Thursday, February 20, 2020

Document Ink Koh I Noor Prague trip

prague koh i noor pencil since 1790 hardmuth
This is a long-awaited moment for me, as I have been looking for this ink from Koh-I-Noor for some time with no success. I could not find it locally anywhere and it was the same story the first time I have visited Prague. It was not available in the shop. On my second visit I did not put much hope in finding it but ... here it is.
And when it rains it pours, I see that the official Koh I Noor website is selling it in Romania as well. For now, it is available only online, but maybe in the future, it will be available in stores as well; fingers crossed.

The Document ink is Koh I Noor's permanent ink. Available in blue or black colors, plastic bottles as the standard Koh I Noor ink, and in a more classic ink well made out of glass which comes in a cardboard box.
I have bought the more "elegant" version.
The inkwell has a classic look to it, with a white label on the face. The logo of Koh I Noor, underneath Document ink is written along with the quantity, 30 grams. 
It is a very dated design, a bit boring but I am not going to judge the ink by its label.
glass well permanent ink blue 30g

In this setup, it is more expensive. The price was 87 CZK which is 3.42 EUR or 3.82 USD. It is still very accessible but the standard ink is about 3 times cheaper and the quantity is almost double. 

But the comparison is not fair as the standard ink comes only in plastic bottles and not in a more premium glass well. You can "czeck" the standard ink out in this older post.

As I said this is a more expensive ink due to the fact it is permanent and because mine came in a glass ink well. But if you choose to buy the plastic bottle (image of it to the left) you will receive the same formula of ink in a  more economical package, and maybe a nicer design of the bottle and label.
This bottle is 50 ml and costs around 2.10 euros. Much better pricing. If we compare the cost of the document ink in plastic bottle to the standard ink the prices are closer as the standard costs around 1.25eur.



The box is plain white with blue writing. If you get the black document ink the writing on the box will be black. The design of the box is quite underwhelming, I will leave it at that.

ink well blue boxink well box

And apparently, it is not to be used by penguins?! I did not know why Koh I Noor forbids penguins to use their ink, a bit racist.
But it turns out this means that you should not freeze it.
ink well blue box made in Czech rep


The ink performs well, as I expected. It works well on cheap paper, it is smooth, it dries fast, and it does what is meant to do. It stays on paper regardless of external factors. It is an archiving ink so it is no thrills. The light blue looks nice but nothing special


The water resistance is excellent. You cant get it out of the paper no matter what you do to it.
I tested it under running tap water high flow cold and hot for 30 seconds.
I also left a piece of paper underwater for close to 10 minutes. The paper was a bit fragile and I just wanted to make sure it does not disintegrate

Before and after pictures.
 
note: I would like to say that the variance in color is caused by the lighting and the camera.

I am also testing the ink's resistance to UV rays. I will be back with the results.


PS. After taking a look at Koh I Noor website I see they have a new ink limited edition. It seems it is in the same plastic 50 ml bottle but the sticker is different.

Friday, February 7, 2020

Mephisto 0.7 Koh-I-Noor Prague souveniers


The second pencil souvenier in line from my recent trip to Prague, is a mechanical pencil named Mephisto.
I will spoil the read saying this is another gem by Koh-I-Noor. I was surprised by how nice the pencil feels and how well it is built.
The pencil features a plastic construction. It is available in different colors, and I chose this incredible dark metallic red color (almost candy apple).

It has a rubberized grip that may not appeal to everybody. Not to mention that the grip seems a bit high and it has an hourglass shape. So you can't really move your fingers too much up or down. It certainly has a sweet spot, it forces you to hold it in the way the designer thought you should hold the pencil.
Besides this, which is not a big deal for me, the rest of the pencil is awesome.

The clip has the name Koh-I-Noor stamped on it. Not too dip, but a nice touch. This is the only place where the name Koh I Noor appears on the pencil. The clips is very solid.

On the barrel, the name Mephisto and lead size are printed in silver lettering. Also, the plastic is color-coded, blue for 0.7 mm lead.

