Superior Labor A5 Leather Folio - Wonderpens Exclusive

I had been waiting for this since Wonderpens published a teaser on their Instagram account. Having thought about buying the Superior Labor pen roll for sometime (I still haven't taken the plunge), I knew maybe I wanted to wait for this... and probably eventually buy a pen roll anyway.

Crazy lady that I am, I inquired when these would be arriving and asked about them every single time I was in Wonderpens. OK, everyone will tell you, I'm there a lot. I love the staff, the ambiance, the plants, the chalkboard, and of course, pens and ink... I've met friends there, made friends there, and think that it's really a great place! Even my husband who doesn't quite understand my love for pens and paper loves to stare at an old Toronto city street map that  decorates the walls.

So when I called last Wednesday night at closing time and it was closed, I still decided to go on Thursday after work... after all, I needed the re-released Sailor Apricot Ink right? I started chatting with Liz, the owner, and she remembered (probably because I am crazy) that I was waiting for this exclusive. As you can read on her blog, this is an exclusive piece found ONLY at Wonderpens.

Their shipment had just arrived, and I may have forced her to sell me the first one! And now after a few days, let me share how I feel about it.

Attention to detail

Firstly, the hype is WORTH IT. This company, another family company, just like Wonderpens makes beautiful leather goods. Just walk in, and touch the leather. It's a bit hard at first and squeaks, but even after 3 days of me taking it with me everywhere, the leather has really softened up.

Every part is made with detail in mind - for those who work leather like myself, this is machine stitched and not hand stitched. It comes with a beautiful embossed tag which unfortunately does work itself off of my folio a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if I lost it one day.

Front Pockets

The size I got was the A5 size, and they also have an A4 size. It is perfect for carrying a few things to the park, or to the café. I think I would have also loved the A4 size, but was unsure if my Thinkpad would fit in it... Apparently it does fit a MacBook Pro quite well.

The front pocket are nice and snug - I worry about stretching the leather, but am sure that when I do (the right pen pocket is already stretching), I won't care any longer. The leather is so supple it really doesn't matter. Here as you can see, there is one solitary pen slot, which you might be able to fit 2 pencils, or 2 small pens, or 2 ballpoints, or in my case, my Montblanc Meisterstuck 146. The pocket to the left of it is perfect for envelopes, paper, a small field notes, my iPhone SE, or as shown here, an assortment of pens.

Importantly, what can the inside hold? As you open the well crafted zipper, you find a cavity that is A5 size with a small diagonal slot to separate your documents. In here, you can see a full A5 notebook, my iPad, and a few other knick knacks.



Here is another view of the inside with the diagonal slot.



Here is an expanded view of what I have been carrying around in the folio - though this changes depending if I'm going to work or in this case, just chilling. Life Noble Note A5 Notebook, iPad mini 4, Kindle 3rd Gen, 4 envelopes, A letter, stamps, prayer card, 3 pens. It's surprisingly spacey and definitely can be used for a few things inside. WOW right? Now I only imagine what I could put into the A4. Liz... maybe I'll come back for it... but the wallet needs a rest I think.

 Just a few more notes about the details - I hope you can see, even the Rivet on the zipper Pull has the Superior Labor company name.

Standard and strong. The Superior Labor company. Made in Japan.

The back is great too! You can just see the beautiful leather grain coming through.

 So I am so happy and honoured to be the first person to buy this beautiful folio from Wonderpens. I'd urge you to take a peek at it at Wonderpens.ca and see if it's right for you. Be sure that I will be thinking about the A4 and the Leather Roll too.

This is really a piece that I will be keeping and using forever. I hope to one day share it with my kids. The leather is similar to the quality of a messenger bag of my grandfather's that I'm still using. I'm loving it. Let me know what you think in the comments!




I bought this with my own money, and have never received any monetary incentives from Wonderpens. Truly just my favourite Brick And Mortar store :)