The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 340 - It Seems Official

*Are you compelled? (Image vis* *Pilot Japan*)

We are officially back for 2019! Not that we were going anywhere, but it is always fun to get the first episode of the year in the books. Myke and I talk about our stationery plans for the upcoming year, and dig into the interesting new colors planned for Pilot and Lamy fountain pens.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy.

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

eero: Never think about WiFi again. Get $100 off the ‘Eero base unit and 2 beacons package’, and a year of eero Plus.

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

Midori MD Notebook Light A5 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 Midori MD notebooks easily make it into my top three at every incarnation, and these Light versions are no different. I mean, as far as awesomeness. They're different from the other MD notebooks in that they are lighter, as you might have guessed. These books come in a 3-pack of 48-page, staple-bound goodness. They're great if you need something light to carry, but with more work space than a pocket notebook. They make great planning books, or overflow books for when you run out of pages in your main notebook but still need a bit of space to finish a project.

The construction is simple, but good. Plain cream cardstock with an embossed logo, triple-staple-bound with gorgeous ivory Midori paper. The staples appear to be brass, though I haven't found confirmation of this. The cardstock cover is meant to be covered in some way (though mine hasn't been--the pale cardstock does show dirt and wear quickly) and you can fit two of these slim books into a Midori cover (or probably any A5 cover). They'd make amazing inserts for a traveler's notebook.

The light versions come in all the Midori sizes: A6, B6 slim, A5, and A4 variant; they all come in blank, 5 mm grid, and lined. The grid is a bit small for handwriting, unless you have wee letters and a very fine pen. The print is very fair, though, so when you need space, it fades into the background. They all come with a sheet of labeling and indexing stickers.

The paper, like all Midori paper I've used, is phenomenal. It's thick, crisp, has just the right amount of tooth, and hosts liquid inks like a boss. It doesn't feather, it shows off beautiful sheening and shading, and doesn't allow bleed-through. There is a faint ghosty show-through, but I actually love that (and it's not prominent). The only thing it couldn't handle was Sharpie, the lightsaber of inks. With all this ink imperviousness, though, comes a long dry time. About 30 seconds for a wet line of fountain pen ink. But that's what blotting paper is for.

Like their heftier cousins, these are notebooks I want to stockpile. Stacked like firewood for rainy days, when the ink is flowing and the nibs are rolling. This three-pack is only $13 at JetPens, or just under $4.50 a book. That is crazy good value. Let the stockpiling commence.

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

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Posted on January 3, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Midori, Notebook Reviews.

Sun-Star Delde Slide Pen Pouch Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Sun-Star Delde is a stylish pen case that also serves as a pen cup on your desk or table. It's not the first time we've seen this design, but the Delde does have a unique aesthetic with plenty of color options that make it a fantastic contender for carrying your writing instruments and stationery supplies.

The Delde Slide Pen pouch is really a sturdy pen cup with a sleeve that can slide up and zip off to form a nice pouch. The lower half of the case is a dense foam covered in nylon material, which makes it sturdy and protective. When sitting on a flat surface, the cup is capable of holding a dozen or so pens and pencils with no issue. When on the move, the thick foam material acts as a premium protector.

When it's time to go, the thinner nylon and corduroy material slides up and zips closed to secure all your stationery belongings. This part is much thinner and not as protective as the base, but it still does a great job. Whatever you lose in terms of protection is more than made up by the convenience of the case turning into a pen cup when you unzip it. The zipper on top of the case is a light weight zipper, but it has a smooth action and never hangs. Depending on the color you pick, there may be a fake leather pull, some matching ribbon, or some other pull mechanism that matches the overall aesthetic of the pouch.

Speaking of colors and aesthetics, there are so many options with this case. According to JetPens, there are 26 to choose from. Even though the colors vary, they all function the same. The colorway featured in this review is the Camel and Khaki with a dark green interior fabric. It's a great color, but there are so many other tempting color combos available.

Aside from the main feature of this pouch (the ability to slide down the top half and use the pouch as a standing pen cup), there are a couple more notable perks. The sleeve portion of the case (the top half) has a pair of pull tabs on both sides of the case to make it easier to pull the top half down to transform the case into a cup. Surprisingly, the bottom half is sturdy enough that pulling down on these tabs is all the effort required to convert the case. I thought for sure it would crumple and require some reshaping, but it works beautifully.

The inside of the case also has a couple of pockets sewn in to the lining. There are two pen/pencil size pockets and one larger pocket which would hold a small sharpener, a lead case, cartridges, erasers, etc. quite easily, albeit just one of these items would fit at a time.

After using the Delde Slide Pen Pouch for a while, I'm really impressed by how effortlessly it functions. I thought for sure that it would be somewhat fussy in practice, but I'm happy to be proven wrong. It holds a good amount of stuff, makes it easy to grab things while you're at the desk, and it's easy to zip up for transport in two quick motions. Depending on what color you go with, you'll spend between $15 and $18 for this case, which is a great value. Chances are, you know immediately if this is something that you could use. Lucky for you, this case fits those use cases perfectly. The only difficult choice is deciding on what color you want.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!