I mentioned during my last Top 5 Pens update that with the reworking of the list I would be moving some of my personal choices out to the main blog in order to keep them seperate from the general recommendations found on the Top 5 Pens page.
The pens listed below are a recent snapshot of what I am using and enjoying the most. Some are new, some are old, but all are mine and I love them!
Franklin-Christoph Pocket 66 Stabilis Ice
I picked this one up at the 2015 Atlanta Pen Show and I haven’t been able to put it down since. It’s not just the design, style, and comfort of the pen - the Mike Masuyama steel needlepoint nib has been a standout. My first fountain pen nib love were nibs in the XXF range, or EF Japanese, but I’ve moved to stubs and cursive italics as my primary writers more recently. This needlepoint has brought me back to to tiny writing once again.
Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pen
My goodness do I love this pen. The tip is the firmest of any drawing pen I have used and holds up extremely well. I am a huge baseball fan and fantasy baseball player and have been tracking all kinds of players and stats since March. It is the perfect match with my Field Notes Roastery Edition.
Ti2 Techliner
This pen has been a mainstay in my rotation for months. There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t use one of the three that I own. I make that possible by keeping one at my home desk, one at my work desk, and a third - my favorite gonzodized edition - in the backpack I am carrying or in my pocket. I use this pen anywhere and everywhere with a mix of Uni-ball Signo 207 and RT1 refills.
Pilot Custom Heritage 92
I can't quit this pen. And apparently, I can't find time to review it either because I have yet to do so. I will work on that soon because this pen deserves it. The 92 is the piston-filling relative to the Custome Heritage 91 and clear-barreled Custom 74. Is it better than either of those pens? That's up for debate, but I use this one the most because of the nib. I purchased a broad nib with the intent on having it modified into a cursive italic by Mike Masuyama. He did, and it's fabulous. The 92 is a mainstay in my pen rotation.
Edison Menlo
Hey look - another pen I haven't reviewed yet! My first Edison Menlo is a custom job ordered for me by my partner in crime Jeff Bruckwicki. It had been sitting idle for a few months prior to the Atlanta Pen Show but I inked it up to show it off and forgot how much I love it. The barrel design is perfect for me, the fine cursive italic nib is sharp and smooth, and it doesn't hurt that I have it inked up with the now discontinued Sailor Sky High.
I am going to try and schedule this post on a monthly basis and may expand it to include all the products I have used the most during the timeframe. I think paper needs to be represented in this list because it plays a big role in the enjoyment of the pens listed above. If there is anything you would like to see, or have any other suggestions, please leave a comment below.
