(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
We have a new, robust member of the "stationery cases that turn into phone stands" family, and that is this Kokuyo ME Stand Tool Pouch, which is not nearly as fun to say as SMAND, but is infinitely more useful (fight me).
This case is made from padded soft nylon fabric that is reinforced to help it keep its shape. It has a quilted surface, which I understand is in style these days. The case zips open like a clamshell, though the zip goes diagonally across the side edges and the front folds back on itself, creating a shelf upon which to lean your phone or notes. There is a wee snap tab that secures the front piece to the spine-base to keep it folded down.
Inside, the case is lined with grey nylon fabric. The main compartment is spacious and would fit bulkier tools, or even an e-reader or notebook. Along the back wall of the case, there is a strap you can clip pens to or slide tall tools behind, and a shallow mesh pocket that's perfect for small things like flash drives, dongles, or washi tape. On the front, there is a mesh pocket that goes the whole length of the case, and on the folded-down lip there is a velcro strap for securing cords. There is another slip pocket on the back exterior of the case that can fit a slim notebook or papers.
The storage layout is thoughtful and functional. It's a good balance of organization and flexibility, so it can serve a lot of purposes. It would make a great writing kit, a great art-on-the-go kit (with built-in easel!), a great tech pouch--or you could just fill it with pens. It would hold a lot of pens! At $33 on JetPens, it's reasonably priced for a case this size, and less expensive than a lot of pen cases that have fewer features. It's the best stand-case I've used so far, which means my children will probably steal it. And I'll pretend to be mad about that, knowing that I'm secretly allowing them to become discerning users of fine stationery.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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