Reasonably Priced Pen Carry: Lihit Lab Bags and Cases

In the market for versatile, low-cost pen and writing/art supply storage, Lihit Lab remains a popular option. I don't know much about the company - information is sparse but it's been around since 1938 and is based in Osaka, Japan. Their cases rarely top $15, come in a standard - if a bit uninspired - range of colors, and are good enough quality to hold up to the demands of most people's daily use. About a month ago, I acquired two Lihit Lab cases to plug some holes in my daily carry arsenal. One was a huge hit; the other a major fail. 

Lihit Lab Bag-in-Bag

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The Lihit Lab Bag-in-Bag portfolio/organizer has quickly made found its way into my daily work carry, and sometimes even on the weekend. 

I love portfolios. I consider them to be one of the most practical bags to carry on a daily basis. I've had several in the past, but I tend to wear them out so quickly I have a hard time spending money on nice cloth or leather options. Enter the Lihit Lab "Bag-in-Bag." The purpose of this case is twofold. The Bag-in-Bag can serve as a standalone portfolio, holding a computer and/or tablet, one or two writing pads (up to legal size), your phone, chargers, notepad, and a few pens. Basically, anything you need for an afternoon of business meetings or a morning working at the coffee shop. It can also serve as an easily swappable insert for a backpack or briefcase, which comes in handy if, like me, you're someone who regularly rotates between the two.

At the $13-15 price point (depending on the color you select), this is really a no-brainer if you're looking for a portfolio and don't mind canvas over leather. The material isn't as nice as the cordura used by companies like Nock Co., and this Lihit Lab bag probably won't hold up forever, but it's good enough for my needs right now. The one draw back is that it stains and shows dirt very easily. Whatever material they use isn't coated and is highly absorbent, so the case has picked up dust, dirt, etc. when I've worked at coffee shops and outside on my patio. With the brown version this probably won't be as much of an issue, but be warned if you're considering lighter colors such as the orange or light green. For those of you who like oversized fountain pens, take note that the pen slots on this case are fairly tight and shallow, so big pens don't fit.

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You can carry a lot in this case.  Here, I have a Nock Co. Sinclair stuck in the side pocket, as well as a Pelikan M205 Blue Demonstrator and a Rotring 600 mechanical pencil.  Both fit perfectly in the otherwise snug pen slots. 

I use the larger 10" x 13.8" (A4) version ($15 via Amazon), as opposed to the smaller 7.1" x 9.8" (A5) case ($11 via Amazon).  The larger bag-in-bag easily holds my 12" Macbook and/or my iPad Pro, which is a necessity for the kind of work I do. This case has become part of my daily carry. 

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The A4-size Lihit Lab Bag-in-Bag easily holds a 12-inch Macbook in a sleeve (which I'd recommend since it otherwise doesn't offer much in the way of protection.  The sleeve pictured here is the excellent (and inexpensive) Inateck Cover Bag.

Lihit Lab Double-Sided Pen Case

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The Lihit Lab double-sided pen case. Great, except for the fact that the smell clears a room. 

As much as I love the Lihit Lab Bag-in-Bag, I simply can't recommend the second case I reviewed, which is the double-sided "Teffa" pen case ($10-12 via Amazon). I can give you a quick overview regarding the build and setup, but I can't speak to durability, practicality, etc. because I couldn't use this product. Why? The smell.

This pen case emits a horrifically strong chemical odor.  I would compare it to oil or gasoline but I (and others, from reading the Amazon reviews) find it much more offensive. I assume that they used some sort of petroleum-based glue to hold parts of the case together. Within minutes of opening the packaging for this case I had a splitting headache.

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This pen case is a great idea, in principle, and should be one of those products I can wholeheartedly recommend because it looks nice and can be had for a bargain. For things like markers, gel pens, ballpoints, and any other pen you want to store in bulk and don't mind touching, this case should do the trick.  The back section has pockets to store pencil sharpeners, erasers, post-its, scissors, you name it. I just couldn't get past the smell. Fortunately, Amazon refunded me (and didn't even want the product returned to them). 

