Van Der Spek Pen Pouch Dividers

[StevenSur]

I am considering of buying one of the soft 3- (or maybe 4-)pen pouches by Van Der Spek. And I was wondering if the dividers in those pouches completely separate the pens, that is if the dividers go all the way down to the bottom of the pouch?

 

Also, I would be interested in hearing about the experiences other users have or have had with those pouches.

Edited July 3, 2014 by StevenSur

[plumista]

The ones I know of are those sold at lacouronneducomte (NL), since I bought two some time ago. The dividers cannot reach the inner bottom of the pouch, due to its design, but they come very close, so in normal use the pens do not touch each other. Your pens are safe inside.

 

On the other hand, I do not like them: mine arrived not in the advertised colour exactly, which annoys me very much; I prefer sturdier, thicker leather; are too small for my full array of pens, only size-fit for those not so thick ones; the flap is too short for my taste, and the appearance of the filled pouch, with the flap not down enough because of the pens caps, is not as good as that of the empty pouch.

 

plumista

Edited July 3, 2014 by plumista

[StevenSur]

Thanks for sharing your opinion, plumista!

 

Did you find an alternative that better suits your needs and expectations?

[plumista]

Well, there is a full constellation of leather pen cases and pouches, so it is quite difficult to answer your question properly. You have ahead of you many hours to browse all those catalogues...

 

On the other hand, if one buys through the web (not from a B&M store as in the good old days when one could hold in his own hand the item...), then one has to accept a number of "surprises", probably to some extent "good" (then you in fact like it more than you somehow expected), but most probably "bad": not the exact colour, not the expected weight, not the strongest sturdiness, not the best closure system, not the size for your most beloved pens, &c.

 

My advice: buy whatever suits your taste and criteria, but be prepared to return at least 1/3 to 1/2 of all those cases or pouches (therefore read thoroughly and carefully the returns policies of any given seller). Choose well your sellers!

 

Some of my favourite pen cases (a compromised combination of quality/price) are this and this and this. But remember the market offers hundreds of similar items.

 

plumista

[KaB]

I had the chance to visit La Couronne (a little hard for plumista), taking my pens there to select a pouch. Testing the alternatives, I selected a pouch that only mildly interested me when browsing the webshop but in real life ticked all the boxes for me: a Markiaro for 3 pens, (currently not on their webshop). But the Markiaro is not the relevant part of my reply (since your characteristics of an ideal pouch will differ from mine). The point is: just visit a B&M! Tilburg is not that far from Leuven. Leuven and Brussel must have nice penshops as well.

(During my years as a student in Leuven, I've not been paying much attention to penstores I must admit. )

[plumista]

Fully agree with KaB!

 

Please visit Mr van de Graaf at La Couronne du Comte in Tilburg, you won´t be disappointed at all.

 

BTW, the Markiaro is one of my favourite two-pen pouches, so big, strong, well designed and moreover beautiful (the orange version, I mean). Even my Waterman Edsons travel fully protected, as tall and thick as they are.

 

plumista

[elysee]

I made dividers for all my pen pouches (Montblanc, Waterman, Parker, Cross, and Coach) using high-quality cardboard. My dividers reach from the top of the pen pouch to the bottom, and they do not allow the pens to touch. Unfortunately, none of these formed leather pen pouches that I like have full-length dividers of their own; I am not a fan of the pen pouches with "fingers" as they are problematic for pen caps, and the soft ones do not provide sufficient protection for pens within the "fingers". Only the Montblanc and Waterman pen pouches had mini (at most 2 inches) dividers, and the "separator" in the Cross pen cases is inadequate. The advantage of my cardboard dividers is that they accommodate my pens of various sizes, large and small, as well as allow me to subdivide the spaces to safely include multiple slim pens.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/249125-making-a-g-r-e-a-t-pen-case-even-b-e-t-t-e-r/

 

Check out the topic above for an example (includes pictures) of how I have modified three types/sizes of Montblanc pen pouches.