Writer's Showcase of New Pens - May 2017
It's Thursday, May 11th. Typically, I (Tom) would be getting ready to broadcast the live Writer's Showcase on the Goldspot Facebook page. This week is going to be a little different. I'm recovering from a minor procedure done to my eye, so I'm not exactly camera ready. However, that doesn't prevent me from geeking out with you guys about our newest arrivals and fun things going on in the pen world. There's a lot to go over, so I'll keep the commentary to a minimum.
Love these Pearly Pens!
This morning, we saw the release of the new set of Edison Pearlette colors. Made right here in the United States, the Edison Pen company never fails to impress with the excellent build quality of their fountain pens. This set of stunning fountain pens is crafted with shimmering, chatoyant acrylic inspired by the Arizona landscape. I'll let this picture do the talking.
Last year, when the Lapis Lazuli Flake version was released, I had put together a video review of the Pearlette to show off all the details of this finely made writing instrument, including filling the pen and doing writing samples.
Made in Italy - Visconti's new Rembrandt Collection
In a similar price point to the Edison Pearlette, we have a new introduction of several colors within the Rembrandt collection. These are also acrylic bodied pens with a more subtle, demure color palette.
The Rembrandt collection is known for its rounded profile, an indestructible spring-loaded arc clip, magnetic cap (on the rollerball and fountain pen modes), and metal front grip section.
The new collection of colors includes Back to Black, which is a take on "stealth" black. Silver Shadow is a gray that has pearl-like swirls all throughout the barrel and cap and matched with dark, ruthenium trims. A gleaming Pearl White has a subtle marble look to the material and is matched with silver trims. Lastly, the purple has been updated and included in the regular line. The clips all have the Visconti logo emblazoned on the arc in a white enamel, which is a departure from the traditional black that was used previously.
Goldspot Approved - Montblanc Golden Yellow & UNICEF Blue Ink
We can get just as excited about new inks as with new pens. The arrival of Mont Blanc's Golden Yellow and UNICEF Blue certainly does not disappoint. Golden Yellow is a light, cheery yellow-orange color that is a great fit for our company logo. It jumps off the page and looks brilliant when you use it in a thicker, wetter nib.
It has been an absolute pleasure writing with the Mont Blanc UNICEF turquoise blue ink. It has a high degree of shading and a bit of sheen to boot. We looked at it closely during last week's Writer's Showcase (Episode 8), which isn't on YouTube yet but will be in the coming week.
Speaking of Ink - Sailor's Jentle Inks are in!
Earlier this week, we received our first shipment of the eagerly anticipated Sailor Jentle ink, which reissues the same colors that were discontinued several years ago: Grenade, Epinard, Sky High, Ultra Marine, Apricot, and Peche. Pen enthusiasts nearly lost their mind when this was announced on our blog a few weeks ago. The moment the inventory arrived, the ink started flowing out and, as of this writing, we have very few bottles left on the shelf. Don't panic! We do expect to receive more in the next week or so.
Hands on the new Caran d'Ache 849 Fountain Pen
During Episode 7 of our Writer's Showcase, we took an exclusive preview of the entry-level Caran d'Ache 849 metal fountain pen. This hexagonal sided, brightly colored fountain pen is the sibling to the infamous 849 ballpoint pen, which has been a leading choice for a quality, everyday carry ballpoint pen for years.
The video review takes the audio commentary from the Writer's Showcase episode and overlays it on high-quality footage of the pen, including several writing samples. This pen writes lovely and I can't wait to get them in by early June. They ought to be a great option for an entry-level fountain pen, standing shoulder to shoulder (or nib to nib) with the Lamy AL-Star.