Traveler's Company Notebook Accessory 030 Brass Clip Review

(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. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

When I ordered my pile of Traveler's Company accessories to build out my kit, there were definitely some accessories I didn't fully understand. The Brass Clip was one of them. Why add something heavy and bulky to a minimal design? I get it, now that I've had some time to put it to use.

The first great thing that the brass clip does is that it keeps things secure inside my notebook. It holds the folder shut, and it adds friction to the wallet insert so I know my cards and important papers are secure inside the pockets. I've never had anything slip out of the notebook, but having the clip there feels like extra security, which is especially welcome when I tuck notes and bits of paper inside, which is most of the time.

The clip also serves as a bit of a flag. It sticks up above the top edge of the notebook, making the notebook easier to find inside my bag, and the clip is strong enough that I can even pull the notebook out by the clip. This has been extra handy, since I'm currently using the notebook as my wallet. My necessary purse of the moment is a cavernous tote bag, so anything that helps me locate and grab ahold of my wallet/planner is hugely appreciated.

And of course, the clip's primary and most useful feature is that it holds the notebook open for you, so the whole thing can lie open flat while you work. It works so well in this regard that I've begun migrating it between all my notebooks--it's now a daily essential for all my stationery. It serves as a bookmark when the book is closed, and a holder when it's open, and it has quickly become my favorite Traveler's Company accessory.

The clip opens very wide, so it can easily fit the whole notebook in its maw. It has a simple but sturdy coil construction. It has a very strong jaw, but it doesn't hurt when you clip it on your finger. Yes, I tested this just for you, because I care. It does hurt if you clip it on your ear, though, so do exercise some caution.

All this usefulness! It makes it worth the weight that the brass adds to the notebook setup. The heaviness actually makes it work better. And it's even worth the price.

I felt a bit silly when I first bought it. $21 is a lot for a clip, even a snazzy brass one, and I wondered if I was just buying it for its looks. Because it does look good! It's a classy bit of bling to an otherwise austere lineup. But this is way more than just a pretty accessory--it's a multipurpose stationery game-changer. No regrets (except for the clipping it on my ear bit).

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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I Swear It’s Not A Junk Drawer!

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

The other day, I was listening to the AskTPA portion of Episode 549 when a listener asked how Brad and Myke store and keep track of the various converters, cartridges, etc. and I got all excited because I could share my own crazy solution - IKEA Alex drawers! Well, not all of the drawers, just one in particular (Drawer #2), is where all the little bits and pieces go. Sounds like a junk drawer to me, Kimberly. I swear, it’s not!! Unlike the usual stuff you’d find in the other drawers like staplers, tape, and Post-It notes, Drawer #2 keeps almost all of my pen-related accessories corralled within arm’s reach. Converters, cartridges, clips, tools, you name it and it’s probably in there.

Ok, it does look a little like a junk drawer, but it’s actually full of useful pen stuff!

I won’t go through everything that’s in the drawer cuz I’m trying to keep this short (yeah, right), but you can see there are cartridges, converters, little bottles of ink (mostly J Herbin 10 ml), clips and other items. Let’s take a closer look at some of the stuff inside the drawer.

I keep proprietary or branded cartridges in their own little baggie. Pro tip: write on the sticky side of a Post-It so that you can see what it says when you stick it to the inside of the bag.

Way more standard international converters than a normal person should have, along with a few threaded ones, a spare Parker converter, and some Lamy converters.

I clean and store empty cartridges after I’m done with them; they are particularly useful with proprietary cartridges so I can use any ink I want.

The left one houses a variety of standard international cartridges, the top has Montblanc carts which are standard international-ish. And the bottom bag has a variety of Pilot, Platinum and Lamy and other carts.

The 3 major Japanese brands have proprietary cartridges and converters so I have separate bins for Pilot, Platinum and Sailor. Bins of various sizes help organize different products/brands, at least until they are overflowing.

The Pilot bin overfloweth.

Aside from cartridges, I also have a bunch of different Pilot converters (Con-40, Con-20, Con-70, the discontinued Con-50), as well as metal cartridge caps for the Vanishing Point/Decimo, and blue squeeze pipettes for cleaning Pilot Parallels.

Drawer #2 also houses miscellaneous accessories and tools such as cotton swabs (useful for cleaning small inky messes, Parafilm (for sealing up ink samples), colorful standard international converters, piston tools, TWSBI Pipe, adapters, o-rings, clips, rollerball attachments, small syringes, you get the picture.

Some of the stuff you should probably keep but don’t know where to put them. Ok, maybe this sounds a little like a junk drawer.

The cartridges, converters and other tools pretty much take over Drawer #2, so I need another drawer to store nibs. I have a lot of pens that use removable nib/nib units like Jowo, Bock, Schmidt, etc. So I generally remove the nib units from those pens and store them separately; this way I don’t have to uncap a bunch of pens to look for a particular nib.

One of the test tube racks that house my Franklin-Christoph nibs - these are for Jowo #6 nibs.

I use Avery round labels on top to note the brand, size (5, 6, 8, etc.), nib size (F, M, B, etc.), grinds like SIG, CI, etc. There are rectangular labels that have the same info on the body of the vial.

