Pen Review: Pokka Pen (and Giveaway)

Pokka Pen

When I first saw Pokka Pens (3-pack for $8.45), I was in the throes of fountain pen mania and I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out why anyone would want a slightly plussed-up ballpoint pen. Then the world turned itself on its head and the idea of not touching the delivery driver’s questionably clean Bic Stic became the source of many sleepless nights. Going forward in this new world, I think having my own pen to sign receipts will be of paramount peace-of-mind. Enter, the Pokka Pen.

Pokka Pen

The Pokka Pen is designed to click and close into its own cap. This makes it very portable and very unlikely to leak. When I had initially seen photos of the Pokka Pens, I thought the material would be a softer, less rigid plastic. I was wrong. The Pokka Pens feel sturdy, albeit hollow plastic, that will withstand being cleaned with Clorox Wipes.

Closed, the Pokka Pen measure 3.25″ long. Open and posted, the Pokka Pen measure 5.5″ which is similar in length to the Field Notes Click Pen shipped with subscriptions. Rubber gaskets help to seal the pen open and closed.

Pokka Pens can even be refilled or plussed up with a clip. Refills can be purchased directly from Pokka Pen and clips can be purchased from Gentleman Stationer or directly from Pokka Pens.

My model demonstrates how the Pokka Pen fits into the pocket of a pair of jeans. Thanks, Model Husband!

Pokka Pen writing sample

In writing, the Pokka Pen performs surprisingly well. That’s saying something from a lefty with a general dislike for ballpoint pens. It writes smoothly, with a fine point. While I would be unlikely to write a novel with the Pokka Pen, for jotting a quick note, signing a receipt or logging my mileage, the pen performs admirably.


THE GIVEAWAY: We are giving away one set of three (3) Pokka Pens, winner’s choice: choose any three from the 3 orange, 3 black and 1 yellow available. They will be shipped in the original packaging.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me your favorite place to order take-out or delivery. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Wednesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.


DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Written by

66 comments

  1. My favorite place to order takeout is my local Chinese place. I can’t remember the name because it’s listed in my phone simply as “Chinese food.”

    1. My favorite take out is from a local Indian restaurant called Taj Palace. I love their chicken biryani!

    2. The cheesy shrimp plate and a side of roasted brussel sprouts from O So Good, which is oooooh sooooo good!

  2. I bought some of the Pokka pens a few months ago and really like them! Very convenient! My favorite place for takeout is the local Chinese food place, super nice people with a great work ethic – and delicious food!

  3. My favorite is Republic Grill in the Woodlands Texas. Great food and very attentive staff to get your order to you car.
    On another note, have you tried the ystudio desk pen? It is awesome. I picked mine up from Dromgooles in Houston Monday and it’s wonderful. Thanks Ana for your thoughtful blog

  4. My favorite take out is the local burger place called Sylvesters. It is pretty good stuff.

  5. Hi Ana –
    My two favorite take-out establishments are Hook and Plow (omg-their clam chowder and salmon salad!!), and Mexican Riviera.
    Thank you and Gentleman Stationed for this generous opportunity.

  6. We have a Chinese place just up the street (like a little over a mile away) that we love to pick-up from. It’s one that has a good Chinese-American menu and the “secret” Chinese menu in Mandarin with the more authentic dishes.

  7. My favorite take out is “Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. They have curbside pickup or delivery. I usually have mine delivered since I am self quarantined because of some underlying health issues.

  8. Our favorite at the moment is Taco Bell – cheap & familiar. These pens look like fun.

  9. PENS! I haven’t tried takeout since the pandemic necessitated our statewide stay at home order, but I would want to go get just about anything from Opart Thai on Chicago’s NW side.

  10. I’m a simple man, my favorite take out is Papa John’s Pizza! Our local franchise is fantastic.

    Would love to try the Pokka Pens, I’ve been eyeing them for a while.

  11. My favorite take out place, Ana, is a little restaurant called Magic Wok here in Lafayette. An older couple owns it (the Szus). They have the best beef eggrolls I have ever eaten. They make them on site. And their Chinese spaghetti is the bomb as is their Dumpling Soup.

  12. In Houston there’s a tiny takeout shop called Mia China and Mia Pizza. Yet, Chinese and Italian in one storefront, and everything I’ve ever ordered from them is delicious! Alas, I no longer live in their delivery area.

  13. I like to get take out from Kostaki’s a local Greek Restaurant near my old house. The food is great and relatively inexpensive.

  14. We love to order take out from Tony’s Italian Grill in Endicott, NY. Their pizza is one of the best in the area, and all of their pasta dishes are fantastic. My favorite is the Penne Rustica, though I have to make sure to get it when I won’t be at work for a couple of days. The roasted garlic in it is powerful! Tony’s is one of the local restaurants providing free lunches for schoolchildren during the pandemic, so we have been making it a point to support them when we need a change from home cooked meals.

  15. Cool pens. I have to use ballpoint pens a lot for work, so in spite of my fountain pen bias, they are a necessity for me. My favorite take out place has got to be the new ramen place, Yoko Yoko Ramen. We have been in desperate need of a ramen shop and it just opened. It’s also some of the least salty ramen I’ve ever had, so win there.

