Another quick pen update: I got a Platinum Double 3 Action 2 Color Multi Pen + Pencil from JetPens.com. It's not as heavy or as robust as it looks, and it rattles a bit. At $22.50, I was hoping for a real metal barrel, something with weight to it. But it works as advertised: It's a very good black/red/pencil multi-pen, and it's got a clever switching mechanism. It's clear that all the good multi-pens are expensive imports, and I won't be able to do better at this price.

With that, I should probably stop for now. I'd love to step up and try a rare, expensive Rotring 600 just so I can blog about it, but at this rate I won't have anything left to get my kids Christmas presents. Well, Christmas presents other than pens, that is.