Image via Inventery
Jeff reviewed the Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen on the blog not too long ago, and the company was nice enough to include a few extras for me to do with as I please. And I please to give one away to the awesome readers of the blog!
I have one Onyx Black model to give away - which also includes the extender - making it moddable to your writing liking. Read the rules below and enter away!
Inventery Pocket Fountain Pen Giveaway(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The Pilot Grance is a relatively new addition to Pilot's North American lineup, and I'm really glad they decided to bring it here. When you look at fountain pens as a whole, there's an overwhelming majority of pens that use a screw on cap versus a friction fit slip or snap cap. While that's not a bad thing, I've always wondered why that's the case. The Grance is an elegant, slim-bodied pen that packs in a fantastic nib and comfortable feel that looks great in any setting.
In my mind, the Grance is the more refined and elegant version of the Metropolitan. The Metropolitan is affordable, accessible, and a great deal. The Grance builds on top of that with more premium materials, but also nails the writing experience. From what I can tell, the interior of the Grance is made of brass, with a thick metal covering that features a metallic, pearlescent finish that glimmers in the light. There are also black resin accents that are offset with yellow gold pieces. When I first saw this pen, the gold hardware put me off until I picked the pen up and started writing with it. While I wish there were other options (they're all gold, baby!), I quickly got over my aesthetic issues with the yellow gold. It might not be my number one preference, but this pen is a champ that has become my daily writer despite our color differences.
The Grance is also a fairly small lineup, sporting only three color options: Pearl White, Pearl Pink, and Pearl Blue. Again, the options aren't plentiful, but I can only imagine that Pilot have plans to expand this line if it does well.
The grip section is a black resin that picks up fingerprints easily, but feels great when in use. There's a small taper toward the tip of the pen, but there's also a small ring of gold around the end of the grip that provides a nice place to rest your fingers when writing. In my experience, the grip does not get slippery when writing despite the lack of texture. And the slim body makes longer writing sessions comfortable as well.
The cap design for the Grance is a snap cap that works very well in practice. In some instances, the snap cap can be too tight, requiring too much effort to open and close. In these cases, it can be an annoyance, but it can also cause you to sling ink if you're not careful. Luckily, the Grance does not suffer from these issues. It's just the right amount of snug to keep the cap on securely. It also posts nicely using the same snap mechanism.
The clip on the Grance is much stronger than I expected it to be. It easily keeps the pen secure on almost any material it can fit over. Even when my bag has been thrown around a bit, the Grance stays put where I clipped it.
In terms of ink options, you have plenty. The Grance fits standard Pilot cartridges, but you can also use a Pilot CON-40 converter to use any ink you like.
Now, let's move on to what really makes this pen sparkle for me: the writing experience. The best part about this pen, and the part that also brings the price point into the low-premium arena is the nib. It's a 14k gold nib that feels smooth, bounces a bit while writing, and flows well. I've always really enjoyed Pilot gold nibs, and this one is no exception. In the unit I have, I'm using the FM nib, which is somewhere between fine and medium. It's also one of my favorite nibs due to the size.
When writing with this pen, there's a slight (but noticeable) spring in the nib due to the soft gold material. It doesn't provide much in the way of line variation, but it does give the pen a soft feel when writing, added to the premium experience.
I've been using this pen as my daily driver for several weeks, and I've never once had any issues with skipping, hard starts, or excessive ink flow. It's a work horse - it's simply ready to write the instant you pick it up and uncap it. Even leaving it uncapped for a couple of minutes doesn't faze it. It's incredibly reliable, and I love it for that.
This is true of most Pilot pens I've used, and the Grance is no exception: this nib is incredibly smooth on paper. Writing is pure joy and this pen can keep up with most everything you decide to use it for. It's reliable, pleasing, and delightful.
Overall, I was reluctant to use this pen when I first saw it. It's slim, it uses gold accents, and the color options are few. Despite all this, I've fallen in love with it over the past few weeks. I didn't expect this, but the nib is what caused this. It's an excellent nib, the pen is comfortable to use, and it's incredibly reliable. When that's the case, the exterior aesthetics can sometimes take a backseat.
