Magnetic Paper Clip Ball

Sometimes when I’m looking around for cool office supplies to review, I find something and enthusiastically order it without even doing any further research, and this Magnetic Paper Clip Holder was just one of those situations.  This is a shorter review today, but hopefully it teaches you or reminds you a valuable lesson that I should keep in mind going forward.

Magnetic Paper Clip Ball with Clips

Initially I thought this magnetic paper clip holder was pretty cool looking and would make an awesome desk accessory, so I just blindly ordered it without much thought.  I read the description to see it was made of metal and measured 3″x3″x3″ and that was about it.  As you might be able to start piecing together from the above photo though, the only part that is magnetized is the very top, so the majority of the unit has no magnetic attraction to hold the clips.  The thing that really frustrated me though was finding a similar item that actually looks to be fully magnetized, which you can see here on Amazon.   Overall the item I purchased did a good job, and it does look cool, however as I realize now, impulse purchases are usually a bad idea because in this case for a few bucks more I could have had the same item with a larger magnetic surface.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

I always here the comment “I love office supplies” when the topic of the blog comes up among friends and acquaintances, so I thought it made sense to kick off February with a Valentine’s Day / I Love Office Supplies theme.  Following you will find a bunch of office supplies that fit that theme…I have not necessarily tested any of these, but I thought it would be fun to share.  Buy at your own risk…that is the risk of someone making fun of you for having such girly office supplies…unless of course you ARE a girl.  Or maybe these would be good for your significant other as a gift…either way, enjoy:

3" x 3" Super Sticky Post it Hearts

First up for those of you that love your office supplies are the 3″ x 3″ super sticky Post-it Notes.  I’ve written about the line of super sticky Post-it notes before and they definitely live up to their “super sticky” moniker, and these might be the best way to leave that awkward and work-inappropriate message for your favorite eye-candy in the office.

Heart Shaped Post-it Value Pack

Next up is a pretty good value actually, assuming you want to be seen with a big heart shaped Post-it dispenser on your desk.  Not only do you get the dispenser, but you also get a ton of (by ton I mean 18 packages) Valentine colored 3″x3″ refills.  According to the reviews of the Heart Shaped Post-it Value Pack, it is also a hefty little item that functions as a paper weight and it stands its ground when you yank a Post-it note out instead of sliding across your desk in the act.  Also, if you want to save some money, you can grab the Heart Shaped Post-it Dispenser on its own without all the refills…if you want to be known as the cheap guy with your Valentine’s day gift, good luck with that.

Heart Shaped Paper Clips

Paper clips are the staple of any office supply cabinet…wait, that doesn’t sound right, but you know what I mean.  These Heart Shaped Paper Clips look like a good way to spruce up that boring stack of papers, just be careful who you hand that stack of papers to, your boss might take it the wrong way and you could end up with an awkward HR conversation on your hands.  Either way though, ignore the one-star review on Amazon, apparently the person was unhappy because their box of 50 only had 49, and the manufacturer never responded to their concern.

Pink PaperPro Stapler

I’ve actually always been a big fan of the PaperPro line of staplers.  They are ridiculously strong, no-nonsense staplers.  This PaperPro Stapler with Pink Accents is sure to be a hit due to its girly color scheme and incredible performance.

Cross Affinity Ruby Red Pen

I’ve never actually used the Cross Affinity Fountain Pen (available in ballpoint and rollerball too) but I’ve seen it in person and the red finish on it looks amazing.  I stopped myself from dropping money on this pen just because I liked the color, but if you are a fan of Cross products and looking for an elegant looking pen, this is definitely worth considering for your Valentine.4

Refillable Heart Journal

This Refillable Heart Journal might make a good add-on gift for that snazzy Cross Affinity Pen, or maybe you can just give it as a stand alone gift.  Either way, the fact that it is refillable makes it a great gift for your recipient because once she has filled the insides with musings about what a great Valentine you are for her, she can yank it out and start from scratch with a new refill once she is over you and your lame office supply related gifts.

So those are just a few cool Valentine’s day gifts for you to contemplate for your Valentine, or just for that person in your life that loves office supplies.  If none of those are really up your alley, you can always take the alternative route and go with one of these:

The I Hate Everything Journal:

The I Hate Everything Journal

OR

The I Hate Everything Daily Calendar:

The I Hate Everything Daily Calendar

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

The New Black Pencils Pack of 12

The new website Maxton Men has a great selection of cool items, and also includes an entire section on cool office supplies.  They were kind enough to send me over this sample pack of completely black pencils as well as offer a special discount for readers of this website.  If you head over to the Maxton Men Office Supply section,  and use the code OSG15 you can get 15% off on any products from the office supply category which includes Moleskine and Field Notes brand notebooks as well as some other great items.  All orders also get free shipping.  Now lets take a look at these all black pencils.

