The Well-Appointed Desk

Link Love: A Full Docket

AnaJune 26, 2019June 26, 2019

While I was in St. Louis for the pen show this weekend, it looks like everyone else was hard at work getting a backlog of reviews and posts completed. We have a full docket this week with reviews for the new J. Herbin shimmer ink Kyanite du Nepal, lots of pencil reviews, some event recaps and more.

Fountain Pen Review: Opus 88 Omar

Laura CameronJune 25, 2019June 25, 20192 Comments

Review by Laura Cameron

I love looking at Opus 88s! They are all colorful and fun, and they hold so much ink. They remind me of candy – I feel like I need one of each color. So when the Opus 88 Omar (Appelboom, €82.23, approx. $93.50) came out, I knew I wanted to try one. What color? My signature purple, of course!

The Opus 88 Omar has a semi-transparent resin barrel. The cap is mosaic patterned in a matching resin. The Omar is available in Amber, Grey, Green and Purple (also called Amethyst). The pen has silver accents (clip, rings around the ends) and ivory resin finials on both ends of the pen.

The Omar features a #6 JoWo nib stamped with the Opus 88 logo available in multiple sizes; mine is a Fine.

All Opus pens have an eyedropper fill systems (a glass eyedropper is included in the box) and make use of a piston knob on the end of the pen to increase or decrease airflow to the nib, allowing the ink to flow smoothly. While I’m always tempted to add a little silicon grease when I seal up the pen after cleaning, for the purposes of this review I didn’t – I just let the tiny black o-ring do it’s job. No leaks so far!

The Opus Omar pens are big. There’s just no way around this. They dwarf my Pilot Metropolitan and Diplomat Traveller, and are still quite a bit heftier than my Retro 51 and some of my indie pens like this gorgeous one from Carolina Pen Company. The pen is 5 7/8″ or 15cm long, capped, and 5 3/8″ or 13.5cm long, uncapped. When filled, it comes in at a hefty 37gms.

pen weight comparison chart

So here’s my problem: I love the way the Opus 88 Omar looks! This one was a little slow to start, but once I got the ink flowing, I had no problems. The nib was smooth, worked great right out of the box and the pen was a pleasure to write with. But I have to face the fact that my tiny hands and the Opus 88 Omar pens are never going to be a good match. I just can’t deny that I get hand fatigue if I use them for too long. So my recommendation is this: if you have small hands and don’t go for big pens, you’re gonna have to give this one a pass (until they make a smaller size… please?!?!?). If you enjoy larger pens, give these a try. They’re fun to look at and write with and I desperately want one in my collection!

Tools:

Papers: Rhodia Soft Cover Rhodiarama 7.5″ x 9.75″ Silver Notebook (Vanness, $26.95), Story Supply Co, Limited Edition Ithaca
Pen: Opus 88 Omar (Appelboom, €82.23, approx. $93.50)
Inks: Waterman Harmonious Green (Vanness, $11.00)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Studio Neat Totebook

AnaJune 24, 2019June 24, 20191 Comment

Once again, Studio Neat has ventured into the stationery world and proven that they are more than up to the task. This time, they have produced a more traditional style notebook in a not-quite-A5-sized (135 mm x 195 mm), flexible cover, leatherette Totebook (2-pack for $20).

Inside the front cover is a place for contact information and content notes. After this weekend at the St. Louis Show where I found lost items twice, I highly recommend filling this section in.

Inside the back cover is my favorite “helpful info”. Studio Neat includes a font point size guide, the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, ideas for archival sticker placement, and details about how the notebook is designed and laid out. There’s also specifications about the production of the notebook itself like the paper, ink and printing processes, like the closing credits in a feature film. For most people, none of this will ever be useful or needed but I find it aesthetic and nerdy. It’s like the map of time zones in planners — they aren’t really necessary but I still like when they are included.

The Studio Neat Totebook features 5mm dot grid paper and the last eight pages are perforated (“perfed,” as we say in the business) into quarters so that the sections can easily be removed for notes, lists or other small tasks. The dots are light and unobtrusive but still visible. They are also not ginormous dots. I did not get a caliper out to measure them but suffice to say, they did not irritate me. Since I normally prefer blank paper, that’s saying something.

In writing and pen tests, the 100gsm paper withstood all the pens I subjected from rollerball, gel, felt tip and fountain equally well.

There was no feathering of ink and no bleed through.

Even when I switched to thicker brush pens, there was very little show through. I did not test alcohol markers like Sharpie markers or Copics so use those at your own risk (in other words, put a slip sheet between the pages on your first attempt, just in case).

Stickers are included for labelling the Totebooks when completed for storing. I’d like to think I would be this organized and remember where I kept the stickers AND I completed a whole notebook but I think that’s a bit of a pipe dream. I’m not very notebook monogamous. But if you’re the kind of person who is, this might be useful.

The Totebook is a serious upgrade to the Moleskine Cahier which is the closest comparison I can make to this notebook. If that size and format is something you liked but wished someone had made it better, then the Totebook will be perfect for you.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Studio Neat for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Paper Review: Eco Conscious Sugar Cane

AnaJune 21, 2019June 14, 20192 Comments

I love it when I get great mail. My good friend Chris sent me some paper he found at our local Office Depot. Chris actually lives up the street from me but he wanted to make sure I got some samples of it so he mailed them to me.The samples were of the Eco Conscious Sugar Cane paper from the perforated pads which are available in 3-packs for $7.59.

