Tag Archives: pens

EDC (Everyday Carry) Part 5 – Bits and Bobs

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While I have been making this EDC series of blog posts and videos, it usually only occurred to me to put in things that I carry a majority of the time. For me, while other people carry iPods or notebooks, or candy or something else to eat, I like to just keep things down to the basics. I usually find the places I’m going to be more engaging than whatever I bring with me. iPods and iPhones might be great for listening to music and watching videos, but for me they are temporary distractions. Even on long car trips when I’m alone in the back I prefer to shout up front than sit and listen to music. That’s not to say I don’t carry them. But they are far from the things I would like to have with me at all times. It can also be noted that I carry card games in my EDC backpack. I find these more useful than a music player or such. If I’m by myself I usually have a notebook I can doodle in, but if I’m with other people and perhaps we’re bored, everyone knows at least a few card games.

Still, it was certainly an oversight to not include some of the items that are quite important to me in the last articles, but I usually pick and choose which I carry at what time, varying wildly on the situation. Here are a few of the items I carry sometimes that I really like having when I need/want them.

• Phone Charger (many people seem to carry a charging cable, and backup battery. I find that even with heavy use, my old iPhone 4s can easily get through several days without being charged, and my small phone even longer). So I only carry around a cable when I’m on trips, but when I am, it’s always at hand.
• Fountain Pens (I love fountain pens, mainly for the writing experience they provide. They’re just fun for me to use. I have a couple of cases that hold 3 or 4 pens that I stick in my bag every once in a while when I’m going out for some time. It’s great to pull out a nice pen and write with it from time to time.)
• Notebooks (These go with pens for the most part. I carry around a small and large Moleskine book quite often to write my ideas down in, and I try to create one drawing a day. I also carry around more fountain-pen-friendly notebooks sometimes, like Rhodia, or Leuchtturm)
• Sketchbooks (These are rarer. Strathmore or Picadilly are what I usually go with. These are thicker and generally only for the days where I’ve already been drawing or am trying specifically to create something new. They’re rare enough that I thought they needed their own category.)
• Pencils (A similar deal to the pens. Having a few pencils around is nice, as I prefer to write/draw with them to ballpoints. But if I forget them it’s no big deal)
• Flash drive (This used to be an occasional thing, though now I have a dedicated EDC flash drive. I have yet to use it. I’ve just never been in a situation where I’ve thought, “man I need a flash drive right now” or “Man I would have stored that info on an emergency flash drive”, but I suppose when I need it there’s no replacement)
• Altoids/gum/candies (these seem obvious to me, just for a bit of appetite suppression/ breath freshening/ though provoking. I like mint flavor and can eat what I want)
• iPod (This is something many people {not in the EDC crowd} carry around that I absolutely loathe. I have never once ever felt it appropriate to use an iPod in public. Perhaps on a plane or bus, but even then I haven’t. That’s just me. I’m not a fan of this as out-in-the-world technology. Despite that, I do carry it sometimes, especially on trips. Mine being the classic model it is quite large and often relegated to a secondary bag.
• Laptop and Accessories (This is one that a massive number of people have, and that I understand much more. Many people EDC a tablet of some kind, especially in an urban environment. I don’t own a tablet, nor do I want to, so that’s not an option for me. I’ve never really found places outside of my home a good place to work or browse on a laptop, but I suppose they work in a pinch. It’s never something that I want, but again, mainly on trips, I do sometimes carry around my laptop for general use.)

And that’s it. The last part of my EDC (the sometimes/maybe part). I hope you enjoyed reading this series if you have, and that you maybe got some ideas from it. It was fun to write, and I’ll likely be updating in the future with more recent developments. EDC always changes. Until then, I hope you have a good time.

Review – Poquitos Part 2 – Monteverde Ballpoint/Stylus and Fountain Pen

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I had the regular Yafa brand Poquitos for quite some time before ever even hearing about the brand Monteverde, which is one of the many brands of “inexpensive” luxury pens that Yafa owns. Monteverde mainly has their own line of pens that could be completely separated from Yafa, but recently I discovered Monteverde was releasing a set of pens under the same name and similarly styled to the Yafa Poquito. This, of course, confused me, until I found out the companies’ relationship. The two Monteverde Poquitos have both similarities and differences when compared to the regular Yafa versions. Let’s take a look.

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First up is the fountain pen, which is styled very similarly to the original Poquito, but because it is a fountain pen, it is slightly larger, a little longer, and about twice as thick. The tip of the cap has the same “stylus” as on the smaller pens, and the clip is almost identical. The pen is also made of brass, but seems to be painted better, and Poquito is written right on the cap.

Being a fountain pen, it accepts cartridges (of the standard international variety), but there are no converters designed for it. Some small converters can be finagled into working, but none are advertised as doing so. The nib (which is only available in medium) and feed are relatively dry, but that is the case with many pens with similar nib and feed types (plastic, iridium point, German made) and many inks are designed to work well with this type of pen. The section is stainless steel (I think) and gets slick upon prolonged use. And the pen is too short to hold comfortably without posting. But the pen is still super small, and is absolutely ideal for taking quick notes provided one finds an ink that works well with it.

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In addition to their release of the fountain pen, Monteverde also released a new version of the regular ballpoint Poquito, called the Poquito Stylus (and funnily enough, they also released the Poquito Stylus XL which is almost the size of the Largo). The pen has the same writing and mechanism end as the Yafa Poquito (which is the only part that the Poquitos share). But on the other end, a touch-screen stylus of average size replaces the old hard “stylus” point, which was really useless. This new stylus works quite well, though it can be a bit broad at times. The clip design has also changed. It works just as well, and looks a little nicer, in my opinion, but is more likely to damage the item it is clipped onto. The ballpoint itself is identical to the older pen, with refills being the same.

Overall, the Monteverde versions of the Poquito pens are quite small, and quite functional. They haven’t really fixed any of the problems with the standard Yafa versions, but the added benefits of a fountain pen and stylus (for the people that like to use them) are great. All of the Poquitos are hardy little pens that serve well, and can go almost anywhere. The Monteverde versions just add a little more style and a little more usage variation.

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.