Frakenpen: Pentel EnerGel/uni-ball 207 Micro Refill

If you are looking for a review of the Pentel EnerGel Liquid Gel Pen then you should look somewhere else. This "review" is of the Pentel Energel body and the Mitsubishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro refill. This type of set up is commonly called a "Frakenpen".

While reading the JetPens Forum I ran across a write up about the Pentel EnerGel Alloy RT and was intrigued. So I went to Staples looking for one, just to have a look. Well I saw one but didn't buy it. I was still intrigued though, wondering just how heavy the pen was. But I didn't want to spend the money on a pen that I might not like and one that I knew that I was going to replace the refill in straight away anyway. Still intrigued I went to the check out with my purchase (see my post "Staedtler Liquid point 7") and there at the counter was a display of pens on sale, with, to my surprise, a plastic Energel Liquid Gel Pen on sale for a buck! How convenient for me! Needless to say, I bought one.

Once I got my prize home I did just what I knew I was going to do. The JetPens post had read that the EnerGel would take a Mitsubishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro refill so that's exactly what I put into it. It fit like it was made for it. So now I have another, yet non Mitsubishi, container for my beloved Signo 207 Micro refills. So why write up a "Frakenpen"...? Because I'm it's creator, Ha! Ha! Ha!... Eh, I mean, because someone might find it interesting.

The pen body is attractive being chrome, silver, black and black rubber. I think that the only metal on the pen is part of the pocket clip, the rest of the pen I believe is plastic. A common combination nowadays. The pen is 147.6mm long retracted and 11.1mm in diameter. The body is pretty much a straight line with a little flair on the rubber grip at the point where it joins the chromed tip. The screw joint is at the point where the grip and upper body meet. Once apart the grip slips off the back end of the chromed barrel. The push button is lightly sprung so it is always at the upper most position. When clicked the distinct sound of the spring in the push button can be heard compressing and uncompressing.

The Pen is very light, just how light I don't know as I don't have a gram scale and it's too darn late to scurry off to the Post Office to try and use their scale. Just take my word for it, it's light. But what should one expect from a plastic pen? Actually the pen is top heavy, I guess because of the metal pocket clip. But the rubber grip is more than adequate to hold the pen comfortably being a thin non-squishy rubber sleeve over a hard surface. This is the kind of rubber grip that I really like. Those clear, squishy silicone grips are just wrong on so many levels. There is also enough of the grip to allow for either a low or high hold. The pen is easy to control, partially because of the well designed grip.

The Signo 207 Micro refill speaks for it self (not really, because if it could I'd be on a TV talk show making millions!). It has received many write ups on as many blogs and forums so I won't write up anything about it here... Yes I will. I like the Signo 207 Micro refill very much, so much that I've put it into several other pen bodies. Up until now they have all been other Mitsubishi's even though the refill will fit a lot of other pen bodies by other pen makers. But this is not why I like the refill. I like it because it writes smoothly and smaller than the advertised 0.5mm ball size. The manufacturer claims it produces a 0.3mm line but I find it to be closer to a 0.4mm line. And that's just fine by me. It's also a pigmented ink, not a dye ink. This makes it truly waterproof. It is also claimed to be fade proof and acid free. All desirable qualities in a writing pen ink.

So what do I end up with? I end up with an inexpensive, very comfortable, well writing gel pen that if treated right will give me years of writing pleasure. It also gives me the information that I wanted to know: I would enjoy having a Pentel EnerGel Alloy RT, with a Mitsbishi uni-ball Signo 207 Micro refill. And it only cost me a buck.

Staedtler Liquid Point 7

While in Staples today I ran across the Staedtler Liquid point 7 pens in a four pack. They came in either all black or in four basic colors, black, red, blue and green. I chose the all black. The reasons that I chose them at all was because they are a needle point rollerball and because they were advertised as 0.3mm fine line pens. Once I got them home and tried them out I was disappointed. I expected a nice fine 0.3mm line but instead I got a 0.7 or 0.8mm line! If I had wanted a 'broad' pointed pen then I would have bought one... wait, I did buy one, no four, whatever. My point is I thought I was getting a sub-micro pointed pen and what I got was anything but. Whatever happened to truth in advertising?

