Don't forget!

You only have until tonight at 11:59pm to leave a comment on the PREVIOUS post to win the giveaway.

Also check out the great giveaway over at the pen addict!
http://www.penaddict.com/2009/08/giveaway-lots-and-lots-of-pentel-pens.html

Put a Pen Anywhere with Pen-Sleeve!

I was really excited when Nathan from www.pen-sleeve.com contacted me about reviewing the pen-sleeve! The pen-sleeve comes in three colors: white, black and red. The pens that come with the product are standard ball point pens that are just fine for everyday use. The best part is that the pen-sleeve will work with any pen that has a clip so many types of pens will be compatible with the product! The only pen I couldn't make it work with was my Lamy Safari fountain pen, simply because its barrel is bigger than the sleeve. But my Hi-Tec-C Coleto (3 colors) fit without a problem.

The back of the sleeve has adhesive covered by plastic. The plastic is split in the middle of the sleeve to make it easier when pulling the plastic off. That seems like a small thing, but I get frustrated when peeling a label or something that refuses to separate.

I decided to put the white sleeve on my school planner. The back cover of my planner is a coated/slick cardboard. The adhesive on the sleeve did not have any problems adhering to the material at all. In fact, you will want to make sure your placement is right the first time because I don't think the product could be moved. It adheres to the surface almost instantly.

This seems to be a permanent solution to having a pen handy, especially on notebooks, files or cardboard based clipboards. I suppose you could use an an exact-o knife to cut the sleeve off and leave the adhesive section on your item, but you'd be better off just being sure you really want the sleeve on there.
When the cover is closed, the pen-sleeve is flush and doesn't get in the way of the cover at all. Everything still lays flat and closes correctly.

I can think of many places this product could come in handy. At my previous office, it was a never ending battle to keep clipboards and pens together. The admin assistant would tie the pens to the clip board with ribbon. Then on a daily basis, I would absentmindedly fidget with the pen and wrap the ribbon around the pen making it unusable. This annoyed her. I would guess that the pen sleeve would have saved her some grief. I would have also stuck a pen-sleeve on my filing cabinet, it would have came in handy when working in the files. Also, I think this would be a great product to give out with a corporate logo on them. Especially if you include a pen with the company name as well.

I could keep all the pen-sleeves to myself, but I am going to take a cue from some of the other pen bloggers out there and offer them up as a giveaway. Nathan was nice enough tot send them to me, I want to share as well. I will send the other two sleeves and pens to one person who comments on my blog by Thursday at 11:59 PM. Then I will randomly pick someone and contact you to let you know you are a winner! All I ask is that once you receive the product you drop Nathan a line to let him know what you think!

School Supply Dances Around the World

Something kind of crazy that I have been very interested in over the past few years is what kind of school and office supplies to people use in other countries? What does a high school student in India use versus a one in Russia? Are there different sized binders, notebooks and systems of organization? I know what we use in America: mead 5 star notebooks, yellow pencils and bic pens-general wal-mart fare. Obviously jetpens.com has access to pens that American's often don't have access to here and some notebooks that are hard to find, so obviously there are choices available. The French ruled Clairefontaine notebooks are a great example of this, the French use a completely different system for lining their pages! Who knew?

But because I am curious about how other places stock their offices and book bags I try and find the right search terms to come up with foreign school supply lists. That hasn't been very productive. What I basically need is a school supply kit from every country in the world, where they are using products they buy locally. I am sure I would end up with a few bic pens and mead notebooks, but think of the other items that would be in those packages! It would be awesome. I would settle on hearing from anyone out there that has direct knowledge of how the supplies may differ and what is the same.

On a totally different note, I made a jetpens.com order a few days ago. To be fair the Lamy and Hi-Tec-C and inks are for my husband. I think I am finally getting him addicted to pens like I am! The rest of the pens are for me...

Products

1 x	Uni-ball Style Fit Gel Ink Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.38 mm - Mandarin Orange	$1.50
1 x	Uni-ball Style Fit 5 Color Gel Ink Multi Pen - Pen Body with Clip - Silver	$3.75
1 x	Uni-ball Style Fit Gel Ink Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.38 mm - Brown Black	$1.50
1 x	Uni-ball Style Fit Gel Ink Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.38 mm - Blue Black	$1.50
1 x	Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Pen - Dark Blue Ink	$2.25
1 x	Uni-ball Style Fit Gel Ink Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.38 mm - Baby Pink	$1.50
1 x	Lamy Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge - Blue Black - Pack of 5	$3.00
1 x	Lamy Fountain Pen - Safari Model - Extra Fine Nib - Charcoal Body & Black Clip	$26.00
1 x	Uni-ball Style Fit Gel Ink Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.38 mm - Violet	$1.50
1 x	Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 4 Color Multi Pen - Pen Body - Black	$3.00
1 x	Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Blue Black	$2.00
1 x	Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Green	$2.00
1 x	Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Red	$2.00
1 x	Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridge - 0.4 mm - Brown	$2.00
1 x	Sailor Ink Bar Disposable Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Black	$2.70
1 x	Sailor Ink Bar Disposable Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Blue Black	$2.70

Any review requests?

Uniball Signo DX 0.38

I noticed most of my pen reviews have been of Pilot. I thought I would review another line of pens that I love. I have several Uniball Signo DX 0.38 pens. This one happens to be in Bordeaux Black, which is basically maroon. I must say I am a sucker for any pen with two colors in their name, so in this pen I also have the green/black, brown/black and emerald. I have the blue/black in my shopping cart. :)

The writing sample is on Myndology paper, which is several steps above your average spiral bound notebook quality. Unlike some other pens with a narrow tip, I never encounter scratchiness, even on the lowest quality paper. I also do not get a lot of push through or pressure marking on the back side of the Myndology paper. Often I write very hard and with regular notebook paper it can be a problem. In general the ink flows so smoothly on this pen that I don't feel the need to use so much pressure when writing.

I feel this 0.38 writes more like a 0.4. It is great for journaling and doodles. I switch pens a lot so gauging how long the ink lasts can be difficult, but I think the ink life is average. The ink dries quickly and I have experienced very little smearing.

The pen body is lightweight and comfortable to use. I appreciate the rubberized grip and that there are not pronounced bumpy areas in the transition from grip to silver tip. When the pen is posted the balance also seems fine. I could write with this pen for hours and not experience any hand fatigue. That is one thing I always worry about when ordering fountain pens from the internet is the weight. I definitely prefer a light weight pen body in all pen types.

I really have nothing bad to say about this pen! I basically want one in every color imaginable.