Nock Co. Tallulah Pen Case Review

The Nock Co. Sinclair has been my go to case for years. It offers plenty of storage for pens and index cards and has lived in my work messenger back for some time. Although it’s a smaller case, sometimes one or two pens is enough, and I don’t need the extra room for stationery. I’ve never been a fan of those compact pen pouches, where the pens roll around freely, commingling with nothing between them. It’s fine for cheap pens, but I couldn’t stand to think about my Lamy 2000 or Pilot Vanishing Point getting scratches or chips from rolling around in a pen pouch. Nock Co.’s Tallulah offers an elegant solution to this problem, providing a compact form factor for my most cherished carry pens.

I received my Tallulah as a reward from the Pen Addict Live Kickstarter, and it’s been my primary pen case ever since. The case has two large pen slots which can handle larger pens like the TWSBI Go and those of standard size. Compact clip-less pens get lost at the bottom of the pocket, but this is common with most cases. The case also has a pocket for business cards, although I have used it to stash one or two extra pens, which it does well. There’s enough slack in the case to store four or five pens total with relative ease, unless they’re big guys. Keep in mind that pens stored in the business card pocket may rub together, so it’s probably best to reserve this for less expensive/delicate pens.

Those familiar with Nock Co. cases will find the same high quality design and construction in the Tallulah. The stitching holds up well under continuous use, and the case’s zipper is still going strong after hundreds of zips and unzips. As an orange fanatic, I love the clay/sunshine colorway. The outer case is a copper tone that’s much more subdued than my mandarin Sinclair, and I prefer it. The inner yellow is bright and cheery and the colors have stayed true despite constant usage.

The Tallulah is another fantastic addition to the Nock Co. line of cases. It’s also more than that, though. I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog exploring the fussy, finicky, and inconvenient—things fun to use but never practical on the go or as daily drivers. You may have noticed the lack of posts since August, and I have to be honest—my life has been complete chaos as of late. Amidst terminal illness (don’t worry—not me), hospital visits, and holiday travels, I appreciate the tools I can throw into a bag at a moment’s notice. The flexibility and compactness of the Tallulah makes it invaluable. My Lamy 2000 and Retro 51, along with a few business cards, live inside at all times. I can throw the Tallulah in a bag with a notebook and my iPad and work from anywhere. It’s this simplicity that has allowed me to continue to get things done amidst the chaos.

Nock Co. Sinclair Pen Case Review

School supply shopping was always my favorite part of returning to classes. I loved exploring the endless aisles of brightly lit pens, pencils and notebooks. Backpack purchasing decisions were made solely on the number of pen sleeves and pockets that the bag had. While picking pens and pencils was part of the fun, meticulously organizing them in a new backpack provided the real payoff.

Fast forward ten years, and I'm clawing for a cheap pharmaceutical-company Bic at the bottom of my bag, amidst a sea of coins, keys, and paperclips. In my college years, no pen lasted more than a month, which was fine, considering that most were free company swag. I'm happy to say that I'm now a reformed pen abuser, mostly because the quality of my writing tools has increased exponentially. There's no way that I'm throwing a fountain pen, like a Lamy 2000, into a bag full of keys.

Japan introduced me to the concept of a pen case. Sure, I had a plastic box for my pens in elementary school, but this pen-obsessed culture took cases to a new level. There were simple pen cases, which resembled an elementary school recorder case, and fancy leather pen wraps. The simple cases are nice enough, but I'm not a fan of pens rubbing together. The fancier leather wraps made it too difficult to remove a pen quickly, and I wasn't prepared to drop $100 on a pen case. I needed something that was affordable, easy to access, and durable. The Nock Co. Sinclair was the answer to my payers.

The Sinclair is a $35 nylon pen case that holds three pens and a pocket (Field Notes size) notebook. It zips from the top, so it's easy to quickly retrieve a pen and notebook. The case's zipper is very sturdy and has held up well with time, and its high quality stitching hasn't frayed a bit, even after months of use. The nylon case material is even coated with water repellent, to keep even the fanciest of pens safe and dry.

