Kakimori Object Index Cedar Pocket Pen in Grey

Pen Review: Object Index Cedar Pocket Pen

September 18, 2024

If today’s pen looks somewhat familiar, it’s because Object Index has released a pocket-sized take on the Mark’style Tous Les Jours Needle-tip ballpoint, and both feature different versions of the same excellent low-viscosity ballpoint refill. I love these pens because (1) they write a very fine .5mm line that dries almost instantly, with zero smearing; and (2) the hexagonal cedar barrels convincingly imitate the feel of a woodcase pencil.

Object Index Cedar Pocket Pen in-Hand — Though “pocket-sized,” the pen is still long enough to feel balanced - sort of like when woodcase pencils reach that “perfect” length, having been sharpened several times.

Object Index is a Kakimori “sibling brand” that recently arrived in the shop. The Object Index line includes pens, pencils, and various office and desk accessories, all with a shared minimalist design and complementary colors that include grey, yellow, and natural wood tones. Their take on these “woodcase pens” is a bit more understated than the Mark’s version, with minimal branding and a brushed metal nose cone and knock. The knock feels slightly upgraded on the Cedar Pocket Pen, with more resistance and a firmer feel.

The Object Index Cedar Pocket Pen with a Needle-Tip Refill — The signature needle tip of the Ohto refill.

While marketed as a “pocket pen,” I probably won’t be carrying this one in my actual pants pocket, as it’s wood and therefore more subject to damage than a heavier duty metal pen. That said, it’s quite slim, and will fit easily into the pen holders integrated into pocket notebook covers, Plotters, and more, which makes it portable. I understand that this particular pen is also designed to fit into a notepad made by Object Index, which I may try to get in the future.

Object Index Pocket Pen Package Contents — Each pen ships with two extra refills, in addition to the one in the barrel.

These needle-tip ballpoints use refills made by Ohto, another Japanese company that makes some of the best needle-tip ballpoint and gel refills around. As I mentioned, it uses a low-viscosity ink that behaves similar to a Uniball Jetstream. Each pen comes as part of a set, which includes three refills (one in the pen, two extra in the package) and is priced at $15 and available in three colors: Grey (shown here), as well as Yellow and Natural. We also have additional refills for this pen available once you use up the three included in the pack (though this will likely take you a VERY long time). For everyday writing, these pens can’t be beat, and many thanks to Kakimori for including an extra in my shipment so that I could review it and test it out myself.

Object Index Cedar Ballpoint Writing Sample on Midori MD Paper — .5mm Needle-tip writing sample on Midori MD Memo Block paper.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Full Object Index Product Line — All Object Index packaging is cardboard and fully recyclable, which I love.

New Arrivals: Kakimori and Object Index!

September 17, 2024

Wow, that weekend was a blur! Many thanks to everyone who stopped by the shop this weekend to hang out. If you were there, you may have noticed that I spent much of my time photographing and listing all of these new arrivals from Kakimori and its sibling brand, Object Index, including several new Kakimori notebooks, the latest Kakimori brass nibs (including the “antique” finish), nibholders, and much of the Object Index range of pens and markers, pencils, and desk accessories.

Kakimori Fabric Notebooks and Nib Holders with new Antique Brass Nib — The Kakimori brass nibs are now available in a new “Antique Brass” finish! Kakimori nibholders are also available.

For those unfamiliar with Object Index, they are a Kakimori “sibling brand” (or sub-brand, whatever your preferred term), which focuses on everyday stationery with a minimalist aesthetic. I’ve always loved parallel-style highlighters, which feature a chunky design and two colors with relatively precise tips. The Object Index versions are great, and the Modular Marker is a grown-up take on something I haven’t seen since grade school. Kakimori was kind enough to send me sample of most of the line, which I’ll be exploring in greater detail in the coming weeks.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized seller of Kakimori and Object Index. Please check out this page for details on our new physical shop, including public hours.

Object Index Parallel Highlighters Three Colors

These Are Heady Times for Fineliner Fans: Kakimori Colour Liners

September 14, 2024

I’ve been very anxious to get my hands on a recent shipment from Kakimori. Not only did we receive more of the brass, stainless, and the new antique brass Kakimori metal nibs, but I was most excited about the Kakimori Colour Liners, which are yet another fillable fineliner option!

Kakimori Colour Liner Material Uninked — The wicking refill is very similar to that used by Tom's Studio.

I’ve previously written about the Tom’s Studio Lumos, a series of refillable fineliner pens with replaceable/interchangeable tips and absorbent ink reservoirs. Pens like these have been something of a godsend for me, since I’ve always loved the feel of writing with a felt tip/fineliner pen but don’t like being limited by the stock ink colors. Here, you can load up the absorbent cotton “wick” with the fountain pen ink of your choice, paired with your favorite tip style, to create the fineliner pen you’ve always wanted but have never been able to find at a big box store.

Kakimori Colour Liner Refilling with Laban Artemis Navy Blue — To fill, you place the reservoir in a bottle of ink and allow it to saturate using capillary action.

While the Kakimori Colour Liners don’t have as many tip options as the Tom’s Studio Lumos, and may not be “refillable” since the tip can’t easily be removed and the refill can’t easily be accessed after the pen is filled, at only $7 they are definitely the most cost-effective option if you’d like to create a custom set of fineliners and markers to have at the ready, or if you’d like to create a set containing all of your favorite inks so that you have them in a non-fountain pen format for travel, etc. Currently, these pens come in .3mm, .5mm, brush, and chisel-marker tips.

