Desk and Stationery Finds Worth a Look: Flexispot, Asvine, Papier Plume, and Wingback

Introduction

Every so often it is worth rounding up a handful of smaller items that do not each warrant a deep dive on their own but still deserve attention. This time the mix covers a bit of everything for a desk-and-pens setup: an L-shaped standing desk from Flexispot, two budget pen cases from Asvine, ink swatching supplies and a new ink from Papier Plume, and a solid brass ballpoint from Wingback. Here is how each one stacks up.

Flexispot L-Shaped Standing Desk

When home working expanded this household’s office footprint, a second workstation ended up as a mishmash of five different pieces of furniture clumped together. The Flexispot L-shaped standing desk was a chance to clean that area up properly. It arrives in two boxes, weighs around 100 pounds in total, and took about an hour and a half to assemble, going together very nicely.

Two small details stand out. The parts come in separate labelled sections, and a second packet holds spare parts, so you never wonder whether an extra screw was intentional or a forgotten step. The electric controls raise and lower the desk smoothly, with programmable buttons for saved sitting and standing heights, plus a timer on the far right that reminds you to change positions after a set period.

This is a brand with a solid track record here: the main office desk is also a Flexispot, and around 20 Flexispot standing desks have been purchased for a workplace over the past couple of years with pleasing results. On Amazon it currently sells at 10% off for a reasonable $369, which feels fair for the quality and functionality on offer.

Asvine Pen Cases: 12 and 24 Slots

Asvine offers two canvas pen cases: a 24-slot version at $19.99 and a 12-slot version at $16.99. The marketing calls them waterproof, but that label is a little misleading. The exterior canvas is water resistant, so a spill on top will wipe off and the pens stay protected, but this is not a case you can submerge. The 12-slot case is decently well built, with an inner flap that is a nice touch and elastic loops that are a bit stiff at first but should wear in with use.

The 24-slot case opens with two sides of 12 loops each and handled an impressive range of pen sizes in testing: a Namiki Emperor fit alongside a Kaweco Lilliput, plus a Pelikan M400, Leonardo Momento Zero, Visconti Homo Sapiens, Pilot Vanishing Point, Nakaya Celestial-style pen, a slim Tactile Turn GT rollerball, and a Lamy Al-Star. The Emperor is snug but secure, and the smaller pens are not going anywhere.

For anyone after budget-friendly cases with real capacity, both are reasonable in price and decent in quality.

Papier Plume Wings and Boas Ink

Papier Plume’s latest ink, Wings and Boas, arrives in one of their characterful bottles topped with a dripped wax seal. On the swatch card it reads as a pinkish red, more pink than red, like a pink with a few drops of red mixed in. Compared side by side it sits somewhere near Colorverse Fallet, Pelikan Edelstein Star Ruby, Pilot Iroshizuku Mumiji, and Private Reserve Neon Fuchsia, leaning pinker than the Mumiji but less aggressively pink than the Neon Fuchsia.

On paper with a broad nib, the ink actually looks more red than the swatch suggests, with a touch of pink that never becomes off-putting. The consistency is excellent, in keeping with Papier Plume’s general reputation, and the bottles look great on a shelf.

Papier Plume Swatchbook Set

The swatchbook set makes cataloguing inks genuinely pleasant. It includes a leather cover, inserts, and a supply of swatch cards for $45, with the separately purchased leather card holder at $19. The cards are thick stock, seemingly hand cut, and hold both a written sample and a saturated swab. Once dried, cards slide into the leather book’s pages and can even be doubled back so both sides show, making it easy to thumb through your collection and decide what to fill each pen with. Refill inserts and cards are available at reasonable prices, and the leather is genuine rather than pleather.

Wingback Brass Ballpoint

The Wingback brass ballpoint is not a large pen, but it carries real heft, and that weight feels good in the hand. Brass knurling on the grip section and at the end cap gives it plenty of character, and the brand name is engraved on the barrel. The mechanism is a simple twist: one way extends the tip, the other retracts it.

Aesthetically, the ballpoint format arguably suits this pen better than a rollerball would. The writing sample was fairly smooth for a ballpoint with little drag, and the knurled section grips the fingers so firmly that your hold never slips. At $175 it sits a little high for a ballpoint, but the construction and materials are unquestionably high quality.

Buying Advice

If your workspace needs consolidating, the Flexispot desk is the easy recommendation, especially with firsthand experience of the brand holding up at home and across an entire office. For pen storage on a budget, the Asvine cases deliver solid value, with the 24-slot model the better pick if your collection spans oversized and pocket pens. Ink collectors will get the most out of the Papier Plume swatchbook set, and Wings and Boas is worth sampling if you like a pink-leaning red. The Wingback brass ballpoint is the indulgence of the group, best for anyone who appreciates machined metal and does not mind paying for it.

Conclusion

This mix of desk and stationery picks covers a range of budgets and needs. The Flexispot desk solves a real workspace problem with proven build quality, the Asvine cases make pen storage affordable, the Papier Plume swatching kit turns ink management into a pleasure, and the Wingback ballpoint is a small but substantial object worth a closer look.