Archive for January, 2009
Valentine’s Day Ideas, Deals and Sales
Posted by: | CommentsWell, you have about 2 weeks until Valentine’s Day, so if you are like me and do all of your shopping on line, you still have enough time to look around and find something without having to spend Federal Government bail out type money on shipping alone just to get stuff in time. 
Here are a few helpful deals and sales from some of my favorite sites to shop at, hope they are helpful. Some of these end soon so, dont wait too long.
- Goldspot Luxury Gifts has free shipping on orders over $100 with the promo code “VALENTINE”
- Have Pen, Will Write has a nice write up on some scented fountain pen ink that makes for a great and more personal gift idea.
- JetPens.Com has their usual free shipping for orders of $25 or more, and if you have a girlfriend, wife, or daughter that likes Hello Kitty you can pretty much make her day with any of these Hello Kitty pens or pen sets.
EDIT: Just noticed they have a TON of new stuff listed as of today, Lamy Pens and Nibs, Private Reserve Ink, Pentel Slicci Pens, Pencil Leds, so much new good stuff, here is a link their New Arrivals. - The Daily Planner seems like they always have some decent sales going on, check out their sale site for deals on planners, pens, bags, stationary, storage solutions, and journals.
- Levenger has all kinds of good stuff on sale, perfect chance to stock up on some stuff or pick up a nice pen or anything else for Valentine’s Day. Check out the Levenger Sale stuff here.
- Colorado Pen Direct has a special Valentine’s Day pen set, and some other items on sale.
Paper Mate Liquid Flair Medium Point (previously Liquid Expresso) Review
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Paper Mate Liquid Flair 8 Pack
I have always been a big fan of the Paper Mate Liquid Flair pens, but before this review, it had been a long time since I used them. The first thing I noticed upon revisiting these pens was the name, are these Liquid Flair pens, or are they Liquid Expresso pens? My old ones that I bought back in 2002 or so are clearly labeled Liquid Expresso…but when I ordered them from Amazon.com the package said Liquid Expresso, and some of the pens were labeled Liquid Flair, while others were labeled Liquid Expresso. Well with all that confusion, I decided to reach out to my friends on Twitter. First I checked in with rubbermaid because I knew that the Paper Mate brand was part of Newell Rubbermaid, but they quickly directed me to sharpiesusan on twitter who despite the Sharpie related name is responsible for not just Sharpie, but “the writing business” at Newell Rubbermaid. Sharpiesusan was able to quickly get back to me and let me know that the new name was the Liquid Flair, and they are just in the process of converting over to that name. Another great example of what I was talking about in my previous post where I mentioned keeping well informed on the world of office supplies through twitter. Thanks to the Sharpie and the Newell Rubbermaid people for being so great and helping out their dedicated customers! Read More→
Pilot Petit 1 Mini Fountain Pen – Blue Black Review
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Woody shows off the Pilot Petit 1 Fountain Pen with Blue Black Ink
The incredibly nice folks from JetPens.com were kind enough to send me the Pilot Petit 1 Mini Fountain Pen with Blue Black ink so I could test it out and do a review on it. I’ve seen this pen around on various websites, and always thought it looked pretty interesting, so I was excited to get the chance to test it out. I was also intrigued by the whole combo blue black ink since I have never tried any of these types of multi colored inks before.
These pens come in a variety of colors (JetPens has 15 different colors) and can be had for $4.50 which is not bad at all for an inexpensive fountain pen. JetPens also offers refills for this pen that come in capsules containing 3 individual refills for $2.00 each. These pens are also offered in a 12 color set ($54) or 6 color set ($27) on the JetPens site. Read More→
How to Keep Well Informed on the World of Office Supplies
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I’ve recently realized that Twitter really is a great resource for finding info and meeting people related to the world of office supplies, or any other topic that you are interested in. You can find everything from other bloggers who write about the topic to people who work for some of the companies that make the products we all love, to representatives of retail stores that we buy from. Having the chance to connect with some of these people on Twitter has been very informative, so I thought I’d share a list of some folks who I think deserve a follow on Twitter from the world of office supplies.
These are all just in alphabetical order as I dont want to show any preference here, they all offer their own unique insight and information on office supplies that is worth checking out. Below you will find links to each person(s) twitter ID, and their respective websites. Read More→
RSS Feed Issues
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been having trouble setting up my RSS feed correctly. If you have subscribed in the past, you will need to resubscribe if you wish to keep getting my feed.
