Further Reading February 6, 2015

I apologize for not posting an actual review this week, and since I'll be away all weekend, the earliest I could post one is the middle of next week.

• Tina at Fueled By Clouds and Coffee is currently doing a weekly series of posts on nibs that provide alternating line widths. Unlike most posts of that nature, she provides the fairly unique perspective of an artist using them for sketches. Part 1, Part 2
• News about the "revival" of Esterbrook has been abound recently with a review of a new J series pen by Brian Anderson, a post by Ray of FPQuest detailing his feelings about the brand, and a Kickstarter launched to help the brand get on its feet.
• A fairly new blog, Pen Economics, recently came to the surface through Reddit. One of his posts, "Reviewer Integrity and Conflicts of Interest," talks about something I've been afraid to voice my opinion on. When a reviewer receives a pen for free and believes it has no cons, I can't help but wonder if that reviewer cares more for receiving free stuff than providing an honest overview of a pen's pros and cons. A reviewer who receives products for free but still reviews them honestly is Mike at Inkdependence.
• Ecclectidbits reviewed the Eighty Pages notebook. Pocket notebooks never really caught on with me: whenever I want to use a notebook, I'm usually at a desk and could use a regular-sized notebook. And if I need to keep quick notes, I'll just use a piece of 24 lb printer paper or my phone.
• Olivia at Penventory wrote about her experiences so far using a Hobonichi Techo planner for 2015.
• Mike of Inkdependence! reviewed Toucan Black in addition to Bright Green and Sienna.