From the monthly archives:

July 2010

I came across this headline while browsing the net the other day

New Bond gadget? A tiny pen paper shredder with “invisible letters writing”

Being a bit of a gadget freak on the quiet I was quite intrigued and clicked on the link looking forward to seeing what this new pen was all about.

Unfortunately the headline was far better than the blog post which opens with “New from some Chinese company: a manual paper shredder inside a pen.”

Invisible Ink Pen & Shredder

1:White led flash light on top
2:Writing ballpen
3:Write out invisible letters.
4:Light the letters with LED light on top and read your secrets.
5:Paper lacerating function.

As for the pen itself it is quite quirky and I think that it will appeal to young boys. They will have great fun pretending to be a secret agent like James Bond.

With this pen they would be able to send secret messages to each other that their teachers cannot read. Then destroy the evidence with the shredder.

I can’t quite see M pulling this pen out of his pocket and giving it to James Bond it’s no way cool or exciting enough.

Although I could see Rowan Atkinson character Johnny English in the spoof spy thriller of the same name brandishing it to impress somebody.

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Stubby Pencils

For many years I have been a fan of the standard No. 2 (or HB in the UK) pencil as they always felt comfortable to hold and when you need a few moments contemplation, spend some time with a sharpener. I have love quality pencils like Faber-Castell and Rhodia but I am equally at home with the office version from Staples.

They also appeal to my trying to be more eco-friendly because apart from the lead or more correctly the graphite centre, this is one writing instrument that is fully recyclable. There is however, one problem. However hard you try, you will always end up with a stubby piece of pencil that is too uncomfortable to use but still has many pages of use left in it. I then have the dilemma to either carry on using the pencil until its hurt my hand or recycle what would otherwise be a perfectly useable pencil

I then remembered that many years ago when doing a summer job, there was a guy who used to put his stubs into narrow metal tubes in order that he could continue using the pencil. A search online then revealed the answer to the dilemma – the pencil extender!

Pencil Extenders

These handy tools were originally used by artists who wanted to get the maximum use from their expensive pastel or watercolour pencils but are now widely available for all pencil aficionados. Simply insert your pencil into one of these handy tools and its then it is possible to continue using the pencil down to the last 2-3 cms. The open end of each extender has a metal ring that ensures that the pencil is held securely.

Generally retailing at around £2, not only are they functional, they can be quite elegant too. I purchase two, one with a marble effect and the other with a smooth wood effect. Now I do not have any qualms when I recycle the stub as I know that the pencil is beyond use.

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Faber-Castell Pencil Tycoon Proves his Point

July 26, 2010

There was an excellent story recently in the Sunday Times which highlights the development and history of Faber Castell. Who will be celebrating their 250th anniversary next year! Count Anton – Wolfgang Lother Andreas von Faber Castell had a point to make. He planned to make it by throwing bundles of the pencils produced by [...]

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How to Send Emails in Your Own Hand Writing.

July 23, 2010

Pilot pens have created an application that lets you “Write by Hand on the Computer”. You use the app to turn your handwriting into a digital font; this can then be used to send personalised “handwritten emails”. Watch the Pilot Handwriting Demo Video It all looks very impressive but is it any good? I logged [...]

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You Will Never Guess What the Postman brought us Today!

July 22, 2010

At Tiger Pens were all busy working away when the postman arrived with today’s post at about 9:30am. There is nothing unusual in that as he is a reliable chap who you could nearly set your watch to. However today he brought us an unexpected parcel containing a Duracell Ultra Globetrotter Bunny. At first this [...]

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What Everybody Ought to Know About Pens

July 21, 2010

There are thousands of different pens available to buy, made by numerous pen manufacturers and this can be very confusing. When buying a new pen how do you decide which one when they all look very similar? Do you know what type of pen that you are currently using? Is it a gel pen, ballpoint [...]

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Which Pen is Better the Uni-Ball Fanthom or the Pilot Frixion?

July 20, 2010

The Pilot Frixion is the undisputed king of erasable pens but now Uni-Ball has thrown down the gauntlet with its Uni-Ball Fanthom erasable gel pen. We have tested both pens in today’s battle of the pens to try and find out which is better. Writing Performance Both Pens write very smoothly and the Fanthom probably [...]

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Coming soon…..

July 18, 2010

Readers, you may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet lately. Your Tiger Pens blogger has been sickly for a bit, but now seems to be on the mend. Look for lots of great new content coming this week, along with news of giveaways and other great stuff. Meanwhile, a special thanks [...]

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Win a Ltd Edition Fountain Pen Worth £290.00

July 16, 2010

How do you fancy getting your hands on a limited edition fountain pen that will be one of only fifty pens made with an RRP of £290.00 We know it sounds too good to be true but take our word you really can. The Writing Desk who specialise in selling fountain pens & ink are [...]

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Why Your Car Should Have a Pen & Notebook in the Glove Box

July 15, 2010

A pen and a notepad are the two things that every car glove box should contain and most don’t. It is not something people give much thought too with all the other distractions in today’s hectic world. Three reasons to carry a pen and notebook in the car? 1 If you are unfortunate enough to [...]

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