The Pilot Grance is available in three colors and four nib sizes (EF, F, FM, M). It's in the lower premium price range at $140, but that price is about as low as you can go with a gold nib. If this pen fits your style, then you'll love using it.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
Global Arts makes some great cases for the pen addict on the go. This 36-Pencil Roll isn't my favorite of their products, but my complaints are all nitpicks that arise from comparing it to other cases of the same brand.
On the outside, the case feels well made, with soft, sturdy canvas fabric and strong elastic. The snap closure is reliable--it's never come undone, even when being tossed around in a backpack.
Inside, the case starts to feel a little cheap to me, in terms of materials. The nylon lining and pocket zipper feel a bit light and flimsy and don't really give me that sense of durability that I like in my cases.
I'm also not a fan of the vinyl flaps that fold over the top and bottom. It's not very gentle on sharpened pencil tips, and its inflexibility adds bulk to the wrap when it's rolled. It's also stiff and gets in the way when I'm trying to get pencils out of the case. I think canvas might have been more effective here. The elastic bands are strong, but very narrow. They're great for standard-width pencils, but won't work well for anything wider.
Overall, though, the case works. It holds a ton of pencils and keeps them secure in my bag. Who doesn't like a giant tootsie roll of pencils in their bag? But I have to say, I much prefer Global Arts' flat zippered cases. For fifty cents more, you can get a case that holds 48 pencils and fits a little more easily in your bag (and it comes in more fun colors). The elastic loops are also wider in those cases, so it allows for some flexibility in what you carry.
In that sense, I think Global Arts is competing against itself a bit. So, alas, this particular case falls into the "this is a perfectly decent product, but I have no use for it" category. While I love the aesthetics of a roll of pens and pencils, they aren't as practical for me to carry with me--especially when they get as large as this one does when full.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
Image via TWSBI
Who knew that the most hyped pen release this summer would be a $20 plastic pen from TWSBI? The TWSBI Go has taken the penternet by storm, and Myke has his in hand to discuss. We also take a first glimpse at J. Herbin’s new luxury lineup and answer all of your #ASKTPA.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
Harry’s: Redeem your trial set!
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code PENADDICT at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
Simple Contacts: Contact lens prescriptions from home: Use offer code PENADDICT20 for $20 off your first order of contact lenses.
Inventery has been a fun brand to watch, especially now after the release of their first fountain pen. It’s even modular! I had one of these to give away, and the winner is:
Congrats Dan! You have an email in your inbox to collect your information. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:
— My First Bag Review: Mystery Ranch 3-zip Urban Assault (Inkdependence!)
— Pen Review: Caran d’Ache 849 (The Gentleman Stationer)
— Legendary graphic designer Paul Rand’s Estate (Things Organized Neatly)
— Ink Review #389: Colorverse #40 Girls Just Wanna (Mountain of Ink)
— Ink Shot Review: KWZI Turquoise (Gourmet Pens)
— Traveler’s Factory, Muji, and Other Stores – Notebook Joy (Stationery Shopping)
— An Interview with John Twiss – Pens! Paper! Pencils! (Newcastle Pen Show)
— Ink Review: Robert Oster Pacific Ocean Teal: 2018 SF Pen Show Exclusive Signature Ink (Hand Over That Pen)
— The Hobo Code: An Introduction to the Hieroglyphic Language of Early 1900s Train-Hoppers (Open Culture)
— Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Metropolitan Calligraphy Nib (The Well-Appointed Desk)
— Review: Caran d’Ache 849 (Alt. Haven)
— Elemental Hydrogen Notebook Review (Mountain of Ink)
— Ink Review: Robert Oster Peach (The Pencilcase Blog)
Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!
As someone who designs their own products, and who follows others who do the same, I know this to be the one universal truth: Designing is hard. And, when a company is willing to take a stand on a product design - in this case the Reaktor pen lineup by Karas Kustoms - I am even more impressed.
All of us outside of the building only see the end result of a product. What goes into the creation of that product usually escapes the public eye. Karas Pen Co. set out to break away from their usual product lineup and focus on making a product that both first-time pen buyers and experienced users would enjoy. And I think they succeeded.
