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Every day carry (EDC) of a fountain pen can be tricky business. Unlike the ever popular $3 USD Zebra F-301 or the $1.20 Pilot G2, fountain pen tend to be a little more valuable. So owners are going to be understandably more protective of their Pilot Vanishing Points and Metropolitans. After all, pens are not all nearly as indestructible as the Lamy Safari, which survived being run over by a car with only a few dings. There are plenty of options for protecting your EDC fountain pen while it rides in your pocket, but it seems like the popular option is the leather pen case. Galen Leather’s Single Leather Fountain Pen Case/Sleeve looks like a match made in heaven for EDC fountain pens.
Galen Leather sells these sleeves for $15 USD, with option for three character monograms for an extra $4 USD. The sleeve is 15cm long and 4 cm wide. It only comes in a neutral shade of brown that will look good in just about any setting. The stitching is the beefy grey thread also used in Galen Leather’s No. 55 Field Note Cover. It is a tough thread and serves as a nice accent.
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The workmanship is excellent. The stitching is done at even intervals and the end of the thread is tucked neatly inside the sleeve. The leather edges are polished and do not leave a mark when rubbed.
The leather is quite stiff fresh out of the box and has not softened much with use. I suspect it is likely due to the small size of the case. I actually like how stiff the case is, as I think it makes for better bump protection. The stitching stops a couple centimeters from the opening of the sleeve, making it easier to fish out shorter pens. Personally, I found it was even easier to just turn the sleeve upside down and squeeze the bottom of the sleeve to cause the pen to slide right out.
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The site states that the sleeve will fit pens up to 14cm long and 1.6cm in diameter. While Galen Leather has a small list of pens that they have tested the sleeve with, I decided to try my entire collection of pens for myself, everything from the super slim Pilot Cavalier all the way up to the bulky Noodler’s Ink Ahab. The average size fountain pen like the Sailor Professional Gear or the Platinum #3776 Century had no problem fitting snugly. The pens even stayed in place when the sleeve is turned upside down and given a gentle shake. Although it was a bit tight, even the very chunky Noodler’s Ink Ahab fit in the sleeve. Extremely long pens like the VAC 700 stuck out a few centimeters from the sleeve, but nothing so extreme that it would stop me from using the sleeve with the pen. I did notice that slim pens like the Pilot Cavalier had a harder time staying inside the sleeve and needed to be really pushed in deep to stay secure.
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At $15 USD, Galen Leather’s single pen sleeve is definitely on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The workmanship and finish is excellent. I really like the use of thick, stiff leather for the extra impact protection for the pen. The design is simple and will hold a majority of fountain pens on the market snugly. If you are looking to protect your EDC fountain pen from the bumps and bruises of every day life, I highly recommend Galen Leather’s single pen sleeve.
The review unit was provided to me for free. The opinions expressed in the review are strictly my own. Thank you to Galen Leather for providing the review unit, check them out at GalenLeather.com.
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