Thursday, June 30, 2016

Review: Peyton Street Pens Ranga Monterey Fountain Pen

Teri Morris over at Peyton Street Pens sent this over for review - thanks Teri!
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 043
ABOUT

Year introduced: 2016
Body Material: Olive Ripple Ebonite
Trim: None
Length (capped): 135.8 mm/5.34"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 124.6 mm/4.90"
Length (posted): 187.3 mm/7.37"
Barrel Diameter: 14.1 mm/0.55"
Section Diameter: 11.2 - 12.3 mm/0.44" - 0.48"
Weight (all): 25 g
Weight (cap):10 g
Weight (body): 15 g
Nibs available: Steel #6 JoWo & two-tone #6 JoWo: XF, F, M, B, 1.1 mm, 1.5 mm
Nib material: Steel
Fill type: Cartridge/converter/eyedropper
Price: $72.00USD (for this particular configuration)
Where to buy: Peyton Street Pens

PACKAGING
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 028
This PSP Ranga Monterey came in a small, simple cardboard box with Peyton Street Pens written on the top. It also came with a converter, a small pipette, a little bit of silicone grease, and a few guides: tips for eyedropper pens, eyedropper filling instructions and tips, getting the most out of your Ranga ebonite pen, and a product spec sheet. Wow. That's a lot of stuff that accompanies such simple packaging. I think that's pretty awesome because a new user, and even a seasoned fountain pen user, might really benefit from all this information! This also sets this pen up as a great gift.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 035
APPEARANCE

This is a nice looking pen, and although the orange ebonite would have made my heart go pitter patter because it has more pizzazz, the olive ripple is still quite attractive. The pen has a round cap, a round body, a threaded, flat, back end, and a smooth, slightly rounded off cap. The finial is smooth, polished ebonite. There is no trim on this model. On the cap, near the top, there are two rings engraved into the cap. This engraving is well done and it's very clean, so it looks good.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 036
The section is long and round with a bit of an indent. The section threads at the back go right into a small ridge to the barrel. The whole pen is a shiny, polished olive ripple ebonite. It's a pretty color that doesn't stand out too much, and I like the shape of the pen. Even the 'sharp' edges are not sharp or messy - it's well made and it's attractive.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 047
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 048
The only thing I don't like about the design of this pen is the threads on the back of the barrel - not that it's poorly done or anything. In fact, as far as slightly recessed threads go, it's one of the better ones I've seen. I don't like how shallow the posting is. Otherwise, I really like the design. Not too long, not too thick, nice smooth edges, decent color.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 049
NIB & PERFORMANCE

This #6 two-tone steel JoWo nib is not something unusual. It has a single slit and a round breather hole. It is engraved with some simple flourishes, and the nib size (B).
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 041
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 042
The nib performs ok, but I've had better experiences with JoWo nibs. It writes fairly smooth, although I think it could be smoother. I do find the nib on the dry side, especially for a broad, but that is something I can easily adjust (and so could you!). Although it is a broad, I feel that as it is not a particularly wet writer, it could serve well as a daily writer (once adjusted). I find the nib is finicky - skippy, hard starts, and is especially temperamental as an eyedropper so it needs some tuning, but when with a converter, the nib is quite pleasant - much less skippy, quite consistent, and doesn't dry out with normal writing. When pressure is applied, it dries out quickly, but before it does dry out, the ink flow is much better. (See converter writing sample below.)
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 052
Converter set up.
Eyedropper? Yes, please. That explains all the threads on the inside of the section. As an eyedropper, it works well in terms of being an eyedropper - with so many threads and some silicone grease, it makes for a decent system. I did not experience any burping in normal use. I really enjoy eyedropper pens, especially ones that are meant to be used as eyedroppers, as they tend to be a bit safer from ink blobbing/leaking. This pen did not work as well as an eyedropper as it did with the cartridge/converter - the nib performed better with a converter. (Eyedropper writing sample below.)
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 066
IN HAND

I find this section exceptionally comfortable - the long, slightly flared shape, smooth edges, very smooth threads - it really works for me. It does not get slippery or slick, and my fingers grip very comfortably.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 051
Unposted, the pen is very well balanced, fairly light, and not too wide. It can be posted by threading the cap on to the end of the barrel. This is a secure posting method, but I don't care for it very much - it makes the pen too long for me, and it feels unbalanced. Although I dislike the posting mechanism, it does work well. I did not experience cross threading when trying to post it, and the threads catch each other right away, so I'm not fiddling around trying to post it.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 045
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 044
The pen is a comfortable size - it's not an oversize or too small. It is a full size pen capped, and uncapped, but quite long posted.
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 037
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 038
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 039
PROS & CONS
Review Peyton Street Pens Range Monterey Fountain Pen 054
OVERALL

I think Peyton Street Pens have picked a pretty nice pen here. A #6 nib, so easy to swap, and convenient because of that, comfortable pen, a pretty pen, lots of nibs to work with, lots of fun colors to choose from, but a little pricy even though they're handmade (so if you really like it, the price is justifiable I suppose - not for everyone, but for some).

