Serious Nibbage Part 26: Franklin-Christoph Model 02 Intrinsic @1901fc @sbrebrown

Check out my review.
Check out SBRE Brown's review.
Find previous episodes of Serious Nibbage here!

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Whiskers & Paws: February 2015 Edition

Tyco was at the vet in this picture, which is why he looks so scruffy and messy. He liked to sit in the litter box and not use it. Instead, he would use the second empty box they gave him (which they thought he would use as a bed). Sigh.

Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens

Finally! A review of the very adorable and, in my opinion, pretty awesome: Pilot Kaküno fountain pen.

ABOUT

Body Material: Plastic
Trim: Plastic
Length (capped): 131.0 mm/5.16"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 126.5 mm/4.98"
Length (posted): 157.4 mm/6.19"
Barrel Diameter: 11.0 - 12.3 mm/0.43" - 0.48"
Section Diameter: 10.0 - 11.1 mm/0.39" - 0.43"
Nib material: Steel
Weight (all): 10 g
Weight (cap): 4 g
Weight (body): 6 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Price: ~$15.00USD
Where to buy: Amazon

PACKAGING

The packaging for this pen is simple and nice - it's a plastic cover that opens easily. It shows off the pen well and is pretty tough. The pen comes with a black ink cartridge. I like this packaging. Simple, easy to open, and recyclable.

APPEARANCE

I have loved these pens from afar for awhile, but I didn't want to go for the ones with fine nibs. Finally! I have a medium! The pen is cute and fun. It has six rounded facets and is somewhat rounded off ends. The finial is light blue with three open holes in it. There is no clip or other trim on the pen. Just below the top of the cap, there is a small indentation that I like to touch. I'm weird, I know. The cap is marked with Pilot and Kaküno, Kaküno in a very cute font. At the end of the cap is a small plastic notch.

The barrel is straight, and the section is clear. It has three flat facets on it and a ridge before the nib. The barrel is a creamy white and the cap is a soft, pastel blue. It's so cute. I love the colors and design of this pen!

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is one of the highlights of this pen. It's a steel medium with one breather hole and a single slit. It is marked with for the nib size and a cute winking face. That's part of the cute appeal of the Pilot Kakünos! Others have a regular smiley face. 

The nib wrote immediately out of the box - no tuning or adjusting required. Like almost every other Pilot nib I have used (exception: Pilot Knight), this one was great. It flowed well and wrote consistently. It's a firm nib but will give a little with moderate pressure, if you really have to squeeze out some line variation. I thoroughly enjoy the writing experience this nib offers. It's not scratchy at all, and for its size, I find it comfortably smooth.

IN HAND

The section might be uncomfortable for some because of the three facets, similar to the Lamy Safari-type of grip. It's a hard plastic section so it's not soft and squishy, but the pen is light so a light grip is sufficient. The ridge before the nib is a little sharp if you grip your pen low.

Unposted, the pen is lightweight and balanced and I enjoy using it like this. The cap does post securely by friction. Posting works well on this pen - it's still not too heavy or unbalanced, so it can be used either way.

The faceted shape of the pen also prevents it from rolling off the desk - something that drives me nuts about some other pens.

I find the pen very comfortable for my hand - the shape, the weight, and the balance. Again, I find the writing experience very pleasant and I love holding it and using it.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

I'm annoyed with myself for having waited so long to try this pen. It's not world's most comfortable section or softest nib, but it writes really well, it's affordable, it's adorable, and I think it might be my current favorite starter pen. I like it better than the Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. The light weight of the body doesn't bother me, but others may prefer the looks and weight of the Metropolitan over the kawaii look of the Kakünos.

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Do a gal a solid and if you fancy any of these and want any item of your own, use my affiliate links :)

Giveaway at @PenChalet

Pen Chalet is giving away three pens in March! Click here for details! Three different winners will walk away with one of the following items:

1st Place: Conklin Herringbone Fountain Pen
2nd Place: Sheaffer 300 Ferarri Ballpoint Pen Gift Set
3rd Place: Monteverde Artista Fountain Pen

Review: Wolf Designs Meridian Two Drawer Valet, Charging Station & Pen Box @Wolf1834 @Massdrop

The Wolf Designs Meridian Collection
Two Drawer Valet, Charging Station & Pen Box
Check it out on Massdrop now

Wolf Designs has been around since 1834. The company was started by the German silversmith Philipp Wolf I, and it has remained in the family for five generations, currently run by Simon Philip Wolf V. Wolf makes very beautiful pieces, including watch winders, watch boxes, jewelry boxes, and more.

Size: 15.5”wide x 6.25”deep x 8” high
Check it out on Massdrop!

Beautiful color picks up external colors well. It looks so warm and pretty!

The Wolf Designs Meridian Two Drawer Valet, Charging Station & Pen Stand is a heavy, solidly built unit. The frame is wooden, with a rich blonde veneer exterior, and a silver silk fabric lining.

The valet and charging station has two storage drawers which can house up to 24 pens. The slots are not individual - they run the length of the drawer, so how many pens can be seated in the trays depends on the size, shape, and length of the pens. The top of the unit is an open, recessed storage area which can serve two purposes, aside from just storage. Since the system is modular, this is where the system would stack. Otherwise, it is a valet tray. There is plenty of storage space here for a wallet, keys, lip balm, change, a few pens, and some other small miscellaneous items.

The second drawer is where you can charge your devices A power strip is not included, so this means an additional cost for me, but then I can also buy one that I like. On the other hand, Wolf Designs could have actually included one that matched the collection well. I assume they have not done this because they sell these units worldwide, so people can get the power units they need. The back of the drawer has a cut out for pulling cables through.

