Kokuyo Hakoake 2Way Scissors Giveaway

I know y’all already think I’m crazy when it comes to Japanese stationery, so let’s seal the deal even further! I’m giving away a pair of scissors, but not just any pair of scissors. These are the Kokuyo Hakoake 2Way Scissors, featuring high-quality cutting blades and a backside of the blade box cutter component. You know that’s what you use scissors the most for these days anyway, so why not own a pair that does that the best? I have one pair to give away, so read the rules below and get entered!

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Kokuyo, Scissors, Giveaways.

Krishna Ink Anokhi: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I reviewed Krishna Ink’s Jungle Volcano a few weeks ago (link here), and I gave a little background on the ink and its maker in that review. So, if you’ve not heard of Krishna Ink before, go to that review first to read about the ink in general.

This week, I’m reviewing Krishna Anokhi. If my Google searches are correct, the word “anokhi” means “unique.” It is also the name of an Indian clothing company that produces beautiful textiles in a variety of colors and patterns.

Krishna’s Anokhi ink is a purple ink with lime green sheen. I tested it using a Pilot Vanishing Point with a medium stub nib on Maruman Septcouleur white paper. The ink did not exhibit any sheen or shading in my tests on this paper. Rather, the ink presented as a pleasant medium purple ink with good saturation. It is not waterproof and is fairly wet.

The chromatography test revealed only magenta and purple colors in the ink, so I’m not sure where the green sheen comes from.

This ink is best appreciated on paper that reflects sheen (like Col-o-dex Rotary Cards [reviewed here]) or in wide nibs. You can see the vivid green in the following photos.

Anokhi is another wonderful color from Krishna Ink. I love the purple and green together because it’s such a unique combination—and that makes the name “Anokhi” a perfect name for this ink.

You can purchase a 20ml bottle of Krishna Anokhi from Vanness Pens for $8.00. The bottles are very small, so if you want to use the ink with over-sized nibs, you’ll need to use a syringe or some other method to fill your pen.

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

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Posted on July 6, 2018 by Susan Pigott and filed under Krishna, Ink Reviews.

Field Notes Pitch Black Note Books 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 Twitter.)

The Field Notes Pitch Black Note Books are so simple and so plain. There is absolutely no logical reason for why these delight me as much as they do, but I love these notebooks. They are one of my staples--I used one for my first ever writer's conference notes, and now they're a conference tradition. I have to have one with me for my notes and diary for such events. I associate them with adventure, enrichment, and bonding with distant friends. And now--I can have them in the larger 7.5" x 4.75" size, which I adore and my life feels so complete now.

The notebooks sport a soft cover of duplexed black and kraft cardstock, so they're flexible but sturdy. They have the dusty charcoal outer cover with the Field Notes logo in matte silver, and the inside covers have all the delightful cheekiness that Field Notes specializes in. Reading through them is one of the highlights of cracking a new notebook. I mean, there are gender neutral labels and Ray Bradbury references. There are tips for getting better sleep...or staying up all night. I open this book and know that the people who made it are my people, and I feel their influence on the work--they're bridging a connection between the designer and the user that feels like friendship.

I think that's one of the things that sets Field Notes apart--I don't feel like I've received a product, I feel like I've been passed a lovely note.

But I digress, because notebooks have to be useful, too. And huzzah, it is.

Between those fabulous covers are 32 sheets of 60 lb acid-free paper. They're printed with unobtrusive 6.5 mm lines in light grey. It is all held together with staple binding--the staples are a lovely shiny black.

As with many Field Notes, the paper isn't the best for fountain pens, but it really didn't do too badly. Broader pens and darker inks showed through, and one particularly wet ink bled a slight bit. There is some faint feathering. But overall, it performed well enough that I'll have no qualms using fountain pens in it. I don't mind show-through, or even slight bleeding, so long as I can still read the text. And of course it works wonderfully for pencils, ballpoints, rollerballs, fineliners, and gel pens.

So, while it isn't flawless, it's still perfect. And I'm so glad this is a part of the signature line--that way I can stock up over time instead of ordering an unseemly amount immediately. Which I am tempted to do anyway, frankly.

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

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