Apologies for any inconvenience, however I think it is all straightened out now.
Inauguration Day and a New Ruler
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Here we are on Inauguration Day with a brand new ruler. This is a ruler that gives us the hope of getting rid of an old ineffective ruler, while bringing the change of a new, more thoughtful and effective ruler. When I look at this new ruler I do my best not to see any color because I’ve always thought that color doesnt matter at all, it is really the results that you get from the ruler that really matter. We have 4 years to see what kinds of results we will have to measure this ruler against, so in the mean time lets just jump right into the reason we are here Read More→
Pilot Razor Point Liquid Ink Marker Pens Extra Fine
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Pilot Razor Point 8 Pack (Extra Fine)
These Pilot Razor Point EF pens 
When I did my review on red pens I inadvertantly left out the Pilot Razor point eventhough I included it in the picture, so I thought I would take this opportunity to do a full review on them today. According to the Pilot website these pens won’t dry out or bleed through paper the same as regular markers do, and they have a liquid ink that provides a smooth writing experience. They also mention that the pens have a tough plastic point, which I can only assume means that if you are a heavy handed writer who presses hard with their pen, this is probably the pen for you. I did try pressing pretty hard while writing with these, and there seems to be no negative impact on the pen itself, the only difference I noticed was a slightly thicker and darker line as compared to regular writing, but the point itself does seem rather sturdy.
OfficeSupplyGeek News from the Web
Posted by: | CommentsA few quick links before my next review that I will probably post tomorrow this weekend…broke my mouse…angry. 
-Sharpie has some really cool interactive advertisements that lets you create your own legal grafiti.
-Someone upset that the rampant bank failures and financial services industry consolidation has impacted their love for certain pens.
-Pen Trick Fail has been all over the web, but very funny if you have not seen it yet.
-If you like Fisher Space Pens, then this site is worth checking out, they have many variations to pick from.
-Engraveyourbook.com offers a product that lets you customize your moleskine with a self-created leather cover, or you can pick from one of their designs too.
Levenger Page Points for Easier Reading and Organizing
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Levenger Page Points
I can clearly remember the first time I got a Levenger Catalog, and saw the Levenger Page Points, and I thought to myself “Wow, $10 for some fancy bookmarks? That’s crazy!” I shortly forgot about them and went on with my business of shopping for accessories for my Circa notebook and who knows what else. It was not until a few weeks later that I realized how short sighted I was being. In this post I will outline 3 different uses I have found for the Levenger Page points, hopefully you will find it helpful. Just a few quick things about the Page Points before I get started though. First, and most importantly for anyone interested in purchasing the Page Points, they can be found here on the Levenger.com website. The normal price for them is $10, and they come in a set of 36 in a nice tin storage container. The Page Points are made of copper, and as noted in the Levenger Catalog, they can be left on the pages over long periods of time without any fear of ruining the pages. Read More→
Uniball Signo DX .38 Review
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Uniball Signo DX .38 and Woody
I’ve seen quite a bit of praise regarding the Uniball Signo line of pens, particularly from everyone’s favorite pen reviewer, dowdyism at The Pen Addict so the last time I ordered from JetPens I decided to pick one up…among other things. That deal they have for free shipping on orders over $25 always results in me spending more than I had intended.
I also wanted to use this post to introduce you to the newest addition to the OfficeSupplyGeek team, his name is Woody and as you can see from the picture above, he really wasted no time in lending a helping hand to his first assignment here.
Anyway, on to the pen review. With all of the great reviews of this pen out there, I was curious to see what everyone was so excited about. I enjoy using the finer tipped pens such as this one, but am usually hesitant about them being too small to be practical. Thankfully this was not the case with the Signo DX. My main concern with the smaller tipped pens like this is that if I am writing quickly, I will either rip the paper, or I will write too fast to let the ink run smoothly out of the pen without skipping on the page. In order to test this, I tried taking some notes at work during a phone conversation I had with someone because that is when I tend to write the fastest. I was happily surprised at how smooth the pen wrote and that it did not incur any of the problems I was anticipating.
