The Pen Addict

Kokuyo Campus Todai Series Pre-Dotted Twin Ring Notebook Review

I mentioned a few weeks back that I am way behind in paper/notebook/journal reviews, so I am glad to finally start to get caught up on some of these. The Kokuyo Campus Todai Pre-Dotted notebook is a unique notebook in the fact that it combines both lines and dots for a really unique writing background. I think I have had this one laying around for 6 months or so - it's about time I tested it out!

This notebook was created as the result of a joint research project on students in Japan, and that is definitely who this notebook is targeted to. At just 40 sheets, it is not going to take the full brunt of daily note taking, but it is the perfect compliment to math and science classes with any type of lab work. The lines allow for clean written notes, and the dots are perfect for diagrams and sketches.

Since I am not a student, and didn't really excel at math or science, I bought it for another reason - the cool cover! While I am not a full fledged map nerd, I have always enjoyed the technical aspects of maps, especially subway/train type maps. Something about how chaotic they can be, but still remain very clean and focused fascinates me (if you browse through my Tumblr you will see many examples). The map on the cover of this Kokuyo Campus is of the Tokyo Subway system, and is the same on the yellow version of the notebook.

All of the inks I threw at this paper did exceptionally well, including the liquid ink pens. There was no bleed, feathering, or show through of any type. You can check it out on the back page for yourself. A pretty impressive performance if you ask me.

You can find the the full range of Kokuyo Campus Todai Series Pre-Dotted Notebooks at JetPens.com.

Review: Kokuyo FitCurve Ballpoint Pen 0.7 mm

I grabbed this Kokuyo FitCurve from a recent new products push at JetPens.  Up to this point, I had never used a Kokuyo pen, but the design of the FitCurve was intriguing.  According to the product information notes, the barrel design was definitely not an afterthought:

Based on ergonomic research, the center of gravity of the pen is located near the natural grip location, reducing "hand wobbling" that can cause fatigue. The body shaft measures 10 mm in diameter, thinner than standard ergonomic pens to account for how the pen is used when at a tilt. Apparently, when pens are held at a 30° tilt, 1.15 times the diameter is experienced in the hand. Therefore, the FitCurve is designed thinner so that it can have a 11.5 mm diameter feel when in use.

Seeing as how I didn't read all of those details prior to my written review, I didn't take particular notice of everything, other than it was comfortable to hold.  The grip leaves a lot to be desired for me personally though, as it is very firm.  Looking at the pictures you may think it has a squishy gel grip, but that is not the case.  In fact, it is not far off from a hard plastic extension of the rest of the barrel.  If that appeals to you, then this pen is a clear winner.  The ballpoint writes well enough to keep it in service.  But the grip was too much for me to handle, so I'll move on to the next pen.

Click here for the XL review.

Kokuyo Beetle Tip 3way Highlighter - 5 Color Set Winner

Random.org got random on #35 this morning, making the Horshack-like comment by Kim the winner:

35 kim said...

oh oh oh - pick me... pick me

Reply October 13, 2009 at 11:36 AM

Congrats Kim!  Here is what I need 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.

Giveaway: Kokuyo Beetle Tip 3way Highlighter - 5 Color Set

I reviewed the Kokuyo Beetle Tip 3way Highlighter last week and liked it so much that I ordered up the 5 Color set from JetPens.com for a giveaway.  If you are a big highlighter fan and want to try out a very unique product, just follow the instructions below:

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 one winner 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, October 16th.  The winner 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!

Review: Zebra Techno Line 0.4mm + Kokuyo Beetle Tip 3way Highlighter

I was very excited that JetPens started stocking the Kokuyo Beetle Tip 3way highlighter.  I had heard about it for a while, but now I finally have one in my grubby little hands.  During the same new products push, JetPens started stocking more colors of the Zebra Techno Line 0.4mm ballpoint, so I thought that would be a great pen to review again with the Beetle Tip highlighter

When I reviewed the Techno Line a while back, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  The only issue I had at that time - and it is still the case with the new one - is that there is a little bit of spidering with the ink.  What I mean by that is there is sometimes a super-fine strand of ink between letters when I move from letter to letter.  This happens once every few lines or so, and you probably can't even notice it in the picture.  Otherwise, I like how fine and small I can write with it, and it is a pretty clean writer overall.

When I was a student, I was always an underliner, not a highlighter, so I was anxious to give the Beetle Tip a shot.  Before this highlighter, I would just take the sharp tip and line under the sentences in my textbooks or notes.  Now that I have the Beetle Tip, that underlining is made easier, and it works really well.  I was concerned about how fragile the tip might be, but it seems pretty strong and should last a good while.  The other thing I haven't put to a great test is do I really like the double line highlight?  I think yes, but I am so anal that I wonder if large blocks of highlights will bother me with their uneveness.  You can't beat the uniqueness and utility of the Beetle tip though, so I highly reccomend this pen.

One new thing I am going to try with my posts is add direct links to the products I have used (when available).  Those who are frequent readers of the blog know where to track these products down, but I do get a good many questions from new readers on where to buy them.  I'll try to do a better job of posting this information, and lets not kid ourselves, it also helps out the wonderful advertisers on The Pen Addict!

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Zebra Technoline 0.4mm

Kokuyo Beetle Tip Highlighter

Doane Paper Idea Journal