Having said all that the pen was, as advertised, smooth writing. This is probably due to the fact that it is a 0.7 or 0.8mm pointed pen. The needle point is thick, like a Pentel Slicci, and the pen is about as long as a Slicci but it is slightly greater in diameter yet still being slimmer than most rollerballs. There is nothing on the package, pen or Staedtler website about the ink so I can tell you nothing except that it is dark, not watery.

The Liquid Point 7 is a liquid ink pen with a window showing the available ink supply and the delivery system is very similar to that of the Pilot Precise series of pens and similar style pens thought Staedtler touts it as an advanced delivery system.

The set of four sells for under $7.00 at Staples making the pens under $2.00 each, an average price for such a pen. Which is just what the Staedtler Liquid Point 7 is, an average rollerball pen. While nothing to write home about it's no worse than any other 0.7mm liquid ink rollerball pen and perhaps in one small way better. The manufacturer claims that the line width will remain the same regardless of the pressure applied. While I did not test this point out by pressing hard with the pen I did try and write lightly with it. When I did I found that the width did vary a little, it got a tad thinner. So maybe the Staedtler Liquid point 7 isn't so unusual after all.

Another Test Of Four

I like plastic porous point pens especially the technical pen type. These come in very fine point diameters and I am a self confessed fine point freak. They also write smoother than any other type of pen available. The point may not be as durable as a metal tipped pen but if they are treated right the tip can not only last the length of the ink supply but through a refill or two (yes, I try and refill non-refillable pens). Because these pens are often used in art work, scrap booking and archival documents the pigmented ink is often acid free, water proof and fade proof. However not all the pens in this test meat all those criteria, but more on that later. Right now I want to talk about pigment ink.

Dye ink is the old standard ink and it's just what it says. The ink stains or dyes the paper fibers, changing the color of the fiber. Such ink can be washed or bleached out of documents such as checks sometimes with nothing more than water but most certainly with common chemicals. Pigment ink is different in that it does not stain the paper instead it gets in between the paper fibers and lodges there. Because of this it is far more resistant to washing and bleaching techniques as well as being fade and water resistant.

The pens used in this test were the: Alvin TechLiner Technical Drawing Marker 0.20mm; Kuretake ZIG Memory System Millennium 0.25mm; Mitsubishi unipin Fine Line 0.20mm; and the Sakura Pigma Micron 0.20mm all in black ink. The Alvin, Mitsubishi and Sakura were labeled as water proof and fade proof. The Alvin, Kuretake and Sakura were all labeled as acid free and archival quality. All four were labeled as pigmented ink.

The paper used was standard notebook quality paper on a 5" x 7" writing pad. The test comprised of writing the name of each pen with that pen followed by a short line. At the end of the line I lightly pressed the pen to the paper for 10 seconds to test for bleed through. Finally I dipped my finer in nasal spray (because it was handy and to simulate a non-water spill) and placed a single small drop on each line. I did not smear the line. After a few minutes I patted up the liquid then blew it dry with a small heat gun.

All the pens wrote smoothly, as expected. All appear to produce nice dark lines, as expected. What wasn't expected was the fact that all the pens bled through to the next page. Being pigmented ink I expected less bleed through through I must confess that bleed through was far less than gel ink pens with dye ink. The worst offenders were the Alvin and the Kuretake bleeding through with a spot as big as that left on the top page. Next came the sakura with a slightly smaller spot than was left on the top page. Finally the least offender was the Mitsubishi with a spot barely 1/2 the spot left on the top page. The number beside each spot is the number of pages each pen bleed through.

As expected all passed the liquid test. None of the inks bleed through or feathered or changed colors. Sore one for pigmented ink. Pigmented ink is also why each appears so dark. Dye ink would make such thin lines appear gray in contrast.

The Mitsubishi and Skura appear to have tied for the pen with the thinnest line width. Not really surprising there as they claim the same nib width. However the Alvin, with the same nib width as the previous two, seems to have tied with the Kuretake for second place. That only goes to show that not all pen nibs of equal size are. Just 'cause it sez so don't make it so.

Well for my money any of the four would make nice fine nibbed writing instruments. For some reason as yet unknown to me, I seem to have a fondness for the Mitsubishi with the Sakura coming in a very close second. As far as price goes (something I've never mentioned before in a review because I feel it shouldn't make mush of a difference) they all sell for under $3.00 so no matter which one that you choose it shouldn't make such a huge dent in your pocketbook.

