Review Lamy Safari White (limited edition)

In my search for all the Lamy Safari's Limited Editions I like, this white one, was one of the last pen's I wanted besides the Lamy Safari Lime. I bought this pen at Writer's Bloc. The pen was shipped fast (with some Rhodia stuff I also ordered). The pen came without converter. That was a little bummer because Pen Gallery put those things in the box also. But my daughter had a spare one left, wich I was allowed to use.


Reviews on Lamy Safari are online available just google it. I wanted you to show the beauty of this pen. You can also read my review on the Lamy Safari Pink and Orange.

Unpacking
This pen did not come in a cardboard box but in a plastic one. Also a nice box I think that suites this pen very well.



Nib
My pen has a fine nib that writes great. I filled this pen with Aurora Blue. The nib makes the ink swing on the paper.


Cap
This cap has a crosshairknob at the top. The Orange and the Pink one don't have that. So they must have changed the model a little bit.


Lamy has a great winner with the Safari-line. The company is good enough to exploit the Safari long years ahead. But it is a great design. Many say it is the best pen under the $ 100,=

Lamy is an independent family-owned enterprise which was established in 1930 by C. Josef Lamy in Heidelberg. The LAMY brand has existed since 1952 and proved its innovative prowess in the very first year with the completely novel LAMY 27 fountain pen series. And in 1966 the distinctive style of Lamy Design was born with the LAMY 2000.

Montblanc Writers Edition 2009 - Thoman Mann

A new 2009 writers edition of Montblanc, called Montblanc Writers Edition Thomas Mann. Thomas Mann’s masterpiece “Buddenbrooks” has brought him immortality and has turned him into one of the most famous writers of the 20th century. Montblanc is paying tribute to this unique wordsmith with an equally unique Writers Edition. The platinum-plated inlays in the rich black lacquer of this writing instrument are inspired by the age of artistic creativity in which Thomas Mann lived: the Art Deco era. The interplay of colours and materials symbolises the different relationships between the characters in “Buddenbrooks”.


An onyx-coloured zircon is set above the teardrop on the clip, reflecting the depth of content of this family saga. The delicate engraving of the “Buddenbrooks” house on the rhodium-plated 18 K gold nib brings Mann’s birthplace in Lübeck to mind, which is now the home of the Thomas Mann Museum. His signature and the ivory-coloured Montblanc emblem on the top of the cap add the finishing touches to this exceptional edition in honour of Thomas Mann.


Launch: 2009
Limitation:
12,000 fountain pens about $ 960,=
15,000 ballpoint pens
6,000 rollerballs
3,000 sets comprising fountain pen, ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil


- Rhodium-plated 18 K gold nib engraved with the “Buddenbrook” house
- Barrel in precious black lacquer with multilayered inlays
- Platinum-plated clip set with onyx-coloured zircon
- Ivory-coloured Montblanc emblem

Other blogs picked up my blog - I'm proud!

Two other well known blogs picked up my posts on Moleskine friendly ink. I am very proud of it. I started this blog so I could write about my passion (moleskines, fountainpens and some GTD) and inspire other people. Never could imagine this would become of it. Thanks all readers and followers on twitter.

Thank you Moleskinerie and Journaling Arts.

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Rohrer & Klingner (index page)

With a range that contains 18 tones of writing inks for fountain pens, Rohrer & Klingner continues an old tradition of ink production. Apart from classical tones (including two iron gall inks), several new colors are
available, that have been developed for the primary purpose of calligraphy. On a traditional basis, Rohrer & Klingner inks are produced with modern raw materials.


Rohrer & Klingner inks feature high-class, brilliant colorants, specially treated water and minimal amounts of additives. This well-balanced composition causes the optimal cappiliarity of the inks and the accordingly good writing conduct. It is suitable for pens, quills and other calligraphy utensils. Economical and ecological reasons make piston-filler pens and
convertible pens particularly attractive. The convertible pen features a separate tank with a piston-filler.


On most writing surfaces (including paper) Rohrer & Klingner ink adheres well and, according to its capillarity, quick. Each of the Rohrer & Klingner inks are treated with high quality, pleasant dyes, that feature both a high brilliance and a well-balanced intensity. The colors of the iron gall inks intensifies when it oxidizes on the air; Hence, writings with those inks are considered permanent, the historical term being "archivally safe".


Each bottle contains 50ml of Rohrer & Klingner fountain pen ink.

I reviewed this inks so far:
Rohrer & Klingner Pernambuco
Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa
Rohrer & Klingner Old Bordeaux
Rohrer & Klingner Sepia
Rohrer & Klingner Old Golden Green

Review Visconti Burgundy (red)

What a nice bottle! I bought this Visconti Burgundy at Casa della Stilografica when me and my wife visited Florence. The bottle was cause of some words father and son (owner of the shop) had. But later more on that! What a great shop. It is a small shop but you can't imagine what they have!