Like most pencils, it has a standard white eraser, covered by a chromed end cap with a hole on top for safety reasons. The endcap slides on and off easily, but not to easy. I did not have any trouble with it falling on its own while in the bag.
The lead is loaded by removing the entire color-coded plastic, along with the eraser and the chromed cap.
The cone tip is stainless or some sort of chromed metal.
It hides a retractable tip that works flawlessly. Either if you hide it or deploy it the action is smooth and does not require any pressure.
And the thing I love the most is the lack of wiggle of the tip. Just after seeing this implementation I can tell the pencil is incredibly well built. Most of the pencils in this price tier and above struggle. Not the end of the world but a definite turn off, especially if you are a stickler like me.

This pencil costs a little more, 113 czk which translates to 4.44 EUR or 4.93 USD.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Pelikan Souveran spotted in the movie Nine Lives

A new/old spot on the big screen, because it is a 2016 movie. It is a Pelikan Souveran, probably M1000 fountain pen, green body with black and gold trim cap.
cat fountain pen kevin spacey nine lives
The Pelikan fountain pen is placed on a big classic desk in a pen holder.  The action is taking place in Tom Brand's office. 
cat fountain pen kevin spacey nine lives
If you haven't seen the movie Tom Brand soul is passed in the cat which is adopted by Tom's family.

cat fountain pen kevin spacey nine lives
 Opposable thumbs take you a long way. In cat form, Tom has real trouble using his fountain pen.
tom brand pelikan can fountain pen
Tom's role is played by Kevin Spacey. He looks really cute :)
tom brand kevin spacey pelikan

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Mechanical Pencil Koh-I-Noor Versatil 5216, Prague souveniers


As you can remember from my recent post, I have visited Prague and 2 Koh-I-Noor shops. And of course, I had to bring back home a few souvenirs.
The first rabbit out of the bag is a Koh-I-Noor clutch pencil with 2 mm lead, Versatil 5216.
This first picture is not an exact representation of it's looks as it has a paler purple color and not a blueish tone.
The pencil looks very nice in my opinion, not to mention the price was incredible. Just 65 CZK (Czeck Koruna) which equates to 2.55 EUR or 2.84 USD. A real bargain.

The pencil body is a hexagon, painted in a nice purple color with gold lettering on one side. Koh - I Noor Hardmuth Versatil 5216. The printing could be improved as some of the letters are a bit fuzzy. The barrel I think it is made out of aluminum, while the mechanism inside is stainless steel and what looks like copper.
I have to say I am very pleased with the construction, I was expecting a cheap all-plastic no thrills 2 mm clutch pencil. The pencil has an integrated 4 spike sharpener in the push button as most Koh I Noor lead holders, and no pocket clip. It is a very classic design that I like, with a nice touch of modern brought by the colors it comes in.

The grip on the lead is good as the lead will not rotate when you try to sharpen it and will not slide in when you apply vertical pressure on the lead. This is nothing to brag about, as it should be standard, but Koh I Noor had this issue with some variants of this pencil made out of plastic.
 
Koh I Noor clutch pencil 2 mm fun colors all metal

All in all, I am very surprised by this mechanical pencil. Its low price and good quality, the feel in hand as well by the colors it is available in. I love it and I recommend everybody to get one or more of these pencils.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Happy new year

Happy new year dear friends !!
I wish all a great new year, a better year
full of achievements, full of joy and happiness
Enjoy every minute of the new year along the loved ones


 Pilot 2020 shaking mechanical pencil
still shaking in 2020

Monday, December 23, 2019

OEM Caran D'ache


I have spotted on the internet writing instruments branded with watch manufacturer names before. In a previous post, I have shown an OEM Kaweco. Now I came across a Caran D'ache 849 ballpoint branded with Patek. I have also seen Audemars Piguet branding on the 849 Caran D'ache.
I really like the fact that the OEM does not come from China in the form of a cheap ballpoint, but then again if you look at the prices of the watches produced by Patek Philippe ...

