Re-Review: Endless Recorder Notebook

Re-Review: Endless Recorder Notebook

While in Baltimore, I was able to speak to Bryce at Luxury Brands, the US Distributor for Endless products about the Endless Recorder notebook (A5, $24.99) featuring the Regalia paper. He mentioned that the manufacturer had retooled the paper to try to address some of the issues with the first batch, specifically the absorpu8tion of hand oils that then rejected ink. This was a big issue for a lot of folks so Endless applied new coatings to the paper to help reduce this issue.

I grabbed a new version of the notebook to test it and see if I had different results than in our original review (see also our previous Regalia vs. Cosmo Air Light review).

Overall the structure and extras included with the notebook have not changed. It comes with a plasticky guide sheet, two ribbon bookmarks and a thank you card. The standard A5 size is available in lined, dot grid, graph and blank and features the same number of pages (192pp) and elastic closure. The only adjustment was made to the paper coating, its still the same 80gsm Regalia Paper.

Since I was specifically looking for ink resistance, I tested a wide assortment of pens from gel to fountain to felt tip and brush. I wanted to cover the whole page so that my hand was laying on the whole sheet, really rub that hand moisture in (says the girl with bone dry, ice cold hands… but hey! efforts were made!)

But my discovery was actually a slightly longer dry time for the inks, hence the smudges around the Pentel Touch Brush Pen tests. Can you believe it?!?! This is probably not as a big an issue for right handed people but artists, sketchers and lefties might want to be warned that there could potentially be a protracted dry time. If you’re used to some of the other premium fountain pen papers like Tomoe River, it won’t be a surprising characteristic but one you should be aware about, just in case. No one likes unintentional smudges!

The transfer or show through on the back was minimal overall and both sides of the paper can be used with most daily writing tools. There is a little show through but I had no issues with bleed through with the samll assortment of tools I tested.

Is the change a vast improvement? For some, I think definitely. For me, I’m still not crazy about this paper. There’s a bit of a powdery feel to it and not in a toothy, texture-y way. If you’ve ever tried stone paper,  I feel like the Regalia paper has a similar tactile quality. It’s not stone paper but it was the only comparison I could come up with, So, the short answer is that Regalia still hasn’t moved into my top 5 papers. It ticks all the boxes for most people though and the improved ink adherence will only advance their favor.

Do you use Regalia paper? Do you have issues with dry time or ink resistance? Would you consider trying it if you haven’t yet?

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Endless Stationery for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Link Love: Life Changes

Link Love: Life Changes

While recovering from my awful cold last week, I also turned my life upside down. I put in my notice to quit my real jobby-job to do focus on being a pen nerd, freelance designer and general layabout full-time. I will have completed my transition sometime in Mid-April.

Being a full-time entrepreneur is something I’ve always wondered if I could make work and I finally realized, “If not now, when?” So, the good news, for you my lovely readers, is that I will be able to put more time and energy into new stationery products, more pen shows, and more content here and on Patreon. Yes, really! You are now my job!

I have lots of plans for new projects and I am looking forward to the future. I hope you will too. If there’s any reviews, content, extras or new products you’ve always wanted to see from The Desk, drop your suggestions in the comments or email me (use the “Ask the Desk” link to email me, if you want to be sneaky or if you want to hire me to design logos, products, collabs or anything!).

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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Ink review: De Atramentis Peach (Scented)

As I continue to stroll my way though peach inks, this week’s review is De Atramentis Peach (45ml, $14.00). Now I don’t know how I missed it, but this is one of their fragrance inks. Normally that would be a detractor for me, but this one smelled very lightly of peaches. It reminded me of my favorite peach tea.

It is not, however, that Peach Fuzz Pantone look-alike. It is ripe, juicy, orangey-red peach. The ink itself is primarily orange, and with no fancy bells or whistles. It doesn’t shade that much, and there’s no sheen or sparkle. What there is, is a vibrant peachy orange that I really like.

In comparison to the inks I own, it came closest to Sailor Apricot, and not too far off of J. Herbin Orange Indien. Mont Blanc Lucky Orange wasn’t quite close enough.

The only problem I noticed, was that the ink seems to feather a bit on the Mnemosyne A5 paper, particularly in the ink splotches. In regular writing there are no issues though. Overall this wasn’t the ethereal peach color I was looking for, but it’s a nice orange and will be a great summery color!


DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Pen Case Review: Girologio Denim 10-Pen Case

Pen Case Review: Girologio Denim 10-Pen Case

I was so happy to be introduced to the new Girologio Denim line of pen cases. I am always excited to see materials, other than leather, used for pen cases. Leather is a great option for a lot of people but having a non-leather option available is also great.

The denim 12-pen case ($52.60) is a dark indigo, soft fabric (that picks up cat hair like crazy so I apologize in advance for the hair in the photos. I tried to get it off but its a futile effort here at Cat Cottage) and features a stitched brown leatherette patch logo on the back like on the pocket of a pair of jeans. Cute!

The first thing I noticed after I loaded the case is that the fabric case, filled with pens, is a lot lighter than a leather case is once filled. I know that’s probably a big “duh!” for a lot of people but I forgot how much weight is added to a pen case, just in the materials that are used.

I tested a variety of pen sizes from long, chunky pens like Lamy Safaris and Opus 88 Koloros as well as some of my smaller, more slender pens like my YStudio Resin Fountain Pen to make sure the smaller pens don’t fall out. Getting the bulkier pens into the case the first time might require tugging a little bit on the elastic to loosen up the elastic to make it easier to slide them in or out.

With the more slender pens, the zipper lip keeps the smaller pens from falling out but some pens are slender enough that caution may need to be taken to make sure they don’t fall out.

There are a variety of other case options available from Girologio in the denim line from 1- and 2-pen sleeves to a 96-pen briefcase! There’s a size for everyone.

Overall, I am really happy with this case. An adjustable elastic would make this case almost perfect — if I could just figure out a way to charm the fabric not to attract cat hair!


DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Girologio for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Link Love: Sick & Tired Edition

Link Love: Sick & Tired Edition

This week, I spent a lot of time googling things no one wants to search for:

  • Cold or Flu: How to tell the difference?
  • Bronchitis Symptoms
  • Will my insurance cover…?
  • Etc.

So, if you haven’t guessed, I picked up a virus. Or a bacterial infection. Either way, I have felt like crap all week. As a result, I have not spent much time online, in forums or reading any news in the pen community. What did I miss?

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

We need each other and I need some more Nyquil. Please support our sponsors, affiliates or join our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

Ink Review: Private Reserve Ink, Infinity Blue

Ana always comes back from pen shows with goodies for me to try and review, and this time was no exception. When she handed me a bottle of Private Reserve Ink, Infinity Blue (60mL for $25 from Yafa Brands), I was intrigued. This new ink bears the Infinity name because it is developed to virtually never run dry.

We all have pens we fill and then use intermittently. Depending on a variety of factors (the pen, the cap tightness, the specific ink, the climate) that pen may or may not write fluidly the next time you pick it up. Infinity ink has been formulated so that intermittent use, or going “virtually capless” shouldn’t result in hard starts.

This was going to be fun I thought. I filled up my Estie with the Infinity Blue and started my test. Then I did something that felt incredibly wrong: I left the cap off overnight.

When I came back the next morning, I expected the pen to start, right? Well it didn’t exactly. As you can see, after less than 24 hours capless, the pen did not write fluidly to start. I will say that I touched the back of the nib, and the feed to a tissue, and allowed ink to collect there for a few moments. After that, the pen began to write well again. So it didn’t need the full water treatment, but it definitely wasn’t quite ready for capless.

For my next test, I left the cap on, but a little loose (not fully screwed on). When I came back a few days later, I had the same experience.

My final test was leaving the pen uncapped during a meeting (so approximately an hour or so). This was the only time the pen wrote fluidly with no coaxing.

My test is obviously not exhaustive since I only used one pen, but I’d say my results with that one pen are fair to middling. I didn’t have to get up and run water over the nib to get it started, but it didn’t just write the second I picked it up. I expect that it would work well in a pen that you use intermittently that you keep capped, regardless of if the seal were super tight, but I’m not sure I’m ready to go with “it can be virtually cap-off ‘forever’.”

Have you tried this ink? What are your thoughts?


DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Yafa Brands for providing us a bottle of Private Reserve Ink in Infinity Blue for review. Please see the About page for more details.