It’ll be here before you know it. Our annual 12 days of Dappered gift guide covers one item/idea each week-day for the next dozen days. All will be reasonably affordable, and at the same time they should (hopefully) appeal to someone who might drop on by this corner of the internet. So if you’re looking for ideas on what to give a decently dressed (yet budget conscious) fellow, or, if you’ve got friends/family struggling for ideas on what to get someone (you) who’s hard to buy for, check back in as this year’s 12 Days churns on. You’ll also find the growing archive here.
Screens. Some people can be productive on them 24/7. Some need a break after awhile. Plus, nothing says “thanks” or “hi” quite like a hand written note. And for that, you need something to write on, as well as something to write with…
Art of Manliness Letterpress Stationery – $20.00 / 15 cards & envelopes
A perennial favorite. 15 cards total with each card having one of three manly motifs embedded into the stock. Envelopes included too. The paper is textured, thick, and impressive. These are do-anything cards. Thank you’s, congrats, take-this-job-and-shove-its… they’ll do it all. AoM’s site has pre-selected three-motif packages. If you want to select a 3-some of motifs that AoM doesn’t have, head here to Page Stationery’s website. Costs a couple bucks more over there, but you get to pick what you want.
Kaweco “Sport” Fountain Pen – $23.90
First introduced to this thing via the Bespoke Post “Frontier” Box (stand by for another suggestion from there in a sec…). Has become the go-to ever since. Lightweight but sturdy plastic, a short body, and an easy to get used to fountain tip. Appears that the clip is sold seperately
Poppin Soft Cover Medium Notebook – $9.00
Like a Moleskin that’s been doing yoga. Moleskin notebooks can sometimes fight back when it comes to folding over, having the pages sit still, etc… These don’t. You can flip & fold and pin down and they’ll stay. A bit easier to use. Available with lined, blank, or grid pages. Also part of the Frontier Box from a few months back.
Word. Notebooks – $9.99 per 3 pack.
Field Notes
Check Letterpress Thank You Cards – $12.00 for a box of 8 + envelopes
While it might be a little weird to give a gift of thank you cards (what is the recipient supposed to do, send one right back to you?) it might be well appreciated by someone who’s been meaning to get better at this sort of thing. Or… someone who’s about to graduate/get married/etc. One of four options to check: “Thank You”… “Very Much“, “Once again“, “Kindly Sir“, and “Fer Nothin”. Also a good gift idea: The Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pen (pictured above). Runs $25.48 for a pack of 12. Good for people who like a decent pen, but work in an area where pens seem to walk off.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen – $24.79
Has to be what Archer
The Standard Memorandum Annual Journal & Leather Cover – $45.00
Via Word Notebooks. The Cliffs Notes version of your life. A few lines a day and you’ve got a record of who and what you were. $45 gets you the notebook plus a leather cover that you can have monogrammed for free. Made in the USA. Here’s to hoping it’s filled with a bunch of great stuff in 2014.
Karas Kustoms RETRAKT Pens – $39.98 – $89.98
A high quality pen minus the board-room stuffiness. It’s a clicker with an all metal ball-bearing and groove mechanism. That means the click action is quieter (no more annoying the hell out of your study/work-mates) and smoother. That copper option. Ninety bucks is spendy, but… damn. Made in the USA.
Your turn writers, jotters, doodleites and scribblers… got a suggestion for something to gift that’s in this writing with or writing on realm? Leave it all in the comments.
What’s this “writing” thing you speak of?
I believe he’s talking about typing…
http://dappered.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/hardyharharharhar.jpg
So you bust out the fountain pen to one-up us. Touché, sir, touché.
*also, it does look like that writes really nicely.
I’ve been using the Pilot Metropolitan ink pen and pretty happy with it. Smooth with even ink flow. I find it better than the Lamy Safari listed above (which I have tried a few times)
http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Metropolitan-Writing-Fountain-91101/dp/B009M3PJFM/
Still… it seems to write a little off-center. Must be from a “seconds” sale at STP.
It’s worth mentioning the Fisher Space Pen. It’s not as flashy or fancy as those offered above, but I’m a bit of a pen nut and the FSP is the best every day pen I’ve ever used, a collection that has included an expensive Montblanc roller ball as well as numerous midrange fountains. The FSP works anywhere, under any conceivable condition. It’s also small enough to fit in my pocket alongside my knife as part of my ever day carry.
