If you have been buying pens online, at Amazon in particular, then you’ve probably spotted Arteza’s affordable pens. What’s the deal with this popular, but lesser known company?
What’s The Deal With Arteza Pens?
The Best Paper For Fountain Pens
Searching for the best paper for one’s fountain pen is a very common quest in the pen world. Like fountain pen ink, paper is relatively affordable and sold in unlimited varieties so this is a hunt that can last for decades.
Let’s cut down on that search time with some suggestions on the best fountain pen paper.
The Best Paper Desk Pads For Your Home Office
With so much work happening on computers people have less need for desk pads… but we still love them! These large paper pads are simply the best for quick notes, writing down a phone number, or scribbling ideas while on a conference call.
Large desk pads that use top quality paper are are hard to find these days, but they still exist. After doing a lot of research and more than a bit of testing, here are our favorites.
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What Is Fountain Pen Ink Sheen?
When discussing fountain pen ink people will often talk about “sheen” and how desirable it is. But what is sheen? What causes it? Which inks have the best sheen?
Read on to find out.
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. This reduced your use of plastic and can save you lots of money.
Platinum Fountain Pen Buying Guide
Platinum is one of Japan’s “Big Three” pen companies, but it doesn’t seem to get the same level of attention as the other two, at least in the United States. Despite that, Platinum makes some of our favorite fountain pens.
If you are considering buying a Platinum fountain pen which should you lean towards? Which are sure-fire hits that no one can deny is a great pen? Read on to find out.
Best Chinese Fountain Pen of 2020
If you are shopping for a very affordable — as in sub-$30, sub-$20, 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 they might have some shortcomings that we don’t expect from standard fountain pen purchases.
The Best Rotring 600 Alternatives
The Rotring 600 is a wonderful pen and an icon of writing instrument design. That said, it’s not for everyone. So if you want a pen like the Rotring 600 but different, what should you get?
Pilot G2 Montblanc Hack: $200 Pen for $7
If you really get down to it, what is the beating heart of a high-end pen? Most people would agree that 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 as into pens.
With this thinking in mind, here is how you can get a top-notch Montblanc rollerball refill into a highly affordable pen body, like the Pilot G2. That’s the heart of a $200+ pen but with a total cost of about $97.
Twsbi Fountain Pen Buying Guide
If you are in the market for an entry-level to mid-range fountain pen then Twsbi is a great option. The company has a number of strong offerings in the sub-$100 range, including very competitive pricing bands, like $20-30, where big players like Pilot might seem like the obvious option.
Read on to learn about the best Twsbi pen for you.
What Is A Student Fountain Pen?
The phrase “student fountain pen” doesn’t get thrown around as much as it once did, but there still exists a whole class of fountain pens known as “student” pens.
What is a student pen? What makes one good? What are the best student fountain pens today, at a time when much fewer people are actually learning to write using a fountain pen.
What’s The Deal With Tru Red Pens?
Tru Red (often written as TRU RED) is a stationery brand that you might have seen come up recently. They company makes surprisingly nice products, but sales are largely limited to Staples stores.
Who is Tru Red? What products do the make? Is this a pen brand worth paying attention to?
Fountain Pen Filling Systems: Pros and Cons
Fountain pens can be filled with a number of different mechanisms. These not only fill the pen, but go a long way in placing it within the pen world and then determining its size, price, and other qualities. While no filling mechanism is the best, there are reasons to by one or another each time you get a new pen.
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The Best Stationery Shops in Portland, Oregon
Planning on visiting Portland, Oregon in the coming days? Think you’ll have a few minutes to step away from the city’s incredible food, coffee, and nature to do a little pen and paper shopping? If so, here are the best stationery shops in the city.
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How To Clean Fountain Pens
Fountain pens are great, but the cleaning is, to put it lightly, a chore. Maintaining and caring for fountain pens takes time, and even if you don’t baby your pens their water-based ink still runs out more quickly than a ballpoint or rollerball. Want to change ink color? That requires a cleaning too.
So cleaning comes with the territory, but what’s the right way to do it?
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- Monteverde Engage One Touch Retractable Rollerball Pen
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- Pilot 78G+ Fountain Pen