I chose the non-stick, fluorine-coated pink pair. It’s available in several other colors, with basic stainless steel blades ($7.25) and with titanium-coated blades ($10.50). The pair comes with a safety cap.

The packaging information is all in Japanese, but according to JetPens’ product description, the scissors feature “a distinctive curved upper blade similar to those found in pruning shears. This lets you cut more cleanly while exerting about a quarter of the force you would need to use a pair of conventional scissors. Because the curved edge is longer than the straight edge, it pulls along the surface of what you’re cutting.”

I didn’t really understand the benefits of this feature when I first read it, but the package shows an illustration of a kitchen knife’s curved blade, and suddenly it all made sense. Not that I know anything about cooking (my culinary expertise ends at avocado toast and the same artichoke dip I’ve been making since the ‘80s), but all the chefs on TV advise using a “rocking motion” with a curved blade, which does make it easier to chop vegetables quickly and efficiently.

In action, the Sakutto Cut Hikigiri scissors do cut very smoothly and comfortably. I don’t know how to measure whether I’m using only a quarter of the force I use with my conventional Scotch brand scissors (purchased years ago at Costco, I think), but the Sakutto pair definitely feels like it requires less effort.

Where the Sakutto scissors really shine compared to my old Scotch pair is the non-stick fluorine coating. They cut through a piece of masking tape as if it were ordinary paper (the same tape stuck badly to the Scotch pair’s titanium blades).

My only complaint about the Sakutto scissors is that the handles are not as ergonomically comfortable as they seem like they should be, given the emphasis on comfort otherwise. I think the handles on my old Scotch pair are more comfortable, with appropriate shaped holes for the thumb and fingers. The Sakutto handles are the same shape for both.

Nonetheless, I’m happy to replace my old scissors with the Sakutto Hikigiri (which means “cutting while pulling” in Japanese). They may be over-engineered by big-box scissors standards, but they do the job better, and that’s good enough for me.

By the way, if you’re wondering why a lefty like me is using scissors for righties, it’s because when I was learning to cut, all scissors were made for right-handed people. Now it’s fairly easy to get lefty scissors, and I’ve tried some, but like the time I tried a left-handed pencil sharpener, after a lifetime of using righty scissors, it felt too weird and unnatural to use my “correct” hand. I gave them up quickly. (I wonder if Ana and Laura feel that way about using lefty scissors? — Ed. Note: Yes, I use right handed scissors because lefty ones are weird.) If nothing else, lefties are the most adaptable people in the world because they have to use all these instruments that have been made for their wrong hand.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

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

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The grid lines printed on the cards help to keep your tape wraps parallel which I didn’t realize I needed until I started applying tape to the cards.

I wrapped tape two to three times around the card to give myself a “week’s worth”. I color coordinated the tape on this card to all look nice together and will probably wrap up some other color coordinated cards as well. The cards are sized to fit into the business card pocket on the inside of a Hobonichi or other planner covers.

I have so much washi that I will definitely wrap a few cards up to send to friends in an effort to help pare down my stash. Also, being able to easily carry around a bit of washi will help me use it up… at least I hope it will.

Sometimes, in my pen adventures I find an item I didn’t know I needed until I had it. These Washi Cards are just that type of product. I didn’t know I needed it and now I don’t think I could live without them.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

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You know how sometimes Amazon just has your number? I logged in a couple weeks ago and this funky little pen set was on my recommendations page. The set doesn’t have the sexiest name–  Aechy Double-Headed Porous Pen & Curve Marker ($13.99 at the time of this review)– but when noticed that one end was a rolling stamp and the other was a felt-tip pen, I couldn’t resist trying them out. Since I plan using a modified version of a bullet journal, every now and again, I like to embellish my pages with a little something extra and I thought this 8-pen set might be just the thing.

The larger capped end is the rolling stamp and the smaller cap covers the felt tip pen. The tip size on the felt tip pen is pretty comparably to a Marvy LePen, just in a slightly wider pen barrel.  Just the felt tip alone, for the price, is a decent value.

