When Stationary Meets Fashion - The New Doane Paper Junk Drawer T-Shirt

Doane Paper is one of my favorite products ever, hands down. Love the brand, love the story, love the product, and love that it is small business making it happen.

Chad Doane recently released a new t-shirt called "Junk Drawer" with artwork by the super talented Brandon Wilson of Contrabrand, the same graphic designer whom I was privileged to have create my Dudek Modern Goods logo.

I couldn't help but share this... 

Check out the new Doane Paper t-shirt in Chad's shop, as well as peruse his other awesome goods! 

Kaweco Supra Brass Fountain Pen Review

When pen lovers start digging into the "nicer" writing instrument realm, brands that often come to mind are Pilot, LAMY, and maybe even Pelikan. A brand that is right up there in pedigree and history is Kaweco, but often is a brand people learn about a bit later.

I really enjoy Kaweco pens. The most iconic pens of theirs are a bit quirky, like the Sport series, but that is what makes them stand out.

The smallest pen in their lineup, the Liliput, is a tiny pocket fountain pen (or ballpoint) that many love due to its compact size. Although, its minimal size often makes it a miss for those of us with larger hands.

If you've always thought the Liliput design was appealing, but too darn small, Kaweco may have come up for an ideal solution for you. The Supra.

Kaweco was kind enough to send me a Supra to check out, so special thanks to them.

The Supra was released within the last year or so and, in essence, is a Liliput but on a much grander scale. 

The standard Liliput we've known for several years is machined from aluminum making it extremely light, but Kaweco decided to branch out into new materials like brass, stainless steel, and copper for added "heft" and opted to use brass for the Supra's debut. I really hope they decide to release this pen in other materials.

Kaweco's metal pens are always top notch, and the Supra is no exception. Mine has since acquired some patina which has dulled the pretty new brass finish, but the feel and quality of how this pen is made leaves nothing to be desired in my opinion. Everything is tight and intentional. No missteps or cut corners.

Being larger in size, the Supra can take a full international standard converter or long cartridge (currently in mine), but with a bit of a catch. Rather than being only the cap, barrel, and section like the Liliput, the Supra has an added extension tube that fits between. This is a pretty fantastic feature of the pen as it also allows you to omit the tube to use a short cartridge and make the pen even more pocketable.

In general, most of the popular Kaweco fountain pens like the Liliput or Sport series are small which means they have small nibs. Kaweco does have a few larger pens that incorporate the same small nibs, but they always seem to be a bit out of place. 

With the Supra, Kaweco gratefully didn't fall into the same formula and opted to use a larger nib which fits perfectly. (this seems an odd way to say thank you to Kaweco, but "thanks!")

The larger nib gives the pen a grander presence, which it certainly deserves.

The model I received has a medium nib which writes nicely. Not as much flow out of the box as I usually like, but no skipping or hard starts, nor is it "too dry". I did find it has a bit of a sweet spot though.

With the added extension tube, I find posting the cap to be manageable, but I'd say a bit on the lengthy side for what most people might be comfortable with. Although, without the posting could seem a bit short (but, again, manageable). Its sort of a weird place really, but doesn't deter me from liking the pen immensely.   

Without the tube, it posts comfortably.

Overall I think this is a dynamite pen. It's portable, hefty, well made, and has a bit of "interesting" due to its overall design. Bravo, Kaweco.

One thought I had was for another model of the Supra that takes a ballpoint/rollerball combination. It could take either Parker style or longer Pilot G2 style refills simply by adding or removing the extension tube. #micdrop

The Supra comes in at a retail of $140 which could seem steep, but is actually in-line with Kaweco's overall pricing model. And for the fit and finish, I'd say the price seems fair. Pen Chalet carries these in their shop and have an ongoing CLICKYPOST promo code for 10% off if interested in picking one up.  

Special thanks again to Kaweco for sending the Supra my way for review.

Sostanza - Wooden Lead Holder Review

I was recently contacted about a Kickstarter campaign for a wooden lead holder called Sostanza, and was kindly offered a sample for review. Special thanks to Sotterranea Officina Sperimentale for sending it my way!

My sample didn't arrive until only a few days prior to the Kickstarter coming to a close (ended on the 6th successfully), but I was still excited to provide my review nonetheless.

The Sostanza is, in essence, a wooden lead holder, but is a unique, beautiful, and very functional piece of desk art.

Milled from various wood species, the overall shape is close to a traditional folded nib or dip pen handle being larger towards the tip and then tapering off to a thinner piece towards the tail. A slit and channel are milled into the pencil which provides the "gap" the lead fits into as well as the small space to create pressure via a metal ring to hold the lead in place.

The sample I received is made of amaranth which naturally ages into a purple/violet color (think purple heart-ish), and is adorned with a metal ring plated in rose gold for a little bling. The walnut one would have been my first choice to receive, but they did not have additional samples of that model which was totally fine. The amaranth is very pretty.

To extend the lead, the small ring needs to be loosened toward the tail end, the lead manually moved, and then the ring pushed back towards the tip to tighten it down. To some, this could be seen as a cumbersome process and is not a "quick deploy" type of action. Over time I'd wager that the ring will ultimately create a small channel in the wood from pushing it back into place. 

The overall experience of receiving the pencil has been very well conceived. It comes in a glass vial with the logo etched on the side plugged with a special cork that the end of the pencil fits into to keep it from jostling around. Finished off it is within a nicely executed and branded cardboard piece that holds the vial with an elastic band.

Not a jab, but personally I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to packaging and see what is done here to be on the slight bit excessive side, but for this product I think the presentation is appropriate. Although very simple, it is a piece that is meant to attract attention (in a good way) and is deserving of a well thought out packaging experience.

I would consider the Sostanza to be a desk item, not so much something I'd be toting around in a bag with me. Partly due to fear of it being broken and also that it wouldn't be something I'd choose to carry around for convenience as well. 

For pure functionality, other lead holders do the job better having traditional knock mechanisms, built in sharpeners, etc, but that really isn't the point of Sostanza. It is a natural, beautifully crafted, and very elegant piece that could easily be given as a well received gift to an artistic person or someone who would appreciate "what it is" if that makes sense.

Being only wood and a small metal ring, the pencil is very light coming in at just 0.2 oz. For me this doesn't detract from the overall experience, but for some it may be too light. It is roughly the same weight as an unsharpened Palomino Blacking for reference. The various wood species could also play a subtle role in changing the weight, but not enough to be noticeable. 

The Sostanza isn't what I'd consider to be an inexpensive item coming in likely at a retail of €30-40 ($33-45), but are said to be handmade in small batches and, again, are more of an artistic piece.

Thanks again to the group for sending this out. It is a piece I can definitely appreciate. Perhaps a bit on the pricey side when compared to other lead holders, but may be just the right piece for someone looking for a unique alternative.

Although the campaign is closed, you can still take some time to check out the project for ongoing details and an official release.