Posts filed under Lucrin

Lucrin A5 Leather Notebook Review

Lucrin first came on my radar last year when they sent me several leather pen accessories to review. They were well designed and well made, and I have the three pen tray in use on my desk to this day.

The A5 Leather Notebook is the latest Lucrin product to hit my desk, and my feelings are much more mixed on this one. There is no doubt it is beautiful, but the performance is lacking. At over $150 as configured I expect more. Like it should clean my pens and re-ink them when I’m done writing more.

This notebook sits solidly in the gift category at this price point, so is it fair for me to review it from a daily stationery users perspective? Absolutely. Why buy, or gift, a product if you don’t expect it to be used?

The exterior of the Lucrin A5 Notebook is the standout feature. The pebbled Sky Blue leather looks amazing, and the stitching and construction are top-notch. It is a pleasure to look at and carry. My name embossing is sharp, although I’d prefer a choice of fonts, and you can select the stitching color as well.

If everything on the outside is a 10 out of 10, the insides are along the lines of 6 out of 10. Good, but not great. A tick above average. For the price, I expect excellence.

Let’s start with the line rulings: They are too dark and too narrow. I was immediately taken aback by their darkness against the ivory page when I opened the book. They actually look better with words between the lines, but still, appearances mean a lot, and they are too strong. With only 5 mm between them, they are too narrow as well. I write small enough to make it work, but for general use, lined paper needs to have 6 mm to 7 mm spacing. The spacing also makes the line darkness look darker.

The paper quality is average at best. If this were a blind test I would say this paper stock is equivalent to what Moleskine uses. That makes it fine for some pens - like gel and ballpoint - but hit or miss with liquid inks like rollerball and fountain pens. You have to keep your writing pace up when using wider, wetter pens or risk them bleeding or feathering. And even if they don’t, the ghosting level is high if you are planning on using both sides of the page.

You could argue the acceptability of some of these flaws if the price point of the notebook weren’t $150. But when we as users have options for nearly perfect paper in the $20 price range, the issues become glaring.

I don’t see how I could recommend this notebook to anyone who cares about the writing experience. Lucrin is a leather company first and foremost, and that shows in this product.

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


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, which I am very grateful for.

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

Posted on May 22, 2017 and filed under Lucrin, Notebook Reviews.

Lucrin Leather Pen Case Giveaway

I reviewed these great products from Lucrin yesterday and promised a giveaway today, so let's do it! I'm giving away two items: The Single Pen Holder and the Pencil Case, both in pebbled orange leather. Here is how to enter:

  1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Friday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. You are limited to one entry. This contest is open to US and international residents.
  2. For this contest, I will pick two winners at random from the comments section of this post. The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on. The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.
  3. The contest winner will be posted on Saturday, July 23rd. The winner will have one week to email me via the Contact link at the top of the page.

My thanks to Lucrin for providing these goods for giveaway. Good luck!

Posted on July 19, 2016 and filed under Lucrin, Giveaways.

Lucrin Leather Pen Accessories Review

The staff at Lucrin reached out recently to see if I would be interested in reviewing some of their leather goods, especially those in their stationery lineup. I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially since I don’t follow the leather goods market that closely, but I was impressed with what I saw. And I could get them in orange!

What appealed to me the moment I saw it was the Three Pen Tray. I have plenty of cases I can carry in a bag or backpack, seeing that I own a pen case company, and I’m always on the lookout for more quality desk accessories. This tray fit the bill, in smooth orange leather of course.

When the package arrived, I was ecstatic to not only find the pen tray I requested, but also the Single Pen Holder and Pencil Pouch, both in orange granulated leather, and and iPhone 6+ case in smooth orange. Thanks for the hookup Lucrin!

After using the pen tray for a few weeks it has solidified a spot on my desk permanently. That’s no small feat considering the small writing area I have between stacks of books and stationery goods. Real estate is at a premium, but this pen tray definitely increased the property values of the neighborhood.

Everything about it is just right. It is firm, so it lays flat and stays in place, yet it is soft, so I have no concerns resting any and all pens in the three deep channels. Even the most trained eye will have a hard time finding a single flaw in the stitching or craftsmanship of this pen tray.

The same goes for the other three products I received. The quality and construction of each product is flawless. The single pen case is very useful in its thin but protective design, and the pencil case can easily hold dozens of your favorites. Even the iPhone case is made to such a tight tolerance that it is easy to slide your phone in with no chance of it sliding back out.

Every product that Lucrin sent is a delight to use.

Since I received way more than I asked for, and I’m impressed with everything about these products, I’ll be running a giveaway tomorrow for the single pen case and pencil pouch, so be sure to check back then.

In the interim, check out the wide array of customizable leather goods that Lucrin offers and I think you will come away impressed too.

My thanks to Lucrin for providing these goods at no charge to The Pen Addict for purposes of review.


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, which I am very grateful for.

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

Posted on July 18, 2016 and filed under Lucrin, Accessories Review.