Designing is hard, but designing with restrictions in place - such as cost and simplicity - is even harder. What can be eliminated to make the product as simple as possible, while keeping the aesthetic and quality the company is known for intact?
The Galaxie Rollerball features an aluminum barrel with an o-ring snap cap, and comes in four different colorways. That’s it. And it’s the same across the other three products in the Reaktor lineup, with the only difference being barrel length, finial design, and a clip on the XL models.
When dishing out these pens to the Pen Addict review crew, I chose the pocket rollerball because that is one of my favorite pen formats. I carry this type of pen more than any other, and was anxious to put it to the test.
I’m happy to say it held up well, minus a couple of small nitpicks. Primarily, the wiggle of the cap when the pen is closed. It’s a small issue, and affects the use of the pen none. It’s the result of using the o-ring instead of cap and barrel threads to keep the cost down. If you aren’t fidgeting with the cap then you won’t notice it, and it doesn’t make it less secure. The fit is tight.
That said, I did wiggle the cap off the back of the pen a couple times when writing with it, just from constant movement as I write. I run into this issue with other non-threaded pocket pens as well, likely due to a heavier than normal grip. Maybe I didn’t have it pushed down as firmly as needed to snap into the barrel grooves during the times it moved on me.
The Galaxie ships with the Schmidt P950 pressurized ballpoint, which is a good choice for this pen. For any pocket pen really, as it gives you that write anywhere, on anything, ability. If you have another Parker-style refill that you prefer, it will swap in just fine.
Color-wise, it’s hard to pick a favorite. The Black looks the best, the Tumbled feels the best, and the Red and Blue sections are the most fun. I think I would pick Tumbled as my first choice, but it is impossible to go wrong with any.
Let’s get to what makes this pen so unique and impressive in my mind: The price. It’s not listed on the site yet, but with the larger Galaxie XL coming in at $45, I’d guess this one will be the same, or slightly lower at say $40. For a made in the USA pen from a small company that is a great price.
I’m interested to see how the Reaktor product lineup will perform for Karas, and if they keep the minimal design and price point intact. Hopefully it will do well for them, and allow them to keep experimenting with colors, shapes, and designs on the higher end of the spectrum.
We make things to allow us to make more things, and I hope Karas Pen Co. keeps going down this path of experimentation.
(Karas Pen Co. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
If you read yesterday’s review of the Karas Pen Co. Reaktor Galaxie Rollerball you will notice that there are four pens in this series. In today’s post, I’m giving all four of those pens away. If you ever wanted better odds on a giveaway then this is the one you want to enter. Read the rules below, and enter away!
Karas Pen Co. Reaktor Galaxie Rollerball Pen Giveaway(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
I'm continually amazed at the level of specificity that some stationery tools tout today. My most recent surprise came with the Zebra Sarasa Mark On gel ink pens. They look like a Sarasa Clip on the outside, but there's a different design on the barrel. What gives? Well, this particular model of Sarasa is made specifically for people who want to use a highlighter along with their gel pens while taking notes.
It's been a long time since I've regularly used a highlighter for emphasizing notes, so I had forgotten that ink can sometimes bleed after running a highlighter over it. That's exactly what the Mark On line of pens aims to solve. The ink in the Mark On is unique in that it dries quickly and is water and smudge resistant. Since highlighter ink is water-based, these two are a great match.
The models I have on hand are the 0.4mm variant, although they are also available in 0.5mm sizes. The color selection isn't great (just the standard black, blue, and red), but it covers the absolute basics. This is such a niche use case that I can't expect dozens of color options.
Just like the other Sarasa models, this model features a strong, beefy clip that secure the pen to anything that fits into the jaws. There's also a comfortable rubberized grip on the section that makes note-taking sessions a little easier to endure. In all, it's a standard Sarasa that we all know and love, but it has that one trick up its sleeve.
How does it stand up against highlighter smudge? In my tests, it works great provided you give the ink about five seconds to dry before using a highlighter over it. No matter the color, the gel ink doesn't bleed when introduced to highlighter ink. It's fantastic.
Even with the smaller 0.4mm tip size, the Sarasa Mark On writes smoothly and reliably. Just like other Sarasa gel inks, this is no surprise and I wouldn't expect anything less.
