#PenSwag

I could not tell you the first time I have ever tried one of these pens. It was a very long time ago, when I was just a wee little lad. However I can tell you that I have loved this pen ever since that first time of use. I always keep one around, it is a great writing utensil that I consider to be one of the classics.


I love the look of this pen. It has a very simple shape and color scheme. It has matte finished bits at the front and the back of the pen and in the middle you will find a shiny metallic section. The cap posts firmly on the back with no wiggle room which is a must for me. When the cap comes off you find that gated clear section that are found in most roller ball pens. The cap itself has a clear top with a little black bead that indicates the color, and also a very sturdy metal clip.


This pen writes as good as it looks. Right when the cap comes off it puts down a smooth black line with no start up procedures. The ink is jet black, and looks very nice. At some times the ink can come out a bit quick. Knowing this if the pen stops while writing it can get blotchy, but it is not a serious issue.


Overall this is a fine writing instrument that I would highly recommend, especially to those that are fines of the roller ball genre of pen.

9 out of 10 mummies



-Cody

Recently my brother and I went to the Franklin Institute to check out the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit (btw this was very cool).  On the way out I stopped by the gift shop to pick up some astronaut ice cream and while in the store noticed some quill pens lying around.  Being the adventurous pen reviewer that I am, I picked it up for a review.

The quill and ink set came with one quill and a small glass bottle with a cork stopper and a small bag of dry ink.  In order to make the ink you add a small amount of hot water to a small amount of ink.  The less water you add the thicker the ink will be.  A thicker ink makes a thicker line.  The ink is a nice dark black when writing but quickly fades to a grey-black.  The ink takes quite a while to dry, so be warned.

The quill itself needs no preparation before use, you just dip the tip in ink and begin writing.  Surprisingly the quill isn't very scratchy at all.  I was expecting a very scratchy writing experience and it wasn't. Now don't confuse me saying "It's not scratchy" with me saying "It's a smooth writing experience". The pen has resistance on the page and cursive writing is a hassle, but the scratching I expected wasn't present.  Directly after you apply ink to the tip is when the quill feels the smoothest, and it begins to drag a bit against the paper as the ink runs out.  Also, this pen is extremely squeaky.  If you need to write something in a discreet manner this isn't the pen for you.  Then again if you are looking for discretion you probably aren't carrying a quill and bottle of ink.

The quill is a precursor to the modern pen and it is interesting to be able to look into the past of writing utensils.  I can't imagine people writing with these things as an everyday task.  I definitely recommend trying one out if you get the chance they are a lot of fun.





No ranking for this because it is so different.

A couple of months back I saw a post on A Penchant for Paper about her specific notebook system. It was nice to see someone else with a bunch of notebooks with similar (for the most part) uses.  As pen enthusiasts the notebook is often overlooked. Without paper and notebooks half the fun of pens would be gone.


My Notebooks:
This is not my entire collection of notebooks, and specifically these are the notebooks I use during the summer.  Once school resumes I keep a separate notebook for each class, which adds at minimum 4 more notebooks to my collection. I also have a bunch of sketchbooks, old class notebooks, and empty composition books waiting to be used.  But enough about what is not here.

Black n' Red Wirebound a4 notebook
This is my workhorse.  I use this for writing drafts of projects that I am working on.  Part of the reason I'm so interested in pens and notebooks is that when I write something I start it in analog, in a notebook.  This is where the first drafts of papers, blog posts, and pen reviews go.  I also use this notebook for random thoughts and hashing out bigger projects.  My only complaint, is that the back cover has come off of the wire binding.  I am hoping this is just a faulty product that I have gotten because the paper quality is amazing.

Black n' Red Casebound a4 notebook
This is another notebook I use almost every day.  This notebook, which I previously reviewed, is where I do my daily writing.  I try to write 1000 words a day to keep myself in a constant state of creation.  By forcing myself to write daily I learn to push through the times of writers block.  Like the other Black n' Red products this is a joy to write in.


X-Large Moleskine Notebook 
This is my journal.  I don't write very long passages in it, but instead just list anything interesting that happened that day in bullet points.  I learned this super easy, super simple, and very quick journaling process from ZenHabits. I also keep a list of the books that I have read in the front of the notebook.  I bought this notebook before I really knew anything about Moleskine or any other notebooks.  Moleskine's are kind of like everybody's first experience with semi-high quality products.  It wasn't what I expected but is still cool looking and a quality product.

