Post-it Notes is a complete no brainer for me. I use 5-10 of
them every day around the office. I’ve tried other brands and found them wanting
either in the paper category or in the stickiness category. The one outlier
being the Staples brand sticky notes, but I tend to stick to Post-it brand
because they just work. They can be a bit finicky with lubricated inks and wide
nibs, I believe this is because of the paper composition which is not very fibrous
or porous, so lots of ink takes a while to dry. That being said, using my Pilot
Precise loaded Bolt or Retrakt is my preferred method, in fact this list was
compiled on a Post-it before I wrote it all out in Word.
Another item that is similar to Post-it Notes is quality 3x5
(or 4x6) index card. There are expensive options that are made for fountain
pens, but I find them too expensive to invest in because when I need index cards,
I need a lot of them. Two solid options I’ve come across that are Oxford brand
and Yoobi. Neither are truly fountain pen friendly, but they don’t have a lot
of bleed through and limited feathering so they’re a great option if you don’t
want to shell out $10 dollars for a single pack of index cards. Personally, I
used Yoobi index cards when I was in college a few years back because they were
easy to find and relatively inexpensive. Plus, they came in a hard case that
protected them from getting bent up or water damaged.
Something I’m often in need of, but somehow seem to lose all
the time is a good solid ruler. While I measure a lot of things with a pair of
calipers, I still find myself requiring a ruler a few times a month. I used to
rely on the wooden rulers we had in school back in the day, but they aren’t nearly
as straight as I need them to be. I tend to use a 6-inch metal ruler/machinist’s
scale, mostly because I usually need to measure something less than 6 inches
long, and when I do need to measure something longer than that I need a full
measuring tape. The metal ruler is easy to carry around, durable, and generally
small enough to fit in a backpack or even a pocket.
This one is out-of-left-field, but I have a few of these at
work that I use as jokes more than anything, and that’s custom rubber stamps. I
never considered these as “writing accessories” until I was gifted a few in gift
exchanges, then low-and-behold, I started using them on notes around the office
or in correspondence. I think they’re a great addition to letter writing or if
you leave handwritten notes for employees or coworkers. I’ve seen some that
were fancy signature block type stamps and others that just had funny or irreverent
sayings on them. They’re fun especially if you have a bunch of different
colored ink pads and can switch things up when using them.
Specifically for fountain pen use, I love having a blotter
or blotting paper handy. This was something I never considered when I was using
extrafine and fine nibs, but as I’ve moved to medium and broad nibs, I have
come to really value having a decent sized sheet of blotting paper handy.
Sadly, there are not many options for blotting paper out there. Since I use
Nanami Seven Seas notebooks, these come with a sheet of blotting paper which is
a bonus, but of the limited options, the J. Herbin blotter is probably the best
out there.
This one isn’t for everyone, and I realize that; but owning
some decent leather writing accessories, while not a MUST, is one of those
premium upgrades to the accessory realm. There are a LOT of options out there
when it comes to leather writing accessory brands, and they run the gamut in
terms of price. Personally, I prefer to find small makers that do high quality
work even if they’re considerably more expensive. You pay for what you get and,
in many instances, using a small maker will allow you more of a custom look and
feel to a product plus you’re helping keep someone in business. I’m partial to
Stache Leatherworks, Inc products and have quite a few of them. These are absolutely
gorgeous pieces, handcrafted out of high-quality leather with beautiful stitching.
I LOVE mine and always get compliments on them when I’m out in public with them.
Now for a few honorable mentions, and these are really
additions because they are on my writing instrument list, but I feel like they are
both writing instruments and writing accessories; mostly because they’re often
looked down on by people who are active in the writing instrument world.
The first honorable mention is a decent wood-cased pencil
and a pocket knife. This duo is the original EDC for writers on the go after
the invention of the wood-cased pencil. I small knife to sharpen your pencil
and said pencil lets you write pretty much anywhere you’re going. I’m not going
to get into the specifics of knives, there’s too many to go over, maybe in a
future post I’ll cover my favorite knives; but I do really enjoy Blackwing 602
pencils though I use them sparingly. For a “daily driver” pencil, I keep a box
of Palomino HB or ForestChoice pencils in a drawer by my desk. They’re a bit
handier than mechanical pencils when I do a LOT of writing in pencil, so I keep
a few around for the days when I aim to use a pencil for all of my writing.
The second honorable mention, and something that will ALWAYS
be on my list of writing instruments or accessories until they stop making them,
is the Bic Cristal pen. I am an unashamed proponent of this pen and its myriad
of uses. I will always recommend that you have one of these in your bag. They’re
probably the best, most universal, easiest to find, reliable, fill-in-the-blank
pen on the market. The 1.0mm Bic Cristals write like an absolute dream. There’s
a reason it has a permanent place in the Museum of Modern Art and is considered
ubiquitous in terms of pens; it just works and when it does finally die, you
can easily replace it.
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