Penstrokes: Product Reviews

3-in-1 Planner

When I saw this product I immediately thought of using it for my monthly menus. I plan by the month and this calendar with all of its features was going to work perfectly. Not so. It is a perfect calendar. It has an area for using push pins (included) and it is magnetic (magnets included) and the area that has the calendar is nice and large to write on. What's the problem? Not one thing with this really cool board - I don't have a space on a kitchen wall that it will fit on! Those wonderfully large boxes that I was so excited about need a nice large board. I have carried it around the house trying to find a place to hang it all day. I have a bedroom wall that will work, but that is a bit far for menu planning. So . . . this beauty of a planner will probably go to school with me and serve a different purpose - if my custodian can hang it on our wall. It comes with all the necessary hardware to hang it with and is a good deal at Shoplet for around $40.00.

It cleans easily and is very sturdy. It also has a dry erase pen, push pins and magnets. It will look nice hanging on my classroom wall (just not as nice as I would like it to have looked in my kitchen).

Pen and Note Holder

On my desk at school, I have a rather lovingly abused black plastic pen and paper holder. It works and I never thought about replacing it. This is going to do just that. It is super shiny and heavy duty. I like it.

It has spaces for lots of paperwork and will hold 4 pens or pencils. I like the heavy duty feel it has (and the shine). The wide base gives it a very sturdy feel. It can be purchased at Shoplet for around $12.00. That seems a bit pricey to me, but considering its heavy construction that may not be so pricey after all.

Store-It Box

     Nicely constructed this storage box is a pretty good value at Shoplet for around $24.00. I like the bright red color and the fact that I can lock it. It is not fireproof. I also think it might not be very handy to protect valuables. A person could simply take the box and crowbar it open. However, in a home situation where medicines or other items needed to be locked away from small ones, it would do nicely. It could not be easily opened without the key.
     I don't really have valuables that need this so I plan on using it to store my array of medications. It will keep them together in one place and should the need ever arise that I have to grab them (bad weather or such) it would make it easy to do so. I also plan on decorating the outside with some pens just to make it "my own".
    While writing a review for the Shoplet site, I saw where someone else said she was going to use use it for a "mystery" box in her classroom - oh, great idea! Now I have to decide where this would best be used. Or maybe I need two?

Tablet Stand

Several months ago I reviewed a great tablet stand. It had an adjustable viewing angle and turned on a swivel base to allow easy viewing. My brother tried it out for me and I haven't seen it since! He loves using it. Until now. This stand looks rather low key compared to the other one. It is heavy duty steel constructed and appears to be one piece of steel. It doesn't angle. It doesn't rotate. It basically just sits there and very securely holds your tablet. Not fancy. I talked him into trying this one out at the computer he works and games at. I think I am going to get the other one back and this one has disappeared!
Because it does not move, it holds a tablet firmly in place when you try to touch the screen for something. It has a smaller base that fits on (our) the desk easier. The heavy duty feel gives you a feeling of security. Over all, it is a fantastic piece of steel. One piece - nothing to break or become worn. This sells for around $17.00 and in my opinion it is well worth it if you need the stand on your desk. I can use it in the kitchen for recipes from my tablet. It will work well at school for kids using tablets. I also plan to try using it for my Gypsy (Cricut cutting aid) if I can wrestle it away.