I'm checking 122 pens, notebooks, cases and papers from my shelf at every Amazon deal drop. A deal only counts if it beats the lowest price that exact listing had from October 1 to 5. A markdown measured against a List Price does not count on its own.

What is real so far (checked October 6, 9:15 a.m. Mountain)

• ALPAKA HUB Pouch Pro: A small EDC pouch in green Axogrid 300D with YKK zippers, six interior slip pockets and five elastic loops. See it here

• Cube timer: A flip cube timer: set it on a face to start a preset countdown for focused work intervals. See it here

• Kindle Paperwhite: Amazon's 16 GB Kindle Paperwhite e-reader with a glare-free display and adjustable warm light. See it here

• Uni-ball Jetstream RT: A retractable ballpoint with Uni-ball's quick-drying, smear-resistant hybrid ink. This listing is the 0.7mm black three-pack. See it here

• Uni-ball One set: An eight-color set of Uni-ball One gel pens in 0.38mm, known for dark, saturated ink. See it here

Marked down against a List Price only

These show a markdown on the page. None is below the lowest price the same listing had from October 1 to 5.

• Apple Pencil Pro

• Dingbats Wildlife A5

• Faber-Castell 9000 set

• IRIS Photo Keeper 5x7

• Iroshizuku Kon-peki

• Lamy Safari

• Moleskine Classic Large

• MUJI gel pens, 3-pack

• Pilot Kakuno

• Private Reserve Orange Crush. Yafa sent me this ink to review.

• Rhodia Goalbook

• STABILO point 88 Mini

• STABILO point 88, 10-pack

• Time Timer

• Tombow Fudenosuke

Follow along

The tracker updates after every check, at 2:15 and 7:30 p.m. Mountain today and five more times tomorrow: the Prime Day 2026 tracker.

Which one are you waiting on?

Some links are affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items sent to me for review say so.

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. The full gear catalog lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.

If I'm watching a video, I'm constantly writing down notes, bullet points, and lists, creating diagrams, making sketches, anything that keeps my hands busy while I'm learning. When you're reading a book or watching a video, take a couple of minutes to grab a pen or a pencil and some paper, and engage with the content: scribble, write notes, maybe contradict and challenge the ideas. You're keeping your hands engaged because that keeps your brain listening for cues from the video or the book. When I read, I keep a green and a red highlighter for the things I agree with and the things I don't, plus a pen to mark up the book or write notes. This week's links are a good place to find a notebook method, a pen, or a pencil you'll actually want to pick up.

What's new in analog

• Sunday Reading for October 4, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): This is Gentleman Stationer's weekly link roundup, pointing to Doodlebud's top 10 fountain pen gripes, a Scrively interview on what makes a good notebook, a Profolio Oasis notebook review, and a preview of Penultimate Inks. Open it if you want a week of pen and paper blogs sorted for you, since the notebook interview already takes the stance that the pen and ink matter as much as the paper.

• 100 Simple Ideas to Help You Get Started in a Notebook! (Gare the Bear): If you keep staring at a blank notebook, or you write regularly but have hit a slump, this video hands you 100 things to put in it. It starts small with to-do lists, supply lists, grocery lists and a handwriting test, then moves to writing out what you see, hear, feel, taste and smell.

• September 2026 Planner Update & 2027 Hobonichi Haul ☺️ (The Coffee Monsterzco): The creator is showing a September planner and journal update plus a 2027 Hobonichi haul, starting with a Hobonichi Weeks in the Liberty Fabrics Floral Remedy cover, a dark navy with florals. Watch it if you're picking a 2027 cover and want to see the Liberty texture on camera before you commit. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo.

• Hands-on with the New Mongol Pencil, Plus My Current Top 5 Woodcase Pencils for Everyday Writing (Gentleman Stationer): The Mongol pencil brand has quietly come back, and Gentleman Stationer compares the new version against a vintage Mongol 482 and a Faber-Castell American. It's a good read for the history alone, since the original sat between cheap school pencils and premium ones like the Blackwing, and the piece asks whether the revival earns the name.

• The Only Notebook Method You'll Ever Need (Lilla Björn Stationery): Business in the front, party in the back: the "mullet method" splits one notebook into dates, appointments, habit trackers, goals and weekly to-dos up front, with mind maps, doodles, swatches, stickers and meeting notes flipped to the back. It's a short, so you can steal the setup in less time than it takes to find a fresh notebook.

• Artistic Excellence? Benu Tribute Matisse (Figboot on Pens): David reviews the Benu Tribute Matisse, a pen in Benu's tribute series made as an homage to Henri Matisse, covering its parts, measurements, size comparisons, a writing sample and what he likes and doesn't. It's a model he hadn't reviewed before, and he calls its flair noticeable but not over the top, which is useful if Benu's louder pens put you off.

• Ink Preview: Penulitmate Inks (Well-Appointed Desk): Titanium makes Penultimate Inks, named after D&D characters like Paladin, Barbarian and Cleric, and the author met them at the Dallas Pen Show and bought five colors. The practical detail is in the swatches: Sorcerer has holographic shimmer, Rogue is a smooth dense black-ish, and the author's discounted Cleric bottle came out much brighter than the one on the maker's site.

• How Journaling Helped Me Overcome Health Anxiety (Chad Everyday): Chad Everyday tells how journaling helped with health anxiety that began after the sudden death of their mother from a cardiac event in November 2018, after therapy, yoga, acupuncture and essential oils hadn't helped. The video opens with a heads-up that parts of the story could be triggering, and it's worth your time if you or someone you know is stuck on the fact that a doctor saying "you are fine" isn't enough.

• Schon DSGN Ultem Amber Fountain Pen (AlexanderWrites): The Schon DSGN pen in Ultem caught AlexanderWrites' eye when a nib grinder at the Pacific Northwest Pen Show used them as tester pens, and the reviewer then tracked down its maker, Ian Schon. At $250 with a standard number six nib instead of gold, the price struck them as steep next to a Lamy 2000, so this is a review that starts from skepticism rather than hype.

• What Pirates Taught Me About Journaling (Steven Foster): Steven Foster went down a rabbit hole on pirates' writing, then landed on St. Patrick and the two letters he wrote after being shaped by two pirate raids. Open it if you think journaling history is all diaries and philosophers, because this is a stranger and more specific angle than that.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From this week's video

From the channel

New on the blog:

• Are Field Notes Fountain Pen Friendly? Bleed and Ghosting Test

• Stationery Haul: Traveler's Company, Iroshizuku Ink and Midori MD

• How to Swap a Fountain Pen Nib: Kaweco Sport, Liliput, Traveler's

• Traveler's Notebook vs Sterling Ink N1 Refills for 2026

• Field Notes Winter Edition Review: The 1943 Two-Way Memo Books

• How to Stay Organized Without Apps: Analog Planning for ADHD

• How to Journal Consistently: My Analog Journaling System

• Techo Kaigi 2026: My Complete Analog Planner Setup

• Kaweco Sport vs Traveler's Company Fountain Pen: My Pick

• The Pocket Notebook Method: How to Remember What You Read

• The Best Pens Under $5: Five Gel and Rollerball Picks

• LOCHBY Venture Pouch Review for Tech and Stationery

• Field Notes vs LOCHBY vs Dialog Notebook: What I Use Each One For

• Analog Tools That Help Me Survive a Digital Desk Job

• Travel Stationery Pouch: Inside My ALPAKA Tech Case

• What's in My LOCHBY Quattro Pen Pouch for Everyday Carry

• LOCHBY Quattro, Voyager and Mini Field Journal Review

• Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket Review After Two Months

• One-Backpack Travel Stationery Kit: What I Actually Carry

• How to Set Up a Pocket Notebook You Will Actually Use

• Pocket Notebook Ideas: How I Use Field Notes Every Day

• Stationery Gifts for Dads Who Plan: An Analog EDC Gift Guide

• Paper Republic vs Traveler's Notebook: Pocket Journal Comparison

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

The Shelf is the full catalog: 145 products across 13 categories, from pens and inks to notebooks, covers and planners.

Want the short version? The Planning Engineered resources page is the start-here list.

Luis

A reader who bought the Complete Set asked whether the Personal size was included. They had the files downloaded already and could not tell. Personal size paper measures 95 by 171 millimeters, and hardly anyone carrying a Personal binder knows that number. Personal is in the set, and so is every other ring size, but the question underneath that one is the better question.

There are different brands that use different naming conventions for a lot of these products. Some of them call Personal "Bible." Plotter uses its own set of names. New sizes keep arriving in A5 and A6 variants, so the list is still growing. What matters is knowing the dimensions and the standard ring spacing.