Pencil/Pen Cases Are Where You Find Them

Being a Penaholic (which includes pencils too) I want to keep my most precious pencils and pens in a nice expensive pencil/pen case. I've seen some nice leather cases on the Net ranging from ones that hold 12 pencils/pens to ones that hold 96! I've seen pencil/pen boxes made of wood that hold from a single pen to large boxes that hold 48 or more. All of which are expensive, but beautiful and probably worth the price. However I can not afford them, not until I make my millions that is. What I can afford from time to time is some fabric, some heat and bond, some elastic band and a few other odds and ends. Recently I designed and made a soft pencil/pen case but it was not well thought out. Then I redesigned it, but didn't make it before I offered the plans for free on my blog. Then I took a second look at the plans and discovered a few design flaws! It's a good thing that only a few people had ask for the plans. Once I had revamped the plans I sent them to all who had ask for them along with my apologies.

Recently while looking through my belongings I found an old CD case. It was something that I had received from a vendor while I was working for a company that made physio-monitoring units for heart cath labs. It was yellow on the outside and black on the inside and measured 11" x 7" x 1-1/4" closed. But beggars can't be choosers... while looking at it I got a flash. It would make a good pencil/pen case. So I gathered together some vinyl fabric, some cardboard, some 1/2" elastic band, some spray glue, some heat and bond and a few other odds and ends and got to work. The design is quite simple, two thin cardboard panels (the backs of writing pads) covered in thin vinyl fabric heat and bonded to the cardboard. I allowed 3/4" for a pocket but allowed 1" of elastic to cover that 3/4" space. The result is a loop of elastic every 3/4" for the width of the panel. That makes 14 sets of loops, one near the top of the panel and one near the bottom. Some contact cement and some extra fabric and a piece of felt for a divider completes the project.

The 2 completed panels were glued into the 2 inside flaps of the CD case. The felt divider/protector is glued along the inside of the spine using 2 strips of excess fabric. With the case full of pencils/pens it's a tight fit when the case is closed if all the pocket clips are straight up so I have to turn the pocket clips to the side in order to protect them from undo pressure. Other than that the case works just fine. It has a fold over closure flap and seals with Velcro. For a makeshift pencil/pen case it's really quite good. I only wish that the color was red, or blue instead of yellow.

Another makeshift pencil/pen case is one that I made from an old, broken down wooden cigar box. It was a great find. My lovely wife's cousin had the box but it had come apart. I inherited it, glued it back together and decided to make a pencil/pen case out of it. This time I used cardboard from a corrugated box. It bends easily along the corrugations but it is easy to sew through. Again I used thin vinyl fabric to cover the cardboard (which was cut 1/8" shy of the boxes interior dimensions) and used 1/2" elastic banding as before in order to make the pockets. A piece of elastic made into a loop and attached to the back of each panel (one slightly off center) serves as a grasp. A piece of Fun Foam rubber sheeting attached to the back of each panel completes the project. The panels fit snugly into the box and the 2 panel are a perfect fit height wise as well.

So, if you can't afford an expensive pencil/pen case or box or even if you can and just want a great project to occupy your spare time, look around the house and see if there isn't something that you can turn into a great pencil/pen case or box. You may not have a wooden cigar box, but maybe you have a cardboard one, that will work as well. Perhaps you are into woodworking, if so you can build your own pencil/pen box. If you sew maybe you can design your own fabric pencil/pen case. Makeshift or designed the idea is to come up with your own alternative to the high priced commercial pencil/pen cases.

The figure on the left shows a typical panel like the ones that I used in both projects. The light gray area is the fabric covered cardboard. The dark gray areas are the elastic bands. Enough space is left between the bands to allow the shortest pencil/pen to rest in the pockets with part of the body protruding from top and bottom of the pockets. This distance is typically between 2" and 3".

Ohto Super Promecha PM-1505P 0.5mm Pencil

I have quite a few drafting pencils, including a Ohto Promecha SP-503M 0.3mm, some simple in design, and some a bit more complex in design. But none of them are as complex as the Ohto Super Promecha PM-1505P. Of course none of them have all the features of the PM-1505P either. Ohto pulled out all the stops in the design of this pencil. The result is one of the most unique drafting pencils available.

