(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
I first saw the leather Pencil Stand by Lo Esencial at the Chicago Pen Show earlier this year. Erick Gama of Amarillo Stationery had this at his table and I thought it was the neatest thing.
Erick, former co-host of the Tinterias Podcast, opened up his webshop which focuses on Latin American stationery and analog tools. One of the brands he carries is Lo Esencial, which is a line of leather products designed and handmade by Mexican artisans.
The Lo Esencial Pencil Stand comes in a simple but sturdy cardboard mailer, with the logo, brand and tagline debossed in copper. The Pencil Stand is made from a single piece of full grain leather and two brass rivets. The reddish-brown leather is smooth and pliable and has that nice leather smell which is not overpowering unless you don’t like the smell of leather. There is subtle branding debossed on both sides of the stand. The Pencil Stand is 4-½” x 4-¾” x ⅜” when folded and 4-⅜” x 4-¾” x 2-⅜” when used as a stand.
I was a little nervous about damaging the inside of the stand when I first stuck pencils inside it. The pencils weren’t even sharpened so I could feel them “scraping” the sides of the interior - that sounds much harsher than it really is. Over time, the leather will soften and wear a bit so you won’t feel that as much. You can see in the pictures below that if there is something thicker than the others, the thinner ones might not stand up straight but they won’t fall out. I swear I didn’t set the pens up to “fan out” like that! While it is a “pencil” stand, I was also able to put 3 decently sized fountain pens in it without any difficulty.
Visconti Homo Sapiens, Conid Minimalistica, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande.
Look, Ma! 4 Kawecos!
In addition to pens and pencils, you can also use the Pencil Stand to carry other tools, washi, glasses, etc.
About the only downsides to the pencil stand are (1) if you need to have more than a few pen/pencils standing up, (2) you don’t like leather, or (3) you have top heavy items you want to store.
I initially passed on this at the show because I have a very messy desk and didn’t have room for it. But now that I’ve been trying this out for a while, I find myself using it not at my desk, but when I’m away from my desk. I’ve really grown to like its portability; it’s so easy to pick up, slip into a bag or pouch and set up anywhere you want a few pens handy.
Enjoying the backyard while the weather’s still nice.
You can find the Lo Esencial Pencil Stand at Amarillo Stationery for $15. It appears to be sold out right now but you can sign up to get notified when it is restocked!.
(Amarillo Stationery provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
