There's really only one word for e+m's products, and that word is 'gorgeous'. Yes, they make pens, and we at Cult Pens like pens, which is why we sell them, and I suppose we're biased, but the pens (and everything else) from e+m are just, ......Read More
Hello! I’m Johanna Basford, ink evangelist, illustrator and creator of Secret Garden, a colouring book published by Laurence King that has now sold 1 million copies worldwide! This month I’m launching my new book, Enchanted Forest and to celebrate I’ve teamed up with the good ......Read More
Learn more about Caran d’Ache, their history, and their anniversary celebrations; then enter our competition to win some special anniversary goodies!Caran d’AcheTo many of us, a good set of coloured pencils means a nice set in a tin, with a picture of Swiss Alpine scenery ......Read More
Calepino: from the French word 'calepin'. A pretty word, and so much easier on the ear than 'notebook', which is the English equivalent. And the products are as easy on the eye as the brand name is on the ear, for Calepino's offerings are just ......Read More
This post appeared in January's issue of our Penorama newsletter. If you don’t already receive Penorama, you can subscribe here. You'll get more articles like this one, most of which don't appear anywhere else, and it's only sent once a month, so we won't over-fill ......Read More
Nuremberg – a picturesque city in the heart of Bavaria, Germany. Thanks to its position on the important trade routes between Italy and Northern Europe, Nuremberg’s craftsmen had a good view of the developments happening all over Europe for hundreds of years. One of these ......Read More
A beautiful handmade German Limited Edition pen; a tribute to classic rangefinder cameras, especially Leicas. Made from the same materials used for these classic cameras, the Fotografica-Pen is also made with amazing attention to detail. There's even an actual Stanhope 'optical bijou' lens from the ......Read More
Diamine is Cult Pens’ favourite ink brand, and we’ve had the privilege of working with the company for many years. After all, it was thanks to their expertise that Cult Pens’ own range of six Deep Dark Inks exist! It’s family-owned and offers a fabulous array of ......Read More
Manuscript are a company based in Shropshire, here in the UK, who specialise in designing and producing fountain pens and dip pens for calligraphy. The company is owned and operated by the Stockbridge family who have five generations of experience making and distributing nibs in ......Read More
With a huge array of designs printed on an interesting selection of cover materials, and its premium paper, the nuuna notebook range, manufactured in Germany by Brandbook, is quickly establishing itself as an indispensable icon for creative professionals and stationery lovers.There are plenty of good ......Read More
What is mt tape?A cult decorative masking tape, made of Japanese 'washi' paper, with an acrylic-based low-tack adhesive, available in various widths and hundreds of designs. Washi paper is very thin and flexible, while remaining quite strong, which means a small amount of adhesive can ......Read More
In September of 1934, an iconic product was born in Rhône, France. This September, it celebrates its 80th birthday. Not a bad age for a simple stapled notepad, but Rhodia's classic head-stapled notepads are a bit special.The Name: People from the area by the Rhône River ......Read More
KUM, based in Erlangen, Germany, are the world's leading manufacturer of pencil sharpeners - since 1919. KUM sharpeners are distinguished by the excellence of the blades, the build-quality of their products and the huge variety of sharpener styles. There's no such thing as too much ......Read More
Our brains are amazing things, capable of countless thoughts and instructions. With so much information we have to take in during our day to day lives, we can improve our memory by organising our thoughts using various methods. This post provides a brief introduction to ......Read More
The name Staedtler is already associated with quality writing and drawing tools. Almost all of us will have used a Staedtler pencil at some point, with their Noris and Tradition ranges being classics. They’re the black and red or black and yellow striped pencils you ......Read More
Platignum was one of the great British pen brands, but sadly disappeared many years ago. For many people who went to school around the 1960s, and grew up with Platignum pens, they remained a fond memory. They always specialised in the sort of sturdy pens ......Read More
It's official, the Pilot Capless 2013 Jubilee limited edition fountain pen will be available from November 2013!All Capless limited editions are special, but what makes the 2013 version even more so is that it's also the 50th anniversary of the Capless fountain pen in Japan!Made ......Read More
We've come a long way in a short time at Cult Pens and August brought yet another milestone — the first Cult Pens pen. Introducing the Cult Pens Mini Fountain Pen - a simple compact metal fountain pen designed for portability and all-round usefulness. At ......Read More
Sharpening a pencil can be a meditative process. It temporarily takes you away from your task to spend a few moments in a simple, largely mindless process so that you can return with newly-sharpened vigour. Or at least with a sharp pencil.The problem with sharpening ......Read More
In the 1960s, when the Soviet Union and the United States were involved in the space race, one problem they faced was how astronauts could write in the vacuum of space. Many people have had the frustrating experience of trying to write with a biro ......Read More
It's time to light the candles and bring out the cake, as 2013 is a very big year for the Pentel Sign Pen - it's turned 50! Anyone want to start singing Happy Birthday?The Sign Pen is the ORIGINAL fibre-tipped pen and a revolution in ......Read More
When it comes to choosing a new ink for your fountain pen, the name that nearly always comes to mind, is Diamine. But what is the history of Diamine, when was it established and just how many ink colours have they developed? We took the ......Read More
The Hi-Tec-COur story starts with a relatively little-known, but much-loved, pen from Pilot. Here in the UK, we know it as the G-Tec-C4, while in some parts of the world, it's found in the form of the Hi-Tec-C. In Japan, there are many tip sizes ......Read More
This article is aimed at anyone who has just got their first fountain pen and could use a little advice on getting started. If you don't have one yet, why not browse through our huge range fountain pens? Cartridge or Converter? Some pens come with a ......Read More
Florence 1987: Fine writing instruments from Parker, Mont Blanc and the rest are boring, bland and lacking innovation. Dante del Vecchio, a student of political science and a pen enthusiast, frustrated by not being able to buy a pen that suited his taste, decided to ......Read More
Update 3: See the bottom of the post for our conclusion on using these pens with Platinum's permanent Carbon Black ink.Here at Cult Pens, we're a bunch of pen geeks, but you probably guessed that. We'd be in the wrong job if we weren't. When ......Read More
As you know, we are big fans of Pilot's V5/V7 original needle point rollerball, so you can imagine our excitement when the new Cartridge System offering arrived in our offices the other day. More on this in a moment but first a very brief overview ......Read More
Pilot's luxury fountain pen inks, inspired by Japanese nature. ......Read More
This week sees the launch of the latest addition to the Pilot FriXion pen range. If you haven’t yet come across the FriXion then you’re missing out on one of the most significant pen developments in recent years.FriXion rather brilliantly solves the problem of erasable ......Read More
We recently covered the 250th anniversary celebrations of Faber-Castell, who have been making pencils in Nuremberg, Germany, since 1761. Nuremberg has played a major role in pencil manufacturing, including other famous names such as Schwan-Stabilo. However, the Nuremberg company laying claim to the longest tradition ......Read More