Standard Marble Composition Book
I love how these books look. The classic marble copybook, it is a staple in student's school bags.  I use this book for notes on non fiction books that I read.  I like to have a simple reminder of the main points of the books that I read so I can get an easy refresher later down the line.




Large 18 Month Academic Planner Moleskine Soft Cover
This was my planner from my Sophomore year of college. It is the type of planner with the entire week on the left hand of the page and a page for notes on the right. I used the note pages to write poems in.  The style of poem I write, combined with my handwriting, makes these pages the perfect length for my poems.  Actually this notebook is all filled up and needs to be replaced. 



Large Red 18 Month Academic Planner Moleskine Hard Cover
This is my current planner.  It is coming to the end of its usefulness and needs to be replaced.  This version has the week split on the left and right of the page.  There are no note pages and I use it just for writing due dates and other assignments.  I am not a huge fan of Moleskine notebooks as notebooks but I absolutely love their planners.




 Field Notes Dry Transfer Memo Book "Sage 02"
This is my book of quotes.  When I am reading a book, or listening to a speech, or consuming any type of media and see something that I like and applies to my life, or I want to adapt to fit my life, I write it down.  This book is sometimes called a commonplace book, but I call it my Sage book because it is filled with wisdom.







Field Note County Fair Pennsylvania Edition Memo Book
This is my everyday carry notebook.  I love these memo books by Field Notes and have a whole cache of them saved away so I always have a replacement.  I use this notebook as an inbox.  If I hear a quote and don't have my Sage notebook with me I write it down in this notebook to be copied later.  I write random thoughts and story ideas.  I use it for lists and to do's and do not's . It goes everywhere with me and is a quality companion for almost any pen.



Post-It Flags
These little guys are how I keep my notebooks semi-organized.  If something is important I put a flag next to it so I know to come back to that page.  Since I've started using these little flags I have become a whole lot more organized.










Not Pictured
Field Notes Steno Book
This is my absolute favorite notebook. My most recent one is all filled up right now so I'm not currently using it. However, I normally keep this open on my desk and use it for everything. It is my go to notebook when I have one and the paper is amazing.  Now I just have to order some more.









 Do you have a specific way you use your notebooks? Leave a comment and let us know.

Cody recently reviewed the .5mm Pentel EnerGel, a pen that is in the Top 3 favorite pens for both of us.  In my recent order from JetPens I ordered the .35mm version to try something a bit different. I've never used a 0.38mm tip that I had really enjoyed before.  I was a bit tentative going into this review, but I was pleasantly surprised.



The 0.35mm wasn't scratchy at all! I really couldn't believe it when I took off the cap and started writing away.  The line is a bit narrower than the 0.5mm pen which is to be expected, and is a nice change of pace.  For my particularly messy form of handwriting the narrower tip keeps things organized a bit better, which helps the legibility.


The body of the pen is exactly the same as the 0.5mm version.  The body of the pen is a shiny metallic blue with a metal looking plastic clip.  The overall design is solid, although the blue body and black ink can be a bit off putting.  This is the one thing that bothers me about the EnerGel, why can't a black pen ink have a black pen body?.  The cap posts on the back with a very satisfying click and stays firmly on the rear of the pen when writing. The grip is unchanged from the 0.5mm version and just as stellar.

I didn't think that a pen could be better than the 0.5mm Energel, but the 0.35mm has surpassed it. I have actually switched to using the 0.35mm as my go to pen.  If you are worried about trying a sub 0.5mm pen tip this would be a great pen to start with.  The tip is not scratchy and glides across the paper. It is a great introduction to micro tip pens, and a great addition to any writing arsenal.


10 out of 10 mummies

This pen body came in my last order from JetPens about a month ago, and I haven't stopped using it since it arrived.  I was a bit hesitant about using the Coleto at first because of previous bad experiences with multi pens.  This pen more than reversed the negative stigma I had about multi pens. 

I ordered the 0.4mm Violet and Red refills for the 3 pen Coleto. ( I only ordered two because I mistakenly thought that the pen came with a refill in it)  These Hi-Tec-C refills write exponentially better than the G-Tec-C4.  The G-Tec-C had three problems that prevented it from being one of my favorite pens.  1. The pen took a lot of furious scribbling before it started writing.  (This is a major pet peeve for me when it comes to pens. ) 2. The grip of the G-Tec-C was ridged and dug into my fingers while I wrote. 3. The body of the G-Tec-C was very cheap and broke very easily.

