Ink Links

-- More great school supplies from the gang at Stickers and Donuts  (Stickers and Donuts)

-- Dave is a fan of the A.G. Spalding line  (365 Journal Entries)

-- JetPens August Newsletter - I have samples of both the Pilot Symmetry and Uni-Ball Power Tank that I will post next week  (JetPens)

-- JetPens has also started a contest in their Flickr pool - read the details right here and get snapping!

-- Review: The New Sharpie Pens  (Amateur Economist)

-- Review: Quo Vadis Habana  (The Pen Hunter)

-- Speedmaster too!  Review: Quo Vadis Habana Notebooks  (Amateur Economist)

-- A fresh take on a classic - Roma Lubimov's CMYK pen  (Behance Network)

Review: Copic Atyou Spica

Marianne from I Like Markers sent me this little beauty.  I wasn't really sure what to make of the Copic Atyou Spica at first.  After all, glitter pens really aren't my cup of tea, but I wanted to give it a fair shake.  So I played around with this Turquoise color for a bit, as well as the Black one she sent, and came away quite surprised.  I am a big fan of porous tip pens, and the tip of the Spica is similar to that.  The line is wide, but is much sharper and cleaner than I imagined it would be.  I'm going to have to find a way to put these to good use, especially when they come up with a marketing line like this:  "Twice the writing length of other pens, 360 yds."  :)

Check out this great review of the Copic Atyou Spica from PaperFections, including samples of all 12 colors.

One of these things is not like the other...

I noticed this in my referral logs today and found it pretty interesting.  It is from an interview by Mike Severson on his blog For The Record, with Frank Edwards, program director of country music station KRYS in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Check this out:

What are your favorite magazines, web sites, and blogs?
Magazines: Texas Trophy Hunters, Backpacker, Readers Digest
Web sites: K99Country.com, Drudge Report, Yahoo! Buzz
Blogs: Mike Severson’s blog of course, The 9513 is good, penaddiction.blogspot.com

How cool is that!  Thanks Mike for the interview, and thanks Frank for reading The Pen Addict!

Review: A.G. Spalding & Bros. Hexagonal Ballpoint

Another in my latest batch of samples from JetPens, this A.G. Spalding & Bros. Hexagonal Ballpoint really knocked my socks off in the looks and performance category.  It writes so smoothly that you could probably handle a dozen journal pages without tiring.  I have been very impressed with the Spalding line since first being introduced to them at JetPens.  All that I have tried work great and seem very durable.

(Sorry about the scratchout in the picture - I'm a goof!)

Link: We Love School Supplies: Pens and Pencils

Sorry gang, this one just couldn't wait until my weekend Ink Links post.  The gang at Stickers and Donuts did an awesome job reviewing new supplies for the upcoming school year.  The Pentel Slicci is included, as are the Pilot FriXion and the Uni-Ball Signo, but you haven't lived until you have seen the Nerf Dart Blaster Toy Pen and the Connect Four Game Toy Pen.  If had those back when I was in school, I would have never graduated!

It's a great article, so go check it out now:  We Love School Supplies: Pens and Pencils

Review: Zebra Sharbo Smartline

This beautiful little Zebra Sharbo Smartline contains a 0.4mm ballpoint pen and an 0.3mm pencil.  Since this was a sample from JetPens, I'll let them fill you in on the finer details:

The Sharbo is one of Zebra's most popular multi-pen line and this particular Sharbo focuses on life's finer points. It is a very rare multi pen that actually features a 0.4 mm pen and a 0.3 mm pencil. The combination is quite unique, it's a multi-pen that one could only find in Japan. You won't even find any bulging buttons on the pen. It features a slender body that utilizes a twist mechanism to switch between a fine ballpoint pen and a mechanical pencil. It is an elegant accompaniment to your workplace style. Individuals who like fine point pens will fall in love with the Sharbo Smartline.

This multi-pen performs as well as it looks also.  The ballpoint pen is a nice, dark black, and the pencil is even better than I imagined.  I thought 0.3mm would be to small, but it is perfect.  The Sharbo can travel with me anywhere, anytime and get anything done that I need it to.

Ink Links

-- Review: Hi-Tec-C Coleto  (The Pen Hunter)

-- Biffybeans with a great overall notebook review  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

--  ...and knocks out a specific Quo Vadis Habana review as well  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- The 2009 Moleskine Patent Leather Diaries  (Moleskinerie)

-- Review: Cross Roadster Gel Pen  (D*I*Y Planner)

-- Lamy Spirit (Model 163) Mechanical Pencil Review  (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- Ryan looks at $100+ Fountain Pens  (Brassing Adds Character)

-- Awesome new mermaid header by Marianne  (I Like Markers)

-- Kia doesn't like it when people steal her pens  (Hi, my name is Kia)

-- MTBooks fountain pen lineup  (MTBooks @ Flickr)


-- New to the Blogroll:
    Blackwing Diaries
    Quo Vadis Blog

-- Don't forget to check out Pens For Kids!

-- And one final item from the frontlines of Tropical Storm Fay, newspaper reporter Chelsea emailed me this tasty little tidbit about the Sharpie Pen:

I stumbled across your blog looking for info on the sharpie pen and I've really been enjoying it--the blog AND the pen. The sharpie pen has been particularly useful for me for the last few days because I'm a newspaper reporter in Florida and I've been covering Tropical Storm Fay, which means taking notes outside in the rain. I am pleased to report, not only is the sharpie pen waterproof, but it also writes on wet paper. Just thought I'd pass that along.

What's In My Bag

I like the voyeur aspect of the What's In Your Bag Flickr pool, so I thought I would add mine to the group for perusal.  Click over to my Flickr photostream to see the notes on the photo.

JetPens Samples

I received these a couple of weeks back courtesy of JetPens and I'm just now getting around to reviewing them.  Look for a post for each of these in the next week or so.


From the top down:
Uni-Ball Lakubo Ballpoint Pen 0.5mm Black
Pilot FriXion Erasable Highlighter - Green
A.G. Spalding Hexagonal Body Ballpoint 0.7mm
Zebra Sharbo Smartline 0.4mm Ballpoint, 0.3mm Pencil

Review: TUL 0.5mm Retractable Gel

This pen was designed and created specifically for Office Max, so they are only available at their stores or website.  Since I don't have an Office Max nearby, I never had the opportunity to pick any up, and it looks like I was missing out - that is until a wonderful reader sent me a couple to try out (Thanks Marilyn!).  The pen design is solid, with a plastic barrel and a brass tip, as well as sharp looking graphics.  The pen performance reminds me a lot of the Pilot G-2, which is a pretty big compliment.  On top of that, the TUL is very wallet friendly, checking in at approximately $1.50 per pen.  My only complaint so far is that the grip is a little slick, but it is already starting to get better with use.

If you have an Office Max convenient to you, or feel like placing an order online, I think you will enjoy the TUL.