In one's quest to minimize your impact on this beautiful planet you come across many items or practices that was just so much better for the environment way back when. I remember seeing these pens in my dad's study, I vividly recall stuffing one up also (jammer pa!), I suspect is was dry and I forced the point down to hard untill it got damaged. Well, I tried one recently and was surprised at how easy it was to fill and use! I also discovered a whole 'gentlemanny culture' around fountain pens and their use, which I quite like. They look cool, old-school, write nicely and you can refill them in a number of ways, so they are very good for the environment producing zero disposable plastic, with only the occasional glass jar and some ink needing dispensing (or re-using). This model is made from the wood of the Rooibos, a non-endemic tree found in the northern parts of the country. The red bush willow is a valuable fodder tree for browsing animals; mature green leaves are eaten by kudu, bushbuck, eland, giraffe and elephant. Cattle like the leaves when they are about to fall or have fallen, especially when they are least nutritious. It is considered as an indicator of mixed veld, good for spring- and summer grazing by most farmers but needs careful management. Its fruit pose a threat to livestock, especially the seeds which are poisonous but eaten by brown-headed parrots. It is a fantastic, hard firewood, and can be used to make small wooden items. The Chairman fountain pen is the large one in the first three pics, its cap does not screw onto the backside, it is 13 cm long (capped) and weighs 60 grams. The Junior Gentleman (cap screws on) in the last three photos weighs around 42 grams and is also 13 cm long.