Kaweco Denim Pouch Review

Kaweco has a mortal lock on the pocket fountain pen market, so it is nice to see them expanding their product lineup with related accessories like the Kaweco Denim Pouch.

They have released several cases for their pocket fountain pens in the past, such as leather sleeves for the Sport and Lilliput lineups, and leather box-style cases for the Sports, and even their full-sized models. The Denim pouches are a departure in style, and one I can completely get behind. Kaweco has been experimenting a lot recently in fact, which is nice to see from a brand rooted in German fountain pen history.

These selvedge denim pouches fit up to two Kaweco Sport pens, be it the Classic, AL, Brass, or others. It’s a tight fit, which is nice because you don’t want these pens getting away in your pocket or bag. I imagine they will loosen up nicely with use, just like a pair of your favorite jeans. A single Sport with a clip fits fine as well, as do a couple of Liliputs, but they tend to get buried below the opening too deeply for me.

From a pricing perspective they are expensive. $38 for what many will see as something they can make from their own jeans - and make it more personal as well - seems high. But none of Kaweco’s products are exactly great value in comparison to other products. The thing is, there is no true competition for Kaweco, so I am willing to pay the price for the quality and coolness they bring to the table.

I thought for sure I would prefer the blue denim with the red stitch edge marker, but the black denim seems to work better with my primarily silver and black sports. I bet it would look good with the Brass too. I should get on that.

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

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Lihit Labs Teffa Bag in Bag Review

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on his blog, Smallberry Drive, Twitter, and Instagram.)

I like to carry stuff. Back before EDC was an acronym and the internet had a subculture for everyone, I was just a weirdo who carried a bag with me everywhere. My first love was backpacks. I played a lot of videogames growing up, one of my favorites was a game called Earthbound, it was a modern day RPG and your backpack was your inventory system. That idea really stuck in my head. I made sure when I left my house I would be prepared for adventure, even though most days all I would use was a bottle of water (+1 hydration!).

In college I moved to messenger bags, for lots of reasons but what it really boiled down to is that I thought they looked cooler. My videogame style inventory went from adventure items to more practical items. I was an art student, so I carried my art supplies around (+2 paper, +1 ink!). Lots of people at my school were painters and sculptors, but I was the only illustrator in my graduating class. One of the reasons I picked illustration, besides enjoying it, was that everything I could possibly need to do my job could be carried in my bag.

Now that I am a grown up working in the field, I stuck with the sling bag look. My current bag is The J. Peterman Counterfeit Mailbag (full disclosure, I work for The J. Peterman company). It is my studio. It is not overburdened with compartments: one large main inside, one zippered outside.

I needed something to keep the main pocket organized. So I thought I would try out the Lihit Lab Teffa Bag-in-Bag, A4 size. It does its job in spades. This is mandatory equipment if you have a large compartment bag, it worked equally well in my older Chrome Citizen. I keep a medium sketchbook, a large pad of Bristol board, a ruler and a multitude of pens, pencils, markers, aqua brushes and erasers in this thing. My bag would be chaos without it.

The whole bag-in-bag system is a large rectangle, on the outside are three pen slots and two large flap pockets. These are all sewn into two slit pockets that fit narrower items, pocket notebooks or even a wallet. The edge of the rectangle is zippered to open up a pocket the size of the whole rectangle. The brand calls this A4 size (8.27in by 11.7in, what the world calls “letter” and America calls “almost letter”) don’t let this turn you off if you are stateside, I can fit my 9in by 12in Bristol board with room to spare for a magazine or two.

I have had bags in the past that had built-in sections for all of these things, but here is where the bag in bag system excels over built-in compartments: When I go to grab my paper or pens, I can pull the whole thing out. All of my paper and utensils are right there. I usually have some other non-drawing items in my bag (laptop, book, harmonica, etc.) and this way I don’t have to lug that on to what ever flat surface I have deemed as my desk at the moment. I can’t tell you how many times I have grabbed the Teffa out and felt comforted that no matter where I was, on the road for business or at my coffee table at home, everything is right there organized and ready.

I chose a bright yellow model because I thought any brightness to help find things would be helpful. It looks sunny and friendly in my bag, eager to be pulled out and used. I am the kind of person who likes to be able to draw wherever I am, and not just sketch, I like to have the ability to start and finish a project in one spot. If I'm going to stop mid-stride while walking down the road to draw comics, often enough my mind is telling me dumb things like “Draw a robot ghost!” I like to draw cartoons, I’m not making high art over here. Regardless, I find comfort in having my tools nearby and at the ready, even if I go a few days without touching them.

You can find the Lihit Lab Teffa Bag-in-Bag in two sizes at Jetpens.com. These two things, the Mailbag and the Teffa bag-in-bag, are comforting to have around. They travel well and I take them everywhere: One part security blanket, one part library, one part studio, one part briefcase. It’s my inventory system, and the Teffa levels it up (+5 organization!).

(Disclaimer: This product was provided for me free of cost but I am not otherwise being compensated for this review. The opinions contained are my own.)

EXB Pen Wrap Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Carrying your pens around is a dangerous affair, which is why you should protect them appropriately when away from your desk. There are so many options for carrying your pens, and more pop up every day.

One of the most common style of pen carrying solution is the pen wrap. It's elegant, functional, and looks really good when combined with complimentary fabrics.

And that brings us to today's product on the review table: Pen wraps by EXBPens. I'm sure you're all familiar with the wrap style of pen case — there's normally 3 or so pockets for your pens, and a flap of fabric folds over the top. Then, you roll up the case and tie it shut with a couple of leather cords. Simple and elegant.

According to EXB, almost all of the cases they make are completely unique, and some can be custom made. I think the description on their about page sums up these cases nicely: Compact, Soft and Satisfying to the Senses.

The wrap I got is certainly unique. I love the outer fabric the most, and the inner fabrics compliment the case nicely. The fabric is soft and smooth to the touch, but still has enough padding to protect the pens inside.

This wrap has three pockets on the inside, although the other design is more of a flat sheet that you fold over the pens. This gives the wrap a nice look once you've wrapped it up since the corners are all diagonal. I'm still trying to find the best method of tying the cords around the wrap, but most of the time I just wrap them around a few times without securing them. So far, it stays closed if it's just going into another bag.

I was a little concerned when I first got the case because it looked like the pens would touch once they were folded on top of each other. Fear not, for EXB likely already thought this through as part of the design. Once the case is rolled up, there's plenty of padding for each pen, and there's no danger of them touching.

It's also worth noting that the three slots are fairly wide, so if you're brave enough to cram two pens into each slot, you could carry six fountain pens. And you could carry even more gel ink pens if they were slim enough. Even though it's a simple case by design, it's very versatile.

At the end of the day, that why I like this case so much. It's simple. Yes, the fabric gives it a lot of visual interest, but I love how elegant the design is. It's just a few pieces of fabric to hold your pens, but a lot of care and attention went into it.

As for the quality of the wrap, I have nothing bad to report. So far it's held up great to normal use. This isn't the type of thing that would typically see harsh conditions, but over a long period of normal use I think it would hold up nicely.

I was pleasantly surprised by the feel and look of this pen wrap. If you'd like to give one a try, head over to the EXBPens store to see what's currently available. Stock rotates in and out pretty quickly, so grab it if you like it as it won't stick around for long.