Planner Time!

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I had a delightful revelation last week. While I knew my new Hobonichi Cousin planner started in December of 2024 (at least on the monthly pages), I hadn't looked closely enough. Because December starts at the end of the week, there are actually a few days of November in there! Which means I can actually start using my new planner on Monday! I was thrilled. It's the little things.

As I gleefully prepared for the annual planner switch, a second feeling set in. Just a very small sad one. And I realized I was also a little blue to let go of the planner that's been my constant companion of 2024.

Maybe that's weird, but I'll own it.

Another thing that's weird is that I did not switch planners mid-year this year. I'm fairly notorious for giving up on a planner and swapping to a different style. But usually my year starts with me resisting the hypnotic pull of a Hobonichi, buying something else, and then buying a Hobonichi in April when the academic year versions come out. In 2024 I just started with the Hobonichi and saved myself the trouble. This wee planner has been with me through what one refers to as a Very Bad Year. We're buds, now.

I was tempted to switch early in the year, anyway, but only because I'd bought a Hobonichi Weeks (which is my favorite layout for planners), and then got a new extremely busy job, and found the Weeks to be a little small for all the plans I had to plan.

For 2025, I got the Cousin, hoping that the extra space will serve me well--though I still prefer the weekly spreads. If there was an A5 Hobonichi with the Weeks layout, I'd be in heaven. "But Sarah," you say, "There are other planners that are A5 with a weekly layout!" I KNOW. I buy them every autumn, start them in January, and then buy a Hobonichi in April. It has happened more than once.

The daily pages in the Cousin are going to be perfect for meeting notes, looooong to-do lists, and brainstorms, which is going to help me at work a lot. I've been doing all that in a second notebook, carrying both that and my planner with me around like Linus with his security blanket--so combining those into one tool will be lovely. I will lose the "Oh crap--that's tomorrow!" reminder feature of the weekly pages, so I'll have to keep the habit of scanning the monthly calendar every day, or flipping through the daily pages, or both. I cannot live one day at a time, as much as I would love to.

Today I transferred my ongoing task list to the new planner, moved my goofy bookmarks and made sure there weren't any notes I needed to move forward, then I tucked away my 2024 Weeks on my shelf-o-planners. Most of the planners on that shelf are half-empty. But 2024 has been a very full year, and while not every memory in that book is a happy one, I'm happy to have them all there.

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Nahvalur Original Plus Matira Quartz Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Original Plus from Nahvalur is a fountain pen that offers a large ink reservoir since it uses a vacuum filler mechanism. Vacuum fillers seem to be one of the more rare type of ink filling mechanism used in fountain pens today, so it's always exciting to see other options pop up, especially when they're also fairly affordable compared to other options.

For me, my first vacuum filling fountain pen was a Pilot 823, but that's not an accessible place to start. TWSBI has long offered a more affordable vacuum filler with the giant Vac 700 and later the pocket-friendly Vac Mini. Until recently, vacuum fillers could be hard to come by. Luckily, that's changed over the past few years.

I reviewed a PenBBS vacuum filler back in 2022 that only cost around $60 at the time and also worked beautifully. It's definitely possible to make a sub-100 vacuum filler that works well, and Nahvalur has another great example of this in their Original Plus.

The Original Plus is a standard-sized pen (similar in length and diameter to the Lamy Safari or AL Star) that features an enormous ink reservoir and vacuum filling system. Plus, the barrel of the pen is transparent so you can see the ink and filling system in full view.

The colorway I chose is called Matira Quartz, named after the Matira Beach in Tahiti. Aside from the transparent barrel, the other material used by the grip, cap, and blind cap (or finial) all use a translucent white with reflective gold particles suspended in the acrylic. It's a beautiful material, and the rose gold trim goes nicely with it.

As far as build quality goes, this pen is on par with every other Nahvalur pen I've used in the past. It's well-made and feels like it will last me a lifetime if I take care of it properly. All of the tolerances are tight without being difficult to use, and all the various threads have a satisfying feel that leave me sure that they're tightened properly. No one likes loose or ambiguous threads!

The clip on the cap of the pen is substantial and has a lot of gripping power. Despite being so strong, it's still really easy to use. Clipping it onto something or removing it are easy tasks, but I don't have to worry about it coming loose on its own.

The nib on this pen is a #6 steel nib made by Nahvalur. The fine point on this unit was buttery smooth right out of the box. I'm really happy with how this pen writes from the factory. The nib has the same rose gold plate finish as the other trim parts on the pen, but be aware that it's just rose gold colored plating, not actual gold. In my book, that's a great trade-off because it affords a better price!

Writing with this pen has been such a pleasure. The nib and feed provide great ink flow, and the pen feels well-balanced in my hand. I prefer writing without the cap posted, but you can post the cap if you like. I haven't measured to be sure, but you can easily fill more than 1 ml of ink on the first pump of the vacuum system. With this much ink, the reservoir looks about 60% full. There are ways to fill vacuum filler pens all the way, but I don't need that much ink at one time and don't want to risk spilling is spraying ink. Even 60% full is a more ink than I can fit in a piston filler or cartridge-converter pen, so I'm happy with the easy route.

Keep in mind that you have to back the blind cap out a few turns to allow ink to flow properly when writing. When the blind cap is tightened down, the ink supply is shut off from the feed. This is great for transporting the pen, and you can even write a couple of sentences before running out of the ink that was already in the feeds Just remember to open the reservoir a bit and you'll have all the ink you can need!

The Nahvalur Original Plus is just $55 in most cases (there are a couple of models with more expensive material/trim options), which is a fantastic value. Nib size options can vary a bit depending on stock, but in general you can pick from F-B and 1.1mm stub.

There are several interesting colorways to choose from, and they all use the same great nib and large ink reservoir. The price and level of quality are fantastic, and I can easily recommend this pen to anyone interested in vacuum filling mechanisms. It's a great way to it out and compare it to piston and cartridge/converter systems. Good luck picking a color!

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Tactile Turn Trailhead Slim Mini Side Click Giveaway

I’m heading off the beaten path this week with a giveaway for Trailhead, one of Tactile Turn’s long sold out Seasonal releases. This particular model features their Slim barrel, and is in the Mini size, which uses the Pilot G2 Mini refill. I have one to give away this week, so read the rules below and enter away!

Tactile Turn Trailhead Slim Mini Side Click Giveaway