Monteverde 36 Slot Pen Case Review
Let's dive right in . . .
- holds 36 pens (18 on each side)
- padded nylon cover with faux leather accents
- velour interior
- stiff partition to keep the pens on either side of the case from rubbing together
- zipper close (single pull)
There are some good things about this case . . .
- padded nylon cover seems durable
- rounded corners help prevent wear and tear
- exterior looks good - nice even, tight stitching, and I like the half-moon "grip" area of the case
- velour interior is super-soft
Before we get to the rest of this review, I should let you know that I received this item from Goulet Pens in exchange for my honest review of it.
There is one ungood (it's a word, autocorrect!) thing about this Monteverde Pen Case . . .
The elastic seems a bit too loose for slimmer pens, and most better cases have two pieces of elastic holding each pen.
Here are some more pictures . . .
See how the pens above lean against each other? It just took a tiny nudge.
If you think I'm showing off my Lamy collection, you're right.
At just $40, this case is a good deal. If they exist, I couldn't find other pen cases that hold as many pens in this same price range. Because of the situation with the elastics, I wouldn't use this for my best and most expensive pens - call me paranoid - but I would use it for every day pens. In fact, after I took these photos, I loaded it right up with a bunch of my vintage pens and feel that they are well-protected.
Your turn - how do you store your pens? And..uh...exactly how many pens do you have to store? (I should do a nib count here someday!)
xoxo
PS..after I had this review written, but not yet published, Brian Goulet took a quick look at this Monteverde Case. He shakes the heck out that thing and says he uses this case himself. Check it out.
Thanks for rubbing your Lamy collection in our faces :) Great collection, BTW. As for the case, I agree that it's pretty hard to find better value for the money. I only wish they had different sizes at different price points. 36 slots would be too much for someone like me who doesn't really collect a lot of pens. Right now, I'm ashamed to say, I keep everything lumped together in cups.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by (love your blog!). Monteverde doesn't seem to have a smaller-sized option. I have a couple of Franklin-Christoph Penvelopes and recently came across the Aston Leather cases from Goulet Pens (saving up for on of these!).
DeleteIn the past, I've used pen trays, padded velvet thingies, and (more recently) the pen holders from Dudek Modern Goods.
That case looks pretty cool and I love the rainbow of Lamys. Do you ever have trouble with any of your Lamy Safaris skipping? I have one that drives me crazy with it. I have cleaned it and reinked it several times and it still does it. I use a cartridge instead of the converter and it makes no difference at all.
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie..I've never had a problem like that with any of my Safari or Al-Stars. I have, however, heard of problems with the Safaris as far as consistency with nibs goes.
DeleteHave you tried swapping the nib and seeing if that helps? Brian Goulet has a video for how. Here's a link: http://www.gouletpens.com/Articles.asp?ID=324
I haven't tried that yet. I have a couple of other Safaris and maybe I will swap out the nibs and see if it helps. Thanks for the suggestion - I don't know why I didn't think of that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honest review. I agree with the need for an upper and lower loop for each pen. Pens need to be secure to keep them from scrapping and if they don't have a clip.
ReplyDeleteI too was swayed by their ad and ordered one. I am currently using mine as a holding pen for my repair candidates. I have ended up only using every other elastic loop in order to avoid any head banging. I guess I ended up really getting an 18 pen case. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. If you've not seen the video, you should have a look. Brian shakes that thing like mad and the pens don't move around.
DeleteI have mixed feelings about the case still. I filled it up various pens - not my MB, though. Just in case ;)
I actually prefer cases with one elastic band. IMO they cause less wear then two. I hate taking pen and particularly pen clip in and out of two tight elastic bands. One loos will cause less micro damage. And unless you shake the case with vigour and throw it around pens don't really touch each other.
ReplyDelete