pen reviews

Review: Wexford Retractable, Gel Ink, 1.0mm

by Andrew

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There’s nothing particularly special about the Wexford Retractable gel ink pen. It’s a generic brand – Wexford is  distributed by Walgreens stores here in the U.S. – and it manages to fit a “generic” description, being neither the best nor worst in its category. Basically, it’s a another “premium plastic” pen, similar to the Pilot G-2 or Zebra Sarasa, with a clear body, black trim, and a rubber grip.

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I wasn’t expecting too much out of this gel ink pen when I grabbed it off the shelf, and it certainly isn’t a bad pen. It doesn’t smear as much as I expected for a 1.0mm gel pen, and the ink is nice and dark – perhaps even a shade darker than the Pilot G-2. Ink flow consistency is the only noteworthy issue the Wexford Retractable has, randomly running thick or thin while in use.

If you happen to be in need of a gel pen while at a Walgreens store, the Wexford Retractable is a fine choice. Or in other words, there’s no reason to go out of your way for one of these pens. Plenty of better options are out there for gel ink pens. However, the Wexford Retractable will likely suit your needs in a pinch.

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Review: Sakura Pigma Micron, Porous Point, 0.3mm

by Andrew

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It doesn’t take long to realize that the Sakura Sigma Micron is a high-quality porous point pen. Along with it’s sturdy metal clip and light body, it lays down clean and crisp lines with only slight smearing and minimal bleed-through. Beyond that, the Pigma Micron’s big selling point is its “archival ink,” which it prominently advertises on the barrel of the pen.

In the words of Sakura, the archival ink is a “permanent, fade resistant, chemically stable, pigment-based ink” that will not “bleed or run if liquids are spilled on or applied to the document after the ink has dried.” Plenty of other pens are advertised with similar features (like the the uni-ball Signo 207), but since Sakura makes a big point of it, I decided to test it out.

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I placed a few drops of water, methanol, and hydrochloric acid on a page with Pigma Micron ink, then quickly wiped it off. The water made the ink smear a little bit, but the methanol surprisingly had almost no impact. The Pigma Micron stood no chance against the hydrochloric acid, however, which actually began to eat through the paper before I wiped it off. All in all, I’m impressed.

Regardless of it’s archival ink – which, to be honest, is overkill in most situations – the Pigma Micron might easily be one of the best porous point pens available. My only complaint is an annoying ridge right in the middle of the grip section where the cap secures onto the barrel, making it a little uncomfortable to use. Still, this may be just a personal gripe having to do with the way I hold a pen, and anyone looking for a good porous point pen will likely find a winner with the Pigma Micron.

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Extra Links

  • A Review by Mike Shae. He liked the Sakura Pigma Micron enough that it has become his daily carry pen (though maybe not anymore, this review is from awhile ago). He does have a few minor quibbles, but overall it’s a positive review.
  • The review of it at Pens Paper Pencil describes it as a good drawing pen.
  • Well Appointed Desk has a good comparison of a bunch of porous point (aka nylon tip?) pens, including the Pigma Micron.

Review: Zebra R-301, Rollerball Pen, 0.7mm

by Andrew

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You have to give credit to the Zebra Pen Corporation. Its F-301 ballpoint is probably the most popular stainless steel pen in the United States, and any other company might put all its energy into maintaining that status quo. Zebra, on the other hand, continuously makes an effort to innovate and improve the F-301, even when most of those attempts fall flat (see: Zebra’s G-301, 301A, and F-301 Compact). Most recently I picked up the Zebra R-301, which is ostensibly the rollerball version of the F-301, but aside from the black and silver aesthetic, it’s really an entirely different pen.

To start on a positive note, I love the R-301’s barrel size, which is thicker than the F-301, making it a much more comfortable pen to hold. The R-301 also uses a cartridge refill, which is essentially a disposable ink receptacle (instead of a typical refill that also replaces the pen’s tip). This is a fairly unique feature for a pen commonly found in convenience stores, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the average consumer were a bit put-off by it. Although, there’s really no reason for concern, as it turns out to be a fairly simple system.

