Review: Pilot Drawing Pen 05 Blue

The more I use the Pilot Drawing Pen, the more I keep trying to find something that I don't like about it.  Truth is, there really isn't much not to like.  My only real gripe is that the line is just slightly less clean and consistent compared to the Sakura Pigma Micron and the Copic Multiliner.  In a drawing pen, I want that sharpness, and therefore the Pilot falls in line just behind the other two.  It's really a decent pen though.

Special note on Doane Paper:

I have had a lot of readers recently mention they were having a tough time finding Doane paper in stock at DoanePaper.com.  I emailed Chad Doane recently, and he sent me this update:

The Houston based printer we use did recently open back up but they raised their prices 25% to cover the costs of what they lost in the huricane. I can't afford that so we're looking for another alternative vendor to print DP pads, we think we might have found a printer in Ark. called Drumline that can make DP pads at a reasonable cost. That's the bad news, the good news is that we're collaborating with another stationery company to bring a couple of DP journals to market in the next month.

So it's a good news/bad news situation with Doane Paper, but hang tight and it should get straightened out soon.  Thanks for the update Chad!

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Mandarin Orange 0.3mm

The shade of orange this Pilot Hi-Tec-C Mandarin Orange lays down is awesome!  It is a very strong and sharp color, which I am getting a lot of use out of.  And it looks like the 0.3mm Hi-Tec-C's are my sweet spot - the perfect combination of line thickness and performance.

I did this review on Doane Paper, as opposed to the Moleskine Reporter notebook paper, which most of my past reviews are done on.  The Doane Paper is much smoother, and I have more room to do a few different things with the reviews.  I need to work on the lighting in my photographs a bit, but otherwise, I like it a lot, and I am thinking about doing the majority of my reviews on Doane Paper going forward.  What do you other pen addicts think about the possible new format?

Ink Links

-- Chad Doane, you sneaky devil!  Click the link, scroll about 2/3 of the way down the right side, and check out the cool Pen Addict link.  Thanks Chad!  (Doane Paper)

-- Even Harvard grads are down with the Pilot G-2  (Us Doing Whatever It Is We Do)

-- Eco-Pencils, When Enough Is Too Much  (Amateur Economist)

-- Seth is thinking about a fountain pen  (Another Postcard From The Highway)

-- D*I*Y Planner starting up a fountain pen shootout  (D*I*Y Planner)

-- Travels and Old Notebooks Revisited - Black cover back in the game  (Black Cover)

-- Review:  Nomad Adventure Journals  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- Review:  Bic Select Fountain Pen  (The Pen Collector)

-- Academic Light-up erasers  (Joy of Erasers)

Doane Paper and Field Notes

I received my orders from Doane Paper and Field Notes last week, so look for some writing tests coming up soon using these products.  Here are a few pictures for the time being.....

Ink Links

**Note: Posting is going to be a little sporadic over the next month as my wife and I get ready to welcome our second child into the world.

-- DIY weekly planner in Field Notes (r.e. wolf @ flickr)

-- The Doane Paper blog is no more - welcome the Doane Paper Feed! (Doane Paper Feed)

-- Doodle with Pilot GFKP (Lars Blog)

-- A writer's debate: Pen and Paper, or Computer and Keyboard? (The Chronicles of Nou)

-- 2007 ISOT Stationery of the Year Award Goes to Akashiya Sai Brushes! (JetPens)

Ink Links

-- Jezlyn grabbed one of the Lamy Pico's from JetPens - looks cool! (Jezlyn26 @ Flickr)

-- Doane Paper Utility Notebook (Doane's Blog)

-- A new site for me - Pencil Things - thanks for the link! (Pencil Things)

-- More JetPens fans:
Sketchbook Month

Kelly Kilmer

Feet Are Like Hands

-- This photo cracked me up - pen and pencil self-portraits (~inky @ flickr)