"The New Black" Pencils with 12 Different Phrases

So as you can see from the photos, “The New Black” pencils are exactly what they sound like, the entire pencil (excluding the writing) is black.  Everything from the wood to the erasers to the metal ferrule that holds the eraser to the body.  The only non black part of the pencil is the white lettering with the rather humorous “new black” saying that you can read if you click on the photo above.

The New Black Pencils Really are ALL Black

With a closer look you can see that even the wood case on the pencils is black, which also leads to black shaving when you sharpen them.  Sometimes I’m just a sucker for things that are all black, but these pencils are definitely worth it because beyond just looking cool, they actually wrote quite nicely.  Even for a pencil curmudgeon as I like to call myself, the writing experience with these was pretty good.  Most standard wood case pencils that I’ve used did not impress, and I really don’t like them, however these definitely write better than most basic wood case pencils I’ve written with.  There was very minimal scratching and the line left behind was pretty dark.  I think these pencils are more about the visual appeal but they certainly suffice for someone that is not as opposed to using a pencil as myself.

If you want a unique and eye catching pencil, definitely check out The New Black Pencils over at Maxton Men, and don’t forget that you can get a 15% discount on anything in the office supply section, as well as free shipping by using the discount code OSG15 between now and February 4th, so go check it out if you are looking to stock up on anything.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

Brett's Paper Clip Weapons - Click the Image to See the Entire Gallery

Sorry I was slow to get this posted today, but I’m going to go with Marcus A. as the winner of the office supply book due to his sharing of what is a VERY cool project (although not his own) to make mini sculptures of weapons out of paper clips.  It was an appropriate entry since the giveaway was a book called Who Took All the Paper Clipsby Rachel Rifat.

Here is the winning entry from Marcus A., just shoot me an email Marcus and I will get the book out to you.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

Outlets to Go Unwrapped Showing 2 of 3 Outlets

I’ve had the unfortunate situation of being in various offices, and public places like airports and coffee shops where there is only one outlet with two plugs and both are taken.  This Portable Extension Cord with USB Charger is the perfect solution to that problem.

Outlets to Go Sized Up with a Ruler

At about 7″ long and 2″ thick at its thickest point when wrapped up, this is a fairly compact unit considering it acts as an extension cord with 3 extra outlets and a USB port for charging.  When the cord is unwrapped, the length of the cord minus the plastic body of the unit is about 13.5″ which makes the entire thing 20.5″ long.

Outlets to Go Side View Wrapped at 2" Thick

In my case, this unit slipped easily into my travel laptop bag and did not take up too much space because of its efficient design that wraps the cord around the unit once, and locks it in by plugging it into itself.  You can also see the location of the USB port in the photo above.

Outlets to Go Back Side Outlet and Unwrapped

The back side of the unit is where you will find the 3rd power outlet.  My only issue with the outlets on here is that for some reason they were all pretty tight when plugging things into them, so it took quite a bit of force to get them plugged in all the way.  It is nice though that they give you plenty of space around the plugs so you can fit some larger brick-type plugs.

Outlets to Go Package

The Portable Extension Cord with USB Charger by Monster, is certainly not a full featured extension cord (no surge protection) but as an emergency tool to keep in your bag when traveling or out in an unfamiliar location it could be a total life-saver.  You can either share an already overloaded outlet or just expand the number of things you need to plug in and charge, including one USB powered item.  I think this item will be in my bag from this day forward.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

A Dentist Using Paper Clips in a Patient??

So this is probably the most disturbing story I’ve ever seen regarding office supplies.  A dentist in Boston actually plead guilty to using paper clips in his patients root canals.  When I first read this today, I actually felt a pain in my jaw and I was horrified…but then it reminded me of a book that I bought that I was going to review.  Since I already have about 6 books that I’m behind on I’ve decided to give away my copy of Who Took All the Paper Clips by Rachel Rifat.

Who Took All the Paper Clips by Rachel Rifat

As the sub-title on the book implies, it is full of fun things to do with office supplies, none of which I’ve actually had a chance to try myself.  It includes projects like a Marilyn Monroe wall mural made of Post-it notes and a voodoo doll of a boss. This giveaway is going to be a bit different than most of our other giveaway, so check out the rules below and enter for a chance to win.

Rules to enter:

1.  Must be a US resident

2. Only one comment/entry per person

3. Entries must be left in the comments section below no later than 11:59 PM on Saturday, January 28th

4. We will be selecting a winner based on whatever we think is the most interesting entry, so maybe the funniest, coolest, most unique, or most horrifying entry will be the winner.  Judges decisions are final.

How to enter and win:

1. In the comments section, tell us about your favorite creative way to use an office supply ~OR~ share a similarly horrifying way (like the dentist example) in which someone has used office supplies.  Sharing a link to a story, video, set of DIY instructions, or picture is a good way to make your story stand out or be more believable and interesting.