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Otherwise, this Lihit Lab pen case can carry a lot of pens.  In terms of storage space for gel pens, mechanical pencils, etc., it's got plenty of room. 

Where to Buy: 

You can buy Lihit Lab cases from either Amazon or Jetpens, which carries a wider range of products other than the cases. I purchased mine from Amazon because I have a warehouse near me in Tennessee and they qualified for free Prime "same day" shipping. I ordered them in the morning and they were at my front door by 4:00pm.  Pretty cool.  

One more thing:  I get a lot of e-mail about the pen cases I use, and what I consider the "best" pen case. While I'm working on putting together another "Top 5" list, it's been hard, in large part because everyone's needs are different. There are far more than five solid options out there right now, with more cases coming to market every day.   

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the products featured in this review with my own funds, for my personal use. 

KWZ Inks: A New Favorite

This year I made the decision to move most of my ink reviews over to my Tumblr blog, www.bottledup.ink, and to start writing ink reviews in a much more abbreviated format. I did this for a couple reasons. First, there are a number of people out there who do far more comprehensive ink reviews than I was ever able to put together, so in terms of this blog, it seemed like a better use of my time to produce other kinds of content. Second, I honestly was getting a bit bored with the lineup of available fountain pen inks and wasn't having as much fun writing the reviews. Sure, there were still some unique colors out there, but it was getting increasingly expensive to chase "uniqueness" in the form of limited editions that were starting to run upwards of $35 per bottle.  

Enter KWZ. KWZ is manufactured in Warsaw, Poland by Konrad Zurawski, a PhD student in Chemistry. KWZ inks originally attracted attention for their lineup of modern iron gall inks in a wide range of unique colors, such as Mandarin Orange and Turquoise. I'm not aware of another company that offers ink like this: previously, with iron galls you were limited to blue blacks and the occasional "dusty pink/purple", such as Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa. While I don't personally own any of the KWZ iron gall inks, I've tested them out at pen shows, and it seems as though KWZ has managed to create an iron gall ink that flows well.  (The one knock on iron gall is that traditionally, it can write very dry.)     

NOTE: If you are unfamiliar with Iron Gall ink and its properties, please read the ENTIRE disclaimer on the Vanness website. TLDR version: iron gall ink, while famous for its ability to change color as it dries, can be corrosive, and while the iron gall content in KWZ ink is probably not high enough to damage modern gold or stainless steel fountain pen nibs and parts, it's not a good idea to leave these inks in a pen for weeks at a time, or to mix these inks with non-iron gall inks. I'm not trying to be alarmist - I use a couple iron gall inks on a regular basis, including Platinum blue black and the old school Pelikan blue black - you just have to practice good fountain pen hygiene.  

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KWZ Green Gold, in a Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel medium cursive italic ground by Mark Bacas.

Personally, I'm enamored with KWZ's standard line of inks (i.e., the non-iron gall variety). I purchased my first bottle (Green Gold) at the 2016 Atlanta Pen Show, and soon after placed an order for two other inks that caught my eye: Brown-Pink (yes, that's a real color) and Honey (it looks exactly as you'd expect Honey-colored ink to look). 

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A macro shot of KWZ Brown Pink on Leuchtturm dot grid paper.

Behavior-wise, these inks tick all the boxes I look for: they flow well, they don't feather or bleed on relatively cheap paper, and they dry quickly with no smearing. Seriously, all three of these KWZ inks have near-instantaneous dry times, which I love when I'm taking quick notes at work and have to be able to flip the pages without worrying whether or not I'll end up with a smeary, unreadable mess at the end of the day.

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A macro shot of KWZ Honey on Leuchtturm dot grid paper.

But as it always is with inks, it really comes down to the color.  For work, I prefer muted, offbeat colors that don't scream off the page.  The Brown Pink could best be characterized as a burgundy with purple tones.  It's a nice color that I've used regularly. Honey resembles J. Herbin's Lie de The, only it's a slightly warmer color with less green. The Green Gold is how I expect my "moss green" or "racing green" ink to look. It's not watery like some other inks I've tried in this color (Stipula Verde Muschiato and Papier Plume Moss Green come to mind). Though I'm someone who rotates inks a lot in his pens, these three have seen a lot of repeat use lately.

