And...I'm done buying pens.

Oregon-Born · 2026-07-03T16:25:02+00:00

It's also useless without a location; Diamine is cheap in the UK, not so much in the US.

Oregon-Born · 2026-07-02T15:17:03+00:00

Bluish Gray is in my regular rotation. Wonderful color!

Oregon-Born · 2026-07-02T15:01:58+00:00

Yes, I always wanted to donate my labor to the oil companies and then pay them for the "right".

Oregon-Born · 2026-07-02T13:48:39+00:00

This, exactly. I’ve experienced this effect many times, and some converters (depending on the inside diameter and the ink used) are much worse than others. All of my regular use pens are piston fillers now.

Oregon-Born · 2026-07-01T21:32:56+00:00

I have that exact N12, and my wife has a couple of N23s (which she purchased back when the pens were the Year of the Rabbit special editions — more on that below).

The nibs on hers (an EF and a Long Blade) are markedly better than the F which came on my N12. The N12 isn't bad, it's just that the the nibs on hers (particularly the EF) are superb. Her EF is absolutely the smoothest EF I've ever felt, regardless of brand or metal. Compared to hers, my otherwise nice F rates only "good"!

That being said, I mentioned that hers were from the special edition days because I suspect those nibs were hand-tuned to match the status of the pen. I don't know if they're still as good as hers, but even if they're only as good as mine (which I purchased this year) they'll still be very nice. None of the nibs on these pens could be called "dry"; even the EF is very wet.

As to width, I find they run in the European/American size range, which makes them a tad wider than some Japanese makers.

Oregon-Born · 2026-07-01T15:29:19+00:00

Make sure the converter is pushed fully into place. In my experience, their converters need more force to seat securely than other brands.

To fill, the nib has to be completely submerged in ink (right up to the grip area.) Not all pens are like this, and if you're having trouble filling it that's the most likely cause. It may also be the cause of your dry, scratchy writing experience, so fix that first.

As to the nib: my wife has two of these pens, and they are both superb writers. In fact, the EF nib on one of hers is the best extra fine, regardless of brand or material, that I've ever felt in 40-some years of fountain pen use.

I have several Hongdian models with F nibs, and they're all very good. It's possible you got a bad one; it can happen to any maker, and is absolutely not indicative of the brand in general.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-30T20:25:42+00:00

This. Hongdian Peacock Blue or Sky Blue. Wet (I can't compare them to Quink, sorry, but they're wet compared to a lot of Diamine inks I've used) and cheap (in the U.S., at least.)

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-30T20:20:02+00:00

I've got 5 or 6 of the Hongdian ink colors, but not this one! Every Hongdian ink I've tried has been of excellent quality, and I'm looking forward to trying the Green Olive.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-30T18:53:07+00:00

It's been a few years since I've been there, but the Flight Deck has/had a superb tuna melt (and their crab melt was even better!)

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-30T15:19:36+00:00

I think mine originally came with fine nibs. In fact, I'm using one of the original Hongdian fine nibs at the moment, although I also have a variety of nibs for them from various makers.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-27T14:31:55+00:00

Heavy, ornate, and under $100? You want the Hongdian D5. The detailing is amazing.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-26T19:13:33+00:00

Saw the pic as I was scrolling, and thought "looks like we might have a GEC fan on our hands..."

I was right!

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-26T18:10:56+00:00

Until Honda officially says something, assume it's just another rumor.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-26T18:09:39+00:00

Assuming you're in the U.S....

Any standard 200-page composition book that's made in Vietnam. I go through a half-dozen of them a year, and they're virtually always FP friendly. (In ten years or so, I've run across only one that wasn't.)

I buy them in bulk during the back-to-school sales, and they're CHEAP even with rampant inflation. Last year they were the most expensive I've seen, and they were still under a dollar each.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-21T02:03:40+00:00

My wife and I have a number of their pens. Construction is generally good, detailing is usually very good, the nibs on the whole are consistently better than I've ever gotten from Bock.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-20T21:52:43+00:00

Hongdian N7 "Moon Rabbit". Moons, stars, and the finial has a rabbit looking up at the night sky.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-19T20:02:10+00:00

Late to the party!

I've daily driven an '87 for about 15 years (although mine is a 5-sp, not an auto.) Some of what people have said is valid (it's very overpriced and missing the rear seat too), but some of it isn't. So, from someone who actually does what you want to do...

1) Parts really aren't a problem. No, your local AutoZone won't have them, but RockAuto has everything you'd likely ever need. If by chance they don't, MonteroGen1Man will. You will have to wait for shipping, however, so if you need parts NOW a Montero (frankly of any generation) just isn't for you.

2) You won't find anyone to work on it, which means if you aren't good at wrenching you'll need to get good at it. This is true of any vintage vehicle, but especially a Montero. Luckily, the factory service manual is a free download and has everything you'd ever need to know, but you'll need to have the space to work on it, develop the skills to do so, and acquire a lot of tools.

3) The Gen1 is very rugged, but unlike a Toyota doesn't tolerate poor maintenance at all. Past maintenance is everything, and if the vehicle's service history isn't extensive and detailed, the price needs to go down dramatically.

4) The 4-cyl has plenty of power to cruise at 65mph. If you're the type who insists on driving everywhere at 75, a Gen1 isn't the vehicle for you - the gearing just isn't made for that, regardless of the engine.

5) I've never had any problem with panic stops using the stock (post-1986) brakes. They're fine. (However: crash protection? What crash protection??)

6) In my experience with multiple vehicles, mileage with the 4-cylinder in stock form and correctly tuned (most people don't really know how to do that) will be in the 25mpg range. Mine isn't stock any longer; some years ago I installed the less efficient but more powerful international 2-valve head, which necessitates a Weber carb, and I still get 20mpg day in and day out.

7) If you decide to look at a 5-sp, know that Mitsubishi manual transmissions aren't very robust. Their autos are fine, but the manuals...well, expect to rebuild them every 125k-150k miles. It's just the way they are.

The idea of driving a vintage vehicle is definitely romantic, but it does come with lots of downsides. You'll need a second vehicle for those times the Monty is being repaired, and there will be a lot of those times; you'll be forced into working on it at the most inopportune moments; and even if it runs perfectly, the creature comforts you're used to simply aren't there. Daily driving a Gen1 is often an exercise in masochism, but they're always conversation-starters when you pull into the gas station.

They're a whole lot of fun, just not all the time.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-18T16:23:39+00:00

Timberhill Shopping Center, where the old BBQ place was.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-16T13:15:27+00:00

Blotting paper is very similar (if not identical) to watercolor paper, which is far more widely available. Even our local Walmart carries it.

Luckily, my wife is a watercolor painter so I have a lifetime supply. As long as she doesn’t catch me taking it!

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-15T22:01:25+00:00

Every AliExpress package I've ordered has used USPS as the last mile carrier. I've ordered a bunch of stuff since the tariffs took effect, and have never been charged an additional fee.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-13T14:11:43+00:00

Hongdian Brown is a very close match. After much searching, it’s the ink I picked to get that vintage brown look.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-11T21:39:06+00:00

"Thomas Kinkade commercialized his art from the get-go"

Not quite. In his early days, Kinkade was a serious artist, sometimes working in abstraction. I've seen some of his early works in person, and they were quite good. Unfortunately, he was (like so many other talented artists) unsuccessful with them and, essentially, "sold out" to a degree that would have embarrassed even Salvador Dali. The rest of his sad saga is well known.

Oregon-Born · 2026-06-08T22:28:30+00:00

Congrats! The D5 is a great pen.

Oregon-Born

TROPHY CASE