Articles On Information

Uni-Ball E-Knock Eraser

This is a post about a pencil eraser.<br /><br />I wrote that first sentence to allow disinterested readers to hit another URL immediately. I mean, does anyone really want to spend more than two seconds reading about an eraser? I hope so, because I'll probably spend two seconds times 1000 preparing this post.<br /><br />For anyone who is still reading . . . I recently acquired a Uni-Ball E-Knock eraser, and I'm quite pleased with my purchase. The E-Knock is basically a 5 mm diameter retractable eraser stick housed in a plastic body. It is shaped and sized to resemble a retractable pen, the body is clear, it has a nerd clip, and it has little indentations that are designed to enhance your grip during extreme erasing activity that might result in sweaty fingers. The overall design is very slick, and the build quality is impressive for something that costs less than two bucks. Not only is this thing super cheap, but eraser refills are available (the environment says "thank you"). The E-Knock is available in different colors (clear, blue, pink, and black), and I got the black version because it looks really menacing when I'm attacking renegade pencil marks.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHa8alEsiSTHjpNW__isC-E8CmWaKC5uCYs5gvDNOwkyXfjviKlJyqZX9foEB2VcbSFHsCTtHvOsR1s2cZ35GRSsQSfhB7prs_lgXAqlcP5CtP2osYKwZftG2qWfZG9Y3YpjrfXnTDQM/s1600/IMG_5610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHa8alEsiSTHjpNW__isC-E8CmWaKC5uCYs5gvDNOwkyXfjviKlJyqZX9foEB2VcbSFHsCTtHvOsR1s2cZ35GRSsQSfhB7prs_lgXAqlcP5CtP2osYKwZftG2qWfZG9Y3YpjrfXnTDQM/s200/IMG_5610.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />But how does it work? Well, I don't have a performance scale or an evaluation tool for erasing technology, but I can say with some confidence that it can erase a pencil mark effectively and efficiently. The end result is about the same as the only eraser I've used for most of my life: the Staedtler Mars Plastic. However, compared to the Mars Plastic, the E-Knock leaves more post-erasing dust and plastic remnants on the paper. I can live with extra eraser fragments because the 5 mm tip of the E-Knock is much better for precise and accurate erasing.<br /><br />The actuation mechanism works well, with good tactile feedback and a satisfying "click" when advancing the eraser stick. I dig the see-through body, which makes it easy to determine when a refill is needed. Although I don't intend to attach this eraser to anything, the pocket clip seems rugged enough for those who feel the urge to nerd out and actually use it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ui7p_Gv0KD7c3PuiSecB6G8LRPuzZZdPSF3jEWtwWTxKw4uu-JQhbOY__CgJerBk22kmOJqBJ7zKsUIT5lc4ysUVkwEk0OsgMGsTvggeQtpbM7xEqLimzg22wMorY4xocfXJVfRDOK0/s1600/IMG_5611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ui7p_Gv0KD7c3PuiSecB6G8LRPuzZZdPSF3jEWtwWTxKw4uu-JQhbOY__CgJerBk22kmOJqBJ7zKsUIT5lc4ysUVkwEk0OsgMGsTvggeQtpbM7xEqLimzg22wMorY4xocfXJVfRDOK0/s200/IMG_5611.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />By the way, although sold as a Uni-Ball product, the E-Knock eraser says "Mitsubishi" on it (along with the standard Mitsubishi logo). Now there's some useless trivia for you.<br /><br />To summarize: the Uni-Ball E-Knock eraser is inexpensive, well-built, and refillable, it removes erroneous pencil marks as intended. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

Uni-Ball E-Knock Eraser

This is a post about a pencil eraser. I wrote that first sentence to allow disinterested readers to hit another URL immediately. I mean, doe...

