Reunion Season Throwback: Things I Wish I Had In School

So in addition to it being graduation season, it’s reunion season, and I’m currently in attendance at my 20th. (High School or College, I refuse to say.) But being here brought back a lot of memories, and since my own school experience abroad is a big reason why I got into this hobby and have remained engaged in the community over the years, I’ve spent some time thinking about the products that I would have found the most useful when I was a student. Sure, some of these almost certainly existed somewhere in the world at that time, but they weren’t easily accessible to me.

1. Extra-fine Fountain Pen Nibs for Annotation. Sure, I used fountain pens starting early on in college, but for whatever reason, all I could find were medium nibs, and that’s what I used exclusively until about ten years ago. Interchangeable nib fountain pens such as the TWSBI Diamond 580 would have been extremely useful tools, paired with a nib like the Mark Bacas Predator Hybrid or one of the Japanese extra-fine needlepoints I’ve reviewed in recent weeks.

2. “Slim” Style Notebooks. I’ve always been a note-taker and list-maker, but seemingly found myself limited to legal pads, larger letter-size or A4 notebooks, and DayTimers (remember those?) when what I really love are sizes like A5 Slim (“Traveler’s Style”) and B6 Slim (like the Nanami Paper Cafe Note and the Midori MD equivalent). If something like the Traveler’s Notebook system had been around, I certainly would have used it.

3. Quality Sticky Notes. I used to buy sticky notes by the case, but hated the fact that they all bled through with literally any pen except ballpoints.

4. Book Darts. I still have some books from high school and college, flagged with the aforementioned multicolored sticky notes and plastic document flags. Aged brass or bronze Book Darts probably would have looked a lot nicer.

5. Highlighter Pencils. Now this is a product that was almost certainly around, I just didn’t know anything about it and for whatever reason highlighter pencils never made it onto my radar until I started my legal practice and found one lying around the law library at my first job. The fact that you can use them over ink without causing the ink to bleed is infinitely useful.

6. Quality Woodcase Pencils for Writing. I’ve always been a pencil enthusiast as well as a pen lover, but towards the end of my school days the quality of U.S. pencils dipped tremendously as manufacturers outsourced and cut corners on materials. Pencils such as the Tombow 2558 and the Caran d’Ache School pencil remind me of what was available during my elementary school days, but had largely disappeared by college.

7. Quality Pencil Sharpeners, Especially Long-Points. If only I had known that I could have avoided years of feeding perfectly good pencils into the crappy electric sharpeners…

Later today I plan to make a run by the school bookstore, and while I’m not overly hopeful at what I’ll find, I’ll probably still add to my ever-growing stockpile, if only for the sake of nostalgia!

This post does not contain any paid third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges through the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

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Thursday Drops: Recapping All That's New and Shiny

It’s been a big couple of months around here and I’m only now getting caught up. Between our milestone giveaway, office renovation, and just life in general, you can say there’s been a lot going on and, of course, more to come! I wanted to take a few minutes to recap all the recent new arrivals, and personally thank everyone who’s supported the site and our little shop during what’s been a fun - but stressful - growth phase.

The biggest news from this week, of course, has been the arrival of a massive shipment of Washi Tapes and Snail Mail accessories, discussed in this post from earlier this week. We’ve also redesigned the Washi Tapes and Enamel Pin section of the shop to make it more navigable. and to better show off the designs of the individual tapes.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Caran d’Ache “Black Code,” “Gold Bar,” and “Brut Rosé” Mechanical Pencils. What I like to think of as our “signature” everyday writers, since they were the first high-end pens we carried, are now available in .7mm mechanical pencil format.

2. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pens in Salmon and Pear. TWSBI has begun to release its “Swipe” cartridge-converter fountain pens in different color acrylics, including Salmon (more of a peach than a pink, at least to me) and Pear (a bright green). I find these a perfect match for a couple of ink colors in TWSBI’s six-ink sets.

3. Platinum Carbon Desk Pens. Featuring one of the best steel extra-fine nibs that I’ve tried anywhere, this desk pen is an excellent writer and costs only $13. The base is sold separately, if you’d like to add a vintage look to your desk setup.

4. Caran d’Ache x Nespresso Swiss Wood Set. We recently received a large shipment of the Caran d’Ache x Nespresso collaboration pencils! These have been out of stock for a while, but the Swiss Wood with colored ends made from recycled Nespresso capsules are back. Standard Swiss Wood gift/starter sets are back as well.

