The Pen Addict

Giveaway: Doane Paper Mini Idea Journal

2009-11-10T07:11:00-05:00

Another great giveaway courtesy of Doane Paper? What are the odds!

This time around, I have three Doane Paper Mini Idea Journals to hand out to three lucky readers. The full size Idea Journal is my pen reviewing notebook of choice, and the mini Idea Journal looks like a great companion to its big brother.

I'm a simple man, so I like to keep the giveaway rules simple as well. Regular readers know the drill by now, but here they are in all of their glory for any newcomers:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Thursday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. You are limited to one entry. Feel free to link this giveaway on your blog, or share it with anyone you feel is a true pen addict. If you have a blog, I would love a link back, but it is certainly not required for entry into the contest.

2. For this contest, I will pick three winners at random from the comments section of this post. The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on. The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.

3. The contest winner will be posted on Friday, November 13th. The winners will have one week to email me at the address posted in the right sidebar.

4. I will ship internationally. I know there are many international readers and fans of The Pen Addict, and I will gladly ship to you at my expense.

Thanks and good luck!

Review: Muji Gel Ink Pen 0.38mm Blue

2009-11-09T07:11:00-05:00

Muji Gel ink pens are a minimalists dream. The clean, unmarked barrel is fantastic looking, and the performance of the pen is very impressive for what amounts to an inexpensive ($1.25 a pop) pen. The only trouble is - and I have mentioned it a couple of times before - they are only available at Muji (in person or now online), or via eBay. Being the good Netizens that we are, ordering online is no big deal, but I imagine many of you would like to get the pen in your hands prior to making a purchase. At this price, I don't think you would be disappointed in trying a few of these out.

My favorite thing about the Muji Gel ink pen is how sharp the point is. That makes for a really crisp line, and the ink flow is great enough that it is not scratchy at all. I really love this pen, and one day I am going to make it a point to order the remaining colors available.

Click here for the XL review.

Ink Links

2009-11-07T07:11:00-05:00

-- A few of my favorite things (Femme Rationale)

-- Review: Crane & Co. Ecruwhite Kid Finish Letter Sheets (All My Hues)

-- Kiki James Medium Tuscan Wrap Journal (Office Supply Geek)

-- Mnemosyne Notepads (Pocket Blonde)

-- Writing in my myAgenda! (According to Nina)

-- Featured Pen: Acme Dogs (Whatever)

-- Video: Japanese pen and pencil grab bag from JetPens (CrunchGear)

-- Equology Reviews (Quo Vadis Blog)

-- Moving Past the G-2 (I'm Not A Book Nerd)

-- Review : Tombow Zoom 2000 Rollerball Pen (Goldspot Pens)

-- Pentel 25th Aniversity Sterling Silver Roller Ball (My Supply Room)

-- Pentel Client (Edwin Stearns)

-- Double Review: Quo Vadis Habana and Rhobia Webnotebook (Whatever)

-- Ruling in style (Pencil Talk)

-- My new Lamy Lamy AL-Star italic nib 1.1 (Inkyjournal)

Doane Paper Utility Notebook - Traffic Light Series Winners

2009-11-06T08:34:40-05:00

At just over 300 entries, this giveaway was one of the most successful yet. Big thanks to everyone who entered, and of course thanks to Doane Paper for providing these great giveaway items. The winners are listed below - here is what I need each of you to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Email me your mailing address using my email address on the sidebar.

You have one week to claim your prize.

34 E said...
love the doane utility pads. these colors are great!
Reply November 02, 2009 at 09:35 AM

77 AB said...
Sign me up...
Reply November 02, 2009 at 11:52 AM

249 Kristi said...
Hi from Nashville.
I'm number 51.
Reply November 03, 2009 at 01:48 PM

If you weren't one of the lucky ones this time, don't fret. This month marks the two year anniversary of The Pen Addict, and I have a bunch of cool giveaways planned. Stay tuned for another one from Doane Paper next week!

Review: Uni Pin Fine Line

2009-11-05T07:11:00-05:00

Raise your hand if you have heard of the Uni Pin before. Some of you may have, but this is a brand new one for me. I think it may have even elicited a few ooohs and ahhhs from me when I freed it from its envelope. Yet another pen passed on to me from my friend Carmen (I bet I have over a dozen more to review as well), and another big winner in my book.

