Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus (for the rest of us), the gifting season is upon us. If you have a few (or several) pen lovers on your list or looking to give something different this year, hopefully these suggestions will help you in your search.
First up in this series of posts is the consummate professional. Accomplished and career-driven, the professional is usually no stranger to the finer things in life. They may already own a nice pen, leather folio or piece of desk art, so present them with something unique or better than what they presently have. Here are our recommendations :
Waterman Expert Black & Gold Pen & Pencil Set (on sale for $124.95)
Classic Waterman (France) design with a sophisticated, black tie appeal. The black & gold combination is classy enough for the boardroom or impressing potential clients on a sales call. Perfect for engraving. Black matte with chrome trim and Satin Chrome finish also available.
Parker Sonnet Premium Collection
Reviewed on our blog back in July of this year, the Parker Sonnet Premium wears like a fine suit that you will never need to dry clean. Well, if you have the fountain pen, you will eventually have to clean it, but all it will take is a few minutes by the kitchen sink. The body and cap of the pen features an engraved chevron pattern covered in smooth lacquer. Many will recognize the signature Paker "arrow" clip. Available in fountain pen, rollerball pen and ballpoint pen in several formal finishes (Chocolate GT shown above).
Filofax Finsbury Organizers
For the organized, or those who desperately want to be organized, Filofax offers the features of a appointment-maker, address book, note-taker, calendar and to-do list holder. The full-grain genuine leather cover of the Finsbury is rugged, yet soft to the touch. Also available in a zip version for an extra added measure of protection. Available in several sizes ranging from the wallet-sized mini to a more ample A5 size. Colors include Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Pink and Raspberry. Modestly priced from $40 to $80, depending on size.
Jac Zagoory Desk Art Pen Holders
Made from solid pewter and crafted with fine detail, the often-whimsical designs of Jac Zagoory are fun and appropriate for corporate desk-scapes. Each piece of Desk Art acts as a pen holder for most writing instruments (pen not included with purchase).
I hope you enjoyed our selected recommendations for the professional in your life. Stay tuned (or subscribe to the Goldspot Pens RSS feed) for the next installment due later this week.
Next Tuesday (December 8th) we will be hosting the Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper. Article submissions will be accepted with a deadline up until the end of this weekend (the 6th). For more information about the Carnival, please read our post about the Carnival and how to submit your blog post.
Hey all,
Goldspot Pens is December's host for the Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper. The Carnival is in its fifth month and features a great collection of recent articles, blog posts, and reviews that are all pen, pencil and paper-related.
To send us your article for the Carnival, please follow this link here and follow the submission guidelines. On the first Tuesday of December, which also happens to be December 1st, Goldspot will publish the Carnival on this blog.
So, if you have a blog and love to write about fountain pens, rollerball pens, ballpoint pens, stationery, pencils, office supplies, notebooks, and organizers, etc., come on down and send us your article.
Prior Carnivals have been hosted by such illustrious pen & paper blog-writers such as : Notebook Stories (the original creator of the Carnival), the Pen Addict, Office Supply Geek, and Black Belt Productivity. Click on the blog links to read the past Carnivals.
If you're not a blog writer, but still love pens & paper, the Carnival is a great way to find new, undiscovered blogs out there that you can follow. I know my RSS reader is already jammed with over two dozen fine-writing-related blogs, but I always find room for more :0)
Our Goldspot Pens readers have spoken! With 34% of the total votes cast, the Pelikan m205 Blue Transparent fountain pen is 2009's Pen of the Year.
To celebrate the m205 being the people's choice, we will be running a special offer for those who have not purchased the winner.
From today (November 16h) until Friday November 20th, we will offer one free bottle of Pelikan fountain pen ink to accompany the purchase of your new Pelikan m205 Blue Transparent fountain pen. Simply visit our store, select the pen plus the bottle of ink (and any other items you would like) and make sure to mention the promo code PELIKAN205 at the checkout screen. The discount will be taken off after the order has been confirmed. If you pay through Google Checkout or PayPal, you will be promptly refunded for the cost once the order has been imported from the website.
Congratulations to Pelikan for making such a fine product and many thanks to everyone out there who voted!
Please note: this offer is only valid for purchases of the Pelikan m205 fountain pen in blue transparent in any point size. This offer is not redeemable for cash and cannot be combined with any other discount. Promotion ends at the discretion of Goldspot Pens or by Friday, November 20th, at 11:59pm.