The Zebra Sarasa Mark On gel ink pens are a delightfully narrow-minded use case that will fit the specific needs of people taking notes all over the world. If you use gel pens in conjunction with highlighters in any capacity, this is worth checking out.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
Image via 1101.com
It’s been fun to watch the growth of the Hobonichi brand year after year, and if their 2019 product page is any indication, it is going to be the biggest yet. It wasn’t that many years ago where we could barely buy their planners, much less any accessories. Things move fast!
Sailor is another one that is moving fast with all of their special editions, and you will be SHOCKED at what Myke thinks about them. We also discuss Elemental Notebooks, old school Pentel pens, and a must-see Pelikan infographic.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.
Blue Apron: A better way to cook. Use this link to get 3 free meals.
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
The new Reaktor line from Karas Pen Co. is zooming all over the world right now, and for good reason. They're affordable, durable, reliable, comfortable, and fun. I got to try out the Galaxie XL model, and since they sent four, I gave one to my tween and one to my husband to try as well.
I call my husband "the pen destroyer". Your standard ballpoint won't last a day in his pocket. Over the years I've bought him several tough and seemingly indestructible pens only to have him hand them back to me in pieces, smooshed, bent beyond use. So when I say he's been using this pen every day for over a month and it's still in excellent condition, I'm saying these pens will outlast us all. There will be Galaxie pens sticking up from the sand and ashes of civilization.
Karas Pen Co. created the Reaktor line to be simple and affordable. The Galaxie, at $45, is more than fairly priced for what you get. The pen comes in black, tumbled, or silver with either blue or red sections. All are machined aluminum.
They're fairly small pens--not quite pocket sized by my reckoning, but shorter and slimmer than most machined pens. They're shorter than a Retro 51 Tornado, though similar in width. The aluminum makes them fairly light, but hefty enough to feel like a substantial pen. I had no fatigue when writing with them, even for long stretches, and even with the pen posted. It's a very well balanced pen.
The cap closes with a satisfying click and the rings at the back end of the pen are designed to help it post securely and deeply. Because the parts are metal on metal, the cap does rattle a little both when closed and posted. I prefer not to post it when I'm writing for that reason. If you don't like that rattle and you have larger hands and prefer posting, this might not be the pen for you.
The clip is the classic bolted-on stainless steel "bulletproof" clip that Karas offers. This is the only part of the pen suffered in my husband's care. He managed to bend it sideways quite a bit--bulletproof is not David-proof, it seems, or perhaps I married Superman.
The grip is nicely contoured and very comfortable to hold. It didn't ever get too slippery or cramp my hand. The metal warmed up nicely as I wrote.
The Galaxie XL takes G2 style refills, which are easy to get in a variety of colors and tip sizes, so your options are well-covered.
The design is inspired by 1960s space race and automotive aesthetics, and it definitely has that vintage rocket feel to it. It's a very simple design, but elegantly done. My tween has declared that it "looks awesome". This is exceedingly high praise.
Probably my favorite thing about the Galaxie XL has been watching my dudes get attached to theirs. They aren't Pen Addicts. They think I'm nuts. But when I see my tween has a special spot on his desk just for this pen, and my hubby asking if he can have his pen back yet when I had to borrow it to take pictures of his poor clip--I know they really do understand how a pen can be special.
(Karas Pen Co. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
Image via Goldspot
Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:
Pen Chalet has the new Monteverde Monza Flex Pen in stock, featuring a steel flex nib for under $20.
Goldspot had the great idea of creating their own mix-and-match Kaweco Sport fountain pens, so be sure to check out the FrankenSport.
Anderson Pens received the Pilot Custom 823 with the Smoke barrel, a favorite of mine, and new to the US market in this color.
JetPens has all of your Back To School needs covered with these special color bundle sets featuring all of your favorite stationery.
The Platinum Kumpoo pictured with a replica of the Tyndale New Testament
(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Lately I have been on a turquoise fountain-pen-buying binge. One of my purchases was the Platinum 3776 Kumpoo fountain pen with a soft medium nib.
The pen comes in a turquoise outer cardboard box and white, clamshell inner box. Included are a Platinum pamphlet, a warranty card, a blotting card with a description of the pen, and one cartridge.
