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Review: Skopco Leather 3-Pen Case


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For those who were following the thread a couple months ago on the Piquadro three-pen case here, you will know that Arun Kumar offered to make a similar case at a fraction of the cost. He has several styles and colors available at very good prices (see here). I took him up on the offer, and placed an order for a dark brown pebbled leather three-pen case for US$25, which included expedited shipping from Mumbai. It arrived a few days ago, and I would like to offer a brief review for those who are curious. I have included some pictures, but they are by no means professional.

 

post-2371-1246934153_thumb.jpg

 

My first impression is of exceptional quality, both in construction and materials. The leather is a dark brown pebbled variety, smooth, with a bit of sheen. It is a stiff leather, but softer, suppler leathers are available (Arun kindly included swatches of the other leathers at my request). I prefer this particular leather, since it will likely take some abuse without being easily scratched or marred. The inside fabric is plain black (I was expecting a plaid fabric, but never actually specified this in my order). It is fine, but lacks the flair of the Piquadro's colorful lining. (I am certain, however, that Arun will accommodate requests for a colored fabric lining. He is very eager to please -- his customer service is excellent.) This is well worth the $25 and could easily sell for 2-3 times that.

 

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The band that holds the top and bottom flaps in place is a bit on the thin side (about 8mm -- should be about 10mm, in my opinion), but it does the job. One minor quibble I have is that it is placed a tad too high up (by about 5mm), which means you have to work a little bit more to get the top flap tucked in. I suggested to Arun that he lower it slightly on future models, and he was quite agreeable. But this might be a personal preference.

 

The case will accommodate larger and thicker pens -- it holds my Safari and VP (pictured here is a Sailor Sapporo, Safari, and Parker "51") -- but it is a snug fit. I suspect that this might loosen up with time as the leather breaks in, but the pens do fit, and they are not going anywhere once inside. My main quibble is with the thickness of the holders themselves. They are fully lined to avoid direct contact between the leather and the pen. This is a commendable, but leaves a finished edge of about 3mm in thickness. This makes it difficult for the clips of most pens to easily slide over. I have to lift up the clip with my finger to get it over the edge of the holder. This might also be a function of the particular leather that I chose. A suppler and less substantial leather might eliminate this problem.

 

post-2371-1246934272_thumb.jpgpost-2371-1246934280_thumb.jpg

 

Overall, I am very impressed with what Arun has produced. This is a beautiful case, and from the looks of it, it seems that it will provide many years of good service. I would also reiterate what good customer service I have received from Arun. He answers questions promptly and is very accommodating of particular requests. Honestly, the price can't be beat. I have ordered some cases on eBay at this price that are simply no match in terms of quality and design. This has been a great purchase. I'm quite a happy customer.

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Thank you for the excellent review. I am considering one of these myself. Is this the K89? The pictures in the catalog for the K89 don't have the individual pen loops, but this one does.

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Yes, it is the K89. You are right that the picture in the catalog doesn't appear to have the individual holders, but I think it may be that they are just not visible in the photo. Arun has copied the Piquadro design exactly -- the Piquadro includes individual holders.

 

Thank you for the excellent review. I am considering one of these myself. Is this the K89? The pictures in the catalog for the K89 don't have the individual pen loops, but this one does.

 

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Great review, thanks. I've been dithering over the purchase of one of these cases for some time, too. Given the price/quality ratio, it looks like I'll be ordering soon.

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Excellent review and info, dmendel....

 

One thing that's not quite clear to me from your review or the PDF's is what are our choices for leather, colors, etc?

 

Is that info somewhere online or ?

 

Thanks!

FP Addict & Pretty Nice Guy

 

 

 

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Arun sent me pictures of swatches of various leathers, but to be honest, they were not great quality photos. I was looking for a very dark chocolate brown, but couldn't really tell the difference among the various brown leathers. I went with what seemed like the darkest one. I did ask him to send me swatches so I could see and feel them in person. I will take a photo of the swatches this evening and see if I can reproduce them a little better.

 

Excellent review and info, dmendel....

 

One thing that's not quite clear to me from your review or the PDF's is what are our choices for leather, colors, etc?

 

Is that info somewhere online or ?

 

Thanks!

 

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Arun sent me pictures of swatches of various leathers, but to be honest, they were not great quality photos. I was looking for a very dark chocolate brown, but couldn't really tell the difference among the various brown leathers. I went with what seemed like the darkest one. I did ask him to send me swatches so I could see and feel them in person. I will take a photo of the swatches this evening and see if I can reproduce them a little better.

 

Excellent review and info, dmendel....

 

One thing that's not quite clear to me from your review or the PDF's is what are our choices for leather, colors, etc?

 

Is that info somewhere online or ?

 

Thanks!

 

 

That would be great, dmendel.

 

Thanks!

FP Addict & Pretty Nice Guy

 

 

 

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Here are some photos of the swatches that I received:

 

post-2371-1247192188_thumb.jpg

 

My comments from the top left moving clockwise: the red and adjacent black swatches are a very soft, delicate leather -- I believe they are lambskin. The next black one is more substantial, stiffer, darker, smooth and shiny. The two browns have a very similar feel to the black in the upper right -- they are smooth with a definite sheen. The colors of the two browns did not reproduce well in this photo, so I did a separate one of just the browns that is more accurate:

 

post-2371-1247192271_thumb.jpg

 

The one on the left is tan with lighter tan veins. The one on the right is a brown with reddish tones and dark brown specks.

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Thanks for sharing the photos, demendel. That really helps understand the options...

FP Addict & Pretty Nice Guy

 

 

 

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Thanks for sharing the review and swatches! I agree with your comments about how the case can be improved, and the price is fantastic!

 

I rather like the red and black 'lambskin' leather. Would you mind trying whether they get scratched easily? :embarrassed_smile: Is the red close to orange or is it a medium red?

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Holgalee, the red is a true, bright red -- definitely not orange. I did a finger nail scratch test and it seems surprisingly durable -- my scratch left no mark.

 

Thanks for sharing the review and swatches! I agree with your comments about how the case can be improved, and the price is fantastic!

 

I rather like the red and black 'lambskin' leather. Would you mind trying whether they get scratched easily? :embarrassed_smile: Is the red close to orange or is it a medium red?

 

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Great! Thanks for testing it! Now to decide whether to make my own--which will definitely look inferior--or 'splurge'.

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Thank you for informative review! Now, I know where to get my next pen case. :)

Talking about fountain pens is like dancing about architecture.

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Yes -- fully lined.

 

Dmendel, is each 'compartment' lined on the reverse side with black fabric?

 

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I suspect that it is, but you would have to ask Arun. He did mention to me that the reason the pen holders are fully lined is insurance against the possibility that the leather is not veg-tanned, in which case you would not want it in contact with the pen finish.

 

Thanks for the great review. Do you know if this leather is vegetable tanned?

 

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I suspect that it is, but you would have to ask Arun. He did mention to me that the reason the pen holders are fully lined is insurance against the possibility that the leather is not veg-tanned, in which case you would not want it in contact with the pen finish.

 

Thanks for the great review. Do you know if this leather is vegetable tanned?

 

If you look at the edges of the swatches you have (you may need to use a magnifier) then if you can see a grey core they are chrome tanned. If you can see a pinkish core they are veg tanned. If they are thin enough there will be no core.

 

If you don't mind being more destructive with them you could try soaking the leather and letting it dry. If it's Chrome tanned it won't stiffen more than it was originally. Veg tanned will.

 

Of course that's not to say that the swatches are representative of the next batch.

 

Z.

Edited by zwack
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