If you are looking for a pen to carry around with you, you want something tough, stylish, versatile, and affordable. You want a pen that’s a tough as your worst day. That’s an “EDC” or everyday carry pen.
What Is The Best EDC Pen?
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Best Chinese Fountain Pen of 2019
If you are shopping for a very affordable — as in sub-$20, sub-$10, or even sub-$5 — fountain pen and you want high-end features like screw-on cap, included converter, or piston-filling mechanism then you are shopping for a Chinese fountain pen. Brands like Wing Sung and Jinhao offer incredible value for the money, but do have some shortcomings that we don’t expect from standard fountain pen purchases.
These Chinese fountain pens are very affordable, but they don’t have websites with clear explanations and offer don’t come from vendors we know and trust. Plus that often have very slow shipping times (sometimes 2-4 weeks to the US) so remembering what you bought can be an issue. It was with those challenges in mind that we set up this top Chinese fountain pens of 2019 roundup.
What is a Tubular Nib Pen?
Have you heard the term “tubular nib” thrown around and have no idea what it means? It’s a rarely used, but poorly defined term. This article will explain the uses of the term and outline a few pens that could be described as having a tubular nib.
How to Refill a Fountain Pen Cartridge
It’s a popular question: Can I refill a fountain pen cartridge? The answer is a firm yes! You can, and you should.
Pilot Fountain Pens Compared: Custom Heritage 912 vs Custom Heritage 92 vs Custom 74
If you are choosing a higher-end Pilot fountain pen you have a potentially confusing decision to make: do you buy a Custom Heritage 912, a Custom Heritage 92, or a Custom 74? Even the names are alike, how are the pens different from one another?
Which Lamy Fountain Pen Converter Do I Want?
Lamy makes a few different fountain pen converters and it’s not always clear which one you should buy. Lamy doesn’t offer much guidance on this, but don’t worry, it’s easy to figure out which one you need.
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How To Swap Lamy Fountain Pen Nibs
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…
Pelikan Pen Naming: M200 vs M400, M205 vs M405
If you are in the market for a Pelikan fountain pen then you are going to want to figure out the company’s naming convention. After all, there is a big difference between an M200 and an M600, so it’ll be worth spending a few minutes to get to know the name schema, even if you don’t commit it to memory.
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Best Fountain Pens for Eyedropper Conversion (And How To Do It!)
Converting a fountain pen to an eyedropper is a quick and fun job, so long as you choose the right pen! It’s quick to do, quite cheap, and you can often double or even triple your ink capacity.
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Pilot G2 Montblanc Hack: $200 Pen for $7
If you really get done to it, what is the beating heart of a high-end pen? Some would say it’s the ink. While that’s not generally the feeling here at Unsharpen — we are pen geeks after all — it’s hard to argue that point if you aren’t. With this thinking in mind, you can get all the bang out of a Montblanc rollerball by using the refill in a excellent, but highly affordable refill, like the Pilot G2.
Here’s how you do just that!
Uni-ball 207 vs Uni-ball 307 Gel Pen Comparison
The Uni-ball Signo 207 and 307 are similarly named pens that are often sold alongside one another. As you can gather from the name, the 307 is the newer pen, but is it a better buy than the longstanding 207? Let’s find out.
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Rotring 600 vs Rotring Newton Comparison
The Rotring Newton is often confused with the older, more desirable Rotring 600. Both are great pens and they are remarkably alike, but they are distinctly different models and while the Newton echoes the design of the 600 it is not a Rotring 600. Sorry to say it, but there is no “Rotring Newton 600,” that’s just something people write in auctions.
Does any of this matter though? Are we just splitting hairs? Or is there a real difference between the Rotring 600 and the Newton pens. Let’s find out.
Pilot Custom 74 vs Platinum 3776 Century: How Do You Choose?
The Pilot Custom 74 and the Platinum #3776 Century are both excellent fountain pens. They are also shockingly similar — they are clearly direct competitors to one another. But give how similar they are on paper, how do you choose one or the other? And which should you buy, the #3776 Century or the Custom 74?
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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… 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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What Is a Double-Knock Pencil?
Did you just see a “double-knock” mechanical pencil and have no idea what the name meant? Or why you would want the extra knock? Is this pencil some sort of postman who always knocks twice? (OK, rings, but you get the point.) This article should solve all your double-knock questions.