Galen Leather Magnetic Flap Five Pen Case Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There's always room in my collection for new bags and cases, even if I seem to run out of space to store these things every so often. It's difficult to decline new cases and bags that fit a single purpose because of course we want to be prepared for that single eventuality. In practice, you can never be sure if a bag or case will truly fit the purpose you have in mind until you've had some time to try it for yourself. Sometimes, you discover that the bag or case just doesn't work like you had hoped, and you have to rotate it out of your collection. But for the times where the new bag or case fits that need perfectly, it's all worth it.

The Galen Leather Magnetic Flap Case is a well-crafted addition to any pen storage collection. What caught my eye most is the fact that this case has an individual pen slot for each pen inside the larger case. This means you get a little more protection for each pen since they stay nice and cozy in their little area.

The next thing that caught my attention is the magnetic closure design. I'm a big sucker for magnets, and I'm always interested in something includes magnets as part of the open/closing mechanism. For this case, there's a strong magnet that holds the flap against the front of the case. It's strong enough to keep the flap in place when other objects come in contact or move across the case, but it still only requires a little effort to actually open. Closing is a snap, since the magnets are obliged to follow the laws of physics.

The materials used with this case are the same level of quality you'll find in other Galen Leather products, which is to say the quality is excellent. I'm a big fan of the Crazy Horse Green colorway that they offer, but there are plenty of other great colors to pick from for this case.

This colorway uses a leather with a dark green hue, and then it's also been distressed a bit to look more worn in. Even with this effect, you can expect even more character to develop as you use the case. All of the seams and joints are strong and neat. When you handle this case, it feels like an object that was made by hand (because it was) with a high level of care and attention to detail.

Being a leather product, you can expect a bit of "breaking in" as you start using it. For me, this mostly meant that the individual pen slots were a little tight on some pens at the beginning, but they loosened up a bit with use. The cool thing about magnets is that they won't wear out any time soon, so the closing mechanism on this case should hold up much longer than the case.

For me, this case is for carrying fountain pens. For that purpose, I think it works great. There's enough room for five full-size fountain pens to fit snugly while still being easy to remove them or stow them back in their pockets. I have found that this case works much better if you position the pens so that the clip (if the pen has a clip) isn't attached to the leather sleeve. I just store the pen with the clip facing the open space of the sleeve where it connects to the larger case assembly — the clip is just tucked into the corner.

While you can use any case in the way that makes sense for you, I don't think this case will work well for gel pens, pencils, or other small diameter pens. Wood case pencils won't fit unless they're about a third used, and other small diameter pens won't stay put, diminishing the value of a case that keeps pens separated while stored. Sure, you can use the pen clip to ensure it won't move, but that adds effort to the process of stowing or removing the pen from the case. In my use, this case fits the purpose of carrying several fountain pens in a stylish, protective fashion.

The Galen Leather Magnetic Flap Five Pen Case is a great case for carrying around a few fountain pens, and it will keep them nice and secure in the process. I love the strong magnetic closure mechanism and the distressed look of the leather material. It's something that I'm sure will last longer than me, and I love the warm hand-made feel that elevates it something more than just an inanimate object. For $74, you can pick up your own case in Crazy Horse Green or any of the other excellent colors that Galen Leather offer.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

Rickshaw Fillmore Pen Case Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I’ve been a fan of Rickshaw Bagworks ever since I discovered them back in 2017. It was even more awesome that they are local (San Francisco) and make everything to order in their SF factory. I have been meaning to write an article about the many Rickshaw products that I use (and I still need to do that) but sometimes an opportunity presents itself that can’t wait, so here we are!

Mark Dwight of Rickshaw hosted the SF Pen Posse for a meetup last Saturday and it gave me another chance to look at their Fillmore Pen Case, which they debuted at the SF Pen Show back in August. I haven’t been able to decide between the two configurations of the Fillmore, so I asked Mark if I could borrow them both for a comparison article, which would also help me pick the right one for me!

Unlike their other pen cases which roll up or are top zip, the Fillmore Pen Case opens up like a book, with a left and right side. My favorite part of Rickshaw pen products is their oh-so-soft Royal Plush lining and the Fillmore is no exception!

The Rickshaw Fillmore in the Stationery Icons pattern.

Closed and empty Fillmores, side by side. I asked for both to have the same pattern so it wouldn’t affect my opinion.

Both configurations of the Fillmore open/close via zipper and have 3-pen slots on the left side. Let’s talk about the 3-pen version first. In addition to the pen slots on the left, the 3-pen version also has two pockets on the right side - one which you can store a pocket notebook and two shorter and slimmer slots for storing credit cards, ephemera, etc.

