Hi everyone! I was recently contacted by Executive Pens Direct to review some of the pens the offer. They have also provided a discount code which I will include after my review.
I have had my eye on the Rotring range for quite some time. The all-metal build, the premium look and the extra features really made the whole product line feel very top-of-the-range when you talk about mechanical pencils. When I was contacted by Steven who offered to let me review one, I couldn’t say no.
In the hand the 600 feels quite light, but very solid. It weighed in at 22 grams with the lead that came with it, which I think surprised me a little. But it means you could use this pencil all day without hand fatigue.
It has an excellent balance which means you can both write, rule and sketch with great control. The knurled grip has a lot of… well… grip, and assuming you don’t hold it too tightly (as I am prone to do) there shouldn’t be any issues using this as a daily writer / note taker.
At the top the 600 has some of the best features I have seen in a while. A swivel indicator for lead grade, a metal eraser-holder so you can get to every last millimeter of the eraser (and makes it easy to replace), a solid clip and a metal eraser cover to complete the look.
Down at the pointy end (no pun intended) you can see the excellent grip and the fixed 4mm long lead sleeve. This will prevent breakages and gives you an excellent view of what you are working on, but can get a little sharp if you put it directly into a pocket. The HB lead provided with the pencil was a little light for me, but that’s just personal preference.
In conclusion, this is an excellent tool for someone who is in a drafting industry, or uses mechanical pencils to sketch a lot. At ~30GBP ($40USD) it could seem a little expensive to someone who is used to buying $3 Bic’s, but it is a solid instrument that will be with you for a long, long time.
Thanks again to Steven from Executive Pens Direct for the sample to review! They currently have a promotion running for this week (National Stationery Week in the UK, 23rd – 29th of April) so if you use the code “NSW2018″ at checkout you will get 15% off everything!
Hey guys, this is a guest post by Jeremy Raynold, a top freelance writer. Stationery Review would just like to thank him for his time and his unique tips on using notebooks for your business.
How many times has it happened to you, that you have your morning coffee and a creative idea for your business just appears in your head? But then you leave home for a work and forget about it. Or you have a good motivating phrase in your head, but when the time comes to speak to your employees, you forget about it too. Or you read an interesting article and really want to pick some useful facts from it but the next day you barely remind yourself what the article was about. Or you definitely know how unproductive and a total waste of time it is to have a business meeting where nobody is taking any notes.
A good notebook may become a place for your inspiration, life-changing ideas or everyday working notes. It might become your best and most useful personal Wikipedia. Paper notebook or electronic notebook could drive your business, increase your personal productivity and form organisational habits.
Here are a few reasons why you should consider having a notebook for your business:
Ideas Become a Reality
We aren’t saying that getting a planner will automatically bring millions of good ideas into your life, but like the Bible says “In the beginning, was the Word”. We could add that at first, there was a word written down on a paper.
So, when you write down the idea, it has much more chances not to be lost in everyday routine and become a reality.
Even the bluntest pencil might be better than the sharpest memory
We simply forget thigs. And it’s absolutely normal for human beings. But if you have it written thing down, you can go back to it anytime it’s needed and remind yourself all the details. Especially here we will see the importance of a notebook for your business – if your employees don’t write all the tasks they most likely will forget something.
It helps you to be more creative
Not just in everyday life but also for your business. When you write down the quote that inspires you or some creative idea that someone already used, you keep your own level of creativity high. You like to train your creativity the same way you train your muscles at the gym.
Blank pages will encourage you ask the questions: Why? And How?
When you see a blank page, and you start to wonder how to write down some plan, your brain focuses more on details. So, you can write down very accurately, step by step how to achieve your goal. When you have the plan depicted on paper, it’s easier to see what small details are missing and how to make a plan more accurate.
Self-control
Your planner becomes sort of your personal manager. If you write down your future steps that were done to achieve some goal, you can use it to control yourself and motivate yourself to keep moving.
Promoting your brand
If your business notebook is well designed, made from quality paper and it is branded with your logo, it will become an additional and very effective marketing tool. People will see your business logo when you take your planner for a business meeting. They will see it when your employees use it in everyday life. You know what I mean – there is never too much branding.
Showing your personality
A notebook is the same important accessory as your watch or belt. If your desire is to show people that you or your business are very open-minded and modern, you might pick a bright, good quality Moleskine. If you aim to show that your business is hi-tech or you have a paper-free company policy you might buy an electronic notebook. Your notebook will tell your partners or clients what to expect from you and who you are. Use it.
Jeremy Raynold – a top freelance writer from customwriting.com– has been using planners since his childhood age. At first, it was a habit to write down his thoughts or feelings. But when he became older and started building his career, this habit became a useful tool. He is using it to write down good quotes that he uses in his articles. Also, Jeremy writes down all the inspiring content that helps him to stay creative. Recently he started to use an electronic notebook that helps him to find information faster. As he says, a notebook is a must-have tool for a writer.
We all know that paper is made from trees. To be more specific, it’s made from pulp wood fibre. In today’s society, paper can be made from multiple materials, including rice, water plants and cotton. But have you ever heard of paper made from stone? I bring you: Karst Stone Paper stationery; a stationary range with paper made entirely from stone. Here’s now it works.
Karst Stone Paper transforms recycled stone into simple, functional and beautiful products. To do this, they re-purpose waste stone produced by the mining and construction industry, crush it into powder and combine it with a non-toxic, recyclable binding agent. This means that none of their notebooks contain any trees, water, wastes, acids or bleaches. The best part of all this? the paper is waterproof and tear resistant. That means you can carry your notebook on-the-go, accidentally drop it into the sink and your valued words are still going to be completely safe.
I’ll get down to the specifics. Karst Stone Paper notebooks are available in two sizes, A5 and A5. They also offer a pocket journal – and all of these products are available in five different colours. You can choose from both hardcover and softcover, blank or lined, and they even have a dot grid notebook for sale due to popular demand; better get your wallets out now! A 2018 planner is also available on their website, a wonderful organising tool with weekly and monthly views, tasks, goals and note sections.
Karst Stone Paper is the world’s smoothest and whitest paper and allows you to write freely with any pen as it guarantees no ink bleed-through. I’ve yet to get my hands on one of these, but when I do I’ll make sure to test out the pages with my trust-worthy Lamy fountain pen. Another great initiative which makes buying one of these gorgeous notebooks even better is that they’ve partnered with the One Tree Planted foundation to help aid the growth of global reforestation. With every notebook bought, they plant a tree in North America, South America, Asia and Africa.
If you’d like to learn a little more about Karst Stone Paper and their initiative, you can watch their inspiring promotional video here. There’s also a bunch of information available on their website at Karststonepaper.com.
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