Visconti Homo Sapiens Overview

The Visconti Homo Sapiens is often considered to be a "holy grail" fountain pen among many fountain pen enthusiasts. The Visconti brand as a whole felt this way for us, so we're beyond excited to be an authorized Visconti retailer, allowing us to offer this particular fountain pen to you. The Homo Sapiens is the only fountain pen that we know of that is made of actual volcanic rock! There's lots to talk about relating to this pen, so enjoy this in-depth review of the Visconti Homo Sapiens! 

Goulet Q&A Episode 96, Open Forum

This week I'm talking about why modern flex nibs just don't compare to vintage ones, the future of cursive writing in schools where it isn't being taught, and how you should approach going to your first fountain pen show!

Edison Nouveau Premiere Midnight Thunder Fall 2015 SE Fountain Pen

Today marks the first official day of Fall, which means it's time to announce the Fall 2015 Edison Nouveau Premiere, Midnight Thunder! The Edison Nouveau Premiere has been one of our most popular fountain pens at GouletPens.com ever since we introduced it 4.5 years ago. About two years ago, we came up with the idea to start doing seasonal Premieres, changing color every season

Midnight Thunder, aside from being a slightly ridiculous name that we all love around the Goulet shop, is the 8th seasonal Premiere we've done. We've been on a run of brightly colored resins, so we wanted to darken things up a bit with this one. It's a navy blue acrylic resin with some subtle pearlescence, with red and white striations throughout that will be unique to each pen. Enjoy learning more about this Goulet exclusive!

Aurora Ipsilon Overview

Video Outline:

History - (:13)
Unboxing - (:35)
Color Options - (1:42)
Features - (1:56)
Nib Options - (3:01)
Filling Mechanism - (4:11)
Inking It Up - (5:14)
How It Writes - (6:06)
Additional Features - (11:41)
Comparable Pens - (13:12)
Price - (14:47)

We're excited to now be carrying Aurora fountain pens at Gouletpens.com! The Aurora Ipsilon really is unlike many other pens we carry, mostly due to its nib. They were created intentionally to be a bit toothy (especially the italic), allowing you to feel some feedback as you're writing across the paper. It's lightweight and professional, making it an ideal everyday carry pen. I hope you enjoy this overview on the Aurora Ipsilon.

Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop: Quick Look

The most popular Pilot pen that we sell is undoubtedly the Pilot Metropolitan.  It's great for newbies and fountain pen veterans alike, and also makes for a great gift. The Metropolitan first came out in late 2012, and there have been different designs released since then. The newest collection - "Retro Pop" - is set to be released in November 2015! And we can't wait.

The colors coming in November for fountain pens and rollerballs are:

    Retro Pop Gray
    Retro Pop Red
    Retro Pop Purple
    Retro Pop Green
    Retro Pop Turquoise
    Retro Pop Orange

Goulet Q&A Episode 95, Open Forum

Thanks for joining me for Goulet Q&A Episode 95! This week I'm answering questions on the best pens to use while sketching in the mountains, how to clean the outside of a Lamy 2000, and how to start conversations with fellow fountain pen enthusiasts. You won't want to miss this one!

Visconti Rembrandt Fountain Pen Overview

The Visconti Rembrandt is the entry-level pen to this amazing line of writing instruments. That'll be the focus of this blog post and video. We'll also carry the full line of their inks and the Traveling Inkwell (which is backordered as of this post). We'll follow that up with both sizes of the Homo Sapiens and the Van Gogh. We're also going to have the limited edition Millennium Arc, which will only be around for a time. Enjoy this very thorough video on the Visconti Rembrandt!

Goulet Q&A Episode 94, Open Forum

Hey pen friends! It's Goulet Q&A 94 this week, and it's been a busy one. Be sure to check out this video where Brian talks about oblique pen holders, what ink will match your Pumpkin Spice Latte, and what pen/ink/paper combo you'd want to use when home brewing beer! 

Brian's Top 10 Sheening Inks

After we put out the video on my top 7 favorite shading inks back in May, many of you asked us to do the same for sheening inks. You may be thinking, "what is sheen exactly"? In regards to fountain pen ink, it could be sparkles like glitter, or a shiny color that happens in the areas where ink really pools up.

Here are the 10 Sheening inks featured in this video:

J. Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor - (2:13)
J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey - (2:48)
J. Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean - (3:23)
J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite - (4:19)
Diamine Majestic Blue - (5:16)
Private Reserve Electric DC Blue -(6:00)
Diamine Sherwood Green - (6:23)
Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrun - (6:49)
Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo - (7:25)
Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji - (8:06)

**honorable mention to the yet-to-be-released Diamine Shimmertastic inks that are sure to be worthy of their own top-10 list!!

Omas Ogiva Cocktail: Quick Look

As a follow up to the Omas Ogiva Alba, Omas is doing another limited edition run of the Ogiva called the Cocktail, set to release in October 2015. These pens will be identical to the Alba in design, with the fluted cotton resin in a translucent color demonstrator pen. They will be available in three colors, Bloody Mary, Blue Angel, and Vodka Lemon.  They're going to be available in 14k extra-fine, extra flessibile (flexible, and dang is this thing soft), 14k fine extra flessibile, 18k extra-fine, 18k fine, and 18k medium. No word yet on if they'll be doing an italic nib on this one yet. Enjoy this Quick Look on the Omas Ogiva Cocktail!

Goulet Q&A Episode 93, Open Forum

I'm working through the camera drama and testing out a sweet new little one with this Q&A! This week I answer questions about why nibs need tipping material, whether a Pilot Metropolitan or TWSBI Mini is better, iron gall vs. bulletproof inks, and why you don't want to clean your pens with hot water.

Platinum 3776: Quick Look

The Platinum 3776 Century is a fantastic, yet often overlooked, mid-size fountain pen. Brian's going to be showing you a quick look at this delightful pen so you know a little more about the most popular Platinum pen.