24 Pen Folder From Constellations88 Review

[Samrat]

Hello everyone.

 

Today I am going to review the 24-pen pen bag from Indian company, Constellations88.

 

When it comes to keeping your beloved fountain pens in a pen bag, the opinion among collectors and users is divided. Most would be more than happy to keep pens arranged in a suitable bag or in pouches. But I have also come across some fellow enthusiasts and collectors who take this idea with a pinch of salt, and would rather keep costly pens in their respective company made secure packing boxes, as they fear their pens might get scratch and injury if kept crammed up inside one single bag.

 

I respect both opinion, but to me using a pen bag is certainly more convenient. The company made boxes takes up too much space and if one possesses a number of pens, using pen bags is far more practical. Also these bags help in keeping your pen collection organized and carrying pens from place to place in a secure and easy manner.

My first pen bag was some Chinese generic bag bought from Amazon India website. Though the quality is not bad, I noticed some problem with the bag on long term use, which I’ll show below.

My second bag was bought from Constellations88, an Indian company famous for marketing hand painted Italian resin made higher end fountain pens. They have a nice range of accessories from single pen sleeves to pen bags for 48 pens. There was a year ending sale going on at Constellations88 and being aware of the high quality they maintain, I decided to order a pen bag. Unfortunately for me, the 48 pen accommodating bag was out of stock and I had to settle with a 24-pen pen bag, which they have named ‘Pen Folder -2D’.

 

 

The Pen Folder-2D

 

 

Inside portion

 

 

Construction and Quality- The pen bag is well built. All constellations88 pen folders are made of foam leather, and they have declared this throughout their website. This might be disappointing for some with preference for leather goods, but advantageous for those concerned with animal rights. The material is of good quality. The chain work properly. Inside, on the left side there are four rows of elastic straps to keep pens securely, and on the right side there is one half open flap of foam leather to keep any paper or documents. I got a matte black coloured folder. There is a star shaped constellations88 logo on the lower right portion of the front of the folder, which looks a nice professional touch. 24 pens can be accommodated inside in two rows, each row having place for 12 pens.

 

 

 

The Straps- Most important part of any pen bag is the straps holding the pens. There is adequate space under these straps that’ll easily accommodate even fat, large pens. It’s made up of some cream coloured elastic cloth like material and fixed securely to the base, so very less chance of these straps to tear away during insertion of pens. The straps are elastic but not very tight. Thin pens might require to be clipped with the strap to prevent them from slipping out. I have occasionally kept a few slim pens like a cross century and Rotring esprit without clipping, but didn’t cause much trouble.

 

 

My first generic pen bag consisted of straps that were too tight and too elastic, which forced both thin and thick pens tightly against underlying surface. As a result, the underlying velvet surface was disrupted and some material got smeared and glued to the pen body, which was difficult to remove without causing harm to the pens. Somehow I managed to remove that velvety sludge without attracting scratches on my pens.

 

 

This is the Chinese generic bag, notice the poor quality velvet lining and the rigid straps

 

Contellations88 bags don’t have any such problem. The straps are not that elastic, they just keep the pen in place without exerting great force, and the underlying inner surface is made of high quality soft material that doesn’t smear on pens.

So be careful while choosing a pen bags.

 

 

The Flap covering the pens, this might attract dust in the long run

 

 

Flaps when closed

 

There are two flaps made of soft felt like material attached to the left side of the bag that cover the pens, which might attract dust particles with prolonged use. So I would advise them to provide less velvety material for the flaps.

Also, I would suggest adding one handle with the folder for carrying or hanging purpose.

Cost and value- Again I am treading in controversial territory. This ‘Pen folder 2-D’ isn’t particularly cheap at US $50. I got it for a discount at about $30. I have presented the features of this folder and the decision rests with the buyer. For me it turned out to be a good investment, as the quality of this folder is good and I’m not going to buy another one for a long time to come, at least until the number of pens currently in my possession doubles.

 

 

Overall I am satisfied with this bag. This can be ordered from their website or one can contact Mr. Vishal Singhi (whatsapp no +91 98203 97534 ) for these products.

 

Disclaimer: I have purchased and used this product, but otherwise obtained no benefit from constellations88, neither I have any conflict of interest for doing this review. Just a satisfied customer giving thanks to the seller.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Samrat

[da vinci]

Excellent review, thanks

[Ada]

Very informative review; thanks for taking the time to post it!