Posts filed under Kokuyo

Kokuyo ME Stand Tool Pouch 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!)

We have a new, robust member of the "stationery cases that turn into phone stands" family, and that is this Kokuyo ME Stand Tool Pouch, which is not nearly as fun to say as SMAND, but is infinitely more useful (fight me).

This case is made from padded soft nylon fabric that is reinforced to help it keep its shape. It has a quilted surface, which I understand is in style these days. The case zips open like a clamshell, though the zip goes diagonally across the side edges and the front folds back on itself, creating a shelf upon which to lean your phone or notes. There is a wee snap tab that secures the front piece to the spine-base to keep it folded down.

Inside, the case is lined with grey nylon fabric. The main compartment is spacious and would fit bulkier tools, or even an e-reader or notebook. Along the back wall of the case, there is a strap you can clip pens to or slide tall tools behind, and a shallow mesh pocket that's perfect for small things like flash drives, dongles, or washi tape. On the front, there is a mesh pocket that goes the whole length of the case, and on the folded-down lip there is a velcro strap for securing cords. There is another slip pocket on the back exterior of the case that can fit a slim notebook or papers.

The storage layout is thoughtful and functional. It's a good balance of organization and flexibility, so it can serve a lot of purposes. It would make a great writing kit, a great art-on-the-go kit (with built-in easel!), a great tech pouch--or you could just fill it with pens. It would hold a lot of pens! At $33 on JetPens, it's reasonably priced for a case this size, and less expensive than a lot of pen cases that have fewer features. It's the best stand-case I've used so far, which means my children will probably steal it. And I'll pretend to be mad about that, knowing that I'm secretly allowing them to become discerning users of fine stationery.

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

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Posted on May 1, 2025 by Sarah Read and filed under Kokuyo, Pen Case.

Kokuyo Hakoake 2Way Cutter + Mini Scissors

(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!)

Spare your good craft scissors! I'm terribly guilty of using the good scissors to open boxes, which everyone knows is not cool. This handy gadget is a box opener and scissors in one, so you can snip or slice as needed.

The Kokuyo Hakoake 2Way Cutter looks like a standard box cutter, though it's smaller and a lot more lightweight. The body is made of plastic. It has a textured finish that makes it easy to grip, and there's a loop on the back end for attaching a strap. The top edge has a black plastic slider that moves along a track to extend the blades.

The body is labeled with the three stations for the slider. The back end has the "lock" setting, where the blades are locked completely inside the body. If you push down on the slider and move it forward, it slides into the next setting, "cutter," which extends just a short edge of blade from the tip of the case. If you push down and move the slider all the way forward, it pops up and becomes the lever for operating the scissors. Each station locks into place, so you don't have to worry about any slipping.

The design is simple but clever and it's a conveniently compact tool for opening all those stationery packages that find their way to your porch.

The blades on the cutters are made from either stainless steel or titanium, depending on which model you select. The stainless steel model has a beige handle, and the other titanium model has a forest green handle with brown blades. Both the cutter and the scissors cut well, though neither are very sharp. This tool isn't meant to replace a pocketknife or proper scissors. It's meant to do the dirty work of opening packaging, so your knife and scissors stay nice.

The titanium blade models sell for $13.25 on JetPens, and the stainless steel model is $9.25. It's a very fair price for such a handy thing. I've found myself reaching for it often to open boxes or letters, snip tape or tags or yarn tails. My youngest recently had a birthday, so there was a lot to open, and this was the perfect thing to have on hand. It now has a permanent spot on my desk, next to my scissors, which are probably very relieved that they'll never again have to struggle through packing tape.

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

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

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Sarah Read and filed under Kokuyo, Scissors.

Kokuyo Book Weight 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 Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

As the end of the year draws near, readers across the world are frantically tearing through their to-read lists in order to meet ambitious reading goals we set for our own darn selves before the arbitrary deadline of the calendar runs out. Or so I hear. Anything that makes the task easier is welcome. This Kokuyo Book Weight helps, though I've found other practical uses for it, as well.

This seagull-shaped book weight is designed to fit the curves of your book pages, weighing them down so that your page stays open neatly for easy reading. The thin design makes it less obtrusive than clip-style book holders. It fits nicely in the margins of the page so it doesn't get in the way of the words.

It comes in three colors. The black one that I received is made of cast iron and has a wonderfully rustic look to it. The rough texture keeps it from sliding on the pages. There is a silver colored one that is also made of a coated iron. Both the iron ones sell for $29. There is also a raw brass one, which sells for $60, which is more than I'd personally want to pay for a book weight, but it's very pretty and screams "welcome to my elegant book parlor." I dig it.

This book weight isn't perfect for all books. Its distinctive mustachio shape works very well with standard hardcover books, or with larger books, but it doesn't work as well with smaller paperbacks. It will still weigh the page open, but the silhouette doesn't fit right, making it less stable.

It is very good for weighing down the pages on books that require you to be hands-free. I've used it for knitting pattern books and cookbooks already, and it was perfect for the task. It will also be amazing to have on hand the next time that I have to type up a handwritten manuscript. I also used it to hold my planner open while a very wet ink took its time drying.

Overall, I think this is a great tool. I'm a fan of page weights, and the one I've been using for the last few years is much wider, which covers part of the text. I have to move it around a bit to get to all the words, which defeats part of its purpose. I don't expect I'll have that problem as often with this one.

I hope you're all enjoying your end-of-the-year reads. Snowy days make me want to read even more, and as it is currently blizzarding out, that's what I'm off to do, with my handy book weight. Happy reading!

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

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