Where to start, well, I guess I'll start with a few technical details. The PM-1505P is 152mm long from lead sleeve to push button making it the longest pencil in my collection, taking the spot over from my Pentel Graph 1000 PG1003. The grip is a whopping 11mm in diameter, making it the fattest pencil in my collection, taking the crown from my 2 Mitsubishi uni Kuru Toga pencils. The 12 sided body is about 8mm across the widest flats. The balance point is 81mm from the push button, making the pencil bottom heavy, and it weighs 18.5 grams, coming in second heaviest in my collection being beaten out by my other Ohto.

One of the first things that I do when I get a new pen or pencil is to take it apart. Within the first 10 minutes of receiving the Ohto I had it completely stripped to the bare bones. The PM-1505P breaks down into 13 components/systems: The push button/lead grade indicator - the upper tube w/lead grade indications, the outer tube w/lead grade indicator window, and the lower tube which fits onto the lead reservoir; the removable pocket clip and retaining nut; the upper body; the lower body; the end cap; the tension spring; the grip sleeve; the lead sleeve and tension spring; and the integral clutch assembly/lead length adjustment wheel/lead reservoir. This is the greatest number of user removable components of any automatic pencil that I have seen to date, more than twice as many as the average drafting pencil.

While I am the curious type and a tinker by nature I would suggest that the average user do nothing more than adjusting the various user adjustable parts of the pencil. These happen to be the lead grade indicator, the removable pocket clip, the lead length and the lead sleeve length. The lead grade indicator, which is part of the push button, is, to me, a bit more complicated than it has to be. To move the window to the desired lead grade it is best to remove the push button from the pencil. Grasping both knurled nuts in thumb and forefinger of each hand loosen the nuts by twisting them in opposite directions. Set the lead grade by turning it to the desire grade. Hold it and the top nut together while twisting the bottom nut tight again. Replace the push button.

In order to remove the pocket clip first remove the push button. Grasp the nut above the pocket clip and twist it off. Remove the pocket clip them replace the nut. The pencil can now be rotated in the hand while writing without the pocket clip interfering. This is a feature that I like a lot because I tend to rotate the pencil automatically. With some other pencils with non-removable pocket clips the pocket clip tends to rotate into the web of my hand making writing uncomfortable.

Another feature of the Super Promecha that I like very much is the lead length adjustment feature. With my other Ohto, an SP-503M, I have to be satisfied with the length of lead one click produces, or click it a second time and adjust the length of lead by hand. Two clicks produces too much lead and it breaks easily. But a single click's worth of lead is almost too little! I have a habit of pressing the push button on a pencil to produce more lead when the lead has worn down only about 1/4 to 1/3 the way. When I do this with the SP-503M I get too much lead again. With the PM-1505P I can adjust the lead length from0.2mm a click to 2mm a click. I have mine set to produce a fraction more than 0.2mm a click. It takes 3 to 4 clicks to produce enought lead for me to write with. This way when I press the push button while writing I get only about an extra 1/4 or 1/3 the lead I started with. To adjust the lead length turn the wheel inside the window just above the grip. Turning it to the right shortens the lead length, turning it to the left lengthens the lead length.

The lead sleeve length adjustment on this pencil is an improvement on the previous design. On some earlier designs not only was the maximum length of the lead sleeve adjustable by a wheel in the tip of the pencil the lead sleeve was retractable as well. Someone at Promecha must have realized the redundancy in this for now the 2 adjustments are combined into a single adjustment, a much simpler design. The lead sleeve is actually of a fixed design being attached to the hidden inner workings of the pencil. The end cap, which on other pencils has the lead sleeve attached to it, serves as a housing for the fully enclosed fixed sleeve and clutch assembly. The end cap screws into the hollow grip sleeve and is held under tension by a spring inside the grip sleeve. To adjust the length of the lead sleeve, from 0mm to 4mm, simply turn the grip sleeve, which moves up and down along the bottom portion of the pencil. The spring provides enough tension to keep the grip and end cap in place. Other than to hide the lead sleeve for the purpose of carrying the pencil in the breast pocket I can't see much use for the adjusting lead sleeve length. I keep the lead sleeve set at the maximum 4mm length.

