Tag Archives: set

Review – Poquitos Part 1 – Yafa Ballpoint and Pencil

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Some things are better small, and the Yafa Poquito, being one of the first pens I got, proved that to me. It was exceptional for my small hands at the time. But how does the set compare now?

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The Yafa Poquito pens have metal bodies that come in various colors. The top of the pen is a bit of a rounded-off cone, and the top of the pencil has a small steel button. The clips are tight and almost identical, with the pen’s being pointed, and the pencil’s being round. The bodies of both utensils taper from the middle to each end, with the center band being separate in the pen and attached to the mechanism in the pencil. The metal tip of the pencil is also part of the mechanism, whereas in the pen it is part of the body. The bodies are quite solid, but the paint will wear off with time and a bit of use. Consider getting a silver or brass one to fix that if you mind.

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The pencil takes .7mm lead, and what it comes with it fairly standard, sometimes broken in transit. The mechanism is easy to use and quite sturdy. It would stand up to a bit of abuse. There is no play once the lead has been extruded, it doesn’t have “shocks” as it were, but the mechanism is separate from the pen body, and this creates a squeak now and then.

The pen is a smooth-writing fine cartridge. It is a ballpoint so there are occasional globs and hard starts. If left out for some time, the pen will be quite hard to start, but in this case a while is so long a time that one would expect it to. When it does flow, it is very smooth, and has almost no issues. It is not quite black, and waterproof, as most ballpoint blacks are.

The Poquitos pack quite a bit of punch for their size, being less than 4 inches long (and they still manage to fit relatively comfortably in the hand). And while they do have some flaws, they are far from from deal-breaking for having a pen or pencil there when you really need it. They serve best as backups and are miles ahead of small pens that don’t allow one to comfortably hold them or have very little ink. I’d say that in that category, Poquitos are at least worth a look.

Review – Micron Red, Blue, Purple, and Green colors

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I have reviewed several Micron pens in the past. But in case you were wondering if they could add a little more color to your life, here are some Micron Colors in .05.

It is an eight-pen set of colors from Micron that I’m looking at. It includes black so that’s out. The first four colors I will look at are what I call the ‘standard’ colors. They are red, blue, green, and purple.

I have already talked about the blue and the red so I’ll cover those quickly first. These pens are larger than the ones I reviewed previously so the ink is a bit more saturated. They aren’t as glaringly red and blue as before, but they are still some of the brightest and most vibrant of their colors on the market, aside from the awful nano-liner. Getting this large also makes them more prone to bleed-through, of which there is a slight hint in the blue.

Next we have the purple, which, in the Micron style, is a very aggressive purple. It is very deep, and in low lighting could be mistaken for black. It is very highly saturated, and changes little to none when applying pressure for some time to just tapping it on the paper. Amazingly at this darkness it isn’t very prone to bleed-through.

Finally the green. This is, surprisingly, a fairly sedate green, falling in the middle of forest and lime. It is unmistakably green, but rather unremarkable. It doesn’t jump like the other inks in this set. It just sits there, making it rather like greens in real life which you have to look closely to appreciate. Again, surprisingly enough this color is the most prone to bleed-through in the entire set, even writing fairly fast it leaves dots on the other side of fairly thin paper.

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So overall the ‘standard’ colors in this Micron package are great. They’re not really the best for sketches of nature or the outside world, but for labeling and organizing they are great. For example, different color parts in a schematic. It’s nice to have colored pens around and these hold up the Micron standard. I can definitely find a use for them.

Things that will get You Punched in the Mouth – Fixed Dice

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So I was at the dollar store the other day. Inside were these. 20130215-233715.jpg

These are a set of regular dice and a set of dice that only rolls seven or eleven. One of the “fixed” dice has only fives and the other has half sixes and half threes.

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Is there actually a human being alive that thinks this won’t get them punched in the mouth immediately? I mean, there is not even a way too cheat someone with these subtly. If someone takes even a close look at the dice it’s very obvious that one has only fives. I guess you’re supposed to play some kind of trick involving the other (regular) dice, but even that seems improbable to pull off with anyone other than a complete idiot.

They’re a great novelty, but they aren’t really very great. I mean, I can roll them on my table and laugh, but I don’t really want to get punched in the mouth. This is possibly one of the worst ideas I’ve ever seen. I have no idea why anyone would make this. I also have no idea why I bought them.

Review – Jukebox the Ghost “Safe Travels”

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Two days ago Jukebox the Ghost released their new album, “Safe Travels”. I’ve been pumped, not that the internet world could tell. Since I heard that they were recording a new album I’ve been pumped. In fact I’ve been prematurely pumped ever since I bought the second album (on release date). Jukebox the Ghost is amazing and I couldn’t wait to hear the new album.

Not that I had to as I got it about a week early when I pre-ordered it. I even got the CD early, and the shirt and poster, which are awesome. There’s nothing else to really say about those things, it’s a good poster and a good shirt. The other thing that came in the pre-order pack is a passport, which is cool, if only a novelty, and of no real use to me as I live so far away from the world that it is unlikely that I’ll see Jukebox the Ghost live very often.

Getting to the album itself: man it’s amazing. I’m listening to it right now. I’ve listened to it since I got it. I’d listen more if my CD player was easier to get to. What JTG has lost in the power of overall songs they have more then made up for in making the entire album and “experience”. Getting to my point quick, for me it’s not nearly as good as the earnest, almost childlike Hold It In, or the powerful, haunting Static; at least for the songs individually. But if the entire album was to be judged it is far superior. The problem with earlier JTG, like the first album, is that their were a few beautiful songs and then the rest. They weren’t bad songs, but they didn’t keep up. With the second album they worked on this and made the entire album a more even experience, but it still dropped off in the end in my opinion. They’ve perfected the flow with this new release. No ups and downs, a continuous ride of some of the best and happiest music that one can hear.

The records themselves have about the same amount of amazing, with this one maybe getting a bonus just for how it is maintained, it’s just how the amazing is spread. Like if you put cream cheese on a bagel, do you not spread it very well and enjoy a few spots a lot, or spread it around and enjoy the whole thing. I guess it depends on one’s mood. I’ll never pass up the chance to listen to old JTG, unless I have the time to listen to this album all the way through.

It’s that all the way through that’s important. JTG makes me so happy when I listen. And having that feeling for a full half hour instead of six or so minutes is great. There is no bass to drag the music down, and the drums, guitar, and piano are amazing. It just makes me so happy to listen to. It’s like Johnny Cash, even the sad songs make me happy. It’s not afraid to be cheesy or bubble-gum-esque. It is almost perfect music.

I would never tell you to pass up earlier JTG albums, or songs, but if you like longer, fuller enjoyment of an album, and what I’ve said peaks your interest, try this one out.