Posts filed under Pen Case

Doughnut 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!)

The Doughnut Pen Case is a simple concept perfectly executed. Overall it's a very plain case--just a long fabric box with a zip closure--no bells or whistles. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.

The case is made out of a 400D nylon that is water-resistant and has a lovely shine to it. This one is a nice charcoal and olive green, though there are teals and mustards available as well. It has a metal zip tab with plastic zipper teeth, and a knotted paracord pull attached. The inside is lined with a more lightweight nylon fabric, and all the seams are enclosed in bias tape, so there are no cut edges or threads dangling inside. There is one brand tag on the front of the case.

The simple silhouette of this case disguises a surprising capacity. While it's too short to hold some lengthy pencils, it can hold a ton of pens. Not literally a ton, but a whopping 37 gel pens fit into this baby. I probably could have fit a few more, but this was as many as it could hold while still feeling relaxed while zipping it up. It didn't feel stuffed.

The water-resistant material makes this perfect for carrying painting supplies like water brushes or anything that might get a little leaky. It will contain the mess to the case, which is washable, and protect the other items in your bag.

As a simple zip pouch, it has thousands of potential uses beyond the stationery sphere. It would be perfect for crochet or knitting notions, for camping utensils, as a small packing cube. It could even fit a mini travel umbrella, a kid's leaky sippy cup ... All sorts of things.

It's not inexpensive for a zip pouch, coming in at $19.50 at JetPens. It's about what you'd pay for a similar pouch from Tom Bihn or Topo Designs, which are arguably a tier above this one in construction and materials. But this pouch is easily just one step down from those elites, whereas most pen pouches are leagues behind. I'd say it's very slightly overpriced, but not unfairly expensive.

My kids usually end up claiming all the pen cases I review, but this one I'm keeping. In fact, it's going straight into my suitcase for my upcoming trip. I think it's the perfect size to contain my travel blanket, or maybe it will hold my stash of granola bars, or my makeup, or... Gotta love a simple zip pouch.

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

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Posted on October 20, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Doughnut, Pen Case.

Pencil Stand or Minimalist Work of Art? Why not both?

(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!.)

I first saw the leather Pencil Stand by Lo Esencial at the Chicago Pen Show earlier this year. Erick Gama of Amarillo Stationery had this at his table and I thought it was the neatest thing.

Erick, former co-host of the Tinterias Podcast, opened up his webshop which focuses on Latin American stationery and analog tools. One of the brands he carries is Lo Esencial, which is a line of leather products designed and handmade by Mexican artisans.

The Lo Esencial Pencil Stand comes in a simple but sturdy cardboard mailer, with the logo, brand and tagline debossed in copper. The Pencil Stand is made from a single piece of full grain leather and two brass rivets. The reddish-brown leather is smooth and pliable and has that nice leather smell which is not overpowering unless you don’t like the smell of leather. There is subtle branding debossed on both sides of the stand. The Pencil Stand is 4-½” x 4-¾” x ⅜” when folded and 4-⅜” x 4-¾” x 2-⅜” when used as a stand.

I was a little nervous about damaging the inside of the stand when I first stuck pencils inside it. The pencils weren’t even sharpened so I could feel them “scraping” the sides of the interior - that sounds much harsher than it really is. Over time, the leather will soften and wear a bit so you won’t feel that as much. You can see in the pictures below that if there is something thicker than the others, the thinner ones might not stand up straight but they won’t fall out. I swear I didn’t set the pens up to “fan out” like that! While it is a “pencil” stand, I was also able to put 3 decently sized fountain pens in it without any difficulty.

*In addition to pens and pencils, you can also use the Pencil Stand to carry other tools, washi, glasses, etc.*

About the only downsides to the pencil stand are (1) if you need to have more than a few pen/pencils standing up, (2) you don’t like leather, or (3) you have top heavy items you want to store.

I initially passed on this at the show because I have a very messy desk and didn’t have room for it. But now that I’ve been trying this out for a while, I find myself using it not at my desk, but when I’m away from my desk. I’ve really grown to like its portability; it’s so easy to pick up, slip into a bag or pouch and set up anywhere you want a few pens handy.

*Enjoying the backyard while the weather’s still nice.*

You can find the Lo Esencial Pencil Stand at Amarillo Stationery for $15. It appears to be sold out right now but you can sign up to get notified when it is restocked!.

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

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Lo Escencial, Pen Case.

Pilot Otobaco Pen Case Review

The Pilot Otobaco is a pen box that transforms into a desk stand. A very cool idea, if a puzzling execution. It's made of hard plastic with a magnetic closure, and the inside is comprised of a number of compartments that unfold to serve various stationery related purposes. The material is sturdy but lightweight. If you were a kid in the 80s-90s, this is the same plastic your toys were made of. This is the 90’s Barbie fold-out camper of pen cases.

When the case is opened, the front flap folds down to become a pen tray, one part smooth, with part of it ridged to keep pens from rolling. Behind the ridged tray is a rubber strip designed to work as a stand for your phone or papers. Behind the stand strip is a deeper compartment with a hinged cup that folds up to serve as a pen cup.

There's a lot going on, and it's definitely fun, but not entirely functional. When closed, it only holds 5-6 pens total because so much of the interior space is taken up by its mechanics. While you can use the front edge of the tray, or the deeper back compartment to hold things when the case if fully opened, all of those things will have to come out before you can close the case back up, because the pens fold into those spaces when it closes. Overall, it makes a better desk stand than a case, and might be handy as a permanently open wee stand on a wee desk. As a case for on-the-go, it doesn't quite work for me. It's large and inflexible and doesn't hold enough stuff.

I could see this being useful for a student, though. If you don't need a lot of gear, and will be moving between multiple small desks throughout your day.

Whatever you're carrying in this case will need to be fairly small, also. It is only 16.5 cm long internally, so it won't hold most wood pencils or longer pens. That's what keeps me from recommending this for wandering artists. Bulky pens or highlighters would take up most of the interior. There isn't space for things like washi or erasers or other accessories.

As a mini-mobile desk stand, I think it does serve its purpose, but the trick is, what is the audience for this purpose? I'm not sure. It's also a bit pricey at $27. That's $10 more than the SMAND, the now legendary case-tray-stand that serves a similar purpose and is close in size, but holds at least a dozen pens.

So while I don't enthusiastically recommend this, it does make a useful small desk organizer, and no doubt it will find its audience who will love it dearly.

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

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