New Pen Case Setup

I can hardly believe it has already been a month since I began using my new pen case. The pen case in question is a collaboration between Wonder Pens and The Superior Labor (TSL), and is listed as the pen and wallet case on the Wonder Pens website.

I eagerly placed a pre-order for one at the end of July and waited patiently until it arrived at my doorstep in September. This new pre-order system for the Wonder Pens x TSL collaborations was something I was able to get behind right away - I personally prefer waiting for a product like this to be created and delivered than setting the clock and being bound to a stricter restock schedule. And on top of that, the waiting was very much worth it.

I chose the natural leather because I enjoy seeing leather wear in with time, and I planned to carry this pen case with me every day to work. This particular leather is supple yet still has some structure to it - I’m able to bend the case without a problem, but the leather resists a bit and bounces back to its original shape just as easily. If you’re at all familiar with The Superior Labor’s pen rolls, I would say it feels similar to that. Although I don’t own a pen roll myself, this pen case emits the same type of squeaks when you stretch the leather.

The pleasing look and feel of it aside, the pen case also offers functional slots inside. The right side has a larger pocket in the back and two card slots at the front. I don’t use this side very heavily at the moment - I usually keep a washi sample card or Kitta washi stickers in the card slot portion. Depending on how my daily work planner setup changes for next year, I can see myself using the back pocket to house functional stickers (e.g. dot stickers, schedule stickers, etc).

The left side has three pen slots, where I keep additional highlighters. My job involves a lot of project-based work and meticulous future planning, so I began to color code my to-dos as I took on additional responsibilities to keep my mind organized. I also keep a pencil in the innermost slot just in case - I’ve never run out of ink in all of my pens at the same time, but you never know!

The Superior Labor logo is stamped in gold foil at the front. TSL has a few different stylized logos that they stamp on their goods, and this one is probably my favorite. I’ve always loved the calligraphy-like style of this logo. The gold letters also look great against the natural leather, but they stand out just enough.

True to their words, “We take pride in craftsmanship and never skimp on time and effort,” the stitching in the pen case is impeccable. You may notice here that the pen case only opens on two sides - the top and the right. It’s still easy to get to the items inside, so I wouldn’t say it’s an issue at all. If you like your pen case to open all the way or lay flat, though, it’s definitely something to note.

Here’s a look at the pen case against my Sojourner B6 slim cover - it’s just a tad smaller on all sides. It’s a good size for an everyday carry and I’ve been really happy with it so far. I throw it into my commuter backpack five days a week and it has held up great with no visible scratches or marks. In the future, I’m thinking of using it for travel in order to lighten my travel carry even more.

Overall, I’m happy to report that I’m enjoying the pen case very much. It was one of the bigger purchases I made during the year, but the fact that I get to use it every single day at work makes it more meaningful to me. I make noticeably fewer stationery-related orders these days than I used to, and I find that the amount of joy I feel when I open each package now is far greater.

As much as I’d like to say cooler temperatures are descending upon us in the Bay Area, we seem to be stuck in between 75 and 85F during the daytime. The city of San Francisco itself is usually surrounded by fog and perpetually 65F, but in recent days has seen abundant sunshine near where I work. I’m sending you all a pocketful of California sunlight as we barrel down rapidly towards the holiday season - thank you always for reading.

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