The Hi-Tec-C Coleto presented resolutions to all 3 of these problems that I noticed in the G-Tec-C.  The Coleto writes without requiring scribbling, has a very comfortable grip and a sturdier body. The Hi-Tec-C refills did not require any scribbling to start and have written well every time that I used it.  The violet ink is a rich purple color that is pleasing to the eye.  The red ink is  a bit pale for my liking, but that is not very important as I only use it for underlining things.

The body of the pen is great.  This pen body was $2.50 and is a thicker cylindrical tube than the G-Tec-C (to be expected with the additional pen refills inside the body.) The body isn't overly thick and feels very comforatable in my hands.  Also it hasn't broken in my pocket like the G-Tec-C did.

The grip on the pen is also a vast improvement on the G-Tec-C's ridged grip.  Instead of ridged plastic there are 4 wavy grip strips placed vertically around the tip of the pen.  They are very comfortable and keep your fingers right where you want them without any fatigue to your hand during long writing sessions. 





Once the pen starts to write the writing experience of the G-Tec-C and the Hi-Tec-C coleto refills are the same.  However, the Coleto does not require any scribbling to start.  The grip, body, and refills are all better than the G-Tec-C.  This multi pen has definitely planted itself firmly on my list of favorite pens.

10 out of 10 mummies.

I was out doing some grocery shopping at my local food store, and decided I would take a stroll down the pen/office supply/magazine aisle. I wasn't expecting much simply because it was a grocery store, but I surprisingly stumbled across something that I have never seen before. The Uni-Ball Insight, a "new" roller ball pen featuring a .7mm tip. I threw it in the cart.


The Insight is a pretty standard looking pen. Constructed completely out of plastic, mostly black with some shiny metallic silver bits. It has a neat little see through gauge on the side so one can monitor the ink level of their uni-ball. The one thing that through me off about the design was a notch that is created when the pen cap is put over the point. It looks as if the pen cap is not all the way on, but it is. I don't know why they did this, I believe it makes it look cheap and a little silly.


The pen writes fairly well. I am not a big fan of any roller ball pen with a .7mm tip simply because the ink gushes out forcing the writer to speed the pen across the page. This lessens the neatness of the handwriting which I certainly am not a fan of. The ink is nice, a very crisp black. For some reason my hand became fatigued after a very short amount of time using the pen. I think this is due to the pen's lightness. You can barely feel it in your hand. It would be much better with some added weight
.

Overall this pen is just Okay. If you are looking for a cheap roller ball pen from Uni-Ball do yourself a favor and get a Vision or Vision elite.

5 out of 10 mummies


-Cody

This was another pen in the recent order from JetPens. The Rotring Tikky is a solid pen, and one of my favorites from the order. It also taught me something, how to pronounce Rotring. (For some reason before I ordered this pen I always pronounced Rotring as Rot-o-ring, but once I got the pen I realized there was no o in the name)


The Tikky Rollerpoint is a liquid ink pen from the good folks at Rotring.  This is my first experience with a Rotring product but I have read that the Rotring name is almost synonymous with quality.  The Tikky has lived up to these expectations.


The ink comes out very smoothly along the paper of my Black n' Red notebook.  I hardly have to exert any pressure to write anything with this pen.  The ink is a very dark black that doesn't fade over time.  In the Black n' Red there is no show through and no bleed through.  In my Field Notes memo book there is minimal show through and no bleed through (unless you leave the tip on the same spot for an extended amount of time).  The writing experience this pen provides is stellar.

The body of the pen is reminiscent of a Pilot Precise, with a see through window to gauge ink levels in the pen.  The cap of the pen is marked with EF so that when stored upright in a pen cup you can tell the tip width at a glance.  This is a nice touch that shows the great attention to detail this company has.  

On the grip area there is one flaw that makes this pen a bit of a hassle to use.  The grip is covered in ovals placed to give improved grip for the writer.  However, these ovals actually make the grip seem slippery and make my fingers slip from the places I want them to be.  This is a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but it is an annoyance.


Other than a minor flaw this pen is great.  The Rotring Tikky Rollerpoint EF will be in my writing arsenal for a long time.  I can't wait to try other Rotring products.  I have my eye on one their gorgeous drafting pencils.

8 out of 10 mummies.