Posts filed under Pen Case

Concise Bellows 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!)

When you have a lot of pens to wrangle, there's no such thing as too many pen cases. I always like seeing innovative features and clever designs on cases, and this Concise Bellows Pen Case has lots of those.

It's made from a very sturdy nylon canvas and has a nice metal zipper. It unzips lengthwise, from mid-edge to mid-edge. Inside the case is a tri-fold pen roll, attached to the inside with nylon straps and metal rings. It is not removable. The pen roll has three pockets that cover the bottom third of the pens or pencils with another layer of nylon canvas, and an elastic strap that holds the tops of the pens in place. Each pocket can hold 4-5 pens, for 12-15 total. Inside the case is another mesh pocket with a Velcro closure. It's the right size for sticky notes, erasers, clips, washi, or lead refills. On the outside of the case is another pocket that can hold 2-3 more pens or pencils, for easy access.

All told, it's very well constructed and a good design. But I have a few pet peeves. For one, your pens are not just going to touch, they are going to cuddle. This is full-on pen canoodling going on in this case. For that reason, I wouldn't use it for my fountain pens. But do I need a tri-fold roll for gel pens? Not really. I think this might be good for pencils, if you don't want them rattling around damaging delicate lead cores. But for non-fancy pens, I'd rather just have a zipper case that I can stuff to the brim, without the extra fabric of the tri-fold taking up valuable real estate. And as much as I think this case is better suited to pencils, it's too short for Blackwings and other longer pencils.

As nice as this case is, it's not one I'll get much use out of, myself. If you're okay with your pens touching, or if you need a sturdy case for colored pencils, you may totally love this case. It's only $17.50, which is a very fair price for the quality. I have a feeling my eldest kiddo will steal this one. If it helps him keep his school pencils organized, it will have fulfilled a grand destiny.

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

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Posted on October 24, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Concise Bellows, Pen Case.

Nomadic PW-11 Boat Shaped Pen Case Review

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

With the pens and pencils we choose to take with us on our adventures in the world, choosing the right case is half the battle. Just like choosing what clothes to wear, a lot of it depends on what we plan on doing while we're out. Because of the variety of circumstances and environments we find ourselves in every day, these decisions can make or break our day. While choosing the wrong pen case isn't as bad as forgetting an umbrella on a day with a heavy rain forecast, it certainly isn't ideal. No matter what kind of argument I try to construct on behalf of having a pen case (and pen!) for every occasion, it all comes down to the fact that there are so many cool cases available, and I'd like to try them all.

The Nomadic PW-11 Boat Shaped Pen Case might sound like something suited for monsoon season, but it's actually an incredibly versatile case that has plenty of space inside a lightweight but strong exterior. At its core, it's a zippered pen case with one large pocket inside, but it also has a couple of neat tricks.

From the outside, this case is a two-tone beauty made from lightweight ripstop nylon (150D to be exact) and features a small, quiet zipper on top. The bottom of the case has some padding, but the sides are all single-layer nylon. A feature I've really enjoyed is the two zip pulls that are provided on this case, meaning you can open/close it from either end. Along with the double pulls, each side of the zipper has a small magnet embedded in the nylon folds to keep them tucked neatly to the side of the case. This makes the case easy to spread open when you're trying to see what's inside, but it looks more streamlined when it's all snapped together. Along with the magnets to keep the zipper flaps tucked to the side, you can also fold the top of the case down on itself to make it look like a large pouch. This also makes everything inside just a little more accessible and visible. It's a really nice design touch!

Inside the case, there are two small slot pockets on one side. The pockets are wide and deep enough to fit a pencil sharpener, some tape, a small box of ink cartridges, some AirPods, or anything else that's fairly small. At a minimum, it keeps those small objects from getting lost in the open sea of pens and pencils in the main compartment.

One the other side of the case is a flap that has three elastic pen loops built in to the top. This flap opens out of the case to expose the larger compartment in the middle, but then lays back on top when you're ready to zip up the case. This provides quick access to three of your favorite or most-used pens, and also provides extra protection for those lucky three. There's no padding in the flap, but the double layers of nylon are plenty of protection in such close quarters. This flap also keeps the pens in the main compartment from moving around too much when everything is zipped up. Overall, it's an interesting design that works really well in practice.

I've really enjoyed using the Nomadic PW-11 over the past few weeks. My first reaction was, "Do I really need another pen/pencil pouch?" But it quickly won me over with the lightweight material and extra perks both inside and outside the case. At just under $20, it's also a great deal.

If you're not a fan of the yellow-green I chose, you can also pick from a range of other classy colors, like Navy, Light Blue, Pink, and Black.

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

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Posted on September 18, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Nomadic, Pen Case.

The King Jim Frio Stand Roll Pen Case: 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.)

With Doomsday (i.e. school) drawing nigh, it’s time to think about supplies. Supplies are the best part of going back to school, so finding some new items for the year is always fun.

The King Jim Frio Stand Roll Pen Case is made in China. It has felted material on the top half and polyester on the bottom.

The case has three 30mm pockets (best for pens and pencils), two 45mm pockets (good for larger pens and rulers), and one 75mm pocket (for scissors or a small notebook). A felt flap protects your instruments when the case is rolled up.

Although I’ve seen many roll cases, I’ve not seen one quite like the Frio. Two magnets connect to the bottom portion when the case is folded backwards so that it functions as a stand.

Although it doesn’t look very elegant from the back, the case morphing into a stand is quite practical and looks nice on a desk.

Although the case rolled up adequately with all the things I put in it, the felt flap didn’t provide enough protection for my fountain pens. It’s much too short to cover them completely, and I was concerned that the scissors and ruler would scratch them.

I wouldn’t recommend using this case for special fountain pens due to the potential for scratches and dings, but it is terrific for EDC pens, art pens, pencils, and other instruments. It’s compact when rolled up, and it acts as a stand when unrolled. That makes this case rather unique.

You can purchase the King Jim Frio in several colors, including green, black, navy, and white for $19.00 from JetPens.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!