iPenStore January 2018 Subscription Box

I’ve written here before about how much of a stationery/pen/pencil nerd I am. I’ve got way more than a lifetime supply. In the Erasable Podcast Members Facebook group I’m in (it’s like a super geeky fan club for listeners to the podcast) we call a lifetime supply SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy). Here is a photo of my pen/pencil stash that doesn’t include my fountain pen stash.

 Yeah, I know, it’s a lot. You don’t even want to see the stash I have at work. They are separated by color into Mason jars and pottery bowl in a great cart from IKEA.

So, I really don’t need to subscribe to the iPenStore Monthly Subscription box ($30 Monthly) yet I do. They describe the box as:

iPenBox is a curated subscription box for the pen, paper and ink enthusiast, delivering a monthly box of products to your door. Each month this mystery box will be filled with new, unusual, and innovative items from the pen, paper and ink world. We travel the world to find the best products and hand pick 5-10 items around a fun monthly theme! This way you’ll be able to discover and sample new items that you might not have heard of or tried before.

Each box also includes a raffle ticket for the chance to win additional prizes. The January 2018 theme was “What Are The Odds?”. The products in the box were available in multiple colors so they decided to mix it up by putting a random color in each box.

• Jinhao 156 Fountain Pen $9.95 = Didn’t load this one with ink yet so I haven’t tried it but it’s pretty!
• Schneider Slider Memo Viscoglide Pen $2.69 – See below.
• Pentel ICY .9mm Mechanical Pencil $1.19 = I liked the squishy grip section but it didn’t go low enough down the pencil for me. Maybe I hold mine too close to the end but if I held this one where the grip end was then it wasn’t comfortable for me to write with.
• Zebra Fountain Pen Pack of 4 $8.97 = A good inexpensive starter fountain pen. Fine point.
• Creatacolor 4-color Pencil $2.39 = Just ok. While I’m a jumbo pencil fan I’m not a fan of the multi-color ones.
• Clairefontaine Pocket Notebook $2.97 = Love these little notebooks to put in my purse to jot down thoughts. Smooth rules paper in this one.
• Schneider Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge Sample Pack
• Tomoe River Paper Sample = Not sure which product in the link the sample is from. First time I’ve tried this fountain pen friendly paper. People are right when they talk about how good it is. Smooth with no ink bleed through from the few pens I tried. Very thin paper though. Will have to do some more reading as to how people use this paper with their inks.
• Diamine Ink Sample in Imperial Blue = Didn’t try this as I have yet to put it in a pen.
• Yahtzee Dice and Score Card = FUN!
• Avery Ultratabs $4.15 = Love these as they are re-positionable.

This month’s box included a pen that has now become my new favorite ballpoint. My goodness, it’s great. I’ve never heard of Schneider Pen Company but they are based out of Germany. The Slider Memo pen I received is blue and orange with orange ink. You can purchase it at the link above. It’s an inexpensive ballpoint. It has a jumbo body and broad tip like I LOVE! It comes in more colors and more tip/body sizes. Will definitely be getting more of these. Ultra-smooth writing. Schneider describes it as:

Ballpoint pen with Viscoglide® technology for extraordinarily easy, gliding writing. Writing colour orange. Extra Broad line width (XB). The ink dries quickly – even on smooth paper – and is smudge proof when highlighting it later on. The ergonomically shaped, generously rubberised barrel is designed for relaxed writing without hand fatigue. The cap has a sturdy metal clip and fits neatly on either end of the pen. The wear-resistant stainless steel tip guarantees that the large ink supply can be fully used and does not smear. The Slider Memo XB is produced CO2 neutral.

I like it even more now that I found out that in the USA they are made by adults with special needs. You can see more about that and the people that put together these products on their Facebook page.

I don’t always love everything in the box but I like trying new things. If I don’t like then I usually save it for my trade/giveaway/swap stash or give it to my niece and nephew who are very creative and artsy children.

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