By the looks of it, this is Uni-Ball's stab at the art/drawing/technical pen market. I know they have the Posca marker line, but do they come in this fine of a point? The barrel design reminds me a lot of the Sakura Pigma Micron, and the performance does as well. Toss in fadeproof and waterproof pigment ink, and you can see where it is targeting its competition, and it compares quite nicely. I mentioned in my review that I felt there was a long distance from the cap line to the end of the pen, but when compared to other pens in the same category, it is right in line.

Some quick and dirty internet sleuthing leads me to believe they come in black, blue, and red ink, and in 0.5, 0.3, and 0.1 tip sizes. I have really enjoyed this pen so far, so hopefully they will become more readily available in the US market soon. If they do, I will be buying a bunch.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Lamy Vista Clear Ballpoint

2009-11-04T07:11:00-05:00

This is another pen from the Carmen Collection, and I was very anxious to test it out. Lamy makes some of the best looking pens in my book, but outside of the Safari, I had never really put one to the test in its original state. A Lamy Vista was on my short list to try, so I was excited to see this one make it my way from Europe.

As you would expect from Lamy, this is a very well built pen. The plastic barrel and overall construction are top notch, and the moving parts such as the plunger and the clip are solid as well. Lamy has turned me into a fixed grip placement fan, with their standard molded-for-your-fingers grip area. It is hard to make out in the photo, but trust me, it is there.

My one concern about this pen was the ballpoint. It's pretty well know that I am a gel pen guy first and foremost, with liquid ink pens second, and ballpoints (and their varieties) third. This ballpoint cartridge knocked my socks off though with its performance. I am very impressed with how smooth it writes, especially how small I can write with it and have it still maintain its consistency. I won't go as far as saying it is Jetstream-esque (and maybe that isn't a fair comparison), but I have no plans on trying to find a replacement cartridge for it.

Click here for the XL review.

Carnival Time!

2009-11-03T10:06:11-05:00

Get thee over to Black Belt Productivity for The Fourth Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper.

Great stuff as always!

Giveaway: Doane Paper Utility Notebook - Traffic Light Series

2009-11-02T07:11:00-05:00

Chad Doane has been a great friend and a great sponsor of The Pen Addict, and has sent along some goodies from his online store for me to giveaway. Part one of the Doane Paper giveraway is for three 3-packs of the Utility Notebook - Traffic Light Series. This is the newest addition to the Doane Paper lineup, and may be the coolest yet. I am a big fan of the colored covers, and of the notebook itself. My dryer enjoys them very much also, chomping down on one I left in my back pocket a few weeks back.

There will be three winners of the contest, each taking home one 3-pack of Utility Notebooks. Here is how to enter:

3. The contest winner will be posted on Friday, November 6th. The winners will have one week to email me at the address posted in the right sidebar.

4. I will ship internationally. I know there are many international readers and fans of The Pen Addict, and I will gladly ship to you at my expense.

Thanks, good luck, and look for part two of the giveaway next week!

Ink Links

2009-10-31T07:11:00-04:00

-- Get your entries in for the 4th Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper (Black Belt Productivity)

-- The Pelikan Ductus (Have Pen, Will Write)

-- Review: Clairefontaine Triomphe Writing Tablets (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- Ohto Super ProMecha 1500 (BengKia's Cave)

-- Uni Kuru Toga (My Spinning Pen)

-- Zebra Sarasa Stick Pens 0.7m and 0.3m (Pocket Blonde)

-- Noodler’s Red Black Ink Review (Office Supply Geek)

-- Let's get ready to RUMBLE! Clairefontaine vs Doane (Inkthusiasm!)

-- User Review: Inkophile tests Webbie vs. Mole (Rhodia Drive)

-- Rotring Tikky Mechanical Pencil Review (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- Review: Piccadilly Primo journal (Miscellany & Cacophony)

Review: Uni-ball Signo UM-100 0.5 mm Black

2009-10-30T07:11:00-04:00

The Uni-Ball Signo UM-100 does not equal the Uni-Ball Signo UM-151 (aka the DX). Why is that? I'm not sure, but the two pens write nowhere near the same. While I had no issues at all with the 0.7mm UM-100 - in fact, I think it is great - I am having a really tough time with this pen.

The tip of this pen is scratchier than I am used to from a Uni-Ball product, causing the line to be uneven and inconsistent. For me to use an 0.5mm gel ink pen regularly, I need it to have a very clean line, and this one doesn't. I have no issue with the 0.7mm version, and the 0.5mm DX pens that I have are awesome, so what is going on here? It could just be a dud, and since this is the only 0.5mm UM-100 that I have, I will order another one to see if I have the same difficulty with it.

I'll give this one a pass for now based on track record, but I will update once I get a new one ordered.

Click here for the XL review.