Of the eight different color markers, there are only five different rolling stamp designs: flowers, hearts, wavy lines, dot/dash and dotted line.

Because of the hard plastic used for the rolling stamp, the line can veer off suddenly. I would recommend rolling a bit slowly and maybe try following the line, grid of graph marks in your notebook.

Of the set, the yellow was really too light to use in even the brightest settings, especially on the sightly creamy colored MD Cotton paper I used for testing. I did try these out on toothier paper and the results were not as good. I think the stamp pens will work best on smoother paper stocks (i.e. Rhodia, Leuchtturm 1917, etc.). on the Midori MD Cotton, I didn’t have any issues with show through but YMMV.

The heart shape stamp pen, labelled “Love Line” on the pen barrel, was the hardest to get to roll evenly to show the whole design. Regardless of whether I rolled slowly or quickly, the hearts would skip or the centers would fill in. The dotted line and curved, wavy line worked the best. Since the dot/dash design is only on the super light-colored yellow marker, I won’t ever really get much use out of it. I wish the yellow marker had been one of the designs duplicated in another color — like the blue or purple.

Overall, for an essentially no-name product found randomly on Amazon, this pen set is fun. I certainly would prefer a set like this from one of the manufacturers I know like Pilot, Zebra, or Uni. I feel like then the quality and variety would be top-notch. But until that time that one of the Japanese pen behemoths decide to make a tool like this, we will have to settle for these markers. I will certainly be using the dotted line and curve line pens to add a bit of flourish to my daily pages.

DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

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I am getting into the spirit of October with pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin oatmeal cookies but what really gets me in the holiday spirit is making sure my ink samples are decked out too! Ink-a-Pet, which we’ve mentioned here on the blog in the past is the clever creations of 8-year-old Calvin and his team of furry helpers, Rocky and Chai. Any business with feline interns is a business I will support. Those feline interns need kibble! And Calvin, as a young pen enthusiast, is an entrepreneur worth supporting too.

I added to my ink sample vial holder collection with another sleeping cat stand and cat ghost costume ($4) and the new penguin holder ($7) with witchy accessories ($4). I also got a pumpkin costume ($4)  for my Inktopus ($7) to wear.

These ink sample holders are cute, stable and effective. If you haven’t gotten an Ink-a-pet to keep your sample vials from tipping over, what are you waiting for?

I have had several more of these holders but I keep giving them away when people oooo and ahhhh over them. Since my first Ink-a-Pet was a gift, it seems appropriate to continue to pay it forward.

One of the best things about the new costumes is that the cat ghost costume GLOWS IN THE DARK! Oh, yeah.

Calvin also included the cat pen rest ($5) with microsuction base to add even more cats into my house. Calvin, I have enough cats already!!!! At least this one doesn’t require more kibble. I really like the pen rest. I didn’t realize how often pens rolled on my desk and this lovely stand has put a stop to it. I think I need one of these pen rests in glow-in-the-dark material too!

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I set up this post before I realized that this product is no longer available. So, please don’t be mad at me. Instead, let this inspire you to seek out locally produced soap makers and ask if they can craft a soap for artists and other folks who end up with a lot of ink and paint on their hands. There are also a lot of handmade soaps available on etsy so you might just find something you love there.

This bar, called The Original Ink Lover’s Premium All-Natural Soap has a light scent and a waffly texture on both sides which helps with scrubbing ink off your hands (or wherever you end up getting ink on you).

I won’t go into too much detail into this soap since it’s not available any longer. It was a gift but it did bring up the joy of handmade soaps. My skin felt clean but not dry after using it. It definitely made me want to seek out more handmade soaps both for inky hands and for general use. I know a lot of people favor liquid or foaming hand soaps for their convenience but I like being able to use up the whole bar and have no additional plastic waste like a bottle or refill container.

Is this me turning into the old “back in my day” lady? Whatever… I want to save this planet and I’d be happy to do it, one handmade bar of soap at time if I have to.