“Kumpoo” is a Japanese word that means “balmy breeze.” The Platinum 3776 Kumpoo fountain pen is designed to evoke the breezes that blow around Mt. Fuji in Japan. Thus, the pen’s surface is carved with waves that represent those balmy breezes and the color of the pen reflects the beautiful skies surrounding Mt. Fuji.
Even the metal piece in the finial is a tribute to Mt. Fuji.
Each pen cap is engraved with a limited edition number. Mine is 1551 out of 2500.
The cap has a smooth silver clip and a ring engraved with “Platinum 3776 Century Made in Japan.”
The pen is medium-sized at 5.5 inches/139.7mm capped, 4.7 inches/119.8mm uncapped, and 6 inches/152.4 posted. It weighs only 24.3 grams.
The pen fills via cartridge or the included converter. Platinum converters only hold 0.5ml of ink, so expect to refill it often if you write lengthy tomes. One thing I like about Platinum converters is, if the converter gets sticky over time, you can disassemble it and use silicone grease to get it working properly again.
I chose a medium-soft 14k nib. Platinum nibs are much more narrow than Western nibs, so a medium is really like a Western fine. I have several Platinum 3776 pens, and my favorite size nib is the medium. The soft-medium is especially nice. It gives the nib some spring while you write, but it is not meant to be a flex nib, so there’s little line variation.
Writing with the Kumpoo is a pleasure. The nib is smooth and bouncy, and the pen itself is comfortable in the hand. Since Platinum nibs and Nakaya nibs are made by the same manufacturer, you can enjoy the experience of a Nakaya in a much less expensive pen.
I really love my Platinum Kumpoo. It’s a beautiful pen, especially with the added texture, which picks up light and makes it stand out from standard Platinum fountain pens. I owned an Omas Ogiva in turquoise with an extra flessibile nib. I wanted to love that pen because I paid an awful lot for it; plus it was a piston filler. But, the Omas was frustrating from the beginning--ink kept leaking into the grip section and the pen would dry out quickly. The Kumpoo is just as beautiful as the Omas, and even though it isn’t a piston-filler, the Platinum “slip and seal” mechanism in the cap means that the pen does not dry out. The soft-medium nib might not have flex, but it offers one of the best writing experiences.
Unfortunately, finding a Platinum Kumpoo may be pretty difficult now. All the dealers I checked (Goldspot, Goulet, JetPens, nibs.com, Pen Chalet, and Vanness) were out of stock. That said, Platinum is apparently producing several pens in the Fuji Shunkei series (the first was the Shungyo and the second is the Kumpoo). So, even if you can’t get this particular limited edition, hopefully new editions will be added to the series.
Pros
Cons
(I purchased my Platinum Kumpoo from Vanness Pens at a discount.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
The Karas Pen Co. Reaktor Galaxie Rollerball pens are a great option for your every day carry. They are pocketable, durable, and fun to use. And I have four to give away. The winners are:
Congrats to all of you! I’ll be reaching out via email to collect your shipping address next week.
I had the pleasure of joining my friends Kathy Campbell and Jason Snell on this week’s Friends In Your Ears Podcast. Kathy lead Jason and I through a discussion of our podcast origins, our current favorite podcasts, and a whole lot of sports ball talk. It was a blast!
Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:
— Sketchbook Review: Rhodia Landscape Webnotebook (The Well-Appointed Desk)
— Dad’s Gameplay Notes Are Wonderfully Obsessive (Kotaku)
— Faggionato Pétrarque King Size Celluloid Fountain Pen Review (Gourmet Pens)
— Ink Review: De Atramentis Pearlescent Heliogen Green (Mountain of Ink)
— Cafe Aalt-Native Kyoto (Traveler’s Diary)
— USPS Dragons Stamps - Beautifully Illustrated By Don Clark (NOTCOT)
— Nike and Virgil Abloh’s Powerful Collection for Serena Williams Includes Three New Sneakers (Core77)
— New Sprawling Ink Drawings by Olivia Kemp Explore the Landscapes of Malta and Bavaria (Colossal)
— Leonardo da Vinci’s Earliest Notebooks Now Digitized and Made Free Online (Open Culture)
— Why I keep a diary (Austin Kleon)
Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!
