Currently Inked: Five Fountain Pen and Ink Combinations for a Seasonal Rotation

Introduction

A monthly “currently inked” rotation is one of the simplest ways to get more out of the pens you already own. Instead of letting favorites sit in a case, you pick a handful, match them to inks with some seasonal character, and actually write with them. For this month, the rotation covers a wide spread of styles and nib grades: a large metal flagship, a striped resin classic, a jade celluloid beauty, a retractable everyday carry, and an inexpensive dedicated pen for a famously stubborn ink. Each entry covers how the pen feels in hand, what makes the nib interesting, and why the ink pairing works.

Cross Peerless 125 with Colorverse Dark Energy

The Cross Peerless 125 is a big pen, but it wears its size well. This one is the Platinum Medalist trim, with a metal body and a silver-platinum finish accented by gold-colored trim. Comfort is the standout: despite the heft, it writes comfortably for long journaling and letter-writing sessions.

The nib is what makes this configuration genuinely unusual. It carries an 18 karat gold Sailor nib, a Japanese nib fitted to an American pen, and it is filled here with Colorverse Dark Energy. The ink swatches red but dries toward a brown, sitting almost perfectly between the two colors, with a subtle greenish sheen that appears as it dries. It is smooth, works well in nearly any pen, and the Colorverse bottles are a small pleasure in themselves, including a large 65 ml bottle alongside a smaller one. The pairing runs wet for a Japanese fine, which suits the ink beautifully.

The only caution worth knowing: if the pen sits unused for more than two to three days, it can dry out slightly, so the feed occasionally needs priming before writing.

Pelikan M800 with KWZ Honey

The Pelikan M800 in the brown and black stripe finish is a limited edition that has aged gracefully. It is an excellent, smooth writer with no complaints, and Pelikan nibs remain among the most attractive nib designs around. This example runs an extra fine 18 karat gold nib.

The ink is a sample of KWZ Honey, a shading ink that ranges from straight brown through yellowy gold with a hint of green mixed in. The name is accurate: hold up a jar of golden honey and the color is close. Performance has been faultless, and KWZ inks carry a pleasant vanilla scent that adds to the experience. The honest dilemma is whether a full bottle is worth buying when a similar favorite, Diamine Tobacco Sunburst, already exists on the shelf. Honey runs a little lighter and yellower than Tobacco Sunburst, so the sample may be enough.

Platinum 3776 Celluloid with PinBBS Matcha Ice Cream

The Platinum 3776 in the Jade celluloid finish is a pen that is genuinely mesmerizing to hold. The swirling green marbled material is the whole appeal, and it pairs naturally with a seasonal ink choice.

This one carries the standard 3776 broad nib, which behaves much closer to a western medium, making it a broad that is actually enjoyable to use. The ink is PinBBS 342, better known as Matcha Ice Cream, quite possibly the most accurate matcha-colored ink ever made. It runs wet, especially through the broad nib, shades nicely, and stays fully readable even on papers where it can misbehave slightly. The only catch is availability: the ink is nearly impossible to find now and usually has to be imported from China. It is not a dry ink, though it may be slightly on the thin side, but it flows well and has been a delight throughout.

Pilot Vanishing Point with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji

The Pilot Vanishing Point is the trusty everyday carry that never stays out of the rotation for long. This well-used example runs an 18 karat gold fine nib, though the line reads broad for a Japanese fine, which makes an extra fine an interesting future option.

The ink is a long-held sample of Iroshizuku Tsutsuji, a vivid pink. For someone who is not normally a pink-ink person, it is an easy one to like: bright enough to feel energizing, especially in springtime, yet still completely legible on the page. In a wet writer on the right paper it shows a soft gold sheen, and on Tomoe River paper that sheen comes through nicely. It is mostly a flat color rather than a shader, but the performance is exactly what you would expect from the Iroshizuku line.

Platinum Preppy with Noodler’s Bay State Blue

The final pen is the least expensive of the group, and it is dedicated to the most demanding ink. The Platinum Preppy family, sometimes sold under the Meteor name in themed editions such as this Harry Potter Ravenclaw release, shares the same nib, feed, and section across the line. It is a steel fine, and it stays permanently inked with Noodler’s Bay State Blue.

That dedication is deliberate. Bay State Blue is famously hard on pens: it stains, it is fiddly, and it wants to be rinsed out thoroughly whenever a pen is cleaned. Rather than risk a treasured pen, dedicating an inexpensive one to the ink makes sense. The Preppy’s slip seal cap mechanism keeps it wet and ready to write, so it will not dry out between uses. The reward is the brightest, most vivid blue available, great shading, and an honest office-blue performer once it is on the page.

Buying Advice

If you are choosing one from this lineup, match it to your habits. The Cross Peerless 125 rewards writers who journal regularly and do not mind priming a feed after a few idle days. The Pelikan M800 is the safe, smooth choice for anyone wanting a polished resin flagship with an extra fine nib. The Platinum 3776 Celluloid suits buyers who value materials as much as writing performance. The Vanishing Point remains one of the best options for a click-to-write carry pen, and the Platinum Preppy is the smart pick for testing risky inks without worry.

Pairing pens with seasonal inks, like honey brown and matcha green, is a small habit that keeps a collection feeling fresh without buying anything new.

Conclusion

This month’s rotation spans nearly every price tier and every kind of writing personality, from a large flagship with a cross-brand Sailor nib to a few-dollar demonstrator devoted to one stubborn blue ink. The common thread is that each pen has a job, each ink has a reason to be there, and the seasonal palette makes daily writing feel a little more considered.