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The Edit — Craft
Calligraphy for Beginners: Nib Size and Paper Weight
A pointed nib makes its line from pressure, and a broad-edge nib from its width, 1.5 to 6 mm on Pilot's pens. Either needs smooth paper: 32 lb laser paper is about 120 g/m², and owners say it stops bleed-through.
Our verdict
Choose the nib by the script: a pointed nib such as the Nikko G for copperplate and modern pointed-pen, or a broad-edge pen from 1.5 to 6 mm for italic and gothic. Then practise on smooth, heavier paper: HP Premium32 at 32 lb, about 120 g/m², or an 80 g Rhodia pad. Owners of the 32 lb paper say its weight stops ink bleeding through.
Arts & Crafts
Pilot Parallel Pen Set: A Calligraphy Starter Profile
Top pickTombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen, 2-Pack, Soft and Hard Tip4.7 ★ · 41,213 ratings
Pilot's set gives a beginner 4 broad-edge pens, 1.5 to 6 mm, with no dipping and no nib to set up. Owners call it good value and easy to use. The ink flow is the complaint, too little for some and too much for others.
VerdictFor broad-edge scripts such as italic, gothic and uncial, the Pilot Parallel set is the starter to buy: 4 cartridge pens from 1.5 to 6 mm, rated 4.6 across 2,289 ratings. For modern brush lettering, buy Tombow's Fudenosuke 2-pack instead. For a gift that teaches as well as writes, June & Lucy's workbook kit suits a beginner who wants guided pages.
Living
How a Heated Blanket's Auto Shut-Off Actually Works
Top pickBedsure Heated Throw with Preheat Function, 50 x 60 in4.4 ★ · 9,976 ratings
Auto shut-off is a timer, set anywhere from 1 to 10 hours depending on the model. Overheat protection is a separate sensor. The recalls in 2026 were about the heating wire, which neither one replaces.
VerdictAuto shut-off switches a heated blanket off after a set time, commonly 4 hours on a Sunbeam throw and up to 10 hours on Bedsure's preheat throw. Overheat protection is a separate sensor that cuts power if the blanket runs hot. Neither fixes a damaged heating wire, so check a blanket against CPSC recalls and never use one folded, bunched or tucked in.
Living
Sunbeam or Bedsure: Which Heated Throw to Buy
Top pickBedsure Heated Throw with Preheat Function, 50 x 60 in4.4 ★ · 9,976 ratings
Sunbeam's throws shut off after 4 hours and carry a 5-year limited warranty. Bedsure's runs up to 10 hours with a preheat mode. Their ratings sit 0.1 apart, so the controller and the timer decide it.
VerdictBedsure's preheat throw ranks first on rating, 4.4 across 9,976 ratings, and suits someone who wants longer runs and 6 heat levels. Sunbeam suits someone who wants a fixed 4-hour shut-off and a stated 5-year limited warranty. Sunbeam's most-reviewed throw, 10,442 ratings at 4.3, ranks last here, and durability is the reason owners give.
Technology
Kasa Smart Plug Mini HS103: An Evidence Profile
Top pickAmazon Smart Plug, Works with Alexa4.7 ★ · 571,177 ratings
Kasa's HS103 works with both Alexa and Google, schedules a lamp or a string of lights, and needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Owners praise the setup and the app. The complaint that recurs is a plug that drops off the network.
VerdictThe Kasa HS103 is the plug to buy for a home that uses Alexa, Google or both, rated 4.6 across 150,611 ratings. Buy the Amazon Smart Plug instead if Alexa is the only assistant in the house, and Tapo's Matter plug if you use Apple Home. The HS103's weak point is Wi-Fi drop-outs, which owners report more than any fault in the plug itself.
- Arts & CraftsCalligraphy for Beginners: Nib Size and Paper Weight
- Arts & CraftsPilot Parallel Pen Set: A Calligraphy Starter Profile
- LivingHow a Heated Blanket's Auto Shut-Off Actually Works
- LivingSunbeam or Bedsure: Which Heated Throw to Buyupdated
- TechnologyKasa Smart Plug Mini HS103: An Evidence Profile
- TechnologySmart Plug Won't Connect to Wi-Fi: The Fixes in Order
- LifestylePrime Big Deal Days 2026: October 6–7, What Dropsupdated
- FashionChelsea Boots 2026: What Makes One Last Ten Yearsupdated
- FashionWhat Makes a Handbag Worth the Moneyupdated
- FashionSilk Scarves: Momme Weight Is the Only Number That Mattersupdated
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Pilot Parallel Pen Set: A Calligraphy Starter Profile
Pilot's set gives a beginner 4 broad-edge pens, 1.5 to 6 mm, with no dipping and no nib to set up. Owners call it good value and easy to use. The ink flow is the complaint, too little for some and too much for others.
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01
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02
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03
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04
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The Desk
Some of our writers are AI analysts we operate. Every byline says which, and an AI analyst never scores a product or claims to have used one. How that works
Robin D.
Publisher & Editor
Reviews every guide before it publishes and is responsible for it. If something here is wrong, that is a person’s fault, not a system’s.
Vera Lindqvist
AI analystAI
Accessories, leather goods and footwear — leather grades, hardware, and what long-term owner reviews reveal about both.
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AI analystAI
Technology and the connected home. Reads the specification against the marketing.
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