Five Small Desk Upgrades for Fountain Pen Users Worth a Look

Introduction

Not every product deserves a full-length review, but some products are genuinely useful anyway. This roundup gathers five smaller items that earn their place on a fountain pen lover’s desk: a premium ergonomic chair from Odin Lake, walnut pen trays from NFP Design, cork pen cases from SMY Pens, and two cleaning products from Colorverse. Each one solves a specific, everyday problem, and each has clear trade-offs to weigh before buying.

Odin Lake Ergo Butterfly 753: A Chair for Long Desk Sessions

Odin Lake is currently offering the Ergo Butterfly 753 through a Kickstarter campaign, and it is aimed squarely at people who spend long hours at a desk. The defining feature is a butterfly-shaped backrest that contours to the shape of your back, paired with a lower lumbar support. That lumbar support is on the firmer, more stationary side, so if you like pronounced back support, this design will suit you well. Both the backrest and headrest heights adjust easily, and unlike the previous model, a tension screw now holds the headrest at your chosen height so it does not slip when you move the chair around.

Two conveniences stand out. The height and tilt controls are built into the armrests, working a bit like bicycle brake levers, which makes reclining far easier than fumbling for a lever under the seat. The armrests themselves adjust in height, width, and rotation, and the firmer mechanism resists the accidental shifts that plague softer designs. Assembly takes only about four screws, and gloves are even included in the box.

Underneath it all is a solid aluminum frame and genuine quality materials, backed by a 7-year warranty, which is rare in this category. One quirk to note: aftermarket caster wheels designed for other chairs may not be compatible with this model, though the stock wheels performed without issue. A built-in coat rack on the back keeps a jacket or hoodie off the floor even when fully reclined, and a footrest is available as an add-on; on the Kickstarter, super early bird pricing is $649 and includes a free footrest valued at around $90.

NFP Design Pen Trays: Simple, Solid, Reasonably Priced

If pens tend to wander across your desk, a pen tray is one of the simplest fixes. NFP Design’s trays come in six-pen and twelve-pen sizes built on the same design, and both are made from walnut with a removable fabric-coated pen table insert. The inserts are available in eight colors, sold separately, and can even be used on their own without the tray.

The fit is generous. Extra-large pens like the Danitrio Genkai and the Namiki Emperor sit with room to spare, and two large pens side by side still do not touch. The trays feel solid without being heavy, and the earth-tone color combinations look good together.

Pricing is refreshingly reasonable: the six-pen tray is $31, the twelve-pen tray is $41, and each insert is $25. A complete six-pen setup comes to roughly $56 depending on the Turkish lira to dollar conversion rate, and the twelve-pen version about $90.

SMY Pens Cork Pen Cases: Soft, Natural, Lightweight

SMY Pens, based in Mount Juliet, Tennessee just outside of Nashville, is run by Akila Sheth, and these two cases are made from cork. Cork is a wonderful material for pen storage: it is remarkably soft, with a slight natural warmth to the touch. Portugal produces about 60% of the world’s cork, and roughly 8% of that country is covered in cork trees, which gives this simple accessory an interesting origin story.

The single-pen sleeve has a smoothly operating zipper and enough internal room for even the enormous Danitrio Genkai, with no contact between the pen and the zipper when closed. There is a fixed elastic band inside that is neither tight enough to tension the case shut nor positioned to hold a second pen, so its purpose is unclear, but it does no harm. The three-pen case adds a small pocket with a cork side for pen essentials, and it closes comfortably with large pens inside, though two extra-large pens at once may feel a bit cramped.

At $15 for the single sleeve and $25 for the three-pen case, both feel like solid value for a natural material that protects pens well.

Colorverse Pen Soap and HIIR: The Cleaning Duo

Colorverse offers two companion products: pen soap and HIIR, which stands for hand ink remover. The pen soap is designed for gunked-up nibs and feeds, and the company includes a plastic tube for mixing the solution. Read the packaging carefully: the main instructions do not mention it, but the side panel specifies that standard cleaning calls for a 1:4 dilution with water, while heavy cleaning uses the soap undiluted.

In practice, the routine is simple. Empty the ink from the pen, rinse it with water, then fill and expel the pen soap four to five times. Leave the pen filled with the soap for five minutes, then cycle through warm water until it runs clear. On a severely clogged pen that resisted water flushing alone, the five-minute soak made the difference: afterward, the pen cleaned up almost completely with just a bulb syringe.

The HIIR kit includes an expanding sponge and is tested against the most infamous inks. With Noodler’s Bay State Blue on a finger, warm water alone removed nothing, but the remover immediately started lifting pigment, and while it took real scrubbing to finish the job, it performed noticeably better than regular hand soap or dish soap. The remaining traces around the cuticle would likely have come off with more scrubbing, and given how extreme that test ink is, the result was impressive.

Both products are available from a wide range of retailers: the hand ink remover sells for $25 and the pen soap for $20.

Buying Advice

These five items cover different needs, so the right choice depends on what your desk actually lacks. If long hours at a desk are causing discomfort, the Odin Lake chair is the investment that pays off daily, especially at the Kickstarter early bird price with the free footrest. If your problem is clutter, the NFP Design trays are the most affordable organized solution. The SMY Pens cork cases suit anyone who carries pens and values a soft, natural material. And if you own enough inked pens, the Colorverse pen soap and HIIR remove two recurring frustrations: clogged nibs and stained hands.

Conclusion

None of these products is flashy, and that is exactly the point. They are small, focused upgrades that make fountain pen life smoother, whether that means a chair that supports you for years, trays and cases that keep pens safe, or cleaning products that actually work when ink fights back. Each one is easy to recommend for the right buyer.