I have a few nib racks filled with other sizes like Jowo 5, or other types like Bock, TWSBI, Lamy, Retro 51, etc. When I need to pick a nib for a certain pen, I will enter it into the Fountain Pen Companion (FPC). As I mentioned in the FPC article, I use FPC to track my currently inked as well as pen/ink usage. This allows me to enter a pen with a particular nib and grind, which is how I know what nib is in what pen. Then I store the empty vial on the side of one of the racks (along with the other empty vials), until I have cleaned the nib and am ready to put it back inside the vial in its proper spot in the rack.

Pro tip: when cleaning nibs/nib units, keep them next to the pen barrel so you know what nib went with which pen. Pro tip, part 2, don’t put pens with similar nib sizes next to each other so they don’t get mixed up. I will often clean a Jowo 6 nib and then a Jowo 5 nib or a non-Jowo nib before cleaning another Jowo 6. Pro tip, part 3, don’t let your cleaning pile get out of hand so you can avoid nib mixups in the first place (note to self, pay attention to this tip, lol).

All of these little tips and tricks, along with bins and baggies, help me stay organized and able to find accessories and nibs easily. Hope you found some of these tips helpful!

(Disclaimer: All products shown are my own, purchased and accumulated over the past 5+ years in this rabbit hole.)

Blackwing Pencil Extender Review

I love Blackwing Pencils. Blackwing accessories? Well, that’s a different story, with varying outcomes.

When Blackwing first launched their paper lineup, via various notebook styles, they were well received. They did a great job with the release, and I even found them to be fountain pen friendly. They continued to update formats and styles, and have remained excellent over time. I’m not sure how many other Blackwing accessories I can say that about-especially on the first iteration of products.

The Blackwing Point Guard was my first odd experience with a new Blackwing design. The concept is great, as I already used various pencil tip protectors, but this one was was sized oddly at launch. More specifically, some of the Point Guards didn’t fit on Blackwing Pencils. They were too tight to use. Blackwing quickly corrected the issue and made it right, but I filed that information away in the back of my brain.

I would need that info on the launch of the Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener. I had heard there were blade issues on launch, which caused poor pencil sharpening, so I waited a bit for that to shake out. Apparently, I didn’t wait long enough, as I got one of the bad ones. Once again, Blackwing made it right by providing replacement blades, and now the sharpener works as intended.

To first mention the focus of this review-the Blackwing Pencil Extender-at this point probably makes you think there is another technical flaw with this product. There isn’t. But what compelled me to buy this product in the first place is how ugly it is. There is no sense in sugar coating my thoughts on that aspect. But is it a good product, despite my thoughts on the physical design? Let’s find out.

The goal of any pencil extender is literal in two senses: to extend the life of a well-used, and now short, pencil by extending the usable length of the pencil in your hand. If you have a product you love, you want to squeeze every last bit out of it, right? You wouldn’t toss out your favorite ink with 25% of the liquid left in the bottle, would you? No! You would grab a syringe and drink up all the ink until there was none left.

Blackwing pencils give me the same feeling. They are some of my favorites, and I want to use up every centimeter I can. Pencil extenders can help with that. They aren’t a new product, but most are built for pencils with a traditional round ferrule. Circular diameter extenders, like the simple Peanpole from E+M, slide over most traditionally-sized ferrules. The standout design element of Blackwing pencils, the rectangular ferrule, prevents this type of extender from being used. You can remove the Blackwing ferrule if you have a favorite traditional extender, if you like.

To solve a problem of their own making, Blackwing engineered an inelegant solution. To use the Blackwing Pencil Extender, you remove the existing eraser inside the existing ferrule, slide the rubber end of the extender into the now-open ferrule, and toss the eraser into the bin. There is nowhere else to put it. Nor should there be-traditional extenders cover the eraser as well.

Overall, it … works?

I mean, it does. If I’m sitting in that design meeting at Blackwing HQ, I’m thinking yeah, this is great. Ship it! But in the broader scope of their usually sleek and refined lineup, it stands out to someone like me who obsesses over this type of minutia. I can use it, but I can’t unsee it.

So Mr. Pen Addict Opinionated Design Guy, how would you fix this? I wouldn’t. Not every problem needs a solution. Blackwing designed the most iconic pencil on the market. Just like I can spot a Lamy wire pen clip from a mile away, the rectangular Blackwing ferrule is a timeless design. The Blackwing Pencil Extender breaks line of sight on that most important design element. The Extender exists to solve a 10% problem, not a 90% problem, which is an area rarely worth designing for.

Wooden pencils are beautiful because of their disposable nature. Grab one, sharpen it, use it, sharpen it, and so on, right until it is too short to hold in your hand. What now? Who doesn’t love pulling out a fresh, unsharpened pencil from the box? I promise that last inch of pencil won’t hold it against you for throwing it away.

The Blackwing Pencil Extender is a Superfan choice, not a universal one. If you are invested in the Blackwing ecosystem, then $10 is nothing in that context. I’m going to keep mine around, but I’m going to paint it, or sticker it, to at least make it more fun. Maybe that’s the key to unlock the joy of this product.

Now, where is my silver paint pen?

(I bought this product from Yoseka Stationery at regular retail price for review purposes.)

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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!