Best Pocket Pen

[@Astrobiologica]

I just ordered Tom's pocket pen, black with the proflex nib, I am very excited touse it in my drawing sketch booking using the Diamine browns! 😊

[@writerlywitterings]

I love it. Also playing with a TWSBI Swipe again - wonderful thin nib for sketching!

[@dm1523]

I just discover your channel today. I don’t know how I’ve missed it until now as I have followed several fountain pen reviewers for many years. But you do so much more, so many be that’s why you’ve flown under my radar. At any rate,I really enjoy what you do here and look forward to exploring more of your prior videos.

[@writerlywitterings]

Welcome aboard and thanks so much! It's always really good to hear from new viewers who enjoy my videos!

[@bethg7026]

We have a 5 month old Bernese mountain dog, I am so glad that we got her. She's absolutely wonderful!

[@writerlywitterings]

They are a wonderful breed. I grew up with one in the 70s, we bought our first in the 1990s, a second twenty years ago, and now this girl will probably be our last - training and coping with the blood loss (God, those milk teeth) makes it unlikely we could cope with another! All best for your Berner!

[@AnshulChauhan95]

If I have to guess, the reason why the architect's nibs are like that is so that they can draw fine lines using a ruler.

[@writerlywitterings]

That would make sense - the nib working finest parallel with the direction of the ruler - yes. Thanks!

[@archivist17]

Looking forward to much more footage of the dogs. 😍

[@writerlywitterings]

On its way!

[@JBFire97]

A delightful pen. Looks like an ideal chew toy for a pup. Keep it safe! As always, thank you.

[@writerlywitterings]

Ah, well, the Ridgeback ate my TWSBI Go six years ago, and destroyed it. This is much, much more robust! It's solid metal, and the pup won't be able to go through it - or if she does, I'll be worried!

[@greyareaRK1]

I'm fond of a Kawecko brass sport knock-off (Delike) I bought a while ago. Very reliable, sports a standard size converter, and the nib is extremely smooth. The older dog is being wonderfully patient. I just got a good workout taking our 2 yr old Golden/Bouvier for walk. She's a gourmand of the poops, and the park was filled with goose 'canapés.'

[@writerlywitterings]

I like Kaweco, but I couldn't use them for extended writing periods. Ideal for short bursts - this Tom's Studio, though, is really superb for long or short sessions. A good size, excellent reservoir, and doesn't (so far) give leaks or any issues.

[@fossilimprint2954]

Brilliant review, I had not heard of Tom's Studio up until now.

[@writerlywitterings]

It's a lovely little tool, it really is!

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

Oh, my gosh! The new puppydog is wonderful!

[@writerlywitterings]

I have to agree with you there. She's a little darling!

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

@@writerlywitterings Have fun! Sending best wishes to her!

[@olegkolbasenko]

A very interesting pen. But dogs... It's impossible not to love these cute creatures.

[@writerlywitterings]

Especially this little darling. She's as adorable and affectionate as she looks!

[@brianlooksaround6125]

Clever design of that pen. Your puppy is adorable. 😅

[@writerlywitterings]

I agree on both points! Thanks, Brian.

[@archivist17]

I'm a big fan of pocket pens, and a Tom's Studio is definitely on the list (albeit not at the top). Thanks for the review. I hope it gives you long and loyal service.

[@writerlywitterings]

Many thanks - I have to admit, it's the first pen I packed for my cycle ride in France this weekend. The second was the trusty old Kaweco!

[@carls.6746]

what is at the top?

[@hc2622]

My Bullet Pen (or Space Pen) is the absolute best handwriting tool ever! Perfect handwriting every time. I have like five of them in different colors. 💜

[@writerlywitterings]

Interesting - are they all fountain pens or the genuine space pen types, ie ball point?

[@vincefenton]

I have two of Tom’s Lumos pens that use felt tips… they’re excellent and a delight to use.

[@writerlywitterings]

I haven't tried those (yet) but think I will before long. So good to have something and not feel that guilt at throwing it away to fill a hole in the ground. I hate disposable items!

[@emmamariamakes]

I ordered this pen and found your video after because of the suspense and this made me even more excited! I think it will make it easier to practice calligraphy more often without having to wash off the nibs etc every use. Maybe flushing through water with a drip of dishsoap makes it railroad less if there is a slight oily residue on the nib.

[@writerlywitterings]

I think that's all it was - plus, I needed to get used to a slightly different writing angle when holding the pen! Sorry to take so long to respond - ill health and deadlines!

[@emmamariamakes]

@@writerlywitterings no problem! I don’t always expect a response but I’m glad the issue you had has been resolved. Take care

[@Richard_Barnes]

I'd still use the Pineider 😉 Superb new pup! Ha, enjoy Mike 👍🏻Yes pls try it out a lot as I think those O-rings will wear and loosen in time, so am interested in how they last.

[@writerlywitterings]

I'm sure you're right about that. Given time they'll wear out - but how much does Amazon charge for one cm diameter O rings?

