The Superior Labor Petite Engineer Bag Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

It is possible that I carry a few notebooks around with me at all times, whether I'm going to work, running errands, or just moving from room to room. And since I'm apparently not allowed to have a pet alpaca in my house, I need handy ways to carry around said notebooks. So I have a house tote, and I know I'm not alone, just for my writing kit. Right now I'm using The Superior Labor Petite Engineer Bag. It's so perfectly suited to this purpose; I think I may have found my ideal writing caddy.

At first glance, I thought, "Oh, that's very tiny," but it is deceptively spacious. I can easily put up to four hardcover A5 notebooks in the bag and still not interfere with the space in the interior pocket, where I keep a few pens. A bottle of ink fits at either end of the main compartment. And stickers, bookmarks, a notepad, or other slim accessories can fit in the exterior slip pocket.

The bag is very well designed and constructed. Even when fully loaded, it feels well-balanced, with handles at the perfect length and thickness. It is made from a rugged heavy-duty canvas from Kurashiki. It is cotton woven on a shuttle loom that creates an especially thick cloth with a tight, lightly textured weave. If you're concerned that I may have fallen down another of my textile rabbit holes on this one, YES I did, and I'm taking you with me. If you're interested, you can read a bit about the history of this fabric making here and here.

The natural cream colored cotton is painted on the bottom with a thick paint that adds structure and strength to the bottom of the bag. There are a variety of paint colors available. The front is also stamped with The Superior Labor logo and "Standard and Strong, we take pride in craftsmanship and never skimp on time and effort, Made in Japan." This is awfully chatty for a bag, but the design of the stamping looks nice. It also kinda feels like my writing bag is shaming me into doing my writing, which is honestly helpful sometimes.

Apart from the canvas body of the bag, the handles and slip pocket are made from thick but flexible vegetable-tanned leather. It is undyed and is already beginning to take on an elegant aged look. All of the straps and pockets are fastened with brass hardware stamped with "The Superior Labor." The brass is also taking on some great character.

From the weaving to the brass casting to the sewing, painting, and washing, the bag is entirely made by hand by Japanese craftspeople, and that care shows in the finished product. This bag will probably outlive me, which is fair, because so will my writing deadlines.

Needless to say, I absolutely love this bag. Due to their laborious construction, they can be a little hard to find available. And they are rather expensive. Dromgoole's often carries them, where this Petite Engineer Bag sells for around $90. Is that a lot for a small bag--yes. I'd argue that this one is worth it, given the materials and craftsmanship. After researching the weaving process, I might even say that's underpriced, considering what many mass-produced, fast-fashion bags cost these days. The Superior Labor does have smaller pouches, as well, along with some fantastic accessories--and some larger tote bags that now reside on my Grail Quest list.

(Brad purchased this product from Dromgoole's at regular price for review purposes.)

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Fresh Thoughts On The Pilot Prera

I’ve always loved the Pilot Prera Fountain Pen, but it hasn’t always been an easy recommendation due to its price relative to the competition. With the prices of Gold nibs skyrocketing, does this Steel nib fountain pen look like a better value, even though its price has stayed in the same range? I think so.

The state of the union in the sub-$100 fountain pen category is that there are some great pens to be had in the lower and middle parts of the price bracket, with the upper limit (over $75 let’s say,) a bit weaker in comparison. Pens from the Platinum Preppy at $7, to the TWSBI ECO at $37, and up to the $64 Prera all provide good value and good options, depending on what you are looking for in a pen. And there are dozens of other good choices in this bracket, too.

The Prera was one of my first fountain pens, and I loved it from the start. It’s a simple plastic barrel pen with a fantastic nib, it posts well for a small and light pen, and has a satisfying ‘click’ when you cap it. The problem over the past few years is that it had become too expensive.

The launch of the Pilot Metropolitan in the early 2010’s - which was around $15 at the time - took a hacksaw to any value the Prera offered - even as a $30 pen at the time. Mix in other companies doing good work in this area, and Prera pricing being all over the place (regional pricing is fun!) it fell out of favor. It never stopped being a good pen, though.

The only negative of the Prera is the inclusion of the CON-40 converter. It was created by Pilot to be a more universal option for more of their pens, but it is worse than the CON-50 in pens where it was replaced. I guess corporate is happy, though.

I’m on record multiple times saying that the $64 price tag of the Prera is too high, mainly because of other options. Those options included the Platinum 3776 14K Gold Nib fountain pen, which at the time of my statement ran about $180. That’s around three times the price of a Prera, making it a good choice to save up for if you wanted to purchase your first gold nib fountain pen.

You can guess what happens next.

As you may have noticed, I’m pretty fired up about the escalation of precious materials prices driving the up the cost of fountain pens. What were recently aspirational pen purchases have been pushed into the realm of the impossible for many buyers. That stinks, but what can we do? Well, we can look differently at less expensive Steel nib pens like the Prera, and understand how nice the experience of a pen like this can be.

For beginners, the Prera might represent an upgraded purchase from starter pens like the Preppy or LAMY Safari. For experienced users, it could be a playground for nibs, which are hot swappable in Pilot’s Steel lineup, especially from cheap pens like the Pilot Penmanship - where you can grab an Extra Fine nib for $10 and have a second writing option. It could even be the endgame for many users because the Gold nib upgrade jump has gone from a short hop over a puddle, to requiring an appearance from Mondo Duplantis.

I’m not saying that the Pilot Prera is the end all, be all pen - even in its own price bracket where it costs more than pens you may find superior. What I am saying is that the context has changed, and I need to be willing to change along with it. I’m looking forward to even more change along these lines in 2026, especially when I plant a flag on the Pilot Kakuno as being better than the entirety of this price range! 🤪

(This Pilot Prera was gifted to me by a friend.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Field Notes Fall Flowers and Uni Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencil Giveaway

It’s the start of a new year, and you know what you promised to do? Write it down! I’m giving away two things that will help you do exactly that in the Field Notes Fall Flowers 3-Pack of Memo Books, and the Uni Alpha Gel Switch 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil, which features their popular Kuru Toga mechanism. One winner will take home both, so read the rules below and get to entering!

Field Notes Fall Flowers and Uni Alpha Gel Switch Mechanical Pencil Giveaway