Review: @NockCo Sinclair Pen Case - Spa Blue/Lime Green Unicorn Snot @GouletPens @BrianGoulet_

Thank you to Goulet Pens for sending the Unicorn Snot Nock Co. Sinclair for a review!

ABOUT

Exterior Material: 1000D Nylon with DWR coating
Interior Material: Nylon Pack Cloth
Dimensions: 4" x 6.25"
Height: 170 mm/6.7"
Width: 113 mm/4.4"
Depth: 25 mm/1"
Price: $ 40.00 USD
Where to buy: Goulet Pens

PACKAGING

None, as it should be.

APPEARANCE

The Sinclair case is bright, wild, and either super appealing or super repulsive. For me, this is SUPER appealing. I'm crazy for it! It has a light spa blue exterior, baby pink YKK zippers, and a nuclear lime green interior. I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's the best, most fun color combination ever. The inside has three pen slots on one side, a memo book pocket (3.5" x 5.5") on the other side, and an open space in the middle.

Pictured with Nock Co. Lookout.

PERFORMANCE & FEEL

I am a huge fan of the Sinclair case design. It's a simple design with one big pocket and everything I need accessible from there. I always love organizers with lots of pockets but for quick use, this is more convenient for me. It doesn't feel super bulky, even when I stuff it full of pens. If I want something hard and bulky, I can use a zippered pen folder, but I'd rather tote this around. When it's empty, it's flat and small.

Stuffed with long pens.

The fits some of my most precious pens easily, keep them safe, and then I can put the whole case in my bag. This case can accommodate some large pens, and only the really long ones like the Visconti Opera Master/Classic Pens LB5/Pilot Parallel push it. The case won't prevent pens from being crushed, but it offers a fair amount of padding for light to moderate use. I do put those large pens in near the ends and just close the zippers against them. I don't rely on the case to keep the pens from being pressed on at all, but rather as transport and keeping them together.

Stuffed.

The case is awesome, though. So far, I haven't gotten it particularly dirty. I really enjoy the texture in hand and the zippers are really smooth and easy to work with. Quality stuff. 

PROS 

• Amazing colorway, but if it's too wild for you there are other colors to choose from.
• Smooth zippers to access your goodies inside quickly and easily.
• Three pen slots on the inside hold pretty large pens. 
• In fact, the entire case can hold way more than you might expect.
• Not a bulky case so it's great to take to pen shows for filling up with all those pens you buy.

CONS

• Maybe too hideous for some people to love?
• Doesn't protect pens from being crushed.

OVERALL

I have a bunch of pen rolls and Visconti Dreamtouch cases, but more often than not, I reach for the Sinclair because it's no hassle. The Dreamtouch cases and rolls are great but take more work to open and grab pens from - and the Dreamtouch always has to be zipped shut because it's too easy for pens to fall out. I love this radiant, bright, cheery Unicorn Snot colorway, I love the make and build of the case, and I love how easy it is to use. 

I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Wordless Wednesday

One of my favorite pocket notebook leather covers by Mitchell Leather

An Overview: @KarasKustoms Superstition Edition Case Combo

The wonderful team at KarasKustoms has always been very supportive of this blog, and the Render K Aluminum pen was actually the first Kickstarter project I ever backed! So I'm particularly fond of them. This parcel just appeared at my door one day and I've been using it constantly ever since. Although they are sold out of the combo, individual items are available (just in different colorways), so you can still take a look. Each individual item is well worth it. Plus, I wanted to thank them for surprising me. I had just returned from a chaotic trip and it made me feel so loved, so this is long overdue.

KarasKustoms says this limited edition combo is inspired by the Superstition mountain range in Arizona. (- KarasKustoms Superstition Edition Case)

CONTENTS: Superstition Edition Combo Limited Edition 19 of 120

• KarasKustoms EDK (matte red & copper)
• Schmidt P8126 refill
• Length: 5.0" long 
• Diameter: 0.435" (excluding clip)
• Aluminum & Tellurium Copper

• KarasKustoms Pen Co. Standard Pocket Notebook
• 3.5" x 5" | 8.9 cm x 12.7cm
• 18-point chip board cover 
• 70#, dot-grid interior
• 32 Pages
• Vegetable Based Inks
• 100 % recycled
• Tumbled copper bead + black zipper pull
• 7/16" diameter 
• 0.5" long
• Tellurium copper

• Nock Co. Superstition (Sinclair) Case
• Exterior Material: 1000D Nylon with DWR coating
• Interior Material: Nylon Pack Cloth
• Dimensions: 4" x 6.25"

See more: KarasKustoms | Shop KarasKustoms | Shop Nock Co.

APPEARANCE

The Superstition Combo comes with a limited edition certification card: my combination is 19/120. There is also a KarasKustoms K sticker. Who doesn't love stickers?