[@davidkearle7738]

A bit off subject but excited to have picked up a Conway Stewart Winston in Dartmoor resin for a very reasonable price preowned from the excellent Dylan Stephens - know this is a pen you have reviewed before and enjoyed. My first Dartmoor and first Churchill / Winston after previously enjoyed the Series 58 & 100 from CS. Your videos together with SBRE Brown & adventuredenali are my favourite pen videos so thank you for the pleasure your videos give to so many.

[@writerlywitterings]

Thanks so much, David. It's comments like this that keep me filming! I hope you enjoy the new Winston - a gorgeous pen!

[@Outandaboutwithpoggy]

Hi Mike, you already know my love of Kaweco sports pens especially my brass one which I adore, equally I think the new member of the family will be spoilt rotten, seems to have found a friend in the ridgeback already, won’t be long till he is fully grown and going up onto the moors, interesting review of the new pen but I don’t think I will be buying one, I find that the Kaweco sport using an ink cartridge fits my needs perfectly, thanks for a nice video and noticed an interesting design on your wedding ring, Celtic I think, enjoy your new friend cheers, Mike

[@writerlywitterings]

Cheers, Mike. Yes, the two girls are getting on really well. Thank goodness both are asleep just now and I have a couple of hours where I can work!

[@Rgc571]

I use and refill short cartridges with my Kaweco Sport.

[@writerlywitterings]

I have done that - I do find that there is a risk, though, of the mouth of the cartridge starting to widen and leak. I think it depends on the cartridge manufacturer.

[@SpiroHarvey]

Oh she's beautiful. And the pen's not bad either. :D The railroading of the nib makes me think of the Pilot Falcon nib, which you can buy aftermarket ebonite feeds to make them flow better. Perhaps that'll become a thing for Tom's Studio flexi nibs too. The whole thing is very well engineered though, so it's on my to-buy list.

[@writerlywitterings]

To be honest, it's I think more a factor of the newness of this pen. It's giving less and less problems the more I use it. I do think it was largely my holding the pen at just slightly the wrong angle. Very pleased with the pen in general. I think I might see how it goes in the next few weeks, and may take your advice and look up aftermarket feeds after a while to see whether they work better. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying it, and it's an ideal daily carry for me. Hope you're OK down there in the windy city!

[@caterinarollo]

This is a really interesting pen, portable yes but thick. Oh, adorable puppy! Warnings: high dose of tenderness!

[@writerlywitterings]

High dose of 'I'll leave that till later. I'm sure the pup needs me ...'!

[@caterinarollo]

@@writerlywitterings It seems to me a risk worth taking! 😁

[@writerlywitterings]

You could be right, there! @@caterinarollo

[@shane6242]

nice looking pen!

[@writerlywitterings]

I think so too!

[@Joe-os3vp]

Hello again Michael, I hope you are well. I've got a couple of questions for you. Firstly, magnifying glasses. I bought a book with a rather small text (complete works of Josephus). I can read it but it would be a strain (not as small as the compact OED). What type and strength magnifying glass do you recommend? From what I've researched, 2.5x or 3x strength is recommended for the average set of eyes. Do you agree? (I guess the one that came with your compact OED is 5x, do you think?) Also I'm not sure what shape to get: a sheet, a classic circular one or a rectangular one. I suspect the latter is best for shape and weight, easy to scan lines of text. Anyway I thought I'd check what you use before buying anything. One thing I'm sure about is to avoid perspex. Second question, what dictionary and thesaurus do you use the most? I have the Splendid complete OED and Historical Thesaurus but I could do with something for quick use for core English words. I seem to recall you said you only use these for specialist words. Is it the Concise Oxford dictionary and thesaurus set you use for quick reference? Another matter is which edition, as modern editions remove a lot of good words to make way for new ones. What decade do you recommend? I saw a 1950s concise Oxford dictionary in an antique shop recently and it had some surprising words that my 1970s Chambers Dictionary lacks.

[@writerlywitterings]

Hi, Joe, Good to hear from you. Magnifying glasses - I really don't know, and would hesitate to make any suggestions. My eyesight is failing rapidly and badly because of diabetic maculopathy and retinopathy, so magnifying isn't much help. However I know that here in the UK there are NHS and charitable services which are keen to advise. I'd first ask at your medical centre whether they can recommend someone to speak to you about it. A good friend who has sadly now lost his eyesight completely, was given a very useful perspex sheet that had a fresnel (is that the right term?) magnifier etched into it. He could take it with him everywhere, but it was ideal for putting over a book's page for him to read. As to the dictionary and thesaurus, my two favourites are the Oxford English "Compact" editions of their Thesaurus and Dictionary. They're on my desk to the right of my computer now as I type. The full OED is on a table to my left (in reach) but I go to the two compact editions first always! Hope that helps.

[@Joe-os3vp]

@@writerlywitterings That is most helpful, Michael, as always! I saw a perspex sheet that may be like the one you mentioned, in Waterstones; it was good for magnification. £4, just rather floppy, so I may get one of the rigid ones for easier reading. It's not my eyesight that's the problem but rather the tiny print on some of my books. Sorry to hear about your eye trouble, best wishes.

