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Pens and Pencils | Reviews and Data
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The Unsharpen Editorial Team handles writing and curation for Unsharpen.com. This includes writing most articles, writing pen, paper, etc. reviews, and building out the site's data catalog.

You can learn more about the team at the Youtube channel, as well as watch the catalog of over 500 video reviews and guides with over 10 million collective views, which will give you some insight into our pen expertise and our 20+ year history geeking out about pens, pencils, and paper.

Have a question? Reach out and a team member will get back to you.

Lamy Rollerball and Ballpoint Refill Finder

Lamy Safari Rollerball

Have a Lamy pen but confused about the refill you need to fit it? It’s very easy to know which refill you need because Lamy makes so few refills!

Even so, Lamy doesn’t exactly do a good job of explaining what you need, and it’s certainly not written anywhere on the pen. In fact, most people don’t even know the name of their pen! This guide is designed to solve all your Lamy refill problems.

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How To Swap Lamy Fountain Pen Nibs

Lamy Nib

In case you didn’t know it, one of the best features of Lamy fountain pens (aside from the Lamy 2000) is that they use a modular nib system. That’s right — you can pull the nib off your Lamy Al-Star and put it on your Safari. Or you can take the gold nib from your Scala and put it on your Vista.

Swapping your Lamy nib is an incredibly easy process once you get the hang of it. Here are a few ways to change those nibs…

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Favorite Pen Cases of 2019

Choosing a pen case largely comes down to personal preference. The quality of pen cases sold by reputable manufacturer and quality vendors is generally quite high and while prices vary wildly, almost everything we’d landed on in the past few years has been pretty OK. What really makes the difference and sets some pen cases apart from the rest is design, features, and value.

Here are some of our favorite pen cases sold today…

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Pen Ink Types Guide

Pelikan 4001 Ink

When you start to dig into pens just a little bit you’ll see that they are separated ink a few major varieties based on the type of ink they use. These categories are blurry and ultimately not very well defined, but it’s helpful to know the basics about them so you have some idea of what you are buying. This guide will run through the major types of inks in order to help you get a better understanding of the major types of pens, how they write, why you might prefer one over the others, and the best uses for each.

Don’t miss our Pen Refills Guide so you can learn about the types of refills these inks go into.

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Hobonichi 2020: Everything You Want To Know

Think about it, 2020 is just around the corner. The signs are all around you! Maybe that Hobonichi Tech0 Avec half-year journal is already starting to look a little broken in, or your 2019 Hobonichi Cousin is looking a little bit aged. Or, you know, maybe it’s just cooling down (or heating up) a little bit outside, depending on where you live.

It’s August, which means the Hobonichi 2020 lineup is just weeks away.

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What Fountain Pen Does Neil Gaiman Use?

Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen

Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods, Norse Mythology, The Graveyard Book, and many other titles is a dedicated fountain pen user. He’s talked publicly about his love of fountain pens many times, so with some research it wasn’t too hard to figure out what he’s been using over the years. He famously handwrites the first draft of his books using a fountain pen and then later edits them.

Gaiman, in 2012, mentioned that he has had between 40 and 60 pens, so this list will not be in any way complete but we’ll cover the pens he has talked about publicly.

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Fisher AG7 vs CH4 Space Pen: What’s the Difference?

Are you trying to choose between the Fisher AG7 and CH4 space pens? They look so much alike, but there are some differences in shape and price that makes then quite different when in use. So how do you choose? This article will help you tell the difference between these two pens and to find that one that’s right for you.

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The Best Pens and Pencils for Adult Coloring Books – July 2019

Adult coloring books have moved from being a quirky fad to being a real thing. A real, relaxing, nothing-to-be-embarassed about thing… and we fully endorse them. If you want to relax and do some art, with none of the stress of painting or figuring out what to draw, a coloring book can be the perfect way to zone out and destress.

So what are the best pens and pencils, and whatever else, for your coloring book?

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ISO Drafting Pencil Color-Coding Guide

Did you ever notice that your drafting pencils have different color text printed on them? You might not know this, but those colors aren’t randomly assigned. The color-coding applies to mechanical pencils, but also to drafting pens, like the Rotring Isograph/Rapidograph, and was popularly seen on professional tools but not so much on consumer-focused items.

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