I had the pleasure of being joined by Robb Knight this week to discuss a new hobby he is beginning to explore: stationery. Remember when you bought your first fountain pen? Robb does, because it was yesterday.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
Stickers are basically tiny adhesive doses of dopamine. Cute pictures you can put on stuff? Makes the day instantly better. There's a reason they put fun pictures on Band-Aids. And it's the same reason I put stickers all over my planner: to prevent weeping.
Okay, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it's true that some well-placed stickers can help curb the emotional turmoil of an overwhelming to-do list. So I always try to keep a stock of cute stickers on hand. The Mu Kiss-Cut Clear Sticker Rolls are perfect for this purpose.
The immediately obvious charm of these stickers is their storage format. The stickers come on a roll of tape backing, and that roll is wound up onto a plastic spool. You can pull the tape of stickers out from the spool, select your sticker, then twist the knob at the top of the spool to wind them back up into their case. It keeps the stickers tidy and makes a charming desk accessory. A dot of rubber on the end of the tape prevents the end from disappearing into the case.
Even if it weren't for the nifty container, I'd praise these stickers, though. The pictures are beautiful with a watercolor look to them. The themes available right now on JetPens are: Beautiful Day in the Woods, Finding Inspiration in Nature, Enjoy the Little Things, Live Your Life in Color, and Capturing the Moment. They all have a soft color palette and calming vibe. The Inspiration in Nature set, which I got, has a mixture of pictures and words. They peel off their backing easily and stick well to paper.
Each roll has 62 stickers that appear three times, for a total of 183 stickers. That's a lot! And I appreciate that it includes so many unique designs. At first glance, I thought the price tag of $14.00 was a little steep, but after seeing how many stickers there are on this roll and seeing how nice they are, I think it's very reasonable. It's a lot of happiness rolled up in one wee spool.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
No matter how many fountain pens I accumulate, I'll have a soft spot for pocket fountain pens. They're under-represented in the grand scheme, and they're just so cute and utilitarian by nature. Normally, a pocket pen means you also have a smaller ink capacity, but that's not the case at all with the Opus 88 Mini.
The colorway I have is called Stripes, and I love the mixture of blues, greens, purples, and pinks that they incorporate into the materials. The pen is just 4.5 inches (11.8 cm) long when closed, and just 0.6 inches (15.4 mm) in diameter. Despite being so short, the diameter is actually a bit larger compared to other pocket pens I've used in the past. It's the same diameter and shape as a standard-size pen, which means it's really comfortable to hold.
Uncapped, the pen is 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) long, and 5.5 inches (14 cm) when the cap is posted. The posted length is pretty much the same as a closed standard-size pen.
The best part about these dimensions (particularly the diameter) is how they translate to ink capacity. Like other Opus 88 pens, this one is also an eyedropper design, meaning it holds an astonishing amount of ink for its size. Holding between 2-3 ml of ink, this puts cartridge-converters to shame. Filling and cleaning is a simple task, and you also get the added security of the ink reservoir being shut off from the feed when the pen is closed.
The Mini uses a #5 Jowo steel nib, which fits the small nature of the pen quite well. Plus, the small nib allows the cap to be just a bit smaller as well. The fine nib in my unit works perfectly out of the box, and I've been really happen with how it writes. The nib is stiff and produces crisp line edges while still feeling smooth and consistent while writing. The feed does a great job of supplying the ink to the end of the nib. There's not much flex to this nib, but you can tease out a little line variation if you practice putting pressure on the nib while making downstroke marks.
Going back to the materials and colors of the pen body and cap, I'm still so happy with my choice of the Stripes colorway. The body of the pen is fair simple — the blind cap and grip section are both polished black acrylic, but the body is made of a translucent blue/turquoise acrylic material that allows you to see the ink and inner workings of the pen along with the threads for the blind cap fitting. I love translucent colored materials, and this one is no exception. It's pure joy seeing ink slosh around in the body.
The cap also has a polished black finial, but the rest of the cap is made up of stripes of colors that go around the diameter of the pen. The sections aren't all the same size, which adds some visual interest and diversity. All of the colors they used in the cap are complimentary to the lovely aqua color of the body material.
To top off all the acrylic colors, the pen features silver trim that brings everything together. The clip is easy to use, but still stiff and strong enough to keep it secured to anything that fits in the opening.
I've really enjoyed writing with this pen and carrying it around with me. It's not the smallest pocket pen, but it's still really cute and fun to handle. The grip section is a little on the small side for my fingers, but I get used to the size quickly once I write a couple of words. Overall, this pen is just another fantastic example of Opus 88 craftsmanship and aesthetics.
The Opus 88 Mini Stripes Pocket fountain pen is $79 and comes with your choice of EF, F, M, B, or 1.4mm italic steel nib. If the colors of the Stripes model aren't your jam, there are plenty of other options as well.
If you love the size of the Kaweco Sport but want a larger ink capacity, I think the Opus 88 Mini is a great option to think about. The pen is a solid performer with a massive ink reservoir, and the color options are super fun.
(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
