Thursday, August 20, 2020

Back to School

Back to School

    Despite the current circumstances, the 2020/2021 school year is fast approaching and having all the supplies to ensure a successful year is more important than ever. Online classes, despite the name, aren’t completely online and most still require work written on paper but don’t worry, Pen Boutique can provide quality products for all your back to school needs. We have something for everyone this school year whether you need a nice new fountain pen, pencil, ballpoint, or stationary we have a ton of brands to choose from in all different price points. 


Fountain Pens:


    Fountain pens can seem a little intimidating at first, especially if they are being taken on the go because of leaks and ink bottles  and things like that but don’t worry here are some pens that are great everyday writers. 

    The Lamy Safari is a great option for any student because the price point is fairly low at $37.60 and at Pen Boutique we offer it for $29.60. This pen comes in a variety of fun and interesting colors to add some style to your school work. Lamy also has a variety of colors in their proprietary cartridges which make refilling the pen at school easy and mess free. Simply take out the empty cartridge and pop the new one in, the only thing is that you shouldn’t mix colors so if you want to switch to a different color cartridge it is always good to clean the pen and then insert the different color cartridge. The pen is also offered in an aluminum finish for extra toughness and these are priced at an MSRP of $47.00 but we are able to price it at an affordable $37.60. Lamy cartridges will need to be purchased with this pen in order to fill it, you can also buy a Lamy convertor to fill the pen using an ink bottle.

    The Twsbi Eco is an eye catching pen that much like the Lamy Safari, comes fin a variety of different colors however there is another unique design element to this pen. All of them are demonstrators, this means that the barrel is transparent which not only looks cool but also allows the user to sleep an eye on the ink level. This pen is a piston filler which means it can only be filled with ink bottles and probably can’t be refilled in a school setting but the clear barrel will allow you to check the capacity before heading off to school. The Twsbi Eco is right around the same price point as the Lamy Safari at $30.99 and is well worth the price due to the high quality materials and the unique filling system. Ink bottles or samples will need to be purchased with this pen in order to fill it. The Twsbi company also has a partially aluminum model that is similar to the Eco called the Diamond 580 which features a slightly larger nib and an aluminum section and filling components. 

    The Kaweco Alsport is constructed in Aluminum which gives the small pen a very solid and substantial feel in the hand. The pen has a very small form factor but the cap is designed to post on the back of the pen making it a very comfortable size pen that writes very well. The pen comes without a clip but one can be purchased if the user finds themselves needing it for a pen case or pocket. Another good thing about the Kaweco is that it has a replaceable nib which can provide more choice after purchase and also means if the pen is dropped the whole pen won’t need to be replaced, only the nib unit which we offer for $15.00. This pen also comes in a variety of colors and I find that the pens look even better with some wear and tear and due to their small form factor, are easy to carry everywhere in a pocket or backpack. 


Mechanical Pencils:


    Some assignments and note taking require changes in information or erasing wrong answers and pencils are good for this due to their erasability. Pen Boutique has a variety of pencils offered in a lot of different lead widths and most have replaceable erasers and lead which ensures a pencil that will last for school years to come. Lamy and Kaweco offer pencil versions of the Safari and Sport/Al sport which are the same as the descriptions above with the exception that they are pens and not pencils. The Safari pencil is offered at a price of $16 and the Kaweco Sport pencil is offered at $27 with a plastic construction.

    The Rotring Tikky is a nice feeling pencil that isn’t too long or too thick, it has a grip built in which is a nice touch. The pencil comes in 0.35, 0.5, and 0.7 and the pencil comes in a few different colors. It has a replaceable eraser at the end of the pencil under a cap that uses Rotring’s eraser refills which can be purchased in a pack of 3 for $3.73.  The pen is made of plastic that has a good weight and feel in the hand which provides comfortable writing for even long term writing sessions. Pen Boutique offers the Rotring Tikky at a price point of $6.27 which is a steal for the quality and lifespan of this mechanical pencil.