5. Tombow Mono 100 Woodcase Pencils. It’s a toss-up between the Tombow Mono 100 and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni as to what’s the best high-end Japanese pencil on the market. Both brands sharpen exceptionally well, and as a gross generalization, those who prefer a slight bit of tooth to their graphite will appreciate Tombow, while those who like a perfectly smooth pencil will go Hi-Uni.

6. Mitsubishi Hi-Uni Woodcase Pencils. See above. You can’t go wrong with either. We recently received several 22-pencil drawing sets containing the full range of Hi-Uni graphite hardnesses.

7. Midori MD Notebook Light. In addition to the thicker Midori MD Notebooks (which have probably become our best-selling product in the shop), we’ve also stocked the Midori MD light range, which are slimmer notebooks sold in packs of three. In addition to the standard sizes, we have the 70th Anniversary set.

8. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks. In addition to the standard Traveler’s Company lineup, we’ve added the Traveler’s Company Spiral Notebooks, which contain 100 pages/200 sheets of blank Midori MD Paper.

9. Midori Five-Year Journal 70th Anniversary Edition. I’ve picked up my five-year journal again, and what spurred me to finally do it was the release of this gorgeous leatherbound edition for Midori’s 70th Anniversary.

10. Midori Leather Notebook Covers. These are on backorder from the distributor, but I have a couple of the natural leather notebook covers in B6 size. I will update the site once the other sizes become available once again.

Thursday Drops: Platinum Carbon Desk Pens in Black and Red!

When I ordered these Platinum Carbon Desk Pens a couple of months ago, I knew I was going to stock them but didn’t bother to read closely enough to realize that they came in both black and red/burgundy, my two favorite colors. Here’s to happy coincidences! These excellent modern versions of a classic vintage desk accessory are now available for purchase in the shop, and the best part is that the stand-alone pen costs only $13. You can pair it with a base/stand for only an additional $20, giving you a fully functional desk pen set for just $33!

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The Platinum Carbon Desk Pen, shown here in black in the stand (both pieces sold separately).

We are gradually building out our selection of fountain pens on offer, with a goal of focusing on those pens that are not only fun to use but offer solid value as everyday writers. To that end, we believe that the Platinum Carbon Desk Pen fits nicely into that category, and look forward to adding additional Platinum Pens in the future.

1. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen. Featuring an extra-fine gold-tone stainless steel nib and Platinum’s Slip-and-Seal cap technology, I was absolutely blown away by how well this pen wrote straight out of the box. Available in both black and red, and ships with one cartridge or Platinum ink in black or red to match the pen.

2. Platinum Carbon Desk Pen Base. Looking to recreate that vintage desk-scape? Start with a full desk-pen set. Available in black only (but it still looks outstanding paired with the red desk pen).

3. Midori MD Notebook Light Series. This week we also added the Midori MD “Light” Notebooks to our lineup, which feature the same excellent MD paper sold in packs of three slim format, 24 sheet/48 page notebooks. There is also a 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Set that was released this year, which includes seven different A5 notebooks featuring different color grid ruling and matching threaded bindings.

4. Midori 70th Anniversary 5-Year Diary. The recycled green leather binding on the limited five-year diary is gorgeous. I’m breaking out my own journal that I unfortunately let lapse, now that I have a place to work once again.

5. Midori MD Fountain Pen. This sleeper of an entry-level fountain pen deserves more attention, and it’s all because of the nib, which is slightly downturned to accommodate those who might write with a heavier hand. Even if you don’t, it’s super smooth. Read more here.

6. Traveler’s Company Brass Fountain Pen. Long one of my favorite pocket pens, my “Factory Green” fountain pen stays in regular rotation, along with my classic brass ballpoint.

7. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pens. This past year TWSBI released a cartridge-converter fountain pen for the first time, and the result has frankly been spectacular. Purchase of any TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen includes a cartridge and TWO different converters, so right away you’re ready to use either cartridges or bottled ink. We currently have all colors in stock, including the new Salmon and Pear.

8. TWSBI ECO Jade Fountain Pen. The rumor is that TWSBI’s ECO Jade release won’t be available for much longer. We still have a couple in stock.

9. TWSBI Vac700R Iris Fountain Pen. In addition to ensuring that we span the range of price points in our fountain pen offerings, we also wanted to span the range of filling systems, including a high-capacity vacuum-model. It helps that the “Iris” finish on the Vac700R is quite nice to look at. Check out the full write-up of this pen here.

10. TWSBI 580ALR Fountain Pens. TWSBI’s flagship 580 piston filler has been around in some form or fashion for 10 years now, but the best thing they’ve done - in my opinion - is release the pen with anodized aluminum trim and the textured metal sections. What’s you're favorite color? For me it’s a toss-up between the Navy and the Prussian Blue.

