The Well-Appointed Desk

Kuretake Zig Millennium Pigment Pens

AnaJune 16, 2015June 1, 20204 Comments

Kuretake Zig Millennium Pen Set

Technically, the full name for these pens is Kuretake Zig Memory System Millennium for Drawing & Scrapbooking but that is a mouthful. So, are we okay just calling them Zig Millennium Pens for the duration?

This set of five pens was recommended to me following my recent round-up of archival, pigment felt tip pens. Turns out the Zig Millenniums are budget-priced pens that offer all the same features of the more expensive brands and can often be easier to find in local craft and hobby stores.

Kuretake Zig Millennium Pen Writing Samples

I purchased this set of five on Amazon for the rock bottom price of $6.56 with free Prime shipping. The set included one of each in 005, 01, 03, 05 and 08 sizes which is a perfect size variety for me.

The pens are a wide barrel silver plastic — just a smidgen wider than a Sakura Pigma Micron. The Zig Millennium pens are 5.375″ long capped, just shy of 4.75″ uncapped and the cap will post making the pen 6.375″ long. The clip is metal and reminds me of the clip on the Pilot Precise V5. The Zig Millenniums are only available in black ink but, with these permanent felt tips, I find I only ever reach for the black pens anyway.

I’ve been using these pens regularly for over a week and the points have held up to various papers including over acrylic paint, watercolor brush markers, and colored pencil without being any worse for the wear. I’ll be curious how well the points hold up long term and if the ink lasts as long in the pen as other brands.

Kuretake Zig Millennium Pen Comparison

Colorwise, the ink is not as rich black as a Sakura Pigma Micron which is the gold standard at almost twice the price. Compared to other brands like the Copic Multiliners, Staedtler Pigment Liners and the Sharpie Pen, the Zig Millenniums are totally comparable in regards to how rich the black ink is. Actually, if I had to rank these felt tips by how rich the black ink is, I’d put the Zig Millenniums second only to the Microns, especially at the wider nib sizes.

With their wide availability and comparable pricing to Sharpie Pens, the Zig Millenniums are a great addition to your archival felt-tip pen collection, especially if you are looking for finer or broader nibs than are available in the Sharpie Pen.

In feature

Giveaway Winner: Jet Pens Birthday Gift Certificate

AnaJune 15, 2015

bday Phew! The most entries ever for a giveaway and lots of lovely birthday wishes which I am so grateful for. Thanks to everyone!

Lots of lovely birthday ideas from folks and I enjoyed reading all the comments. I wish I could make everyone’s birthday wishes come true.

And now, the winner of the Jet Pens $25 Gift Certificate.

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Congrats to Stephanie and I hope you get a dog and your dad to quit smoking. As an asthmatic who has trouble breathing most of the time, having good lungs is something I’d love to have been born with. I hope you can help him give up the habit.

In feature, Paper Review

Review: Hadera RePaper A5 Pad

AnaJune 15, 2015June 15, 20154 Comments

Habera Repaper pad

When I started this blog, I never thought I’d be so fortunate to receive stationery gifts from all over the world. For example, Amit kindly sent me an A5 notepad from Hadera RePaper, all the way from Israel. The paper is a deeply speckled, taupe sheet in a tearaway pad bound at the top like a classic legal pad. The paper is listed as 100% recycled and a glance at the Hadera Paper web site made it clear that the material used to make the paper is collected from all over Israel in special collection bins. Hadera also does not use bleach in making the paper to keep the environmental impact down.

Habera Repaper pad

The biggest surprise of this office supply staple is that the paper is fountain pen friendly. I am as surprised as anyone about this since most recycled papers are known for being super absorbent even with the most average of supply cupboard pens. But not the Hadera RePaper. Not only is it a pleasing color and a nice alternative to stark white but all three fountain pen nibs I tried on it performed admirably. So much so that there wasn’t even any show through on the back which means the whole sheet can be used for writing, not just the fronts. Try that with most legal pads!

Habera Repaper pad

The Hadera RePaper web site was interesting as it gave me a peek into what the standard Israeli office products might be. The stock spiral bound notebooks with the spiral on the right hand side since Hebrew is written right to left. I think lefties would love all the right hand binding options in Israel. Israelis use standard A4 and A5 notebooks and RePaper even has an A6 pocket notebook like Field Notes.

I also got to do cost conversions from Israeli New Shekel (which has the coolest symbol that looks like cupped hands) to US dollars. Most of the Hadera paper products were competitively priced with American big box stores so this is the best fountain pen friendly paper in the world I think. A 5-pack of A5 notepads is 14.90 in New Shekel which is about $3.87 US. That’s less than $1 per pad.

I could not find any information on the site about shipping outside Israel but since the paper is made from locally sourced recycled material and pistachio shells it seems counter-intuitive to their environmental mission to ask them to ship a bunch of notebooks and paper internationally. I’ll have to get by with my one little A5 notepad and hope that someday I’ll have a reason to be in Israel so I can stock up on RePaper notebooks. I wonder what other stationery wonders exist in Israel?

(Thanks to Amit in Israel for sending me a pad to try out!)

