honey sweet: galen leather zippered magnum opus pen case

The sun sets slower day after day, the elongated shadows lean out of my balcony for a minute or two longer. It’s my favourite time to sit outside, even though the wind bites the bare skin on your hands and on your face. Your back warms up and the sun makes your drink sparkle like nothing else can. It’s the last whispers of the winter sun, setting over the horizon, and maybe -you hope- tomorrow it will rise a little warmer. Hopefully, the sun will shine a little brighter, just enough to tame the wind that does not leave you alone.

I’ve been wanting to write about this pen case for a while now, but every time I sit down, I cannot find the words I need. Finally, today, I realized why it is so hard to write about it. There is nothing to add or subtract from it. Nothing to say “I would’ve wanted it to have this extra little thing” or “It would’ve been better without this extra feature.”

Go home everyone, Galen Leather has made the perfect pen case.

For me, there are three requirements for a pen case:

1- It has to be protective. My backpack is a mess of computers, cables and books, I don’t want any of my pens to be made uncomfortable in that. This usually means a stiff leather case.

2- It makes me twitch if my pens are touching each other. I cannot stand even a little clank. Well, soft leather or felt inserts are necessary for that.

3- A sturdy closing mechanism is a must, as I don’t want any of my pens tumbling into my bag anytime soon.

The Galen Leather Zippered Magnum Opus case just disappears into my workflow. It doesn’t hinder any of the work I do, even if it is just to pull out some pens. The folding point is deep enough to get the pens out comfortably, and the tray is removable so you can use that as a desk tray for intensive writing sessions. The zip makes it easy to pack up and leave at a moment’s notice and the magnet on the front flap keeps the flap away from your hands and stuck to the body of the pen case. That same magnet even holds your pen cap in place (if you have a cap with a metal clip or band) while you’re writing away with your pen.

It is the meticulous attention to detail that makes this pen case so good. Every single stitch is lined up perfectly, even the curved corners are taken beautifully. The leather is study and takes patina beautifully, all the scuff marks give it lots of character. I got the Honey Ochre colour because of the outside leather, but the inside is a rich yellow daisy colour that I cannot take my eyes away from. Another amazing thing is that the framing of the felt tray has different malleability in different sections. The part around is it very strong and stable, I cannot bend it without applying a lot of force. The ones in between the pens are a lot softer. If you put a very large pen and a smaller pen next to each other, it bends slightly to give more room. Though I don’t know what monster of a pen would not fit into this pen case. Granted, I’m more of a mid-sized pen person at most.

It is honestly impossible to say something negative. The zipper is tough, quite rugged feeling, but the edges are soft and don’t bite into your hand while you’re trying to get a pen out. It zips smoothly, it reminds me of a roller coaster on a track, as the zipper itself takes the turns and you don’t have to fight it around the corners.

Only one possible failing point can be the creases where the case bends to stand and the front flap. They seem to be wide enough to not stress the leather too much and the felt backing should take care of adding a little extra durability. Everything about this pen case feels well-made and made to last. I wish my clothes were this well-made, honestly.

Giving glowing reviews, especially for a product that has been sent by the company, usually leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It makes me feel dishonest, like I’m simply writing a good review because I got this product in exchange for writing about it. It’s the imposter syndrome at its best. Well, some products deserve all the praise that they can get, simply because they live up to it every single time. Makers like Galen Leather convince me that this is a great time to love pens, and even a greater time to keep them safe.