Eco-Essential Pen and Pencil Set by now&then

July 22, 2014

I've had the Eco-Essential pen and pencil set in possession for several months now and I'm excited to finally give it some space on the blog. I was provided this set of instruments as a sample from now&then and I want to say thank you for sending them my way.

The Eco-Essential pen has been around for a little while and was introduced to the market through a Kickstarter campaign that funded successfully in January of 2013. Since that time, now&then have also had a successful Kickstarter for another pen called the Retro-Essential pen made from a variety of woods which is neat. I'm thinking I should get a walnut version to go with my Dudek Modern Goods pieces...

To describe the style of the Eco-Essential pen, I would consider it to be sleek and modern, but with a bit of Earthy flair. Well enough put? When you mix a shiny, slick, silver metal with natural materials like bamboo you're in for a good combination.

I really do enjoy when product designers incorporate natural materials; it gives each piece a bit of individuality as no two are exactly the same. On my pen, one of the bamboo node sections is visible which creates some unique grain that my pencil version doesn't have. A small detail, but something to be appreciated in my opinion.

The pen and pencil are lightweight, but don't feel cheap. On the contrary I think they feel quite nice. The threading on the cap and tail section (for posting) is not very deep which may be my only real gripe as I feel that it could be possible to wear over time with use. When posting the cap you sometimes have to align it just right which, after several times threading it misaligned might cause some stripping issues. I can't really speak to it now, but just a thought.

The Eco-Essential pen comes in two varieties: the Pilot Hi-Tec-C version and the Pilot G2 version. I was sent the Hi-Tec-C version as a sample and although this refill is quite low on my totem pole of favorite refills (blasphemy!), I have enjoyed using it in this pen. It is much more comfortable than the sharp plastic edges of the standard barrel the Hi-Tec-C comes in...

Why don't I like the Hi-Tec-C? This could probably be an entire post but, in a nutshell, it writes so sketchy all the time that I can't really rely on it. Sometimes it writes really dark, sometimes hardly any ink at all; just not a favorite. I digress...

now&then provides you with an ability to customize your experience as well. Each pen and pencil comes with a stylus tip (which is quite good), but they also include a solid cap to replace it which is adorned with the now&then logo. In addition, they also provide some anodized metal rings to put between this end piece or stylus and the cap. This could be used as a color indicator if you had a couple of these around or simply to act as a way to make your pens look nice to your hearts content. Kudos!

The pencil is a cool piece as well and has a conservatively designed click mechanism. They chose to make it metal to match the rest of the pieces and it fits in nicely. Not out of place or obtrusive in any way. How is the writing experience? Quite good. The lead doesn't wiggle or rattle which is always a plus with mechanical pencils of any sort.

The Eco-Essential pen and pencil come in around $50 each ($95 for the set) and I think would make great a great gift idea for someone who can appreciate a nice modern design. I wouldn't consider these pens the type to store away in a drawer or case, but something you could have nicely on your desk as a set. If they made a bamboo display for them...

Thanks again to now&then for sending these my way as I've enjoyed them very much.

Pelikan M205 (the Illustrious) Fountain Pen - Update

July 19, 2014

I'm sure everyone has been waiting with bated breath to hear my follow up after the glowing review (sarcasm intended...) I provided the Pelikan M205 previously... Have my thoughts changed? We'll see.

Upon receiving my red Pelikan M205 back from Chartpak (Pelikan's US distributor) I can admit I didn't instantly tear open the box and ink it immediately. Perhaps I had lost a bit of interest in using it due to the previous issues as well as the process needed to make it right, so it did take me several weeks to give it a go.

From a customer service standpoint, Chartpak was pretty easy to work with but communication wasn't that great. It initially took two weeks to hear back about what the steps were for sending it off, and upon sending my pen across the country for repair/replacement there was no indication that it had been received, no status update, no "we're working on it", etc which was a bit frustrating. I had to reach out to them to find out if my pen had even arrived at their office.

Once inked up, the pen did write much better and the lines were wet and dark. The occasional vertical line skip was still present, but it was actually writing which was an improvement. Enjoyably enough I might say, but I still wasn't blown away.

While writing with the M205 it is a bit hard to explain, but I feel like it takes work to have the nib just right to be comfortable. Am I holding it at the right angle? Is this the sweet spot? Even while the writing was better, I still feel like the nib is temperamental which diminishes the overall experience. A bit unfortunate really.

I'm going to admit that in this instance it is probably me, and not the pen. The first experience of the nib NOT writing was the pen for sure, but with a perfectly functional unit it must be me. Perhaps the M205 nib doesn't really write to my preference, but for some people it may, or maybe I'm simply turned off by it? My friend has an M405 with a gold nib that, I must admit, does the same thing for me. The nib simply does not write how I would expect it to and maybe it is just me.

I had high hopes for a future relationship with the Pelikan brand, but I'm not so sure I'll branch out and try others. Maybe in a few years I'll be swayed back and will give some other models a try. So, in my opinion, for the price point on these pens I do not feel the experience is there for me to warrant the cost. Again, probably just me.

Introducing - THE ARCHIVE

July 13, 2014

During my one year anniversary of The Clicky Post giveaway I asked for feedback or things people would like to see more of, and thank you to everyone that provided your thoughts!

One thought was to make the ability to search through a "history" a bit easier based on manufacturer, etc. What I've come up with is an interactive gallery which I've called The Archive which I am quite excited about.

It is still a work in progress on some brands, but I am getting things up to speed and I hope it will be helpful in perusing the site a bit more. As I continue to review I will add to and update The Archive so to keep it up to date.

Thank you again for your suggestions and enjoy!