2. Not required, but if you share a link to this giveaway somewhere online such as Twitter, Facebook, your own blog, or any other social media outlet and leave a link to where you shared it, that will also get your entry more attention.

3. Check back on Sunday, January 29th for the announcement of the winner of Who Took All the Paper Clips by Rachel Rifat.

Please leave only one comment that combines your story and evidence, as well as a link that qualifies for #2 above.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

Palomino Blackwing 602 Full body

The original version of this classic pencil has a cult-like following, and if you feel like shelling out upwards of $30 you can usually buy ONE, yes ONE pencil for that price on eBay.  Recently though, the Palomino Blackwing 602 has been reinvented and can be purchased for a much more reasonable price.  For full disclosure, this review sample was sent over to me by Brad and all of the great folks at Jetpens.

Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed

Everything from the paint to the eraser has been duplicated on this revived version of the Palomino Blackwing, and it looks fantastic.  Unfortunately I’ve never used the original version so this wont be a comparison type review, but I can still give you my insight as someone that really does not like to write with traditional woodcase pencils.

The Edge of the Palomino Blackwing 602 Paint After Sharpening

One thing that stands out about this pencil when you compare it to some of the more generic mass produced ones is the amazing paint job on it.  It has a very consistent and slightly glossy finish that looks as professional as something you would typically find on a car.  Once I sharpened it, I noticed something kind of cool, but you need to click on the above picture and look closely to see it.  Along the wavy edges created by the sharpening process you can see that there is a tiny band of black before you get to the silver paint, which makes me wonder if they have gone as far as first putting some sort of layer of primer before applying the final coat of paint.  Also, as minor as it might sound, even the gold inlay on the lettering for the “Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed” looks great.  On many pencils the different color lettering that you see is often inconsistent with splotchy paint that you can see through to the base coat of paint.  Definitely not the case here, the lettering is very nicely done.

The Palomino Blackwing 602 Eraser

On a premium pencil such as this one, it would be a shame if you burned through your eraser while you still had lots of pencil left, and the solution that they have implemented to avoid that is brilliant in its simplicity, and also gives the pencil a bit of a paintbrush shaped look to it.  As you can see above there is a small silver cylinder at the edge of the eraser, and with a simple tug, it pulls the entire eraser out from the pencil and allows you to either lengthen it a bit or swap it with a completely new one.

Palomino Blackwing 602 Eraser Removed

With the eraser removed, you can see that its actually quite a good size, so before you ever need to replace it you will be able to extend it out a bit.  In addition to the black eraser that these come with, you can also pick up replacement erasers for the blackwing in pink and white.

Palomino Blackwing Writing and Erasing Sample

As I mentioned earlier in the review, and have pointed out in previous posts, I’m not a huge pencil person, and I typically dislike writing with them because of the scratchy nature and my constant need for a sharp fine point.  I have to say though that writing with the blackwing was a much better experience than many of the other woodcase pencils I’ve written with.  There is absolutely no question that the lead in this pencil writes incredibly smoothly.  Not once did I get that scratchy feel that  you get with other pencils and the lead seemed like it just melted off the tip and onto the paper, rather than me feeling like I was etching lead onto the page.  Even with my heavy hand and limited artistic abilities, I was able to produce several discernible levels of shading with little effort.  The eraser also performed pretty well, not as great as the pencil, but still at an acceptable level.  The only reason I say “acceptable” is because if you look at the shading examples in the scan above where I tested the eraser, you can see that on the two heaviest and darkest samples, the eraser didn’t quite remove everything.  On the other test patches though, it did an admirable job.

Considering the fact that I view myself as a “pencil curmudgeon” I have to say that if forced to write with a woodcase pencil, the Palomino Blackwing 602 would probably be my first choice due to the super smooth lead and the practicality of the replaceable eraser.  It also doesn’t hurt that the pencil just looks fantastic with its classic design elements and attention to detail on the paint and lettering.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

Capacitive iPad and Touchscreen Stylus with Pen by AYL and Kindle Fire

I’ve had a few requests for a review of a capacitive stylus for use on a touchscreen such as an Kindle Fire, Android Tablet, or iPad.  This particular capacitive stylus by AYL seemed like the best available on Amazon when I started reading reviews and doing my research so I thought I’d give it a try.

The AYL Capacitive iPad and Touchscreen Stylus with Pen and Refill

This capacitive stylus by AYL caught my attention because of the great reviews and nice looks, but also because it contains a pen as well.  I was surprised by the number of these out there that do not offer a pen, it seems like a waste to have a one function tool when it could easily be made into a multi-function tool without compromising the design.  The roller ball refill that comes with this pen is a standard size refill and for a generic brand writes surprisingly well, and you actually get two of them.  There were no skips and the color is quite dark and bold, without any bleeding or feathering issues.

