Currently Inked February 2026: Six Fountain Pen and Ink Picks Worth a Look

Introduction

A fresh month usually means a fresh set of pens and inks, and this February setup combines four fountain pens with very different nib personalities alongside two well-behaved inks. It is a good example of how much variety you can get from a modest rotation: a wet, broad stub for expressive writing, two specialty Japanese nibs for precision work, and an architect-style grind for a genuinely unusual line.

Everything below was tested on the same paper, so the comparisons are fair, and each pairing has earned its place through real writing time rather than novelty.

The Paper: Maruman Spiral Notebook

The notebook carrying this month’s samples is a Maruman spiral notebook in A5 dot grid, picked up on clearance and filling in for a notebook that had finally been maxed out. It comes in a wide range of formats, spiral configurations, and orientations, and it has proven reliable enough that several previous ones have been filled completely.

Each notebook holds 80 sheets of 80gsm paper, includes a cover sheet that doubles as blotting paper, perforates every page for easy removal, and provides a neat spot for date and title. The paper is a slightly creamy neutral white rather than a heavy cream, which helps inks show their true colour, and it has handled ink properties well across multiple filled notebooks.

The Inks: Roshuku Fuyu, Roshuku Asagal, and the Rest

Two of the inks this month come from the same well-regarded line and earn a mention up front. Roshuku Fuyu is a purple-leaning grey with plenty of shading and no sheen, a natural fit for late winter. Unlike some greys that run dry, it is nicely wet and flows reliably in every pen. Roshuku Asagal is a bright, vibrant medium blue with just a hint of red that rarely shows in normal writing. It behaves like a saturated showy blue but without the usual trouble: it flows well and washes out of pens easily, which makes it a rare combination of pop and practicality. Both bottles are among the most-used inks in the collection.

Leonardo Momento Zero Grande

This Leonardo is an early collaboration piece, from the second batch ever of the primary manipulation material, and it remains a striking pen. This is the old model before the ink window and improved piston arrived, and it uses a piston filler throughout.

The nib is a 14 karat gold stub, likely a 1.3, fitted to the old-style section. It is beautifully tuned and smooth, and it lays down a lot of ink, which brings out heavy shading in the grey-purple Fuyu. It is a genuinely lovely writer and a favourite for exactly that reason.

Pilot Custom Heritage 912

The Custom Heritage 912 with a posting nib is one of the newer arrivals here. The downturned nib writes an extra-extra-fine hairline, and in direct comparison with an ultra extra fine from Platinum, it actually came out finer. It is not designed to be a wet writer, and you can feel the tip engaging the paper slightly, but it stays smooth.

The pen itself is medium sized, well built, with a good converter and the standard 14K number-10 nib platform that also accepts Pilot’s specialty nibs. If you want genuinely tiny handwriting, this is the tool, but it is worth trying before buying rather than ordering blind, since the posting nib style is not for everyone.

Pairing a nib this fine with the vibrant blue Asagal keeps the writing legible and lively.

Pilot Custom 742

The Custom 742 shares the same number-10 nib platform as the 912, offered here in a cigar-shaped body with gold trim, but with a Waverly nib instead. Where the posting nib points down, the Waverly points up, and the effect is remarkable: the line width and wetness stay essentially identical no matter what angle you hold the pen, whether almost parallel to the desk or past 90 degrees.

That makes it a genuinely friendly all-rounder, particularly for left-handed writers or anyone with unusual writing angles and grips. The nib is glassy smooth and easy for anybody to write with.

The ink here is Roshuku Inaho, a yellowy gold-brown with good shading that is unfortunately discontinued, so only the last of a sample remains. It has always been well behaved and looks slightly different depending on the paper.

Platinum President

The Platinum President here carries the two-tone 18 karat gold ultra extra fine nib, a nib no longer in production even though the pen line continues with different nibs. You can still find it through import channels, including Japanese retailers.

In practice, this nib writes with an architect-like character: very thin downstrokes with broader cross strokes, finer than a Lamy extra fine but with that same grind quality. Interestingly, the fine and ultra extra fine Presidents write almost identically on the page, with this one showing slightly more feedback from the grind. Compared directly, the 912’s posting nib is still substantially finer overall.

The ink is Diamine Majestic Blue, roughly halfway through a 30ml bottle with the goal of finishing it this year. It is a sheening ink but a safe one: it does not stain pens or smear the way high-sheen inks often do, it is very wet, and it is inexpensive. The bronze sheen shows through even in this ultra extra fine nib, which makes it one of the more legible readable sheeners around. That said, with too many medium royal blues already in the collection, a full rebuy is unlikely once the bottle is empty.

Also in the Rotation: Notebook and Ink Accessories

The Maruman notebook is the quiet workhorse of this setup. Its 80gsm pages keep the ink properties honest, the perforations mean clean tear-outs, and the included blotting sheet handles wet writers like the stub and the Diamine. For anyone tracking ink samples or daily writing, the format flexibility, from top spiral to side spiral to landscape, makes it easy to fit into any workflow.

The other member of the supporting cast is Diamine Majestic Blue itself, which earns its featured spot not for rarity but for behaviour: a well-mannered sheener that lets you test how a paper handles sheen without the smearing and staining headaches. It is cheap, cheerful, and a useful benchmark ink.

Buying Advice

If you want expressive, shaded writing, the Leonardo with its wet gold stub is the emotional pick of this group. For fine, precise handwriting, the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 posting nib is the standout, though try the nib style first. The Custom 742 Waverly is the most forgiving choice, especially for left-handed writers or unusual angles. The Platinum President suits collectors who want a discontinued two-tone nib with an architect-like grind. Around them, the Maruman notebook and Diamine Majestic Blue are inexpensive additions that make daily testing and writing easier.

Conclusion

This February rotation shows how different nib styles change the same ink and paper into completely different writing experiences. The posting nib pairing is the current favourite, but the Momento Zero Grande is never far behind. Each pen here has a clear identity, and together with two reliable inks and a dependable notebook, the setup covers everything from tiny note-taking to expressive shading.