Japanese Office Supply Roundup

The amount of Japanese office supplies I have on my desk at any one time is astounding. In a good way, mind you. Here are the items I had within arms reach just yesterday as I was deciding what to write about today.

Highly Recommended

Kokuyo AiroFit Non-Stick Scissors - The best scissors I have ever used, hands down. Granted, my scissor experience is on the light end, but these cut better than anything I’ve bought at an American office supply store. The older model I have has a slightly different blade shape, but the AiroFit handle is the same. They are so sharp you need to pay close attention when using them.

Life Vermilion Notebook A6 Graph - The Life brand gets paper right, and this A6 graph notebook is no exception. Life’s larger notebooks can be on the pricey side, but the small models are downright cheap compared to their competitors. The paper handles any ink or graphite you can throw at it, and the threaded binding and red grid are right up my alley.

Recommended

Raymay Easy to See Grid Ruler - I don’t use rulers every day but I always have one handy when needed. Most small plastic rulers feel cheap and flimsy, but this Raymay model is thick and strong with a nice sharp edge.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Pen with Grip 0.3 mm Black - I use a lot of Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens, but the 0.3 mm black model with rubber grip is THE Pilot Hi-Tec-C for me. The only thing keeping it from the list above is that it is a finicky pen. On occasions, it will not write consistently without being primed, but once it gets going there is no better fine tip gel pen on the market.

Avoid

Sonic Ratchetta One Pencil Sharpener - Great ideas and a good design doesn’t always make for a great product. The idea of a ratcheting pencil sharpener is great, and this Sonic model looks cool, but the end result on the pencil is not good. It is uneven, messy, and the ratchet doesn’t give you any indication on when to stop. Skip this one.

Correct Joho Index Cards - Another good idea. Another bad execution. These cards are barely thicker than a standard sheet of paper and have a glossy coating as if you were writing on a magazine page. The grid is only printed on one side as well. Bad all the way around.

Uni Mitsubishi 9850 Pencil - Unlike the two products above it, the 9850 isn’t bad, there are just better options. The Tombow 2558 for starters. The 9850 doesn’t have the point retention or aesthetic that keeps me coming back for more.

The Rest

While you can no longer get the exact Owl Magnetic Bookmarks, MT Washi Tape, and Pencil Caps I have in the picture above, you can get pretty close. I keep washi tape handy to mark cables and cords, not necessarily to add to a journal or notebook. And pencil caps have become a mandatory accessory for me. I don’t have much need for the bookmarks though.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Vanness Pens

There is still time to order the Limited Edition Joey Feldman Artist Series Retro 51, designed exclusively for Vanness Pens. Only 500 were made and once they are gone they are gone!

You can also get 10% off any Pilot inks by using the code PENADDICT at checkout, and be sure to check out their stock of hard to find inks from P.W. Akkerman and Bung Box.

My thanks to Vanness Pens for sponsoring the blog this week.

Faber-Castell Ambition Blue Ocean OpArt Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I really wanted to buy a French fountain pen on my trip to France. I tried several Waterman pens, but the nibs were scratchy and the pens were (in my opinion) over-priced. So, at La Paperterie in Rouen, France, I purchased the new Faber-Castell Ambition Blue Ocean OpArt. I'm calling it my French pen, even though it's a German brand–but I bought it in France, okay?

The city of Rouen

What drew me to this pen is its beautiful dusty-blue body with an engraved, intricate guilloche pattern. Plus, I've found Faber-Castell pens to be high-quality, and this pen does not disappoint.

The pen comes in a solid cardboard presentation box. The inner box, which contains the pen, slides out like a drawer. Faber-Castell offers a two-year guarantee on the pen.

One blue cartridge is supplied, but if you want a converter, you have to purchase it separately (which I did). The converter works well, though it is made of a rubbery sort of plastic, not the hard clear plastic I'm accustomed to with most converters.

The Blue Ocean has a resin barrel with a chrome cap, grip, and posting knob.

The pen is neither lengthy (120 mm/4.75 inches unposted) nor heavy (13 grams, unposted). Posted (159 mm/6.25 inches), the pen feels off-balance because the cap is the heaviest piece. When you put it on the posting knob the balance shifts backwards making the pen uncomfortable to use. I do not recommend posting it.

The cap exhibits the usual clean, crisp lines of Faber-Castell pens. It has a simple clip, an engraved circle on the finial, and Faber-Castell branding engraved on the side. It is subtle, and unless you look closely, it's difficult to distinguish the two knights on horses, the emblem of the company. I like subtle branding, and Faber-Castell pens always look classy in my opinion.

The nib sports the Faber-Castell emblem, decorative dots, and the nib size. It's not the most beautiful nib design I've seen, but it suits the Ambition style.

The nib itself is silky smooth and firm though it has no spring or flex. It wrote perfectly right out of the box, and I've had no problems with it at all. This is an excellent steel nib.

I love the style of this pen, and the guilloche pattern is striking. One of my students noticed the pen in class the other day and said, "Wow! That's a cool-looking pen!" You know a pen is something special when an undergraduate notices it.

That said, the Ambition design does not make for the most comfortable writing experience. The step-down from the barrel to the grip is significant, and the grip is too short to grasp comfortably.

I almost did not purchase the pen because of this. The French saleslady showed me I should hold the pen further back on the barrel, which works, but it feels a bit awkward to me. I generally hold my pens fairly close to the nib. I think, in this case, Faber-Castell chose symmetry and design over comfort in writing.

I paid 78 Euros for the pen which converts to about $88. You can purchase this pen at American retailers like Goulet for $100. That seems a bit pricey for what you're getting: a plastic barrel and a steel nib (though other parts are chrome). I wish the barrel were metal overlaid with the guilloche pattern. It would make the pen feel more substantial in the hand.

Nevertheless, the pen is beautiful and well constructed. The Blue Ocean color is pleasing to the eye and the chrome parts accent it perfectly. I now own three Faber-Castell pens, and all of them write beautifully and look fantastic.

L-R: Intuition Terra, Special Edition Walden, and Ambition Blue Ocean.

Pros

• The Blue Ocean OpArt is a beautiful pen with classy styling.
• It is less expensive than some other Faber-Castell models.
• The medium nib is smooth and works perfectly straight out of the box.
• This is a light and thin pen, so people with small hands will probably find it comfortable (but see below).

Cons

• The pen does not feel as substantial as the other Faber-Castell pens I own due to the plastic barrel. People who prefer pens with some heft will probably want to avoid this model.
• Because of the design, the grip section is too short and uncomfortable to hold (the barrel digs into your fingers). So, you have to hold this pen further back from the nib. I have adapted to this, but it might be a deal-breaker for some users.
• The pen does not come with a converter. You have to purchase it separately (but it is only $5 to $7, depending on where you make your purchase).