Din-ink Series for Pens: Forks, Spoons and Knives You Stick on the End of Your Pen
February 22, 2008 by Peggy
I can’t get these Smurf-blue eating caps out of my mind.
I saw them first on Inhabitat a couple of days ago. It seems that these babies aren’t really for sale yet as far as I can tell, but they did win a prize in the Dining in 2015 contest by designbloom.
I understand and applaud the idea of not using flimsy plastic forks at the office. And these fork, knife and spoon caps are biodegradable and made from natural starch and fiber, but you stick them on the end of your pen. It looks like the Italian designers had Bic pens in mind.
How strange. All I can think of is germs, germs, germs. Sure the fork cap may be clean, but your handle is a pen that you use all day. I’d want to clean the pen too.
It seems to me that it would be just as easy to have some biodegradable whole forks and spoons at your desk if you must use fake silverware. Why attach it to a pen?
And, what’s wrong with taking a real fork and spoon from home to reuse at the office?
What do you think? A bit greenwashy or useful and innovative?
I think it’s . . . EW. Like you said, need to wash the pens, too. The bacterisa from handling them would just breed down the entire handle to reach the utensil part. Not a tasty thought.
Then when the pens go empty, need to buy more. Wasteful.
i think this is very innovative. i am a germ-freak, too, but if you had a handful of the fork/spoon tips washed and ready to use in a clean bag, then it shouldn’t be too big of a problem. You could just take home the used tips home to be washed again when they have accumulated. Wasteful to buy new pens?? Hmmm….everybody needs more pens when they are used and gone, right? Great product for those who have to work and eat at the same time.
And what if the pens leaked? That would not taste very good!
Hi Michelle. Thanks for weighing in.
What I was thinking of as far as the germs is that you might touch your handle (the pen) and then pick up some bread with your hand. Is the handle going to be clean?
I do know about working and eating at the same time, but when I used to work in an office I tried to take a real fork from home. If I didn’t I was stuck using the plastic ones in the break room.
This is a better alternative to typical plastic forks for sure.
Yeah, I don’t get it. It doesn’t seem like it work. I would forget the pen and spend half my lunch break going back for it. Or I would lose the tips. I’m not a very organized person I guess! I’m w/you Peggy, bring silverware from home.
Michelle, yep, it’s wasteful to buy more of these if they are built to be thrown away. Not everynoe needs more pens when their pen goes empty. You can buy refills for many that are on the market and have been able to for years. In fact, quite a few that people toss out now are actually refillable.
Oy! I am going crazy here!
Question #1: Why would you buy new utensil caps if your pens ran out? pls…think a bit more-(hint: the caps come off!).
Question #2: How does you forgetting your fork at your desk and you walking around aimlessly for half your lunch, have anything to do with this product?
Personally, I think this product is brilliant. I have had so many times where I could not find a fork at work, at all, and really wished I had something like this.
And for the people that think it is “unsanitary” to eat with what you write with-lol-you need to WASH these utensils after you eat….everytime.
People, the caps are not glued onto the pens!