2:38 PM

My Two Cents on the Gerber Dime

<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwHI9uTRQiv7T0mDOujC43TRXFzuRRwfMxRm13dmJfaPlfQvsqF8weHKf_kvpmO32NkKGzBMwmnKsurkbldkWUFr5LosB7ejg6C9BoxcmKkbd5CKM7vFvjvHfyKP2T7LdniZ9JhnphZ0/s1600/IMG_5720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwHI9uTRQiv7T0mDOujC43TRXFzuRRwfMxRm13dmJfaPlfQvsqF8weHKf_kvpmO32NkKGzBMwmnKsurkbldkWUFr5LosB7ejg6C9BoxcmKkbd5CKM7vFvjvHfyKP2T7LdniZ9JhnphZ0/s200/IMG_5720.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div>I've wanted a Leatherman multitool thingy for many years, but never pulled the trigger on one because my desire to own one had been driven primarily by the "cool factor" more than the "hey, I could really use a multitool on a daily basis" factor. That said, I've recently changed my attitude about multitools and I convinced myself to buy one for the "just in case you need pliers or a screwdriver in an emergency" factor. That fresh outlook ultimately led me to the Gerber Dime keychain sized multitool.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once I convinced myself that a multitool must be acquired, I did some research and price comparisons. I was browsing the offerings on the <a href="http://www.leatherman.com/category/multi-tools" target="_blank">Leatherman website</a> and got a little overwhelmed with all of the different models. So I did what I always do: checked out some online multitool reviews. I went straight to the reviews posted on the awesome Everyday Commentary blog, focused on the highest rated products, and was impressed with <a href="http://www.everydaycommentary.com/2012/11/gerber-dime-review_10.html" target="_blank">this stellar review</a> of the Gerber Dime. Once I saw the 20/20 score, I was sold.<br /><br />I purchased the Dime from the evil empire known as Amazon (free shipping with my Prime status) for less than $17.00 . . . "not bad" I thought. When I received it a few days later, I was surprised at its tiny size. The Dime truly is an EDC keychain-carry item. I was also surprised that the product looked like a pre-owned item. For example, the printed lettering on the scales was scuffed up and shoddy looking out of the box. Not really a deal breaker, but also not a great first impression.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, I immediately started to fiddle with the Dime in an attempt to discover all of its useful features. Scissors: check (easy to deploy, well made, cuts paper). Knife: check (easy to deploy, sharp enough, interesting blade shape). Flat screwdriver: damn, that thing is jammed in there, let me try again; damn, I just chipped off my thumbnail, let me try again; WTF this thing sucks, does anyone have a Leatherman that I can use to open this screwdriver? Package opener tool: ditto (now there are two shards of thumbnail on the table next to the Dime). File: check (somewhat easy to deploy, and it came in handy to tune up my jagged and severed thumbnail).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyVV1ySn0DxIXN_bhzWFCpmMIv6VHCDMefNjvw58IpCLp3KA3FuM1xy1EpyH7qxCCln_C6LIh9sVVolP_E7tCy3gTa7rtOcZ1sG4daPAqoCUkcjgIJDRz5BqM8mwivmJ-ha-M0szxQjE/s1600/IMG_5721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyVV1ySn0DxIXN_bhzWFCpmMIv6VHCDMefNjvw58IpCLp3KA3FuM1xy1EpyH7qxCCln_C6LIh9sVVolP_E7tCy3gTa7rtOcZ1sG4daPAqoCUkcjgIJDRz5BqM8mwivmJ-ha-M0szxQjE/s200/IMG_5721.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Used This! Twice!</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Dime also has something that is advertised as tweezers. Unfortunately, the tweezers are not very useful because they are biased in the closed position. Fortunately, I was able to use the end of the file as a pry bar to tweak and bend the tweezers open. After performing this tweezers mod, I used them to pick up and discard my thumbnail shards. Alas, the mod was only temporary; the tweezers returned to the closed position after I slid them back into their retaining slot. The tweezers in my little Swiss Army Knife are much better, and they work as intended without modification.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>The pliers are well-designed, easy to deploy and fold, and have a nice spring action to them. I can't really complain about the pliers, and I'm tempted to keep the Dime simply for this nice feature. Tempted, but not convinced.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TmgbPR_DCENHKePCKhuHcrXDOOsA5HGCsptxIxeWYc0DK0KFWxnx_0trYJXIyihjbq2Uk8XOhtXV8FmIGym7tn2BBDmN9R7oLWt2cJWoOFODNM3yRNBKPXK_PbIXIx8qXsNu2zP6TuE/s1600/IMG_5726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TmgbPR_DCENHKePCKhuHcrXDOOsA5HGCsptxIxeWYc0DK0KFWxnx_0trYJXIyihjbq2Uk8XOhtXV8FmIGym7tn2BBDmN9R7oLWt2cJWoOFODNM3yRNBKPXK_PbIXIx8qXsNu2zP6TuE/s200/IMG_5726.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Dime also has an exposed bottle opener and a split ring for a keychain. I didn't use either of them, but I assume that they work fine. Here's a picture of the Dime in all of its glory:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedDkfy3MLf3fOtREUtSDYUtSiv5usVm1aTh6wPFOXB-KfgOjGjuiQ7cVMPAE09Tt2Jj53M5vSZrDhQoDpxRILagDcEsoMicSsqTxYdxq9uaPxTu3VmWFiY6mh2wlMyzk3WnAWhMLyyyY/s1600/IMG_5723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedDkfy3MLf3fOtREUtSDYUtSiv5usVm1aTh6wPFOXB-KfgOjGjuiQ7cVMPAE09Tt2Jj53M5vSZrDhQoDpxRILagDcEsoMicSsqTxYdxq9uaPxTu3VmWFiY6mh2wlMyzk3WnAWhMLyyyY/s200/IMG_5723.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I honestly think that I may have gotten a unit that was made on a Monday or a Friday, because I refuse to believe that every Dime has tools that are virtually impossible to deploy and/or use properly. It's a shame, because this multitool has an impressive set of features, it looks great, and it seems to be solidly built (other than the tweezers).</div><div><br /></div><div>These pictures will be saved, but the Dime is going back to Amazon. First impressions go a long way with me, and the Dime just doesn't make the cut. I still want to get a multitool to keep in my car, so it looks like I'll be navigating the Leatherman website again real soon.</div>