    If you are looking for something a little nicer and more substantial than plastic, the Kaweco Special Mechanical Pencil is worth checking out. The pencil is longer than the Tikky which makes it better for larger hands and is constructed of an unfinished brass. The brass gives it a nice weight and since it is unfinished, the brass will patina over time giving each one a look unique to the user. If brass isn’t for you the pen also comes in matte black, and a blue finish which still has the nice weight just without the brass patina. The pencils are offered in 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 with replaceable Kaweco erasers that we sell for $2 each. You can pick up the Kaweco Special Pencil from Pen Boutique between $50 and $70 depending on color and lead width and this is an exceptional price for the quality and performance of this pencil.


Rollerball & Ballpoint Pens



    Sometimes you need a pen in a hurry that you don’t have to worry about, a pen that you know will write every-time you put it to page with less hard starts and priming. Rollerballs and Ballpoints are great for this and are generally less susceptible to leaking which makes them worry free writing instruments you can carry in your shirt pocket or pen case. Just like with the pencils and fountain pens, Lamy also offers the Safari in a ballpoint variant which is similar to the pencil and fountain pen and can be purchased from Pen Boutique at a price of $16.00.

    Retro 51 is a very interesting brand in that they truly have a design for everybody, whether its sports or the periodic table, they have something for most interests. The pens are a good size that should be comfortable for longer writing assignments and have a very smooth feel on paper of all qualities. Pen Boutique has an abundance of different styles in rollerball and we also offer some in a ballpoint but ballpoint selections are a bit more limited. The pens uses a refill that's the same size for any Parker style refill which are quite common so you don't have to worry about not being able to find a refill. The Rollerball and Ballpoint variants of the Retro 51 can be purchased for around $36 with limited editions costing around $60. 

        The Caran D'Ache pen company offers a model of pen that they've named the 849 and it is an attractive option for students due to the rugged build quality and variety of colors that aren't too over the top. They use any Parker style refill which again, are quite common so the issue of not finding a refill isn't a problem. The pen is light but still has a quality feel with not a very "clicky" click, it feels more subtle than other click pens. We are able to offer the 849 at a very reasonable $24.00 for base colors and $54.50 for the more limited editions. 



Ink may be one of the most overwhelming parts of owning a fountain pen simply because there are so many to choose from, whether you are a seasoned collector or just starting out, we have something for everyone. Paper is also a very important part of fountain pens, due to the nature of the ink, some paper works better than others in terms of minimizing bleed through, feathering and dry time.
    When it comes to getting a good value with ink bottles and having a massive range of colors to choose from, two brands come into mind. Diamine and Noodler's both prioritize large capacity ink bottles at a relatively low price for the amount of ink you are getting compared to some other brands. We offer over 95 different bottles of Diamine ink that range from 40ml to 80ml at a price range of $15-$20 and even some shimmering inks if you want to mix it up a bit. We offer over 100 different bottles of Noodler's inks that range from 3oz to 16oz at a price range of $8.75 to $45.00. These ink bottles are a staple of any collection and perform very well for the price and volume making them a very good value for any fountain pen user. 
    Paper may not seem very important at first but actually depending on the paper, fountain pens perform very differently, some higher quality papers allow for no bleed through, quicker dry times and less feathering which provides crisp clean line. The brand with the most choice is Rhodia because we offer it in a multitude of different sizes, even some rather odd sizes that may not be offered by other brands. The paper is a high quality 80gsm that has low bleed through, low feathering and a relatively fast dry time which is perfect for those who don't want to worry about blotting. The Rhodia pads and notebooks have a reasonable price point for the quality and start at $1.60 for the smallest and $25.95 for the largest notebooks. Another option that is a strong choice for students is the Mnemosyne line from Maruman which is great for note taking and organization due to the layout of the pages. The top of the page has space for a date and makes it easy to flip back to meeting or class notes from that specific date. These notebooks come in a couple standard sizes and are offered from $6.80 to $15.00 depending on size.

**Important information for August**

    
For the Month of August all teachers get 5% off their orders whether you're buying for yourself or your students, take advantage of this discount because it's ending soon!!! click the link below to verify and get your discount.

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