Today I am sharing a follow up post. It’s been a very full month here in Rhode Island following the Blizzard of 26! Who knew we’d still have snow on the ground from the snowstorm that took out the last week in February…but we do! However it is melting nicely today as the temperature is 55 degrees and sunny. I’m not here to follow up on the snowstorm, that was a bonus. I am here to offer up some follow-up thoughts about the journals and pens I received this year from Ellington Pens, and also to check in with my All the Love February folks, who hopefully were able to respond to a prompt or four!
First, thank you to Ellington Pens for sending two of their fountain pens for me to compare and review. I also have been using the lovely red journal I reviewed in February. I will share links at the end of the post instead of getting all link crazy on you.
Thank you also to those who jumped in and journaled in February. Whether you did one prompt or all, my hope is to inspire you to pick up the pen, find your voice, and share your words on paper. The goal is that you are able to discover the delight that comes from journaling, whether a few lines or a few pages. I hope you were able to experience that last month!
Speaking of Discovery and Delight
Since mid-February I have been journaling away in this EP journal, and it has been a pleasure. I am about halfway through the A5 dot grid notebook (160 pages). The 100gsm paper has been great, even as I dropped a blop of Writer’s Blood ink onto the page- and noticed it performed amazingly. Not bleeding through to multiple pages, but holding its own and eventually allowing me to wipe its beautiful color into a smudge. I really do appreciate the vibrant red, and the Saffiano cover which has proven to be amazingly durable. Additionally the cover is very attractive. I love the texture, look and feel. These are simple pleasures that add a bit of lovely to our days, yes? Life is short, friends, buy the journal yes- but more importantly, use it! Amen?
A Tale of Two Nibs
The main reason I wanted to share was not only to follow up on the EP journal quality, but also to compare the nibs sizes. So here is where it gets a bit interesting. I am not a fountain pen expert. I have been down the road for a bit, before abruptly u-turning after buying a couple of higher end models and being disappointed and disillusioned. My fountain pen range is limited, because I am on a budget. But also after my personal experience with a couple of the popular pricey models, I decided to count my losses and seek after more profitable endeavors. Like more writing and less pen ogling! I like my fountain pens to be workhorses, not finicky task-masters who perform intermittently well, but then do weird things. Or worse. So I have literally been writing exclusively with the two pens sent to me by Ellington Pens, The Alpine Rose Medium and Fine Tip Fountain Pens, since mid January. I have learned a few things. First off, the pens serve well their purpose. Both the pens I received perform as well as any of the fountain pens I have used in the past, and better than the pricier ones which I won’t name. The ink flow is excellent. Notably the pen filling is great- always a nice fill without endless repeated attempts. I like that a lot. Because I have more important things to do than fill and clean the pen (though both are important) such as the getting down to the business of writing.
To that end, I have had a good amount of time – the first quarter of this year, to write daily with both the Medium and Fine Nibs. I will say that I inked the pens with very distinctive ink, and hate changing out inks, preferring to designate one pen for a favorite color. I have Noodler’s Bay State Blue in the Fine Nib Pen, and Diamine Writer’s Blood in the Medium Nib Pen. These make it harder to compare the Nib performance accurately. However I enjoy writing with both, but I favor the Fine Nib, and the reason why, I think- is maybe it’s not too fine. But it could also be that the ink is dark as well. The website says the Fine Nib is 0.4-0.5 and the Medium Nib is 0.5-0.7. The Extra Fine Nib comes in at 0.38-0.45, but I have not tried that nib as of this writing. Based on my “intuitiveness” as someone who journals excessively with pens of all sizes and shapes I would say the Fine Nib feels like it leans toward 0.5 plus (not 0.4), and the Medium leans toward 0.7 but not 0.5. This is my opinion. I am curious about their Extra Fine Nib and would love to see how that compares as well.
So, I have to say overall, I am pleased with the excellence of the Ellington Pens and they have been my constant writing companions for 2026. And with them I have already penned a few wonderful poems, prayers, plans, and ponderings. All the P’s and Q’s, indeed.
I feel confident that both the products and customer service of Ellington Pens will serve you well. As I can, I will look forward to trying other products they have, such as their inks, and also other pens.
One thing you can count on is that this company is ALWAYS doing a sale, so if you sign up for e-mail notifications (and don’t mind deleting what you don’t want) they have regular great sales and you can take advantage when the time is right for you.
I also have a discount code available and affiliate link. You know I scarcely use affiliate links. If I did not love the pens and journals I would not share! I do love these pens. I wish I could buy them all! But like you, I am on a budget. But do keep this line in mind when you want to reward yourself, or give a great gift. As I said, I have been writing with these pens all year. I absolutely believe you won’t regret owning and using the pens or journals!
Friends, if you make a purchase using the links below that would go towards supporting my writing life and I would be grateful.
Here are the links of the products and reviews with my affiliate links:
Who Needs a New Journal? I review the Red Saffiano Journal in this post, also the Gift Journal Bundle is previewed.
Ellington Pens Fountain Pen Review– I review the Alpine Rose Medium Nib Pen.
Thank you for reading, please reach out with any questions!
Enthusiastically, Dawn 
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