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How I use my Moleskines (part 2 of 2)

In my previous article I showed you how I became a Moleskine-fan. I also showed how I used my small-plain Moleskine book as a holiday-journal. In this article I want to show you how I work in my Studiobook and Workbook.

2. Studiobook - Moleskine ruled large

I own a small sound studio in our house. I can record here bands who want to make audio recordings. I use Digidesign Protools HD. In my Moleskine large ruled I take notes of recordings, I make my next-action list for several bands and recordings.

I also place pictures of gear I want to buy and why I want to buy it. Sketching technical details of how I want things to adjust in the future. I numbered the pages of this book and have a index in the front of the book.

Because of the sketching and drawing diagram’s the next book will be a squared Moleskine.


3. Workbook – Moleskine squared large
My daily job is leading a small company that makes wooden frames for houses. Every project is custom based and needs to be calculated. It is imported that we keep track of al these calculations.


So my GTD-system comes in handy here. I use the book primary for note-taking every day. This book has all the pages numbered and has a project index in the front.

It also contains my next-action list divided by @waiting for, @office, @calls. I use post it tags to find the lists I want.

When my notes are project-related write the project number before the note. In the project index I also keep track of the notes by putting the page number behind the projects.


4. Portfolio – Moleskine Folio A4 Portfolio
This one I use as traveling companion. It is sort of a gathering and distribution system. This new Portfolio A4 has big pockets and special long fiber paper makes it durable to file documents and drawings.

The first big pocket is my inbox. Everything that has to be processed is getting in there. In the second pocket I put what has got to go to home’s inbox so it’s processed there. In my third pocket I put the things that have to be processed at work.

The Moleskine A4 Portfolio fits perfect in my business bag. It is a great addition to the Moleskine family

I hope by reading this you where inspired a little bit. If you have some tips for me please let me know. I have a few more Moleskines. A large Moleskine sketchbook is one of the things I bought recently. But I don’t have enough experience so I can show you.

I hope you had some inspiration reading this article in two pieces. Maybe you also have some great ideas. I would like to read about them so please leave some comment.

Review Private Reserve Ebony Blue

I got this nice bottle from Art Brown International Pen Shop. They have a lot of ink en pens. The order came quickly trough international mail. Great service guys!

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Just pre-ordered Pilot Namiki Vanishing Point Vivid Red LE

Just ordered a Pilot Namiki Vanishing Point Vivid Red LE at WorldLux. It is a 2009 Limited Edition, and is my first vanishing point fountain pen. It is also my first Pilot Namiki pen.


The intense, vivid red barrel color makes a bold and impactful statement. Its ingenious push button mechanism, twist converter and pocket clip position still make this fountain pen the most technologically advanced available today. Style is uncompromised, as this special new color offering is sure to make a fashion statement.


The Limited Edition Vanishing Point Vivid Red Fountain Pen comes with rhodium accents and an 18-karat gold medium nib coated with rhodium plating. Each pen will be individually engraved with a serial number to ensure a one of a kind piece. Beautifully merchandised in a leather-like gift box, the Vanishing Point is truly a pen for the new age. Only 2009 available world-wide, 850 in the U.S.

How I use my Moleskines (part 1 of 2)

Some people are new to journaling stuff or note taking in just one black book. Some of you are real ‘black-belt’-note takers in a blackbook. If you are new to this I hope this article can inspire you to start using these wonderful blackbooks. If you are ‘black-belt’ I hope you have some nice tips for me.

At school I learned to take notes on lose papers. When I came home I ordered them all in one archive-folder (tabbed in sections or not). So writing in a black book was new to me. I thought hmmmm how you going to find something in their when there are no sections or dividers.

I became attracted to Moleskines when I was doing GTD-searching on the net after reading David Allen’s book of Getting Things Done. There where some amazing Moleskine-hacks.

I first bought one Moleskine-book and tried these hacks to implement the GTD-system. But soon I found out it is not the things you use but the system you have. When you have the system right then you can use anything you want, from electronic devices to a simple plain notebook. It can be a Moleskine but it can easily be another notebook. One Moleskine book led to another and so I became a passionate user.

My GTD-system was altered and squeezed to my fitting. I do some electronic (like agenda, next action lists etc). But I also do some with plain writing always with fountain pens.

I want to do some articles about how I use my Moleskines. You can get hopefully some inspiration and transform it into your needs. Currently I am using four Moleskine-books I want to share with you:
1. Holiday journal - Moleskine plain pocket is a journal about holiday’s, concerts, little days out with family.
2. Studiobook - Moleskine ruled large is a note keeping book of my home-music-studio. I take my notes of bands, appointments, tasks, new gear, hopes and dreams.
3. Workbook - Moleskine squared large is an allround book I use for my work. It contains notes, sketches, price offers, index of projects, some GTD-stuff etc.
4. Portfolio – Moleskine Portfolio A4. I use as traveling and distribution book while traveling.
In the pictures I left out the personal names to keep some privacy.