My Two Cents on the Gerber Dime

I've wanted a Leatherman multitool thingy for many years, but never pulled the trigger on one because my desire to own one had been driv...

9:35 AM

Blue Ink Pens: A Quick Writing Comparison

By now it should be apparent that I've been buying and sampling a variety of pens for daily use at the office. I like to use blue colored pens at the office, so most of the pens that remain in my collection are inked in various shades of blue. I've intentionally stayed away from ballpoint and rollerball pens, and what I have today is a group of gel ink pens and a few fountain pens. I thought it would be interesting to see writing samples of these pens on one sheet of paper. In hindsight, it's not very interesting at all. In fact, it's rather boring and silly. That said, I feel obligated to upload the scanned sheet of paper, otherwise the previous 100+ words will be completely meaningless. So crack open a beer, click on the picture, and prepare to be totally underwhelmed:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTNDbJWz3i7AMgseTp7HkmuasqGp5y6yjF3jyePBFe1QUHCIkP6vJP24UkZzihr1C2OyHGW_XsnSQbF5bWXUIko7p3WToZ2f4JSrTlv2KK2e82ezURV3YHCXNb5cUc5bV14D0hfUklMM/s1600/20121025_Blue_Ink_Shootout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTNDbJWz3i7AMgseTp7HkmuasqGp5y6yjF3jyePBFe1QUHCIkP6vJP24UkZzihr1C2OyHGW_XsnSQbF5bWXUIko7p3WToZ2f4JSrTlv2KK2e82ezURV3YHCXNb5cUc5bV14D0hfUklMM/s320/20121025_Blue_Ink_Shootout.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blues</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

Blue Ink Pens: A Quick Writing Comparison

By now it should be apparent that I've been buying and sampling a variety of pens for daily use at the office. I like to use blue colore...