This special request review comes from Chris C. over on our Facebook Fan page. If you would like to request a review of a product that we carry on our website, please feel free to tweet, comment or post on our Facebook fan wall.
The Tombow Zoom 2000 gives me the impression that it is a writing utensil of the future. It looks like the Terminator dropped it on his way back to help John Connor save the world. It has a brushed chrome finish and an unique "spacepod-like" shape. Diamond-like cuts repeat in a pattern along the central band of the barrel. The design is simple, yet extremely intriguing as you turn the pen in the light. The grooved pattern flashes its facets like fine crystal.
The smallish cap would be the payload of this futuristic writing missile. It fits very tight on the business end of the pen, ensuring that the liquid rollerball refill will not be dry when you pick it up to write. It posts nicely on the back-end of the pen and doesn't add any significant weight to cause imbalance when writing.
Speaking of the weight, although the pen is solid metal, it is lighter in the hand than you would think. However, it does not give the impression of being flimsy or cheap. My only issue with the overall design is the grip. The brushed chrome barrel drops off to create an uncomfortable edge between the front section and the rest of the pen. When holding and writing with it, I feel like my grip is further away from the point than I would prefer.
Aside from the slightly awkward grip, writing with "sputnik" is a smooth, enjoyable experience. The Tombow rollerball refill is smooth, rich with a dark line and fine-pointed (also available in extra-fine). If you are used to writing with fountain pens all the time, this is definitely a good alternative. There is a slight amount of bleed-through on Levenger Circa paper, but nothing more than what fountain pen ink would usually produce.
Summary:
Writing Quality : Tombow 05 Fine rollerball ink flows very nicely. The light weight and balance of the pen make it easy to write for longer periods of time. I gripe about the grip, but that could just be me. (grade A-)
Aesthetic Quality : Very space-age with high-tech appeal. (grade A)
Utility : The small cap can easily be misplaced. The firm snap of the cap ensures ink refill freshness. Clip is well build and attaches smoothly to the pocket. (grade A-)
Price : At $100 retail (on sale for $79.95 at Goldspot.com), the bargain would be the Tombow rollerball refills, which we sell for $2.10 each in a variety of colors. Compare that with a Waterman or Parker, which rollerball refills cost $4.70-$5.75 each. (grade B+)
Final Grade : A-
If you like the space-age aesthetic and smooth-writing rollerball refill, the Tombow Zoom 2000 should definitely be on your Christmas list for an everyday writing pen.
Waterman Expert Black & Gold Pen & Pencil Set (on sale for $124.95)
Classic Waterman (France) design with a sophisticated, black tie appeal. The black & gold combination is classy enough for the boardroom or impressing potential clients on a sales call. Perfect for engraving. Black matte with chrome trim and Satin Chrome finish also available.
Parker Sonnet Premium Collection
Reviewed on our blog back in July of this year, the Parker Sonnet Premium wears like a fine suit that you will never need to dry clean. Well, if you have the fountain pen, you will eventually have to clean it, but all it will take is a few minutes by the kitchen sink. The body and cap of the pen features an engraved chevron pattern covered in smooth lacquer. Many will recognize the signature Paker "arrow" clip. Available in fountain pen, rollerball pen and ballpoint pen in several formal finishes (Chocolate GT shown above).
Filofax Finsbury Organizers
For the organized, or those who desperately want to be organized, Filofax offers the features of a appointment-maker, address book, note-taker, calendar and to-do list holder. The full-grain genuine leather cover of the Finsbury is rugged, yet soft to the touch. Also available in a zip version for an extra added measure of protection. Available in several sizes ranging from the wallet-sized mini to a more ample A5 size. Colors include Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Pink and Raspberry. Modestly priced from $40 to $80, depending on size.
Jac Zagoory Desk Art Pen Holders
Made from solid pewter and crafted with fine detail, the often-whimsical designs of Jac Zagoory are fun and appropriate for corporate desk-scapes. Each piece of Desk Art acts as a pen holder for most writing instruments (pen not included with purchase).
I hope you enjoyed our selected recommendations for the professional in your life. Stay tuned (or subscribe to the Goldspot Pens RSS feed) for the next installment due later this week.
Next Tuesday (December 8th) we will be hosting the Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper. Article submissions will be accepted with a deadline up until the end of this weekend (the 6th). For more information about the Carnival, please read our post about the Carnival and how to submit your blog post.