Tip of the Capacitive Stylus Pen

If you click on the image above you can see that the metal body of this capacitive stylus has a metalic black finish with a swirling set of grooves that sweep down teh entire body for a nice pattern, but also for a bit of extra grip.  With the cap on, the stylus measures 5 3/4″ and with the cap posted it is about 6 1/2″ long.  I did find the pen slightly top heavy when writing with the cap posted, but it wasn’t too bad.  Another thing to note is that after you remove the cap and either re-close it or post it, you have to resist your urge to press it on from the top, and smushing the tip.

Capacitive iPad and Touchscreen Stylus with Pen by AYL Cap Posted

With the cap posted, the pen is slightly top heavy, however it is nice that you can post the cap, write, AND still use the stylus all in one motion without any extra effort.  Speaking of effort, I’ve read a few reviews that the tip is too soft and cuts into the metal housing when you use it, however I definitely did not find that to be the case.  The minimal amount of effort that it takes to use the tip on a touchscreen has me wondering how people don’t also break or scratch their screen if they are pressing that hard.  The nicest benefit of the stylus as opposed to using your finger is that it doesn’t leave any smudges or streaking behind.

If I could change one thing about this capacitive stylus by AYL, it would be the clip.  Although its very strong and nice looking, I think it is TOO strong.  There is absolutely no give to it, so I was completely unable to try and clip it onto the side of the case for my Kindle.  Otherwise this is a great little stylus, but I will definitely be checking out a few more for comparisons sake.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

Moss Terrarium in a Recycled Wine Bottle

This time of year can be pretty dark and dreary, so when I saw this Moss Terrarium made from a recycled wine bottle over on Uncommon Goods, I thought it might be a good way to “green up” the place even if this is not technically an “office supply” I still think its a great decorative touch for any desk.  For full disclosure, this was one of those complimentary items that we sometimes receive from vendors, so thanks to the folks at Uncommon Goods for sending it over.

Moss Terrarium Components

Everything in the Moss Terrarium recycled wine bottle kit comes packed inside the wine bottle itself as you can tell from the first two photos here.  It comes with the moss, some drainage rocks, soil, the wine bottle, two chopsticks, and a short black ribbon.  The reason you get the chopsticks and short black ribbon are to create a base for the round wine bottle to lay on sideways so it doesn’t roll away and break.

In order to put your terrarium together you are going to need to have the following on hand:

• A small bowl that the soil will fit in
• A spoon to scoop and place the dirt with
• A second small bowl filled with water to “re-energize” the moss
• A spray bottle with water
• Some towels or newspaper to work on top of so you don’t make a mess

Moss Terrarium Fully Assembled

Once you have all of those items on hand, expect to spend about 20-30 minutes putting your new terrarium together…unless of course I’m just slow, maybe you can do it quicker, but above is my final project.  My only gripe with the assembly process was getting the moss placed into the far back end of the wine bottle using the chopsticks.  I had a hard time with it so I actually cheated and used a pair of 12″ needle nose tongs that I have for the maintenance of the plants in my fish tank.

Looking into the Moss Terrarium Open End

Now depending on your home/office humidity situation, the care instructions say that you should only need to water your new terrarium every 2-4 days.  Also, it is important to note that it should be kept out of direct sunlight.  It does have a slight mossy smell to it, which I guess should be no surprise, but I thought it was worth mentioning in case you are bothered by that type of thing.

Hopefully I can keep this thing alive for a while, and if I do manage to keep it thriving, I will try to do a follow up post with new pictures to show any progress or changes to it.  In the mean time, I wish I had found this before the holidays because I think it would make an excellent office gift, along with some of the other green gifts, and plant gifts over on Uncommon Goods.  Hopefully this post and buying a Moss Terrarium for yourself will help brighten up an otherwise gloomy winter day.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.

The Stainless Steel Sharpie Pen Grip

Time to announce the two second chance winners of the two Stainless Steel Sharpie Pens that went unclaimed last time.  Also, thanks to those of you who left “get well” wishes in your comments, feeling better today, seems to be a cold going around that everyone has and doesn’t quite want to go away.

So here are our two winners, ucb101 with comment #41 and Qoe36 with comment #49.  Pretty tight picking by the old Random.org number picking hamster on a wheel.

Here is the proof shot from Random.org:

Congratulations to both of our winners, and thanks again to the folks at Sharpie for supplying these for the original review and giveaway.  If you are one of the winners here is what you need to do to claim your prize:

1.  Leave a comment on this post letting us know you are claiming your prize.

2. Click on the About/Contact link above the website logo and use the contact form to send over your name and mailing address.

3.  Wait for your shiny new pen to show up in the mail.

Thanks to everyone that participated, I’m sure there will be more giveaways to come.  Also, keep an eye out later this week for a post that will include a special discount for readers of this blog.

© 2012, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.