Those who have read my reviews of Galen Leather products probably know that I love good, hard-wearing leather goods that keep my stationery safe. Few leather pen cases have appealed to me as much as my beautiful purple Galen case and it has seen constant use since I got it, but since my collection has grown far beyond the storage capacity of one 5-pen case, I decided that I would try another.
I got in contact with Endless Stationery, the manufacturer of the case, and in just six days the items they sent over to have reviewed had arrived - while I don't usually mention delivery times, six days from India to the UK via Aramex and Royal Mail was quite impressive! I'm sure that delivery times vary, but hopefully that's the average delivery time.
You already know that I'm a sucker for good presentation, and the presentation of this case (and the other products, but that's for other reviews) doesn't leave much at all to be desired.
Black with gold detailing is about as stylish as a humble cardstock box gets (albeit a little bit scuffed from its long journey) and the pen case inside is wrapped in thin paper for an extra layer of protection.
I hope you don't think it unfair that I keep comparing Endless Stationery to Galen Leather, but GL really are the gold standard in my opinion and I think that many of my readers will have experience of their products so I will say that their presentation, with the cute cotton sacks and coffee sachets, is nigh unbeatable. To be fair, I'm probably going to view any company that gives me free coffee favourably, but those little sacks are so useful!
Then again, what really matters is the product itself, and the Companion does not disappoint!
It was true love from the moment I took it out of the box, because that leather is just something else. It isn't smooth like my GL case. It also isn't as fuzzy as suede, but I assumed it had to be suede because upon researching full-grain leather, it all appeared to be smooth. I needed this puzzle clearing up before I wrote the review, so I asked Dheeraj Nanduri, the member of the ES team that I'd been chatting to, if the case was indeed suede. He said that it's a 'very high-quality full-grain leather of our own concoction on the surface finish'. While I don't have details on how this finish is created, I can assure you that this is one of the most tactile cases you'll ever handle.
It's so soft, subtly fuzzy but still smooth, and branding is stylish and minimal. It does feel like it could get scratched easier than the smooth, tough surface of my GL case, but the build quality is solid enough that any scuffs it picks up won't do any structural damage and will add to the charm of the case. A few years ago, I'd have freaked out at the thought of something like this picking up even the tiniest scratch, but I have since learned to accept it as part of the aging process. I've come to love the scratches that my leather items acquire!
Though I could easily spend the rest of this review raving about how good the leather feels, functionality is more important so I'll get to the bit you came here for. The card inside the box advertises the revolutionary Adjustable Elastic Band'. I'm not sure that the concept is as new and groundbreaking as that phrase implies as I've seen similar designs marketed under other names such as Pull-Tag. Then again, the pen cases that use the trademarked Pull-Tag design claim to be the only ones on the market with this feature, so I won't split hairs lest we get into a TWSBI vs Narwhal (now Navalhur) situation!
Pardon the following photography. Difficult angles!
The important thing is that it is a brilliant way of keeping pens of all different sizes in place, and that it works every bit as well as it promises to. The band is stiff at first, but loosens up with use and there's no risk of your pens going anywhere. The snug elastic even keeps my heavy brass ballpoint in place, despitethe fact that it isn't very textured and doesn't afford much grip for the elastic.
Tension is the only thing keeping it from sliding out! The elastic in the GL cases will fit 90% of pens, but for the other 10% like my ballpoint, you may find that something like the Companion is better. It deals well with unusually thick or thin pens.
Something that certainly is unique about this pon case is the little loop designed to hold a cartridge. I appreciate that little feature and don't recall having seen it anywhere else, and though my cases usually stay at home I think that the cartridge holder makes the Companion that little bit more useful as part of an EDC system.
I was initially worried about the adjustable strap wearing through the case over time, but the edges of the slits appear to be reinforced to minimise the risk of this happening. The rest of the case is also very solidly stitched, the zip is seamlessly integrated into the case and the spine of it is sturdy too.
The inner stitching is green, a nice contrast against the chestnut brown of the case. There's an inner pocket to hold a small notebook, and an Endless Storyboard
notebook with 80 gsm Regalia paper is included. The pocket has just enough give to slip the back cover of the notebook in, but any thin pocket notebook should fit. Like my GL case, it will hold a Tomoe River Everyday Notebook. I think I'll use the Storyboard notebook for ink swatches - I have a lot of swatching ahead of me! I'll go into the performance of these notebooks in a later review.
Due to the unique texture of the case, I wasn't sure how to keep it in good condition, and it didn't come with care instructions. I asked Dheeraj about this and he said that 'just a firm wipe off with a dry microfibre cloth should do the trick. Even a microfibre isn't necessary, any soft cloth should work - as with any leather, it's not a good idea to use a moist/wet cloth.'
Since the case does attract quite a bit of dust, I wiped it down with a microfibre cloth as instructed and almost all of the cast was removed. I'm curious to see if the leather will dry out over time, as I'm not sure if leather balm would stain the case because of its texture. If it shows any signs of drying and potentially cracking, I'll have to explore this further. I use leather balm on my GL items a few times a year to keep them in good condition - we'll see how the Companion does without this treatment.
Overall, I'm very happy with my Companion and it will be seeing just as much use as my other case. I'm looking forward to seeing how the finish ages, and will update this review in the future with any changes to its appearance!
Disclaimer: This product was provided for review purposes by Endless Stationery. All opinions in this review are my own.
It looks a bit like what I have seen called a nubuck finish. Nice!