The KarasKustoms Pen Co. Standard Pocket Notebook is a small notebook with a thicker cover. The front and back covers are simply decorated with the Karas Pen Co. logo, a star with rays in various shades of brown, and a 'designed & manufactured in USA' logo. It has rounded corners and the covers are flush with the pages inside. It is staple bound, and has white paper with a dot grid.

The EDK pen is super sexy. It is a relatively short pen with a round body that tapers slightly near the tip. The knock is round and aluminum, and matches the bolted on aluminum clip. The top half of the barrel is aluminum in anodized red, complete with knurling at the top. The bottom half is copper with grooves in it that match the tumbled copper bead. It is a great looking pen, not only in color, but also design. Upon arrival, the copper was shiny and bright. I love new copper as it gleams with richness. After months of use, the copper has developed a beautiful patina that makes this pen even more beautiful (below).

The case is also superb. It has a grey nylon outside, a black YKK zipper with matching black zipper pull, blue stitching, and a blue interior. The front corner has the KarasKustoms logo sewn on, and the inside has the Nock Co. label. The inside has three pen slots on one side, a memo book pocket (3.5" x 5.5") on the other side, and an open space in the middle.

PERFORMANCE & FEEL

It's hard to fully review combo packages because each item deserves their own attention, so I'll aim to give you an idea of the combo, and will look at separate reviews later.

KarasKustoms Pen Co. Standard Pocket Notebook: this is a cute, small, convenient, and portable notebook. It is perfect for slipping into the memo book pocket in the case. It is surprisingly durable with its thick covers. It has a narrow profile, opens easily, and can lie flat. The simplicity makes it easy and tempting to fill in, because it's not intimidating! The paper is best suited to dry writers like pencils, crayons, ballpoint pens, and of course, the included KarasKustoms EDK. The paper is on the toothy side and it's quite absorbent, so fountain pen ink is a no go - there is feathering and bleed through. It's a great combination as an on-the-go set up, paired with a ballpoint or

KarasKustoms EDK: this is a great pen. I love the colors, the solid, robust feeling it has in hand, and that the pen is obviously tough. It just feels like it can handle being thrown in a bag or a pocket (and it can!). I appreciate the half copper design, because I get to enjoy the beauty of the copper, with only half the weight. The Schmidt P8126 refill writes really well, and has a nice precise tip.

Nock Co. Superstition (Sinclair) Case: this is awesome. I already have several Nock Co. cases but this might be my favorite set up yet.

My only complaint is I want it in a cotton candy colorway, but I suspect this color was more suitable for the KarasKustoms style! Functionally, I absolutely love this case. It doesn't feel super bulky, even when I stuff it full of pens. If I want something hard and bulky, I can use a zippered pen folder, but I'd rather tote this around. When it's empty, it's flat and small.

This fits some of my most precious pens easily, keeps them safe, and then I can put it in my bag. This case can accommodate some large pens, and only the really long ones like the Visconti Opera Master/Classic Pens LB5 push it. The case won't prevent pens from being crushed, but it offers a fair amount of padding for light to moderate use.

Gratuitous knurling shot: KarasKustoms EDK, KarasKustoms Render K, Retro 51 Tornado.

OVERALL

LOVE. I love everything about this combination, and it introduced me to the EDK and the Nock Co. Sinclair case, both of which I really like. I carry this case full of pens almost everywhere, and more often than not, I reach for this case over a Visconti DreamTouch 6 Pen Case. The EDK is a great, convenient, every day carry pen, and it's super comfortable. I know this combo is long gone, but you can always make your own combo!

A huge thank you to KarasKustoms for this treat!

I received this item free of charge but was not asked to review it. I'm just reviewing it because it's SO AWESOME. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review. 

Wordless Wednesday

A great case, complete with fabulous colors!

Review: @NockCo Small Batch Hightower - Black/Pink

Only twenty made. This small batch run of the Hightower was limited to ONLY twenty. TWENTY! I put it in my cart, took it out, put it back, took it out, then snapped and thought OKAYITiSPINK. In the end, you know what happened. It's black and hot pink.

Price: $20.00USD
Where to buy: Nock Co.
Except it's gone now, but you can get other things.

APPEARANCE

The case measures around 8" x 6.75". The exterior is 1000D nylon with a DWR coating, and the inside is nylon pack cloth. The corners are sharply-shaped with black stitching on the outside. The ends are melted shut and look very clean.

The case opens like a book to reveal the hot pink interior with dark blue stitching. On the left side, there are three slots with a long flap covering them. The right side is a deep pocket (which, incidentally, fits the Nock Co. DotDash Pocket notebooks perfectly). It's cute and simple and I love the color scheme - that's pretty much what made me buy it.