Thursday Drops: Start Gearing Up for Travel Season

Summer is here (earlier than usual, at least for us), and whether you’re doing extensive travel or sticking closer to home, we the Curated Shop is stocked with everything you need to be able to write on the go. We recently received a wide array of travel-friendly products, including a complete restock of Traveler’s Notebooks, some newly arrived Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks, and new reading accessories such as these slim Midori bookmarks, perfect for marking your place on the go without adding undo weight.

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These low-profile divider stickers are super convenient. I like them because they stay out of the way, but are there when you need them. For me, the numbered dividers are useful to divide my work notebook into sections by month.

We’ve also introduced a new category: Notebook Dividers! We now offer a series of different tools that you can use to divide your planner or notebook into sections, including both metal and plastic/tape-style clips and dividers. These are super convenient (and inexpensive to boot).

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks. These versatile notebooks feature a reinforced kraft cover and 100 pages/200 sheets of white Midori MD paper, perfect for use as a journal, notebook, sketchbook, and/or scrapbook. In other words - great for travel! Inexpensive and available in three different sizes: A5 Slim, A6 Slim, and B6, the latter of which can also be turned vertically to use reporter-style.

2. Midori 70th Anniversary Five-Year Journal. While the Three-Year version is sold out, we have a couple Five-Year journals in stock with the limited edition recycled green leather cover.

3. Midori 70th Anniversary MD Notebook Slim Limited Edition. Looking for a lighter-weight carry to take with you this summer? These MD Notebook “Light” format versions come as a seven-notebook set, each with different-color threaded bindings and matching grid-rulings.

4. Midori Clip Bookmarkers. Available in sets of four, with four different themes including travel, weather, flowers, and, of course, cats, these .1mm thin metal book markers can be used to mark your place in the book you’re reading, and can even be used as a stencil for decorating your journals/planners/notebooks.

5. Midori MD Notebook Dividers. Available in either metal or plastic/tape style, these low-profile notebook dividers offer an easy and inexpensive way to divide your notebook or bullet journal into sections. Personally, I use the numbered Midori tabs to divide my work Traveler’s Notebook into months.

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All the various patterns of the Midori MD Clip Bookmarkers. The “Travel” theme is my favorite.

Thursday Drops: Midori 70th Anniversary Three and Five-Year Diaries, and a Few More Sunderland MK1 Pens!

My final shipment of Midori 70th Anniversary products arrived this week, with a limited quantity of the three and five-year diaries in a special recycled green leather cover. If you’re unfamiliar with these hardbound journals/diaries, they contain 366 pages of MD Paper, one for each day, divided into either three or five slots, so that when you make your daily entry you can review the prior year(s) on that same page. I’ve kept these types of journals in the past and it can be fascinating, especially once you get 2-3 years in.

We also have a small number of Sunderland mk1 pens available for purchase, and unfortunately these may be the last pens available for quite some time. Sunderland is a bit backlogged on their machining, and as many of you have noticed they are completely sold out of standard pens on their website. If you’d like to learn more about this pen and what went into designing it, check out this post, as well as my review of the pen in general.

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We’ve recently received restocks on Traveler’s Company, Midori, Caran d’Ache, Write Notepads and most of the other brands we carry. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands stocked.

1. Midori 70th Anniversary Three and Five-Year Journals. These leather-bound diaries feature a recycled green leather cover, specially released for Midori’s 70th Anniversary, and come available in three and five-year formats. The three-year version is extremely limited.

2. T.G.S. x. Sunderland mk1 Rollerball Pen. Our second exclusive product collaboration features a matte black/matte burgundy finish, and accepts the Pilot G2 or Montblanc rollerball/fineliner refill. As I noted above, this will likely be the last chance to pick one of these up for a while.

3. Traveler’s Notebook Starter Kits, Refills, and Accessories. Many of the standard refills and accessories have been on backorder, but we’re now fully restocked on standard MD paper refills, undated diaries, and accessories like cases, folders, and even the popular brass ruler.

4. Caran D’Ache Claim Your Style Series 3. Last year’s “Claim Your Style” 849 ballpoint pen was my favorite of the three series, especially the “Night Blue” and “Moss Green”, though they all look great. I truly enjoy the more muted colors, as opposed to the bright-and-shiny pens that have become popular in recent years.

5. TWSBI ECO Jade Fountain Pen. I’ve heard murmurings that the TWSBI ECO Jade is going away, and that it’s a true special edition. We have pens available in a few nib sizes.