Kamio Japan Paco-Tray Pen Case 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 first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

I'm eternally delighted by the many ways a simple concept like a pen case can be made new and exciting and clever. The Kamio Japan Paco-Tray Pen Case is all of those things. It appears as a simple rectangular cuboid--not very big, not ornate or fancy--but put into practice, it's a wee genius of a thing.

It's a clamshell-style, nylon canvas case, with the zip opening lengthwise across the front and side edges. It has a double zipper, which is always a plus. When opened, the inside lining blooms like an accordion into three separate trays. Magnets in the spine snap together to hold the case open. When you close it, the dividers hold the contents nested in those trays, so everything stays neat and orderly and is easy to find when you need it. If you overstuff the pockets (lol if), there may be a few things that smoosh out into other compartments, but otherwise it does a great job of keeping things separated. When the case is closed, the magnet in the spine can be used to attach the case to a metal surface, like the front of a desk drawer.

Despite its small size, the case can hold a surprisingly large number of pens. A few dozen easily, plus accessories. It is, alas, too short to hold some wood case pencils at their full length, but once they've been sharpened down a bit, they'd fit, too. The rectangle shape makes it easy to fit in bags alongside books and other pen cases.

One downside is that you can't just open one end of the case and dig out a random pen. Because of that tray lining, the case has to be opened the whole way to get to anything. So, it's great for sitting down to a work station, but not great for quick access.

It is, overall, one of my favorite pen cases that I've reviewed. I love compartments, and I love the way the magnet keeps the case open. It doesn't so much hold your pens as present them to you, like the small treasures they are. At $16 on JetPens, it's also a really good price. If you need more ways to carry your pens (lol if), this is a great tool for the job.

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

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Musubi Oversize Two-Pen Case in Murasaki Seigaiha: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Musubi is a manufacturer of beautiful fabric-covered journals and pen cases. I’ve long coveted the Manekineko (“Fortune Cats”) journal in Ao, but I haven’t purchased one because, even though I love the craftsmanship of these hand bound journals, I would be intimidated to use them. I wish Musubi made A5 journal covers so I could reuse the cover with journals like the Seven Seas Writer.

While ogling Musubi’s journals, I discovered they also make pen cases. I decided to purchase their oversize case in the Murasaki Seigaiha (purple waves) pattern.

One reason I wanted to buy a product from Musubi is their commitment to helping women. The pen cases are made in Indonesia by abused women. According to their website:

In Indonesia, we train women from abusive family backgrounds in the same high-tech methods used to make our pen cases, providing them the skillset necessary to gain financial independence and escape their unfavourable circumstances. The end result: every Musubi creation directly and measurably benefits the least fortunate amongst us.

The Musubi case is made with an impact-resistant frame covered with a single piece of Japanese fabric. The case is rigid and retains its shape regardless of whether or not pens are inside.

There is a pull tab for the snap closure, which makes the case easy to open. Fabric covers the snap on the inside of the case so your pens aren’t in danger of being scratched.

I chose the oversize case (which is 150mm/6 inches long and 63mm/2.5 inches wide) especially for two pens I’d like to carry in my purse all the time: my 1970s Montblanc 149 (named “Walter” for reasons I’ll explain in a review someday) and my Nakaya Portable Cigar, which I reviewed last week.

These two are oversized pens, and the pen case fits them perfectly. You can see that they are easily accommodated with only the tops showing.

Musubi includes a removable matching fabric insert that keeps the two pens from touching while inside the case.

Although you can use the case without the insert, I would be worried that my two pens would scratch one another, so I keep it inside. At first I wished that the insert was permanently sewn inside, but I discovered that it’s actually better that it’s moveable. Walter is a bit larger in diameter than my Nakaya, so the pen insert adjusts to accommodate two pens of unequal size.

You can, of course, put smaller pens inside the case. I tried it with a Sailor 1911L and a Pilot Vanishing Point. Those pens have wiggle room inside the case, but the fabric protects them from any damage.

I hoped that maybe the Musubi case would be large enough to fit a pair of glasses so that it could perform double duty, but my glasses did not fit. I suppose a small pair of reading specs might fit inside, however.

I’m very happy with my Musubi pen case. The fabric is beautiful and the case is well constructed. I have no doubt that my two pens will be protected while they are inside my purse and on my desk. And, although I’m not going to do a drop test, the case is rigid enough that I’m confident my pens would not suffer damage.

You can purchase a pen case (either regular size or over size) from the Musubi website. Regular size (140mm in length) cases are about $65, and oversize cases are about $75. With shipping from Singapore, I spent around $92 total. My case arrived in less than a week. Although $92 is rather expensive for a two-pen case, you are getting a handmade product with beautiful fabric, and you are helping women escape abusive situations. That’s totally worth it to me!

If you aren’t interested in the pen cases, you might want to purchase Musubi journals, which are made by persons with physical and intellectual disabilities. I am so impressed with the mission of Musubi to employ people in difficult circumstances who make products of such beauty. Now if they would just make the pen cases in the Fortune Cats fabric!

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Sun-Star Delde Slide Pen Pouch Review

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

The Sun-Star Delde is a stylish pen case that also serves as a pen cup on your desk or table. It's not the first time we've seen this design, but the Delde does have a unique aesthetic with plenty of color options that make it a fantastic contender for carrying your writing instruments and stationery supplies.

The Delde Slide Pen pouch is really a sturdy pen cup with a sleeve that can slide up and zip off to form a nice pouch. The lower half of the case is a dense foam covered in nylon material, which makes it sturdy and protective. When sitting on a flat surface, the cup is capable of holding a dozen or so pens and pencils with no issue. When on the move, the thick foam material acts as a premium protector.

When it's time to go, the thinner nylon and corduroy material slides up and zips closed to secure all your stationery belongings. This part is much thinner and not as protective as the base, but it still does a great job. Whatever you lose in terms of protection is more than made up by the convenience of the case turning into a pen cup when you unzip it. The zipper on top of the case is a light weight zipper, but it has a smooth action and never hangs. Depending on the color you pick, there may be a fake leather pull, some matching ribbon, or some other pull mechanism that matches the overall aesthetic of the pouch.

Speaking of colors and aesthetics, there are so many options with this case. According to JetPens, there are 26 to choose from. Even though the colors vary, they all function the same. The colorway featured in this review is the Camel and Khaki with a dark green interior fabric. It's a great color, but there are so many other tempting color combos available.

Aside from the main feature of this pouch (the ability to slide down the top half and use the pouch as a standing pen cup), there are a couple more notable perks. The sleeve portion of the case (the top half) has a pair of pull tabs on both sides of the case to make it easier to pull the top half down to transform the case into a cup. Surprisingly, the bottom half is sturdy enough that pulling down on these tabs is all the effort required to convert the case. I thought for sure it would crumple and require some reshaping, but it works beautifully.

The inside of the case also has a couple of pockets sewn in to the lining. There are two pen/pencil size pockets and one larger pocket which would hold a small sharpener, a lead case, cartridges, erasers, etc. quite easily, albeit just one of these items would fit at a time.

After using the Delde Slide Pen Pouch for a while, I'm really impressed by how effortlessly it functions. I thought for sure that it would be somewhat fussy in practice, but I'm happy to be proven wrong. It holds a good amount of stuff, makes it easy to grab things while you're at the desk, and it's easy to zip up for transport in two quick motions. Depending on what color you go with, you'll spend between $15 and $18 for this case, which is a great value. Chances are, you know immediately if this is something that you could use. Lucky for you, this case fits those use cases perfectly. The only difficult choice is deciding on what color you want.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict 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!