In Ask The Desk

Ask The Desk: Commonplace Book Options & Staples

AnaJune 14, 20156 Comments

From Bruce:

What notebook would you recommend for a long-term commonplace book? I regularly use Moleskine for everything, but for this notebook I’d like something with thicker paper and built to stand some years of use. Suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you will be using fountain pen inks in your commonplace book, I’d recommend either a Rhodia Webnotebook or the Quo Vadis Habana. Both use Clairefontaine papers which are great quality, heavier stocks than Moleskines. They would work great with regular ballpoint and rollerballs as well and are available in lined, blank, grid, etc.

If you want something a little lower priced or don’t need as much fountain pen friendliness, then I’d definitely recommend the Leuchtturm1917 line. Lots of cover color options, sizes and paper ruling and its good for most writing tools but not as bleedproof as the Clairefontaine stocks.

Rhodia Webbies and Quo Vadis Habanas tend to have cream/ivory paper rather than bright white but the Habanas are offered in bright white through some retailers.

All three brands feature the same elastic closures as a Moleskine as well as a pocket in the back for loose items so it would be an easy transition for you from the Moleskines.

Sometimes, I find the Rhodia/Clairefontaine papers “too nice” and they give me blank-page panic so I would personally be inclined to use a Leuchtturm1917. But both are great options.

If you’re looking for something you could find more easily in most cities and towns and don’t mind blank pages, any black hardbound artist’s sketchbook would work great for a commonplace book. My local Blick art supply store is currently selling their house brand sketchbooks as buy-one-get-one-free. Michael’s, Joann’s and other craft stores usually stock Canson, Strathmore, or Cachet sketchbooks which all have acid-free, approx. 65 lb (96 gsm) paper that handles most pen, ink and pencil beautifully.

My reviews of:

Also check with the Pennaquod search tool for other pen bloggers’ reviews of notebooks.

TOT Stapler

Bill writes:

I need staples for a Swingline 53 no place in Sioux Falls has them.

I did some research to try to locate which model was the Swingline 53 and couldn’t find it listed anywhere on the internet. I’m going to guess that it is similar to the Tot 50 or other mini stapler. In which case, locating Tot or Tot-like staples is going to be a breeze. There are some sellers on Amazon and Ebay that offer original TOT staples. A search to either site will uncover plenty of options. Or you could buy No. 10 sized staples. Jet Pens sells plain silver No. 10 staples for $1.50 for a box of 1000 or anodized colored staples for $3.30 for a box of 1000. My TOT pictured above is currently using the anodized green Max No. 10 staples and they fit perfectly.

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Inspired By Frida

AnaJune 12, 2015June 5, 20152 Comments

FF-Frida

Diamine Tropical Green Ink $15.95 (via Goulet Pens)
Kaweco Sport Skyline Fountain Pen in pink $20.28 (via Fontoplumo)
Your Dinner Self Coasters $14.99 (via Modcloth)
Noodler’s Georgia Peach Highlighter Ink $12.50 (via Goulet Pens)
Sip and Happenin’ Glass Set $39.99 (via Modcloth)
Happy Stamper Wax Seal Kit in Heart $27.99 (via Modcloth)
Midori Planner Stickers Little Pacific Parrotlet Designs $3.95 (via Jet Pens)
Sailor 1911 Yellow 14K Gold Fine Fountain Pen $155.95 (via Goldspot Pens)
Edelstein Mandarin Ink $24 (via Anderson Pens)
J. Herbin Vert Empire (Empire Green) Fountain Pen Ink in 10 ml Mini Bottle $4.75 (via Jet Pens)
Ohto Fude Ball Liquid Ink Roller Ball Pen 1.5 mm Black $2.50 (via Jet Pens)
Fisher Space Pen Bullet Ballpoint Pen in Cherry Red $20 (via Pen Chalet)
Filofax Notebook Pocket Red $13.95 (via Goldspot Pens)
Rifle Paper Co. Rose Botanicals Journal £13.50 (via Fox & Star)
Word Notebooks The Adventure Log Pack of 3 for $9.99 (via Jet Pens)
Sailor STORiA Pigment (Bulletproof) Ink in Spotlight Yellow $32 (via Jet Pens)
Midori D-Clips Horse Paper Clips Box of 30 for $7.25 (via Jet Pens)

(Frida portrait via Vogue Mexico)

In feature

It’s My Birthday, But You Get a Gift!

AnaJune 11, 2015June 11, 2015216 Comments

bday

It’s my birthday, but I want to give you a gift. Well, one of you anyway. I’m giving away $25 gift certificate to Jet Pens to one lucky reader. Thanks to Jet Pens for sponsoring this birthday giveaway. Leave a comment and tell me what you want for your birthday to be entered to win.

The novelty erasers pictured are not a required purchase but they sure are fun!

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Sunday, June 14, 2015. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner.

In news

Kickstarter: Penxo 2mm Lead Holder

AnaJune 10, 2015

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitsfactory/penxo-the-most-minimalistic-2mm-lead-holder-pencil?ref=hero_thanks

There’s just 12 hours left to back the Penxo 2mm drafting pencil. There are several backing options at just $29 US for a lead holder and a pack of 12 leads and sharpener. This is a beautiful design and I hope it works as well as proposed. I backed it. I’m looking forward to filling the silver model with non-photo blue leads.