The PM-1505P is an attractive pencil being all silver with black lettering and accents. There are four black rubber or plastic rings spaced about 9.5mm apart just above the lead length adjustment area. Other than aesthetics I can see no reason for them. As an aesthetic accent they look nice though. The grip sleeve is finely knurled and non-biting yet it offers a very good gripping surface. All the knurled nuts are coarsely cut so they provide good gripping surfaces as well. On top of the push button is a black sticker with silver lettering indicating the lead size. The lead grade indications are black against a silver background. On in all a very attractive pencil indeed.

The pencil is mostly made of metal. The only major plastic part that I can see is the lead reservoir and there is no real reason for this even being plastic. In some plastic bodied pencils I've found metal lead reservoirs. But it does not detract from the pencils performance. The exterior parts are made of brushed aluminum. The lead sleeve is made from bright stainless steel. The 3-jawed clutch assembly is all brass. Over all, even as complex as the Super Promecha is it is a very well designed and constructed pencil. I am very impressed with the design and over all quality of this amazing pencil.

The pencil writes as well as any high quality automatic pencil should write. There is no wobble of the lead in the lead sleeve, in fact the fit is so exact I half expect to see lead shavings every time I click out more lead. The over sized grip is surprisingly not too fat, for me at least and the finely cut diamond pattern on the grip is not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye but very comfortable to the fingers. Being bottom heavy the pencil rests comfortably in my hand and is easy to direct. The weight feels good, it's a solid feeling reminding you that you have something substantial in your hand, something of quality.

So if you can only afford one new automatic pencil this Christmas or if you want a pencil that's customizable to suit your writing style or if you just want an amazing pencil go to JetPens.com and buy yourself an Ohto Super Promecha PM-1505P today. You deserve it.

Many thanks to Jetpens for providing the pencil for this review.

Pentel Ain Supplio Sharp Sented Pencil - Healing

There seems to be a lot of hype about the Pentel Ain Supplio Sharp Scented Pencils on the Net. In doing research on the pencils I learned that they were the July 2007 Stationary Of The Year award winners in Japan. The hype is more about the lead than the actual pencils themselves. This is as it should be as it's the lead that houses the scented oils not the pencil itself, which is really a Pentel Techniclick 0.5mm pencil in new clothes.

The scented leads employ nanotechnology to encapsulate the oils in microscopic bubbles. As the lead wears down the bubbles burst and the scent is released. It is a very subtle fragrance, and I do mean subtle. I have never used a scented pen but what I have read is that the fragrance from scented leads is much more subtle than the fragrance from scented pens.

The leads come in 3 scents: "Healing - gives you a change of mind. Has a soft, soothing scent, like lavender or fragrant tea; Refresh - gives you an extra boost when you feel tired. Has a winter fresh, minty scent; Positive - clears your mind so you can be motivated at work. Has a spring time scent of flower petals". According to Pentel the scent will last 2 years if the package is left sealed, 3 months once the seal is broken.

The pencil that I was given to review had a "Healing" scent. As soon as I opened the package I could smell the lavender fragrance, one I happen to like. That was the strongest the fragrance got. From then on, as I used the pencil, I only caught a hint, a suggestion, of lavender. In fact the scent was underwhelming, which is not a bad thing. If I had not known that the lead was scented I would have been wondering where the gentle odor was coming from. When I removed the end cap from the pencil while the lead was extended and put my nose up to it the scent was much stronger.

The pencil itself is a Pentel Techniclick, a side clicking pencil, color coded to match the particular scent, in this case green. The color, like the scent, is subtle. The pencil is mostly clear plastic with a green push button. Just above the push button is the pencil's name in white on a transparent field of green. Imprinted in opaque green on the pocket clip is the Healing logo. The plastic parts of the lead advance mechanism are white plastic. The grip area is nice as it is made up of almost 2 dozen raised rings. Because the pencil is so light this is quite adequate as a grip. Another feature of the pencil is the lead sleeve. It's in the style of a drafting pencil only it's 3mm long instead of 4mm. Even so it could serve as a 0.5mm drafting pencil as well as as a general writing pencil.

The pencil comes with only 2 scented leads while the lead reservoir is cavernous enough to hold a couple of dozen leads. Unlike most drafting style pencils the eraser provided with the Supplio is actually usable. It sets solidly in the top of the pencil and because the lead advance mechanism is in the lower half of the pencil using the eraser will not cause unwanted lead advancement. There is no push button on top of the pencil, it's on the side of the pencil, instead there is a cap which has the pocket clip attached. To refill the pencil with lead, remove the cap and then the eraser. If you use scented lead make sure that you don't fill it with any more lead than you will use in 3 months or your scented pencil will just be a pencil.