Montblanc 146, Franklin-Christoph Model 50, Pelikan M800 on the left, and a utility knife, Swiss Army Cadet pocket knife, and a pocket notebook. Note that the two shorter pockets do not have the Royal Plush lining, but both sides of the larger pocket as well as the 3-pen slots are plush-lined.

From the Rickshaw website, the Fillmore’s overall dimensions are 7.5” x 4.75” x 1.0” and fits pens up to 6” tall and 19mm diameter. I managed to fit a Franklin-Christoph Model 50, which is a smidge longer than 6.5” and was technically able to zip it up, albeit very carefully, so you don’t run the zipper on the cap.

I’m not much of an “EDC” kinda person, but thought I’d try shoving a couple of knives into the Fillmore to see how they’d fit. I didn’t love my utility knife in the case because I kept worrying that the tilted-up clip would hit my pen, but it pretty much stayed in the seam on the other side. I also flipped the utility knife so the clip would face “outward” (away from center) and it was also fine.

Partially zipped view where you can see the utility knife centered between the right two pens.

Here’s what it looks like once it’s all zipped up. You can kinda see the bump in the top middle where the F-C Model 50 is hitting the top.

I managed to stuff my Traveler’s Company Passport notebook/cover into the right pocket, and still cram the utility and Swiss Army knives into their slots.

It does zip up but it’s a tight fit.

I was able to fit the Passport TN with the train charm on the cover (which added to its thickness). The Fillmore was more than capable of handling all the stuff, but I was more worried about the pressure of all that stuff against my pens.

I wish I had a picture of this but someone at pen posse uses the right pockets in their 3-pen Fillmore to fit their Canon Ivy photo printer and extra Zink packs, making it a photo/journaling kit. I thought this was a great use case (pun intended). I can also imagine using those pockets for cartridges/converters in baggies.

The 3+3 Fillmore case features 3 pen slots on both sides of the case. In addition, it also has a slightly shorter, full-width pocket on the right side. Mark recommends storing a 2-Pen Coozy (sold separately) or pocket notebook so your pens aren’t touching when the case is closed.

Montblanc 146, Franklin-Christoph Model 50, Pelikan M800 on the left side, Pilot Custom 823, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, Nahvalur Voyage on the right side.

You can see that the pens would be touching each other if you didn’t put anything between them.

I added a Visconti Homo Sapiens and a TWSBI Eco in the 2-pen Coozy sleeve.

Yay, no more touching!

You can also use a pocket notebook, which will also prevent the pens from touching.

Here are a few shots of the Fillmore with the Sinclair R so you can see how they compare:

Fillmore and Sinclair R (on the left in the Starry Night pattern) - the Fillmore is ever so slightly larger than the Sinclair R.

*Looking down at the Sinclair R (top) and the Fillmore - both happen to be 3-pen models. *

If you open the top of the Fillmore, it’s almost like a Sinclair R, where you insert/retrieve items from the top. You can get both in a 3-pen or 6-pen configuration. The Fillmore has the added ability of being able to be fully opened and laid down, but of course, it would take up more desk space when doing so. It really comes down to which one works better for you, or in my case, probably both. 🙂

Opened-up Fillmore with the Sinclair R.

I liked the dual zippers of the Sinclair R and thought it would be cool to have that on the Fillmore, until I thought about how I would most likely end up unzipping the wrong end and have pens falling out (even though it isn’t difficult to figure out which side is up). The Sinclair R wouldn’t have that issue because the zipper is always on top.

The Fillmore 3-pen Pen Case is $69, while the 3+3 is $74 (free shipping kicks in at $99). As I mentioned before, they make everything to order in their San Francisco factory, which means that products aren’t made until you order them. Turnaround time to shipping is usually within a few business days.

In the end, I’m not sure why I’ve been agonizing so much. Since I don’t really use pocket notebooks much, and I don’t really carry anything else with my pens, it became a no-brainer that the 6-pen Fillmore would be the better option for me. Since I already put more Coozy sleeves in my Coozy case and Sinclair R, I would do this with the 3+3, even if they didn’t suggest the 2-pen Coozy. Now that I’ve decided on the 3+3, the hard part will be picking what pattern I want!

(Disclaimer: Thank you to Mark Dwight of Rickshaw Bagworks for loaning me the 2 Fillmores and the 2-pen Coozy sleeve for this review. The Sinclair R is my own.)