Can anyone recommend a good basic leather pen case?

[writebyhand]

Hi,    Can anyone recommend a basic but good quality leather pen case?   (Either for a single pen or two to three pens.)   

 

I bought the one in the attached photo from a third-party seller on Amazon.com; it seemed perfect, especially being from a respected and reliable brand like Pelikan.  However, when it arrived I took a close look at it and I'm pretty sure it's not real leather – I suspect a counterfeit.   So, I'd like to look at other options . . . .    

[dragonfly7]

Some nice ones on Etsy.

[silverlifter]

8 minutes ago, dragonfly7 said:

Some nice ones on Etsy.

 

Yep. I bought one from Lepus Leather and it is terrific. Hard leather outer shell, wool lined individual compartments, and built to my specs to fit oversize pens. Fantastic craftsmanship at what I consider an insanely reasonable price (compared to cases made by Visconti, MB, etc).

[A Smug Dill]

DiLoro double pen case. Lovely leather and excellent quality even at full price, and an absolute bargain if you can manage to get one (or more!) of them at half price.

 

I managed to pick up a three Louis Cardini two-pen pouches in a (retailer's) fire sale. (LC's own shop in The Rocks in Sydney is still there; I dropped in to look for some other leather goods just before Christmas.) They're nice, but a lot tighter than the DiLoro double pen case, and may not suit fatter pens.

 

I also have a Kaweco leather three-pen case, which is more than nice enough, does the job just fine, but perhaps a little short if you intend to put longer pens in it.

[Beechwood]

Firstly, I have looked at a pen case that is without-a-doubt Pelikan

 

https://www.pelikanpens.co.uk/collections/pelikan-pen-cases/products/pelikan-3-pen-nappa-leather-case

 

I cannot see any difference between your case and that pic. It is made of nappa leather which is from sheep or goats, much softer and more pliable than cows hide which you may be more used to.

 

I use a 3 pen case in stiff leather that was made as a special order by an italian cigar case manufacturer, must be 10 years old and it still has a strong leather smell. You may find that this is missing from your Pelikan case because of the more modern tanning process and the fact that it is nappa leather.

 

https://www.abclloyd.co.uk/product-category/leather-pen-holders-cases/

[I-am-not-really-here]

https://saddlebackleather.com/bear-trap-leather-pen-case  
 

I have a sleeve for the original iPad from them, still smells like leather and, apart from being a wee bit more pliable than when new, is unchanged.

[Antenociticus]

I'd have a look at Galen Leather.

[BinaEliora]

Galen Leather would be an excellent choice. They have wonderful products.

[sansenri]

19 hours ago, writebyhand said:

Hi,    Can anyone recommend a basic but good quality leather pen case?   (Either for a single pen or two to three pens.)   

 

I bought the one in the attached photo from a third-party seller on Amazon.com; it seemed perfect, especially being from a respected and reliable brand like Pelikan.  However, when it arrived I took a close look at it and I'm pretty sure it's not real leather – I suspect a counterfeit.   So, I'd like to look at other options . . . .    

 

That is rather surprising, the Pelikan cases are leather and the one in you pic looks like the real thing...
what makes you suspect it's not?

[sansenri]

Just read again the comment by Beechwood, and checked his link:

your picture is exactly the same, but how is that? You used the seller's picture? that's not very useful...

How about posting a picture taken by you of what you actually got?

then maybe we can better advise on whether you got a fake...

[sansenri]

btw, my favourite pen leather cases are made by Fedon (but be sure to look for the leather ones as they also make cheaper faux leather cases).

[HogwldFLTR]

The nice thing about Amazon is that you can return if it's not up to your liking.

Edited January 17, 2021 by HogwldFLTR

[sandy101]

If you have small pens, the Lamy A32 is pretty good, but useless for large pens.

 

I can fit a Parker Sonnet, but not a Cross Townsend.

[Beechwood]

9 hours ago, sandy101 said:

If you have small pens, the Lamy A32 is pretty good, but useless for large pens.

 

I can fit a Parker Sonnet, but not a Cross Townsend.

 

Thats a good point, a lot of pen cases struggle to accept pens such as 146/149 and Jinhao 159.

 

 

[writebyhand]

Hi, sansenri asked for more pictures, and I'm more than happy to oblige in the hopes that a few of you will share your insights. 

 

1.  The photo I posted with my original post is just the Amazon stock photo.

 

2. I purchased one Pelikan Triple Pen Case from Amazon seller "National Art Supply" on January 4, 2021 for $ 50.00.  This one appears on the right in the below photographs.

 

3. I purchased a second Pelikan Triple Pen Case from eBay seller "goldspotpens" (a fairly well-known and reputable stationery vendor that also has a print catalog and operates the goldspot.com website) on January 16, 2021 for $ 59.95.  This one appears on the left in the below photographs.  

 

I hypothesize as follows:

 

4.  Although the two pen cases are identical in size and very similar in construction, there are enough differences between them to entail that one is a high-quality counterfeit, particularly given the consistency for which the Pelikan brand is known. 

 

5.  The National Art Supply pen case (shown in the right in the photos) is the counterfeit, due to the less crisply stamped Pelikan logo and the slightly less realistic feel of the leather.  Further supporting this hypothesis is the fact that Goldspot has a strong reputation as a vendor, with a major independent business outside of its eBay store.   

 

[Beechwood]

Full marks on your research.

 

Firstly, I am impressed at the quality of the pen case on the right, the stitching and the quality of the leather looks good, very good in fact.

 

I looked on the Pelikan UK website and their image matches the embossing of the case on the left. I was surprised that Pelikan de site doesn't show this case.

 

The cases are made in Italy, is it possible that both cases are Pelikan cases, simply from a different period of manufacture?

 

eta

 

I have just read the reviews on Amazon and a number if people have reported that they think the cases are not made of leather, some say that the cases smell really bad.

 

Do both of your cases smell the same?

 

 

[HogwldFLTR]

 

I've got several; this one is well made and available on Amazon!!!

 

Amazon.com: Leather Fountain Pen case for 3 Pens Pouch Separate Slot Organizer Carrying case Black Color: Office Products

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2021 by HogwldFLTR

[Beechwood]

20 minutes ago, HogwldFLTR said:

 

I've got several; this one is well made and available on Amazon!!!

 

Amazon.com: Leather Fountain Pen case for 3 Pens Pouch Separate Slot Organizer Carrying case Black Color: Office Products

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are some very negative reviews of this pen case including people saying that this case is made of plastic.

 

[HogwldFLTR]

I

15 hours ago, Beechwood said:

 

 

There are some very negative reviews of this pen case including people saying that this case is made of plastic.

 

As one who keeps some of my pens in it I can assure you it's nicely made and certainly not plastic. As far as negative reviews out of approximately 200 reviews only 13% are below four stars. I'm not certain what you are looking at. I've got a very sought after watch which most collectors consider a grail; you should read the reviews on that on Amazon if you like negative reviews. Don't be so gullible.

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by HogwldFLTR

[yubaprof]

I'm not qualified to comment on the issue of authenticity for your particular case, but I am a very satisfied customer of Galen leather products.