Tag Archives: pen

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.

EDC (Every Day Carry) Part 1- Pockets and Belt Pouch

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Well, it’s the New Year, and what better way to start off than by looking at the system I’ve developed for carrying around things that I need, and describing what the things that I need are? (I could’ve just made a resolution, but I don’t like to do those).

I’ve divided my system up in to what amounts to tiers. And while sometimes these change, based on my needs when I leave the house, for the most part they remain the same.

In the first part, I’m going to be talking about what is always with me in my pockets. I’ve also included the belt pouch here for two reasons: first, is that it doesn’t have many items, so making it its own post would be silly; and second, because I have it on me almost every day. Since, for the most part, the lower tiers will be placed inside the higher tiers of my EDC, many of the things I would normally have in my pockets are simply kept in my belt pouch, allowing me to easily access them and to free up my pockets for other things. (When I was a kid I thought pockets were for carrying back home the things you found or bought, not carrying around things you already had, and I prefer that function.)
Here’s the list of what I carry, with a little bit about the more important items:

Taken with my iPhone, so that's not pictured.

Taken with my iPhone, so that’s not pictured.

POCKETS

• Phone/wallet: iPhone 4s. (I really like this phone, and have liked the later models less and less. This model, and a slim leather wallet case, have held up for me almost since the phone’s release. There’s nothing special about the wallet, except that it has very little room for cash or band aids.)

• Knife (Sanrenmu 7010: A cheap Chinese knife that works very well and I’m not afraid of losing. I do occasionally swap out the knife I carry.)

• Altoids Smalls Tin. (This is more of an emergency McGyver kit, and has all of the things that I want on me, but won’t use very often. It fits nicely in a watch pocket or a change pocket in jeans and slacks.)

◦ Knife (Opinel No. 2:  Soooo Small).
◦ Matches and striker.
◦ Cotton Ball.
◦ String.
◦ Nail (A small, finishing-type nail.)
◦ Paperclip.
◦ Electrical Tape.
◦ Migraine Medication. (For me this is one of the most important things, hinted at by the fact I have it everywhere!)
◦ Band-Aid.
◦ Cash $10 American.

• Keys

◦ Key Pouch (a very nice, handmade thing I found on Etsy, from Bulgaria. I hate keys rattling around and possibly scratching things. The screws in this will still scratch, but more predictably. And it does make the keys quite a bit larger so it’s not for everyone)
◦ Multi-tool (Leatherman Micra) (I considered the Leatherman Style CS or PS, but the scissors were the most important part for me, and in the “other tools” department the Micra is more robust than the CS {and I certainly don’t need the knife on the CS}, plus I like the look of the Micra more.)
◦ Whistle (Nothing special. I’m looking for a more flat whistle as the irregular size of mine makes it hard to fit in most places.)
◦ Flashlight (Maglite Solitaire) (This one I found broken in a drawer in my house and fixed it. Other than that, the only reason I use it is because it is completely flat and round, with no protruding mirror, grip, or button. It’s great at fitting anywhere, and being easily retrievable. Next, I need an LED one.)
◦ Tape Measure (This is the first extra item I carried on my keys. I have no idea why!)

• Pocket Book (Field Notes/Rhodia).  I always wear shirts with a breast pocket, so a notebook is always a nice, useful thing to put in there.

• Pen (Zebra f-301) (A good pen. I use a lot of pens, but usually this one if I’m going outside, just because it’s both sturdy and unassuming.)

• Watch (Cheap Armitron, Walmart Band). I hate stretching watch bands, so I replaced the one that came with my watch. (Also, this is not technically in a pocket.)

• EDC Altoids tin. (Sometimes, see later post.  It depends on how large my pockets are.)

BELT POUCH
• Keychain and Altoids tin (For the sake of pocket space).

• Second (work) phone (Samsung Tracphone). (The minutes cost more than this phone did. The only problem is texting {unless you need apps}, but since I only use it for work calls it’s great, and really robust for how cheap it was)

• Bic Mini Lighter (I don’t smoke, but fire is useful, and sometimes I’m unfortunately around people who smoke.)

• Bandages (More of these to come).

• Alcohol Swabs.

• Electrolyte Tablets (dehydration is a real problem in Texas, less so where I live now, but when I visit my family back in the desert, having these with a large amount of water could save quite a bit of trouble.