For a beginner who has not really tried any size: grab a piece of paper and trim it to a specific size. See what the size feels like, how much it can fit on a page, and then you are able to see what size you like. If you have various notebooks with you, hold those instead. Loose sheets come in all of these sizes too and are worth trying, and trying costs nothing.

I gravitate towards the personal size. I tend to write a little smaller, which is a personal thing, and that is the size I started with. The MeePlus SlimPad in the personal size is a great planner that allows me to continue to organize my documents better, moving things around. It is perfect for the size of planner and the kind of notebooks I enjoy using. A5 is a little too big for me for just day-to-day use. A pocket notebook is the sweet spot for me, but for planners I did want it to have a little larger page, and that is how I ended up with the personal size. It is a great balance of not as big as an A5, but not as small as a pocket notebook.

Where the binder lives during the week does a lot of the deciding. Mine stays on my desk. Anything I need to know, I open the weekly insert first and then see what has happened during the day or what needs to happen during the day, and any notes I may have made. Then I open the project section I am working on, that specific block. A planner that never leaves a desk can afford to be bigger than one that rides in a bag.

I really do steer people away from the very small ring sizes. Those are great if you have little handwriting and you know a small size works for you. A page that small is not enough space for me once the rings sit inside the writing area. It is going to be hard, because your hand is going to overlap the page and the rings may get in the way. I know they sell smaller ones you could put in your pocket, and I have seen people do it, but the rings get in the way pretty easily. Think about that when you are choosing your notebook.

MeePlus sent me the SlimPad earlier this year, and I started with the inserts that they sent, just some plain paper. Then I got myself an A4 sheet of Tomoe River paper, where I started experimenting with different options and different sizes. Since I had already decided on the size, it was easy to just cut the pages to size. But then I started experimenting with foldouts and triple folds, so I can have a full week, lots of space, meal planning at the bottom, tracking at the bottom. I can also buy bulk Tomoe River paper for a lot cheaper and then just cut it to size and hole punch it. One of the reasons the rings have worked well is that I am able to create my own inserts.

Figuring out the right size does take some time. But a lot of people selling inserts for all these sizes will have cut guides and will show where the cut guides are. One of the main things when you are printing your own, whether you buy from my shop or other shops online, is making sure you have the instructions and you read them. A lot of times, if you want to print double sided, the way the file is set up, it may be the short edge or the long edge. Understand what the print setup is intended to be, and make sure you are printing on the right size paper. My PDFs are the actual size of the page, so you can bring one into Canva, put it on an A4 or letter size page, and print from there. The shop also offers the letter size and A4 combination, which is the one I prefer and use the most.

The dimensions for all six sizes sit on one page on the site, and the print setup has its own. Run the free filler pack through your printer before you buy anything. It proves your printer and your rings agree.

Some of the links above are affiliate links. They cost you nothing and they help pay for the testing.

— Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. The full gear catalog lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.

I try to rotate between the Paper Republic and the LOCHBY Mini Field Journal, if not every day, to make sure they are not just sitting on the shelf and gathering dust. The LOCHBY Mini Field Journal is waxed canvas, built tough, and feels like a tool kit that you can carry and toss around.

These days, I use it for my reading journal, and I carry a couple of LOCHBY pocket notebooks: one where I summarize quotes and books that I am reading, and another that is more of a thinking book where I take some of those quotes and map them into something that makes sense to me.

If I end up having quotes or anything when I am not near my main notebook, I can jot them down in the catchall pocket notebook that I carry with me.

This week's links come back to that same question: what earns a place in the notebook system you actually carry?

What's new in analog

• Sunday Reading for September 27, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): This roundup covers the Opus 88 Mini, revamped Papier Plume inks, the DC Pen Show, Saint Jude fundraising, Leonardo Puras, a 130-person London Pelikan Hub, and an October planner reset. Open it for a broad snapshot of what the fountain pen and planner community is talking about right now.

• The time tracking method that ended my procrastination (Rachelle in Theory): Rachelle explains a simple time-tracking method built around seeing where your hours go, with chronic procrastination framed as a mix of fear and apathy. Watch it if perfectionism, burnout, or vague guilt keeps you from starting important work.

• How I ACTUALLY Use a Pocket Notebook (Day-in-the-life) (Gare the Bear): Gare documents a morning pocket-notebook routine that begins with a boxed date, a short journal entry, gratitude, and a to-do list. It is a useful look at how one small notebook can give the start of a day some structure.

• Planner Guilt Is Real. Here’s What’s Actually Causing It. (Mark Your Pages): An unfinished task or blank planner page can become a report card that makes you feel inconsistent or behind, and this video argues that the tool should not work that way. Open it for a practical examination of planner guilt that starts with the unchecked box.

• Sailor 1911 L Fountain Pen #fountainpens #sailor1911 (AlexanderWrites): The Sailor 1911 L shown here has a broad 21-karat gold nib, Sailor black ink, and a wet, smooth line without hard stops. Watch for a direct writing demonstration and a clear assessment from someone using the pen.

• My Top 5 Stationery Favorites for September (AlexanderWrites): September’s five stationery favorites include KWZ Cappuccino, a scented ink paired with a Pilot Custom 823 after viewer-requested orange ink sampling. Open it to see which frequently used items made the list, including established brands and the creator’s own work.

• my 2027 hobonichi haul + faded chronicle (Tori on Paper): Tori shares a 2027 Hobonichi order placed after launch day, along with a new A6 Paper Republic setup and tiny Hobonichi-cover keychains. Watch for a considered haul from someone who found waiting less stressful and ended up ordering differently. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo.

• Frosted Goodness...Leonardo MZG Pura (Figboot on Pens): Three new Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Pura colors arrive in frosted petrol, gray, and red resin, with gold, ruthenium, and palladium trim options. The review promises measurements, size comparisons, a writing sample, and a candid account of what works and what does not.

• Enjoy Unique Ways to Use TRAVELER’S FACTORY Original Refills (Traveler's Company): TRAVELER’S FACTORY presents original refills made with colorful kraft paper, black paper, and reduced page counts, then suggests ways to use them. Read it for options that push a TRAVELER’S notebook beyond standard diary, sketchbook, and travel-memory setups.

• Video: I Blew Up My Planner Set-Up for October (Well-Appointed Desk): October brings a changed planner setup, with new notebooks added and others temporarily retired. Open the accompanying video for the details behind what the author calls a month of planner chaos.

• Thursday Drops: So All the Exclusives Landed at Once! The T.G.S. Sunderland MK1 Returns! (Gentleman Stationer): The updated T.G.S. storefront brings Classic Burgundy and Black Shimmer inks, a restock of the matte-black Sunderland mk1 rollerball with its dark red section, and several other new arrivals. Read it to see the exclusive releases and fresh pen colors that landed in the shop at once.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From this week's video

This month's Stationery Pulse episode

From the channel

New on the blog:

• Are Field Notes Fountain Pen Friendly? Bleed and Ghosting Test

• Stationery Haul: Traveler's Company, Iroshizuku Ink and Midori MD

• How to Swap a Fountain Pen Nib: Kaweco Sport, Liliput, Traveler's

• Traveler's Notebook vs Sterling Ink N1 Refills for 2026

• Field Notes Winter Edition Review: The 1943 Two-Way Memo Books

• How to Stay Organized Without Apps: Analog Planning for ADHD

• How to Journal Consistently: My Analog Journaling System

• Techo Kaigi 2026: My Complete Analog Planner Setup

• Kaweco Sport vs Traveler's Company Fountain Pen: My Pick

• The Pocket Notebook Method: How to Remember What You Read

• The Best Pens Under $5: Five Gel and Rollerball Picks

• LOCHBY Venture Pouch Review for Tech and Stationery

• Field Notes vs LOCHBY vs Dialog Notebook: What I Use Each One For

• Analog Tools That Help Me Survive a Digital Desk Job

• Travel Stationery Pouch: Inside My ALPAKA Tech Case

• What's in My LOCHBY Quattro Pen Pouch for Everyday Carry

• LOCHBY Quattro, Voyager and Mini Field Journal Review

• Paper Republic Grand Voyageur Pocket Review After Two Months

• One-Backpack Travel Stationery Kit: What I Actually Carry

• How to Set Up a Pocket Notebook You Will Actually Use

• Pocket Notebook Ideas: How I Use Field Notes Every Day

• Stationery Gifts for Dads Who Plan: An Analog EDC Gift Guide

• Paper Republic vs Traveler's Notebook: Pocket Journal Comparison

• Pocket Notebook Covers: 7 I Have Carried and What Each Is For

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

The Shelf is the full catalog: 137 products across 12 categories, from pens and inks to notebooks, covers and planners.

Want the short version? The Planning Engineered resources page is the start-here list.

