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HisNibs.com update -- Fountain Pen Day raffle
November 6th, 2014

Greetings,

Celebrate Fountain Pen Day on Friday, November 7th by taking out your favorite fountain pen a writing a real letter to someone!

To help celebrate the day, HisNIbs.com is holding a raffle for a Tiger Overlay fountain pen, valued at $45.00. Read the details here http://hisnibs.com/fpd.htm.

Private Reserve ink has recently begun changing the size of their smaller bottle by increasing it from a 50 ml bottle to a 66 ml one. Although the retail price has increased, we'll continue to discount the price for our customers. Now's your chance to stock up on the smaller bottles while they're still available.

The Hero '616' -- in both Standard and Demi sizes -- is a terrific, and inexpensive, homage to the Parker 51.

Speaking of an homage -- the Crocodile Crystal Leather does and admirable job in that department for a certain Montblanc model!

As this newsletter goes out to a mailing list of thousands of customers, please understand if there's a delay in answering your email queries or orders after one of these is sent. We will respond in order received and as soon as possible!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~in this issue
* Fountain Pen Day raffle
* Private Reserve re-sizes
* Hero 616 vs. the Parker 51
* Crocodile Crystal Leather vs. Montblanc
* Monteverde ink
* 'His Nibs' page on Facebook

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Fountain Pen Day raffle

Having been a proud sponsor of 'Fountain Pen Day' since its inception in 2012, HisNibs.com would like to would like to join in the celebration by awarding one lucky customer a Tiger overlay pen in their choice of red or black -- a $45.00 value!



Just place your order for anything on the website on Friday, November 7th or Saturday November 8th and you'll be entered into the raffle for the Tiger (in the color of your choice). The winner will be selected randomly on Sunday, November 9th and their free pen will be included with their order for shipment on Monday, November 10th.

"Hi Norman, I have some free time and I wanted to tell you of a gratifying experience I recently had. Even when I buy several pens at the same time usually they don't stay unused for very long, since as you know we fountain pen aficionados like to try out our pens as soon as they come into our hands. However, for some reason or another, as I was finding a place for my latest acquisitions (a Jinhao Blue Plasma and a Duke Gold Rings) I noticed that my Jinhao Black Tiger was sitting inside its box utterly untried. So I proceeded to fill her with Private Reserve DC Super Violet and tested her out -- boy, what a surprise. As you know I own several very expensive Japanese and European fountain pens (as well as some fantastic vintage Parkers and Sheaffers, and some priceless Costa Rican pens hand made with native precious woods), worth some 100 times or more what I paid for the Black Tiger, but I can honestly say none of them writes better than this Jinhao pen -- maybe a couple write AS well, but I find it hard to believe that any pen could possibly write any better. This pen glides smooth as silk, with absolutely perfect strokes, impeccably uniform lines in every which direction, and with incredibly regular ink flow. Jinhao pens as a rule are very high quality (I love all of mine), but this one is simply exceptional. I know nibs of course vary in large or incredibly subtle ways (as everything else in the universe) -- no two nibs are exactly alike, no matter the brand or make. But even so, I am very surprised at the surpassing perfection of this nib. Just wanted to let you know. Oh, and thank so much for very many pleasurable moments with some of the finest (and most inexpensive) pens on the market today. Mind you -- inexpensive, certainly not cheap. Warm regards,"
M. A., Costa Rica

"I received the great tiger pen Monday, I love it!"
D. R., Atlanta, GA

See the details here... - http://hisnibs.com/fpd.htm

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Private Reserve re-sizes



Private Reserve ink is gradually changing their smaller sized bottle from 50 ml to 66 ml (the large 110 ml stays the same).

I've put up a new chart on the HisNibs.com website which shows what I have in stock for each color in each size. As the 50 ml bottles sell out, they will be replaced by the 66 ml size.

The 50 ml retails for $8.80 ($7.95 our price). The 66 ml retails for $11.00 ($9.95 our price) and the large 110 ml retails for $15.00 ($13.00 our price).