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Where to Buy 

Vanness Pens is the only U.S.-based retailer I'm aware of that stocks KWZ inks, and they always maintain a wide selection in stock, though Honey and Brown Pink tend to sell out quickly. KWZ ink is also reasonably priced, at $12 for 60ml.   

Further Reading

Check out these links for some additional reviews of KWZ Inks.

Brad Dowdy of the Pen Addict reviews Iron Gall Gummiberry. 

Jeff Abbot, writing for the Pen Addict, reviews Iron Gall Gold. 

Azizah over at Gourmet Pens reviews KWZ Honey.

The Pen Habit reviews Iron Gall Turquoise.

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the inks featured in this review with my own funds for my own collection.  While Vanness Pens is a sponsor of this site, I was not compensated in any way for this review. 

Best Non-Fountain Pens for Everyday Use

There's been a lot of talk recently about when a certain kind of writing instrument simply isn't the best tool for the task at hand.  Many fountain pen collectors/users actually feel guilty if they're not using their prized writing implements all the time.  But if you're in the shop, the field, or a car, a fountain pen likely isn't the easiest or the most practical writing implement.  I'd venture that for most people, fountain pens work better for longer periods of writing at a desk, in a chair, etc.  I'd characterize my own usage at about 60% fountain pens, 20% pencils, and 20% non-fountain pens, but my day job involves a lot of longhand note-taking and drafting, so for me a fountain pen is often the most comfortable tool to use. 

That said, I still use a LOT of non-fountain pens.  You've seen pictures of the various pen and pencil cups I have sitting around everywhere.  Here are my favorite disposable non-fountain pens that find their way into my bag.  

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Many people prefer the conical tip of the Signo DX, but I'm partial to the needlepoint tip of the Hi-Tec-C. 

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I prefer needlepoint tips, like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. 

1. Pilot G2/Pilot Juice.  The G2 is probaby my favorite all-around retractable gel pen, and for whatever reason I cannot for the life of me convince my workplace to swap in Pilot G2s for my most hated pen ever, the standard Zebra Sarasa (not to be confused with the Sarasa Clip, which is a great option).  The Pilot Juice basically uses the same refill as the G2, but comes in a wider array of colors and smaller point sizes.  Both are easy to find and exceptionally smooth writers. 

2. Pilot Hi-Tec-C.  My Japanese micro gel pen of choice.  I love the needle-point tips in the .4mm size, which hits a sweet spot for me.  It's small enough for annotations and notetaking, but it's also wide enough that it's not uncomfortable to use for longer pieces of writing.  Sometimes you can find these in US retail stores as the Pilot G-Tec-C.

3. Uniball Signo 207/307.  After the G2, this is probably my favorite gel-ink click pen.  Uni recently introduced the "307" into stores (and finally introduced a .5mm option), but the 207 continues to be widely available so I don't know whether the 307 is a replacement or simply yet another option.  Anyway, the differences between the two seem to be minimal, and if you're in a pinch in a big-box store, you can't go wrong with these or the G2.

4. Pilot Razor Point II Extra Fine.  I keep boxes of these in my desk at home and at work. They're relatively easy to find, and they come in a few other colors such as purple and blue. These are good pens for Field Notes.  I did a full review of this pen a while back. 

5. Uni Signo DX.  Doesn't have the "skippiness" problem that you sometimes find with the Hi-Tec-C, and it comes in a wide range of colors, but for some reason this pen has never spoken to me the same way the Hi-Tec-C has.  If the Hi-Tec-C doesn't work for you, or if you prefer conical tips to needle-points, then this would be my recommended option.  I reviewed these pens in a few of the widely available colors.  

At some point I will do a list of favorite pen bodies to hold non-fountain pen refills.  As you might expect, my favorite is the Tactile Turn Mover, which shipped with a .38mm G2 refill that I find awesome.  Remember:  Ultimately all of these "Top 5" lists come down to personal preference.  What matters is that you find the pens that work for you, and that you enjoy using. 