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Most people find that the pocket EDC is the most important part of their systems, and I am no exception. What you always leave the house with is the only thing that will matter in many situations. And while I usually leave with one of my higher tiers of EDC equipment, I can say that I never leave without my pocket EDC. Since I developed it, I haven’t left without my belt pouch, either. I put this stuff in my pockets every day, and while I don’t always need to use it (phone wallet is the most used thing, for sure) it’s great to have it there. Just today I needed my knife to cut some rope, the lighter to burn the ends and prevent fraying, and my Micra scissors to cut paper.

I’ve used almost every item in this set, and what I haven’t is stuff that I know I will be super glad I have when I need it. These are things that most people carry around because they are so handy, and I would recommend that most people carry around such things, though perhaps not as extensive an array as mine (I have three blades and two ways to make fire just here). Pocket EDC is super important, and it’s great to have an organized one.

Next time I’ll be looking at my least-worn EDC tier, the Fanny Pack.

 

 

Review – Pilot BP-S Medium

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For quite some time, pen companies have been trying to come out with the “superior” ink. And many succeed in varying ways. Every ink has its benefits and faults. The Pilot BP-S (which I can only assume stands for “better pen” as it uses the “better” refill) claims to have a “revolutionary” ink (perhaps when it was first made) that is very smooth and writes the first time. But all my quotation marks just make me a skeptic. Let’s look at the pen.

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The body of the pen looks like a hyped-up Bic Cristal. It’s got a similar hexagonal shape, with a black end cap that screws off for easy refilling (with the Pilot better refills). The body is clear with a minor amount of information physically molded into it. It’s enough to tell you what you’re using. The grip is series of tiny ridges that lead all the way to the metal cone tip, and are surprisingly grippy compared to the rest of the pen. The refill in this model is medium, and it comes out a ways beyond the cone. The cap is nothing to write home about, though it does have a flat surface for easy removal, which is nice.

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On to the writing.  I can tell you for a fact that no pen that isn’t liquid ink will write the first time every time, but this one comes close. It does take some pressure to start, usually, and a more constant pressure to continue writing than a regular ballpoint, but the overall experience is smoother. With the right amount of pressure, the ink comes out in a consistent line, and with a little let up, a serviceable one with a few gaps. Neither of these options are more strain on the hand than a regular ballpoint. The ink is black, most of the time. Sometimes it’s more of a cool dark grey. And that’s fine for any office setting, though not really for art. It is also smudge-resistant and water-resistant, like most ballpoints, so it will survive a spill as long as the paper does.

Overall it’s a good pen. Perhaps it was better comparatively when it was first introduced. It is nothing terribly special, but it is superior to standard ballpoint offerings from most major companies. Again, just slightly. If a ballpoint is the perfect writing or art utensil for you, but it just isn’t quite smooth enough, these are probably worth a look. They certainly don’t cross over into the realm of feeling or acting like another type of pen, which unfortunately tends to happen with these “smooth” inks.

Review – Zig Millennium 005 Technical Pen

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There are a lot of technical pens out there, and I’ve only looked at a few. Today I’m going to try and remedy that a little bit by doing a review of the Zig Millennium technical pen, specifically the black 005 version.

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The pen body is a bit odd. The bottom is a small, rounded piece of plastic. The barrel is silver and covered in writing. All necessary information is printed in several languages. The cap is nothing really special either: the top is flat with the tip size on what looks like a black plastic cutaway; the clip is simple, with a rounded end similar to a Pilot Precise or Uni-ball Vision. Interestingly enough, it says to keep the pen horizontal, but gives one a pocket clip. It’s the section of the pen that’s strange: it’s very small and nubby, it rounds off quite quickly and the ridges used to keep the cap in place are quite noticeable. It terminates rather abruptly into a metal end that leads to the tip. I’m not sure if one is supposed to hold the slightly uncomfortable section when writing or move back on the pen and place the fingers over the written portions of the pen, which I can feel the ink is raised up on, and will likely rub off quickly.

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On to the tip. It produces a very thin line, around the same width, but perhaps a bit wider than other brands of the same size, though that may just be the paper being used. The ink is archival quality (haven’t tested) and waterproof (have tested, is quite!) though that is to be expected from a pigmented ink. The black is quite black, and a cool black, which is nice, as many blacks tend to be warm. Writing is smooth and there are no skips or bumps with a good tip, though it will wear out after some time.

Overall it’s a good little pen, and quite comparable to the other technical pens in terms of both quality and price. I can’t speak for whether or not the rest of the line is wider than its counterparts from other brands, but that might be something to consider when purchasing. Otherwise, I’d say it’s almost entirely an æsthetic and comfort choice for the user.