Chris sent me his very own written sample in his beautiful handwriting. He even noted the ink he was using (J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage). He didn’t get any bleed on the front.

From the back, there’s a little show through and there’s a bit of bleed with the last sample he tested.

He sent a few sheets for me to try so I gave them a whirl. I had similar results to Chris. Heavier ink coverage caused a little feathering but for the most part, pens seemed to behave.

On the reverse, there was a little show through and a tiny bit of bleed. But for inexpensive, big box legal pads, this is a great option. And paper made from 80% sugar cane fiber, its pretty good environmentally.

Thanks for the heads up, Chris! And for the beautiful writing sample, too!

In Planners & Organizers

Review: Filofax Clipbook & Pen

AnaJune 20, 2019June 20, 20192 Comments

Filofax has reinvented the ringbound planner with the Clipbook ($25.99). It features a flexible softcover made with a cardstock covered with PU printed material over their classic ring. The Personal planner has a 25mm/0.875″ ring which is roomy but compact.

The advantage of this design is that the Clipbook is considerably less expensive than a classic Filofax planner. The thinner material makes the cover flexible enough to fold all the way back on itself, making it smaller and less cumbersome while still allowing users to carry lots of refills in a ringbound format so switching pages is easy.

I tested the Marble Pattern ($25.99) in the Personal size. It comes pre-loaded with a variety of inserts: 15 ruled sheets, 15 graph sheets, 15 plain sheets, 1 fold out double-sided undated yearly calendar, 6 fold out double-sided undated monthly calendar pages, 13 undated week-on-two-page sheets, and 5 to-do sheets. This starter set will give users a nice sampler of the inserts available from Filofax and be able to determine what inserts work best for their needs.

The paper seems to be slightly lighter in weight and feel to the paper in the Filofax Notebooks which is listed as 100gsm. In pen tests, I got decent results with most fine fountain pens, rollerball, felt and gel pens performing well with just a little bit of show through. Rollerballs and felt tips were actually the most likely to show through with a hint of bleed on the Morning Glory Mach 3 and the Sharpie Pen.

Some wetter fountain pen inks showed through a bit more than the Filofax notebook. There was no feathering issues.

Filofax included the Clipbook erasable pen ($19.99) when they sent . For an erasable pen, like the Pilot Frixion, this is a decidedly lovely design. The body of the pen is heavier than the standard plastic barrels of standard Frixion pens because the barrel is lacquered metal. And, instead of having to flip the pen over to erase, the tip of the pen is retracted and the soft grip area is the eraser. Genius!

The Clipbook pen takes a standard Parker-style refill but color me stumped, other than the Filofax refill 3-pack ($6.99), I don’t know where to find erasable gel refills to fit this. Should I ever reach a point where getting refills from Filofax is so no longer an option, knowing that any Parker style refill will fit means that, though the pen would no longer be erasable, it would still be functional.

I like that the calendars and planning pages are open dated so that they can be started at any time. And since this planner is ringbound, any inserts that are not needed can be removed.

The cover easily folds back on itself and with the pressure of your hand it will lay flat.

The Clipbook pen clip is designed to easily fit over the ring of the Clipbook which can be seen here from above.

Overall, I like that Filofax is continuing to innovate and experiment with what ringbound planners and notebooks can be. The Clipbook is a clear example of expanding the range of products to include casual users, new users and folks who might be on a tighter budget. I love the Clipbook pen and the grip eraser. Now to find more sources for refills!

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Filofax for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In news

Giveaway Winners: MiGoals Get Shit Done Notebooks

AnaJune 20, 2019June 20, 20191 Comment

It looks like we found just the right people to get some shit done this week. Thanks to everyone who read the review of the MiGoals Get Shit Done pocket notebooks and entered to win our notebook giveaway.

Our winners are:

Congrats to Kelly and Mary! I’ve contacted both via email. You both sound super busy and ladies not to be messed with! Go forth and conquer the world!

Thanks to MiGoals and Milligram for the lovely notebooks. And, of course, to all you lovely readers who read and commented. I hope you all put in a dent in those lists.

In Link Love

Link Love: Doing ALL the Things

AnaJune 19, 2019June 19, 2019

This was a week of to-do lists. They were the things I actually accomplished, things I still need to do and things I wish I could do.

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On the list of things I accomplished was preparation for the St. Louis Pen Show including unveiling the newest Col-o-ring product, The Col-o-ring “Oversize”. It’s a 4×5.5″ spiral bound notebook/sketchbook that will be available for a limited time. I will make them available on our online shop starting next week.I also packed an epic amount of road trip snacks including the new Boulevard Fling Gin & Tonics.

The things I still have left to do include finishing all sorts of tasks at work, packing last-minute items for the trip and speed cleaning my house so that Jesi doesn’t run screaming when she arrives.

There are things I wish I could do but I will throw out to you, dear readers, in hopes that maybe there’s someone out there who might to take on this challenge from my list:

The All Things Stationery Map of Stationery Shops is no longer being updated. It would be amazing if someone out there in the pen community took on the challenge to create a new map. In today’s Link Love, there are three pen shop mentions. Pip’s Cafe is listed on the map but the locales in Taiwan are not. I know several new shops in the US need to be added and others need to be removed. I’ve tried to email but the contact info I have is no longer working. Does anyone out there want to take on this challenge? Update: Tessa is alive and well and updating the map. Apparently, my email bounce was a fluke. Problem solved.