I’ll never get tired of using this image.
It’s officially a BIG EPISODE NUMBER™ so we asked a question: “What excites you the most about stationery in 2026?” We shared our answers, plus read your responses this week. Please keep sharing them, and have a great year in stationery!
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
Enigma Stationery: Unique items, top brands and hard-to-find imports. Get $10 off.
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
We humans love our memories. From the social media memories features, to "On This Day in History" columns, to our genealogy research--we cherish the past. And the only way for future generations to do the same is if we record the present. I feel pretty confident in saying that your grandkids aren't going to have access to your Facebook memories, and whether that makes you sad or relieved, you'll need another way--an analogue way--to pass down your voice. Thank goodness for the journaling renaissance that's happening right now. Daily pages, journals, diaries, commonplace books--all these volumes will give the future a clearer window into these "interesting times."
If you're looking for a way to record your thoughts over a passage of time, the Midori 5 Year Diary is the perfect place to start. Each page of the book is labeled with the date, and then divided into five sections, one for each consecutive year. You make your entry each day, then at the end of the year, start back at the beginning. The daily sections are small, encouraging brevity, so it never takes more than a minute or two to complete your daily entry. It's still just enough room to list your day's headlines.
You don't even need to use it for general entries. The format would work very well as a baby book, a weather log, a mood or health tracker, a business or career tracker, an ink journal, or travel journal. It looks rigid, but it is endlessly flexible.
The Midori 5 Year Diary comes in a number of colors. All of them look fantastic. This special embroidery edition comes in both black and white. The cover is a cotton or linen fabric with colorful stitchwork. The embroidery is done in actual thread--it isn't a printed image. It is very pretty and tactile. It comes with a vinyl book cover to protect the stitchwork, but I've taken that off so I can enjoy the texture. I don't care if it gets worn--in fact, I expect it to, after five years of use. Assuming I can keep it up. So far, so good.
Inside the beautiful cover are 193 sheets of ivory Midori MD paper. It's top-tier paper and performs well with almost anything.
The standard edition of the 5 Year Diary sells for $42.50, and this embroidered edition sells for $65. That's very steep for a notebook, even one intended to be an heirloom. This is one of those cases where it's worth it to you if it's worth it to you. It is very well made, clearly designed to stand up to those long years of use. If you're intending for it to be a future gift to a loved one, then this level of quality makes sense.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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One of my favorite review categories is products that are great, but not great for everyone. The LAMY CP1 is a perfect example of this type of product. I love it, it has its super fans, and it flat-out won’t work for many people. Let’s dig in.
Starting with me: why do I like the Cylindric Pen 1 so much? It is a long, skinny fountain pen, with a lightweight metal barrel and a Stainless Steel clip. LAMY’s classic Bauhaus fingerprints are all over the design, making the CP1 look like a mini LAMY 2000 - ok, maybe if you squint a little.
My enjoyment of this pen comes primarily from the narrow barrel, with everything else tied for second. (Second, until they released the Aquamarine model, which made me throw money right through my computer screen.) Having a narrow barrel fountain pen is convenient for sliding it into notebook loops, clipping it to notebook covers, or stashing it into any type of pocket. Yes, it is long, but the narrowness comes in more handy than I ever thought.
The CP1 hits the price point where a converter is included. I think all fountain pens should ship with a converter.
I’m also a fan of LAMY’s Steel nibs, primarily Extra Fine. You may notice that I ordered a Fine for this pen, and that is for good reason: I don’t own a Fine, and this nib is swappable with other LAMY nibs found in some of their most popular pens, like the Safari and AL-Star. I have plenty of stock EF nibs I can swap into the CP1, plus their unique Cursive and A nibs (found in the LAMY ABC,) and I have a few grinds at the ready if I’m feeling frisky. I ordered something I didn’t have, and if it’s too wide for regular use, I can swap it easily.
To my surprise, the line and flow of the Fine LAMY nib in this CP1 is close to many of my Extra Fine favorites. I’m not compelled to change it anytime soon, but the option is always there.
A very controllable LAMY Fine Steel nib.
Given that I like the CP1, who won’t like it? Those who don’t like narrow pens, for starters. Obvious, right? The diameter is a negative for users who need, or simply prefer, wider barrels.
The LAMY Safari could eat the CP1 for dinner, and still have room for dessert.
Secondly, the grip section isn’t great. For some reason, LAMY loooooves slippery metal grip sections, and the CP1 grip is no exception, even with grooves that provide absolutely no bonus grippability. My fingers will slide when I first pick it up, but once a little natural temperature and moisture cranks up when writing, it’s fine. If you have dry hands, this grip will frustrate you, especially since it is straight-sided. There is no concave here to help.
Posting is a mistake.
Up next, the aforementioned nib. They can be wide and wet even in relatively fine sizes, so if you are looking for a narrow pen with a needlepoint-adjacent nib to match, I’m not sure even the Extra Fine would be an option for you.
The grip is slick.
Finally, the price. For $60 I think it is fairly priced, but that is too expensive to take a random chance on because there are downsides to the CP1. If this price point is within your budget but the style isn’t, take a look at the recently discussed Pilot Prera, which is an easier recommendation to make to a wider audience.
Remember, there is a pen out there for everyone, but not every pen is for everyone. The LAMY CP1 is a perfect example of that.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
It even ships in a nice box, not a perforated sleeve.
