Moleskine Writing Set Box with .7 mm Rollerball Pen

A few months ago, I pre-ordered the Moleskine Writing Set Box from Amazon.com.    Last year, I saw similar boxes on the moleskineasia.com website but the boxes sold out before I could order one.   When I saw the Writing Set Box available for purchase in the U.S., I pre-ordered it right away.  Today, I finally received the long awaited box.


The actual box looks like a Moleskine notebook with various “writing themed” words in different fonts embossed on the cover.  The label wrapped around the box has pencil drawings of a ruled pocket notebook and an uncapped rollerball pen. 

When you open the box, there is a large, pleated pocket on the front inside cover.  Inside the pocket is the standard pamphlet containing the  Moleskine history.  The main section of the box is covered by a piece of paper with the words  “Writing Set”.

When you lift the piece of paper, you discover a pocket ruled notebook and a .7 mm rollerball pen.   The notebook and pen are secured inside the box by a specially molded, removable foam insert.  The paper label surrounding the pocket notebook is similar to the label on the outside of the box. 

This is a great box that any pen and paper lover would love.  I may order a few more for holiday gifts.



I won’t bother describing the notebook since almost all pen and paper lovers are familiar with the notebook.  I will, however, take this opportunity to do a follow-up review of the Moleskine pen.

I originally reviewed the fine point (.5 mm) pen in May (Moleskine Rollerball Pen Review)  and have been using the pen pretty consistently since then.  I ended up buying the  medium point (.7mm) pen because I wanted to try some of the other ink colors which are not available for the fine point version of the pen.  

My original pen has held up pretty well with the exception of a few minor issues. 

The first issue is that the black coating on the clip part of the pen has chipped off in certain places.  While I use the pen regularly, I’m not particularly hard on pens.  I’m pretty disappointed with that aspect of the pen but it does not affect its function.  I will be interested to see if I have a similar problem with chipping with the other pens.

Another issue I have with the pen relates to the spring that attaches the end cap to the ink cartridge.  Since the end cap of the pen is shaped like a corkscrew, you have to be careful that the ink cartridge and spring are properly aligned before screwing in the cap or you will end up bending the spring like I did.  I can still use the pen but the bent spring makes it a little difficult to change cartridges.

Finally, my biggest complaint about the pen is that the green, red, brown and violet ink refills are only available in the medium point.  The ink colors themselves are very nice.  The brown and violet inks are my favorites.  I would love to have blue-black and deep green versions of the ink.  If the pen sells well, I hope Moleskine will consider expanding the ink selections.

Currently, the pens and ink refills are available for purchase through the Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Papyrus and A.I. Friedman websites.  Almost all of the websites offer some type of discount on the pens and refills.  If you haven't purchased one yet, I highly recommend doing so.   Better yet, purchase the Writing Box which includes the pen.

Moleskine Rollerball Pen

Ever since I saw sketches of the new Moleskine line of writing instruments on the Moleskine website, I’ve been DYING to get my hands on the rollerball pen.  This past week, Moleskine held various events in New York showcasing the new line of products.

On my monthly visit to my favorite pen and paper stores, I discovered that A.I. Friedman on 18^th Street had the entire new line available for purchase.  My heart actually started to race.  After I checked out the other items, I decided to purchase the standard pen.  Retailing for $14.95, the Rollerball Pen comes in medium (.7mm) and fine (.5 mm) points.  The refill colors include black, blue, green, purple, red and brown in .7 mm but only blackand blue in .5mm.   I hope this changes because I'd love to buy purple and brown inks in .5 mm.  The design of the pen maintains Moleksine's trademark simplicity.

The cap is designed to be attached to your Moleskine horiztonally.   The word "Moleskine" is imprinted on the cap which I didn't realize until I took a picture of the cap.

To change the ink, you must unscrew the end of the pen.  There is a spring attached to the corkscrew part of the cap.  The other end of the spring is attached to the ink cartridge. 

The pen provides a very smooth writing experience.  I prefer needle points for my fine line pens but the lack of a needle point won’t deter me from using the pen.  The rectangular grip means that my handwriting slants more to the right than usual.  It’s a very comfortable grip and doesn’t appear to cause fatigue, although I won’t be able to confirm this until I put the pen to a test over the next week. 

After I wrote my initial review, I went to the Moleskineus.com website to read more about the features. Turns out, there are little labels included in the package.  You can attach the label to the end of the cap to indicate the ink color.  Luckily, I didn't throw the package away or I would have thrown out the labels.  The labels are housed within the left side of the package.  The package also includes the typical Moleskine insert although this one talks about Moleskine as "a brand that encompasses a family of nomadic objects..."

The website mentions that the pen includes a faux-suede carrying sleeve.  My pen didn't include one.  I'm going to write to Moleskine to find out what's going on.