Review: Quiver Pen Holder

When I saw this newly-released pen holder late last year, I was both curious and excited because of its name. Most people know I named my blog after the centaur with a bow and arrow that is my sign, but only a few knows that I am a former archer. Which is why the pen holder held my attention the moment I saw it. It brought back happy archery memories way, way back. When I was an archer, a leather hip quiver held my arrows, and now that I am a pen collector, a unique pen holder holds two of my favorite pens to a favorite notebook, and it is called the Quiver.

Quiver Global's Bob Koch kindly sent me one of their pen holders to review. I received a double/dual pen holder for large notebooks and I used it as soon I took it out of the envelope. It was love at first sight. Who wouldn't fall for these penholders? They are made from genuine soft leather and hand-stitched by Quiver's skilled leather craftsmen. It's perfect for my pens! I got a brown pen holder, but it is also available in black.

The Quiver pen holder is very easy to use because of its simple design. Just slide the pen holder over the notebook's front cover and move it according to the desired position. The photo below shows the wide elastic band that keeps the pen holder secure on the notebook's cover. This elastic band also offers maximum flexibility to the pen holder so it can be used on a number of large notebooks. Quiver's website has a list of Quiver-compatible notebooks.

The double/dual Quiver pen holder comfortably accommodates two pens. Its soft leather can be stretched a bit, so two large pens can fit in. I tested several pen combinations shown in the photos below, and I paired a big-sized pen with a thin one so they will not scratch each other.

On the Webbie: Haolilai and Esterbrook SJ. 

On the Reecovid notebook: Lamy Safari and Sheaffer thin cartridge pen.

On my red Scribe notebook: Waterman Hemisphere and Lamy Safari.

Lastly, two birds on my 2011 Starbucks planner: Pelikan M200 and the yellow M205 demo from the M205 Duo set. Love, love, love this combo!

The pen and notebook combinations are great! I love seeing two of my favorite pens on the cover of my notebooks and it makes writing very easy for me. I don't need to open a long pen wrap to get a pen to write, I just need to get one from my Quiver.

Quiver pen holders are available for online purchase through Quiver Global site. Other Quiver products include:

• single pen Quiver for small notebooks;
• single pen Quiver for large notebooks; and
• double pen Quiver for small notebooks.

Quiver also offers an adapter for use in softcover notebooks. Also available are a number of Combo Sets that include any Quiver pen holder paired with a Moleskine notebook of choice.

The Quiver pen holder used in this review is courtesy of Quiver Global. Webbie is from Exaclair, Reecovid from Reecovid, and Scribe from Scribe. Pens and Starbucks planner belong to my personal collection.

Read More

My New Year Babies

I recently posted an entry showing photos of my new Starbucks 2008 planner. I actually did not write anything to describe the planner, except say “Here are some photos of my New Year baby...” Days after I posted that entry, a friend showed me her new Jollibee planner which prompted me to get one too. Well now, I got two planners that I oh-so love that I’d like to write about them as my first seriously written entry for 2008. (God, I’m really a sucker for these things…)

Now meet my New Year babies…

For purposes of comparison, I’m going to write a simple review of both planners using the following criteria: cover material and design, paper used in inside pages, inside pages design, binding, size and portability, and oh, freebies. This comparison though, does not mean in anyway, a preference for anyone of the two.

Cover material and design:

Starbucks: Soft tanned leather, which according to Starbucks, is made of real cowhide. Images of leaves (which are also printed on the inside cover) are stamped on the leather, on the front part of the cover. A small piece of leather is sewn on the middle right part of front cover, together with a wide elastic band to keep the planner intact. Stamped on the leather are the words “STARBUCKS COFFEE 2008”. [For a Moleskine lover like me, this elastic band is a runaway winner.]


Jollibee: Thick and sturdy laminated board. On the cover is abstract art which is predominantly red. On the bottom right part of the cover, printed in red is “Jollibee”. This planner also has a bookmark which is very useful in locating pages. [But then, yes, I will be honest and admit that this Jollibee planner is a rip-off of the Starbucks’ 2006 planner, which incidentally, is my first Starbucks planner. The laminated cover, perfect binding, and discount coupons placed in pockets at the back cover page just screams Starbucks.]


