Today, I'm going to talk about pens. Such a boring topic, but if you're a pen addict like me, or into school supplies or what-have-you, then read on.
[Edit: Wow, I made such a long post, I guess I got carried away haha]
I. Background & Resources
Background
Before I delved into the beauty & fashion world, I was the typical geek in the back of the school-room with thick glasses, small frame, quiet & shy
New pencil bag
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I started collecting writing utensils since I was a kid, and have always had this thing for them. I've lost the majority of my collection from moving several times, and had stopped collecting pens for a while. For the past few months, I've been searching around for a new pencil bag to replace my old Cinnamaroll one that was ruined with a busted ink pen. It wasn't even my pen! I searched around Etsy and other stationary shops, and they all were too small. I figured the pouch should be at least 7 inches (17.78 cm) long to hold regular pen and mechanical pencils.
The Pen Addict
So I was browsing around for a pencil pouch, and came across a blog dedicated to pens: The Pen Addict. I love his blog, and through him I discovered other pen/pencil addicts like myself. His reviews are very helpful, so it helps readers make educated purchases on the the vast variety of pen options out there. There's just too many to try! He's narrowed down and listed his Top 5's, and I ordered I few off from that last as I was curious. I gotta say, he has great taste in pens! I'll provide quick reviews for the ones I purchased later on in this post.
Jet Pens
Through The Pen Addict, I was introduced to Jet Pens, a webstore selling Japanese pens! Awesome. They stock up on the latest and hottest pens and pencils. They also carry pencil pouches by Japanese brands. I ordered one, and I'm likely to order a few more since I'm so happy with it :D I definitely recommend Jet Pens if you're interested in Japanese pens and have no access to them near your place. The prices are a little higher than the standard American pen, but the quality is much better. You don't have to be a pen addict to invest in Japanese pens, I think if all you want is a good pen that doesn't bleed or smear, or your handwriting is atrocious with whatever you write with, then paying the extra buck is worth it. I'm of the latter, as my handwriting is tiny. My professors really hate my writing: "Er, let's take out the magnifying glass, shall we?" Haha :D It's not -that- small, gosh.
II. Photos & Reviews
1. Kutsuwa Edwin Duo Side Pocket Pencil Pouch
First, is the pencil pouch, which was the main part of the order. The Kutsuwa Edwin Duo Side Pencil Pouch features a double-zipper main compartment, a zipper sub-compartment, and 2 side pockets with velcro fixtures. I think the design looks similar to the popular Marc Jacobs Zipper Clutch :D The fabric is durable canvas, I think, and will probably last me a long time. The color is navy blue, but it came out tealish in my photos. It's a great pencil bag! It was difficult to choose between this and all the others, but I'm very satisfied with my purchase. See Jetpens for better photos.
2. Pilot Dr. Grip G-Spec Shaker Mechanical Pencils - Flash Series
I got the Dr. Grip G-Spec Shaker Mechanical Pencils in white and pink. White is my favorite color, and pink was just too cute. Dr. Grip mechanical pencils were specially designed to relieve writing stress and fatigue. They're ideal for people who suffer hand or joint problems like arthritis or carpal tunnel, and have been commended by the Arthritis Foundation with the "Commendation of Easy-of-Use" award. I think their products are perfect for people with hitchhiker's thumbs, as I have those types of thumbs, and Dr. Grip is my favorite line of mechanical pencils! No swelling or discomfort whatsoever after hours of writing. If I do experience any discomfort, it's the slightest, and Dr. Grip is the only mechanical pencil that does that for me. It may be a little bulky for some people, as the barrel is pretty wide, but it's the best pencil I've come across so far.
The G-Spec series, or Center of Gravity series, is designed with perfect weight distribution for more comfortable, balanced writing. It has an extra layer of comfort grip to further reduce writing stress, and the point comes in 0.5mm or 0.7mm. I got the 0.5mm since I write small. The pencil has a Shaker function in which you can shake the pencil to extend the lead. Great idea, if you ask me, more time on tests.
Here's a video demonstration:
I really like the look of these pencils, and the extra comfort grip is a nice cushion for my hitchhiker's thumb. I still have to get used with the center-weight, but it surely is comfortable to write with. G-spec series is only available in Japan at the moment.