I like what I’ve seen from Elemental Paper so far. From a well-executed Kickstarter campaign to the end result of the product - I’m a fan. So much so that I am using one for my creative journal, AND ordered too many from the original Kickstarter. That’s where you come in. I have one Nitrogen notebook to give away, because I can’t use all of these! Read the rules below and enter away!
Elemental Paper “Nitrogen” Notebook Giveaway(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The market for good pocket notebooks is one that continually grows and allows new players to offer their unique take on what makes a pocket notebook great. The latest notebook I've had the pleasure of using is from a company called Kunisawa. The Find Pocket Notebook is a plain book with good paper, strong and attractive binding, and a great price.
Like any true pocket notebook, the Find Pocket comes in at 145x90mm (or 5.7x3.5"), which is a great size for stuffing in pockets, bags, and other small spaces. It's just a little taller than a standard Field Notes book, so you already know the form factor. With 50 sheets, you also get a bit more use out of it through its life.
The cover is a thick and durable chipboard. I love the texture and colors of these books. I have three versions, which come in a light gray-blue, a tan khaki color, and a medium gray. The bottom corners are rounded, which make it easier to slip into pockets without getting snagged. This isn't the thickest chipboard I've seen on notebooks, but it's certainly a durable variant. I've had no concerns that the cover will ever tear, break, or come undone from the binding.
Unlike a lot of pocket notebooks these days, the Find Pocket notebook contains minimal branding. On the front cover, there's a small gold-embossed logo that includes the company name along with a small bird. On the inside of the front cover, there's a small embossed logo as well. The only other branding present on this book is in the inside of the back cover, which contains the company logo, name, and some information on where it was made.
The binding is an attractive double spiral made from (what looks like) brass. It's fairly strong and resilient, but it can be bent and misshapen if enough pressure is applied. The binding is smooth, looks great, and does a great job of keeping the pages connected. The color an absolutely perfect compliment to the cover colors.
Now to the paper! The paper in this notebook is lightweight, but still very capable. The exact weight isn't listed on the website, but I'd guess it's somewhere around the 80 or 90 gsm. The pages are not perforated, so keep that in mind if you tend to remove pages from spiral notebooks. It's possible with this notebook, but you have to tear from the binding and deal with the paper teeth that are left behind.
The paper is covered in a light gray graph pattern. The graph is spaced at 5mm, which is a comfortable distance. The paper is also a light cream color, which also looks great against the binding color.
The paper looks and feels nice, but it's also a great paper to write on! I tried many pens with this paper, and it performed incredibly well. No issues with bleeding or feathering, and acceptable amounts of show-through on the back of the page. Depending on the pen and ink you're using, you can probably write on both sides of the page. The paper has a smooth coating on top of it that makes writing an enjoyable experience. This coating does mean that dry times are close to 15 or 20 seconds in most cases. Despite that, this paper is fantastic.
The retail price of the Kunisawa Find Pocket notebooks are somewhere between six and seven US Dollars (750 yen), which is a great deal. The paper is premium, the aesthetic has a great vibe, and it fits in small spaces.
There are many shops that carry the Kunisawa brand, and if you happen upon these notebooks, I encourage you to give them a try. You really can't go wrong.
(Kunisawa provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
For any given product, there is a lot more to it than just the piece that ends up in our hands. There are people's dreams, designs, ideas, lives, and hard work behind every one of them. I enjoy learning about the people behind the products I use and review, but every now and then there's a story that is really exceptional.
That's the case with Schneider products. What makes Schneider awesome isn't just the products--though those are great, too--but their partnership with an American distributor called Stride.
Stride is a small, woman-owned business (WBE) that is devoted to employing and enriching the lives of adults with intellectual delays. The company was founded by Barbara Brennan and is now run by her daughter Kerry Brennan Bertram. They provide a workplace that emphasizes their employees' strengths and gives them opportunities for advancement within the company.
Stride has partnered with a number of companies, including Schneider, and now all Schneider pens sold in the US are packaged, labeled, shipped, and sometimes assembled by Stride employees. So, when you purchase a Schneider pen, you're also supporting a company that's doing a great deal of good in the world.
