New from Dudek Modern Goods - The Daily

I suppose when the inspiration hits, sometimes you just have to create things.  A couple of weeks ago I had a thought come to mind about a new product idea and the next day felt like I needed to get to work on it right away.

What I came up with I am calling The Daily.

The Daily is a small piece and is meant to be a place to hold just the things you are using now.  No additional storage space, no long term, just the pens, pencils, and notebooks that are in your rotation or need close at hand for "daily" use.

It is the same dimensions as The Cube coming in at just 3" x 3" square on top and around 2.75" tall.  This makes for a very small footprint on your desk or side table, but is an efficient and compact solution.

The Daily is made from a solid walnut and has 3 slots at 1/2" (as the standard) out front to hold your writing instruments and a slot in the back to hold up to three of your favorite pocket notebooks.  Each piece is hand made and finished in a satin polyurethane to bring out the grain of the wood and to provide some surface protection.  The finished dark walnut makes The Daily a small, but elegant piece.

Please visit the shop if you think The Daily might be a good fit for you.  Thanks so much!  

The Daily retails at $40 +shipping. 

- Mike

Ti2 TechLiner Revisited - Acid Washed Copper "Shorty"

On two occasions now I've posted reviews about the Ti2 TechLiner by Mike Bond; once for the initial prototype and the other for the awesome Blackwash edition.  Both pens blew me away and were (and are becoming) a surprise hit in the community.  I go into a lot of detail about the pens in general, so make sure to check those reviews out to get more info if you'd like.

Mike and crew are back at it, this time launching a Kickstarter campaign called the Ti2 TechLiner Revisited (only 9 days left when this post went live).  The "revisited" part is definitely worth looking at...

The TechLiner has been given a couple of option modifications in both size and material which literally knocked my socks off.  Ok, well not literally, but lets just say the new options were well received by me.  

In talking size first, Ti2 is now offering the TechLiner "shorty" versions which shave a hefty 0.75 inches from the barrel of the pen.  3/4 of an inch doesn't seem like much in a lot of things, but on a pen it can completely change the feel and balance of the product.   I really enjoy the other, longer pens as well, but personally I feel the shortened length fits the hand better.  It literally feels like the perfect length for this pen in my opinion.

From a material standpoint, they are now offering a super cool acid washed copper or brass as well as a polished bronze or copper.  All of these finishes (as well as the previous versions) are all available in the "shorty"  

Mike was kind enough to send me over one of the new acid washed copper "shorty" versions to try out and I knew it was a hit the second I took it out of the package.  First thing that gets you is the weight as it is a hefty pen, but with the shortened length and narrower barrel design it is extremely manageable.  

I haven't seen any hand fatigue from my use of it, but I did switch out the 0.38mm black (I think it was) uni-ball signo 207 refill with a 0.7mm in blue ink.  I've found with heavier pens I enjoy a broader line as trying to control a really small tip with a weightier pen isn't as comfortable.

The acid wash finish is awesome.  It darkens and deeply tarnishes the copper, but allows the sharper edges of the grip to pop through with a little shine and variation.  I'm interested to see how this finish holds up for the long term.

Even though I have a few of these pens, I still went ahead and backed the project for another shorty in the "Gonzodized" finish.  Needless to say, I put a stamp of approval on this pen.  The Kickstarter campaign is a limited quantity run, so make sure to check it out. 

 

Retro 1951 Tornado "Albert" Rollerball - Giveaway!

Even if you are new to the pen community or pen "nerd-niche" group of which I like to refer to us (endearingly), you have likely heard of or bought as one of your first nice pens, the Retro 1951 Tornado rollerball.  This pen was one of my very first steps into the realm of a more expensive pen, but is one that doesn't leave you dissatisfied; ever.  First you buy one, then two, then six...

Recently, the fine folks over at Retro 1951 released a new edition to their twist pencil line known as "Albert" which incorporated in the barrel some of Albert Einstein's equations against a chalkboard-like finish.  Retro 1951 is always announcing new and exciting stuff on their Twitter feed and Facebook page, so make sure to check them out.  "Albert" is the perfect pencil for the math/physics person in your life, right?  Whilst Retro 1951 makes a fine pencil, not everyone is a huge fan of pencils...

Alas, our voices have been heard and a short time ago they released "Albert" in the rollerball version which we love!  It takes the ultra-smooth Schmidt Cap-less rollerball refill which really makes the pen stand out in experience and quality.

From the moment I saw "Albert" I knew it was on the list... now that I've actually held one I know I need to pick one of these beauties up!  Such a fun edition.  Retro 1951 is one of those companies that is a breath of fresh air and is willing to have fun.

Retro 1951 was kind enough to send me this "Albert" rollerball pen to offer as a giveaway to a reader of The Clicky Post!  To enter the giveaway, please see the details below. 

CONTEST RULES (the "fine print"):

- Contest will run through Saturday, November 8th and will end at 11:59pm Arizona Time, USA

- To enter, leave a comment below (limited to one entry per person; no cheating!): do you have a favorite Retro 1951 Tornado edition?  One you'd like to see?

- I will arrange the entries in numerical order and randomly select a winner.  The winner will be announced on the blog on Sunday, November 9th and will need to connect with me within a week to claim their prize. 

- This giveaway is open to both US and International readers.

Thank you again to Retro 1951 for sponsoring this fun giveaway and for being such a great company.  Good luck to everyone!