The Pen Addict

Review: Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip DX Craft Pen 1.0mm Metallic Red

The Pentel Hybrid Gel Metallic is not a pen I would normally purchase or use frequently, but after recently reviewing the Pentel Slicci Metallic Gel Ink pen, I figured what the heck.  I really didn't spend much time with it prior to doing the written review, nor have I spent that much time with it after, but even during that short time I could tell this is a nice pen.

The metallic pens are definitely a niche item, targeted at scrapbookers and other crafty types, so I'm definitely not the target market for this pen.  What I can tell you is that this is a well made pen that performs exactly as it should.  The barrel design is very solid - quite similar to the Pentel Energel.  In fact, this pen is just like a more glittery Energel, and that is a big compliment.

While I may not get a lot of use out of this pen, my wife will be all over it, especially come Christmas this year.

Click here for the XL review.

Product Links:
Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip DX Craft Pen 1.0mm Metallic Red from JetPens
Doane Paper Writing Pad from Doane Paper

Review: Ohto Tasche Ceramic Rollerball

The Ohto Tasche Ceramic rollerball has been on the short list of pens I have wanted from JetPens for as long as I can remember.  I was finally able to squeeze it into a recent order, choosing the orange body from the blue, pink, and purple barrel colors available.  The main feature of this pen is the ability of the pen to be carried as a compact pen with the cap on, but with the cap posted, it turns into a full size writing instrument.

The Tasche pulls this off well, but I had quite the time getting used to taking the cap off of the pen.  When I first took the pen out of the envelope, I thought I knew how to get the cap off, but I had to fight it for a few seconds, put it down and think about it, and then go after it again before successfully opening the pen.  Ok, I thought, now I can do this every time the same way.  Next try, same difficulty, but after those first couple of times I knew what the pen wanted out of me when taking the cap off.  Since it sizes down so small when closed, there is a long sliver of barrel in the longer than usual cap.  This made it a bit tricky, but I've got the hang of it now and it is no problem.

When it was time to put it to the writing test, it performed very well.  Better than I expected actually.  The ink in my Ohto Orca Ceramic roller spread a little bit when I first used it and I eventually swapped out that ink cartridge of a gel ink refill.  I am having no trouble with this cartridge though on my Doane Paper.  I think the Ohto tasche is going to find a nice home in my backpack.

Click here for the XL review.

Doane Paper Mini Idea Journal Winners

Thanks again to Chad Doane and Doane Paper for another successful giveaway.  The winners are listed below - here is what I need each of you to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Email me your mailing address using my email address on the sidebar.

You each have one week to claim your prize.

51 Andy said...
This looks like something I would definitely like.
Reply November 10, 2009 at 09:28 AM

153 Jeff said...
I would love to try some Doane Paper!
Reply November 10, 2009 at 03:34 PM

199 L Davis said...
Pretty please with sugar on top???
Reply November 10, 2009 at 07:24 PM

Giveaways here at The Pen Addict are going to be hot and heavy over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for more cool stuff very, very soon!

Giveaway: Doane Paper Mini Idea Journal

Another great giveaway courtesy of Doane Paper?  What are the odds!

This time around, I have three Doane Paper Mini Idea Journals to hand out to three lucky readers.  The full size Idea Journal is my pen reviewing notebook of choice, and the mini Idea Journal looks like a great companion to its big brother.

I'm a simple man, so I like to keep the giveaway rules simple as well.  Regular readers know the drill by now, but here they are in all of their glory for any newcomers:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Thursday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.  You are limited to one entry.  Feel free to link this giveaway on your blog, or share it with anyone you feel is a true pen addict.  If you have a blog, I would love a link back, but it is certainly not required for entry into the contest.

2. For this contest, I will pick three winners at random from the comments section of this post.  The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on.  The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.

3. The contest winner will be posted on Friday, November 13th.  The winners will have one week to email me at the address posted in the right sidebar.

4. I will ship internationally.  I know there are many international readers and fans of The Pen Addict, and I will gladly ship to you at my expense.

Thanks and good luck!

Doane Paper Utility Notebook - Traffic Light Series Winners

At just over 300 entries, this giveaway was one of the most successful yet.  Big thanks to everyone who entered, and of course thanks to Doane Paper for providing these great giveaway items.  The winners are listed below - here is what I need each of you to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Email me your mailing address using my email address on the sidebar.

You have one week to claim your prize.

34 E said...
love the doane utility pads. these colors are great!
Reply November 02, 2009 at 09:35 AM

77 AB said...
Sign me up...
Reply November 02, 2009 at 11:52 AM

249 Kristi said...
Hi from Nashville.
I'm number 51.
Reply November 03, 2009 at 01:48 PM

If you weren't one of the lucky ones this time, don't fret.  This month marks the two year anniversary of The Pen Addict, and I have a bunch of cool giveaways planned.  Stay tuned for another one from Doane Paper next week!

Giveaway: Doane Paper Utility Notebook - Traffic Light Series

Chad Doane has been a great friend and a great sponsor of The Pen Addict, and has sent along some goodies from his online store for me to giveaway.  Part one of the Doane Paper giveraway is for three 3-packs of the Utility Notebook - Traffic Light Series.  This is the newest addition to the Doane Paper lineup, and may be the coolest yet.  I am a big fan of the colored covers, and of the notebook itself.  My dryer enjoys them very much also, chomping down on one I left in my back pocket a few weeks back.

There will be three winners of the contest, each taking home one 3-pack of Utility Notebooks.  Here is how to enter:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Thursday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.  You are limited to one entry.  Feel free to link this giveaway on your blog, or share it with anyone you feel is a true pen addict.  If you have a blog, I would love a link back, but it is certainly not required for entry into the contest.

