Levenger Page Points
I can clearly remember the first time I got a Levenger Catalog, and saw the Levenger Page Points, (now called Levenger Page Nibs via Amazon and Levenger) 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 Levenger Page Points before I get started though. 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.
My first realization about the page points came after I had been using my Levenger Circa Notebook (See my review here) for a while, and ran into some problems getting them set up in a way that was optimal for my daily work routine. I had five sections set up in my notebook, which seemed to work well for the most part, however I wanted to further be able to segment the one section I had dedicated to my recurring weekly meetings. By simply taking the page points and inserting them on the last page of my notes for each different weekly meeting, I now had a simple way to quickly navigate to the appropriate section. You can see a side view of how they look in the notebook as highlighted by the red boxes I’ve edited into the photo.
Levenger Circa Notebook and Page Points
The next, thing that I realized about the Page Points is how much better they were than regular old bookmarks, which is probably the intended use of them instead of how I had been using them in my Circa Notebook. The thin profile, sturdy metal construction, and small pointed end really make them ideal not only as a bookmark, but also as a way to point to a specific line of text in a book without marking the page. As you can see in the picture below (Brain Rules
Levenger Page Nibs in Use on a Book
As someone who comes from a Marketing and Product Management background, I always find myself trying to think of a way to improve on a product, and with the Levenger Page Points, there is one thing that I think would be a big improvement that should be focused on. Being that these are constructed of copper, they will eventually react to being touched and you will start to see them go from that nice copper/gold color to a darker brown. I cant help but wonder if there is a better material that Levenger could use in making these so that they don’t eventually turn to that ugly darker color. Obviously this is really just a comment on the aesthetics of the item, and it really has no impact on the functionality, and I wouldn’t let that issue stop me from buying and/or using these, as they have already been a huge help with both my Circa Notebook organization, and my being able to keep better track of my reading.Today I can completely get behind some “fancy $10 bookmarks” and recognize them for the great value they have been so far…thanks Levenger for yet another great product. The last picture below is an extreme close up of the Page Point just so you can see the detail, but mostly so I could practice my photography skills.
Levenger Page Point Close Up Shot
UPDATE: Penny from the site Penguingirl made me aware of a very similar product from a site called Lee Valley called “Book Darts” which if you click on that link back there you will see. I have never used or seen them in person, but they do seem to offer a better value since you can get 50 of their version for$8.95 plus shipping. I’ll have to consider doing a comparative review because they look interesting. Many thanks to Penny, and also to the blog that she found them, Hotel Zero.
UPDATE #2: Just saw that you can get them direct from the manufacturer, bookdarts.com in various quantities, they offer both a brass and stainless version.
UPDATE #3: Levenger has brought these back as a product called Levenger Page Nibs and can be found here via Levenger and here via Amazon.
I was always wondering what type of person would get the page points… Just kidding. You’ve made quite a compelling argument to convince me, a person who is skeptical of seemingly useless stationery products, that this may be a worthwhile purchase down the line. Although I work for a pen retailer, I’ve bought a few things from Levenger. I can’t say I was extremely pleased with their demonstrator fountain pen, but I am extremely smitten with the bronze penguin pen stand I bought for my brother for his birthday. The weight and quality of the finish are amazing. I would believe that the copper page makers would be of a decent quality as well. I’ll wait till I am in need of something else to combine with the purchase.
Tom, thanks for the reply, and trust me, I wondered the same thing before I bought them, but they have been well worth it. The quality is up there with the other Levenger products I’ve purchased, but for some reason I’ve never really considered buying their pens, and now that I have the opinion of an expert, I dont see that changing any time soon. Thanks for the feedback, and I am glad you enjoyed the review.
Yeah, I really wasn’t impressed by the quality of their demonstrator fountain pen. Although it was a great value ($30 including shipping) the fountain pen had some shortcomings. I noticed some intermittent ink flow problems if you had less than a full cartridge or converter. The nib and feed spun around in the front section when you twisted in the converter. Chinese quality for you. I may try one of their more expensive fountain pens in the future, but I am not sure if I’ll be paying for the looks more than the quality.
Their bronze pen holders are not short on quality. The penguin holder I have can double as a blunt instrument of pain. The finish on there is really beautiful and the actual shape and design of the statue is sublime. I paid substantially more for the holder than I did for the fountain pen, so I guess it is true what they say : you get what you pay for.
Glad to help out…. they’re such a simple and wonderful product. I must be loosing my touch, i neglected to look up the company directly. *sigh*
Hey these bookmarks are pretty nifty. I often just underline my favorite quote while reading, but these are great. Same goes for the “book darts.” I’ll have to check these out, they seem useful and addicting!
Alec, you are right, they can become a little addicting, but yes, much better than underlining if you dont want to write in your book.
Great post!
BethKnowles – Thanks! Always nice to get some friendly feedback, and I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I really like these bookmarks. They are very well designed.
Raphael Rosen – thanks for stopping by and thanks for the comment.
I have both the Page Points and Book Darts (picked ’em up years ago at Borders and haven’t seen them in store since). The BDs I have are copper and also tarnish, but I assume all these can be cleaned with a tarnish cleaning cloth. I prefer the Page Points because they’re tighter and more substantive, and packaged better, but either works. I just use them for bookmarks and highlighter pencils for notes and commentary.
P.S. Apparently the PP used to come in stainless, too, and received good reviews.
One more time: My BD are in the sleeve, which is difficult to maneuver. I see they also come in tins.
Diane, thanks for the feedback, very helpful to hear from someone who has used both! 🙂
And now I’ve found colorful, magnetic “Get to the Point” pointers at Blick Art. See http://www.fun-n-nuf.com/gettothepoint.html. They were 8 for $3.95.
All of you made great points (pun not intended) 🙂 about the issue with copper — the Levenger Page Points are now made of bronze and renamed Page Nibs, shaped like the nib of a fountain pen. Thanks, and enjoy!
Sorry, here’s the link to the bronze Page Nibs, which are $12 for a set of 36, btw:
http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=17-671|Level=2-3|PageID=6917
A late comment…
I personally like the patina copper gets with age, am I the only one?
Anyway, I like your use of the page points, and may consider investing in them. I’ve been using the “Durable File Tabs” from 3M (Post-it branded) to mark each week of notes in my more serious classes, things like Calculus and Physics where I actually go back and study with my notes before tests. One problem I have with my method is that if I stick the tab on the front of the page, when I pull on it, there’s a slight chance it might unstick, and if I adhere it to the back of the page, well then the writing surface faces the wrong way. These metal “linekeepers” might work better.
I have page points that are ~15 years old. The ones that stayed in the box are shiny copper. The ones that have been used have a slight patina. Perhaps it’s the exposure to fingers, paper, and air that does it?
Was just reading up on this…I loved the original page points from Levenger – and when all of mine were dispersed in various books, had to order more. Got the new “page nibs” – too big – don’t like them. The oriiginal page points were the perfect size. Have ordered the book darts instead.
@Francisco – I cant say I like the copper patina, its a little off-putting to me, but I can appreciate why some people might like it. I definitely think you are right about these working better to mark a line, they are tight enough that they don’t slide out of place.
@Jill – Yes, I think you are right that it is caused by the oils, acids, and moisture on peoples fingers.
@Donna – Yeah, I think the main point (no pun intended) of the redesign was to use a metal that didnt react like the copper. I believe the new ones are brass, but yeah, they are slightly bigger so I can see how that might not work for some people.
I have a round tin of Levenger page points, the tin says made of Bronze not copper.