Zebra V-301 Stainless Steel Fountain Pen

Zebra V-301 Stainless Steel Fountain Pen

Up for a look this time is a brand-spankin’-new fountain pen offering from Zebra, which was kindly sent to me from Canada by Halden J., a Twitter acquaintance! This pen is due out for US release some time in the Spring of this year, but I guess they had an earlier release date in Canada, where it can be found at Staples.

So, as for my opinions of the pen. I took some photos, opened the package, then took some more photos before actually loading an ink cartridge in the pen. s with all the fountain pens I use, I turned it up on its end (nib down) and left it for five minutes in order to facilitate ink flow. The ink is fed through a wick nib feed (which may present some difficulties when it comes to flushing it out and using another ink color) which, I was soon to discover, did not feed ink quickly at all.

After five minutes or so, I posted the cap only to find that the cap does not post firmly  and rotates and bounces on the end of the barrel (although this may be a fluke) and that the pen would not yet write. So, I thought the feed might be a little slower, so I left it turned upside down for another 5 minutes or so, and finally, after some furtive scratching on a piece of Rhodia paper, ink flowed from the nib.

I thought this might be the end of the problem, but I was soon to discover that this happened every single time I stopped using the pen for more thn a few moments. It was almost as if the ink was drawn back up the wick feed into the cartridge, leaving me with a dry nib each and every time.

The ink itself is decent. It’s a grey/black ink that dries very quickly (a little less than 5 seconds, which is great for lefties) and doesn’t bleed through the paper. The nib is a medium stainless steel nib, which is a bit more broad than what I’m used to and lays down a good amount of ink. The grip is a bit of a disappointment, since it’s made completely of a hard plastic with bumps and no rubber coating, which promotes the “death-grip” while writing. The barrel and cap are made of stainless steel and are actually just a copy of Zebra’s stainless highlighter range that came out last year.

So, we have a decent refillable (although only with Zebra’s cartridges. So far, converter/international cartridge attempts have failed, at least by what I’ve seen around the web) stainless steel fountain pen at a relatively decent price (I believe it was about $3.89 Canadian, which equals out to $3.94 US). Although there are several issues (ink feed problem and loose cap), and I can’t really see myself personally using it everyday, it might work well for others.

Pentel Sunburst Metallic Pink Medium Gel Pen

Pentel Sunburst Metallic Pink Medium Gel Pen

Today, I have a pen that I received in a Thanksgiving Giveaway from Pentel. While pink is not at all my color (I usually give all my pink and purple pens to my girlfriend), I thought I might at least give this gel pen a quick look and tell you guys what I thought.

As I mentioned the pen writes with a glittery metallic pink ink. The pen body itself is actually (as far as I know) a RVSP in pink with a gel refill. The grip is comfortable (and looks just like the RSVP), and the only problem I really had with this pen (other than the pink) was the fact that it was a little scratchy, especially for a medium (about a 1.0 mm) pen. Still, pretty decent, since it was a freebie… 😉

Guest Review over at the Pen Addict…

So, I was going to write a review today (and I still may), but for now you’ll have to satisfy yourself with a guest review that I wrote for Dowdyism over at the Pen Addict. The topic of today’s review? The Jetstream 101 Gel/Ball/Roller…

Guest Review (PenAddict) – Uni JetStream 101 1.0mm Blue Ball/Gel/Roller

Bic Atlantis 0.1mm Retractable Ballpoint Pens – Black, Blue, Red, and Green

Pen #57.
Bic Atlantis 1.0mm Retractable Ballpoint Pens – Black, Blue, Red, and Green

Well, I’ve been slacking off on my reviews… So, time to get caught up. We had purchased some of these pens for use around the office at work, and I must admit that when first using one, I was not very impressed. On giving these a second try, I did lose some of my earlier disliking, but they still rank as just an run-of-the-mill ballpoint in my book…

The Atlantis features a built-in rubber grip (which I consider to be one of it’s coolest features). While other rubber grips are just that (rubber), this one seems to be almost a gel grip which almost holds onto my fingers, rather than the other way around…

The 1.0 tip size was a little daunting to me at first, but I kind of wonder if it’s not a misnomer. The actual line width is more reminiscent of a 0.7mm tip than a 1.0 mm. They do write relatively smoothly, but like most ballpoints, the ink skips as you write (which is almost a sin for a perfectionist like myself. I catch myself going back and “finishing” lines all the time).