6:40 AM

And Yet Another Keyboard Facelift

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNbLkRwQh0kR00SzOfAZlIN_Q5pQoS5ZWpYSIEaZJnWVqnqzDk9k3ri5qGSPdo_hMezZWbHzMRmSfFDvYggIGJVnrgq9otYL2HoypLA-z9XAkfityNtR1D3G4xt9dMStVpBQmQ6a-PxI/s1600/IMG_5510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNbLkRwQh0kR00SzOfAZlIN_Q5pQoS5ZWpYSIEaZJnWVqnqzDk9k3ri5qGSPdo_hMezZWbHzMRmSfFDvYggIGJVnrgq9otYL2HoypLA-z9XAkfityNtR1D3G4xt9dMStVpBQmQ6a-PxI/s320/IMG_5510.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Picture Is Worth Two Words</td></tr></tbody></table>I recently scored an awesome, stealthy, and gloomy looking set of key caps for my mechanical keyboard. I'm pretty much over the "white key caps on black keyboard" look, primarily because white key caps tend to become brown gunky dirty key caps in just a few days regardless of the cleanliness of the user. Accordingly, I decided to replace my <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/09/another-keyboard-facelift.html" target="_blank">white ninja key caps</a> with a set of dark gray key caps that should do a much better job at hiding the finger gunk that collects over time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy8O963x339eX-JPvjyvTL5hbPdRDRaUtdnJ6sgwmPvaSRzR5cBQp7GpyWzpim6EN3CNCUf6chiTu6ibw6a3sdL4DmZCpKCA94sO1NsguY-TeaT4DdMnzIhk_gd2vNR_MjH9ScxBJAeA/s1600/IMG_5509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy8O963x339eX-JPvjyvTL5hbPdRDRaUtdnJ6sgwmPvaSRzR5cBQp7GpyWzpim6EN3CNCUf6chiTu6ibw6a3sdL4DmZCpKCA94sO1NsguY-TeaT4DdMnzIhk_gd2vNR_MjH9ScxBJAeA/s200/IMG_5509.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />These new key caps are made of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), which is a preferred material in many keyboard geek circles. PBT key caps are durable, tough, provide a nice finger feel, and can be dye sublimated to create permanent legends that never wear off. The color and white balance are a little off in the pictures; the key caps are actually dark gray with black legends, and they look stellar on my black Filco keyboard. I really like the subtle and sophisticated look of my keyboard with these key caps. Plus, the new colorway of my keyboard matches the color scheme of this blog (at least as of the date of this post).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNAuTPyJHkEUJTT7rroP40YXiYcabkcz4MYyYcGGPd7p3O2EiEQpakDs3dREGHXywggqQhpKcyUxEMBf5Gtz5_9GpdVOfBPs94BH3koUY3tqf0Aw-HJCdSjRde6BFqWxCa1VTaR2DFGc/s1600/IMG_5559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNAuTPyJHkEUJTT7rroP40YXiYcabkcz4MYyYcGGPd7p3O2EiEQpakDs3dREGHXywggqQhpKcyUxEMBf5Gtz5_9GpdVOfBPs94BH3koUY3tqf0Aw-HJCdSjRde6BFqWxCa1VTaR2DFGc/s200/IMG_5559.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I really need to stop buying sets of key caps. I now have four complete sets, but I have only one compatible mechanical keyboard. Hmm, maybe I should acquire three more keyboards? It would be a shame to let those extra sets of key caps go to waste.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy24bTIfElrsQFjkneqRg0cnnjQUlW6lNS1r0vib9C4epZdgT7zh5FRkfR1Mn-_fc3TA6cLjgZ18tL3iFxbKTyxpVgJbnF_EfzT2RUWFemHQVu5mHHTNk1rk2t-Qz_tnMSH7XbFSJRX_0/s1600/IMG_5561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy24bTIfElrsQFjkneqRg0cnnjQUlW6lNS1r0vib9C4epZdgT7zh5FRkfR1Mn-_fc3TA6cLjgZ18tL3iFxbKTyxpVgJbnF_EfzT2RUWFemHQVu5mHHTNk1rk2t-Qz_tnMSH7XbFSJRX_0/s200/IMG_5561.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />

And Yet Another Keyboard Facelift

A Picture Is Worth Two Words I recently scored an awesome, stealthy, and gloomy looking set of key caps for my mechanical keyboard. I'm ...

8:21 AM

Pelikan M205 Fountain Pen (Part 2)