1. Holiday journal (also concerts, day’s out with the family) – Moleskine plain small
This was my first small-plain Moleskine. I use it as a journal on my holiday’s. I also draw in it, glue pictures in it, glue receipts in it etc. I numbered the uneven pages 1, 3, 5 ---- 191.

The first few pages I use as index-pages. Above page 20 I use to journal the holiday’s. I did not know how much the index would take so I am on the safe side I think.

On the back I wrote the date I started it. When it is full I put the ‘stop’-date besides it. I choose the small one so I could take it anywhere. I choose for the Moleskine-plain because now I can write, draw and glue pictures in it.

I think I’m gonna buy a Poloroid PoGo so I can stick pictures I took on the holiday. It looks like a perfect journaling-companion.

Here's some drawing I did. I know I'm not very talented, but I am willing to learn

Some writings and thoughts about holiday's and the last one about the movie Angels & Demons.


I hope this first article gave you some inspiration. if you liked it or have tips for me please leave some comments I always like that.

(part two of the article)

Lamy Dialog 3 (announcement)

It's buzzing on the internet in foutainpen-country. A new capless fountainpen is coming. The manufacturer is Lamy. The name of the pen will be Lamy Dialog 3. I don't know for sure but I think it is their first capless design. On different foutainpenforums and networks it get's praise or some people say it looks like a flashlight. So it will be a pen you either love or hate.
German fountainpenforum
International fountainpenforum


I never had a capless foutainpen. But I like the design of the pen. The pen will cost about $ 225,= - $ 300,= The pen is due in september 2009 and can be pre-ordered on Swisher Pens (fine writing instruments & stationary)

Some pictures I found on the internet:

It look like the cap can get of the barrel so that you can also fill the pen with a converter.


Here's picture you can see the Dialog 3 in reference to the Lamy 2000

Please let me know what you think of it.

Review Lamy Safari Pink and Orange (limited edition)

Well they arrived yesterday by mail. I ordered them on Sunday at PenGallery. In only three days from Kuala Lumpur to The Netherlands, I found that very quick service . I'm still looking to buy the white one and the lime one if I can find them. Well these two (Pink and Orange) are added to my collection. I hope you like the pictures because their where some odd looking faces in my direction around our house when I took the pictures..... ;-)


I know their are a lot of reviews on the net about this pen. Here you can read my opinion. I just could not bare the thought of not having a review of my new Lamy Safari's on my blog.

Unpacking
Lamy has great boxes they are shipped in. I like the way they do it. So here's kind of an Apple-like-unpacking-session. When you buy them at PenGallery they come with converter and one black ink cartridge (wich I never use). Lamy only have their one cartridges. So beware of buying other cartridges for your pen.



History
Since the 1930's Lamy has been producing writing instruments that have become the favorite of many. The Lamy Safari was designed by Wolfgang Fabian and is produced since 1980. The pen is made of plain ABS plastic, original made in red, yellow and blue. The barrel is round with flat front and back. The grip is sort a triangular. The Lamy Safari has a steel nib which is very sturdy. Lamy had this pen made aimed for young people. But I think a lot of older people like the pen also. The Lamy Safari is also known as the starter fountain pen.


Writing
This pen writes like a tank. Never slips or slides. I always choose fine-nibs. I tried different kind of inks: Noodler's, Montblanc, Private Reserve and J. Herbin. All came out very good. For the written review below I took Noodler's Saguaro Wine (purple-pink), the color matched so nicely with the pink-pen.

In the writter report I wrote:
"Thursday, august 8, 2009

I filled the Lamy Safari Pink (fine nib) with Noodler's Saguaro Wine. The color matches great with the color of the pen.

The pen writes great, the flow of the ink is good. Their is no bleedtrough on this Moleskine-paper with this combination pen-nib-ink.

The nib is the only thing which I think is minor. It is a steel nib and it is a little bit stiff in my opinion.

Great pen!

Woodworker"



Facts
lenght: 139mm (5,47") - with cap over the nib-side (I think you call it capped??)
lenght: 129mm (5,08") - without cap and ready to write
niblength: 17mm (0,67")
barrel: 12mm (0,47")
price: about $ 22,= to $ 35,= (€ 15,= to € 25,=)

The pen writes like a tank
The pen is very durable
The pen is cheap but does not write or feel cheap.
Their are a lot of color's available
The pen will have for sure a cult-status in the near future.
See trough ink window

The steel nib could have a little more 'feel'.
Some people find them cheap looking

Lamy is an independent family-owned enterprise which was established in 1930 by C. Josef Lamy in Heidelberg. The LAMY brand has existed since 1952 and proved its innovative prowess in the very first year with the completely novel LAMY 27 fountain pen series. And in 1966 the distinctive style of Lamy Design was born with the LAMY 2000.