Paper used in inside pages:

Starbucks: A lot of previous users are disappointed over this year’s planner’s paper. Well, so am I. The paper used for this year’s planner is not the smooth type they used in the previous years. This year’s is somewhat thicker, but grainy and pulpy. But let us not call it “cheap” and “below standards”. Starbucks chose to use a different paper stock. That’s it. But yes, I’m disappointed because now, I cannot use any of my 0.7 Pilot G2s and my Parker Vector fountain pen to write on my Starbucks planner because the paper’s grainy quality just bleeds them to death! Oh, well. Now I must use a different set of pens.



Jollibee: For a first-time production, Jollibee did an excellent job in using a special paper stock for its planner’s inside pages. The paper is smooth, so easy to write on, and very similar to the paper stock used for the 2006 Starbucks planner. Jollibee’s paper is not as thick, though, so that what’s printed (or written) on one side is visible on the other side. Again, due to this fact, I won’t be able to use any of my .7 G2s, Parker Vector FP, or even my set of MonAmi Gel Pets. All I could use on it are Pilot G4 Techs, or if I’m in the mood to go ballpoint, I could use my Inoxcrom or the set of Faster pens I oh-so love.



Inside pages design (See above photos):

Starbucks: Starbucks has never failed to amuse me with the unique designs used in their merchandise, and of course, with the design used on the yearly planners. This distinct branding is very successful in making Starbucks a class of its own. The inside pages allow weekly views, and a page for notes is always provided at the end of any given month. Also, tiny bits of information about coffee are provided together with some personalized notes about Starbucks and its patronage. One low point here is that, they “recycled” an artwork from the 2006 planner. For you Starbucks planner users out there, find it out for yourselves! Haha!

Jollibee: Jollibee is simply amazing. [I know that’s a slogan for Smart Communications, but let me borrow it for Jollibee in the meantime.] In keeping with their tradition of promoting Filipino values, each month begins with a full-color image of Pinoy activities related to the particular month. Jollibee products are also included, but very well presented that it doesn’t look like a product ad at all.

Binding:

Starbucks: This year’s planner is ring-bound with a metal binder that is attached to the leather cover with two small screws. Pages can be easily detached from the binder. Now this can either be good or bad. For me, it works fine because I can easily take out the pages while I write on them, and return them to the binder when I’m done. To some, this may be tricky as pages can be lost when they are detached from the binder.

Jollibee: Hard-bound with a very sturdy spine. But I still prefer the ring-bound, though. No offense meant to Jollibee, or to any hard-bound or perfectly-bound notebooks [I’m a Moleskine user, remember?], but I have always preferred ring-bound [or spiral, as they are called here] notebooks through the years. I guess because they can be easily folded, and I can tear off pages easily.

Size and portability (See cover photos on top):

Starbucks: Height: 8.5 in.; width: 6.5 in; thickness: 1 in. Inside pages: 5.5 x 8.25 in. The leather cover makes the planner bulky and difficult to cram into smaller bags. But it’s portable enough to carry around. [I was able to carry last year’s Titanic planner, so what’s the problem with this one?]

Jollibee: Height: 8.5 in.; width: 5.75; thickness: .75 in. Well, I’m giving in. I have nothing more to say except that, yes, this planner is very, very, very portable.

Freebies:

Starbucks: A pencil and a set of Starbucks greeting cards.


Jollibee: A full set of discount coupons enough to last the year.


See the comparison now? Both planners have their low points, but hey, they do have redeeming qualities. But wait. Somewhere, there is a little demarcation between the two. I love writing business items on my Starbucks planner, while I prefer to write more “personal’ matters in the Jollibee planner. I enjoy using different ink colors in the Starbucks planner to color-code activities and events, while I noticed that I had, for two weeks now, written in my Jollibee planner using just a single pen/ink: my black .5 Pilot G2. The elegance of black ink on the ecru-colored paper is truly incomparable.

