Cult Pens has one of the largest selections of stationery on the planet. If you are looking for a specific product there is an excellent chance they have it in stock and ready to ship. Even better, they are offering readers of The Pen Addict 20% off until February 28th. Get shopping!
My thanks to Cult Pens for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.
Pencils are a thing, even for a pen addict, and now that I carry wooden pencils with me frequently I need a portable pencil sharpener to keep me company. The Sonic Ratchetta Capsule Pencil Sharpener fits the bill nicely.
I’m all set at home with the desktop Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener, but hauling that around in my backpack doesn’t exactly fly. I’ve also seen many open blade models where the pencil shavings go everywhere you don’t want them to be. I’m a bit of a neat freak - which was part of my pencil hangup in the first place - so having a compartment to hold the shavings until I am able to dump them out fits my needs perfectly.
The Rachetta handles that task well, but what really sets it apart is the way you sharpen the pencil itself. It’s like a socket wrench or ratchet screwdriver in that you don’t have to readjust your grip with each twist. The ratcheting mechanism lets you work your sharpening magic with ease. A little back and forth and a fresh new point is yours.
There are also two point settings on the sharpener: Fine point and broad point. The fine is what you think of with a traditional pencil, and the broad is useful for colored pencils or those who want wider, softer lines.
For someone who is not a traditional pencil person I’m impressed with the Sonic Rachetta. For only $5.50 and your choice of five colors it is a solid addition to your daily carry.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
To be honest, I didn't know brown-black inks were a thing until one showed up in the January Ink Drop shipment. I wasn't excited about it because brown is usually associated with drab and boring. It ended up being the last one I tried in the group, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the ink.
The ink in question is the De Atramentis Black Edition Black-Brown. Long name, right? Let's break it down. The maker is De Atramentis — German. This ink belongs in a special edition (Black Edition) that come in a black glass bottle to keep the light from affecting the ink. Finally, black-brown is the color.
How do you make a brown ink non-boring? You add shading properties to it. Now, there isn't a ton of shading going on here, but it's enough to add a lot of interest to the ink as you're writing. Also, the hue of the ink is a really pleasant color. It's a warm, calm brown. It's dark enough to be inconspicuous, but has just enough character to attract attention from the more detail-oriented eye.
Another lovely quality is the lubrication. This ink is smooth. My Monteverde Artista is a smooth pen to begin with, but this ink makes it feel like the nib's had a new polish. The feel of the ink is very pleasing.
Strangely, the ink does has a smell when writing. I can't quite place the smell because my sense of smell is atrocious, but it reminds me of crayons and watercolors. It's not a bad smell, but it makes me think of art supplies and art class.
The ink is easy to clean out of the pen, which is always a nice bonus and something I've been more aware of after trying J. Herbin's Rouge Hematite.
I don't normally do this, but I was curious as to the water resistant nature of this ink, so I did a drip test. It actually did really well for being a colored ink. I guess that is thanks to the black in the ink that makes it more permanent. I can't say anything about the archival properties of the ink, but I would assume it's better than average compared to other brown inks.
If you're interested in a dark brown ink that has some unique characteristics, definitely give this one a try. I know I was certainly surprised by how much I liked it.