[@Joe-os3vp]

@@writerlywitterings It's rather confusing because they name both their complete OED in tiny print plus magnifying glass as the "Compact edition", as well as naming their basic dictionary (which comes in a pair with their thesaurus) as "Compact Edition" too. But I know what you mean! If you haven't already got the Shakespeare Concordance, I recommend that, it's my favourite reference book besides the full 13 vol OED.

[@Joe-os3vp]

@@writerlywitterings Hello there, in my dictionary shopping I also came across The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (roughly 2500 pages). I highly recommend it! Not a modern edition (where they replaced good old printing with computer printing; Americanised; redefined words; and rejected many old words for modern ones), and not a 1930s edition (a lot less words), but somewhere inbetween. It's not as quick to use as the compact or concise dictionary due to its size, but it is much richer in information and literary quotes, and of course much longer.

[@raouldontneedthem3416]

You've got a true second (or third) lovely dog. Incidentally, what is his name and why you drove so far to pick him up? Best regards.

[@writerlywitterings]

Only a second dog - the dalmatian died a while ago, sadly. She's adorable, but Bernese Mountain Dogs are not that common in England. Other breeders were even further away!

[@raouldontneedthem3416]

Yes, I remember the Dalmatian who is not with you any more; I had her in mind, that is why I said third dog. Regards.

[@manfredknie8998]

if it's really a titanium nib, please be sure to not flex it too hard, because the tines will not return to their starting position... not to let fall it down because the nib will be forever damaged, always if its a full titanium nib. Best wishes here from Vienna in Austria. Manfred.

[@writerlywitterings]

Thank you, Manfred, and I won't, I promise. I don't need super-flex nibs for my work, but I do like a little flex because it improves the look of the writing. However, these nibs are designed specifically for calligraphy, so I think they should be OK!

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

In a way, it looks like a cross between a Kaweco Sport and the Faber Castell HEXO. I'm a fan of both.

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes - and the (I think) Tombow pocket pen. But that's too thin for me, and the cap/extender soon came loose. This is a lot more robust. Really enjoying using it - especially with the vast reservoir!

[@shostakovich91]

Railroading is the word you were looking for. Railtracking is the phenomenon of pointlessly privatising a nation's railway network.

[@writerlywitterings]

Aha! Many thanks!

[@blazel462]

I rather enjoy my Twsbi mini as a pocket pen, though something metal would be preferable. The Kaweco cap has actually unscrewed itself once in my pocket, though it may have been a series of unfortunate events to have enabled that. But the experience left a bad taste in my mouth, and ink in my pocket. I am considering a Travellers Company brass pocket pen, and now also the featured pen of this video.

[@writerlywitterings]

The only issue I could mention with this is, there's no clip. However, I'm carrying it in my pocket, and so far no ink burping, no difficulty with mess. It's a very neat design.

[@hemantkothari909]

Gaps called as rail road

[@writerlywitterings]

Thanks, Hemant!

[@Robutube1]

Off topic, but tangentially related, does anyone know of a good quality pocket mechanical pencil? My searches result only in full length pencils but I'm looking for something shorter and, hopefully, with a postable top. Thanks!

[@writerlywitterings]

That is a really interesting one. It depends, really, on the size of lead you want, the overall size of the pencil itself etc. There are really good mechanical pencils out there. I can't think of any, though, which actually have a cap to post. Even the exotic pencils, such as Visconti, tend to assume you'll retract the lead before pocketing it, so there is no cap. Sorry to take a while to respond - it's been very busy!

[@Robutube1]

@@writerlywitterings Thanks for the reply Michael; I'm aware after your earlier post of how busy you are currently! The postable thing wasn't well explained - it was more that whilst I wanted a short but good mechanical pencil, I wanted it to be made a practical length for note taking and sketching by posting - so IKEA/betting shop pencils need not apply😁.

[@xfilion]

The best pocket pen I've used is an OHTO Tasche. They still sell the fountain pen version on Cult Pens. The downside is they stopped making the ballpoint version.

[@writerlywitterings]

AAh, yes, the Ohio Tasche was a lovely pen. I had one in blue. However, it did get loose after a while and the nib was nothing like as pleasant as this. Plus, this one's reservoir is stunning. It takes a lot of ink - ideal for me!

[@faethe000]

Love the video, but why on Earth do you film on a slanted desk? It causes you problems the entire video.

[@writerlywitterings]

I have to have a slanted desk for writing and painting - and with my income I can't afford multiple options! More recently I've moved away from this desk to my level one, but I can't fit the camera stand on this, sadly!

[@faethe000]

@@writerlywitterings have to make do with what you have! That's just how it goes sometimes

[@jess53nz]

Omg "near terminal cuteness" Someone looks like a right monkey. Do you have a name yet?

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes - she is likely to get away with murder with her looks! Those eyebrows ... yes, she's been named after a friend's mother ( I think she'd be honoured!)

[@jess53nz]

@@writerlywitterings he he he she'll certainly try!

[@ed3432]

Thanks for the review. Not interested. Not better than my Kaweko(s)😢

[@writerlywitterings]

Fair enough!