This is a follow up to my <a href="http://dailyacquisition.blogspot.com/2012/11/pelikan-m205-blue-demonstrator-fountain.html" target="_blank">initial post</a> about my recently acquired Pelikan fountain pen. In the previous post I mentioned that the M205 is a piston fill pen, and I admitted that the ink filling routine was pleasant and fun, which really tells me that I need to get out more often. What about the ink itself? For my first ever "fill a pen with ink from a bottle" experience, I used Sailor Jentle Ink (Sky High color). It comes in a cool little glass bottle:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvcEKqfpkC873R6Eby59WVfnLW5xBfVGKGylBGkrDErKBm9IOI1XThYjzFbaVHfxQBzw4arVk2XKCwXpHygpw2AIaG72ZAhGTLlFmMbk-UTBO7okpak6iF8XGa6FzQRw1_qt1TzHNJiM/s1600/20121004_006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvcEKqfpkC873R6Eby59WVfnLW5xBfVGKGylBGkrDErKBm9IOI1XThYjzFbaVHfxQBzw4arVk2XKCwXpHygpw2AIaG72ZAhGTLlFmMbk-UTBO7okpak6iF8XGa6FzQRw1_qt1TzHNJiM/s200/20121004_006.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I would say that Sky High is a bright blue color. Brighter and lighter than what I would call a "standard" blue. The next picture shows a more accurate representation of the actual color.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtXS6sV8TfMq-iSmxe_qwVSu4ILwfqZT3iADLyvySNHm3tqAon-YSpnvFsYBd3ZguOx8V8RD0DlFZxasVQwLDCdLfEbekU5ZuV3safZe7xJemJ5VABRDJ2NHhnCQGSJKcDUL46XGvQb0/s1600/20121004_012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtXS6sV8TfMq-iSmxe_qwVSu4ILwfqZT3iADLyvySNHm3tqAon-YSpnvFsYBd3ZguOx8V8RD0DlFZxasVQwLDCdLfEbekU5ZuV3safZe7xJemJ5VABRDJ2NHhnCQGSJKcDUL46XGvQb0/s200/20121004_012.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />Still interested? Read on after the jump. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.600000381469727px;">[Edit: jumps are silly; removed it]</span><br /><br />The bottle contains some brilliant Japanese technology, too. You might say "ink is ink, there is no technology in ink." That's a fair statement. However, Sailor's bottle includes a well-designed apparatus that improves the ink filling process. Thankfully, Sailor provides instructions on how to use this inventive and complex bottle of ink:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQ0DRDcTmu6u237oX1uXp4YGgsUGztZ2XBAewgqf2ZOCfjTCfgwrNDK6hMaf-6AlYRf22Mfa7DtW06PLTPm9JJOgAoKAsoUmES8mjtcmrFgqFf4XxvDIohbgRAtfdENS4wyr6RJH4hqI/s1600/20121004_005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQ0DRDcTmu6u237oX1uXp4YGgsUGztZ2XBAewgqf2ZOCfjTCfgwrNDK6hMaf-6AlYRf22Mfa7DtW06PLTPm9JJOgAoKAsoUmES8mjtcmrFgqFf4XxvDIohbgRAtfdENS4wyr6RJH4hqI/s200/20121004_005.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I don't read Japanese, but the diagrams seem easy enough to understand: (1) turn bottle clockwise; (2) shake bottle; (3) look at bottle; (4) fill pen. This doesn't make any sense, but a quick online translation of Sailor's website is extremely helpful: "We have been well received and installed a reservoir to gentle for fountain pen ink bottle. Buildup of ink, reservoir by tighten the cap, undo the bottle upside down, we inhale it. Conventional but it may be difficult to suction the ink in the bottle will be a small amount, by attaching a reservoir, it is possible to inhalation no waste the ink in the bottle can be underneath." Thank you, Sailor, you've been helpful.<br /><br />I did a writing sample the day after I got this pen, which was about a month ago. Since that time, I've concluded that the paper in my Moleskine notebook sucks for the extra fine nib on the Pelikan M205. The pen and ink work much better on other types of paper. I've also tried a couple of other ink samples in the M205 thus far (Diamine Oxblood color and Pelikan Edelstein Onyx color), and have had no problems or issues with cleaning the ink reservoir, refilling, ink flow, etc. This pen is a keeper (at least until Christmas), and I'm eager to twist, flip, and inhale the Sailor bottle when the ink gets underneath. LOL.<br /><br />Here is the writing sample that I created using the M205 inked with the Sailor Jentle Sky High ink:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-iNwLw-LaAEyGbU012XTvZuYqVbg_-mC_k5FeYcbW9FCeIzc9aNAKyxW_rxQThSgkdXbqutqMOC8GzqMGBBN77RxBESol3DII41CIPwjA-R9Sdb4FCsrq5dcW-meAr6cTpU__hPm6a0/s1600/20121005_Pelikan_M205_Sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-iNwLw-LaAEyGbU012XTvZuYqVbg_-mC_k5FeYcbW9FCeIzc9aNAKyxW_rxQThSgkdXbqutqMOC8GzqMGBBN77RxBESol3DII41CIPwjA-R9Sdb4FCsrq5dcW-meAr6cTpU__hPm6a0/s200/20121005_Pelikan_M205_Sample.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>