An avalanche of mini nib grinds
Two new pens enter the rotation this week. And I return to a manageable six pen and ink combinations. Six seems a fine fellowship.
Every pen in this week’s kit sports a miniature version of a typically broad grind. Three horizontal italic grinds: on the Nautilus, the Giant Sequoia and the m805. All three offer crisp, careful edges. Ribbony, noticeable line variation ahoy.
The remaining three offer vertical blade-shaped grinds. The Naginata-togi and Cursive nibs are well-rounded enough to forgive imperfect writing angles. The Cutlass is sharp so as to show line variation within EF lines. Precise and fun.
The week’s ink palette leans towards ruddy earth tones. With one exception. Ming Kong Que Blue continues on from last week, serving as a bright contrast to the week’s otherwise somber hues. Cheery with a purpose.
Small handwriting calls for custom nib shapes in miniature. Bring on the tiny and detailed notetaking.
Grey/Black
Nahvalur Nautilus Primary Macchiato (Mini Cutlass, by All in the Nib). Montblanc Oyster Grey. Say hello to a coffee themed colorway with bronze trim and a gold colored steel nib. An aesthetic standout within my collection. Oyster Grey is a mid-toned grey in this feed. The Cutlass produces true-to-size EF lines right-side-up and a smooth needlepoint on the reverse. My daily driver for the week: task management, meeting notes, reading notes, lesson plans, and curriculum planning.
Blue/Teal
Nahvalur Nautilus Caldera Sea (Mini BBG, by J.J. Lax Pen Co.). Yoseka Ceramics Ming Kong Que Blue. The multitasker nib produces B-width CI lines writing right-side-up and European-width EF lines on reverse. Wide lines work well for accenting fast-moving meetings — and for longform writing like journaling. The EF lines offer double duty as detailed accent notetaking while reading, annotating in printed PDF margins, and task management. Many faces.
Earth Tones
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (Mini Naginata-Togi, by Tokyo Station Pens). Colorverse Pluto and Beyond. The Nakaya, Naginata-togi grind and Pluto is a triumverate for the ages. Controllable line widths. Strong shading. And pencil-like feedback. I smile while I write. Seriously. Like a lovestruck teenager. I’m actively seeking opportunities to write with this combo this week. Lesson plans, curriculum planning, D&D notes and journaling.
Monteverde Giant Sequoia Brown (F CI, by Mike it Work). J. Herbin Terre de Feu. My first inking of Terre de Feu shows promise. I paired Masuyama’s crisp F CI ground nib with a dry feed. The combination renders Feu a light, mid-toned pink-brown. Noticable, skimmable contrast to even Candy Marsala’s red-brown tones. I will experiment with this pairing: journaling (due to the comfortably large section), reading notes, and lesson plans. Meeting notes are possible should the feed grow wetter — and Feu darker — over the course of the week.
Wild Cards
Pelikan m805 Stresemann Anthracite (F CSI, by Custom Nib Studio). Colorverse Pioneer Container. Pioneer Container is a fun purple. Muted purple tone, moderate shading, and frequent haloing. At least in this generous Pelikan feed. The cursive grind lends noticable personality to meeting notes, journaling, and curriculum design. The muted colorway fits in well during challenging and/or serious meetings. Why yes, good sir.
Lamy Safari All-Black (Cv). Ferris Wheel Press Candy Marsala. I’m giving this All-Black one last chance in my weekly rotation before resale. The pen caps reliably and looks sleek. This particular pen hasn’t sparked joy the way my other Safaris do. I swapped my Lamy-favorite Cursive nib onto the pen as a control in this week’s experiment-du-joy. Candy Marsala lends strong halos and a dark, ruddy red to my penvelope: reading notes, lesson plans and journaling.