3. Pentel Slicci 0.30mm Gel Ink Pens in Black
I ordered 3 of the Pencil Slicci 0.30mm Black Gel Ink Pens. It looked so neat, and it was one of 'The Pen Addict''s favorite pens. It is indeed a very nice pen! Probably the best gel pen I've tried so far, I'm that impressed. It writes very smooth and doesn't smear or bleed. The point is very fine, and goes well with my handwriting. I'll definitely have to stock up in other colors.4. Pilot Spotliter 2 Broad/Twin Tip Highlighter
I picked up 3 colors of the Pilot Spotliter 2 Broad-Twin Tip Highlihter. This also had good reviews by 'The Pen Addict.' The highlighter is the size of your average pen-highlighter but the Spotlighter comes with dual tip: one with the regular slanted tip, the other a fine-point tip for underlining or boxing. I like these highlighters, the colors came out nicely. They're not neon and blinding, but just bright enough to be noticeable. They don't bleed too much if you let your ink dry first. 5. Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm Gel Pens
(Oops, I forgot to take photos of these pens. This was taken from Jetpens.com)
The Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm Gel Pens Variety Pack is currently out-of-stock on Jetpens right now, but they will be restocking on them soon as the Signo DX series is a very popular pen among pen enthusiasts. The pack includes 8 colors: black, blue, red, violet, light blue, pink, orange, and green. The pens write pretty well, pretty smooth, and the point is fine. I think I like the Pentel Slicci more has the point is finer at 0.30mm, whereas the Signo DX is 0.38mm. The Slicci writes smoother as well. If you scroll down, you'll see that I was having trouble with the pink Signo-DX. The boyfriend fixed that problem for me, just doodled a bit to make the ink flow haha
III. Handwriting Test
Here are pics of my handwriting with my new pens.
Pilot Spotlighters
Dr. Grip G-Spec 0.5mm Mechnical Pencil
IV. Closing
Overall, I'm happy with everything I got, it's been years since I splurged on pens, and years since I've bought a new pencil pouch (the Cinnamaroll one was a gift). I'll definitely be purchasing from Jetpens again, and hopefully I won't lose any of my pens this time, since that tends to happen. I get asked to borrow pens, but they often forget to return them.
I'll end this post with a pic I took yesterday, just to make sure you haven't forgotten what I look like haha My brows are a mess, but I'm too lazy to do anything about them. My cheeks were blushing from the heat. My glasses are butterfly-shaped to compliment my oblong face. They're 'ok,' I think only Liv Taylor can pull off butterfly-shaped frames. I look kinda stern with these glasses on. Oh well. :S
Have a great weekend!
24 comments:
Lovely pen collection you got! ;) I used to be a pen addict as well, Thao! But here in Austria, very fine pens are so rare. I noticed, it's so common in Asia.
You look cute with your butterfly formed glasses! The shape does flatter your face shape I think. I can only wear narrow and edged frames. :)
i have those two side stabilo.haha.my buddy had this shaker pencil and she let me borrow it sometimes and i was so happy.bahahah.omg i actually love stationaries,they r so cute i wanna eat them !haha
but i had to cut back m expenses
:(
when i was in hisgh school,which is a month ago,i had the excuse to keep buying stationaries.haha.since im going to uni next month,i dont think statioaries would be much useful.awwwww
haha omg I really enjoyed reading your post about pen collecting, because I like to collect pens and pretty stationary items just like you do! Back in middle school when the whole gel and glittery pen craze was in, I had pouchful of them, and I used to not want to use any of them in fear that the ink will use up. Years later, I realized, if I never use then, what't the point of buying them because the ink will eventually dry out! hahaha my pen collection has died down a bit since I left home for college, because I couldn't bring my big box of goodies with me! But I've slowly started again because I just couldn't stop myself when I see a pen or pencile that I liked! :p
Jess,
Omg, that's so cool, Jess :D I'm glad to hear we have another hobby in common! Makeup, pens, and tea! It's strange to here that it's hard to find good pens in Austria, I had this idea that Europe would be more ehtusiastic about pen & paper than anywhere else, for some reason. Thank you, I think I borrowed your words from an old post you made, the glasses making me look stern. I was told I looked like either a lawyer or a teacher, I'm not sure how I feel about those comments haha
Verina Oei,
Nice to hear we have the same pens :D I think Shaker pencils are cool, but really noisy, I hope it won't irritate anybody in the classroom haha So many people with OCD in the science department. I think stationaries are always useful just as long as you find some use for them. I've seen my professors use nice stationary as thank-you notes from time to time. I think the older generation are still tied to the analog ways of sending messages, which is nice.
