We keep our favorite pens out of grabby hands, so what not our favorite accessories, too? I share my favorites from several categories on this week’s show, and there was even more I wanted to discuss. What are your favorites?
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
It's so easy, with stationery, to think of things in terms of usefulness, practicality--to think of our supplies as tools instead of toys, and we forget to play. Then something comes along to remind us to be playful, too. Do I need sealing wax? No. Did I have the most fun ever playing with this sealing wax kit? You betcha.
It first caught my eye because of the Studio Ghibli Howl's Moving Castle theme. That's one of my favorite movies, based on a beloved book. And then there were pretty colors and fire, so... It was a necessity.
The Beverly Sealing Wax set comes with everything you need to entertain yourself for an afternoon, or everything you need to make some seriously adorable wax seals. It has a wee bottle filled with wax pellets in themed colors, a small candle, a melting spoon for the wax, and a wax seal with a themed stamp. There's a set for Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky as well. It all looks like something you might find in Howl's bedroom (iykyk). It all comes in a lovely gift box.
To use the kit, you light the candle, place 3-4 wax pellets in the spoon, and hold the spoon over the flame until the wax melts. Then you pour the melted wax over the spot you want to seal, and press the stamp into the pool of wax. Hold it there for 5-10 seconds, then lift it carefully. Pro tip: The wax takes a few minutes to fully solidify. Maybe resist the temptation to touch it. Maybe. Bonus pro tip: The spoon, which was just in fire, is going to be hot for a while, too. The spoon did get a bit coated in soot, but it wiped clean easily.
Once dry and cool, the wax seal is quite solid. You can make the seals on paper, or cut them out and glue them where you want them, or make them on a plastic backing that you can peel off. Basically, go nuts. Seal everything. I know I plan to.
The whole set costs $44.50 at JetPens, which is more than I would have guessed, but isn't too unreasonable. The fixtures and pieces are good quality, sturdy metal and nice wood. You can certainly get similar kits for much less, but they don't have Howl on them, so that's no deal. These are cool enough that folks on BlueSky are asking me to send them Howl-sealed letters, so they're bringing communities together during the death of social media, and that is priceless.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(This is a guest Post from Sam Alpert. Sam is a geologist, gamer, and general lover of all things with good, clean design. See more from Sam on Instagram @samalpert.)
Brad won’t write this so it falls to me.
If you’re reading this blog you’re probably aware of Spoke Design, Brad’s collaboration with engineer extraordinaire Brian. If not, check it out, they make awesome stuff.
They recently released a new pen called the Clickstream. Here it is in all its glory:
So why would the person who made the pen and runs the website need a review of his own pen? Because this one is different. This one is exceptional, even in a lineup full of home-run designs, this one stands head and shoulders above the rest; Brad won’t say that though, so I will.
What makes it so good? Let me tell you.
First, the shape. Classic, with the Spoke Design cutouts that mark their design language giving it a modern flair. The taper is perfect. I like a narrower grip in my pens, this has a sweet spot for everyone. Narrow at the tip, wider just behind it. No clip interrupting the clean curves, but flattened on six sides to prevent rolling. There’s something here for everyone, without compromise.
Second, the click. It’s incredible. The pen ships with a Soft, Medium, and a Hard spring - I immediately installed the Hard and never looked back. I love a good thunk when I click a pen, and the mechanism they chose for the Clickstream delivers. And again, if you prefer a more Pilot G2-esque click the Medium spring is there for you.
Obligatory lineup compared to some other great pens. Top: Tactile Turn Slim Bolt Action Ti. Bottom: Cortex edition Studio Neat Mark One.
Third, the material. I chose sand blasted titanium, the most popular choice according to Brad, and I can see why. I have had plenty of pocket knives with this setup, but something about having it on a pen gives it new life. The sandblasting adds just enough texture to the pen to give it a nice, tactile feel, without being rough. Additionally the weight of the titanium is just the best. While the aluminum body version has amazing colors, I’m here for the perfect weight that the titanium brings.
I’ve had many (read dozens) of machined pens come and go, both from Spoke design but also from many others including Tactile Turn and Karas Pen Co. just to name a few. None of them came close to the full package that the Clickstream brings to the party. They all had some minor quibble (too wide, too textured, loose tolerances) that I just can’t find on the Clickstream.
The essential comparisons: Top: Retro 51 Tornado Halloween edition. Bottom: Pilot G2.
The pen ships with either a Schmidt Easyflow 9000 or Ohto Flash Dry refill, but accepts any Parker-style refill (so if you want to spring for the now exorbitantly expensive uniball Jetstream refills you can,) just don’t forget the spacer that ships with the pen to install on the refill, this is part of the secret that takes the tip rattle out of the equation for this pen.
If you absolutely need a clip, or hate all the refill options then I agree, this isn’t the pen for you. But for anyone who just loves a good pen, this could easily be my one pen I use for the rest of my life. It’s that good.
The Spoke Clickstream is $69 for Aluminum, and $89 for Titanium models, and can be found at SpokeDesign.com.
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!