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Trip to Prague, Koh-I-Noor shop hunt

koh i noor pencils prague, storefront

I went on a trip to Prague and of course, I had to go hunting for Koh-I-Noor shops. 

As beautiful as Prague is, the weather was not the best, not even close. Around 1 - 3 degrees Celsius and constant rain. I wondered on the streets, but because of the weather and the limited time available, I only got to visit 2 Koh-I-Noor shops. One of the shops I had visited on a previous trip in Prague (link).
What I really like is that Koh-I-Noor knows how to promote themselves and associate the stationary brand to Czech and to Prague. I would say they are very proud of their tradition and that is great. Going to a Koh-I-Noor shop in Prague should be on everyone's tour. In the end, these shops are landmarks just like a church, a bridge...

koh i noor hedgehog pencils
  The first Koh-I-Noor shop visited was in the old town, in center. I was a mix of of pencils and souvenirs, so I don't think it's owned by Koh-I-Noor. Also, it was kind of a tourist trap as everything inside seemed a bit overpriced. On Google maps you will find this shop under the name Koh-I-Noor Pencils.
 

The second shop was the one I have visited on my previous trip. A very large shop dedicated exclusively to the Koh-I-Noor products (Koh-I-Noor Hardmuth as). It is located in the vicinity of Prague Castle. This shop had a smaller selection of clutch and mechanical pencils and it was more oriented to the artists. But I still managed to find some very interesting products, and not to mention the prices were better.
koh i noor hedgehogs
I really like the decor Koh-I-Noor uses in the shops. It has a feeling of traditional, classy, and very friendly. Also, they address a very wide range of customers. From kids to artists and everything in between.
koh i noor hedgehog

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Preview Koh-I-Noor hunt

souvenir bag koh i noor
This little bag contains the souvenirs which I brought back from my visit to Prague. This and a bag with a few boxes of chocolate that I forgot at the airport. 
The good part about the times we live in is, when someone spots an unattended bag in an airport, the security gets alerted immediately.
The story in a few lines: I went through the security check, just to realize that I am one bag short. I went back to see if I can find it on the bench I waited before. Of course, the bag wasn't there anymore I so I just went through security a second time. While going through the second security check I heard my name through the airport's loudspeakers. The bag was waiting for me at the gate. I got the chocolate back and a nice story to go with it.
If the bag would have been full of beer instead of chocolate I don't think I would've been so lucky :)

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Celebrating 100 posts on Paper and Digital

Paper and Digital has reached a milestone, One Hundred Posts.
It was very cool to see the number of posts was getting closer to the 100 mark but I didn't had a clear idea of what to do to celebrate it.
At first, I was just curious about what will the 100th post be (something random) as I was not preparing something for the occasion.
Then I started working on an interesting post, which has a good amount of research, to mark the milestone. But after the post was developing I thought I want it published later because the content itself was more interesting than a random number I decided to celebrate.


More or less this will be about me and the blog's journey.

I have started the blog in 2013 on the 18th of August, 6 years ago (74 months or 2282 days ago), with a blog post about slide rulers. I started the blog a bit eclectic, and with time I tried disciplining myself to stay in the stationary genre and not drift everywhere. It doesn't work all the time, but it is an ongoing process. It is so difficult because I find joy in a lot of things like: bicycles, wristwatches, knives, among many other things.

In the last year, I have put a little more time into it and posted more and with regularity. This shows in the traffic which has increased even if the numbers are on the low side.
My motivation comes from the fact that I like writing instruments, especially mechanical pencils and this is great that I haven't gotten discouraged or lost the interest over time.

For the future, I wish to improve the content that gets out. I would like to make better posts with more interesting content and better pictures.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Faber Castell Apollo and Grip


I have recently spotted a new pencil in shops, the Faber Castell Apollo. An alternative to Faber Castell Grip I (which has a sort of triangular grip section opposed to the circular one available on Grip II)
Apollo is a circular body and a triangular grip. I found the Appolo available in 4 colors
(barely visible in the background on the left). Black, dark blue, purple and washed out pink.

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