Dollar General DG Office Writing Tablet

by Tony Thomas

I am always in search of inexpensive, fountain pen friendly paper.  When visiting my local Dollar General store recently, I came across their "DG Office" writing tablet priced at $1.00 for 120 sheets.

I always check to see where it was made and was excited when I saw it was made in Indonesia.  As I have reported earlier, I have had quite a bit of success with Indonesian paper supplied by iScholar.  The paper was unusually smooth for the price (most cheap paper feels like fine sandpaper these days). Since it was only a buck, I thought I would give it a try.

I was quite pleased with the results.  Most pens and ink played well with this paper.  There was only a bit of feathering with my Pilot Custom 74 with SFM nib and Pilot blue ink, but this pen is notoriously wet.  My other pens with Waterman ink performed well.  There was a bit of bleed through/show through, especially with broader nibs and wetter pens, but for thin paper, this is to be expected.

Bottom line: This is pretty decent paper for only a buck!

Jinhao 8812 Rosewood Fountain Pen

by Tony Thomas

I'm always on the lookout for interesting fountain pens. When I saw the Jinhao 8812 , I knew that I wanted it. As someone who loves objects made out of wood, I found its rosewood body especially attractive. And at less than $8 on eBay, the price was right.

Here are some vital statistics:

Length (capped): 136mm
Length (uncapped): 119mm
Width: 13mm
Weight: 45 grams

Nib: #5 medium

The pen is a bit hefty and is solidly built.  Jinhao is usually pretty good in the QC department which is amazing considering the low price of their pens.  The 8812 is also a smooth writer (as most Jinhao pens are).  You can post it, but I found it to be too back-heavy when posted and too long (160mm).   It comes with an Jinhao converter and it can also take international standard ink cartridges.

This is a great pen for the money that will turn a few heads.

The Fountain Pen Book

by Tony Thomas

"The Fountain Pen Book" is my latest book and has just been released on Amazon.com.  

"If you are interested in fountain pens, this book is a great place to start. It is short, easy to read and filled with valuable information that I have gathered since becoming a fountain pen enthusiast. I have included lots of links so that you can connect with other fountain pen users, dealers and resources. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed writing it! 

Check it out: http://goo.gl/4C9BV6

Happy Fountain Pen Day 2015!

by Tony Thomas

It is Fountain Pen Day!  Is it time to renew our love for fountain pens and writing with them. 

I have been writing with fountain pens on and off for over 40 years.  In the past five years or so, my interest in them has increased due to the efforts of people like Brian Goulet, Stephen BRE Brown and the members of the Fountain Pen Network.  

There is a large and growing fountain pen community and I am proud to be a member.  Pull out your fountain pen and paper and let's celebrate together!

Fake Hero Doctor 616s

by Tony Thomas

I like a great pen deal as much as the next person (after all, this is the Frugal Fountain Pen).  However, beware the fake Hero 616s on auction and sale sites!!  I bought one for $2.99 and it is clearly a fake.  I took comparison pics so you can see the difference between the real deal and the fake.  I requested a refund from the popular auction site and included these pics.  Caveat emptor!!!  And it you happen to get a fake, report it and request a refund.

Update: I rinsed it out and attempted to fill the pen.  It wouldn't even fill.  The breather tube was disconnected from the feed and I could not reconnect it.   The pen did write pretty well but you can only use it as a dip pen.  I tried to open it up after soaking it in hot water but it wouldn't budge.  Not worth $2.99 or even $1.00 IMHO.

Fake is on the right

Fake is on the right

Fake is on top

Fake is in the forged package

This is the ad for the fake.  Oh, the irony!

My Levenger Bomber Jacket Circa Notebook

by Tony Thomas

I decided that it was time for a new everyday carry notebook and picked up a junior-sized Levenger Circa Bomber Jacket.   I love the look and smell of genuine leather and it does not disappoint.

I settled on a disc-based notebook because they are so flexible and I have used them for years. As I have a paper cutter and a punch, I can use all kinds of paper, including sketching and drawing paper, copier paper, cheap notebook paper and really nice paper like Rhodia.

In addition, the disc-based notebook is really a part of a larger system because I can move things around easily and pull out pages that I am no longer using and archive them in other notebooks.  Very useful!

I spruced up the Bomber Jacket with some copper-colored aluminum discs (1") to replace the smaller plastic ones that it came with.   The end result looks great and is the perfect size and weight for my needs. 

Even though it wasn't cheap, I expect to get a lot of use out of it in the coming years.

Inside of the Bomber Jacket with the TWSBI Mini that I carry with it.

Norcom Composition Books from Colombia

 by Tony Thomas

It is Back to School season again and I went to my local Walmart and picked up some composition books from Norcom.   I picked some from Colombia and decided to test them out.  They were on sale for $ .50 each!

The paper is very nice and comparable to the Brazilian paper that I have used in the past.

After some tests with Pilot Blue and Waterman inks and there is no feathering, bleed through or show through. 

Highly recommended !