Doane Paper Goods Giveaway Extravaganza - Worldwide!

Was the name of the post a little over the top?  I think not!  Hopefully, if anything, it got you all just a little bit excited.

Our friend, Chad Doane, was kind enough to send me a pretty sweet bundle of goods to use as a giveaway here on the The Clicky Post.  The giveaway is open to both US and International readers!  

***UPDATE***  - Chad also informed me that Doane Paper can now be shipped internationally anywhere the United States Postal Service is delivered.  Orders must be $100 or more + shipping.  This is great news!  If you have questions about anything, feel free to contact Chad about your options.

Small Flap Jotter in hand, perfect for small notes/lists.

Pretty sweet, right?  Thanks Chad!  These are great products and in addition to trying to win, give his shop a look and maybe even place an order if you haven't already.  Doane Paper by far is my daily go-to writing canvas.

How to Enter:

This giveaway is open to US and International readers and will run through this coming Friday, March 14th until 11:59pm Arizona, USA.

To enter, complete the form below by providing your name and email address.  Email addresses will be used for the sole purpose of contacting the winner!  One entry per person.

I will arrange the names in order as received and use a random number generator to pick the winner.  Upon selecting a winner I will announce it on the blog, email the winner directly, and they will have one week to reply with their shipping information.  If after a week all I hear is crickets, someone else gets to win!

Uni-ball Vision Needle - Fine Pen Review

I'm actually really enjoying preparing pen reviews of the regular "office" variety and the feedback has been excellent.  Thanks everyone for your comments!  As promised, I'm planning on adding more pens that can be bought in normal retailers or office supply stores, but they'll probably still be ones that I find I enjoy.

The Uni-ball Vision Needle is a pen I've had kicking around my desk for awhile now that doesn't seem to get much use, but I thought it'd be a good one to review.  Upon putting the pen to paper, this is a great pen and I enjoyed getting reacquainted with it.

This particular pen is in the "Fine" line width which is probably around a 0.7mm for normal gel type pens.  The writing is nice and dark, and there wasn't a skip to be had.  The ink in this pen is black, although blue really is my preference.  I might have to hit up JetPens for a blue one...

Uni makes quite a few versions of the Vision series: the normal "Vision", the Vision Needle, and the Vision Elite.  I really enjoy the Vision Elite in the rollerball category, particularly in the blue/black color and will likely be posting a review soon about that one as well.

The Vision Needle is Uni-ball's answer to the Pilot Precise V5 and V7 which is an insanely popular and classic pen choice.  The Vision Needle does claim to have a stronger tip (for those really heavy-handed writers...or if you drop it) as well as touts the Uni-ball "Super" ink variety that is archival and fadeproof/waterproof.  I don't know, Pilot, but Uni seems to be one-upping you on this pen...

As I mentioned, I've had this pen for quite awhile on my desk, so the markings and branding may have even changed on it, but I know they are still available.

The flow of the ink and writing experience is quite good.  Not quite as smooth as the Precise I'd have to say as the tip is noticeably scratchy.  It isn't a bother per se, but is something that the super smooth writer people may find a bit annoying.  It isn't distracting to me.  Now, I have also tried the "Micro" line width ones as well, but prefer the fine as the experience was way more scratchy.  Super small writers beware!

The writing sample was done on the large Doane Paper flap jotter (easily one of my new favorite products) which is great for writing with fountain pens or really inky pens as it absorbs really well whilst leaving a crisp line.  Paper is often a key component of the writing experience, so I may have been spoiled a bit by the DP, but your average cheap-o writing pad may change how the tip feels on the page.

For about $7 per 3-pack at your local office supply store or less than $2 apiece from our friends at JetPens, I'd say these are a great pen to give a try.


rOtring 900 Rollerball Review - Matte Silver Finish

One of the more odd rOtring pens in my collection is one I got sort of on a whim.  I found it for a good deal on eBay and it came with one of the neat original rOtring boxes; selling point for sure.

I don't really know a whole lot about the rOtring 900 series because they aren't as highly reviewed as the 600s, but they are interesting.  The 900 originally came in a variety of types from ballpoints and pencils (with crazy side knock mechanisms), rollerballs, fountain pens, and a strange tip called a Stylograph which is a ballpoint of sorts that takes an ink cartridge.  So, a rollerball actually?  There is one listed right now on eBay, but they run a bit steep in the range of a 600 fountain pen.

The design of the pen seems very modern.  When I showed it to my buddy Dan Bishop he described it as "80's European Modern".  The guy has a design degree; I trust him...  It seems very futuristic.

The barrel of the pen and grip are covered with machined grooves that start shallow and end up deeper near the middle of the pen.  As they aren't uniform throughout, it adds some cool visual texture to the pen.  The grooves aren't sharp in any way and don't seem to dig into my fingers at all.

The barrel is very heavy and very long.  This is a larger than average pen coming in at over six inches in length and is quite weighty.  Like most rOtring pens, I'd imaging the barrel is made from brass, but I could be wrong.  The barrel is coated in a matte silver finish, but it also came in a chrome version which looks pretty awesome.  Our friend over at Write to Me Often has a lovely collection of rOtring pens of which a chrome 900 fountain pen is included.

I didn't do a writing sample for this review as it takes a variety of standard rollerball refills (even a Pilot G2 would fit) so the options are open.  The refill is held snugly in place by a rear inner spring that adds some tension as well as allows for refills of slightly varying lengths.

The clip is a bit of an odd one, completely different than anything in my collection.  It is comprised of a single black wire that is bent to the shape of the cap and has a rubber/plastic piece on the end as not to scratch the pen.  For being wire, it is surprisingly sturdy and I have no fear of bending it with normal use.  The cap in comparison to the barrel is extremely light, and posted, doesn't impact the writing too terribly.

Not really a lot more I can say about this one other than it is unique and is likely a rOtring model that most people haven't heard of.  As I said above, I found this one at auction for quite a good deal, but these models can run anywhere from $70 to $180, so not necessarily cheap.  But if this design is something you find appealing and interesting, that may be a reasonable investment for you.  It will definitely stand out when you use it in your next meeting.