Ink Links

-- Top Five Pens  (A Penchant for Paper)

-- MUCU Notebooks  (Uncrate)

-- Diamond… Mine!  (What's Up At Ravens March)

-- SKB Pens  (Cool Tools)

-- Uni-Ball Fanthom: Purple  (The Pen-Guin)

-- Moleskine Index Cards: Professional Memo Cards  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: Iroshizuku, Nakaya, Noodler's V-Mail, & More  (Amateur Economist)

-- Franklin-Christoph M-14 Fountain Pen  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Four Things I’m Digging  (The Orchard)

-- The Hair vs. the Felt Tip  (Dog eat Doug)

-- The Return Of Paper Notes!  (Paper Notes In A Digital World)

-- Bic Triumph 537RT 0.7mm Retractable Gel Pen – Black, Blue, and Red  (Pens'n'Paper)

-- Moleskine Volant Daily Planner Hack  (Journaling Arts)

-- Field Notebooks from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology  (Notebook Stories)

-- Which Pen is Better the Uni-Ball Fanthom or the Pilot Frixion?  (Tiger Pens Blog)

-- Medieval Writing  (Palimpsest)

-- 1984 Pentel Olympic Pens and Pencils  (My Supply Room)

-- PaperMate Biodegradable Mechanical Pencil Review  (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- Quo Vadis Habana Blank Notebook initial review sketching tests  (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Ohto 9000 pencil  (Pencil Talk)

Review: Zebra Penpod Mini Keychain Pen

As I delve further and further into all things EDC (Every Day Carry for the uninitiated), I am always on the lookout for cool additions to my arsenal, and the Zebra Penpod Mini Keychain Pen looks right up my alley.  Not only is it compact, functional, and sharp looking, it has a nice little secret upgrade that makes it all the better.

I try to keep my keychain as minimal as possible, so I was hesitant at first to add this to the ring (why I didn't take a photo of it for this post I have no idea - I'll get that done soon).  Luckily, the Penpod is light enough and compact enough that I didn't really notice the extra bulk in my pocket.  To access the pen, all it takes is a quick press and twist from the base, and out pops the pen, while the cap of course remains attached to the keychain.

The standard black ballpoint ink cartridge is really really nice - better than many traditional ballpoint pens I have used.  The line is solid and the pen stays mess free.  The real key to this pen - for me at least - is the off the label refill cartridge that works for the Penpod.  I didn't realize this until reading some of the comments on the JetPens product page, but the Zebra Sharbo X refills fit this pen perfectly.  I have a few extra sitting around, so in went the Emerald Green, and it couldn't have worked any better.

With the five different barrel colors of the Penpod, plus the dozens of Sharbo X refills available, you can customize this keychain pen to your hearts content.  Have fun with it!

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Staples 4x6 Grid Index Card

Any index card junkies out there?  I love using them for notes, but I don't really have an organizational system or a Hipster PDA going.  I always keep a stack handy at my desk - preferably gridded - which I use for to-do lists, reminders, etc.  They are essentially my Post-It replacement since I am not real fond of the paper used for Post-Its.

These particular Staples brand index cards hold gel ink well, but the card stock is a little thin and flimsy, and the grid lines are too bold.  They are workable, but I have yet to find the perfect index card.  I have some Levenger index cards I just ordered that look like a winner, so I will try to review those soon.

Click here for the XL review.