Pen Uno + Pencil Uno Now On Kickstarter (Sponsor)

Writing instruments have been a design challenge for thousands of years. Ensso, a small design studio in Los Angeles, step up to the challenge of creating a new pen with a simple yet powerful solution. Pen Uno is the study of liberating a pen of unnecessary parts and ornaments.

After a very successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015, Pen Uno is back as an exciting pen and pencil combo. This new super minimal all-aluminum pen has been redesigned so it can be transformed into a mechanical pencil by switching two parts only. When a pen, it uses the beloved Hi-Tec-C Coleto ink cartridge, and as a pencil it uses standard 0.5 mm leads.

Pen Uno is one of the thinnest pens in production at only 5.3 mm in diameter. The grip section is wider for a very comfortable writing experience and also doubles as twisting cap to protect the pen tip when not in use. A few turns of the barrel will open or close the pen. Pen Uno is machined out of aluminum anodized in five distinct colors: space grey, gold, rose gold, red, and black.

The Pen Uno and Pencil Uno start at just $25 individually, with the Pen + Pencil converter kit starting at $35.

My thanks to Ensso for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Lamy Love and Blackwing Pencils now at Vanness Pens

Vanness Pens has restocked the full Lamy lineup, including the hugely popular Lamy 2000, the retractable Dialog 3, and the bright aluminum colors of the Al-Star. They will also swap black and stainless nibs upon request, and offer free custom engraving. How awesome can you make your pen look with all of these options?

Blackwing Pencils have also landed, with dozen boxes now available in Soft Black, Balanced Pearl, and my favorite, Firm 602. These are the best wood pencils on the market and should be on a desk near you.

Come out and see Vanness Pens at the Miami Pen Show July 15th-17th, Washington D.C. Pen Show August 4th-7th, and the San Francisco Pen Show August 26th-28th.

My thanks to Vanness Pens for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

The if... Pen, Now On Kickstarter (Sponsor)

What if I designed my own pen? That is the question Dave Colliver asked himself, and the result is the appropriately titled if… Pen, now live on Kickstarter.

What sets the if… Pen apart is the way the tip of the refill is protected when not writing, and how a squeeze of the grip gets the pen ready to write. Dave calls this Single Motion Activation, where a simple press retracts the integrated cap and exposes the refill. One click of the end cap snaps the protective cap back in place. It’s quite a unique mechanism.

The barrel of the pen is injection molded in one Titanium piece and features an integrated clip. This allows for a strong attachment to your pocket or backpack and you never have to worry about the clip breaking or bending. The barrel is also designed with a low center of gravity to keep the if… Pen from rolling away.

Any Parker-style (International G2) refill will fit, including the Fisher Space Pen and Schmidt P900. All Kickstarter orders will be coded with an 01 so you know your pen came from the first batch.

Starting at $66, the if… Pen is now available on Kickstarter, so click over and check out all the unique features this pen offers.

My thanks to Dave and the if… Pen for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.