Ink Links

Note: I broke the original link to the Doane Paper Giveaway yesterday, so be sure to enter here if you haven't already.

-- Review: Noodler's Black Ink (Comfortable Shoes Studio)

-- 1st Goulet Pens haul (Peninkcillin)

-- Zebra Techno Line 0.4mm Ballpoint Pen (Pocket Blonde)

-- Review: Levenger Initialize Letterpress 3 x 5 Cards & Envelopes (Note Booker, Esq.)

-- Bic Cristal Gel and Cristal Clic Gel Review (Derek's Pens & Pencils)

-- Pentel GraphGear 1000 Mechanical Pencil is Excellent for Shop Use (Tool Guyd)

-- Uni-Ball Signo Gelstick 0.7mm – Black (PencilWrap)

-- Zebra V-301 Stainless Steel Fountain Pen (Pens'n'Paper)

-- Eva Enveloop Pencil Case Review (The Leaky Pen)

-- Diamine Twilight (Writing and Scribbling)

-- The Majesty of the Italic Nib (Penned House)

-- Sakura Pigma Micron .25 Black (Economy Pens)

-- Uniball Kuru Toga Roulette All Black Mechanical Pencil (Office Supply Geek)

-- Trying out the Mobius & Ruppert pencil sharpener (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Zebra Sharbo X Stylus Mod (Everyday-Carry)

Doane Paper / Jon Contino Utility Notebook Now Available + Giveaway

The new Doane Paper collaboration with Brooklyn artist Jon Contino has hit the streets. The full details:

We've teamed up with the famed Brooklyn based Alphastructaesthetitologist; Jon Contino to create a limited run of Utility Notebooks that incorporate his unmistakable hand-lettering artistry. Mr. Contino's heritage based illustration approach can best be viewed throughout his quality menswear collection; CXXVI Clothing Co.

These well-crafted pocket notebooks were constructed by the fine individuals at Portland’s Pinball Publishing and utilize French Paper Co. Speckletone wine colored cover stock.

A high res 10 picture photo set of the Jon Contino Utility Notebook can be viewed here.

Notebook Size – 3.5” x 5.5”
Grid Size - .125” (.3175 cm) x .125” (.3175 cm)
Wide (Legal) Ruled Line Spacing
48 Pages per notebook
100 LB French Paper Co. Speckletone Cover Stock covers (100% recycled)
60 LB Text Stock content pages (100% recycled)
Printed using soy-based inks
Rugged 3 staple saddle-stitch binding
Made in the U.S.A.
Sold in packs of 3

Be sure to head over to the Doane Paper Store to pick yours up!

Update: Chad Doane has graciously offered up a three pack of these notebooks for giveaway. Just leave a comment on this post by Monday night (2/21) and I'll pick a winner at random. Thanks Chad!

Pilot RexGrip 0.7mm Purple Ballpoint Review

I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to review a basic ballpoint like the Pilot Rexgrip 0.7mm, even more so after my bad experience with the 1.0mm model. But I said in that review - over two years ago - that I would get one of the 0.7mm models, and I'm glad I did. Sometimes low expectations lead to the best discoveries. 

So my first question is: Where have you gone Der Bingle? The once prolific commenter mentioned in my original review that while I disliked the 1.0mm model, I needed to give the purple 0.7mm a shot. I finally took him up on that advice, and was happy to find a pen that was completely different than the original one I reviewed. I was very pleased at how clean the lines were, especially with my small, fast paced handwriting. I actually tried hard to find something I disliked about this pen, and I couldn't. Where the original was streaky and light colored. this one is solid and vibrant. A totally different experience.

The barrel is pretty basic, but what do you expect from a pen that only costs $1.50? It is very similar to the Pilot G-Knock - a barrel I like very much and is very comfortable. There aren't a lot of options out there for purple ballpoint pens, so this one is definitely worth a look.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Pilot Rexgrip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Purple Body - Purple Ink from JetPens.

Writing Pad from Doane Paper.