Lulu,
Oh, another pen collector, high five! I don't have much stationary as I do pens though, but they're both easily accessible, so I understand how you stopped but started again, which was what happened to me :D I use all of the pens I buy, so I guess I'm not that much of a collector. Even for makeup, I use them until they're out. I figure I should give them the love they deserve now since there's always something better to come along if I give it the chance.
I love pens too!! I've actually been looking for the perfect writing pens for a while, so I'll definitely check out the Pentel Slicci ones in the future. Since school is out I'm not doing a whole lot of writing right now, but the Sharpie fine-tip pens are pretty nice (but I think they're 0.7 or 0.5). I definitely don't write as small as you do lol. The rest of my collection is mostly comprised of Pilot V7s and random colored Gelly Rolls and Staedtler triplus fineliners for letter-writing.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this post. I have been using Japanese pens only (especially the Uni-ball Signo) for many years. And then last year, I relocated to US and couldn't find anywhere to buy them. I was almost driven to get a cp from Singapore or Japan. And now I can order to my heart's content !!
Oh wow! That's really interesting =) I am picky with the writing utensils I buy, though I don't collect them.
You take really good pictures btw, and I like your little setup too. I especially like #2, and #3 picture. #2 your placement is perfect and #3 has such an interesting focal point to it. It really draws the eyes attention to the simplicity of the pens.
^Hehe, don't ask XD
ooh goodness..im a pen-collector too.. :)
whenever i go somewhere..i defntly end up with pens..haha..n thats a nice post.. :)
n u luk cute dear..frame goes well with ur face..
n luk..uve got smoothe skin..haha..n u know what..ive got a skin rash,cos of trying a new cream, last week..and now im in hibernation.. :(
I love Uni-ball Signo 0.38mm Gel Pens! I usually stock up on the colour blue black! It passes off as black so I don't have to bother about buying black pens haha
Catherine,
I really am impressed with the Pentel Slicci, I didn't know I would like it so much. The pen itself is thin and small, so I probably won't be using it everyday. It writes beautifully though. I want to try the Sharpie Pen too, but I haven't seen it anywhere in my area yet. I think I've become more picky with my pens over the years, but I think the Pilot V7s bleeds too much for my sort of handwriting. The ink from the Gelly Rolls don't flow smoothly. Staedtler are a good art company, I sampled a few high-end art pens and they're quite nice.
Zulfa,
Wow, you are so welcome! It's chance that you came across my blog and read this post huh :D I hope you like the things you're getting!
Natgn,
Thank you!! I try, though most of the successful photos came out well by accident. The #3 (Slicci) photo was flipped upside down to show the "Slicci" label. The pens sorta look like they're floating, don't they? :D You are so observant, I'm so flattered by your comment!! *blushes* Thanks!
Zwala,
Nice, another pen collector! *high five* Thank you, I was iffy about the frames before, and still am now. I got them last year. I'll continue to use them since the lenses costed like a bomb :S Ah, thanks, I think my skin has improved a great deal from updating my skincare, and going through all the trouble with the tretinoin. It's the only exfoliator I'll ever use. Oh no, a skin rash, that's awful :( I hope you make a quick recovery soon!
Blair,
You get access to the Signo 0.38mm pens! That's awesome :D I like them too, I'm not sure why America doesn't carry smaller points than 0.5mm. Blue-black, eh? Haha It must be a very very deep blue. I remember one time I had to redo an entire application form cos they didn't accept blue ink. I wonder if they can tell with the blue-black ink.
i love pilot brand, they are simply amazing. I love thin pen...
can i say that i hate pens!!!??? my husband gets FREE PENS ALL THE TIME from all his medical conference. I NEVER buy a pen ever since I met him. LOL
now that my son's schooling, he's got coloured markers, pencil, pens and you name it!
i have boxes of them unused and i really want to chuck them all to the bin.
i don't really use any pen unless signing for packages and stuff now that everything's so computerized.