In the following writing sample of the Uniball Signo DX you can get an idea of how smooth the ink flows from this pen, even with a light color it lays down a solid line of ink with no white gaps which is very impressive for such a small tip. The sample you see below was written in a Rhodia notepad, which I always find to be a notebook that is easy to write in with paper that works well with most pens. When I tried this pen with my Moleskine, which is really not a favorite of mine, I was surprised to see that the pen even wrote well in that. Overall I would say this is a great pen if you like the smaller tip, and I might have to go back and pick up some additional colors because there are so many options to choose from.
Woody Jots Some Notes in with a Uniball Signo DX in a Rhodia Notebook
If I had to pick one thing about this pen that I dont like, it has to do with the style. I was a little disappointed when I realized that the UPC code and other markings on the barrel were actually painted on, and not a clear sticker which is usually the case. Clearly this has no effect on the ability to use this pen, however I just really think it takes away from the clean smooth look of the pen. I have no issue with a model name or number, but I could do without the big UPC and “Recap after use” instructions on the barrel…kind of cheapens the look of an otherwise really nice pen. You can see this in the photo of the Uniball Signo DX .38 below.
Uniball Signo DX with UPC and Other Markings
A Uniball Pens Action Figure? You can make it happen.
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Uni-Super-Ink Robot!
So Uniball has a new ad campaign and they are using this really cool looking robot (They appear to be calling him “Uni-Super-Ink Robot) in some of the spots and also on their website. I am taking it up as my official duty to start a petition for Uniball to make and sell a “Uni-Super-Ink Robot” Action Figure. You can see him in the video below.
If you are honestly interested in Uniball making an action figure of this (ie. you are a huge geek like myself) then just vote over there to the right in the “Polls” section and lets see if we can get Uniball to cave in and decide to actually make them. I’ve already asked one person from Uniball when we could buy one and the response was “soon I hope” so all I ask is that you do 2 things:
1. Vote in the poll over there. —–>
2. Use the “share this” link below to share this post on any of the major social networks, but I have already submitted to digg, and reddit, so you can just click on those links to make it a little easier.
It probably also would not hurt to leave a comment on this post to show even more support.
I will be making the Uniball person aware of this post, so do your best to show your support for Uniball and Uni-Super-Ink Robot by voting and sharing with others who would be interested.
**for the record I have absolutely no affiliation with Uniball and am doing this on my own with no support, direction, or request from them.
Also, later this week I will be posting a new review of a Uniball pen, so I hope to see you back.
[poll id="2"]
Students damaged psychologically by pens!
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Red pens are upsetting, do not look directly at the red pens.
After reading that article, I think it is my duty to post some of my favorite red pens with a quick pen review or writing sample so that red pens around the world can have their voices heard, and not be discriminated against. All of the red pens in the writing sample above (click the picture for a better view) have been very good to me, and I love using each and every one of them…I cant imagine one ever hurting a child.
Obviously the Sharpie is great for writing on just about anything, and doing so with authority and permanence.
The Sanford Liquid Expresso is a pen I’ve always enjoyed writing with, it just writes so smoothly that its fun to just pick up and doodle with just so I have an excuse to write with it.
The Bic Z4 I used as an every day pen in school to go back and underline or flag really important parts in my notes.
My Uniball Vision Exact has always been a pen I relied on when it came to color coding things like my calendar or project plans. I love the green version of this pen for that same purpose.
You might be able to tell from the picture, but the Pilot Precise V5 is a pen that I have had for years. The very fine and firm point make it great for exacting work. I remember using it in school when I had to make maps or charts.
Both of my Uniball Signo pens (the .28 and .18) are fairly new, however I have already grown quite attached to them. My main use for these pens is to go back into my notes or to-do lists for work so I can make small follow up notes. For example, if I have a “To Do” item to call someone back, I can use the super fine writing point of either of these pens to jot down the date and time I called the person back in any small space or margin that is left.
Well, that is my quick summary of my favorite red pens, hopefully people come to their senses and realize that banning red pens will not solve any problems. I think the focus should be on making fewer mistakes, learning to take constructive criticism, and understanding that we all make mistakes and need to learn from them.
On a side note, you will notice that I did the writing sample above on my Doane Paper writing pad which you might remember from my Doane Paper review. I wanted to point this out because I just realized today that I never put a link to the Doane Paper website on my “Buy Stuff” links over there —> so that people had an easy way to check out the site. Chad Doane the creator of Doane Paper runs a good business with great customer service, so I am a little bummed that I forgot to add him over there sooner.