Luis

Watch the video version on YouTube: youtu.be/0McYqguWdrE

In this episode

0:00 Intro

0:26 AlexanderWrites: Iroshizuku Kon-peki

1:33 JetPens: the Jibun Techo and planners for 2027

2:44 Gare the Bear: a book that fits in your pocket

4:29 More from the month: the newsletter and the Shelf

5:02 Question: a hardcover A5 instead of a pocket notebook?

6:18 Question: do handwritten notes get typed into digital?

7:54 Wrap-up

From this episode

@alexanderwrites_, My Top 5 Stationery Favorites for August

@JetPens, The Best Planners for 2027

@GareTheBear, How I am ACTUALLY Reading More

More footage from @alexanderwrites_, 5 Best Notebooks for Fountain Pens

Your questions

From @mr_red13, on my Lochby vs Paper Republic video

From @SirMopy, on my Analog and Digital Productivity video

Leave your question in the comments. I pick a few for every episode.

What I mentioned

Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki

Pilot Vanishing Point

KOKUYO Jibun Techo

MeePlus

Some of these are affiliate links. They support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

The Shelf: every pen, notebook, cover and ink worth knowing about.

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. The full gear catalog lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.

The planning system itself has stayed very consistent, even though I did stop using the Sterling Ink planners. I've started to take a look at my whole system and make sure everything fits in its place. I'm taking this opportunity to look at my notebooks, look at my setup, and understand if this is the planner lineup, the journal lineup, and the analog system that I want to carry for the second half of 2026. A little bit of reflection each day, and then a deeper look at how I'm feeling and how I'm doing at the end of the week, used to be scattered in different notebooks. That is the question behind this week's links: what deserves a place in the system, and what does not?

What's new in analog

• Sunday Reading for September 20, 2026 (The We-Have-a-New-Storefront Edition!) (Gentleman Stationer): This weekly roundup introduces the new online storefront alongside a San Francisco Pen Show recap, an interview with Carolina Pen Company’s Jonathon Brooks, pen rotation ideas, larger Galen Leather cases, and planner coverage. Open it for a broad, opinionated set of stationery links worth exploring.

• The New Look Gentleman Stationer Storefront Is Now Live! (Gentleman Stationer): The T.G.S. store has moved from Squarespace Commerce to Shopify, while the main blog remains on Squarespace and existing orders continue through the old platform. Read it to understand the account, order-history, and fulfillment details behind the transition.

• The 1 step process to finally be consistent. (Rachelle in Theory): Consistency comes down to one habit for using your system, even if you currently have only a scattered mix of calendars, notebooks, and neglected task managers. Watch for a simpler answer to the gap between planning a life and actually showing up for it.

• This Notebook Helps Me Feel Things (Gare the Bear): A notebook becomes a place to process complicated emotions, prompted here by David Whyte’s description of anger as a deep form of care. The personal look at why pain produced tears in childhood but anger in adulthood gives you a sharp question to take to your own pages.

• A Day In My Journals | Hobonichi Cousin & Weeks (The Coffee Monsterzco): Across one day, the creator fills the daily and weekly sections of a Hobonichi Cousin and the weekly section of a Hobonichi Weeks. It is useful for seeing why the Cousin daily pages matter more to her and how her weekly pages split roughly 65 percent function and 35 percent decoration. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo, Hobonichi Cousin.

• Favorite Specialty Nibs That Don't Require a Nib Grind or Modification (Gentleman Stationer): Stock specialty nibs offer a reversible way to test formats such as stubs and architects before permanently modifying a favorite pen. Start here if you need more than a few sample lines to judge a nib, including TWSBI’s smooth, well-flowing 1.1 mm stub.

• Planner Review: Owl Paper Co. 2026 B6 Dated Bullet Journal (80gsm Delphina Paper) (Well-Appointed Desk): Owl Paper Co.’s six-month B6 planner uses 80 gsm Delphina paper, which the reviewer has not found in another planner or journal. Open the review for concrete layout details, from its month and tracker spreads to 27 vertical weekly spreads and 247 blank grid pages.

• I Made a Notebook for my Paper Republic Grand Voyager Pocket (AlexanderWrites): Dissatisfied with the included Grand Voyageur Pocket insert, Alexander makes his own from a Clairefontaine plain letter pad. Watch to see the process and learn how approachable a homemade replacement can be using paper you already have. Shop (affiliate): Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket).

• Gratitude Journaling Doesn't Work... but this does | Encouragement Journaling (Steven Foster): Gratitude journaling can feel shallow and disconnected from the narrative arc of life, so Steven Foster proposes encouragement journaling instead. The video is for anyone tired of repeatedly listing coffee or a spouse without feeling that the exercise is powerful or helpful.

• The Best Planners for 2027 (JetPens): JetPens compares dated, undated, and long-term planners for people struggling to match a planner to the way they work. Read the guide to narrow a crowded field by planning style.

• The Best Highlighter Pens (JetPens): This guide explains how to choose a highlighter and recommends pens for specific uses. Open it when you want to mark important information in your notes with a tool suited to the job.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From this week's video

From the channel

New on the blog: - Best Field Notes Alternatives for Fountain Pen Users

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

The Shelf is the full catalog: 123 products across 19 categories, from pens and inks to notebooks, covers and planners.

Want the short version? The Planning Engineered resources page is the start-here list.

Luis.

I started just creating them for myself, but I see a lot of value in sharing them with all of you. I'm very proud of how they turned out. They have been a great addition to my MeePlus binder system that I can create and redo and make my own. MeePlus did send the binder to me for review.

They're now in the Planning Engineered store, undated, in six sizes (A5, A6, B6, Personal, Pocket, and Half Letter), from $0.99.

Where they started

What inspired me to start creating my own inserts was actually the monthly insert from MeePlus. It is the whole calendar in one piece of paper, which is fantastic. I'm able to open it up the whole way and I can see almost a year at a glance with a lot of space to write. That mechanism is what inspired me to create a weekly vertical that folds out, and I've been enjoying it a lot. I am so excited to have this weekly vertical in the MeePlus binder, a week in such a small space and so usable.

The Filler Pack of dot, grid, and lined pages is free in every size. That one is up on the site for you to see how it works and maybe even test out a few prints.

See the store

How I print them

Once you get used to printing your own paper or just buying your own paper and printing your layout, it is pretty easy. And I've been using the Bira Craft 6-hole punch. It works great.

So if you have something in mind that you don't see in the store yet, let me know. I can help move those along a little faster.

The Shelf

The Shelf on the website keeps the pens, notebooks, covers, and inks worth knowing about on one page, and anything a brand sent me is labeled as gifted.

Browse the Shelf

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. Everything I have tested lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.

There’s a benefit to choosing a high-quality cover you’re going to enjoy using, and taking a little more care of it. It’s just your level of comfort with your stationery, how much you want to use it, and how comfortable you are with it getting a little water or dirt on it. This week’s links circle that same question: which paper tools earn a place in your daily carry?

What's new in analog

• On The Paper Trail Episode 16: Journaling for Mental Health, Part I (Gentleman Stationer): Episode 16 covers the hosts’ personal journaling practices for mental health and self-care, with a clear warning that journaling cannot replace professional treatment. Open it for firsthand techniques, discussion of the San Francisco Pen Show, and news about shop arrivals and upcoming events.

• The Field Notes Editions I Would 100% Buy Again... (Gare the Bear): Gare picks the five Field Notes editions he has used and would buy again. Watch it for a firm shortlist based on actual use. Shop (affiliate): Field Notes.

• TRAVELER’S notebook 2027 DIARY and Original Leather Tag (Traveler's Company): The 2027 TRAVELER’S notebook Diary takes “Every TRAVELER’S notebook is unique and that’s wonderful” as its theme and will be available in the USA and Canada on October 19, 2026. Read it for a thoughtful case that personalizing a notebook can celebrate differences and help travelers connect across cultures.

• Buy It for Life: Durable Stationery That Lasts (JetPens): Quality, durability, and dependability define the Buy It for Life approach to stationery presented here. Open it if you would rather choose products built to last.

• Notebook Cover Review: Happy Hollow Farm Leather A6 Loxx Notebook Cover in Plum (Well-Appointed Desk): This review tests a free Happy Hollow Farm A6 Loxx leather notebook cover in Plum, a slim $93 case with a pull-open front snap, two notebook pockets, and card slots. Read it for a practical account of the closure, capacity, included accessories, and everyday feel.

• New Arrivals: Tono & Lims Restock, Including More Bechorium Inks! (Gentleman Stationer): A fresh Tono & Lims restock brings back the Bechorium series and other experimental inks built around color, sheen, shimmer, and inside jokes. Check it now if you have been waiting for a favorite shade, since some colors are already in low supply.