For $1.00 at Staples, these weren’t really a bad deal. Definitely a pen I could still use just to jot down quick notes with. Might stash it away in the car somewhere to help check/record my mileage…

3 out of 5…

Bic Cristal 1.0mm Ballpoint (0.4mm Line Width)

Pen #28.
Bic Cristal 1.0mm Ballpoint (0.4mm Line Width)

The Bic Cristal and Round Stic/Round Stic Grip are easily my favorite ball points on the market, and some of the only ballpoints that I will buy over and over again. The Bic Cristal was Societe Bic’s first product, and over 50 years later, it still synonymous with the name Bic. Over the last half a century, a few changes have been made, but the basic style remains the same. The Bic Cristal features a brass tip and tungsten carbide ball, hexagonal, clear barrel with a visible ink supply, and is very light. True to the Cristal’s tagline (“Writes every time…”), the pen I purchased began writing smoothly as soon as I took it out of the package. The only thing I’m not particularly fond of is the amount of pressure you sometimes have to use while writing (although this is a common malady with all ballpoints). Other than that, I have absolutely no problem with this pen. Bic has spent 50 years redesigning and perfecting this pen, and I’m not sure what they could do to make it better…

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Tul Medium Gel Needlepoint Retractable (1.0mm?)

Pen #21.
Tul Medium Gel Needlepoint Retractable (1.0mm?)

Since buying a Tul brand ballpoint a year or so ago (and hating it…) I’ve kinda stayed away from Office Max’s signature brand. But when I saw they now had added gel pens to their line, I knew I had to at least give it a try. Ok, first off, I love the way it writes, not the way it feels. The gel ink goes on thick and dark and dries relatively quickly. Very smooth writing pen, very little scratching. This pen’s problem is that it “feels” cheap and poorly made. As I’m writing, I can hear all the pieces of the pen jostling around inside. Also the hole the ink cartridge/pen tip sticks out of was apparently drilled/molded a bit too large. As I’m writing the pen tip seems to bounce back and forth inside the barrel. My opinion on Tul pens remains relatively unchanged…

2 out of 5 stars…

Zebra Jimnie Gel Rollerball Medium (1.0mm?)

Pen #20.
Zebra Jimnie Gel Rollerball Medium (1.0mm?)

What’s this!? A zebra pen that I am not acquainted with? Well, we shall soon rectify the situation. Picked up this interesting member of the Zebra family (along with a 1.6mm Zebra Tapli ballpoint) at my college bookstore. Both pens write with a bolder line than I prefer, but I thought I’d at least give them a try. I’m going to assume that these are the Bic Cristal (low-cost) of the Zebra product lines. While most gel pens are known for their smooth writing, I had to use the same amount of pressure that I usually would with a ballpoint. Another downside, the scratchiness… The whole time I was writing, I thought I was using a dollar-store ballpoint. The pen does lay down a bold, dark line though. Who knows, maybe I just got a bad pen. Sorry Zebra, better luck next time.

2 out of 5 stars…

Zebra Eco Sarasa Clip + Zebra Eco Jimnie Clip

 

Pen #17/18.

Zebra Eco “Sarasa” Clip + Zebra Eco “Jimnie” Clip

Well, I was going to sit down and write two completely seperate reviews for these two pens; at least until I figured out that both of them are simply “environmentally responsible” versions of two of Zebra’s standards. There are two main “drawing points” for these two pens. 1.) The adjustable clip (enabling them to be clipped onto thicker binders and such.) 2.) Both pens claim to be made from approximately 70-75% recycled materials (although, both use standard refills). Both pens live up to the quality standards I have come to expect from Zebra (although the ballpoint skips a little), and both are exceptionally comfortable to write with (cause we all know recycled rubber grips are 10 times more comfortable than the non-recycled kind). The “Eco-Sarasa” lays down a smooth consistent line, and while I personally wouldn’t purchase many of them (due to the fact that I’ve only seen them in black, no blues or reds), it’s still an excellent pen.

“Eco-Sarasa”: 0.7mm, 4.5 out of 5 stars…

“Eco-Jimnie”: 0.7mm-1.0mm, 3.5 out of 5 stars…