OK, i said it. don't shoot me!
For the longest time, I was content with regular Papermate pens (don't laugh). That is until I met my hubby. He is into pens too (from Japanese ones to Mont Blanc) and I have gotten more discerning about what I write with. We love going to Kinokuniya and checking out pens.
Anyways, thx for the pen porn! :)
I love to collect pens too. My favorite type of pen are inky ones, but they cant'b e TOO inky cuz I'm left handed. I used to have a massage collection of Jelly Roll colors when I was in high school.
I need to find a cute pencil case for all my pens. I'm so exciteD!
I have the same problem.. I meant, addiction, hahahaha. Love stationery!!
hi sweets I used to collect pens too!! when I drew alot, I love pentel and sakura pens! they are the best! if you havent tried them you should :D
you looks so cute in your glasses <3
omg this post is so cool !!! ^^
I love pens too!! haha I could spend hours in the stationery section testing and choosing pens since pens are widely available here. LOL i didnt know pens are rare in certain countries =P
I used to use Shakers in high school. haha it is my second most expensive mechanical pencil after Pentel! LOL! at some times when i got so used to shaker i would automatically shake any mechanical pencil when using it before I realized I wasn't holding a shaker hahaha
My current fav pen is uniball signo 0.38! and my fav correction pen has to be Pentel! i love the extra fine point! ^__^
awesome post! i love stationery!! hehe!!
Ning*Star,
Pilot is a great brand, and I love thin pens too. I think I can only be satisfied with thin pens haha
Jojoba,
Omg, how can you hate pens! xD I suppose if you have so many and don't know what to do with them, and they're just taking up space, I can see how you find them a nuisance than anything else. Send them to me! :D I think I still like pens cos I still use pen & paper for writing notes, I'm still attached to the analogue ways of writing so as long as I'm still writing notes, I'll still love pens.
Shop n' Chomp,
I won't laugh cos those were my very first pens ever, I borrowed them from my older siblings. They were so simple and cheap, brings back good memories. There isn't any Japanese bookstores near here, so I'm envious that you and your hubby can freely go to Kinokuniya to check out pens. So I rely on the internet for most of my Japanese buys. Thanks for sharing :)
Edna,
You're left-handed, that's neat! I didn't know Jelly Rollers had a massage collection, those would be useful for me as I have hitchhiker's thumbs. I hope you find a cute pencil case that you like!
Fuz,
I really have an addiction problem too! I go through stages, and I'm currently going through a stationery stage :D
Eki,
You're the Blogger artist around here, so I figured you'd be pen addict too, since you use pens & pencils for your art :D I bought some Sakura pens for my brother (he's a tattoo artist) and he likes them. They're so expensive for pens, but the quality is really good. Thank you for the compliment about my glasses *blushes*
Miss Hazel,
You commented the same time that I did, haha. Pens aren't rare here, there's lots to choose from in the States, but Japanese pens are hard-to-find if you're not near any Japanese bookstores, which was the case for me. You're lucky to have access to them, I'm jealous! xD Shaker pens are so new to me, it's more like a toy than anything else. I'm glad to hear you like the Uniball Signo 0.38 too, what a coincidence. I don't have any correction pens, so I'll look into the Pentel one for a future order, thanks!
Innerchild - I keep meaning to drop by and tell you how great this post is! I'm glad you found The Pen Addict to be helpful in your pen choices - looks like you did an awesome job.
Take care, and keep up the pen posts!
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Margaret
http://howtomakecompost.info
ahh a kindred soul shares my love of writing pens :) being in an office supply store is just like being in a huge sephora for me - I miss being able to buy all the cool pens that I'd see when I'd go overseas to visit family!
I have been using Japanese pens only. I couldnt find the Uni-ball pens anywhere in the US. Now I can get some!!! Thanks... and you have a great blog.. keep up the good work :-)
You have beautiful pen collection and so is your side pocket pouch. Awesome pens I must say.
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