Initium

Staedtler’s posh pencil and Atoma’s posh notebook

Expensive pencil purchases

There are two pencil purchases I’ve been thinking about for a while. One of them is a Rotring 800+, but with a price tag of more than £40 I haven’t been able to convince myself to buy it yet [1]I guess I should buy it. In a recent Pen Addict podcast they were talking about a similar situation https://www.relay.fm/penaddict/204 , it all reminds me of a Bavarian movie called ‘The sooner … Continue reading.

Every now and then I check whether I find a good offer for this pencil in online stores, on Amazon and on eBay. Earlier this week I was just checking CultPens again (so far they have been the cheapest store for the Rotring 800+ when taking postage  into account) when I saw an offer I couldn’t resist: Lots, really lots, of ‘free’ items if you buy a Staedtler Initium pen.

 

cultpens-initium
So many ‘free’ add-ons…

The Atoma leather notebook

The most tempting of these ‘free’ add-ons was Atoma’s Leather notebook [2]Mady by Belgium’s Ruitertassen.. Most tempting for two reasons:

  • I am using my Atoma notebooks on a daily basis, at work and at home, and I really like it
  • and I really like the look and the graceful ageing of tanned leather [3]Think Yo no bi, which reminds me: I just hope my Rustico notebook doesn’t get too dark over time, but based on experience with a leather bag I think I will be fine

…so this notebook was the reason why I went ahead and ordered the Staedtler Initium pencil.

I think I was probably even more interested than I otherwise would have been because of the recent flood of blog posts about William Hannah’s similar notebook after they sent free samples and discounted samples to many bloggers [4]including Scribble, Philofaxy, Pen Paper Pencil and Gourmet Pens.

Drool, so much nice stationery
Drool, so much nice stationery

Staedtler’s premium line

I do love Staedtler products, you might have noticed that this blog has more articles about Staedtler than about any other manufacturer [5]So fat there are 50 Staetdler articles. Faber-Castell, the number two only has  39 articles at Bleistift. but so far I haven’t been very excited about their foray into the world of more expensive stationery, their Initium line. Based on the photos I have seen online I think the Initium fountain pens look like cheap ‘own brand’ pens from a high street stationery chain – I might revise my opinion when I see one in reality, though, photos can be deceptive. The pencil on the other hand looks nice to me, but maybe not >£60 nice. So I went with the mechanical pencil instead. On the photos it looks better than the fountain pen, but I couldn’t really imagine how the clip works – is there a spring like in the Lamy 2000?

staedtler-atoma2

Arrived!

Well, my purchase has arrived now, I just unpacked the items. First impression: The body of the Staedtler pencil looks a bit more plasticy than expected, but overall it looks good. The Atoma leather notebook looks just amazingly beautiful!

staedtler-atoma1

I’m very much looking forward to trying all the items out.

staedtler-atoma3

 


You can read more about Atoma in my 2012 blog post about this system.

References

References
1 I guess I should buy it. In a recent Pen Addict podcast they were talking about a similar situation https://www.relay.fm/penaddict/204 , it all reminds me of a Bavarian movie called ‘The sooner you die, the longer you are dead’
2 Mady by Belgium’s Ruitertassen.
3 Think Yo no bi, which reminds me: I just hope my Rustico notebook doesn’t get too dark over time, but based on experience with a leather bag I think I will be fine
4 including Scribble, Philofaxy, Pen Paper Pencil and Gourmet Pens
5 So fat there are 50 Staetdler articles. Faber-Castell, the number two only has  39 articles at Bleistift.

Staedtler’s posh pencil and Atoma’s posh notebook Read More »

Digital pencil

Staedtler introduced a digital pen a while ago. I never got excited about it and have seen a similar looking digital pen in Aldi in the UK. It looked so similar that I was wondering whether they were the same and whether Staedtler just relabelled an OEM product.

Their new digital product might be more interesting, though I don’t have any further information yet [1]I asked Staedtler for further information and will let you know if I get a reply.. It’s a digital pencil‽ [2]Two ideas so far: It could either just be a pencil similar to Faber-Castell’s Perfect Pencil with a conductive end, to be used on tablets and phones, or, less likely, it could be something … Continue reading You can see some picture at their Initium site. You’ll also find pictures of their new fountain pens there.

 

References

References
1 I asked Staedtler for further information and will let you know if I get a reply.
2 Two ideas so far: It could either just be a pencil similar to Faber-Castell’s Perfect Pencil with a conductive end, to be used on tablets and phones, or, less likely, it could be something similar to Staedtler’s existing digital pen.

Digital pencil Read More »