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Many years ago, I had a pair of compact travel scissors I purchased from JetPens. I loved them for the simple fact that they fit easily into my pencil pouch along with all my other tools without taking up a ton of space. I don’t often need to have a pair of scissors in my everyday kit but when I need them, I NEED them. Sure, I have a pocket knife in my bag but scissors often solve a different problem than the average pocket knife. If I need to cut something out of a magazine and add it to my planner, trim washi tape or even snip a loose thread, scissors are way more efficient at this task than a knife.

You may be wondering what happened to the pair of scissors I bought from JetPens? A TSA agent in China took them from me when I was traveling so many years ago. There’s nothing so frightening as a stern Nurse Ratchet-looking woman shaking her head angrily, shouting at you in Mandarin and taking your teeny tiny scissors. I was in mainland China and did not want to end up being held in custody for trying to argue with the woman so I did my best to look humble and apologetic and left my neon green travel scissors ($7) in her grumpy care.

After that, every time I placed an order with JetPens, I would think, “I need to order another pair of those scissors,” and then proceed to forget to add them to my cart. then, one day the fates smiled down on me and the Plus brand Compact Pen-style “Twiggy” Scissors (approx. $7.50 per pair) magically appeared in my “to-be reviewed” rolling cart. I cannot remember where I acquired them but was able to find them in a variety of colors on Amazon should you like to get your own.

While the Raymay neon green were a favorite for me because of the color, actually using them with the loops of plastic cord to create the holes for your fingers was a little awkward. The Twiggy scissors have a short, spring-loaded scissor-action which makes them easier to use for any sized hand and even for someone who may have grip or strength issues when using scissors. They still require pressure to close the scissor blades, the spring opens the blades easily.

I may upgrade to the Sun-Star Stickyle Akeruno Scissors + Box Cutters ($8.75) which have a longer grip section and can double as a box cutter which is really why I carry a pocket knife with me most of the time.

I don’t think I’d ever used spring-loaded scissors before but I may be a convert. While the Amazon page suggests that these are TSA-compliant, I wouldn’t risk it on international flights, just in case. On domestic US flights, you should be okay.

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens. Some items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

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I use Midori P-51 clips ($5.50 for a pack of 18, available in 10 different designs. I bought the bunny rabbits as they seemed the most “fibery”) to tame my circular knitting needles. When I am done knitting for the day, I slide a bunny clip over the cord of the circular needles. If the project is small enough, both ends of the cord can be slipped into one clip. If the project is larger or getting a bit difficult to tame, slide a clip on each end of the needle where the flexible cord meets the needle. This will keep your yarn from sliding off the needles as well as keep all your stitch markers in place. You can find other, fancy needle tip covers but a pack of 18 of these darling little clips which come in an array of colors tames half a dozen projects currently on the needles with clips to spare (or share!).

This is just one of many off-label uses I’ve found for office supplies. I also use binder clips to seal bags of snack foods and I keep a hand stapler in my tea drawer to close my fill-it-yourself tea bags. I’m sure I have other unusual uses for office supplies that I can’t remember at this moment. What are your life hacks with office supplies?

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

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I have been using the Toronto Pen Company Pentastic CxPO brass folded nibs (C$40.00) designed for tester bottles (sample vials) since the Toronto Pen Show in 2018. These brass folded nibs were designed to fit into standard dip pen holders and made small enough to fit into most fountain pen ink sample containers.

Folded nibs are dipped into ink like a dip nib and then are applied to paper at various angles to create various stroke widths. They require some experimentation to find the “sweet spot” to get the best flow and the look you want. Some people like to get lots of line variation, others prefer more of a calligraphic look and some like the occasional spatter or bloop that might happen.

Depending on what paper is used, or what ink, folded nibs are far more likely to bleed or feather because folded nibs lay down a lot more ink than a dip nib. Folded nibs are not flexible but, because the surface area is broad and smooth, the line width can vary as a result of the large open slot that allows ink to flow out.

