Remember when we had a whole impeachment hearing against Trump for withholding aid to Ukraine so he could get a political hit piece on Biden? I’m wondering how long it will take before a quid pro quo scenario pops up again. Either in Ukraine or elsewhere. So ya, we’re all feeling for Zelensky in the next few years.

Well now I need to go watch Duck Soup.

The tines may be too tight so my suggestion would be to floss the tines. It should be no problem if you have a brass shim. It’s worked wonders on a number of my cheaper pens to fix ink flow. Although I have noticed that the flow is slower on my 9019 as well.

Yup! I’ve only been into fountain pens for a few years but I use them every day for journaling, work notes, and most other writing I do.

It probably more depends on what you’re looking for in a nib. Gold nibs typically have some kind of bounce to them. The Viper is a hooded steel nib so it’ll probably be a much more stiff writing experience. But I’ve heard Diplomat nibs are pretty smooth writers. In my experience, Sailor nibs have some feedback and can “sing” on the page.

I think it’s well worth it for the price. But I’m easy to please lol. It’s a metal pen with metal threads for where the grip section and barrel meet. The finial and trim pieces are pressed in, not threaded or glued. It feels solid but not bulky or heavy. And it uses the same nib as the 82 which is great in my opinion.

I’d say the one drawback I have is the grip is narrower side. So if you’re not comfortable with a grip that’s probably closer to a pencil then it may not be worth it for you.

I’ve had hit or miss luck with Lamy converters. In my case the seal in the back was letting in air and drying out the ink. I’ve found using a blunt-tipped syringe and refilling old cartridges works better. There’s a bit more ink capacity as well.

Thinking through my own collection. The Jinhao 95 might be worth a try. It’s basically a metal version of the 82 but has a really nice capping feel. It’s kind of like the Pilot Explorer, where you press it on and you can feel that inner cap spring tensioning and then snaps closed. But the Jinhao is much more satisfying.

Ya it’s very much a PR statement to address the drama but not the core issues. Especially since they decided to downplay the facts.

They ones that come to my mind are:

Goldspot, Vaness, Pen Chalet, Jet Pens, Birmingham Pens, Amarillo Stationery, Pen Boutique, Anderson Pens, Cult Pens, Endless Pens, Enigma Stationery,

Lots of options.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-episode-pride-month/id1723599105?i=1000657476753

I figured I’d link directly to the podcast episode in question in case anyone wants to listen first-hand. The “Eric” in this episode seems to be introduced in a later episode as starting the church attended by the Goulet’s. I saw the transcriptions originally but the tone of the hosts really put me off.

I’m thoroughly disappointed at the situation and it’s completely soured my perception of the brand. Luckily, there are plenty of retailers to choose from in this hobby.

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/joseph-ducreux-archaic-rap

For the uninitiated

Do it! You won’t be disappointed.

Oh I think I mixed up the names. It’s Majohn/Moonman. There was some legal reason they had to rebrand a few years ago but you can sometimes still get pens with the old branding. They are on Aliexpress as well at around the $20 price point.

I started seeing this guy pop up. I wonder how it stacks up to the Moonman retractables.

Ya they are expensive for what you get. That’s why I went with something like this. It’s essentially the same thing but has slightly bigger rings so you can fit more. With some dividers and an elastic closure it’s very functional. I’d say the big drawbacks are that the soft leather can make it awkward to write in on any surface that isn’t a desk as well as the rings can get in the way of your hand when writing.

Last year I did the Hobonichi for my daily journaling. But I wasn’t a fan of being locked into a specific format and I was nervous carrying around months of journaling that could potentially get lost. It was a good notebook but not for me.

This year I went with a Plotter knock-off using different refills and it’s been working out really well. I can change the configuration when I feel like it, only keep the notes I need on hand, with a hole punch I can use whatever paper I want, and I can always have a bunch of blank sheets for whenever I need one.

https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-MD-Notebook-Journal-A5-Dot-Grid/pd/26421

Midori’s MD A5 (~8.25" x 5.75") notebook comes with 96 but it’s closer to $16.

https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-Soft-Color-Ring-Notebook-A5-Dot-Grid-White/pd/37753

This might be something to look into. Midori paper generally has a little more tooth to it so it won’t be super smooth. It’s also ring bound like the Walmart one. Jetpens is also a great resource for guides and videos about all kinds of stationery items.

Shredding beef