Galen Leather Expansi-Pouch 10-Pen Case Review

Fountain pen storage is something that all of us need. Whether you use your pens at home or at work, if you take them on trips or they never leave the house, our pens are precious and need to be both protected and organized. Galen Leather is always innovating and coming up with new types of fountain pen storage solutions. When they reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in trying out one of their newest products, how could I refuse? In this review I’ll be taking a look at their new Expansi-Pouch 10-Slot Pen Case.

Disclaimer: The items in the post were provided to me for free for the purposes of this review. All opinions in this review are my own and were not influenced by the generosity of Galen Leather.

Packaging and Presentation

One of the first things you’ll notice when you receive your new Galen Leather item is how well it is packaged. For example, this pen case came in a sturdy, branded box. The case itself was wrapped with a paper band and sealed with a sticker. The packaging also includes a goodie bag that has all kinds of fun stuff in it. Overall, it makes a fantastic first impression.

The box looks great and can easily be resused.

The box fits this pen case perfectly.

Removing this paper band is like having a ribbon-cutting ceremony for your new pen case.

Here is everything that was included in my goodie bag.

Expansi-Pouch 10-Pen Case

I’ve used a variety of pen cases in my day, but had never seen any quite like the Expansi-Pouch 10-Slot Pen Case. What makes it unique is that each side has a removable 5-pen insert, but we’ll discuss that some more in just a bit. For now, let’s do a quick overview of the case.

I selected the Ocean Blue color. It is a beautiful teal, not unlike one of my favorite fountain pen inks, Syo-ro. The rich, waxed leather feels wonderful to touch. The outside surface and inserts are smooth, while the divider and inside surfaces of the case are more of a velvety texture.

Here you can see the different leather finishes that this case has.

This pen case has a variety of ways that you can customize it for your personal preferences. As you can see in the above image, both of the pen inserts, as well as the divider, are removable. This means that you can use both, one, or neither of the pen inserts. You can remove the divider if you’d like (it attaches with velcro). Keep an A6 notebook in the pen case for convenient access. It’s up to you how you want to use this pen case!

Here’s a look at the divider

Keep a notebook in the case for quick access

This case easily stores 10 fountain pens of almost any size

As with all Galen Leather products, the zippers are fantastic. YKK zippers, sturdy leather pulls and soft cloth between the leather and zipper make for a smooth opening and closing experience. The back of the case also has a leather spine that allows for full, lay-flat opening of the pen case.

This leather spine allows the case to fully open and lay flat

It also allows the zipper to tuck inside it so it won’t damage your work surface

Actual Use

So we know that this pen case looks nice and has some cool features, but how does it work? I’m glad you asked! In a word… fantastic! I primarily use my pens at home and I feel like this case is a great size to sit on my desk for quick and easy access. I have taken it with me on a few trips and it fits in my backpack without taking up a bunch of space. It is sturdy enough that I’m not worried about the safety of my pens while in a bag with other items.

This pen case protects my precious fountain pens

One feature I didn’t think of at first but came to love once I tried it out is using the removable pen insert for quick access to my pens. I’m able to sit down and pull out a 5-pen insert, set it on my work surface, and put the pen case away. Now I have access to a variety of pens without having to open the pen case every time I want a new pen. When I’m done, I just put the insert back into the case and zip it up! You can see it in action in this doodle video on my YouTube channel.

The removable insert is great to use on its own.

I really like the magnets that hold in the inserts. They are strong and easy to use. If they had been snaps or velcro they would feel very clunky. Magnets may concern some people, but let me assure you they hold the inserts very securely. The inserts are not coming out unless you pull them off of the surface.

One thing I did notice about the strength of the magnets is that they tend to attract pens with chunky steel parts. I first noticed it with my Namiki Vanishing Point. It has a steel cap and clip and a slim body. When I put it in the second pen loop, the magnet pulled the steel towards it, so the pen was always crooked. Not a big deal, but for people who like their pens to sit straight it might be concerning. An easy work around would be to use the center or outer loops. This isn’t a concern for thick pens that are snug in the loops or most modern pens with less steel in them, as none of my newer pens were attracted to the magnets enough to sit crooked.

Some pens will be attracted to the magnets and sit crooked.

If this bothers you, use the outer or center loops.

One unavoidable feature of leather is that it is going to wear over time. Every time you use it, this pen case will get little nicks, scratches, and general wear that will eventually develop into a nice patina. Before that happens, though, you’ll be in a somewhat awkward phase where everything shows. I personally love the wear that something acquires over time, but was a little surprised at how evident it was where the pens were added and removed. To be fair, it doesn’t look bad, it is just very visible when there are no pens in the case. I don’t say this as a criticism, but just as an FYI if you’re thinking of getting a leather pen case. I didn’t experience this in the other Galen pen case I reviewed because it had the velvet finish instead of the waxed finish.

Your pens will wear on the leather inside the pen case

My other Galen pen case has a different finish where the pens are stored.

Over time the surface will wear into a nice patina

Final Thoughts

This is the fourth Galen Leather pen case that I’ve reviewed and may be my favorite yet. I love the modular design and that I can remove the storage inserts for quick pen access. The color is beautiful and I can’t wait to see how it develops over time. Some people may be turned off by the marks pens will make on the leather when repeatedly removed from the loops, so for them I’d recommend a different case with the velvet-lined finish. As for me, I foresee this being my main pen case for quite some time to come. If it sounds interesting to you, I’d encourage you to check out the variety of Expansi-Pouch 10-Slot Pen Cases that Galen Leather has to offer.