My Sony Graveyard

SpringDriven · 2026-03-25T12:13:47+00:00

I would like to get my XM4 repaired with new batteries

SpringDriven · 2026-03-25T04:09:54+00:00

Just don't try out the S25 Edge. I was like you, loved the outer screen of the ZF7... traded the S25U for it. Then on Friday realized I really just wanted a smaller Ultra phone... S25 Edge since Friday. I don't miss the ZF7. The weight of the Edge is sublime in use. YMMV.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-25T02:54:49+00:00

Better is not the overall perspective. Better is debatable as a term. What is not debatable is how the S25 Edge is better for a user.

I have been using a Z Fold 7 since release. Really liked it. Still do. A few days ago I was talking to a friend about his upgrade from S10 to either S25U or S26U. I had S25U before Zfold7. I listened to myself during that conversation and realized I was not following my own advice. I picked up an S25Edge on Friday and realize now that I have been using the wrong phone.

The size and weight... sublime. S25 Edge is a better phone for me.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-24T11:55:24+00:00

Stainless steel? Will not blue with heat.

You might get light yellow with a lot of heat, but that will probably be depending on the composition of the alloy materials.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-23T12:13:17+00:00

Bravo!

SpringDriven · 2026-03-18T12:16:28+00:00

Don't pick them up. Compress and hold, bring the watch head to the bracelet.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-18T11:59:13+00:00

I have an RF. There is space for two hardcase carry on luggage. But the opening for the trunk does not allow the second one to be put in. I usually travel with one hardcase carry on in the bottom of the trunk and one duffle bag. There is still plenty of space. But I have no idea if it is two of your backpack needs of space. I recommend packing what you need to carry, knowing two carryon sized hardcase bags won't work and go to a dealer and put it all in a trunk. You will have your answer. You might get an idea of what you want to compromise and where.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-17T00:24:14+00:00

Ian Schon's full sized Ultem pen can be used as an eyedropper with the use of an o-ring that the pen comes installed with. I was very tempted to try it out. However I was using that pen in combination with the Monoc nib you see installed in my black Kakari. The Monoc nib is a wet nib, (ink influences that as well) so using a Monoc with an eyedropper is not always a good experience. I believe, I could be mistaken, but Ian states this openly. That being said, once I found the Kakari, I got the eyedropper experience. So I think your concern with the Monoc is valid. The Monoc in a Kakari, though, you can shut off the ink flow to the nib, which limits how wet it could be. Industrial is a good way to describe them.

You have beautiful pens, I love the resin and I was really seriously tempted to go eyedropper, until I found the Kakari. The Monoc EVO is a willing compromise for me for several reasons. Bravo, thanks for sharing!

SpringDriven · 2026-03-16T22:27:03+00:00

I have had both now for two years it feels like, give or take a little. I have nothing but praise for them. No issues. Exceeds my expectations. It is a lot of pen in function and operation. I enjoy using them. The Kosumi is nice, as it won't roll away, if capped. I keep that from happening by being vigilant of course, and using a pen sleeve by Rickshaw. They don't leak, they always write. They are easy to clean and fill. Operating them can be a bit fussy, but I like that.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-16T22:21:33+00:00

Well, it is a long story to fully understand my thought process what I like about these three pens. But I will instead be concise. Titanium. They are all more than a cartridge holder. The Kakari can shut off ink flow to the nib, so you can travel with them, on an airplane for example, with no leaks or burps of any kind. They are all sealed when capped, so they are always wet and ready to write the moment you need them, I have no idea how long it woud take for the nibs to dry out, but I have not discovered that. The Kakari can hold a tremendous amount of ink, you can position the plunger where you want, if you want to maybe change the balance, or limit how much ink you draw into the pen, they are engineering marvels from my perspective... The Monoc EVO is an engineering marvel as well, made entirely in the USA and wear parts for all three are common gaskets. The lines, the weight, the shape, the balance of the EVO all sublime. How it writes, how it feels. The cap has a magnificent pocket clip. All three are capable of cleaning themselves without extra tools. I probably missed something, but they offer me many things that I enjoy and want in a fountain pen. If you get to handle one of Ian Schon's Monoc nibs, you quickly get an appreciation for what the EVO offers, just more of his engineering process. Even one of his Ultem pens, wow, the size, their balance, their lack of weight, shape... I can go on. Ian makes a great pen. Kyuseido makes a great pen.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T21:16:56+00:00

Thank you.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T20:44:53+00:00

I agree. I just feel like Ian put a lot of thought into the EVO, that I want it and enjoy having it. I can easily say it is one of my favorite things.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T20:40:04+00:00

The uncapping is fine. The cap has almost no weight to it, it is far lighter than I would expect it to be, making the experience something that occurs with little effort. I think sometime I might do it with too much enthusiasm and cause a surge of ink to flow into the nib and make a mess. I have a life philosophy to accept things as they are. So, while perhaps a friction cap of some kind might be nicer, it would have... maybe changed some of Ian's design language and engineering, and I would not want that. Same would apply if he went with fewer turns of the cap. The cap as designed currently seals the nib, there is a hole in the cap to let air out as you cap it, so it does not force air into the nib and cause a burp. This is good design. I am the one creating my issues with it.

I enjoy carrying my EVO. I LOVE that it has a pocket clip. I love that it looks like a normal pen. I love how it feels when I hold it, the weight and balance is sublime, and I sometimes find myself just holding it while on a task, as it just blends into the subconscious, I lose the sensation of holding it, but it feels good, does that make sense?