If you are into aromatherapy or if you just want a nice subtle scent wafting up from your paper then by all means go and order a Pentel Ain Supplio Sharp scented pencil from JetPens. If you don't like the look or feel of the Techniclick pencil then buy a tube of Pentel Ain Supplio Scented pencil leads, also available from JetPens. Go on, do your senses a favor.

I want to thank JetPens for the Pentel Ain Supplio Sharp 0.5mm "Healing" pencil and for the use of the photo of same used in this review.

Long Term Pen Storage, The Ziploc Solution

A while back, on the JetPens Forum we had a discussion about long term storage of pens of all types. There were many ideas tossed about but we all seamed to agree that vacuum sealing our pens in plastic bags was a viable idea. There was of course the expensive electric vacuum sealer with its expensive roll of bag material. The advantage here is that just about any sized bag could be made and sealed. The disadvantages are that it is expensive, not commonly available and repeated opening and resealing makes the bag smaller and smaller each time so the bag has to be made large enough to accommodate this. Over time repeated openings and closings reduce the bag to the point that it has to be replaced. Not the most desirable route to take. Last but not least, it's not as portable as the Ziploc vacuum, which does not require electricity.

I suggested that one use a regular zipper baggie and a common plastic straw. The idea (which I have used in the past for other things) is to fill the baggie, seal it almost entirely closed then insert a small diameter plastic straw into the opening. By squeezing the opening with the fingers while sucking on the other end of the straw a fairly good vacuum can be achieved. By quickly removing the straw while pressing on the zipper opening to close it preserves the vacuum. While not a perfect solution it does allow for the opening and resealing of the bag. What was needed was a better way of sucking out the air from a zipper baggie while maintaining the vacuum. Along comes S. C. Johnson & Sons, Inc. with the Ziploc Vacuum sealed bags.

The Ziplock Vacuum Starter Kit retails for about $4.50, give or take. I've seen it on eBay for as much as $8.00 with a $9.00 shipping charge! But I found mine at Walmart for the very reasonable cost of $1.50! Amazing the price difference for the same item. But I digress. The Ziploc vacuum system starter kit consists of a 3 quart bags that are diamond cut on one side and smooth on the other and a small hand pump. The directions for use are printed on the smooth side of each bag but the procedure is quite simple. Fill the bag, leaving enough room to attach the pump at the indicated spot, seal the zipper, place the bag on a hard flat surface, place the pump on the designated spot and pressing the pump firmly onto the bag, stroke the handle several times until the desired level of vacuum is achieved or your hand falls off.

I filled a quart sized bag with 40 different gel and liquid ink pens, which was almost, but not quite too much, and pumped out enough air to achieve a pound of coffee like brick, though not quite as tight but very near. The vacuum produced was more than adequate for the job I was asking the system to do and far better that using a zipper baggie and a straw! I did not notice any leakage of ink due to the vacuum in any of the pens, which was a great relief. The bag was easily opened and I was able to reseal it with no problems whatsoever. I suspect that the bags can be reused in this fashion a goodly number of times before having to be replaced, longer if one is gentle.

The pump itself is simple elegance. It is made up of 6 individual parts: the pump tube; the rubber lower seal which acts as a base; the pump handle/piston; the 2-piece removable cap; and the piston's rubber 'O'-ring. The 'O'-ring is shaped much like a pulley wheel with a 'U'-shaped surface. This means that two slender rings contact the inner wall of the pump, not just one. This makes for a better seal. If one were to place the pump opening on one's upper thigh and activate the pump the result would be one heck of a hickey! That's how well the pump works. I am impressed with the system, though I am sure that the designers did not have quite the use in mind as I have for the system. Indeed they designed the pump to be broken down for cleaning for used as designed the pump is bound to get soiled by liquids from foods.

Only a long term test will determine if vacuum sealing of pens is a viable way to store them long term, however I think that it is. If you want to experiment on the idea yourself I suggest that you scurry on down to your local Walmart and purchase a Ziploc Vacuum Starter Kit while the price is so low. Who knows when it might go up again?