• Paper Republic Grand Voyager Pocket Review (AlexanderWrites): Alex Richter describes himself as a Pacific Northwest writer who enjoys hiking, coffee, Guinness, theology books, fountain pens, and the Scottish Highlands. Open the video description for details on his forthcoming novel The Postcard Clock and his murder mystery The Highland Tour. Shop (affiliate): Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket).

• Skylab Letterpress Open House: Sunday, Sept. 20 2pm-5pm (Well-Appointed Desk): Skylab Letterpress is marking its 20th anniversary with a Sept. 20 open house from 2pm to 5pm, featuring refreshments, shopping, freebies, a shop tour, and a possible chance to print. Go if you want to see the presses run and visit the place where Col-o-ring products are made.

• Filling my new Monteverde USA Mondrian MP1 Fountain Pen (Mark Your Pages): The Monteverde USA MP1 Piet Mondrian fountain pen pairs modern-art styling with a locking mechanism designed to keep the piston knob from turning during the day. Watch to see it filled with Private Reserve Sherwood Green and to judge whether that practical safeguard belongs in your hand. Shop (affiliate): Monteverde USA Innova Ti (Titanium) Numbered Edition.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From this week's video

From the channel

New on the blog: - Best Field Notes Alternatives for Fountain Pen Users - A Weekly Review on Paper: The 7-Move System That Works - Monteverde Innova Ti Review: Titanium Pen for Daily Carry

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

The Shelf holds everything I have actually tested: pens, notebooks, covers and inks, each one with what I concluded about it.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. Everything I have tested lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Does this pen earn its daily use, or does it sit in the box because it looks like a collector piece? That question is exactly why I wanted to see if the Galen Leather TwinFlip could really hold five pens instead of just claiming to. I also carry a wallet and my notebook cover with a few Field Notes in there, a pocket woodcase pencil, and a pocket pen, which I've talked about in the past: this is my go-to on-the-go everyday note-taker, and I enjoy it. I'm still looking for a pocket-sized notebook that is more fountain pen friendly, but again, I do enjoy the Field Notes quite a bit, just the way they look. Something that may be worth it is a mechanical pencil, because that's something I don't carry with me.

What's new in analog

• My Top 5 Stationery Favorites for August (AlexanderWrites): Alexander's August favorites skip the daily-use gear entirely, the Rotring 600 and the Mi Plus, and open instead with a bonus pick: Sting, a letter opener a friend gave them at their 30th birthday Lord of the Rings party. Five newly discovered picks follow that origin story, so open it for what actually earned a spot in the rotation this month, not the usual suspects.

• Sunday Reading for August 30, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): This week's roundup pulls together a mechanical pencil comparison spanning 25 cents to 100 dollars, a piece on building handwriting that's genuinely your own, and dispatches from the SF Pen Show floor. Skim it for the range alone: a quarter pencil and a hundred-dollar one get the same fair shake, plus a full pen show recap still to come.

• The Pocket Notebook That Will Unlock Your Thinking (Rachelle in Theory): This video opens with a number worth sitting on: the average person spends five hours and sixteen minutes a day on a phone, enough by its own count for a half marathon or a full novel. The pitch is substitution over willpower, swapping a phone that does everything for a notebook that can only do one thing at a time.

• Cleaning my 3D Printed Fountain Pen (Mark Your Pages): Mark walks through cleaning out his 3D-printed fountain pen from the Endless and Arclayer Kickstarter collaboration, using the pipette that shipped with it instead of running it under the tap. Cleaning gets called the favorite part of pen ownership here, not a chore, and the process itself is just a rinse, a tap-out, and an air dry.

• 3 Reasons to RUIN Your Pocket Notebook (Gare the Bear): A viewer's fear of ruining a Field Notes sent Gare digging through their own notebook for proof that damage is the point, starting with a literal spot of hot Cheeto dust on the corner. Gare's case is that every scratch and stain records a notebook's life cycle, from stiff and new to broken in, so open it if you've ever babied a notebook instead of using it.

• Journal Catch-Up & Chatting About 2027 Planner Plans 🤭 (The Coffee Monsterzco): The Coffee Monsterzco stitches a week of catch-up footage into one video, filling gaps left by a week and a half away in Chicago where daily entries went into the Hobonichi Cousin but the Weeks, reading journal, and commonplace journal sat untouched. The video is upfront that there's no real plan here, just voiceover chatter about 2027 planner ideas while an August that mostly went unrecorded gets filled in.

• I Thought I Needed More Fountain Pens… I Was Wrong (Mark Your Pages): Six writing samples, from extra-fine to a broad stub, all came out of one fountain pen in this video, because the nib got swapped instead of the pen each time. The real question underneath it is whether another pen is needed at all, or just a different nib on the one already sitting in the collection. Shop (affiliate): Monteverde USA Innova Ti (Titanium) Numbered Edition.

• September Planner Set-Up: World In My Hands (Well-Appointed Desk): Well-Appointed Desk's September spread runs on a "world in my hands" theme, built around globes, back-to-school season, and a personal push to recommit to goals for the month. It's a peek at real page layouts rather than a tutorial, useful for anyone hunting a fresh monthly theme instead of starting from a blank page.

• What I pull out instead of my phone (Rachelle in Theory): Waiting rooms, train rides, and long elevator trips are where this pocket notebook comes out instead of a phone, pulled out to write rather than scroll past strangers. The habit gets called messy and weird on purpose, with the point being not neat pages but breaking the reflex to fill dead time with a screen.

• This is My Fountain Pen Collection! (AlexanderWrites): Alexander's new fountain pen display case cost twenty or thirty dollars off Amazon, picked specifically to cap the collection: if a new pen doesn't fit, an old one has to go first. It's less a showcase video and more a defense against the overconsumption named as the biggest fear with any hobby.

• Where Has My Bullet Journal Taken Me? (Bullet Journal): An email from the Bullet Journal newsletter, "Where has your Bullet Journal taken you?", sends this writer back through a stretch of life spent full-time teaching during the pandemic, having a baby, and finishing grad school all at once. The usual question gets reframed, asking not where the journal was taken but where it did the taking, with community answers ranging from a tent with a headlamp to a car parked outside a job someone wasn't sure they wanted to walk back into.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From the channel

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

The Shelf holds everything I have actually tested. 111 pens, notebooks, covers, and inks, each one with what I concluded about it.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. Everything I recommend lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Are Field Notes fountain pen friendly? This is something I was a little hesitant about in the beginning, and I know there are a ton of videos out there saying Field Notes are not fountain pen friendly, but I have written in all of them.

And honestly, the answer depends on what fountain pen you own, as well as the nib size and ink, obviously.

They use a bright white paper that technically is not fountain pen friendly, so I explored different nib sizes and ink choices and found out whether or not they were fountain pen friendly.

I found that, again, depending on certain pens and certain conditions, if you will, these can be great fountain pen notebooks. There's a green ink and a black ink that I use on these all the time.

This week's roundup runs the same question through a fresh ink review, a piece on keeper inks, and a list of the best notebooks for fountain pens.

What's new in analog

• Ink Review: Dominant Industry Leaf Green (Well-Appointed Desk): Dominant Industry Leaf Green ($17 for 25ml) reads as one ink on the swatch card and two entirely different inks once inked into a Kaweco Marble Ocean and a Nagasawa Sailor Pro Gear Slim, brighter and shading in one, darker and solid in the other. If an ink color has ever let you down, this is the fix: switch pens before you give up on the bottle.

• Sunday Reading for August 23, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): This week's roundup covers a DC Pen Show recap, a review of Ferris Wheel Press Scarlett Studio ink, and a pointed piece on AI getting quietly baked into everyday software with no disclosure and no opt-out. It's the fastest way to catch what several other pen writers published this week without opening every one of their sites yourself.

• Fountain pen lovers unite! (Stationery Shenanigans): A Pilot Kakuno fountain pen in extra fine turned up on a store shelf, and she bought it on the spot. It's proof that a real deal on a solid starter pen can show up somewhere you'd never think to look for one.

• Use a Notebook in Minecraft, here's why! (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear keeps a single-purpose notebook just for Minecraft sessions, and the first entry is a running list of projects, with getting the farm built at the top. It's a simple case for the specific-purpose notebook: one dedicated spot so a wandering thought, or a wandering parrot, doesn't derail the plan.

• Cutting Hobonichi Pages & Mini Workshop Vlog ✒️ Atlas Stationers Sidewalk Sale (The Coffee Monsterzco): This one is part vlog from her Atlas Stationers sidewalk sale trip to Chicago, where she taught two workshops and sold a small collection, and part step-by-step walkthrough of how she cuts down and tabs her Hobonichi Cousin pages before traveling. Two videos in one: a look at sidewalk-sale life and a genuinely useful travel-journal prep method. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Cousin.

• Three Keeper Inks: Choosing Inks for 10 Fountain Pens (Gentleman Stationer): The post is about picking inks for a "10 keeper pens" collection, and it lands on Platinum Classic's Citrus Black, an iron gall ink that goes on pale yellow and dries down to a dark green-gold. The explanation of why a wet-writing Montblanc stub needs a dry iron gall ink, not a wet one, is worth the read on its own.

• When Best Intentions are Not Enough (Well-Appointed Desk): She spent nearly 20 years as a Hallmark graphic designer and has written every word of this blog herself since 2010, and now she's confronting what happened with her Gamify zine. She researched and typed every word and her husband edited it, but months after publishing she learned that one of the licensed stock illustrations she'd used, from a Creative Market illustrator, had been retroactively flagged as AI-generated. She pulled the zine from sale and is planning new illustrations.

• Why the blank page still intimidates you (Rachelle in Theory): Rachelle in Theory breaks down why the blank page still feels intimidating even though we know journaling helps: writing is a two-stage process, and the first stage, a term she borrows from V. A. Howard and J. H. Barton, is purely generative, messy dear-diary output with no audience in mind. It explains exactly why "write like no one's watching" works: the moment you sense a reader, you start editing your own thinking.

• Your journal should be frictionless, not fancy (Rachelle in Theory): Her advice cuts against the fancy-notebook instinct: pick something frictionless, even a plain black Moleskine, because journaling only works if picking it up is easy. She also resets what "regular" means: a habit tied to every movie you watch counts as much as one tied to every night.

• 5 Best Notebooks for Fountain Pens (AlexanderWrites): Alexander picks his five favorite notebooks for fountain pens, and the Midori MD Paper Pad makes the list for its smooth, feather-resistant sheets. If feathering and bleed-through are what you're testing for, his shortlist gives you a place to start looking. Shop (affiliate): Midori MD Paper Pad (A4, unruled).

• KOKUYO Jibun Techo: A 3-in-1 Planner (JetPens): The KOKUYO Jibun Techo is built as three planners in one: a place to log information, run daily tasks, and set goals for your whole life. Worth a look if your current planner handles one of those jobs but not all three.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

Seen this week

From the channel

New on the blog: - Best Ring Planner Inserts: The Ones I Print for MeePlus - Pocket Pen Case Setup: Every Tool I Carry Daily - What I Actually Carry My EDC Stationery In (And Why) - Lochby Mini Field Journal vs. Paper Republic Grand Voyageur - Galen Leather TwinFlip Review: Is the $85 Pen Case Worth It? - Why I Switched to a Ring Planner (And What It Fixed)

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

The Shelf holds everything I recommend. 99 pens, notebooks, covers, and inks, each one with what I concluded about it.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. One letter, once a week. That's it.

If you leave your pens loose in your bag, your pocket, or on the desk, a leather case is going to be a great choice. This one is a five-pen case, and again, thank you to Galen Leather for sending this over for me to check out. The leather is aging beautifully, and I love that it matches my wallet. That's one of the nice things about Galen Leather, and it shows in some of the reviews I've seen online too. This week's roundup picks up that same leather thread, with a giveaway winner walking off with the Sinclair pen case.

What's new in analog

• Giveaway Winner: Galen Leather Sinclair Case (Well-Appointed Desk): Only one Sinclair case was up for grabs in this giveaway, and Well-Appointed Desk has already emailed the winner directly to claim it. Check your spam folder if you entered, because an unclaimed prize gets handed to a new winner after seven days.

• Sunday Reading for August 16, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): This week's Sunday Reading roundup singles out Dromgoole's collaboration with Pilot on the Custom 823 "The Sixty-Five," alongside recaps from the 2026 DC Pen Show and a returning Leonardo Dolcevita colorway. It's the quickest way to catch what pen show buyers and bloggers linked to this week without reading every post yourself.

• Swatching the #ferriswheelpress Vintage Photography ink collection (Mark Your Pages): Ferris Wheel Press's new Vintage Photography ink collection leans into old Hollywood, with dark moody inks and silver and champagne shimmer inside packaging styled like vintage film reels. Mark Your Pages can't keep every box, so the swatches get paired with cut-out pieces from the packaging in a stamp journal instead.

• My NEW Homemade Notebook-Making Setup! (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear returns this week with another update to a homemade notebook-making setup that's been evolving in stages. If you've been following the process video after video, this is the next step forward.

• The Paper Workout Journal (Bullet Journal): The Bullet Journal blog's author has logged every CrossFit workout on paper for nearly 12 years, a habit that keeps drawing questions from gym members who assume paper means avoiding screens. Reading Audrey Watters' Substack piece "The Case for a Paper Fitness Journal" prompted a look back at why the method still holds up after more than a decade.

• The best thing you can do for yourself in 2026 is to keep a daily diary (Bullet Journal): Bullet Journal's latest piece frames a daily diary as a personal project: small entries add up over time into what it calls an asset built from years of scattered sentences. It also introduces two parallel stories, one about a pottery professor and one about a photography professor, that make the point that producing a high quantity of work beats aiming for a single polished one.

• Ask TGS: Are Leather or Fabric Pen Cases "Better" for your Pens? (Gentleman Stationer): The Gentleman Stationer weighs leather against fabric pen cases and lands on a clear verdict: neither material actually risks damaging a pen, so the choice comes down to weight, animal-product concerns, and how a case ages over time. The piece runs through four cases currently in rotation, from a Rickshaw Fillmore to a Nagasawa Kip leather folio, with cognac and saddle named as the favorite leather colors.

• What I Kept From Bullet Journaling & What I Finally Let Go (Mark Your Pages): Before building out a 2027 planner, Mark Your Pages revisits years of Bullet Journaling and sorts the method into what still works, what's been adapted, and what's finally been dropped. The video isn't arguing for or against the system itself; it's making the case that a planning setup should keep changing as life does.

From the channel

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world, pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Half the stationery world is at the DC Pen Show this week or writing about it. The recaps are worth reading before the next one lands.

I spent my week with a five-pen case that actually protects what you put in it. That is rarer than it should be.

Below is what caught my eye, plus a good reminder that a habit survives on the second miss, not the first.

What's new in analog

• My Stationery Office Tour! (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites walks through her full workspace and lists discount codes for Endless, Lochby, and Scriveiner. If you've been waiting to try any of those brands, here's a good way to save on the order.

• Sunday Reading for August 9, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer teases that some new machines are heading to Nashville in October for the On the Paper Trail Live event. Worth a look if you're nearby, since the post notes the machines may only be around briefly before they get shipped back.

• What 20 years of Thinking On Paper taught me (Rachelle in Theory): Rachelle in Theory looks back on two decades of putting thoughts on paper, with a linked guide for anyone who wants to start doing the same. It's a solid watch if you want a long-view perspective on what a paper-based thinking practice actually does over years, not weeks.

• Upgrading My Homemade Pocket Notebooks! (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear picked up a Vevor guillotine paper cutter and says it changed how she assembles her own pocket notebooks. If you're making notebooks by hand, her take on the cutter could save you some trial and error.

• Daily Plan With Me: Sardines 🐟 Hobonichi Cousin (The Coffee Monsterzco): The Coffee Monsterzco settles into a Hobonichi Cousin for a relaxed plan-with-me touching on work and everyday life. It's an easy watch if you like company while you fill in your own planner. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo, Hobonichi Cousin.

• After Years of Bullet Journaling, I Realized My Planner Needed to Change (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages noticed this year's annual setup felt different, moving past the usual question of which planner to buy. It's worth reading if your own system has started to feel like it needs a rethink rather than a replacement.

• my first yoseka stationery fest ✨ (Tori on Paper): Tori on Paper recaps her first Yoseka Stationery Fest and what she picked up while she was there. If you're weighing whether a stationery fest is worth attending, her first-timer account gives a real sense of it.

• Fashionable Friday: International Cat Day (Well-Appointed Desk): Well-Appointed Desk marks International Cat Day by pairing stationery with cats. It's a light, quick read for anyone who keeps both a planner and a cat in the house.

• Weekly Drops: DC Pen Show Weekend Edition! (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer previews their DC Pen Show weekend, bringing Roterfaden, OnionBrand, and Lochby to the floor. If you're attending the show, this tells you exactly which booth to visit for those brands.

• Missing once is fine. Missing twice is a new habit. (Rachelle in Theory): Rachelle in Theory argues that missing a habit once is a slip, but missing it twice starts turning into a new pattern. It's a short, practical reminder for anyone trying to keep a daily planning or journaling habit going.

• Which pen is your favorite? Sound off in the comments (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages opens the floor by asking which pen is everyone's favorite. Drop your pick in the comments if you want to compare notes with other readers.

• See You in DC? (Well-Appointed Desk): Well-Appointed Desk is flying out to the DC Pen Show, where she'll be at the Dromgoole's table as their resident pen expert. If you're at the show, that's exactly where to track her down.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From the channel

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

The two covers I cut for the mid-year review were the LOCHBY Voyager and the LOCHBY Mini Field Journal. Both great covers. I was just finding that the wax canvas, and specifically these covers, were a little larger than I wanted to carry around.

The two that came out of the rotation. Both LOCHBY, both waxed canvas, both a size too big for how I actually carry.

I didn’t run a protocol

So I downsized the planner, which used to live in the Voyager. I still kept the Field Notes system, but I went from the 4-notebook system I shared in an earlier video down to 2: one general-purpose catch-all, and one that’s kind of a collection notebook, for stuff I want to keep long term. I keep those in the Paper Republic cover in olive, and it stays slim enough that I can still fit it in a pocket. It does feel a little bulky in there, but overall it makes for a great pocket carry.

The olive Paper Republic cover the 2-notebook system lives in.

I really don’t have one precise test I run. I just use the stuff the way I like to use it, and pay attention to what starts bugging me. Some people complain that a cover is bulky. Some don’t. It’s kind of a personal preference thing. I wouldn’t say there’s a specific test for it.

The controls that stuck

My two favorite pens right now are the Pilot Vanishing Point and, honestly, the pen that retracts with a click mechanism has been a game changer. I’ve wanted that pen for a while. I carry it with my planner, the MeePlus in personal size, and that thing goes with me everywhere. One of the biggest complaints about fountain pens is having to twist the cap off, then remember to put it back on or it dries out. Having something that just clicks is great for everyday use.

The Vanishing Point with the nib out. One click, no cap.

For gel pens, I really love the Zebra Sarasa. I’ve also been testing a Fisher Space Pen with pressurized ink, I’ll be carrying that on an upcoming trip. I’ve been enjoying how reliable that pen is in pretty much any condition: cold, warm, raining, it just writes.

The one thing I do on purpose is test fountain pens on paper that isn’t fountain-pen friendly, just to see what it can handle. Different inks, different nib sizes, they all behave differently. And even within the same paper manufacturer there’s enough variance that a pen can behave great in one notebook and not so great in the next one.

Why I’m telling you the unglamorous version

I started with the A5 Leuchtturm1917, like almost everyone does. I’ve been leaning a lot more into smaller notebooks and more compact pens since, and that just feels better, especially since I travel a lot and want tools that travel easier. What actually failed with the Leuchtturm was just the size. It felt too bulky and hard to carry around. Very protective, which was great, but I wanted something more compact.

I’m still looking for a pocket notebook that’s more fountain-pen friendly. I do enjoy Field Notes quite a bit though, just for how they look. At this point it’s more of a hobby, having a variety and being able to change them pretty quickly.

Honestly, I just enjoy the tactile nature of the stationery, and testing new things the day they show up. I’ve been recording these videos for almost a year now, which has been a lot of fun, and along the way I’ve picked up filmmaking and podcasting too. It started as something I did on the side, and it kept growing.

Working with brands is part of that too, getting to know what each one actually has to offer. I think some of the best brands I’ve talked to have a good story behind them.

So that’s the actual promise: I’ll tell you what I carried, what I dropped, and what the thing I dropped got right on its way out.

Some of the links above are affiliate links. They cost you nothing and they help pay for the testing.

If you’ve found a pocket notebook that really handles fountain pen ink, reply and tell me. That one’s still open on my desk.

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the folks using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Mid-year is when I actually admit which planners aren't earning their spot on the desk, and this week's video walks through the two I cut. Pen show season is picking up too: JetPens has next year's Hobonichi on preview, and there's no shortage of bag debates for anyone who's still deciding how to carry their kit. Here's what else caught my eye in analog stationery this week.

What's new in analog

• Lochby Field Sling Plus Review (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites reviews the Lochby Field Sling Plus, covering how the bag handles daily carry, and includes his discount codes for Lochby and Endless Pens. If you're shopping for a new sling bag, it gives you a real opinion to weigh before you spend the money.

• Sunday Reading for July 26, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer's Sunday roundup points to Pen Addict Kimberly's nib-by-nib ranking of the Platinum 3776, a pen whose body they've never warmed to but whose nibs they rate highly. If you own a 3776 or are considering one, this tells you which nib grade is actually worth seeking out.

• Finally, an Organization System for Creatives & Artists (Rachelle in Theory): Rachelle in Theory lays out a five-part system for capturing ideas before they slip away, built for creatives and artists who need somewhere to hold inspiration when it strikes. It's a practical framework to borrow if your current notebook setup keeps letting good ideas fall through.

• This Notebook System Brings My Ideas to LIFE! (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear walks through the notebook system he relies on for DIY and woodworking projects, tracking a build from idea through to the finished piece. It's a solid model to copy if you've ever lost measurements or steps mid-project because nothing got written down.

• All About My Commonplace Journal (The Coffee Monsterzco): The Coffee Monsterzco offers a flip-through of her commonplace journal, one she says won't get a full review again for years. If you've been curious what a long-term commonplace journal looks like once it's actually full, this is a rare look inside one.

• What's the Best Everyday Stationery Bag? My Own Considerations and 5 Options for Pen Show Season (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer weighs five everyday stationery bag options as pen show and trade show season ramps up, thinking through what actually holds up for hauling gear to a show. If you've got a show on your calendar this season, it saves you the trial and error of packing the wrong bag.

• The Planner Bridge I Didn't Know I Needed (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages introduces a bridge tool for the moment an idea or reminder hits and the planner isn't within reach. It's worth a look if you've ever lost a good idea because your planner was sitting in another room.

• Hobonichi Techo 2027 Preview Exhibit at the 2026 San Francisco Pen Show (JetPens): JetPens is hosting a Hobonichi Techo 2027 preview exhibit at the 2026 San Francisco Pen Show, letting attendees browse the full new lineup and handle the planner books and covers in person. If you're headed to the show, it's a chance to see next year's Hobonichi releases before anyone else does. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo.

• Introducing UNION, Our collaboration collection with The Superior Labor (Yoseka Stationery): Yoseka Stationery has launched UNION, a collaboration collection with The Superior Labor built around honest craftsmanship, marking the start of an ongoing partnership between the two brands. Follow it if you like either brand, since this is only the first release in what's meant to be a continuing collaboration.

• Notebook Review: NYBG x Moomin Collection (Well-Appointed Desk): Well-Appointed Desk reviews the NYBG x Moomin notebook collection, tied to the Summer of Moomin event at the New York Botanical Garden. If you're a Moomin fan or collect event-tied stationery, this shows you exactly what's in the set.

• Cursive Italic Esterbrook Estie Grind (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites shows off a cursive italic grind on the Esterbrook Estie, paired with Oblation's Multnomah Mocha ink and a DiLoro pen case. If you're weighing a custom grind for your own Estie, this gives you a clear look at how an italic cut changes the writing experience.

• Which E-Reader is worth it in 2026? (Steven Foster): Steven Foster runs through which e-readers are actually worth buying in 2026, weighing the current options against each other. If you've been holding off on an e-reader purchase, this gives you a clearer read on where to put your money.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From the channel

New on the blog: - Techo Kaigi 2026: What I Cut From My Planner Lineup

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the folks using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Traveler's Company just kicked off its CARAVAN world tour celebrating the TRAVELER'S notebook's 20th anniversary, and three separate corners of the stationery world covered it this week, which tells you how much that little brand still matters to people who carry a passport notebook everywhere. On the pen side, a steel nib priced well under the usual flex-nib tax is apparently doing the job, and someone finally explains how they've kept 75 pocket notebooks organized without losing the plot. Here's what's worth your time this week, plus what shipped on the channel and the site.

What's new in analog

• A Wonderful Steel Flex Nib? Magna Carta 250 Review: This video reviews a steel flex nib pitched as the Magna Carta 250 and links out to a Pilot Custom Heritage 912 along with discount codes for Endless Pens. If you're curious about flex writing without committing to a gold nib, this gives you a real comparison point and a way to try it cheaper.

• Sunday Reading for July 19, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer's Sunday roundup points to "Ten Pens, but Make it Seven," a post about narrowing a collection down to its core. It's a useful prompt if your own pen case has grown past what you actually reach for and you want help deciding what stays.

• I Filled 75+ Pocket Notebooks, here's how! (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear hit 75+ filled pocket notebooks and made a video marking the milestone, with a link to buy GTB pocket notebooks. Watching someone actually finish that many notebooks is a good gut check if you tend to start notebooks and never close them out.

• Weekly Plan With Me: Cutesy Football ⚽ Hobonichi Cousin (The Coffee Monsterzco): The Coffee Monsterzco shares a weekly plan-with-me in a Hobonichi Cousin done up in a football theme, with a shop link and coupon. It's a simple spread to borrow ideas from if you're looking to refresh your own weekly layout. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo, Hobonichi Cousin.

• plan with me (this finally works!) (Tori on Paper): Tori on Paper introduces a new weekly, sometimes biweekly, planner spread she's been using for both work and personal scheduling. Worth a look if you're after a layout that can flex between two different kinds of demands on your time.

• A Public Service Announcement: Pen Disassembly and The Importance of Carefully Vetting Online Information (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer flags two pens that should never be disassembled at home and should go back to Pilot for service, tying it to a warning about vetting repair advice found online. It's a direct reminder that not every DIY pen fix you find on the internet is safe for the pen or your warranty.

• Wisterlight ✨ from @ferriswheelpress3796 (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages highlights Ferris Wheel Press's "Wisterlight," an indigo-based ink with green-pink duochrome shimmer. If you're building out a shimmer ink collection, this is one more data point on a color combination worth seeing in person.

• Journaling Using Cross Writing | #crosswriting #journal #handwriting #journaling #shorts (Lilla Björn Stationery): Lilla Björn Stationery demonstrates cross writing, an 18th- and 19th-century technique for fitting more text on a page when postage was priced by the sheet. It's a fun bit of history to borrow for a journal even though it wasn't originally meant for that use.

• TRC CARAVAN 20th Anniversary Limited Items (Traveler's Company): Traveler's Company posted the list of limited items for the TRC CARAVAN 20th Anniversary. If you collect Traveler's Notebook releases, this is the rundown to check before anything sells out.

• TRAVELER’S COMPANY CARAVAN 20th Anniversary in Chicago and New York (Traveler's Company): Traveler's Company announced CARAVAN 20th Anniversary stops in Chicago and New York. If you're near either city, it's a chance to see the anniversary lineup in person before deciding what to buy online.

• MD PRODUCT: A Comprehensive Guide (JetPens): JetPens put together a full guide to the MD PRODUCT line, the minimalist notebook series recently renamed from MD to MD PRODUCT. It's a solid reference if you want to understand the differences across the lineup before picking one up.

• TRAVELER’S COMPANY CARAVAN 20th Anniversary - NYC (Yoseka Stationery): Yoseka Stationery is hosting the TRAVELER'S COMPANY CARAVAN 20th Anniversary in New York, the brand's first NY visit since 2017, with 20th anniversary limited items on hand to browse. If you're local, it's worth planning around since events like this don't come back often.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From the channel

New on the blog: - The Best Paper for Fountain Pens, Tested - My Everyday Carry Setup: Aer Day Sling Max Review - The 10 Pens I Actually Reach for Every Day (Ranked by Use)

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world, pens, notebooks, planners, and the folks using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Pen show season is in full swing, with two solid recaps in this week's roundup if you couldn't make it out west. There's also a good case for treating watercolor as a journaling tool instead of fine art, worth a read if the medium has intimidated you. On my end, I'm sharing the ten pens I actually reach for every day, ranked by how much I use them, and the most expensive one didn't win.

What's new in analog

• Summer Launch Party Happy Hour at HQ (Field Notes): Field Notes is hosting a Launch Party Happy Hour for its 71st Quarterly Limited Edition (Summer) at their HQ this Thursday, July 16, from 4 to 7pm. If you're local or can get there, it's a chance to see the new edition in person before the wider release. Shop (affiliate): Field Notes.

• JetPens Coupons, Promos, and More (JetPens): JetPens keeps a running list of its current coupons and promo codes in one place. It's worth bookmarking if you order from them regularly, since it can save you money on your next haul.

• PNW Pen Show 2026 Recap 🖊️ (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites recaps the 2026 PNW Pen Show and shares discount codes for Wancher, Lochby, and Scriveiner. Useful if you missed the show or want to try one of those brands at a discount.

• Sunday Reading for July 12, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer's Sunday Reading for July 12 rounds up notable stationery posts, including a look at Sailor's Que Será erasable gel pen via Pen Addict. It's a quick way to catch up on what the pen community has been discussing this week.

• A productivity system so good you HAVE to be consistent (Rachelle in Theory): Rachelle in Theory walks through a productivity system built to keep you consistent, with a discount code for Saffron Co attached. Worth a watch if you've struggled to stick with a planning method past the first few weeks.

• One notebook won’t fix your life… but three might 😜 (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages makes the case that a single notebook can't cover every part of your life, but a small set working together can. Useful framing if you keep abandoning one all-purpose notebook and wondering why it never sticks.

• PNW Pen Show! (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites checks in from the PNW Pen Show. Worth a watch if you want a first-hand look at the show floor this year.

• The Field Notes Leather Jacket! | Full Review (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear reviews Field Notes' new Leather Jacket, their latest leather cover offering. If you're deciding whether to protect your Field Notes books in leather, this lays out what to expect before you buy. Shop (affiliate): Field Notes.

• Sketchbook Flip Through ✏️ Product Ideas & Designs (The Coffee Monsterzco): The Coffee Monsterzco flips through a sketchbook that's held up well and shares the product ideas and designs that came out of it, with a 10% off code for their shop. A fun watch if you like seeing a working sketchbook turn into finished products.

• Paper Review: Graphilo by Kobeha (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer reviews Graphilo by Kobeha after naming it a top-tier pick in the revamped "Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper" resource. Worth a read if you're hunting for paper that handles fountain pen ink well and want to know why this one earned the upgrade.

• Stop Using Watercolor Like an Artist, Use It Like a Journaler (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages argues watercolor isn't just for artists and shows how bullet journalers and planners can use it to add color without needing painting skill. Helpful if you've wanted more color in your spreads but assumed watercolor was out of reach.

• Writing with a Stub Nib Left Handed (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites covers what it's like writing with a stub nib as a left-handed writer, with discount codes for Wancher, Lochby, and Scriveiner among others. Handy if you're left-handed and curious whether a stub nib will fight your writing angle or work with it.

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From the channel

New on the blog: The 10 Pens I Actually Reach for Every Day (Ranked by Use)

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

— Luis

New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world, pens, notebooks, planners, and the folks using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. One letter, once a week. That's it.

Half of this week's roundup is people quietly admitting they own too much. Well-Appointed Desk is telling you to do less, Gare the Bear picked a top five instead of a top twenty, and AlexanderWrites named the five things he doesn't regret instead of the fifty he does. I like that shift. A stationery habit that keeps expanding isn't a system, it's just accumulation, and the writers worth reading this week are the ones editing down instead of buying more.

What's new in analog

• Sunday Reading for July 5, 2026 (Gentleman Stationer): This is Gentleman Stationer's weekly roundup, and this edition points to Pen Addict's writeup on the 2026 St. Louis Pen Show. If you've never made it to a regional show, the recap gives you an honest sense of scale and crowd before you plan a trip to one yourself.

• Turning my Esterbrook Estie box into a stamp journaling page (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages turns an Esterbrook Estie pen box into a stamp journaling page instead of tossing it in the recycling bin. It's a small, practical idea if you keep a journal and hate seeing good packaging go to waste.

• My Top 5 Pocket Notebook Covers! (Gare the Bear): Gare the Bear runs down her five favorite pocket notebook covers with links to where each one is sold. If your current cover is worn out, this saves you the guesswork of testing a handful yourself.

• June 2026 Planner Update | Hobonichi, Reading, Commonplace, Sketchbook (The Coffee Monsterzco): The Coffee Monsterzco posts a June update covering a reading journal, a commonplace book, and a sketchbook. It's a useful look at how one person splits tracking across several books instead of forcing everything into a single planner. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo.

• Happy 4th of July Weekend! Announcements, New Resources, and a Holiday Weekend Special! (Gentleman Stationer): Gentleman Stationer catches readers up on six months of news: upcoming in-person events, a new podcast, a trip to Japan, and shop growth. Worth a quick read if you follow their events or shop and want the update in one place instead of piecemeal.

• journals getting me through the summer | mid-year techo kaigi (Tori on Paper): Tori on Paper shares a mid-year check-in on the journals getting her through summer, including Hobonichi Cousin, Hobonichi Weeks, and Paper Republic. If you're deciding between planner formats, watching how someone runs several side by side beats reading a spec sheet. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo, Hobonichi Cousin.

• Happy Birthday (Field Notes): Field Notes marked the occasion by giving away The Founding Documents, a pocket edition of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, with any order placed July 3rd or 4th. Worth knowing about if you order from them regularly and want to see what extras show up around their promotions.

• Do Less. (Well-Appointed Desk): Well-Appointed Desk asks a plain question this week, prompted by a piece from Greta Johnsen's newsletter: what can you take off your plate? It's a fair check for anyone whose stationery habit has quietly turned into one more thing to manage.

• I Ordered More Fountain Pens... and Have Zero Regrets (Mark Your Pages): Mark Your Pages shares a Vanness Pen Shop haul with two new pens, including a Kaweco Sport in a new icy yellow. If you're weighing a Vanness order or tracking new Kaweco colors, this gives you a real look before you spend the money.

• Set up a Bullet Journal Monthly Spread with me (Chad Everyday): Chad Everyday walks through setting up a bullet journal monthly spread, including how he records daily highlights and habit tracking. Handy if your own monthly layout has gone stale and you want a fresh one to borrow.

• The 5 Stationery Items I DON’T Regret Purchasing (AlexanderWrites): AlexanderWrites lists the five stationery purchases he doesn't regret, along with discount codes for Wancher, Lochby, Scriveiner, and others. Useful if you're about to buy and want a second opinion plus a code that actually saves you money.

• Paper Republic Grand Voyageur One Year Review (Steven Foster): Steven Foster checks back in on the Paper Republic Grand Voyageur leather journal a year after buying it. If you're considering a long-term journal cover, this tells you how it held up under real use instead of just how it looked on day one. Shop (affiliate): Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket).

Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.

From the channel

New on the blog: - Analog Planning With ADHD: Why Paper Holds What My Brain Drops - How to Set Up a Ring Planner Without Overbuying - How to Print Planner Inserts at Home Without Wrecking the Margins - Fountain Pen Friendly Paper for Planners: What Actually Stops the Bleed - Planner Insert Sizes Explained: A5, Personal, Pocket, and the Rest

That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.

Looking for more? Every tool and template I use and recommend lives on the Planning Engineered resources page.

Luis

Most arguments about productivity tools assume you have to pick a side. Notebook people distrust anything that syncs. App people think paper is a hobby. Every few months someone posts an "I switched from X to Y and my life changed" thread, as if the tool itself were the variable that mattered.

It isn't. The variable that matters is what job you're asking the tool to do and most setups fail because one tool is doing two incompatible jobs at once.

Here's what that looks like on a job site. A site visit produces information in no particular order a measurement, a contractor's comment about a detail that doesn't match the drawings, a half-formed idea about how to sequence the next phase. If I open a laptop and start typing that straight into a project file, I'm not organizing information. I'm transcribing chaos and giving it better formatting. The chaos is still chaos.

A notebook page doesn't let me do that, and the limitation is the point. The page is bounded with a finite amount of room available. That means every line is a small decision about whether this is worth the space. That decision is the actual work. Writing by hand is slow enough that the writing and the thinking happen at the same rate, which is the only rate at which thinking is reliable. Open a blank digital page and that constraint disappears, and the decision disappears with it. You can dump everything in, which means you've decided nothing.

So the system that's worked for me isn't analog instead of digital, or analog and digital running side by side. It's analog, then digital, a one-way pipeline. The notebook in my pocket is where things get filtered: written down, looked at again at the end of the day, and either transferred or thrown away. What survives that filter goes into Obsidian, where it's searchable and connected to everything else I've written down for years. The notebook is disposable on purpose. The digital system is permanent on purpose. Neither one tries to be the other.

I notice the same pattern outside of work, too. The things that stay in rotation for years are usually the ones that had to earn that spot in a smaller, more limited space first, a tool, a habit, a small object that proved itself before it got to be permanent. The notebook is just the version of that idea I happen to be able to explain on camera.

I went deeper on the actual system, the planner, the notebook, the transfer process, all of it. Check out the video from this week:

The problem isn’t the intention. It’s the framework. Most people pick gifts based on what they’d want, or what looks impressive at the price point, rather than asking the harder question: what would this person actually reach for, six months from now, when it’s cold out and their day is already too long?

I think about this as an engineer.

On job sites, you carry what earns its spot. There’s no room in a vest pocket for things that might come in handy. Every tool you bring makes an argument for itself every time you use it. Or it gets left behind. That standard, applied to gifts, changes what you buy.

The Rhodia No. 16 is a $10 A5 notepad. It sounds unimpressive until you use it with any decent pen. The 80gsm paper is the reason fountain pen ink doesn’t bleed through, and the dot grid keeps handwriting honest without the rigidity of lines. I’ve been through a dozen notebooks across a decade of engineering work. This one I keep buying.

The Fisher Space Pen is for the person who doesn’t own a fountain pen and probably won’t, but writes every day and deserves something better than the free pen they picked up from a conference table. It writes upside down, in the cold, on greasy paper. It clips to anything. It’s small enough that it’s always on you.

When someone’s ready to try a fountain pen for the first time, I point them to the Kaweco Sport. It fits in a pocket. You don’t have to think about nib geometry to enjoy it. Fill it, cap it, write.

The TWSBI Eco is the next step: the pen for someone who already knows they like writing with a fountain pen and wants to open up bottled ink. It’s a demonstrator, meaning you can see exactly how much ink is left, which is more useful than it sounds. I’ve been pairing mine with Lamy Azurite, a saturated blue-violet with a gold-green sheen that photographs well and is the kind of color that makes you want to write more just to see it on the page.

The Alpaka Tech Case is where all of it lives. I’ve had mine for two years. It holds the pens, ink samples, a spare notebook, chargers. The whole analog and digital carry in one place. The thing that makes a daily carry a system instead of a pile is usually the container.

None of this is the gift I’m most proud of giving.

My family has two coffee farms in Caldas, Colombia. The region produces some of the best single-origin beans in the world. The coffee I brew before every shoot, the cup that’s in my hand before the camera turns on, comes from there. It’s what I give when I want to give something with a real story behind it.

Ríos de Oro. Single-origin Colombian coffee, from our farms in Caldas.

For the full breakdown, including which variants to buy, what to avoid, and how each fits together as a kit, I put it all into a video this week: Gifts for Dads Who Actually Plan

Until next week,
Luis

Some links above are affiliate links. I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

You’re receiving this because you subscribed at newsletter.planningengineered.com. To unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of this email.

The problem isn't the price. It's that most guides optimize for easy browsing instead of actual use.

The analog tools I carry daily earned their place through field conditions. A bridge inspection means job sites with greasy forms, cold mornings, and no surface worth writing on. A fountain pen that needs a desk and sixty seconds of careful uncapping doesn't survive that environment. A notebook that bleeds through on anything but premium paper becomes a liability in the field. These constraints are real, and they eliminate most of the things in a typical gift guide fast.

So here's the short list — what actually works, organized by price:

Under $25: the Rhodia No. 16 Notepad. A5, 80gsm paper, grid ruling that doesn't fight you. It costs about ten dollars and it writes better than most notebooks three times the price. If the person you're buying for takes any kind of notes — meeting notes, field notes, to-do lists that actually get done — this is where to start.

In that same range: the Fisher Space Pen. It writes upside down, in the cold, on wet paper, and at altitude. It clicks shut in a vest pocket and doesn't leak. That's the whole pitch. No one who has used one on a job site thinks it's overengineered.

$25–60: the Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen is the first fountain pen I'd give to someone who has never owned one. It's small when capped, pocketable, and forgiving — easy to clean, easy to fill, hard to mess up. Fine nib for most people. It makes handwriting more deliberate without requiring a hobby's worth of maintenance.

If they're ready for a proper ink bottle, the TWSBI Eco paired with Lamy Azurite ink is a real step up. The TWSBI has a piston fill mechanism and a demonstrator body — you can see exactly how much ink is left. Azurite is a medium blue with enough personality to make you want to use it.

Over $60: the Alpaka Tech Case is the one thing in this guide that isn't a writing instrument. It holds the whole kit — pens, notebooks, cables, whatever. Structured enough to stay organized, compact enough to go into a bag without taking over. The X-Pack specifically has held up well across a lot of travel.

The one gift I actually make: single-origin coffee from my family's farms in Caldas, Colombia. Ríos de Oro. If there's a dad in your life who takes his coffee seriously, it's worth pointing him there — riosdeoro.com. It's the kind of thing that doesn't end up on a shelf.

If you want the full breakdown — why each item made the list, what to avoid in the same price range, and how the kit comes together — it's all in this week's video →

Quick links

• Rhodia No. 16 Notepad — ~$10

• Fisher Space Pen — ~$25

• Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen — ~$30

• TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen — ~$40

• Lamy Azurite Ink

• Alpaka Tech Case — $60+