Current Promotions for Some Brands I Like (Small Business)

As I've mentioned a bunch on the blog, I love small business and supporting "the little guy" as often as I can.

There are some friends of mine that have some cool promos going on right now for their brand during the holidays that I wanted to mention.  These are going to fall under the "other interesting stuff" category from the blog title as they are not pens or paper, but awesome stuff nonetheless.

A small family run outfit hailing from Gilbert, AZ that produces handmade and custom long boards.  If you're looking at picking up a new board for cruising during the cool weather (or when Spring comes for the snowy regions), give these guys a look.  Really high quality boards, and as mentioned, hand made.

They currently have a holiday promo going on at their site for 15% off your order using the promo code "Christmas2013" at checkout.

They also have gift certificates available good for a whole board if you wanted to buy one as a present that someone can use to create their own.  Pretty sweet!

Visit zoonalongboards.com to check out their options.

MICA Christmas.jpg

Definitely a unique line of goods, MICA produces wooden watches in a few really rad colors and models.  The MICA brand has been around for about 6 years now, and is slowly gaining traction in the world.  Still a small business run by just a few guys that design all of their models and artwork. 

mica sable.jpg

I recently picked up their model called The Deck in the new Sable Collection as well as some of their new soft goods items.

Right now they have a promo going for free shipping and a free t-shirt with any watch purchase, but to sweeten the deal my buddy provided me with the promo code "MICA15" to give an additional 15% off the order.

Visit micamove.com to peruse their goods.

Also, I'd love to feature more small businesses on the blog as described in my recent post about The Small Business Showcase.  These are a couple of small businesses that would definitely be strong candidates, so please contact me if you feel your business might be a good fit for it!

INK by Karas Kustoms - a unique, machined fountain/rollerball pen

For this pen, “unique” would be an understatement without question…

INK is the newest Kickstarter offering from our good friends over at Karas Kustoms and is their first attempt at a fountain pen, but let’s just say, they knocked this thing out of the park.  If you are familiar with Karas’ previous pen offerings of the Render K, Bolt, and recent Retrakt, prepare for an entirely new experience. 

The previous pens all sort of fit within the same family: same approximate size, same clip, etc.  With INK, designer Dan Bishop started from the ground up and what he has come up with is just astounding.  Dan also runs his own blog called Design Concussion and he recently did a post called Designing the INK.  Make sure to check that out because he has a lot of cool concept sketches and an inside look at the process of creating INK.

The fellas over at the shop were kind enough to provide me with a working prototype to get my hands on and use and I’ve been more than impressed thus far.  Now, this being a “prototype”, there are subtle refinements and changes that will likely take place as things progress, but it is extremely close to the final product.

The first design element that stands out proudly in contrast to their previous pens is the clip.  Instead of being a side mounted sprung steel held on with either hex bolts or slotted screws, there is a channel carved out of the top of the cap for the clip to slip into, and two hex bolts screwed in through the side of the cap to hold it in place.  This is extremely cool as it adds a dynamic to the clip that is very reminiscent of a fancy fountain pen (we’ll call it “flair”), but meshed with the industrial machined look that we’ve all grown to love from Karas, it makes a killer combination. 

The clip is made from a mirror finish polished steel.  When I first saw the clip several months ago (perks of being local), I did have some concerns as to how well it would actually “clip”, but it does the job great.  There isn’t a lot of spring in it, but it will fit nicely over your shirt pocket.  It isn’t the vice grip of the previous clips, but this is a fountain pen; less rough, right?

Robot says "hi"

Let’s talk about that a bit and how there really isn’t much in the fountain pen market that even comes close to this thing.  Who else is really making an all metal, machined fountain pen?  There may be some, but not like this.  A pen like this not only looks refined, but will be extremely durable. 

Unlike an acrylic or plastic (more traditional) fountain pen, this thing you could probably run over with your car and it will still write.  Dan Bishop and I were discussing trying this with his VW Beetle: expect a full report if we do…

Unlike their other pens, the INK will only be offered in an aluminum barrel and cap, but where the material variation comes in is in the grip section.  They are offering an aluminum, brass, and copper grip in both the fountain pen and rollerball versions. 

Personally, I prefer the aluminum grip to match the barrel, but the copper and brass are stunning.  Also, the added weight of the brass or copper will completely change the writing experience (and is antimicrobial).  There are some color combinations of the anodized barrels and copper/brass grips that look amazing, so there is a lot of mix and match possibilities.

The rollerball grip allows for the use of one of our favorite refills in the pen world: the Schmidt Capless roller (P8126 and P8127) which is found in the Retro 51 Tornado as well as the Kaweco Sport Rollerball (non-cartridge version).  I anticipate that the rollerball use of INK will be far less than the fountain pen, but it is a great option for someone that wants to enjoy the killer design that Dan put together.

The included nib is a Schmidt iridium point (mine came with an M) and is a fantastic writer.  It lays down a wet and incredibly smooth line and I filled the included converter with some Iroshizuku Kon-Peki.

The converter they provided is really nice also.  They've done a great job of picking components that will make for an awesome experience.

The Kickstarter campaign only started on Monday the 16th, but has already blown well past its goal and is skyrocketing to what could be the most successful Karas Kustoms pen project yet.  With good reason.  Even with my hands on a prototype, I know that a unique pen like this is going to remain on my list of favorites for years.  Good show gentlemen.

I chose to back the colored barrel with aluminum grip: gonna go for the grey...

Announcing the Contrabrand x Dudek Collaboration

Several months ago I got in touch with the talented Brandon Wilson of Contrabrand who hails from Kansas City, USA.  This gentleman is an extremely talented graphic artist whom I wanted to inquire with about getting some logo work done for me and my brand.  What ensued was more than I had even thought possible and it has been an incredible ride.

Not only did Brandon and I work together on getting my finished Dudek Modern Goods logo (which now graces the bottom of my wares), we were able to do a collaborative effort on some really cool products.

Photo courtesy of contrabrand.net

This year Brandon has been doing an exercise each day called The Numbers Project where he takes the number of the day of the year (#1-365) and creates a logo or design around it.  Seriously, amazing stuff that you should go check out.  Our first collaboration was to do a clock made from Baltic Birch plywood that included some of his designs from this year.  He provided the artwork and I provided the clock.  We think what resulted ended up looking pretty awesome.  These are available for purchase in Brandon's shop.

Photo courtesy of contrabrand.net
 

In addition to the clocks, I made some special edition Baltic Birch Cubes and Grooves and these are in really limited numbers of only five each, but bare the Contrabrand x DUDEK branding on the bottom.  A unique piece if you like the plywood look, or to go along with The Numbers Project Clock.  Please take a look at the product listings below for information and ordering.

Want to express my thanks again to Brandon for his awesome work and for the opportunity to collaborate on such a cool project.

Contrabrand x DUDEK Cube - SOLD OUT

Photo by Brandon Wilson of Contrabrand

In collaboration with The Numbers Project, this Cube is made from layered Baltic Birch plywood and finished in a satin poly.  These are a limited edition of only 5 made.  It holds 9 of your writing instruments up to 1/2 inch in diameter.  

Approximate dimensions: 3"x3"x2.5"

Contrabrand x DUDEK Groove - SOLD OUT

Photo by Brandon Wilson of Contrabrand

To match The Numbers Project aesthetic, this Groove is made from layered Baltic Birch plywood and finished in a satin poly.  These are a limited edition of only 5 made.  It holds 9 of your writing instruments up to 1/2 inch in diameter as well as three of your favorite pocket notebooks.  

Approximate dimensions: 3"x4.5"x2.5"