After more than two weeks with me, I found out that I do enjoy using both planners to plan my week (or months); write special events and activities; or to simply doodle on. I especially placed an emphasis on the fact that I do not prefer any of the two because somewhere, there are people who, in deference to one, resort to berating the other. But let’s not do that. Starbucks will forever be Starbucks, and lugging around a bulky planner with ugly paper and “jologs”-colored elastic strap will always be an “in” thing. And if we want the Starbucks planner, then let’s go for it. Forget the fact that we may need to spend close to 3,000 pesos in coffee enough to keep us awake for months. Didn’t you know that gulping gallons of coffee is not the only way to get your hands on that leather-covered planner? Have you ever been to eBay? (wink)

On the other hand, Jollibee’s serious effort to produce a classy planner deserves a 30-minute standing ovation. And yes, I called it classy because it is. As I said, this is very Pinoy, very personal, very close to our hearts. Maybe that’s the reason why I keep personal stuff in there aside from the ones I put in my Journal. But that’s another story. So if you belong to the hoard-anything-that’s-Jollibee generation, grab your planners now!

Read More

What's in My Bag

In August, Lifehacker.com asked its readers to send in photos of their 'Go Bags'. A photo submitted must show all the contents of a 'Go Bag', and a full text description. Lifehacker was so swamped with submissions that they had to do Parts 2 and 3.

When I submitted my entry, they were well into the 2nd part. But Part 3 came and my bag still wasn't selected. Oh, well. So here it is. My own 'Go Bag'. (Note: below the photo is a full description of my bag's contents.)

1. Foldable fan. Very useful in the hot and humid Philippine climate.
2. Small pouch. I use this to carry several items like keys, cellphones, wallet, mp3 players and flash drives. Very handy when I need to go out to lunch, or when I run errands and I cannot bring my back pack, like when I do grocery shopping.
3. My Nokia 3100. Super durable, super efficient. It’s been with me since November 2005 and I never had any problems with it. Not even with its battery.
4. My Samsung SGH-X160. It’s good to have two phones with two different mobile carriers. In case the other doesn't work, I can still have the other.
5. My blue 6G iPod mini. I love it! Thanks to Apple for blue iPods.
6. Alternate mp3 player. Creative Zen 512M.
7. Combination locksets for my bag’s two zippered compartments. I use these when I need to leave/deposit my backpack, like in the supermarket or bookstore.
8. My luckiest LA Gear wallet. Had this one since 1999. Super durable.
9. Baby lotion. A quick solution for skin dryness especially inside our air conditioned office rooms. It helps that this is water-based so it’s light. I don’t get the “sticky” feel.
10. Baby cologne. So refreshingly sweet. Can’t go wrong with this.
11. Comb. Useful when needed. Not that I always need to tidy up my short hair.
12. Visine. When my eyes get tired and strained.
13. My medication for asthma. Symbicort and Ventolin.
14. Toothpaste and toothbrush.
15. My blue earphones.
16. My black earphones. I need two earphones. I don’t know why, but I do. Hee-hee.
17. Bench™ hankie and a small towel (underneath the hankie).
18. External drive with 80G capacity and its cable.
19. Flashdrives. 2G (black) and 256M (gray)
20. ID card.
21. Rosary. This one’s very precious to me because it was a gift from my youngest brother.
22. Small expandable folder to hold and organize receipts, post-it notes, business cards, and other ID cards. It also has my passport and flu vaccination card.
23. Pill box. It contains all of my medicines for allergies, GERD, and various first aid medications: aspirin, paracetamol, loperamide.
24. Isopropyl alcohol. 70%. A small bottle is always very handy.
25. Off lotion. It’s a mosquito repellent lotion.
26. Small pouch containing cables, card reader, and a USB port hub.
27. Pens. Pens. Pens. And lots of pens.
28. The Body Shop’s clear lip gloss.
29. Blistex Gloss and Shine.
30. Mesaki lip shine. Green Apple and BubbleGum.
31. Body Shop lip balms. Satsuma and Strawberry.
32. Berroca. Best upper ever. Better than coffee.
33. Compact mirror.
34. My Starbucks 2007 Diary Planner. Can’t go out of the house without it. Also has a small notebook inside the leather case.
35. Glasses. One dark, while the other is my “working” glasses.
36. Keys. For my apartment, for the office.
37. Finally, an incomplete photo of the “go” bag. It’s a Nike black and gray back pack, bought at a sports store in February 2006, which makes it an 19-month old bag. But never underestimate it, though. This bag’s been with me to Thailand, Batangas, Boracay, anywhere! And it’s still standing. Hurray!!! It’s one tough bag.

Read More