Kakimori Colour Liner Pens Fully Inked — From left, marker tip, brush tip, .3mm, and .5mm writing tips, all paired with four of my favorite Laban Greek Mythology Inks.

To fill the Kakimori Colour Liner pens, you dip the wick into a bottle of fountain pen ink and simply watch it change color (as shown above). Once the reservoir is sufficiently saturated, insert it into the barrel of the pen and fit the barrel plug into the bottom, which will push the reservoir all the way to the base of the pen nib and allow the ink to saturate the tip. Note that Kakimori doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to remove the barrel plug once it’s been inserted. Once the reservoir runs dry, you may not be able to refill the pen, though I am going to try and I’m sure some people have figured out how to do it. That said, the tip may actually wear out before you can use up the ink. These are large reservoirs that hold a LOT of ink, and fineliners don’t use nearly as much ink as fountain pens to write so they tend to last a long time. You should get a lot of mileage out of one of these pens as long as you use reasonable writing pressure and don’t leave it uncapped.

Kakimori Colour Liners Felt Tipped Pens Uninked — The four writing tips and refills, uninked. From left, Marker, Brush, .5mm, and .3mm.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I will guarantee you this: if a company makes a customizable or refillable fineliner, I will buy it for myself and almost certainly stock it for the store. I love these things and consider them to be in the category of “stationery products I’ve always wanted but never thought would actually exist.” If you’re curious about these sorts of pens, but don’t want to take the plunge on one of the fully refillable, interchangeable-tip fineliners like the Tom’s Studio Lumos, the Kakimori Colour Liners are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to experiment. These are available in the shop as of this morning and priced at $7 per pen. I’ve not experimented extensively with inks, but I would imagine these would work well with just about any ink except shimmer inks, due to the size of the particles.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. In addition to the Colour Liners, we stock Kakimori dip pens and nib holders, as well as clothbound notebooks.

Welcome Kakimori! Including Brass and Stainless Nibs, Nib Holders, and Hardbound Notebooks

January 30, 2024

We’re thrilled to now be able to offer Kakimori metal nibs, nib holders, and hardbound A5 notebooks in a variety of Japanese fabrics. The Kakimori brass and stainless steel nibs are exceptional tools for ink sampling and swatching, in addition to calligraphy and everyday writing. I reviewed the brass nib back in 2022, and this particular dip nib (along with a Kakimori Sakura nib holder) has made ongoing appearances in my reviews and YouTube videos over the years, including the recent Inkvent video series. While Kakimori metal nibs are more expensive than other dip nibs, these are designed to last for many years, as opposed to inexpensive dip nibs that must be discarded after a month or so of use. As I hate to throw anything away, I find it to be a more sustainable approach, and the nib gains patina (and character) over time.

Kakimori Brass and Stainless Steel Nibs — The conical shape of the Kakimori nibs and the grooves on each side ensure plenty of line variation and continuous ink flow.

Kakimori Nib Holders in a variety of materials on a pen rest — Kakimori Nib Holders also come in a variety of materials, including raw aluminum, Sakura (Japanese Cherry) wood, and Aizome (Sakura wood that’s been dyed with indigo).

Kakimori Notebooks feature 64 sheets/128 pages of fountain pen friendly OK Fools paper with a light grey 5mm grid, in a Smyth-sewn binding. I’ve been testing this paper since it arrived, not previously having tried OK Fools paper, and really enjoy it. Ok Fools is a softer paper, yet still handles fountain pen ink quite well. The light grey ruling keeps the focus on the ink. Each notebook comes in a Kakimori light-grey slipcover for protection, which you can either recycle or keep for posterity if you use these to protect your used notebooks on a bookcase.

As mentioned, Kakimori products available as of this morning in both the pen section and notebook section of the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Nibs and holders are sold separately.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized reseller of Kakimori products.

Pen Review: Kakimori Brass Dip Nib

June 25, 2022

Kakimori’s round metal dip nibs have been among the more difficult-to-obtain stationery items this past year. Following the hype that was the Drillog Kickstarter, interest in dip nibs that could be used to easily sample inks and do calligraphy exploded, and Kakimori has come up with one of the best everyday options, at least in my opinion. (It’s also a LOT less expensive than the Drillog.)

Just use the side of the brass nib to lay out a thick line (or fill in your Inkyconverters ink stamps)!

So what makes this dip nib so good? For starters, it’s versatile. By varying the angle of the dip pen, you can also vary the line thickness - something that’s difficult to do with your average inexpensive dip nib or cheap glass pen. For example, writing with the broad side of the Kakimori nib offers you the ability to easily swab ink samples into your notebook and add a line of handwriting, using the same pen. And if you want to swatch multiple inks quickly, all you’ll need to do is rinse the pen with water and wipe the nib off.

You can actually get a pretty fine line with the tip of the Kakimori.

You should note that this dip nib does not fit into every holder. I’m not sure what “size” it is, but none of the holders I had at my house worked, so I ordered this Sakura wood holder from Kakimori. It’s quite nice looking, and I look forward to getting some ink stains on the natural wood handle!

I’m close to declaring the Kakimori Brass Dip Nib to be the perfect ink sampling tool!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

If you’re looking for a dip nib for ink swatching, lettering, art, or just for general writing purposes, then you should definitely consider picking up the Kakimori Brass Nib. As of 2024, we carry the Kakimori metal nibs (in both brass and stainless steel) in our own shop. At $55, these nibs are not inexpensive, but they should last a long time.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.