If that's not reason enough (it is), those pens you're getting are also awesome products.
The ballpoint pens are called the Slider Rave XB. They're retractable, with a solid, satisfying click. The body is ergonomic and rubberized and the clip is one of the best ever. It's strong, well-anchored, flexible, and wide enough to clip to a thick book cover. The ink is waterproof, fast-drying, and available in black, blue, red, and green. The pen is refillable with the long Slider 755 XB refill. The 1.4 mm stainless steel tip uses Viscoglide Technology, so the pen writes very smoothly, almost like a gel pen. It's a fantastic workhorse pen and should write for a whopping 2.5 miles. I wish I could stash these in every office supply closet in the world.
Another Schneider offering is the Xpress Fineliner. These have the same rubberized ergonomic shape and awesome clip as the Slider Rave, but have a cap closure and the familiar felt tip. The tip is .8 mm and protected by a metal casing. The ink is waterproof and available in red, black, blue, green, purple, and pink. The ink's claim to fame is that it will not dry up even if left uncapped for a few days. These tips really glide over the page and give you a smooth, crisp line. My only gripe is that I wish there were more colors, and then I would want all of them.
Fortunately, when I need a pop of color, Schneider has the Link-it markers. These are a total marvel. It looks like a set of mini-markers--half 1 mm felt tip and half .4 mm fineliner. And it is--but then they transform into a mech supermarker. The back ends have a clever and unique snap system that securely links them together. I've seen markers that link together before, but not like this. They look like normal pen ends, but if you press down the spring-loaded green sleeve, you can see a yellow locking mechanism. This is some really cool engineering and they are way fun to play with. And, as with other Schneider products, the writing experience is fantastic. Both tips write wonderfully and there's a great variety of color. They come in a handy easel stand. The rubberized triangle profile is comfortable to hold so you can color to your heart's content.
Schneider products are also extremely environmentally friendly. They are made almost entirely from bio-based materials, Co2 neutral, and carry the prestigious Environmental Management System (EMAS) verification.
If you want to do good by your fellow humans, your planet, and your pen cup, I'm not sure you could do better that this. I am totally and happily won over.
(Stride Inc. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Earlier this week, Jeff did a review of the Kunisawa Pocket Find Notebook. Today, I’m reviewing its larger cousin: the Kunisawa Find Notebook.
The Kunisawa Find Notebook is an A5-sized, cardboard bound notebook with 192 pages. The outside edges of the pages are gilded, making the notebook look especially sophisticated.
The first page of the notebook says, “i do not seek, i find.” Thus the name: Find Notebook.
The exterior of the notebook is dark gray with a metallic sheen. The Kunisawa logo and name adorn the book in copper (which matches the gilded edges). This is definitely a great-looking notebook.
The notebook is nicely bound so that the book lies flat when open. The pages aren’t perforated, so you cannot easily remove them. A ribbon bookmark is included.
The paper is called “Foolscap,” but I could not find the weight on the website. It is a cream color with 5mm gridlines. I tested the paper with various fountain pens and inks. All of the pens and inks seemed to work well in this initial test. I didn’t notice any bleeding and the paper was very smooth.
However, there’s quite a bit of show through on the reverse side.
I also tested the notebook with other kinds of pens, a highlighter, and a pencil. It handled all of these quite nicely. However, the Sharpie (unsurprisingly) bled completely through the paper, and there was a bit of show through with the other pens.
Next, I tested the paper with my my Aurora 88 stub inked with Iroshizuku Ama-Iro. In this test, I discovered that the ink feathered and bled through pretty obviously.
Although I love the look of the Kunisawa notebook, I am not impressed with the paper. It works well with fine-point fountain pens, rollerballs, and pencils. But even some of those exhibited show through. With the Aurora 88 stub, there was feathering, show through, and bleeding. For a notebook “specifically designed for fountain pens” (according to the website), the amount of bleeding and show through was disappointing.
You can purchase the Kunisawa A5 Find Notebook directly from the Kunisawa Stationery Store for 3,000 yen (= $27.13).
(Kunisawa provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
