Product Spotlight: Jetstream SXR-600 Parker-Style Refill

One of the most talked-about products over the past couple of weeks has been the Uniball Jetstream Parker-Style refill, which combines the Jetstream’s hybrid ballpoint-gel ink with a refill format that’s widely compatible with a variety of pens manufactured by third parties, including Retro 51 Rollerballs, the Baron Fig Squire, and many Kickstarter pens. I immediately bought two packs of these refills in .5mm and .38mm sizes and loaded them into my Baron Fig Squires, and am pleased to report that I now have an ultra-fine writing option for one of my favorite retractable rollerballs.

I purchased my refills from the Mitsubishi Pencil Company (which I believe owns the Uni brand) via Amazon. Due to the savings available by purchasing a four-pack, I can’t justify purchasing these refills individually at the price point at which certain retailers are selling them. Relatedly, Uni also sells the refill packaged with its “Jetstream Prime” premium body, and also has a gift pack in which you can purchase the Uniball Jetstream 4&1 multi pen along with refills and a Kuru-Toga Advance mechanical pencil. As of the time of publication of this post, all products were Prime-eligible.

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Amazon Prime Day Stationery Specials

Wow, that snuck up on us again this year, didn't it? Amazon is running its annual "Prime Day" promotion, and if you're an Amazon Prime Member, you can snag one-day discounts on a variety of products, including pens, paper, and other stationery products. This year's Prime Day features a few good opportunities to stock up on pens like the Uni Signo 207 and the Sharpie pen.  As always with Prime Day, some of the products Amazon has chosen to promote can be, well, "interesting." Here are a few things that I found:

1. Papermate .5mm Inkjoy Gel Pens. Grab these as an inexpensive add-on if you've been waiting to try them out, like I have.
2. Rotring 600 Mechanical Pencil (.7mm).
3. Parker Jotter Ballpoint in Bond Street Black with Gold Trim.
4. Sharpie Pens in Assorted Colors (Fine Points).
5. Uniball Signo 207 Micro Point (12-Pack).
6. Uniball Signo 207 Colors (8-Pack).
7. Uniball Vision Elite Micro Point (12-Pack).
8. Bic 4-Color Shine Metallic Ball Pen (2-Pack). Designer version of the classic Bic Multipen. 
9. Bic Wite-Out Brand EZ-Correct Correction Tape.  If you're looking to snag a 10-pack of this stuff, Prime Day has you covered.
10. Brady BMP-21P Label Printer. Because we all need one of these.  Actually, we do. I bought one last year and it's actually one of my most-used pieces of office kit.  

Note: Certain Prime Day Deals are time-sensitive, so these offers may not be available all day. Some are limited-quantity offers. 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Cool Analog(ue) Products: Book Darts

Every once in a while you run across an unusual product that immediately fits right into your workflow. In my case, one of the members of the recently formed Middle Tennessee Pen and Stationery Group (Thanks John!) alerted me to Book Darts, reusable bronze page markers/bookmarks that quickly have become a staple in my work life. 

For my initial purchase, I bought a tin of 50 bronze book darts - I'd probably recommend paying an extra $3 or so for 125.

Though I've tried to reduce the stack of "junk paper" that constantly sits on my desk at home and at work, I still print too many pdfs out, carry far too many notebooks around with me on a daily basis, and inevitably forget where, exactly, I've written something down or where in a book I made an important note that I'd planned to come back to later. Until recently, I would go through a dozen packages of Post-it document flags a month, which works fine in the short term but they tend to dry out and fall off, can't be reused, and they're not exactly environmentally friendly. Enter the book darts.

Book Darts are extremely thin tin clips, sold with either a bronze, brass, or stainless steel finish, that you slide over the page of your book or notebook. They're shaped like a point, so you can use them to either mark the page in general or a specific line of the book. The company markets these things as "archival quality linemarkers," meaning that they are a "safe alternative to paperclips, underlining, & highlighting. Will not stain." (In other words, I will never again have to pay a fine for over dog-earing or underlining in a library book.) I've also started using them as page markers in my pocket notebooks and Midori Traveler's Notebook. So far, I've not seen any wear or tearing to the page from the Book Dart, nor have I seen any of the smudging or staining that you'd see with a paper clip. These things stay put and have not fallen out. 

Where to Buy

Get them via Amazon. The barrier to entry is very low, and I'd recommend that you go ahead and buy the box of 125. If you want to spend a little more and get something really cool, Levenger sells a tin of 35 page markers that ARE SHAPED LIKE FOUNTAIN PEN NIBS.  They're definitely more expensive on a per-clip basis, but hey, they're bookmarks shaped like fountain pen nibs! Midori also makes some larger brass clips that are somewhat similar and can be used to divide notebooks into numbered sections. These might be my next pickup. 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  

Amazon Alert: Midori Bullet Pencils and Pens

Before you miss it (because Amazon says stock is limited):  Midori Bullet Pencils and Pens are on sale with free Prime Shipping available on certain items.  This is a good deal, and cheaper than the current Massdrop option, which is $39.99 for both ($20 each once shipping is factored in), and that assumes enough people buy in to Massdrop to trigger the lowest cost.  I've pulled most of the available Midori "bullet" products into my affiliate store, although the two basic options are direct linked here (via affiliate links). Thanks for reading.