originally published 1/26/2016
last edited and revised: 8/3/2016

Introduction

Among my most prized stationery possessions is my Midori Brass Pen Case. It’s a little hefty, has some sharp edges, and doesn’t hold the most, but it has built a personal connection with me, during the time that I’ve owned it, that gives it a special place in my collection.

Check out my current EDC rotation to see how it fits in with everything else.

Specifications

Dimensions: 5cm (width) x 17cm (length) x 1.8cm (height)
Weight: Around 160g
Place of Manufacture: Japan
Price: $76 (retail), $30-50 (street)

Packaging

The pen case comes in a nice cardboard box made of two halves. They are well fitted, albeit on the loose side. The top of the box has black lettering that is imprinted into the cardboard. The words are sharp and legible. The text itself is in both Japanese and English.

English text: “The appearance of Brass brings you back old memories and fascinates you deeply. Long time use changes the material quality, turning it into a precious tool.”

Inside, the pen case is wrapped with with a paper sleeve. The sleeve unfolds with some instructions on the inside. It is written in Japanese, so I am unable to read what is written.

Fit and Finish

The pen case is built very sturdily. There is very little flex when bending the lid and practically none with the base. The two halves fit together very well although there is a bit of wiggle room when the lid is attached. I assume that if the tolerances were any closer, it would be much harder to place the lid on.

The issue with the pen case are the sharp edges. Both the top and bottom halves are made of one piece of brass and, as such, the top and bottom edges are rounded and smooth to the touch. However, the open edge is extremely sharp. It would appear as though there was no finishing done to the edge after the metal was cut. While not sharp enough to cut one’s skin, it is uncomfortable to brush your hand up against it. It has somewhat smoothed out with use though.

Functionality

The pen case does not have a large capacity. When considering length, it is not long enough to hold an unsharpened or newly sharpened pencil. With length and width, one can stack around 8 pencils.

I usually keep:

• Rotring 600 0,5 mechanical pencil
• Staedtler Mars plastic push eraser
• Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 0.5 HB pencil lead

The items do rattle and there are a fair number of scratches from the knurled grip of the Rotring.

If I want to bring woodcased pencils out, I have to select pencils that are short enough to fit. However, it will comfortably hold 2-3 with a small eraser and a single hold sharpener.

I was initially concerned about possibly denting the pencil case when I brought it out. The case is quite thick, but as a student, there are many opportunities for my backpack to be bumped into and stepped on. I recently saw a dent in one of the corners of the case.

It is not very obvious, but it just goes to show that the case is not bulletproof and is subject to damage.

I was surprised when I figured out that the pen case fit almost perfectly in the largest slot of my Pilot pen roll (Item number PCS121-80.). Since then, whenever I bring the Midori pen case out, I stuff it in the pen roll and throw it into my bag.

Conclusion

I love this pen(cil) case. There’s no doubt that Midori has produced a well made, durable container that will serve me well. I don’t see how it can ever be damaged to the point of not being usable (sans extreme destruction). I will definitely be keeping it and using it for years to come.