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The R-301’s rollerball ink is noticeably darker and writes much smoother than the F-301’s ballpoint ink. Unfortunately, the 0.7mm tip is far too big on the R-301, allowing the ink to flow much too heavy and making bleed-through a major problem. In addition, the F-301’s retracting mechanism has been replaced with a standard cap, which is fine except for the rattling that occurs when the cap is posted to the end of the pen.

Tightening the cap and giving the R-301 a finer tip are probably easy changes for Zebra to put in place, yet fixing these problems would make the R-301 a substantially better pen. In fact, without these changes, it’s hard for me to recommend the R-301. Instead, you’d be better off sticking with a rollerball like the Pilot Precise V5 RT or, if you’re willing to spend a bit more money, a Retro 51 Tornado.

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Extra Links

  • A review at Office Supply Geek was mostly positive, though he mentioned the issue with the cap wiggling and rattling while posted. He also mentioned that the ink is quick to dry, which it is – smearing and smudging is minimal.
  • A review at Pen Addict also mentions that the cap posts loosely. I’m glad I’m not the only person annoyed by this.
  • A review by Rhonda Eudaly. She mentions that the ink takes awhile to get flowing the first time you pop the cartridge in. In fact, I remember thinking this pen was a dud when I first used it because I was scribbling for a full minute before the ink started flowing.

Review: Parker 1M, Ballpoint, 1.0mm

by Andrew

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The Parker Pen Company has been making click-style ballpoint pens for more than 60 years, and this 1M model proves they know what they’re doing. It looks and feels good to hold, it’s balanced well, and the thickness makes for a comfortable writing experience. However, there’s one major problem with the 1M ballpoint; the refill is atrocious.

While using the Parker 1M, I have to keep a scratch pad nearby because it takes a few pen strokes to get going. Even then it occasionally skips out in the middle of a sentence, and it always feels a bit sluggish against the paper. I didn’t notice many issues with ink blobs and smearing, but this wasn’t enough to make up for its deficits.

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I really do like everything else about the Parker 1M ballpoint. It even has the same hardy retracting mechanism as the Parker Jotter, which I love to “click” incessantly whenever I use it. If you’re willing to spend a little extra money, Parker has a lot of other refill options available. Hopefully I’ll find one that works better than the one included here.

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Review: Pentel Energel Alloy RT, Gel Ink, 0.7mm

by Andrew

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The Pentel Energel Alloy RT is meant to be the “durable” version of the Energel Deluxe RTX. The design of the two pens is nearly identical. They share length, width, and general aesthetic features, with the only major difference being that the body of the Alloy RT is entirely made of aluminum (hence its name). In any other pen I might consider this a lazy cash grab – “let’s cast the pen in aluminum and charge five times the price!” – but the Energel refill is so good that I think the Energel Alloy RT might actually be a bargain.

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Aside from some rattling in the tip, the Energel Alloy RT feels like a high quality pen. It’s nicely balanced, has a sturdy “click” mechanism, and given that there’s no padding on the grip section, manages to be fairly comfortable. If Pentel removed all its branding, I’m convinced they could sell this pen at a specialty shop for 20 dollars or more. As is, however, it’s easy to find the Alloy RT for 10 dollars or less.

For fans of the Energel Deluxe RTX (or just the dark, smooth ink in its refill), the Alloy RT is a great pen to have. For those frugal enough, it might be possible to save money by simply refilling the Alloy RT (rather than buying a box of Deluxe RTX pens for 20 dollars or more). But personally, I like the Alloy RT because it feels like a high-quality pen, and it uses a great refill.

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Extra Links

  • Review at No Pen Intended. Overall it seems to be very positive review, though it sounds like she had some minor smudging issues. Despite the awesomeness of the Energel refill, I did notice that the 0.7mm version (that comes with this pen) tends to smear. I plan on replacing it with the 0.3mm version, which barely smeared at all.
  • Review at Pen Addict. He had issues with the tip of the pen rattling. I noticed this too, depending on the angle I was writing, but it didn’t give me much trouble.
  • Review at Gentlemen Stationer. Boy, that chrome version looks nice. I believe they also come in blue, pink, and gold options.