Updated "For Sale" Page

The "Great Consolidation" of my collection continues.  I've brought the "For Sale" page live again, and it has some great vintage stuff, as well as a few modern pens that just haven't been getting enough love. Terms of sale are on the Sale page, but feel free to e-mail me if you have questions or would like to make an offer.  Discounts will be seriously considered if you take more than one pen.  Thanks again!

Pen Storage Options: Franklin-Christoph Covered Pen Tray

Back in February I discussed various pen storage options, and how I store my own personal collection.  All of that still holds true, though since then I've added a Franklin-Christoph Covered Pen Tray in "boot black" leather.  This is a product I can easily recommend, especially if you're looking for a storage option that looks really nice on a desk or display shelf.

Franklin-Christoph

I've reviewed several Franklin-Christoph products in the past, and I've never had a bad experience.  The company, which has a long history, is based in North Carolina, and manufactures pens, inks, and related accessories. I'm generally a fan of their pens, and I especially like the fact that you can purchase a pre-ground nib from Mike Masuyama in various standard customizations such as italic, cursive italic, needlepoint, etc. What doesn't get enough attention, in my opinion, is their line of pen cases, which includes your standard pen sleeves, holsters, and zippered album-style pen cases, as well as more unique products like the "penvelopes" and the Covered Pen Tray. 

The Covered Pen Tray

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The Franklin-Christoph Covered Pen Tray in "Slotter Box" Mode

The Covered Pen Tray is based on the traditional "slotter box" that many pen dealers use to transport pens to and from pen shows, and was originally conceived as a means to both carry pens to shows and easily display them upon arrival.  The tray (or "CPT", as it's referred to on the Franklin-Christoph website), is made from leather, lined with durable textured cloth, and comes configured to hold either 12 pens or 7 pens plus accessories (converters, cartridges, spare nibs, etc.).     

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The Franklin-Christoph Covered Pen Tray in "Display Stand" Mode

If you want to display your pens, whether at a show or in your home, the double-hinged lid of the Covered Pen Tray folds under to create a display stand that sits at an angle.  When you want to put them away, the lid closes securely using a magnetic front flap. The intention is to allow you to use the box to transport pens, though the Covered Pen Tray shouldn't be used as a daily carry or travel case for inked pens because there's still some room in the slots for the pens to slide around. You might end up with a mess on your hands.   

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The red cloth inserts on the Covered Pen Tray look like they are durable and will stand up to heavy use. 

The Covered Pen Tray is available in the same maroon, black, and brown color options as Franklin-Christoph's other leather goods.  Recently, Franklin-Christoph changed their leather, so instead of the matte "boot leather" pictured in this review, the new Covered Pen Trays are made from "FxCel oil tanned leather," which the company says offers a "smoother high quality finish".  I haven't seen the new leather in person, but will definitely be checking it out next month at the Washington, D.C. Pen Show.

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I love the matte look of the "boot black" leather.  It's embossed with the Franklin-Christoph logo on two places:  the top of the lid and the foldover hinge.  

Franklin-Christoph has created a unique product.  Other "display boxes" or pen stands aren't portable, like Levenger's Point of View Pen Case or the various model of boxes and stands offered by Lanier Pens. Personally, I'm partial to leather over wood, so I'll gladly pay the extra premium.  The leather has a good feel to it (as in, not plasticky like some leather used to make inexpensive pen cases), the stitching is flawless, and the burgundy cloth used to line the interior is both attractive and durable.  One note about the interior and the slots themselves: the Covered Pen Tray doesn't use "pre-made" slot inserts that you see in a lot of other pen boxes (and that I used to make my cigar box pen case).  I suspect these are handmade, and the result is a much more high-quality piece than other products I've seen on the market around this price point.        

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A close up look at the textured burgundy cloth used to line the Covered Pen Tray.  It's durable while still being soft enough not to scratch your pens. 

Where to Buy

The Covered Pen Tray can be purchased directly from Franklin-Christoph for $149.50.  This is not an inexpensive storage option, though once you get into pen cases, trays, and boxes that are meant to be displayed and not simply to store pens out of sight in a drawer or a bag, you're going to be paying more money, especially for quality leather goods. This one occupies prime real estate on my desk in my home office.         

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the product featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection. This post also contains affiliate links.