2. For this contest, I will pick three winners at random from the comments section of this post.  The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on.  The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.

3. The contest winner will be posted on Friday, November 6th.  The winners will have one week to email me at the address posted in the right sidebar.

4. I will ship internationally.  I know there are many international readers and fans of The Pen Addict, and I will gladly ship to you at my expense.

Thanks, good luck, and look for part two of the giveaway next week!

Welcome Doane Paper! (and some blog maintenance)

I'd like to take a quick second to welcome Doane Paper as a new advertiser on The Pen Addict.  Chad Doane has been a great friend to the blog for as long as I can remember, and I of course am a huge fan of his Doane Paper products.  You can find the link to Doane Paper under the sponsors section of the right sidebar.  Be sure to check it out if you haven't done so already - it is really great stuff.

If you or your company would like to discuss advertising opportunities on The Pen Addict, please send me an email using the address on the sidebar.

I would also like to apologize to my Twitter followers for a bit of spam from me yesterday.  I launched The Notebook Addict as a sister site to this one last year, but I realized later that I liked all of the pen and paper posts in one place.  Since I am no longer updating that site, I wanted to merge the content into this site so that it is easily searchable.  I was successful in doing just that, but I didn't realize it would tweet every imported post, so I apologize for the burst of tweets.

That is all for today - carry on!

Review: Zebra Sharbo Gel Ink One Color + Pencil

JetPens recently started carrying the very beautiful - and very expensive - Zebra Sharbo X multi pen line.  While they are fantastic looking, the $45 to $75 price range for just the barrel puts them out of my range at the moment.  If I recall correctly, on the very same day the Sharbo X became available at JetPens, I saw this Sharbo Gel Ink One Color multi pen and pencil combo for sale, and at $5.70, it was much more in my budget.  I ordered it and have had it since the beginning of May, but posting the review this late has caused one problem - it has vanished completely from of the JetPens site.

I know what you are saying - horrors, right?  Well, obviously not, but I do at least like to tell you where you can get the pens I review in case you are so inclined to try them out.  And this Zebra Sharbo is a very nice option for a multi pen pencil combo.  The pen barrel is impressively sturdy.  I mentioned in my review that many multi pens have a bit of a rattle, or feel a little loose mainly because of all the moving parts, but not this one.  It is very solid in the hand, and gives a good writing performance.  The 0.5mm gel ink cartridge is even less scratchy than other Zebra pens I have used, and the pencil is equally as nice.

I actually stopped in the middle of typing this up to email JetPens about this pen, because I think it is one of the better bang for the buck options as far as multi pens go.  I'll let you know what I find out.

One final note - this was the first review I have done in the Doane Paper Idea Journal.  I am loving it so far, and will do a full review in the near future.

Click Here for the XL review.

Update: I heard back from JetPens and unfortunately it has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

Doane Paper Idea Journal Giveaway Winners

This was the first giveaway on The Pen Addict to crack the 300 entry barrier, so thank you very much to everyone who tossed their name into the hat.  Random.org says the winners are:

#31 Lockjaw said...
Doane owns.
Reply June 08, 2009 at 09:20 AM

#218 -Jamie said...
My wife would totally love this!
Reply June 09, 2009 at 01:19 AM

#225 Felicia said...
*fingers crossed*
Reply June 09, 2009 at 02:21 AM

I need each of you to leave a comment on this post, and also email me at the address on the sidebar.  Big thanks again to Chad Doane for providing the Idea Journals for giveaway.

Giveaway: Doane Paper Idea Journal

Doane Paper is great - it is as simple as that.  I use it everyday in some form - the Writing Pad at the office, the Memo Pad on my desk at home, and the Utility Notebook both in my car and in my backpack.  I guess you could say I'm a pretty big fan of Doane Paper.  When Chad Doane recently teased about the concept of a larger notebook style, my interest was of course piqued, but once I actually got the new Idea Journal into my hands, I was blown away.  This is easily my favorite Doane Paper product so far, and Chad was kind enough to include THREE additional Doane Paper Idea Journals in my latest order to giveaway right here on the Pen Addict.  I am greatly appreciative to Chad Doane for everything that he does, including the fancy image to celebrate this giveaway, so lets make this happen...

The rules are as normal, but here they are again for anyone new:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Wednesday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.  You are limited to one entry.  Feel free to link this giveaway on your blog, or share it with anyone you feel is a true pen addict.  If you have a blog, I would love a link back, but it is certainly not required for entry into the contest.

2. For this contest, I will pick three winners at random from the comments section of this post.  The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on.  The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the numbers of the winners.

3. The contest winners will be posted on Thursday, June 11th.  The winners will have one week to email me at the address posted in the right sidebar.

4. I will ship internationally.  I know there are many international readers and fans of The Pen Addict, and I will gladly ship to you at my expense.

Here are the full specs of the Idea Journal, and the Flickr set where you can see some images of the product.
• Journal Size – 8.375” x 10.875”
• Grid Size - .125” (.3175 cm) x .125” (.3175 cm)
• Wide (Legal) Ruled Line Spacing
• 100 Sheets / 200 Pages per notebook w/ full bleed DP sheets
• Rugged Wire-O-Binding
• 80 Point Chipboard Stock w/ Black Ink Embossed covers (100% recycled)
• 60 LB Brite White Offset Stock content pages
• Made in the U.S.A.

Thanks for entering, and good luck!  And be sure to thank Chad Doane on Twitter @doanepaper, and visit the Doane Paper Store for all of your Doane Paper needs.