Ink Links

Site Update: Before diving into the links below, I wanted to take a quick second to let you know about two new items I have added to The Pen Addict arsenal this week. First and foremost, I have created a Facebook page for The Pen Addict. I had been holding off for a while not knowing exactly what I would use it for, but I think it is going to be a good resource for "live" types of posts and questions that don't yet have a full-fledged blog post in them. If you are a Facebook user, be sure to drop by and say hi!

The second item is the IRC channel that I have created. You can find it at #penaddict on irc.freenode.net, and can be accessed via web browser as well as traditional IRC client.

That's all of the news, now dig in to the links!

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-- Big And Bold Namiki Falcon (Inkophile)

-- Squeteague and Other Blue-Green Inks (Pocket Blonde)

-- Review (and Giveaway!): Large Quo Vadis Habana Lined Notebook (Note Booker, Esq.)

-- Lamy Safari Pink & Iroshizuku Tsutsuji (Drawing with a Squirrel)

-- Faber-Castell 1117 (Bleistift)

-- The all important urban sketchers bag (Urban Sketchers)

-- Interview with Pentel Rus (Penfan.ru)

-- Ink Bottles (Palimpsest)

-- How to Use a Fountain Pen Converter (JetPens Blog)

-- Lamy Pickup (Multi Pen Dimensions)

-- Muji's little sketchbook that could (Leigh Reyes)

-- The Ohto Promecha 500P by Guest Blogger Jimmy Simpson (Rhonda Eudaly)

-- hi-tec test pilot (Pete Scully)

-- A Problematic Pen: Stabilo Colorgel 0.4mm (A Penchant for Paper)

-- Diamine Syrah (The Dizzy Pen)

-- Pelikan Edelstein Fountain Pen Ink Collection Test and Review (JetPens Blog)

-- Spirit of Wonder Wednesday – PEN-fessional Blog on Journaling (Pentel Blog)

-- Rad and Hungry: Latvia Kit (Notebook Loves Pen)

-- Pelikano Jr. (Life's Unexpected)

-- Five pencil accessories (Pencil Talk)

-- Noodler's Polar Blue ink review (Peninkcillin)

-- Gfeller Casemakers - Pen Case (The Leaky Pen)

-- Lamy 2000 First Impression (Ink Nouveau)

-- Handwritten typefaces (Strikethru)

-- Staedtler Wopex 2B (Stationery Traffic)

-- Twsbi Diamond 530 Piston Filling Extra Fine Point Fountain Pen (No Pen Intended)

Sun-Star W Knock Mechanical Pencil Review

The Sun-Star W Knock mechanical pencil caught my eye at first with its nice barrel design and cool barrel colors. It was only after I decided that I liked how the pencil looked that I saw the price:  $1.80. Really? Is that a typo? It doesn't appear so, but but never having heard of or used the Sun-Star line, I figured this was a $3-4 pencil on looks alone. Maybe that is just what I am used to these days. :)

So, now that the price is clear, the immediate question that comes to mind next is "Is this a cheap pencil?" I can safely say it is not. It isn't perfect by any stretch, but it is a good value. The key design feature of this pencil is that the tip fully retracts back into the barrel. This protects the lead sleeve from damage, and also protects you from poking yourself in the chest or leg when you put the pencil in your pocket.

When fully extended for writing, the pencil tip does not quite flush up against the barrel opening. This causes a little wiggle to happen when writing, but I didn't even notice it at first, so it isn't too extreme. What is extreme is the eraser wiggle. It is all over the place when I try to erase, so I would definitely recommend a stand alone eraser when using this pencil. Then again, I recommend a stand alone eraser for all mechanical pencils.

So, despite some minor issues, this is a nice overall package for the price. At just $1.80 each, you could buy different barrel colors and match them up with colored leads pretty easily. They certainly make for a nice student pencil or back to school pencil.

The Pen Addict - Now on Facebook

I finally got around to creating an official page for The Pen Addict on Facebook. I would greatly appreciate all of your "Likes"!

http://www.facebook.com/thepenaddict

I will have a fresh review posted later this morning. Thanks for all of your support!