It’s easy to sort out.

The tip after writing my review notes. It does wear quickly.

The Muji Pencil though. That poses a challenge. What cues from the design can help me figure it out? Can I tell anything simply from the feel of the graphite core?

If this was a bad pencil I wouldn’t care. But it’s not. It’s downright awesome. When I first opened the package, sharpened one up, and put the tip to the page, my response was “Oh!” as in, this feels good. The graphite is smooth and dark. Yes, a 2B should feel that way, but I thought it was extra nice.

That led me immediately to my next question: “Who is making these for Muji?” I’ll cut to the chase right now and tell you I don’t know for sure, but the list of options is very, very short.

The first words out of my mouth were that it reminds me of the Tombow Mono 100 - high praise indeed - but I didn’t have one at the time to test. I do now. I don’t own a 2B Tombow, but I did test the HB from the Mono, Mono 100, 8900, and 2558 lineups. And I don’t think the Muji pencil is made by Tombow. All of the Tombow cores felt similar to each other, and none had the smoothness or darkness of the Muji.

My second thought was Mitsubishi. Knowing the relationship that Muji already has with the company - Uni-ball gel ink refills for starters - I’d say this is the most likely scenario. The Mitsubishi 9850 feels really close, despite it being an HB versus 2B comparison. The consistency of the graphite on the page is much closer than anything from Tombow.

After being compelled by the 9850, I thought the 2B Mitsubishi Hi-Uni would be a closer match than it was, but it has a firmer core than the Muji by a good amount.

Surprisingly, the Blackwing Pearl was a close match for the Muji. The core felt similar, and the color and smoothness on the page was similar. I’m not sure if that says more about the 9850 or the Pearl. Regardless, these are the two closest matches, with of course the HB in the 9850 being firmer than the other two.

One final point to make in my overthinking this: The pencil barrel has a code stamped into the barrel. I have no idea what it means, but I do know that the font used doesn’t match any of the Japanese pencils I own that have similar markings. The 6 is especially telling.

So, I’d love to tell you who makes this pencil, but I can’t say for sure. (Update: According to an enterprising reader they are made by Kitaboshi, making my Blackwing comment even more interesting than I knew. Seems legit!) What I can tell you is it looks great, feels great, and works great, and for a .50 cent pencil, what more can you ask for? Heck, it may even convert me over to the dark side of the B scale in time.

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