Esterbrook Double Pen Nook Case in Navy: 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.)

The Esterbrook Double Pen Nook Case is a sturdy carrying case covered in synthetic blue leather stitched with striking red contrast thread. The case is made in China.

The case is lightly engraved with the Esterbrook name and "est 1858" on the front. The top portion is padded.

The case measures 6.7 inches/170mm long, 2.1 inches/54mm wide, and 1.26 inches/32mm deep. It weighs 81 grams without pens inside.

A magnetic snap closure, engraved with the Esterbrook eternity symbol, makes the case fairly easy to open and close. I found that the snap top and bottom don't always match up precisely, even with the magnet, and I had to shift the top flap for proper closure.

Both top and bottom parts of the case fold back to provide access to the inside compartment, though the bottom portion doesn't stay out of the way. I suspect that over time it will become less stiff.

The inside compartment is lined with soft red fabric and the bottom is padded. An elastic band insures that your pens stay secure. The board that separates the pens is not removable.

The case easily accommodates most pens. I tested it with a Montblanc 149 and Nakaya Neo Standard and both pens fit. That said, getting them in and out of the elastic was a little difficult, and I had to angle each pen to get it into position. Smaller pens were easier to insert and remove.

The Esterbrook Nook Case is handsome and well constructed. It's much more substantial than a pen roll or other soft pen case, so if the safety of your pens is a priority, it would be a good choice.

However, at $76.00, it is expensive. I could see paying that much if it were made of real leather, but for synthetic leather I think it is over-priced. I honestly expected the case to be around $25.00.

You can purchase the Esterbrook Double Pen Nook Case from Goldspot Pens for $76.00. Other sizes are available as well, including single, triple, six-pen, and twelve-pen cases.

(Goldspot Pens provided the Esterbrook Double Pen Nook Case to Pen Addict free of charge for review purposes.)

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Hinemo Wide Open 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.)

One of the most recent pen pouches to come across my desk is the Hinemo Wide Open pen pouch from Lihit Lab. It's a fairly standard take on the classic zippered pen pouch, but opts for a zip that goes across the case in a diagonal line. I've always preferred these types of zipper pouches because they store flat, open wide, and store a lot of stuff inside. In that regard, the Hinemo Wide Open is no slouch.

According to the JetPens marketing copy, this case is made with hanpu cotton canvas from Fiju Kinume, "a company dedicated to preserving the craftsmanship of this traditional Japanese fabric." I'll definitely be reading up on what makes this fabric unique, but I can tell you that it feels incredibly strong and rugged, while also being smooth to the touch and gentle on pens.

The case measures 7.5 inches long, 3.75 inches wide, and just over half an inch thick when empty. It's a great size for a pen and pencil pouch and can hold as few as three or four pens comfortably, but can also tolerate up to 16 or 20 pens depending on their size. Obviously, this is a pouch where everything inside is jostling against everything else, so not the best solution for pens that you want to keep in pristine order. Aside from that, it's astonishing how much this little case can hold — including full-size woodcase pencils.

The diagonal opening allows the pouch to open a little wider and make its contents more accessible. It's a great design touch. The end of the zip goes beyond the edge of the case, making it easier to grab onto when zipping it shut, but also adding a little extra space when opening up the pouch. When the extra portion of zipper isn't needed, it tucks around the back side of the case and snaps into place for transportation. It's a tidy solution for an otherwise troublesome little tag of fabric and metal that would get hung on all sorts of things in a bag.

Despite the otherwise excellent craftsmanship and design of this pouch, the only thing I haven't enjoyed using is the zip. It looks nice with the antiqued brass finish, but it's just too clunky to use. The large teeth are difficult to zip and unzip — they feel like they don't want to cooperate most of the times, and it's quite common to get stuck. Zipping the case or unzipping it definitely takes two hands, and sometimes it takes a couple of back and forth tries to get it fully open or closed. It's a minor complaint, but one that I think they could have avoided with a slightly higher quality zipper component.

The branding on this pouch is minimal. There's a small faux-leather tag that protrudes from the top seam that simply says "HINEMO" in stamped letters. The interior of the case has a small tag that lets you know the fabric came from Fuji Kinbai, but it's tucked away out of sight under the zipper interior.

The red canvas fabric featured here is a fantastic color. It's happy and bright, but also makes it easy to lose track of. The cream fabric and antiqued zipper add to the aesthetic. The stitching and seams are all well-done, and I've been really happy with the overall build of the pouch (aside from that pesky zipper). If the bright red isn't your first choice, there are plenty of other color options that range from black, beige, yellow, and navy. At $12.50, they're also a really good value. For a medium-sized pen/pencil pouch made from good canvas, this is a great deal. I'd be happy to pay a little extra for a better zipper, but it's still a decent deal as-is.

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

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Galen Leather Slip-N-Zip 4 Slots Zippered 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 latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

If you love stationery (and if you're here, I'm assuming you do), then you've probably swooned over a Galen Leather product or three. Or all of them. I've had the pleasure of trying a few, and they've all been absolutely elite in quality and construction.

The Galen Leather Slip-N-Zip Case is a piece of simple brilliance. It's made of sturdy-but-soft vegetable-tanned leather, with a solid, smooth zipper. It's firm enough to hold its shape well, but is still very flexible. The insert is made from felt-backed reinforced leather, so it provides internal structure to help guard your pens. The 4 pen loops are thick elastic, tight enough to fit small pens, but stretchy enough to accommodate large pens.

The zipper goes across the long edge, around a rounded corner and down one side, so it's easy to get items in and out and you can easily see everything in the case. With the insert inside, you can still fit a small pocket notebook or two inside, or a few additional pens. The case is too soft to be truly protective, so a thin pocket notebook between the pens and the case wall might provide a little extra shield. I wouldn't put four delicate, expensive pens in this case and then toss it in a bag. The leather is thin enough that you can feel the outlines of the clips and pen bodies through it. There is no lining or padding inside the leather--it's just the single layer.

While it's definitely designed more for transport than protection, this is some classy transport. The crazy horse brown leather shown here has a wealth of character. Each piece will be different. There's a wonderful variety of shades, patterns, and textures in the leather, and it picks up scratches and oils as its handled, taking on the character of its user. It also comes in crazy horse green and crazy horse tan.

Galen Leather's goods are pretty high-end, by my assessment, but the price on this piece is only $37. That's an extremely good value. It's going to arrive in a thick board box that will also contain a few goodies from Turkey. You'll feel like you've been sent a gift, because you have.

(Galen Leather 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!