Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Multi Box Pencil Case Review

Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Multi Box Pencil Case 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. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

If you need to upgrade your pen case to a pen suitcase, you might want to take a look at this Dr. Ion Multi Box from Kutsuwa. There are so many features that I haven't even figured them all out yet. There are pockets and loops and straps and compartments and room for a little of everything.

Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Multi Box Pencil Case
Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Pencil Case
Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Case

The case is made from sturdy nylon canvas and is split into two double-zippered sections. Between the sections is the PVC handle that is on metal loop hinges for comfortable carrying. You could even handcuff it to your wrist, if you've got it loaded with your most precious pens.

Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Pencil Case Review

The sections open lengthwise, and the double zipper allows you to open and close from either end. One side of the case has a zippered mesh pouch on one side. A center flap divides the space. That flap has an elastic band with a bottom pocket on it that can hold multiple pens. The flip side of the flap acts as padding for the other side of the compartment where there are other elastic pen loops. This is the largest space in the case, and could be filled with tons of pens.

Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Pen Case

The other side of the case zips open to show four deep pen pockets on one side, and a few smaller elastic-bound pockets on the other side. These work great for sticky notes, erasers, or other small accessories.

This is the most high-capacity pen case I've ever used. I packed it with everything I thought I'd need on my recent writer's retreat, and I could have easily added a ton more. It worked great and I really liked the organization of it all. I think this case is the perfect thing for students who have to carry a variety of stationery, where they can organize their pens, pencils, markers, colored pencils, erasers, glue sticks, sticky notes, etc. My middle schooler had to upgrade to two pencil cases last year to carry all the stuff on his school list--but this case would hold it all. So he's probably going to get this case, come Fall. And then I'll need another one for myself.

Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Pen Case Review

The kicker here is that this is the MEDIUM size of this case. There is a large! The medium is a very reasonable $24.50, and the large, which has considerably more capacity, is $36.50 and is more purse-sized. You can even get a shoulder strap for it. Part of me thinks this might be too much stationery capacity ... and part of me really wants to put it to the test.

Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Pen Case Zippers

These cases aren't really designed for the transport of truly delicate pens. I wouldn't put my handmade acrylic fountain pens in it--there's not a lot of padding to speak of, and the compartments knock into each other a bit. But for school or art supplies, this is a really nice way to organize and carry your supplies.

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


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Kutsuwa Dr. Ion Pen Case Tag
Posted on June 10, 2021 and filed under Kutsuwa, Pen Case.

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 465 - Skittles Skulls

Gravitas Skulls

Myke was off this week, but I stayed regional, hopping over to Ireland to chat with pen maker Ben Walsh of Gravitas Pens. I have fun chatting with Ben, and I hope you enjoy it as well!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Kenro Industries: Esterbrook introduces the Estie Gold Rush Series. Click to buy now.

Harry's: Quality shaving and grooming products, at a fair price.

Posted on June 9, 2021 and filed under Podcast.

Maruman Glyphy B6 Notebook Review

Maruman Glyphy B6 Notebook Review

The Maruman Glyphy notebook line is a new offering that hasn't quite hit US shelves yet, but you should see it arriving soon. Like all new notebook options, everyone's first question is usually something along the lines of "what kind of paper does it have, and does it work well with all types of pens and pencils?" Maruman might be most known in the US for producing the luxurious Mnemosyne notebooks — which are incredibly well-made and perform quite admirably. Does the new Glyphy match up to the high bar that Maruman have set?

Maruman Glyphy B6 Notebook

The Glyphy comes in two sizes, but I have the B6 size (175x144mm) with 60 gsm art (blank) paper (the other size options is A6). There are 88 pages in the glue-bound, hard-cover notebook, and they are fairly thin. There's a prominent texture on the page that reminds me how fancy cotton resume paper looks, except this paper is incredibly thin and doesn't behave like thick absorbent paper. Unfortunately, this paper suffers from a pretty significant amount of feathering and show-through. It's certainly not unusable due to this, but you do have to be careful about which pens/inks you use with the notebook. As you can see in the writing samples, similar pen/ink combos work better than others. I attribute this to the ink characteristics more than anything, but I'd certainly test a pen with this notebook before writing for any significant amount of time. With many pen/ink combos, the back of the page is unusable (for me, anyway).

Maruman Glyphy Writing
Maruman Glyphy Fountain Pen
Maruman Glyphy Back Page

Does that mean you should avoid this notebook? I don't think so. It works great for gel and ballpoint pens, and I've really enjoyed using it with pencils. The paper texture reminds me of sketchbooks, and I think that's really how it's going to be marketed when it hits the shelves in the North American region. It takes graphite marks really well and provides a satisfying amount of feedback due to the paper texture. This is mostly due to the paper being uncoated (and also why it suffers from feathering).

The cover of the notebook is nicely done. It's a fabric cover that has a nice tactile feel, a solid binding, and opens and closes easily. The only branding is on the top right corner of the notebook — a bold white "Glyphy" to announce the name, but it's also quite helpful in determining which way is right-side up before opening it. I love it when manufacturers decide to take a minimal route when it comes to branding their products. They Maruman Glyphy does an excellent job at producing a strong aesthetic appeal without needless and excessive graphic art additions.

Maruman Glyphy Size

The B6 size isn't one that I use very often. Every time I do, I feel foolish for not using it more often. It really is a perfect size for a lot of what I do. It fits into places easier than an A5, but you really aren't sacrificing much in the way of paper real estate. If it were just 30mm shorter, it would be square. It's a fantastic size, and the hard cover will protect the pages from a lot of abuse.

Once the Maruman Glyphy notebooks are widely available, I encourage you to try them out. I'm really interested to try out the other paper type options to see if they handle fountain pens inks differently than this particular variant. According to the Maruman product catalog, the other versions have either 90 gsm or 126 gsm paper, with blank or grid formatting, so it should be interesting to compare all of the options.

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


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Maruman Glyphy Back Page
Posted on June 9, 2021 and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.