See the chart here... - http://hisnibs.com/ink.htm

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Hero 616 vs. the Parker 51



As you can see, this homage to the great Parker 51 model fountain pen comes in two sizes, much like the original. The Demi, in both the Parker and Hero versions, was slightly smaller in length and girth to the Standard model (in fact, Parker renamed the Demi as the Slender, but I'll stick with the original nomenclature).

Both versions of the Hero 616 reprise the Parker arrow clip, and are crowned by steel 'jewels'. The caps are etched with separated groupings of pinstripes (7 per group for the Demi, 11 for the larger Standard cap) and have the Chinese characters for 'Hero' and the model number '616'.

"Norm, I just can't get over what a great pen this cheap little thing has turned out to be. I'm glad I got two of them....I tend to buy in pairs.....if I can afford it. For $15 you can't beat this. Normally I don't like fine points....too scratchy, but this one is turning out to be my daily writer. When I reach for something to scribble with...it's often the 616. The other thing is....the larger nibs often lay down so much ink that you can only
use one side of the page....unless you step up to the 24 lb paper....which is noticeably more expensive. This Hero 616 is great for people who tend to write quickly....scribbling down thoughts. I wish it had a typical converter fill mechanism....for cleaning....but this one seems to work fine...from a confirmed "I don't like fine nibs" writer. I sure do like the Hero 616."
J. H., Tampa, FL

"Norman, I am loving my hero 616! I still cannot believe how well this pen writes, and for $15 at that. In fact, I will be soon purchasing one from you for my sister for her birthday. I know the reason this pen writes so well is the excellent nib adjustment you gave it prior to shipping to me."
K. M., Enid, OK

"Hello Norman, Just to let you know that the Hero 616s arrived a few weeks ago, and I've been using them since then. I couldn't be happier with the way they write. The fine point is just what I wanted and it writes beautifully. These pens are absolutely amazing value and your service was excellent. Thank you."
M. D. S., Australia

http://hisnibs.com/'616'_series.htm

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Crocodile Crystal Leather vs. Montblanc



Although slim, the Crystal Leather is still a full-sized pen. It measures 5-1/2" capped, 6" posted and 5" with cap held aside.

Unscrewing the cap -- which can also screw on the barrel should you wish to post it -- displays the knurled gripping section and two-toned 22K gold-plated steel nib. The section is very comfortable to grip and provides nice traction to one's fingers. I'd rate the nib a light medium, meaning it's between a typical western fine and medium in my judgment.

"Hi Norman, Just a quick note to let you know that my order has arrived already! I fell in love with the Conklin when I saw the picture, but it is even more beautiful "in real life". I've inked it up with Noodler's Ottoman Rose and it is writing beautifully. It might take me a little time to get used to the feel of the Crescent "bump" but it is so lovely to have on my desk that I am sure it will soon be a regular. The Crocodile Crystal Leather is also lovely. It's got a surprising weight to it for such a small pen, which I really like (kind of like shopping for papayas - they always recommend fruit that is "heavy for its size"!) and I love the feel of the textured grip in my hand. The screw-on barrel for posting the cap is great, as it feels very secure, although I do prefer it unposted at this early stage. Another great-value, great-looking everyday pen. Thanks once again for the fabulous service and the lovely merchandise!"
N. R., Australia

More photos here... - http://hisnibs.com/crystal_leather.htm

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Monteverde ink



Monteverde bottled ink features the latest leading European ink treatment formula (ITF). ITF is designed to drastically improve ink-flow quality, extend cap-off time, shorten ink drying time on paper and lubricate and protect ink feeding systems from corrosion and clogging.

Made in Austria and packaged in the U.S.A., each bottle 90ml (3oz.) bottle is packaged in a Monteverde green gift box that displays the ink color on both the front and sides.

See all of the colors here... - http://hisnibs.com/monteverde_ink.htm

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Regards,

Norman Haase
www.hisnibs.com