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Ink Shot Review: Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue @AppelboomLaren

A nice blue, but not one that does a whole lot for me.
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (8)
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (6)
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (7)
ABOUT
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (2)
Color: Blue
Bottle: 40 ml
Price: €9.50 (outside the EU: €7.85)
Where to buy: Appelboom
Appleboom Banner
Discount code: FRIEND for 10% off your purchases (excluding Montblanc)
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (1)
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (3)
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (4)
Ink Shot Review Diamine 150th Anniversary Regency Blue (5)
PROS
  • Easy to clean for such a saturated ink.
  • Bottle is easy to fill from.
  • Decent sheen.
CONS
  • No water resistance.
  • Eh... doesn't do much for me.
OVERALL

A nice blue, but it doesn't do much for me. Fortunately. One ink out of the 248903280924 out there I can live without!

I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Sunday Reads: June 26. 2016

Sunday Reads


Stuff I Looked At Elsewhere
Pen Stuff/Review Queue (some of it)
Stuff I Apparently Did This Week

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Friday, June 24, 2016

Whiskers & Paws: June 2016 Edition

Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (1)
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (2)
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (3)
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (4)
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (5)
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (6)
Hai.
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (7)
Whiskers & Paws June 2016 Edition (8)
His arm is a little shaved from blood work.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect

This is embarrassing, but when I was a kid, I used to carry all my stuff around. It's weird and I don't know why I did this, but I would basically put everything in bags and carry it around the house with me. My family called me The Bag Lady. Foreshadowing to my future as a pouch hoarder, maybe? It's a habit I've been trying to break, because (probably not uncommonly) I tend to carry more than I actually need, and I also hate when it's messy. Gotta keep things organized, and this is how I justify my weird obsession with pouches and cases and the like.
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect4
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect11
ABOUT

Size 178mm x 250mm

Materials: Cotton & Nylon logo label
Five different colourways
Matching items available
Where to buy: Mark's HiBi Large Pouch £11.99 | Mark's HiBi Small Pouch £8.99
Bureau Direct Banner

I have a lot of pouches, but they all serve different purposes. Some hold my dip nib holders, some hold doubles of gel pens/ballpoints, some have erasers. You get the picture. I saw these Mark's HiBi pouches at Bureau Direct and thought hmmm those look like the perfect size for further tidying and organizing!
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect1
The large HiBi pouch is used for bigger things, like A5 notebooks, pens, but also the smaller HiBi pouch! I like to use this as my EDC pouch - the one I put in my bag when I head off to work for the day (if not working from home that day). I keep a pen wrap in it, or an entire Visconti 6 Pen Case, a Muji A5 Planner, and the small pouch. Inside the smaller pouch: an iPhone charging cable, and a flash drive.
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect8
If I'm not using a pouch in pouch, it also holds pens like the Lamy Pico ballpoint (great because it doesn't uncap itself and smear ink everywhere, and because it's small and cute). Sometimes you need a ballpoint. Anyway, back to the pouch - it holds quite a bit more than I thought it would, and it still doesn't get too lumpy and bulky if you pack it right. 
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect10
The small pouch holds various things, depending on what I'm doing. This is why multiple pouches is easy for me to justify to myself - then I can have each one set up the way I want it, and I can grab the one I need that day/week. I don't have to switch things around and forget things in the process. The little pouch is perfect for coins (I hate carrying coins), extra cards (loyalty cards I don't use daily), ear buds, ink cartridges, ink converters, lip balm, and other small things. 
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect6
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect7

WHAT I LOVE
  • Not too bulky, so great for carrying around.
  • Cute colors, and they match.
  • Smooth zipper.
  • Hand wash to keep extra clean.
  • Inside material is easy to wipe down.
  • Exciting idea: use different colors of pouches for different items. ALLTHEPOUCHES!
OTHER KITS YOU CAN MAKE AND TOTE
  • Snail mail pouches
    • Large - hold envelopes, paper, writing utensils
    • Small - stickers, stamps, washi tape.
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect12
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect13
  • EDC Kit
    • Large - A5 notebook and pocket notebook, pencils, fountain pen, ballpoint.
    • Small - Sharpener, eraser, replacement pencil erasers.


  • Sketch kits (not that I know how to sketch.)
    • Large - Field Notes notebooks (I like these), or any other notebook/sketch book that you like, pens, pencils - just toss it all together. You can also take a Papelote notebook strap, wrap it around your sketch book, and put some writing/drawing utensils in there. Then they're all conveniently put together.
    • Small - Eraser, sharpener, correction tape
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect15
  • Random scribble kit
    • Along with a pocket notebook, keep your miscellaneous items together in the small pouch - Kaweco Classic Sport pocket fountain pen, Lamy Pico pocket ballpoint, washi tape, Franklin-Christoph Model 45, adorable Midori Traveler's Notebook 10th Anniversary mini journal (absurd, but so cute). 
Mark's HiBi Pouches for Organizing @BureauDirect16
  • Make up kit
    • Large - Use a tool wrap to put your brushes and pencils in, as well as larger compacts.
    • Small - Smaller, individual compacts, pencil sharpener
These two pouches have become favorites because they hold so much, and remain so portable. It's just handy to be able to stuff all my EDC stuff into a few things I can carry either in a bag, or by hand. Also, it doesn't hurt that they're cute, colorful, and sturdy. 

Pouches can also make great gifts. Stuff them and set them up for someone you heart, and give them the perfect gift. Make a sketch kit for someone who wants to start drawing, an EDC kit to someone who never has a pen and always borrows yours, and much more!

I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. 
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