I'm a sucker for colors. I also love their cute little Nock Co. tag.

PERFORMANCE

The way I have it set up, my Hightower holds three to four pens, a flexible ruler, a Nock Co. DotDash pocket notebook, and a Field Notes pocket notebook. Sometimes I carry fountain pens; sometimes gel pens or ballpoints, or a mix. The slots are wide enough to accommodate most of my pens (ignoring the truly oversized ones). They clip on or remain in place when the flip is down. I like the slotted side a lot. On the other side, my Field Notes sits behind the Dot Dash notebook. The Dot Dash sits out, except for the back cover in the pocket. I like this set up a lot.

When full with all my junk, it's not even overstuffed. It can still close - the material stretches and moves with all the stuff inside it. I really like that. It's not stiff.

Occasionally, my ruler will slide out of the pocket, but it's a slippery, heavy ruler. I don't really expect it to stay in place if I drop everything. A zippered case would make this awesome.

FEEL

I like how I can be rough with this case. So far, after weeks of use, it still looks brand new. The black exterior holds up really well. In  my bag, it really takes a beating and I use all sorts of weird pens, and if they leave marks on the material, I can't see them (on the black). The pink shows more dirt, but so far, nothing has stained. Check this post by Nock Co. on how to clean your case! The nylon is tough stuff, and the threading is well done - there areno bits that or loose or broken, and I appreciate the double-stitched pieces.

PROS

• Great colors available.
• The Small Batches are so fun. I have a thing for limited edition things.
• Holds quite a few items!
• Well-made - even, clean, stitching and ends.
• Easy to clean.

CONS

• Things can slide out of the pocket side
• Cannot be closed completely so I try to keep it upright in my bag.

OVERALL

I really like this case, along with the Sassafras and Lookout cases, which I also own! This one is designed and set up well as an EDC case. I would enjoy a button snapper to close the case for those times I stuff a bunch of extra things into the pocket and don't want them to fall out. Or I wouldn't mind a zipper closure. That would be cool. For $20, I'm pretty happy with this case, especially because of the colors. 

SBREBrown's Birthday Giveaway @Lamy @LamyUSA @AppelboomLaren @Fontoplum0 @NockCo

Appelboom, Fontoplumo, and Nock Co. have sent us things to review, and we thought SBRE Brown's birthday would be a good time to give them away! We thank our kind sponsors and donors for sending us things to review and we want to thank YOU for all your kind words, support, and encouragement by giving them to youuuu. 

RULES:

1. Please use the Rafflecopter widget to enter.

2. Open worldwide. 

3. There are several ways to enter, but do not feel obligated to use all. Following our sponsors on social media supports them, and following us supports us. If you don't want to follow either of us, you don't have to, but we appreciate it!

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PRIZE #1
Lamy Al-Star CopperOrange 1.1 mm
Kaweco Sport Dark Brown Medium
Three-Pack Nock Co. DotDash Pocket Notebooks

Above, on the left

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PRIZE #2
Lamy Al-Star CopperOrange Medium
One Nock Co. DotDash Pocket Notebooks
Above, on the right

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Before you ask: sorry, no copperorange cartridges will be included with the pens. Sorry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Reads: February 15. 2015

• Operation CIVILIZE THE INTERNET: Are you in? Thank you, Brad, for this kind and supportive post. 
• Greg Minuskin, Nib Retipper Extraordinaire, shares some pictures from the LA Pen Show!
• My Coffee Pot shares the details of his Platinum #3776 Century Chartes Blue fountain pen (I'm jealous, big surprise). 
• I love Gabby's doodles.
• The Well-Appointed Desk reviews Kaweco Midnight Blue ink. She makes it look better than when I use it.
• Pecan sticky buns. I love. 
• Pens! Paper! Pencils! interviews Linda Shrewsbury, of the CursiveLogic Kickstarter!
• Chocolate cream pie with vanilla whipped cream. Ahhhhhh....
• Leigh has a notebook cover addiction. Do you? I might. A small one. But not a huge one. 
• Write Analog shares the Palomino Collection Pack. Ugh. I want. Maybe it will help encourage me to pretend I know how to sketch. I don't though. But I can pretend, right? 
• Fountain Pen Quest is giving away some goodies! Fountain pen goodies, that is. Go check it out! 
• GoPens has announced 10% off the remaining items in their Catalog #71... tempting...
• The Pen Habit reviewed Diamine Autumn Oak, and it's now required I acquire it. 

In Case You Missed It:

• Review: Kaweco Leather 2 Pen Pouch With Flap
• Ink Shot Review: Montblanc LE Corn Poppy Red
• Review: Nock Co. DotDash Pocket Notebooks
• Serious Nibbage Part 24: TWSBI Diamond 580
• Field Trip: Gebroeders Winter Amsterdam

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