I tested a few places for this unit. The first place focused on using the valet tray: by the front door. It was convenient there for tossing in my house and bike keys, pocket knife, lip balm, gum, and other small tidbits. The second drawer was used to charge my phone, along with housing other small items like a microfiber cloth, a pocket notebook, and some extra LED lights. The separate curved compartment is actually great for change - it's easy to scoop out.

The issue with using this by the front door is that the bottom drawer is intended to be a pen tray. The bottom pen tray is fixed but the second one is removable. If one did not want to use it as a pen tray, the second tray could be removed and that leaves a fair amount of space for mail and receipts, for example.

The weird fish thing holds my keys, by the way. And yes, that is my wallet. I use man wallets. 

The second place I tried the Meridian station out was on the nightstand next to my bed. The valet tray was used for lip balm, hand cream, a tissue box, etc. The second drawer scoop compartment was used for cat treats (don't ask). I also charged my phone in here. What I liked about this set up was having my phone put away - it was like a mental switch. Phone goes in drawer. Drawer is closed. Phone doesn't exist until the alarm goes off in the morning. This also reduced the temptation to peek at my email/Twitter/Instagram or read a book if I was having trouble sleeping. The downside to this was the alarm on my phone was a little muffled (easy fix: raise the volume).

The issue again was with the bottom pen drawer. It couldn't practically be used as a pen tray, so I ended up just stuffing miscellaneous items in it - nail polish, extra hand cream, etc. No big deal, but defeats the purpose of a pen box!

The last spot I tried this unit is the spot it ended up staying in, because it was ideal. Where is that? On the table/desk, of course. It sits right on the end of the desk, near the lamp, and also near a power strip. The top tray is used to house a couple of ink bottles. I often refill the same pen with the same ink for awhile - the bottles rotate, but there's always one or two up there. There's also lip balm (I like lip balm), a desk pen (Esterbrook), a knife (for opening letters/parcels/various things), and a rocker blotter.

In the top drawer, I do charge my phone. I also keep an ink cloth, a loupe, and some blotting sheets. This is a convenient set up because it lets me give my phone a quick charge after its use during the day. Like having the unit on the nightstand, this set up with my phone charging in a drawer serves as a mental switch. Put it in the drawer, let it charge, leave it alone. It's easy to ignore if it buzzes, especially during meals and when I have visitors! I've also tried putting ink in the second drawer and leaving my things to charge on the top. Both work.

The bottom drawer houses my favorite and currently inked fountain pens. It's convenient because, of course, they are all readily available, right where I sit and do all of my writing. They are easy to grab but also easy to put away. They're out of the light so any hard rubber pens aren't exposed to sunlight constantly, and if I leave, everything is out of sight and tidy. It's a convenient set up like this.

PROS

• Modular system - can be put together with other meridian pieces to create larger units. They units can stack atop each other. 
• Convenient for sitting on night stands - plug in your device before you sleep (and ignore it!). 
• Convenient for sitting by your front door - capitalize on the storage space!
• Ultimately, it's perfect for a desk. It looks good, keeps things tidy, and has space for little bits of everything. 
• Beautiful unit that sure looks better than my pens lying around everywhere. 
• I love the pen trays at my desk - all my favorites always there. I don't have to put away or pull out pen cases, or have pens just sitting all over the place. 
• A tidy, convenient, all-in-one place to keep some of my most used, everyday items.
• Solid, well-made unit.
• Blonde finish is gorgeous - the color shows off a lot of character.
• I like the mental and physical drawer when I charge my phone.
• The entire unit looks and feels like a luxury piece (which it is). 
• Drawers operate smoothly but don't fall out.

CONS

• It does not come with a power strip for charging devices. 
• Only one pen tray is removable.
• If top pen tray is full of heavy pens, it can be a little difficult to remove by the loops that are attached to the sides of the tray.
• If drawers are full and both are pulled out, the unit will tip forward (although only a little).

OVERALL

This unit from the Meridian Collection is very attractive, well-made, and is very convenient for tidying up all my random things in a stylish manner. I love that this is modular, so other pieces can be added later on to build up the storage pieces. This looks great in a home but would also be great in an office or in the home of someone you really, really like! I am familiar with the quality of the Wolf Designs watch winders, so it doesn't surprise me to see this beautiful piece.

I really enjoy this unit on my desk, and it's probably not something I'd have searched for based on the strange mix of names: valet, charging station, and pen box. However, it comes together really well and there's no denying we like good-looking items to house our good-looking items.

Check it out on Massdrop!

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I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. A huge thank you to Massdrop for making this review possible!

Giveaway at @JetPens

Yoooo! I'm not sure if that's "yo" or "YOUUUU". Either way. JetPens newsletter subscribers are entered in this giveaway:

That would be Pilot Metropolitans to five different winners so obviously you should go enter, assuming you are a US resident and you enter by March 4, 2015. Click here for details!

Wordless Wednesday

Ink Shot Review: Sailor Jentle Sky High

It pains me that this ink was discontinued, and I still can't figure out why they did it. What cruelty. This is one of my preferred blues!

ABOUT

Color: Blue
Bottle: 50 ml
Price: $15.50 CAD
Price/ml: $0.31/ml
Where to buy: Wonder Pens

PROS

• Lovely, rich sky blue.
• Has a great sheen!
• Shades well.
• Pretty well-behaved. 

CONS

• Why would they discontinue this?!?!
• Not water resistant.

OVERALL

I absolutely love this ink and was crushed when they discontinued it. When I found out, I stocked up... maybe not enough... Anyway, it's one of my absolute favorite blues. It's such a pretty, not boring blue with an exquisite sheen. If you can pick up a bottle before the price sky rockets, do it!