Galen Leather Magnum Opus 12-Slot Pen Case Review

For all my years in the pen hobby, I’ve never owned one of the larger hard-sided, leather pen cases like the Galen Leather Magnum Opus. I think I’ve been missing out.

Big, bulky pen cases aren’t for everyone, or every situation. I should know, I helped design small, compact nylon cases for years at Nock Co.. I worked on those products for a reason: They were an expression of my style. But storage options such as this serve a purpose as well.

Galen Leather has been making stationery goods since 2012 from their shop in Turkey, and have grown into one of the more prominent makers in our space. I was lucky to converse with founder Zeynep about their products prior to her way-to-soon passing, and am proud of her husband Yunus, and brother Yusuf, for carrying on the family business and creating something I know she is proud of. I’m fortunate to call them friends, so forgive me if I’m a lot biased when discussing their goods. They deserve all the praise in the world.

So, the Magnum Opus. As the name might dictate, this is a beast of a case. It is a 12-slot horizontal layout, with a removable velvet tray for easy access, or sharing, of pens. It is hard-sided, giving it a boxy feel when closed. The closure is magnetic, allowing for a nice snap to know your pens are tucked away safely.

As their brand name indicates, Galen specializes in leather goods. My Magnum Opus is made from a distressed Crazy Horse Brown leather, and comes in several other dyed and undyed leather colors. It also comes in a 6-slot version in many of the same colors.

In use, I keep the Magnum Opus on, or near, my desk. All pens inside are easy to access - even the short ones — due to the ability to slide the pen tray out easily. The case lays flat when not in use, or I’ll stand it vertically if the situation allows.

This case is at its best when used at home, or for dedicated events such as pen shows or meetups. You’ll want to keep it vertical when moving it around, as the pens aren’t held in place other than with dividers between the slots. Placing it vertically in a bag, for example, wouldn’t be a great idea as the pens slide left and right in the case. A bag-in-bag this is not. The 6-slot case is a much better portable option, for obvious reasons.

At $159 for the large model, and $109 for the smaller model, these Galen Leather goods are priced well. Quality leather goods aren’t cheap, and given the handmade nature of these cases, you are investing in pen storage that will be around for years to come.

You can order directly from Galen Leather with fast and fairly-priced shipping options. If you are in the US, both Vanness Pens and Goldspot carry a large amount of Galen’s ever-growing product lineup, so be sure to check out all they have to offer.

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

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Galen Leather Sketchbox 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!)

One of my most prized possessions is an antique writing box from the 1860s. I found it in an antique shop in Pennsylvania when I was there visiting my grandmother. I'd seen many before, and always wanted one, but they're highly prized and often highly priced. This one, however, needed repair, and the shopkeeper sold it to me like he wanted it gone. I've yet to have it repaired. I kind of treasure it in its worn state--this writing box was used well. Now it sits on my dresser and is often admired. Someday I'll collect more antique writing boxes.

In the meantime, there are excellent folks like Galen Leather keeping the portable writing box tradition alive. And while I haven't yet taken the spendy plunge on their official Writing Box (I will, though--maybe for the holidays if I've been very good), this more affordable Wooden Sketchbox caught my eye (and my heart) immediately.

Made from walnut wood, with a solid brass clip and red felt lining, this sketchbox looks fancy, and I feel fancy when I use it. The wood is smoothed to a satiny finish--there is no texture to it at all, so it works well as a surface for writing or drawing. The brass clip is held in place with two adjustable bolts, and the underside of the clip has two padded feet that keep your papers in place. It can hold a decent stack of papers, but not quite the quantity that a clipboard would.

On the left side of the box is a hole where you can insert your finger to push the drawer out on the right side. The drawer is held shut by a small swiveling metal leaf. The swivel does tend to move on its own a bit, and I wouldn't rely on it to hold the drawer shut under any kind of agitation, but it does well enough to hold it during regular writing or carrying.

The drawer itself is large enough to hold unbound A4 papers or A5 notebooks, though it is fairly shallow. My Seven Seas Writer notebook comes to the top edge. The downside to this is that not many pen or pencil cases will fit inside, so writing instruments almost have to go in loose, which isn't going to work well for something that you carry around. The drawer does have a small wooden board that can be inserted to divide the drawer space, if you desire. However, it doesn't have a very tight fit, so mine just ends up rattling around once the box is lifted. Honestly, I've found that piece more useful as a straight-edge for drawing charts in my planner.

Despite the shallow drawer, I find myself using this sketch box a lot. It makes a great lap desk for reading or writing. If I want to sit in my comfy chair while I type, I use this as a surface under my laptop so it doesn't overheat. I do carry some note paper, gel pens, and pencils in the drawer--just not delicate fountain pens. Overall, I really enjoy this sketchbox. Who knows, someday maybe it will be sitting, in disrepair from good use, in an antique shop where it will make someone's day.

(This item was purchased at retail directly from Galen Leather.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

A Stationary 2020 of Stationery

(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!)

Here we are at the end of 2020, with 2021 looming. Perhaps rather than a sparkling ball, we'll be dropping the other shoe. But, as Galadriel says, "Hope remains while the company is true" and there's no better company than the stationery community. A lot of us have sought solace and sanity in our hobby and in each other this year, and despite my analog disposition, I'm so grateful for the tech that has kept us in touch.

Whether it was Twitter, Instagram, or Brad's Twitch streams, reaching out to my pen fam helped dull the sting of lost pen shows and clubs. And thank goodness for online pen stores and the mail carriers who make them possible. I didn't save any money by not going to a pen show, that's for sure. Instead of the Chicago Pen Show, it was the Sarah's Mailbox Pen Show. I regret nothing.

A number of my 2020 acquisitions deserve a special shout-out. And my first accolade goes to the noble highlighter. I started grad school this fall, studying Library and Information Science. As you can imagine, there's a bit of reading in that field. I burned through 2-3 highlighters a week for my 14-week semester. Some were too dry, or too wet, or too awkward to hold, or ran out too quickly--but they all were necessary and I never went anywhere without a few of them. I could not have functioned without them and they were absolutely necessary to a successful semester. I raise my glass to you, highlighters.

My highlighters' constant companion was the King Jim Magflap Clipboard. A lot of my reading was scholarly articles that I'd printed out, and this clipboard made reading them a lot easier and more comfortable. I could curl up in a cozy chair and still have a reading and writing surface, and it fit perfectly in my bag when I needed to take my work on the go.

My third accolade, also used for school, was the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter. It held the notebooks I used for lecture notes. The clip system, which I expected to be obtrusive and possibly even annoying, is actually fabulous. It's much more secure than an elastic band notebook system, and the clips never got in the way at all. I've already got it refilled for next semester.

Clearly the majority of my praise is going to practical things--in the year 2020, I most appreciate the things that made my life easier. But don't worry, it's not all school supplies. My absolute favorite stationery item I got this year was my birthday/mother's day present from my husband, a long-coveted Galen Leather Writer's Medic Bag in crazy horse green. In the stationary year of stationery it mostly sits on my desk, holding pens and looking pretty. But it is SO pretty, and sometimes I carry it around the house with me. You know, in case I want to write upstairs, or in the kitchen while I make more tea. I can't wait to take it to a pen show, though I know that may not be till 2022.

My favorite pen of the year was the Spoke Roady, and I'm not just saying that because Brad is my friend. It's a phenomenal pen and I've used it every day since it arrived. If there's one thing to look forward to in 2021, it's more Spoke pens.

I think there's a lot to look forward to in 2021, though. Maybe not all the things we normally look forward to, but I know I'm looking forward to chatting with you all about pens and paper and ink for the coming year. Take care and Happy New Year!