September 2016 iPenbox Unboxing

 Ever since my first iPenbox unboxing, I've been looking forward to receiving my next box.  The hint was cubes of metal and I was really intrigued by what they would include in the box to match the theme.  Also, let's not forget, it is iPenbox's 1st anniversary (happy birthday!) so I knew this box was bound to be extra special...and I was not mistaking!  But before we explore the box, let me tell you about the subscription details.

 iPenbox is a monthly subscription box for pen, paper and ink lovers.  The subscription costs 30$ for US subscribers and 40$ for Canadians and International; shipping is included.  They promise 5-10 items geared to spark your intrigue on new, unusual, creative, innovative writing tools.  Every box will include a fountain pen, some paper, 1-2 ink samples, and other tools like rollerball pens, pencils, gel pens, etc. all based on a chosen monthly theme.  As hinted above, the theme for the month of September is Metal.

I will present the items in order as presented on their information card.  The paper they printed the information on is silver and of great quality.  I might end up using the other side of it for a special project.  The silver paper is a great added touch to this month's theme.

IRON & STEEL

 First item is Cross Stratford Fountain Pen, valued at 70.00$ (presently on sale for 34.99$ on ipenstore website).  This came with a black cartridge which I, obviously, inserted as soon as I opened the package.  There will be a writing sample at the end of this review to demonstrate how it writes.

We can see here that the nib is of medium size and that this pen has chrome trims which definitely makes it look quite rich.  The pen also has a nice weight and feel in hand.

 GOLD, SILVER & COPPER

 

First item in this category is a Word Notebook with Blue Mountains on the cover, these retail at 9.99$ for a pack of 3 ( 3.33$ for one).  This notebook is 3.5" X 5.5" and has about 48 lined sheets of paper.  

I really like that each line includes a bullet to encourage point form note taking.  I can see myself using this for meetings at work.  iPenbox mentions that this notebook was selected from this month because mountains often are associated with metal (nice logic!).

 Next item is Caran d'Ache Colorblock Metallic Pencil in Gold.  This retails at 3.65$ (presently on sale for 2,97$).  This pencil is extra large and has an hexagonal shape for easy holding.  It also has a bit of a shimmer when reflected in light.  A writing sample for this pencil will be provided at the end of the review.

And we also received a Rose Gold Skeleton Binder Clip.  I unfortunately can't find it on the ipenstore website.  I did, however, find it on Cloth & Paper and one single paperclip sells for 2.85$.  I really like this clip and I think I will use it as a bookmark for my agenda. 

NICKEL

 First item in this category is Caran d'Ache Magnetic Blue ink.  This retails at 41.50$ for 50 ml (presently on sale for 36.97$).  My 2.5ml sample is worth 2.08$.  I personally have been wanting a blue/black ink because it looks very professional while also distinguishing photocopies from originals (this is essential in my field of work).  And, guess what?  I will be showing you a writing sample of this ink at the end of this review since I ended up getting myself a J. Herbin Hand Blown Glass Dip-Pen with my 10% discount last month.

Final item on the card is Zebra Super Marble Pen which is, unfortunately, not on ipenstore website.  I did, however, find them on Zebra Pen's website and these retail at 1.99$ each.  This gel pen basically changes colors as it flows from pink to blue, to yellow.  A writing simple of this pen is featured at the end of the review.

This microfiber screen cleaning cloth was included but not noted on the card.  I'm uncertain of details for this cloth so I can't really give you a retail value but you can never go wrong with these.  I've used these for a variety of things.

And I received two soft mints (they were yummy!) and a postcard for Copper Harbor (nice play on words for a Metal Themed box).  This postcard is stunning; I want to go there!

And finally, here is my writing samples for these above mentioned products:
The Cross Stratford Fountain Pen writes very smoothly (even more than my previous Lamy ABC fountain pen) and I think I have found myself a new favorite with this one.
The Caran d'Ache Colorblock Gold Pencil  writes very well.  I know this is going to sound strange but I feel like the led in this is very creamy when put to paper so it makes color transfer less difficult (not sure if that made sense?)
The Caran d'Ache Magnetic Blue ink is quite lovely and exactly what I was looking for in a blue-black ink and very little feathering.
 And, lastly, the Zebra Super Marble Pen also flows easily but unfortunately, I wasn't able to show you the changing colors with this writing sample since it seems there's mostly pink ink at the bottom of the tube at the moment. 

This concludes this month's iPenbox.  Total value for this month (without counting the screen cloth, mints and postcard) is of 83.09$ which is more than double what I paid for this box.  That is fantastic!  Here is a clue as the next month's box's theme: