PEN CASE REVIEW: LOCHBY TOOL ROLL

I'll let you in on a little secret: together with the Field Journal that I reviewed a couple months ago (HERE), the relatively 'new' brand Lochby (previously known as BOND Travel Gear) gets a perfect two for two score with the Lochby Tool Roll. The latter obviously being the topic of today's review.

Even though I previously admitted that the ruggedized EDC styling of Lochby's products isn't immediately my first pick, there's just too much to like about their products. Let me elaborate...

The Tool Roll starts on the outside with very similar styling as the Field Journal: brown waxed canvas, reinforced stitched edges, and a massive metal hook to keep it securely closed. On the inside, I'm happy to see the honeycomb-stitched, warm yellow ripstop fabric make its return. I really appreciate the color scheme and the way it's laid out on all Lochby products, keeping with an overall very work-appropriate look on the outside, but a bit more festive inside. BTW, Lochby also introduced a new colorway for its entire product line recently: a super-sleek black outside, with a strongly contrasting sand-colored interior - it looks amazing! 

Besides the attention to detail for aesthetics, Lochby's products are also excellently put-together, with neat stitching all around. The rugged fabrics give a durable impression. I've been using both the Tool Roll and Field Journal extensively for the past six months, and they both still look like new!

With a history in more EDC-minded products, it makes sense that Lochby named this product the Tool Roll. Even though the rebranding to Lochby is supposed to be more focused on writing accessories, the 'Tool' roll isn't just meant to carry around pens. The multi-purpose functionality reflects in the many different pockets and elastic loops on the inside. There's a lot of space to put a wide variety of pens, artist's supplies, tools, etc. 

Extra-wide elastic loops hold pens and other tools neatly in place

The four smaller elastic loops on the left are ideally sized for pens, three slightly wider slots are perfect for oversized and very wide pens (the Opus 88 Omar, for example). Only the two extra-wide slots in the middle aren't necessarily meant for pens (although, if you don't mind, two pens can cozy up in a single slot for sure). For a more EDC-minded kit, those middle slots fit a multitool without issues (In the images I used a smaller Leatherman Squirt, but it also comfortably fits a full-size Leatherman or Swiss army knife). One thing that doesn't fit is an unsharpened (or relatively new) Blackwing pencil It's nice to have a lot of options, but I'd like to see the option for a roll with 12 (or maybe 11, with three of the medium-sized loops like the ones on the far right in this case) slots, dedicated to carrying pens.

UPDATE: Apparently Lochby already thought of the changes I suggested... before I suggested them! If you go to the product page, you'll see that the Tool Roll now has the two wide slots replaced with four small loops, so it can fit 11 pens comfortably without having to put two pens in a single space! - Awesome!

But wait, there's more! Cleverly hidden behind the pen loops, are three wide pockets that run the entire height of the case. It's the perfect size for a pocket notebook, or even a smartphone or something else that's larger but relatively thin. One downside: there are three pockets so you could technically fit three notebooks, but that does make it borderline impossible to properly wrap the case closed without bending the notebooks too much (one or two notebooks works just fine though).

And lastly, to the left of the 'main compartment' there's also a zippered mesh pouch to store small paraphernalia (I put an eraser in it, but I'm sure you can think of more exciting ways to put it to good use!). It can even hold additional pens if you really want to get the most out of your case

The Tool roll measures 20 by 40 cm (8” x 16”) when opened up, and it comfortably takes pens or other 'tools' up to 16 or 17 cm in length (6.7"). That's plenty of room for even the largest pens. Rolled up, it's more or less a cylinder that measures 10 by 20 cm (3.93" x 7.78").

Together with the wide elastic loops, the protective flaps on top and bottom cover almost the entire pens, so they have little opportunity to bump into each other. The flaps can be folded over and tucked underneath so you can display your pens while the case is on a table or something. 

Sorry Blackwing, you'll have to go!

The case holds closed by the metal clasp, that can be attached to one of four loops. The clasp itself can also be tightened or loosened on its own strap, so together that gives plenty of adjustment to choose if you want to keep the case slim and compact, or packed to the brim. Filled with pens, it does bulk up considerably, like a well-stuffed burrito (yes, that's the analogue I'm going with).

Now, one remark I have with pen roll cases in general, is that they tend to be less padded (The Lochby Tool Roll isn't padded at all), and less protective than a hard case with individual slots. I'm not the kind of person to put super-expensive pens in this kind of case and throw it in my backpack. But... that's just me and my obsessive OCD of course, because you definitely could. 

While it may not be the most protective pen case option out there, it does offer decent protection at a more compact footprint (Compared to a Dreamtouch case from Visconti with a similar 12-pen capacity, this certainly offers an easier form factor to put in a bag or backpack). I do like the Tool Roll for a more casual everyday carry for work or travel, which of course brings us back full-circle to the concept this case was built for - EDC. I guess that's a sign of thoughtful design!

Thoughtful design or not, obviously price is an important decisive factor in making a purchase decision. If this was in the same price range as more 'premium' and protective leather case from Franklin-Christoph or Visconti, it wouldn't be much of a choice. BUT, the Lochby Tool Roll is only 39$, undercutting even the most affordable options from competing products that can hold a similar amount of pens! I must say, it's quite hard to beat at a price like that.

NOTE: This product was provided by Lochby, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: LOCHBY FIELD JOURNAL NOTEBOOK COVER

Lochby. A relatively new brand on the market. Yet, by now, if you don't live under a rock, you've probably heard about them or seen one of their products pass by on social media or on other blogs.

It doesn't happen very often, but I was immediately intrigued by the name: Lochby. Lake by. Lake bee? Well, the Lochby logo is a bee, but that's apparently not quite what the name means. According to the owner it translates to lake town, a nod to his home town by the lake. Perhaps a missed opportunity for another bee reference, because you might notice that all of Lochby's products are filled with small bee-related details - very tastefully done, I might add. 

Anyway, enough linguistics nonsense, you're here for the Lochby Field Journal notebook cover, so let's take a look at that. 

The Lochby Field Journal is an unapologetically EDC-styled writing Folio. If the design on the outside hasn't made that obvious yet, I don't know what will. The rugged, brown, waxed canvas outer fits right in with an adventurous lifestyle, and the large clasp on the front (a very nice, heavy-duty one made from aluminum) adds to the 'ruggedized' look and feel of the entire cover. The clasp closure is also quite practical in use. It can be adjusted in length, depending on how much notebooks (and other paraphernalia) you want to stuff inside, and the slightly curved shape makes it easy to clip into the loop closure. The clasp can also be attached to a loop on the back to keep it out of the way, although I find it adversely adds bulk to the backside of the cover, preventing it from laying flat.

In hindsight, I realized how dumb it would look to hold it like this...

A strap runs along the spine of the Field Journal. At first, I wasn't quite sure why it's even there (to hold it like a briefcase?). But all of a sudden it made sense. If you're on the go, slipping your hand behind the strap keeps your notebook securely tied to your hand, whether you're just toting it around, or supporting it while quickly writing something down on the go. It's not as stupid as I initially thought... It's just me that's the stupid one. (The video on Lochby's product page does an excellent job explaining all the features, I probably should've looked it up earlier!)

Admittedly, all the design elements add up to something that's not quite the clean, sleek, leather journal cover that I would tend to go for. But I'm willing to make an exception here because I very much appreciate the thought that Lochby put into the design. The subtle brown outside is balanced nicely by a pop of warm honey-yellow (=bees!) rip-stop fabric on the inside, making for a playful contrast while still keeping a fairly subdued look from the outside. I told you there would be a lot of bee references, so here's another one: The ripstop fabric on the inside is woven in a honeycomb pattern. Heck, even the mesh pocket on the front inside flap is woven in a honeycomb-like pattern... style points for Lochby! 

Apart from the different and playful design that I came to like more than I expected, the Lochby Field Journal is a very practical and complete product that's perfect if you want to keep multiple notebooks (for multiple projects perhaps) nicely together, along with a plethora of loose papers, business cards, small paraphernalia (as long as they're thin), and a pen of course.

A nice velcro-closed mesh pocket on the inside to keep small paraphernalia

Closing the Field Journal with the clasp keeps your pen extra securely strapped in

The waxed brown canvas is actually quite water-repellent indeed, so that's nice if you take it outside in less than ideal weather. The reinforced edges of the cover are not waterproof though, and obviously, the sides of the notebooks are still exposed, so you'd probably still not want to carry your important notes around in it during a downpour or something. But every bit helps, right?

The Lochby Field Journal contains four elastic bands that run along the length of the spine, making it possible to attach up to four thin notebooks or cahiers at once. If that's not enough, the two vertical pockets on the front and back allow two additional notebooks to be held in place, although 6 may be just a bit much for my taste.

I prefer to carry two or three of these thinner notebooks at once (or even a single, hardcover A5 notebook), which keeps the overall thickness manageable, and also makes writing in each of the notebooks more comfortable. 

The Lochby Field Journal is made to hold Lochby's own Tomoe River cahiers (obviously!), which are in fact very nice. One dot grid cahier is included with the Field Journal, and additional notebooks (also in plain or ruled) are available for 9$ each. The craft-brown softcover notebooks contain a decent 72 pages each, but stay thin due to the 68gsm TR paper. Did I already tell you how awesome Tomoe River is for fountain pens? It really is pretty great...

Lovely shading (from the, equally lovely, Kyo-No-Oto inks!) and sheen are to be expected with Tomoe paper

If you are ok with longer drying times, Tomoe River is really in a league of its own. Ink dries crisply and colors pop while also showing tons of shading and sheen. I've also come to enjoy the slightly heavier 68 gsm Tomoe River paper between this and the Endless Recorder notebook that I reviewed a while ago. It's slightly less crinkly and characterful as the lighter 52 gsm paper, but in my experience, it seems slightly better at dealing with bleedthrough and ghosting. That said, it's still not ideal if you want to write on both sides of the page.

The Schmidt P8126 rollerball is not the easiest refill, although feathering is still rather limited

And as I love TR paper, I still wouldn't count it as the most all-purpose type of paper. Take quick notes a bit too quickly, and you'll likely end up smudging all over the place. Limit yourself to rollerball or ballpen,... well then there's honestly more practical and cheaper paper types out there. So is TR the ideal match for an EDC-minded product like the Field Journal? Maybe not, but that didn't withhold me from using it a lot as my personal carry in the past months! The notebooks are standard A5 (5.8" x 8.3") size, so there are enough alternative paper options available if you want to add more flexibility to your daily carry. 

Little pockets and places to put items all over the Field Journal!

The Lochby Field Journal is - first of all - an incredibly practical notebook cover filled with functionality. The build quality is excellent all around, and I like the playful accent color and subtle bee theme that's going on on the inside, giving the Field Journal its own character. Whether or not you like the rugged, EDC-minded appearance will be up to you, but the design actually grew on me quite a bit in the time of using it.

If you weren't convinced yet, the Lochby Field Journal is also just a killer deal. At just 39$ for the cover with one notebook installed, I feel like you're certainly getting your money's worth. It certainly looks and feels like something that should cost quite a bit more.

NOTE: This product was provided by Lochby, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.