Or a nice keyboard! Cherry mechanical switches — blue switches if noise is okay (or even desirable), brown switches otherwise. (Or some other type for gamers, but speaking as a gamer, I still prefer blue and brown.)
For me the combo is LEUCHTTURM1917 soft covered lined book note…. way way way more resistant than asian moleskins and fluo orange (the new black) caran d’arche mecanical pen.
Archer doesn’t do bills or sign checks. That’s what Woodhouse is good for. Woodhouse is not good for poaching eggs though.
Point.
I personally am a huge fan of leather bound notebooks, This one has been my favorite thus far, its a little more expensive (i first got mine at $25 it is now 30 i believe). To me the look is masculine, rustic, and classy. Which I fee like meets the criteria for most dappered readers and what they would consider a cool gift….I could be making an unfounded assumption.
heres a link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGYJZP6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=MSADOVXK3OR9&coliid=I29934PJNSGUBV
I must say I LOVE my Kaweco “Sport” fountain pen out of the Hemmingway…erm….”Frontier” Box.
However!! I love my aluminum Karas Kustoms RETRAKT with Fischer Space Pen refill even more. It is my EDC.
I have The Bolt as well, but the RETRAKT is far superior in fit, finish and usability.
My one complaint is with the click mechanism. Since it is a ball bearing mech, it does not have the higher initial resistance to move from “closed” to “opened” and vise versa. This meaning that I often pull the pen out to use it and find it has already been inadvertently “opened” in my pocket. Other than that it is a perfect pen!!
+1 for this little guy. I keep one with a Moleskin notebook in my laptop/day commuter bag. Also fits perfectly in a blazer pocket with business cards.
My girlfriend swears by the Word. notebooks…to the point where I may be buying myself some along with her now-annual gift stash! Any recs for a top-flip (reporter style) notebook? I have a Moleskine one that I love (about 3′ x 5′), but it’s just too thick to comfortably carry in a jacket breast pocket.
Worth noting: Fountain pens don’t necessarily write so well for people whose handwriting is very blocky or disconnected. Fountain pens work much better for people who write in cursive, or their writing slants to the right, or is somewhat “flowing.” Otherwise, it’s hard to get the right angle for the pen to write smoothly.
Just something to keep in mind, whether you’re considering a fountain pen for yourself or as a gift. I know I can’t use one very effectively because my writing style is not conducive to it.
I don’t think I’d ever call my handwriting “flowing”, pretty blocky in fact, but it works just fine for me. But I totally see your point. Good note.
It may also just be the angle I hold a pen/pencil at. All I can say for sure is I got the Hemingway box/Kaweco pen and the only way I could get it to write well was to write in a style that felt very unnatural and awkward to me. YMMV.
I do the same. Received it as a gift 4 years ago and it still is my go to pen. Also keep it with my Moleskin notebook in my commuter bag. Funny how people look at me with surprise sometimes when I take both out and write at a coffee shop, etc.
Any recommendations for a notebook on a spiral? I use the Field Notes and prefer the feel of flipping pages and not having to break in a new notepad.
Here you go…
http://eimim.com/shop/eimim-z-pen-preorder-expected-delivery-november-2013
I’m thinking that Safari is going to end up being my self-gift this year. Also, the Archer reference made me happier than it probably should have.
A reusable option: Saddleback makes a really beefy leather Moleskin notebook cover. Costs more upfront but then you can just buy regular notebooks. I’ve had one for a half decade now and it’s showing not an bit of wear yet.
I have and really like the Safari fountain pen. I also like the Parker Jotter – it’s a great refillable ballpoint at a reasonable price. Very stylish too.
I got the same Bespoke box and it was really nice. But I don’t know if I either got a bum Kaweco or it’s that I’m left-handed or what…but I have a heck of a time getting the Kaweco to write well. It scratches on my upstrokes really bad no matter how I tried. Add to that that it came with blue ink that I couldn’t stand and there’s apparently no way to get black ink through Amazon Prime and I ended up getting the Lamy mentioned above. The Lamy is awesome so far – it writes smooth, I can get black ink refills at Amazon and even some sort of converter so I can use bulk ink in jar, too.
Same with the Poppin – I really like it, but I can get Moleskines through Amazon. Hah, Prime has spoiled me; if I have to use another site or pay for shipping I tend to skip it!
Also takes a bit of experimentation for we southpaws. In my experience at least, writing with a fountain pin on good sturdy paper is fine, but something the likes of typical spiral bound notebook paper is a recipe for smear city and a blue/black smudge on the back of your hand.