To demonstrate how the nibs work, I tried three different papers, both nibs and two shades of the Sailor North America Ink Series: Colorado and California. The first paper I tried was Rhodia Uni Bloc No. 18 Blank ($13.75), my standard pen and ink testing paper. The folded nibs definitely laid down more ink than the Rhodia paper could handle in this case. I didn’t find this the case with all the inks I tried over the weekend but these inks are pretty wet. Just so you know. The blobbing and feathering occurred most often at the moments when I had to dip my pen.

The next stock I tried was a mixed media sketchbook, the Bee Paper Aquabee Super Deluxe 9″x12″ Sketchbook ($15.59), which also had some bleeding and feathering issues when the ink was heaviest. Again, it was probably most likely when I had just dipped for more ink. The ink colors look better though. The nib on the left created the thinner lettering on the top two lines and the nib on the right created the lettering on the bottom two lines.

Finally, I used the Col-o-ring OVERSIZE ($15) and the Colorado ink and BOOM! I wasn’t really expecting it to outperform the Aquabee paper. I swear. I wasn’t trying to make a pitch for our little notebooks. But the proof is in the pudding, which in this case is a lot of sheen and no feathering.  Paper performance aside, the top lettering was done with the folded nib shaped like a butter knife (the nib on the right in the photo above) and the wider lettering at the bottom was done with the folded nib shaped more like a palette knife (the nib on the left with the flat end).

As for the nib holders, the black holder is labeled “Free Penholder” and I have no idea where it came from. The other is one of my favorites as you can tell by the accumulated ink stains. It’s a Tachikawa Comic Pen Nib Holder Model 40 ($8.25). It’s a blonde wood with a soft rubberized grip. If you don’t have a dip pen holder, buy this one. You won’t regret spending a couple extra dollars but you won’t have to empty the bank account.

What we discovered over the weekend was that the Pentastic Folded Nibs were great fun for using up ink and paper. We wrote out quotes, the silly things we said and the ridiculous things the kids said. It was fun to practice our lettering, let loose and play and make a mess. You definitely have to be ready to cut loose and be messy. But it’s great fun and the Pentastic nibs are well made and tons of fun.

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

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What is all the fuss about a “long point”?

For this long-time colored pencil user, long points are not needed (or wanted) for most colored pencil purposes. So when I first began using graphite pencils more seriously for drawing and writing and became involved in the pencil community, I was fascinated by the deep discussions I observed regarding sharpeners that can produce the longest points. I’ve been using a KUM Automatic Brake Long Point two-step sharpener on graphite pencils for years, and it makes a nice long point, though I don’t think of it as special. However, the Möbius & Ruppert Pollux seems to be the most popular for producing both a long and highly esteemed concave point. I know of no other sharpener that can do this except the newish one from Blackwing – the one-step long point. I decided to try it.

True to Blackwing’s branding and form (and expected for the price of $20), the sharpener comes in a sturdy, matte black box with a drawer that slides out. The sharpener, too, is all matte black except for the glossy logo. Its shape reminds me of my Redline flashlight. The asymmetrically placed hole apparently bothers some people, but I like it as a design element. When the top is unscrewed, the blade unit is easily removed (you’ll soon learn why this is important), and the large-capacity canister can be emptied. It’s a simple, elegant design.

For my first tests, I chose Blackwing pencils, of course. I just happened to have on my desk a brand new, turmeric yellow Volume 3 limited edition pencil dedicated to Ravi Shankar. Typically with a new, unsharpened pencil, I would not use a handheld sharpener; I would shove that baby into an electric. But it was important to test a pencil from its bluntest of all stages (plus I was eager to sharpen that sunny yellow beauty). I also picked out a Blackwing already in use that was in need of sharpening – in this case, a Volume 211.

It was a bit tedious to use a hand-held sharpener from the beginning, but the one step’s barrel is comfortable to hold. There is no “stopper” feeling as I’m used to with the two-step KUM, so I took the pencil out several times to see how much I had sharpened.