  16. Since I never win anything, I just went and bought a set of 3 of these guys. Hope I win anyway!

  17. I’m not gonna lie, I usually get take-out from Chipotle the most due to the fact that it’s right around the corner from where I live LOL

  18. We have an cafe/bakery named Frida’s with an AMAZING spinach panini: potato cake (eggs, Yukon gold potato, olive oil, spices), spinach, tomato, chipotle sauce & provolone, pressed for breakfast

  19. The pens sound interesting! Our favorite take out (at this time) is from Ayothaia near us – wonderful Thai food!

  20. Well, son-of-a-gun, my bad luck, first a corona-virus pandemic, then a scary bad cold (thank god it was), then the gas prices drop, but I’m sheltering in place, and when next I dare venture out – slam – its lock down! And now I have a chance to enter a giveaway for a great pen but contingent on my favorite take-out, and I never ever do that! I cook at home because its always better. So, just my luck. Maybe when the pantry’s empty.

    Does it count if my favorite is when my wife cooks? She’s better than me. I go to the kitchen and take it away. (sigh)

    I have a dog, that’s something at least, a daily walk, and my sister made me a very cool mask.

  21. We have been trying to limit the amount of delivery, but there is a local chinese restaurant that has this great spicy chicken (chonquin style) that we just love. It’s fried chicken literally swimming in a sea of peppers that burns so good. 🙂

  22. Now that everything is take out, I think our local roast beef chain Lions Choice. For traditional takeout, I’m fond of Chinese food places, but I don’t get it quite enough!

  23. My favorite place for take-out is a Tex-Mex restaurant near where I used to live.

  24. My favorite take out is a local pizza joint. They make tons of different foods and are all awesome!

  25. My favorite take out is first of work. It’s good standard Chinese fare. If I win I want one of each color. Please.

  26. My favorite place for takeout is Miso, a Japanese restaurant here in town. They were already selling it out of a little drive through only place, so we don’t even have to get out of the car to go inside 🙂

  27. My favorite takeout is Dewey’s Pizza. Great pizza and amazing salads.
    Thanks and stay safe-

  28. I don’t really have a favorite place. I like a variety of food so I try to rotate between all the local family owned options in my neighborhood. If I had to choose, the indian restaurant packs an absurd amount of biriyani into one container, so I eat well for a week.

  29. My favorite place to eat is an indian spot call Cumin & Curry. They have an AWESOME buffet (at least before COVID1).
    Take out is the Yappy Greek. Really GOOD greek food, especially their falafel balls and dolmedes.
    8-9

  30. My favorite place to order takeout is a chinese place a few miles from here. Right now, I’m not feeling great about going into their shop though. Thanks Covid 19… :{

  31. Tandul, a wonderful Indian restaurant in Cleveland. Best Mango Lassi anywhere and amazing grilled kabobs.

  32. There’s a pho place by my house called iPho which is a tiny hole in the wall but has some amazing noodles.

  33. We always used to eat in instead of getting take-out, but now our standby take-out is Smith’s Deli and Pizza, and also Moy’s Chinese.

  34. We don’t eat a lot of take out but when we do, it’s to grab a pizza from local pizzeria, which happens to be Ledo’s Pizzeria.

  35. One of my faves to order from is actually a local bar, haha. They have great wings and onion rings, so we like to order via a delivery service a couple times a month. We’re not much for going to bars, but we’re glad to have discovered such great wings!

  36. URBN Pizza up the street is doing a kit (ball of dough, sauce, cheese and pepperoni). Last week we picked one up, put it together and cooked it on our grill. It was really good!

  37. We did something fun! Ordered out from our favorite Mom & Pop ‘fancy’ restaurant. Brought it home and at at the kitchen table. Such a treat! Thanks for the chance at the give away! Stay well!

  38. The Cocoa Forge (“Heirloom & Fine Flavor Cacao”). Some situations demand chocolate.

  39. My favorite take outplace is Hunan Village. They have great Honey Walnut Shrimp, a favorite!

  40. We have a little local pizza shop just a couple of miles from the house we go to frequently. And during this time I think it’s important that we continue to support them so they’ll still be there after we can all leave our homes.

  41. Ummmmm…
    Not going to lie…. I don’t really do take out… I make the take out at the moment

  42. Favorite take out: Tasty Thai, Campus (U of O), Eugene, Oregon. They ave been keeping me fed @ work. Quick & yummy! (Clinic RN)

  43. Last weekend I ordered delivery from an Indian restaurant I hadn’t tried before and it was really yummy. Great chicken tikka masala and flavorful samosas. And they drew smiley faces on all the packaging, which brightened my day!

  44. I’m a basic pizza gal. Depending on the part of town I’m in I prefer Savage Pizza or Edgewood pizza. Though I had Avondale Pizza Cafe the other day, and it wasn’t bad, and also relatively cheaper than Savage (for regular, non special pizzas at least).

  45. Ny favorite place for takeout is Freeman’s in Greensboro, NC. Killer poutine, sandwiches and smoked brisket.

  46. Lately it’s been getting a carne asada burrito from a Mexican joint in Washington Heights, NYC, called Refried Beans!

  47. More often than not I’ll call my husband begging him to pick up Chinese from a local joint. The fried rice is amazingly good. We also have a local deli/sub shop that is pretty top.

  48. I love reading your posts. As for take out, when I’m actually at work I like to pick up food from Carniceria El Ranchito’s in Indianapolis. It’s great!

  49. Isn’t every place takeout now? Seriously, I like 88 Wok in Andover, MN for Chicken Fried Rice. Now, I can sign the receipt with a Pooka pen!

Comments are closed.

%d bloggers like this: