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.
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?
Continue reading “Pilot Custom 74 vs Custom Heritage 912 vs Custom Heritage 92”
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.
Continue reading “Pelikan Pen Naming: M200 vs M400, M205 vs M405”
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?
Continue reading “Pilot Custom 74 vs Platinum 3776 Century: How Do You Choose?”
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.
If you do any significant amount of pen buying you’ll see the phrase “sign pen” sooner or later. But what is a sign pen? How is a sign pen different from say, a gel pen or a marker… or whatever other kind of pen a sign pen might be like?
Multi-pens are one of those love-them-or-hate-them products. You either need multiple colors, and possibly a pencil, and want them in a single instrument, or the idea has zero appeal to you. After all, is it that much of a challenge to carry three pens? Or a pen and a pencil?
Let’s assume you are in Camp “Love Multi-pens” and are in the market for a new pen. Time to find the best multi-pen sold today!
Here are some writing-related German terms that might help you buy your next German (likely vintage) fountain pen!
Continue reading “German Pen Terms To Help You With Your Vintage Pen Journey”
If you are in the market for a new rollerball pen or refill, you are probably looking to highlight the single most desirable feature of rollerballs: their smoothness.
If you want smoothness approaching that of a fountain, with the practicality of a ballpoint, then a rollerball is for you. Might as well choose the right one!
Continue reading “Choosing a Rollerball: Which is the Smoothest?”
If you have an older model Zebra F-701 pen then you might have realized that the pen is almost entirely metal, but there is one prominent plastic part. Meanwhile the cheaper Zebra F-402 uses a metal component for the single piece where the F-701 does not! This video explains how to combine the two into a fantastic sub-$15 EDC pen.
Welcome to Unsharpen.com, a website about writing utensils. At this point the Unsharpen concept has is only loosely defined, but in the coming days, weeks, and months we hope to fine-tune the idea and make Unsharpen into a destination for information about pens, pencils, paper, and much more.