The point that resulted is indeed long, but it looks a bit rough and not exactly concave. I thought the wood, especially at the top of the collar, also looked a bit ragged.

The 211 came out with a better-looking long point without ragged edges and with concavity. The collar looked better also, but still not as smooth as other sharpeners I use. I was satisfied, though, that the Blackwings had been sharpened adequately for basic use.

Next I picked up three other pencils that needed sharpening – a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni HB, a Tombow Mono 100 4B, and a Musgrave Unigraph 2B. The only casualty was the Musgrave, whose lead snapped while I was sharpening. This is where the easy opening and disassembly came in handy: I could remove the blade unit and tap it vigorously against the side of my wastebasket to try to dislodge the broken lead piece. That didn’t work, so I had to use a ballpoint pen to poke it loose. All three sharpened up with good points.

Although I knew that the one-step is intended for use with graphite pencils only, I also knew that any sharpener I carry is likely to be used with a colored pencil eventually, either intentionally or inadvertently. (Better to find out how it performs at the comfort of my desk than when I’m standing on the sidewalk trying to finish a sketch.) First I tried a Caran d’Ache Supracolor water-soluble colored pencil, and it sharpened like a champ! I don’t need or want it to have a concave point that can be used as a weapon, so I stopped a bit short, but I think it looks better than some of the graphite pencil points.

Finally, I spotted a Staedtler Mars Lumograph 8B that needed to be freshened, so I gave that a sharpen, too. Not bad at all. The one-step can take thick cores as well as average cores.

Final Impressions

I’m satisfied with all the points I got. After scribbling with all my test pencils, I’m not sure I fully appreciate the benefits of concavity. However, none of the tippy-tips immediately snapped off as often happens with freshly sharpened pencils under my heavy hand, so that’s probably one benefit. I think I’m going to stick with my policy of putting new, unsharpened pencils into an electric or hand-crank desk model instead of the Blackwing. For whatever reason, all the refreshed points came out better than the new Blackwing I tried.

Finally, is it worth the $20 price compared to a $5 plastic KUM (or all the many other inexpensive, plastic handhelds I own)? It looks better on my desk and feels better in my hand. It will likely last longer. I can’t honestly say it sharpens better.

(I purchased this sharpener with my own money.)

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

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

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I had the matte black Allex S-165F Office Scissors with Fluorine Coating($18.50) in my cart on JetPens for eons and I finally decided to buy them. Their most notable feature is that glue and other sticky substances will not stick to the blades.  The insides of the holes for your fingers are lined with silicone for a softer grip. This makes it more comfortable for long collage sessions. Even Bob, whose hands are much bigger than mine, has commented that he likes using these scissors for day-to-day cutting in the studio.

So far I haven’t gotten a lot of glue or stickiness on the scissors but they are light, well-balanced and cut cleanly. The blades are sharp!

The glue stick I purchased is the Kokuyo Gloo. I purchased the medium Gloo stick in disappearing blue ($4 per sick). I was enticed by the simple clean design on the outside of the tube. The Gloo sticks have a slightly wider end that makes it easier to stand them on one end. Everything about the Kokuyo GLoo stick in terms of performance is pretty consistent with a lot of other brands on the market. The square shape makes getting into corners a little easier.

The confusing part for me is that the glue end is the one with wider cap end which is different from almost every other brand I’ve used so I kept trying to pull the twist end off. “Turn the square end, pull the round end off.”

The smell of this Gloo stick is mild but a little sweet. It’s definitely not chemically or offensive but might not be suitable around small children who might eat glue because it smells pretty nice. Way better than Elmer’s glue.

So, if you’re itching to do a little creative paper cutting, these tools are a great start. I have been watching some of Lisa Congdon’s Creative Boot Camp – Six Exercises to Spark Artistic Discovery on Creativebug and it features a lot of collage and papercutting if you want to try collage but need a jumping off point.

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

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