The pen slots are wider than a typical slot in a backpack or messenger bag, so most pens should fit with ease, as long as they aren't much longer than a typical pen. I keep a Nock Co. DotDash Pocket Notebook in the notebook slot, but there's also plenty of room for a stack of index cards as well (I use Nock Co. DotDash 3 x 5 Note Cards).

The Nock Co. Sinclair comes in several color variations. I chose the Mandarin/Blue Jay combo, since it was the only color in stock at the time, but I would love to own a version of this case in the Steel/Mango fabric combo, which doesn't currently exist.

The Sinclair is a fantastic case for the price, and I'm very happy to have it as my first pen case. It fits easily into an existing messenger bag or backpack, and provides extra protection while maintaining ease of access. The case's durable nylon and notebook slot also makes it feasable to carry the case by itself, loose in a purse, or even in a cargo pocket, for those EDC types. This case is a must buy.

Nock Co. DotDash 3x5 Note Card Review

The index card is one of the most under-appreciated office supplies. It was created as a tool for organizing data and eventually became the foundation of the revolutionary Dewey Decimal System. Yes, at one moment in time, a 3x5 piece of card stock was the most powerful tool for organizing data. As digital methods of organization took over, index cards took their place on the shelf next to White-Out and typewriter ribbon. Twelve years ago, Merlin Mann unleashed the Hipster PDA into the wild, a simple index card data capture system, and lifehackers and analog lovers alike rediscovered the power of this little stationary delight. Index cards are small, versatile, and easy to shuffle and rearrange. They function well as capture devices; however, the race to the bottom has resulted in penny index cards that are flimsy and perform horribly with fountain pens.

You may know Nock Co., the creation of Brad Dowdy and Jeffrey Bruckwicki, for its creative pen cases; however, the company also produces a fine line of paper products, including its DotDash 3x5 Note Cards. DotDash refers the Nock Co.'s trademark paper grid system, that provides the best aspects of both the grid and matrix paper patterns, common among stationary products.

Nock Co.'s DotDash cards feel thicker and sturdier than the average index card. While regular index cards start to curl and bend in the sleeve of my work bag, DotDash cards stay flat. The DotDash cards are also noticeably smoother to the touch than traditional index cards. The DotDash lines are laser-sharp, while the printed lines on the traditional index cards show ink bleed and inconsistent printing. Of course, there are many different brands of index cards, but I went with the traditional stock cards form Amazon, as most would probably do when purchasing in bulk.

Nock Co.'s websites claim that their DotDash Note Cards "can handle almost any pen and ink you throw at it," so I pulled out my flexiest pen and favorite high-feather ink to put this claim to the test. I also used my daily carry ink and pen combo, Lamy 2000 with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsukushi ink.

The Plain Jane index cards performed just as poorly as expected. The Diamine Pumpkin ink feathered almost as soon as it touch the paper, and even the better-behaved Tsukushi ink in my Lamy 2000 performed poorly. The card had an excellent dry time, compared to the DotDash card, but this was only because the ink feathered instantly. Nock Co.'s DotDash card performed like a champ, with minimal feathering with the 2000 and Tsukushi ink combination. Noodler's Ahab and Diamine Pumpkin ink did produce moderate feathering on the DotDash card, but it did perform significantly better than the Plain Jane card. Truth be told, I don't see myself using a flex nib on an index card, so this isn't a major concern. The TWSBI Diamond 580 is the most markedly different between the Plain Jane index cards, which perform horribly, and the DotDash cards, which shows only minimal feathering. The DotDash card performs surprisingly well, considering that Diamine Pumpkin feathers significantly on low-quality paper, and the TWSBI 580's nib leaves a very juicy line.

Nock Co. DotDash

Plain Jane

Nock Co DotDash

Plain Jane

Nock Co. DotDash Note Cards are exceptional performers, and I keep a stack in my work bag at all times. I reach for these durable cards to jot down quotes and arrange ideas for presentations, and they hold up well to any ink and pen combo that I throw at them. At $6 for 50 cards, Nock Co.'s DotDash Note Cards haven't completely eliminated my need for the penny-per-card competitors; however, these cards are a worthy addition to any pen case or go bag.