This will be short, as the details of this journal can be found in the previous post. Let’s just say, I ended up dissapointed. In the end, I felt like the construction was rather…lacking.  The spine completely separated from the cover, and though this journal never sat out in the elements, the bold orange color faded away to a weird orangy-yellow. Would I buy this journal again? I’m not sure. While this one kind of fell apart on me, I have to wonder, was that a fluke? The paper is absolutely wonderful….If I could get this paper in an EcoSystems journal………

Once again, I’m terribly behind in getting current posts up. So I got to thinking. I just got this wicked cool new Android phone (moved on from my Blackberry…) with the wicked cool WordPress App. So I’ll see if I can’t post a quickie.

Today’s theme is simple. What pen did you use today? In my case a Parker Jade green Duofold streamline fitted with a fine-point nib. Awesome pen! What did you use today? Oh, and the mobile pictures kind of suck…..

First a note about how I use journals. Typically, I utilize two journals at any given time. I usually carry a small journal for work notes & “to-do” lists with me all the time. For daily “writing”, that is, documenting everything my 4 kids destroyed on any given day and my thoughts pertaining to the upcoming WWF Ultimate fighter match between Sarah Palin and Tina Fey. These journals are usually a larger 5 x 8.5 inch Moleskin style books.

This particular journal is 3.5 x 5.5 inches. It’s also a Moleskin style, but Rhodia has far surpassed the venerable Moleskin at least in terms of quality. This one is orange (I think they make a black one as well) and has a cool “rubbery” feel. The Rhodia logo is embossed on the front cover, which I know some people won’t like, but I think is pretty cool. Consistent with this style of journal, the Rhodia features a pocket integrated into the back cover, and a silk-style ribbon for a bookmark. But it’s the paper that is the star here. It features 90g super smooth paper with 22 lines on each page. There is a small Rhodia logo in the bottom right hand corner of each page. This journal handled my fountain pens and various inks better than any other journal I’ve ever used, save one.

Figure 1 the Piccadilly Primo

The Piccadilly Primo Journal. Though in fairness, the Piccadilly’s paper is so heavy, that it results in a thicker journal than I want to carry with me daily. That being said, some pens and inks still bled though the Rhodia. Still, it’s far superior for fountain pen use compared to any others I’ve tried in the Moleskin style.

Figure 2 Front page of ink samples

So, for the Pros and the Cons:

Pros:

• Looks and feels good. I like the “rubberized” cover – may sound silly, but it just feels good.
• The paper is just fantastic. Smooth to the touch and to write on.
• Construction quality is top notch. Mine gets tossed around and occasionally rides in my hip pocket. It’s held up very well.
• It’s unique. You just don’t see that many folks carrying around a bright orange journal.

The Cons:

• Really, only one complaint, the price. You can find these online from about $14.50 up to as much as $18 plus shipping. There is a local pen shop here in Lexington that carries them for $15. I guess you can argue that you get what you pay for, and in this case, it’s true. Compared to the real Moleskin, it’s a superior product. Further, if you’re like me and usually use fountain pens, this journal will out-perform any other journal in it’s class (at least all the ones I’ve tried thus far, ie Moleskin, Ecosystem, C.R. Gibsons Markings). However, If you’re a ballpoint, rollerball or gel pen user, you won’t see as much of a difference.

Overall, a fantastic journal!

Figure 1: Before Restoration

Figure 2: After Restoration

The pen is 5 ¼ inches long capped, 6 inches posted. It’s a thick pen (me likey….) a scant shy of ½ inch. There is no white dot on the pen or cap and the nib is a 14k Sheaffer Lifetime. The nib is a medium and just an absolutely awesome writer.

Initially, I thought what I had on my hands was a Triumph Sentinel Deluxe. However, I came across the following article on PenHero.Com, which now leads me to think I have a Crest 1500.  This is a fantastic article by Jim Mamoulides. See it HERE : http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/SheafferCrestVintage.htm

Any Sheaffer experts out there, please drop me a note if you know the specifics on telling the difference between the Sentinel Deluxe and a Crest 1500.

There’s a cool little store in Lexington, Kentucky called Leather Inc. They’re focus is on (obviously, leather goods)…..leather goods luggage, travel oriented stuff and – PENS! Each year they sponsor a pen show, and each past year, I’ve had somewhere else I’ve had to be. Until this year.

This year, I was in town, my wife and kids were out of town (that is, no boy scouts, girl scouts, dance rehearsals, camp outs, doctors appointments or mining rescues) so I was able to go to my first pen show. While I know that this show isn’t anywhere on the level of a DC Pen show, after all, this is little ‘ole Lexington, but from the perspective of a (former) pen show virgin, it was pretty cool!

