24-Pen Case From Woodcraft Supply - Review

[Drone]

Here is my review of the fairly inexpensive 24-Pen Zippered Portfolio from Woodcraft Supply LLC (Item #149851). Woodcraft supply sells a broad range of hobby-craft products including supplies used by pen turners.

At my review time, the product is priced at $16.99 and comes with a 90-day warranty. I ordered two of these portfolios online. Shipping for both portfolios via UPS 2nd-day cost $4.50 to Florida. Shipping took place within 24 hours. It seems Woodcraft has outlets in various places across the U.S., and you may even be able to buy these over-the-counter locally. There is a store finder on the Woodcraft site.

I have seen what looks like this same 24-pen portfolio on other pen related sites for as much as $24.99 each. Seventeen bucks is a price I can stomach for this product, twenty-five is too much in my opinion. I would be raving about these portfolios at a price point of around twelve dollars.

Here's a link to the Web page for this case at review time:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/149851/Zippered-Pen-Portfolio.aspx

And if that link moves, here's link to Woodcraft's homepage:

http://www.woodcraft.com

 

While you are on the Woodcraft site, take a look at their other pen storage products. Be sure to read the user reviews before buying, they seem pretty fair.

Each portfolio was packaged in a simple cardboard box. The construction of the cases is good. The zipper seems robust with plastic teeth and a metal slider and pull handle. The single flap protecting the pens on each side of the case from each other works well. There is a small white cloth tag sewn into the inside seam of the protective flap that says "MADE IN CHINA".

I filled the cases with various pens of different sizes. Even my biggest pens had no problem with the elastic straps. There are two strap loops per pen, this keeps the pens from touching each other. The loops are individually sewn-down so the loops do not pull on each other. When full of pens, the case zippers-closed without putting too much pressure on the pens.

My biggest fear with products like this is poor quality materials. That was not the case with these portfolios. The padding, stitching, zipper, and outside shell material was acceptable in terms of quality. Importantly, there was no horrible smell of out-gassing material or adhesives coming from the product.

I prefer multiple smaller 16 or 24-pen cases to the 48 or 64+ cases as they are easier to handle and I can separate the cases by type of pen etc. But due to economies of scale, the larger cases are a bit less expensive per-pen stored.

Here are the only down-sides I can think of with these cases; and they are pretty minor:

1. These are soft cases. The outside isn't flimsy, it is rather stiff and somewhat padded, but not rigid. Therefore, I would not toss a full portfolio of pens in a fully stuffed soft-sided suitcase and check it in for a flight. I would worry that the pens may be stressed and/or damaged during mishandling. I would however be pretty comfortable tossing one of these portfolios into a back-pack or carry-on; something I can keep an eye on.

2. I wish the cases had a business card size insert for a label on the outside. But there is a loop in the zipper pull where you can attach a label or luggage tag.

3. I have no idea whether the materials used in these cases is 100% safe with all types of pen materials. The padding and elastic material that comes in contact with the pens is most likely synthetically produced. Time will tell.

4. The online price at $16.99 before shipping is reasonable, but I would be more comfortable with a price of around twelve dollars.

In-conclusion I think these cases are reasonably priced and of decent quality. Delivery from Woodcraft Supply was prompt, inexpensive, and uneventful. Would I recommend these portfolios for purchase? Yes.

Keep in-mind, my review and conclusions are based on a sample of just two portfolios purchased online from Woodcraft Supply LLC in early-January 2015. Your results may vary. I am not affiliated with Woodcraft Supply LLC.

And here are some pictures for you (the crummy ones are mine)...

Fig.-1, This is a picture of the case taken from the Woodcraft Supply Web site (link above): The seller's picture is much better than anything I can produce right now and it accurately depicts the product as I received it with one exception, it is missing the MADE IN CHINA label (see Fig.-4 below which does show the label):

Fig.-2, This is the front of the box as I received it:



Fig.-3, This is the back of the box as I received it:



Fig.-4, Here is one of the cases I received filled with a menagerie of pens:

 

Enjoy, David

Edited January 23, 2015 by Drone

[gweimer1]

Cool! And they are available locally for me.

[Drone]

Cool! And they are available locally for me.

 

That is good news If you find these locally I would ask if you can open the box and inspect the build quality before you buy. Just one of the benefits of buying locally.

 

As I said in my review, it is only a sample of two cases I received. So please report your findings here for the benefit of others.

 

Best Regards, David