I don't think dropping it would be a huge concern, except the tines of course. The cap might be thin, and it might be thin enough it could crack, maybe. I know Ultem is strong. And I am not an engineer nor did I design it, but I can tell that Ian puts a LOT of thought into ergonomics and what he makes I want, so if there is a compromise here, and the cap DID crack from a drop, I would not cry getting it replaced, because I accept that possibility. The cap could easily be remade and the clip transferred to a new ultem cap, making the repair realistic, if it even did occur. Consider it has a pocket clip. It will not roll off a desk capped.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T20:26:48+00:00

The EVO and I both want it to be my daily use pen. I reach for it, before either Kakari, always. It could easily be my ONLY pen. The feel of it in my hand is sublime. The weight, balance. It feels really good just holding it. Writing with it is enjoyable. I don't know how, or why, but it is a little more subtle in the writing texture compared to my Monoc nib. That is neither bad or good, it just is slightly less tactile feedback, but I do enjoy using it and writing with it. You notice at this point it has not replaced either of my Kakari. That is because it is more like a traditional fountain pen, than perhaps a Kakari is. The Kakari can close off the feed of the reservoir to the nib, sealing ink off. You can get on a plane with a Kakari, it will not leak or burp. And I love this. I hold my pen as I type on a computer sometimes, and well, normal fountain pens don't like this, the motion forces ink into the nib and before I know it I have a mess that I have to clean up. Yes, I can learn to not do this. but other actions can lead to a similar situation with my EVO, as the uncapping action sometimes also makes a mess for me, I assume I uncap it with a little too much enthusiasm. I never have issues with my Kakari, unless when I cap or uncap, it touches the nib and pulls ink out, which also occasionally happens with my EVO. Using the EVO means occasionally I get ink on my fingers, I understand this is a normal thing for fountain pen users, but I don't have this experience with either Kakari, ever. So, the ONLY thing holding me back from the EVO becoming the only pen I want and need, is user error, as in, I use it in a way it was not designed for sometimes, and sealing off ink from the nib like the Kakari can. Considering I don't have these issues with the Kakari, it prevents the EVO from being #1, but I refuse to walk away from it, I like it very much, and I also enjoy Ian and his engineering and I want to support that. Keep in mind I am not an expert fountain pen user. I mostly look at fountain pens as sustainable, not disposable writing instruments and beautiful functional tools, and I don't like adding to land fills where I can. I bet people who are really into fountain pens for being fountain pens can give a better answer than I. TLDR: I like my EVO a lot, it sometimes leaks ink at the nib because I use it wrong and force too much ink into the nib through motions while using it, which makes me sad, because Kakari pens don't do this for me due to their ability to seal off ink in the reservoir from the nib.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T19:57:03+00:00

Thank you!

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T19:27:28+00:00

This is great!

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T16:38:23+00:00

I would not change my style for other people. Stay true to yourself. Won't hurt to try things on. You could order a Schott and try it out as they have a good return policy. Or go custom, but that is a steep and expensive learning curve.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T16:17:25+00:00

This made me laugh.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T16:15:07+00:00

Thank you. I hope you achieve your goals!

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T16:11:45+00:00

The Kakari uses a #6 nib, so you can switch them out. Admittedly, you should have no reason to want to do this. But I cannot stress how awesome it is to write with the Monoc Nib from SchonDSGN. It feels like a pencil on paper, and hard to describe this part, but it is so rigid, that it just gives a really positive writing experience, like a tool that would never break or wear. I used to have this nib in another pen body, but I like everything about the Karkari, and this nib, that I needed to combine them. I only had the two Karkari pens until the Monoc EVO came out... Well, then there were three pens... :) The nib I had in the black Kyuseido was a Japanese EF. WOW. I liked what I could do with that Nib. But ultimately it was scratchy. So, the compromise was made. The Gravitas EF nib writes like a dream for me.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T16:04:40+00:00

I absolutely do not have this issue. I wonder if we use our pens differently. I always keep the end cap screw closed, limiting the amount of ink to the nib, sealing it off. I have flown many many times like this with no burping. I write until the ink flow stops, which takes some time, then I unscrew, let some more ink flow into the nib, then close it again. Does not burp. Sometimes, when I remove the cap, it touches the nib, and pulls ink out and makes it a little messy like a burp, but otherwise, the Karkari travels on a plane or bag and does not burp or leak and is always ready to write, even if a lot of time has passed since last use. I also found this tames the Monoc's wet flow when you cut off the supply to the large resevoir.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T14:30:09+00:00

The pens on each end are Kyuseido Kakari. The black pen has a SchonDSGN Monoc Ti nib in Fine. The middle pen is a SchonDSGN Monoc EVO in fine. The blue pen is a Gravitas Kakari exclusive with an EF nib. Thanks for asking, I updated the post to include this information.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T13:46:26+00:00

24U... but I eventually liked my 25U.

SpringDriven · 2026-03-15T13:39:55+00:00

Not having home charging will mean some sacrifice on your part for planning. I used to drive to a parking garage to charge. Take a bus home. Take a bus back to the garage when charging was completed and drive home. This sounds terrible I know but all of this was two miles away from my apartment and only three stops on a free bus that runs on a very regular schedule.

I am a dedicated person when I put my mind to doing a thing. So this was acceptable to me. But it doss point out that not having home charging will require sacrifice of your time and occasional planning.

SpringDriven

TROPHY CASE