Now this is not a “commercial” for Leather Inc, but I can’t say enough about the folks that operate this establishment. They are always friendly and helpful; never any pressure or pushy sales people. And even though most of their inventory is kind of high-end stuff (at least for my wallet), their prices are very good. I came away today with a bottle of Private Reserve Spearmint ink cheaper than I can get it anywhere on the net.

Though this experience can’t really be considered the same as seeing pens in the wild (see previous post), meeting other pen people is the same sort of experience. Doctors, lawyers, postal workers, insurance agents (Me. We’re awesome.), all just folks with a common interest love for pens.

Here’s a few more pic’s of the show:

Several months ago, I mentioned picking up a new journal by Ecosystems, and promised a review to follow. As I’m about to finish this one, I guess that time has come.

First, this is my first attempt at a video blog:  

Now for some old fashioned pictures,

I’m 44 years old, and an admitted pen addict. Unless I’m in a “pen-likely” location – that is a pen shop, a pen show, or perhaps some place that just happens to carry things that pen lovers tend to like (i.e. Journals, inks, office supplies, etc…), I almost never see them in the wild.

When you do spot another fountain pen user (in the wild, mind you), something interesting often happens. You actually carry on a conversation.

What?? Talk to a stranger? In this day and age?

You bet. I was recently at an insurance enrollment for a large local university. My company does their enrollment for all of the employees’ benefit program once a year. Typically, these employees just want to get in and get out as quick as they can. Enrollment is a pain that they have little time for. Worse, many of them are antagonistic towards us as enrollers (…read insurance agents), as we might sell them something they need.

Anyway, there was a gentleman sitting with another agent adjacent to me yesterday. During a lull in their conversation, I noticed that he had a Sheaffer Triumph Deluxe in his hand. I complemented him on the pen and mentioned that I collected antique fountain pens. That was all it took. I made a friend. Super nice guy. (I should note that he wasn’t being antagonistic or impatient with his agent.). His pen exemplified all the qualities I love in a vintage pen. It had obviously seen a lot of use; the cap had a few dings, but the gold filled top still had all it’s luster. The body was black with some very minor wear, but overall, was still shiny. The nib on his pen was nothing short of awesome. A two-tone gold triumph conical nib with a very broad (perhaps a stub) nib. Super smooth. And this is a pen that is 65+ years old. That is just very cool to me. I can assure you my Mont Blanc 149 won’t make it near that long. In fact, considering I’ve already had that pen fixed once where the plastic body split in half, I guess it hasn’t lasted.

It’s interesting how similar pen aficionados often are. We both talked about the cool factor of using a writing instrument that had been around for decades, often, for far longer than we’ve been alive. And how that same pen may have penned countless letters to loved ones, songs, notes, poetry, college papers, so on and so on and so on. In his case, he had some pens of great sentimental value as well.

I fear that fountain pens are coming to an end. That may seem obvious, yet fountain pen collecting is huge! But (at least in my part of the country) you just so rarely see them “in the wild” anymore. If you do, invariably it’s someone in my generation or older. These young pups just don’t carry them. Even local office supply stores such as Staples, used to carry a few models, such as Cross and Waterman. No more.

There’s really no moral to the story here. It’s just so rare for me to run across someone else who actually know what a nib is or looks like, that I get excited about it and want to update this blog (…that I haven’t touched in months…..)! I’ll do better for all 4 of you subscribers out there. You know who you are.

My wife gave me this Piccadilly journal for Christmas. Though it’s the same size as my small journals that I generally use for “work” stuff, I’m using it right now as my daily “thoughts” journal as opposed to the size I usually use for that, 8 x 5 inches. I don’t like this size for this purpose, but the paper…..Oh my, the paper! White and heavy, the best paper I’ve ever written on in a journal. Absolutely NO bleed through from even my (generally) worst offending inks. Just awesome.

So here’s what I want. I want a journal for my daily work stuff in a Moleskin-like form factor, but with paper like this Piccadilly. And priced like the Markings Notebook. There’s a review of a Piccadilly note just like I’ve described at Black Cover (http://blackcover.net/?p=30 ) from 2008. The problem is, I can’t find it anywhere. That’s my other big criteria, I’ve got to be able to actually get this beast at the Markings price. A journal online, priced at $4.00, with shipping of $10 just doesn’t work for me. I think if someone could come up with this, there might be a lot of $$ to be made……..

A final note. While out looking for my “perfect” notebook/journal, I picked up a new one, manufactured my Ecosystem. Review to come some. Maybe I’ve found it?

My first series will deal with color. It struck me the other night that I have several specimens of the orange hue. Here they are:

Figure 1 – L-R Orange Fuliwen, Parker Duofold Sr, Chinese?, Ladies Parker Duofold, 2nd Parker Duofold Sr & last a 2009 Lamy Safari

Soooo…… I’f you’ve got some orange pens, send me a picture of them. I’ll ad them to this post (send to willisaac@hotmail.com ). In the future, the theme may be blue, stripes…whatever suites my fancy. It’s my blog.