The Pen Rest - A Uniquely Stackable Pen Display (Sponsor)

The Pen Rest is a beautifully designed pen holder, made to show off your favorite writing instruments at home, office, or anywhere you are inspired to write.

This newly launched Kickstarter project is made from anodized aluminum, with a built in tray made to hold your most used or most stunning pen. In addition, The Pen Rest is designed to be stackable due to the integrated tounge and groove system. Stack The Pen Rest high and top it off with your favorite bottle of ink for a beautiful display of your collection.

Give your pens the home they deserve with The Pen Rest. Reward levels start at just £24 for a single Pen Rest, with discounts for multiple, stackable units. There is nothing else like this on the market so head over to Kickstarter to see the specs, watch the video, and see what stretch goals are in store.

My thanks to The Pen Rest for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Zebra DelGuard 0.5 mm Mehanical Pencil Review

The Zebra DelGuard introduces a new lead breakage prevention mechanism to the market by absorbing some of the writing pressure within the internals of the pencil. As with all new products on the market that introduce new features, it boils down to does it work as intended. In the case of the DelGuard, it does.

When I first saw the DelGuard I assumed by the similar looks that Zebra was going for a Kuru Toga type mechanism, but that is not the case. Instead, they built in cushioning inside barrel in the form of a spring and lead pipe that adjusts as you write.

My concern with the DelGuard is that I would feel the mechanism working as I was writing, but that wasn't the case at all. I prefer firm mechanical pencils and it felt as if I was writing with any standard pencil. That's good design. Do your job while not interfering with the expected experience.

I'm a medium to heavy pressure writer and never once broke the lead writing normally. When I increased my writing pressure gradually the lead stayed intact as well. Of course you could push it to the breaking point with extreme pressure or extending the lead too far, but the DelGuard handles everything else admirably.

If you enjoy mechanical pencils and lead breakage is holding you back, then give the Zebra DelGuard a try. At $7.50 it's not exactly cheap but if it can eliminate frustration it may be worth it.

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

Three Questions With Patrick Rhone

To know Patrick Rhone is to love him. I'm a big fan of all of his work, from Minimal Mac, to The Cramped, to his many books. Did you know Patrick is one of the reasons the Pen Addict Podcast exists? Yep, that too. My thanks to Patrick for taking the time to answer Three Questions.

1. What role do analog tools such as pens, pencils, and paper play in your day to day life?

That's like asking me what role does walking play in my day to day life. I mean, I find that rarely a few minutes go by when I'm not interacting with some analog tool or resource. Be it writing notes, changing the status of items on a task list, reading a book (yes, the dead tree kind), or logging something in my daily log. I just simply love paper and use paper and pen constantly. I always have it within reach. Even when I'm sleeping because I have had whole books reveal themselves in dreams and I need to make sure I can capture those when I'm startled awake by them.

2. What are your favorite products you are currently using?

Gosh, not sure where to start. Here are a few:

I'm really loving the Pilot Metropolitan right now. I have a ton of fountain pens at all price and quality levels but find I use this one mainly these days. It's not only a great "starter" fountain pen it is a reliable and steadfast "every day" pen.

I also have pretty much abandoned all other pocket notebooks in favor of the Muji A6 Craft Cover notebooks. They actually take fountain pen ink very well despite the fact the paper is recycled. I use fine nibs as my handwriting is pretty small so your millage here may vary. But, I have also fallen in love with the A6 as a size. I have found that it is the perfect size of notebook for me — a bit more wide than the US standard. This is likely due to my love of...

The Hobonichi Techo that I use as a Journal and Daily Log. This has become my most prized possession. Like, if the house caught fire I'd grab my wife, my kid, my pets, and this thing and go running out the door still in my underwear and watch the rest of it burn to the ground (the fire would keep me warm so who needs clothes, right?). It is the only journal or log that I have continuously maintained for more than a few months. And, thats because it is a joy and pleasure to use. Especially the Tomoe River paper that it is filled with.

Speaking of Tomoe River paper, I'm currently researching and writing my next book in a Seven Seas "WRITER" A5 Journal from Nanami Paper and Supply. I also got the faux leather cover for mine at the same time. It, also, is a pleasure to write in with a fine pen and gives the work a greater elegance and gravity. Makes my writing feel important even if it is not.

3. What post are you the most proud of on your blog?

Actually, on The Cramped it is a post that I felt was more of a manifesto so I made it a page, Why Analog?

It states, definitively, why I use analog tools, why they still matter, and why they remain better than digital for so many reasons.