Ask TGS: Five Non-Fountain Pen Accessories I Use Every Day (2026 Edition)

I frequently get asked about my favorite non-pen accessories that I use regularly. The five discussed below are part of my regular rotation, and move between whatever bag or backpack I’m using at the time. When I’m working around the shop or in the house, the Soolla Pouch pictured above serves as a catch-all where most small items live. Some of you might find this list fairly mundane, but it’s an accurate representation of how I use stationery. It’s not all fancy fountain pens!

1. Midori XS Compact Stapler. Despite my best efforts to move “junk paper” that I don’t intend to keep long-term to an electronic format, I still work on paper most of the time and therefore need a stapler for multi-page documents. I have several that I use but I typically have one of these Midori mini staplers with me at all times. They are sold individually or as part of the equally useful XS Compact Stationery Kit.

2. Allex Desk Scissors. I have owned these Japanese desk scissors for nearly 10 years. They cut through tape, sticker paper, cardboard, and whatever else you may need. For scissors this inexpensive, they’ve also maintained sharpness with very little maintenance. (Just cleaning the blades, no sharpening.)

3. NJK Long-Point Pencil Sharpener (#531S). The relatively inexpensive NJK #531S sharpener outperforms its price point in terms of quality and usefulness. In addition to being a really good long-point pencil sharpener, this small NJK model is compact with a small canister to hold shavings. Each sharpener comes with a long-lasting replacement blade, and you can purchase more separately.

4. Carl Refill Maker 6-Ring Hole Punch. One of my most-used stationery acquisitions from the past two years, this versatile hole punch allows you to create your own refills for ring-binder notebook systems in sizes ranging from A5 to Bible to Mini to Mini-5. I was thrilled when I found these at the distributor level, allowing me to add them to our own shop. One of these can truly transform your notebook system experience, since you’re no longer limited by pre-packaged paper choices and layout options. You can make your own refills from scratch!

5. Zebra Mildliner Highlighter Marker. I’ll admit - I didn’t get the Zebra Mildliner hype until I started stealing select colors from the pile of demos we keep in the shop. The dual tip size allows you to use these markers for more than your typical chisel-tip highlighters. I use them for blocking out time blocks in my planner, highlighting my own handwriting (since they are relatively low-smear), and just general highlighter usage when I need maximum legibility and want a color that’s softer than eye-searing neon.

The “Ask TGS” series contains posts addressing frequent questions about how stationery works, product recommendations for specific situations, my own personal use and more. Many of these posts are archived and organized in the FAQ Resource. Send in more questions via the “Contact” link!

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The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

New Arrivals: New Uni Zento Flow Anthurium Pink, a Zento Restock, and Carl Refill Maker 6-Ring Hole Punches

For me, the Uni Zento Flow is the gem of the Zento lineup. While the capped Zento Signature receives most of the attention, I personally prefer the click-pen format, and the Flow’s metal barrel gives this pen nearly perfect balance, in my opinion. In addition to the four colors of anodized aluminum, Uni has added two textured metal barrel options named “Birch” and “Anthurium Pink,” both of which we have added to the shop. These pens are not only slightly heavier than the standard Zento Flow, but grippier due to the texture on the barrel. We also have a fresh restock of the standard Zento in many different colors, if you prefer the matte barrel.

Finally, We have restocked on the Carl “Refill Maker” hole punch, for those of you looking to customize your own ring binder refills. If you’ve attended one of my recent classes on notebook systems at the DC and San Francisco Pen Shows (or read up on my notebook systems resources here on the main site), you know that I appreciate the versatility of a ring binder system mainly because it allows you to customize your notebooks with your choice of paper, and this specialized hole punch will work with the popular 5 and 6-ring sizes, including A5, Bible, Mini, and Mini-5.

The Nashville Shop is back to normal operations this week, open Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and Saturday from 10am-5pm. Most of all, many thanks for your support for everyone who shopped with us while we were away in San Francisco this past weekend!

Personal Stationery Obsessions: Zenith Plier-Style Staplers

Beyond pens and paper, I enjoy desk and reading accessories, including bookmarks, analog timers, scissors, pencil sharpeners, and more. I’ve written a lot about these previous categories, but haven’t dealt much with another common office tool: the stapler! I’ve long been obsessed with the Zenith plier-style staplers from Italy, which are different from classic “desktop” model that you usually see in the U.S. Not only do these staplers have a unique and somewhat quirky design, but I find them more ergonomic to use as they require very little pressure.

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I had a hard time choosing which of these colors I wanted for my personal stapler. It was a toss-up between the red and the yellow model, but I ultimately went with the red.

What Do I Look for in a Quality Stapler?

Because I like to work on paper, I frequently print out articles and documents to read and annotate, so my staplers see a lot of use. Honestly, you don’t realize how important a quality stapler is until you have a bad one. In my opinion, a good stapler has the following:

• Good ergonomics, light weight, and the ability to staple at least 10 pages with minimal pressure.

• An anti-jam feature that prevents the stapler from getting clogged/blocked.

• Maneuverability so that you can precisely place the staple where you need it.

• A relatively compact size so you can tuck it away. I’ve been trying to limit the amount of stuff that sits on my desk to the things I’m actually using at any given time.

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The Zenith staplers tick all of these boxes for me. Not only are they more compact and lightweight than my classic vintage-style desktop staplers, but the smaller staples are easy to position precisely on documents and don’t jam nearly as much as the larger standard-size U.S. staples. Refilling the Zenith stapler is straightforward: You simply push the “trigger” part of the handle forward and lift the top to access the dispensing mechanism. Drop in your staples, snap it shut, and you’re ready to go.

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Once you open the top, reloading the stapler should be a familiar experience for most people.

Note: The Zenith 590 and Zenith 591 look nearly identical and are roughly the same size, but they take different staples. The Zenith 590 takes Zenith 130 Staples, which are slightly larger than the No. 10 staples that fit the Zenith 591. (No. 10 staples are a common size in Japan - the original target market for the Zenith 591 - and the same size staples that fit “mini staplers” like those found in the Midori XS Stationery Kit.) Each stapler ships with a box of 1000 Zenith-brand staples, which are among some of the sharpest I’ve used. They posed no issues even with thicker paper and are rated for up to 15 sheets.

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The classic Zenith 590 is the 590 “Mix” style, featuring four different colors.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Though plier-style staplers can be somewhat uncommon in the U.S., you can find them if you look. I first saw these Zenith models at C.W. Pencil Enterprise 5 or 6 years ago, and meant to purchase one before they closed, but I missed the opportunity and they fell off my radar. Fortunately I’ve been able to source a handful of Zenith colors for the shop in both the 590 and 591 models, along with compatible staples (which are commonly available). I would love to make this a core offering of the Desk Accessories/Office Supplies category, and have just been looking for the right opportunity to bring these in. I hope you all like them as much as I do.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee!

If you would like to see a demonstration of how the Zenith 591 Stapler works, head on over to our YouTube channel. After initially posting this review, I decided to do a quick video showing how to use and reload the Zenith.