Review: SKB Soft Ink SB-1000, Ballpoint Pen, 0.5mm

by Andrew

SKB Soft Touch SB-1000

You can’t walk into a store in the U.S. to pick up a pack of SKB Soft Ink SB-1000s. In fact, you might even have trouble finding them online. As far as I can tell, they’re the “generic office pen” of Taiwan, and they certainly look the part.

Inside the clear plastic barrel and underneath the ordinary cap, there is a thin stick of ballpoint ink. These pens look like they’re produced very cheaply and are probably quite inexpensive in Taiwan, though you’ll be paying around one dollar per pen to get them here in North America. Beyond having one for its novelty value, it certainly isn’t worth purchasing.

IMG_2906

What makes the SB-1000 interesting, however, is how well it writes compared to the standard office pens here in the U.S. The 0.5mm tip skips and occasionally produces small ink blobs on the page that are common with cheaper ballpoints, but the ink itself is surprisingly dark and smooth. Maybe American office supply chains should take note.  

IMG_2903

Extra Links

Review: Pilot B2P, Gel Pen, 0.7mm

by Andrew

IMG_2892

Every time I see the Pilot B2P on the store shelves, I can’t help rolling my eyes at the terrible gimmick. 89% of the pen is made from recycled bottles, and to make sure you know it, Pilot designed it to resemble a plastic water bottle. It’s a  translucent blue, all-plastic pen with water-like ripples molded into the barrel and a plastic label wrapped around the middle. It’s such a silly concept that I’m almost ashamed to admit that I actually quite like the way this pen looks.

The inside of the pen is nothing particularly special. It’s a standard 0.7mm Pilot G-2 gel ink refill, which is relatively good despite the fact that it writes a bit unevenly – in my opinion, the 0.38mm G-2 refill works a lot better. It’s a bit slippery to hold because the B2P has no grip, though I definitely wouldn’t call it an uncomfortable writing experience.

IMG_2895
If you really want to do the environment a favor, you should probably just get a sturdy, stainless steel pen that will last the rest of your life. But if you want an off-the-shelf pen with a unique look, the Pilot B2P isn’t a bad choice.

IMG_2891

Extra Links

Colors Review: Sharpie Pen, Basic Six Color Set

by Andrew

Sharpie Pen Colors

Lately I’ve been a big fan of the Sharpie Pen – they draw such clean lines, it feels like my handwriting always looks better when I use one. So I was excited to play around with this set of six basic colors: black, blue, red, orange, green, and purple.

The blue and green look fairly standard to my eye, but the orange and red are quite bright. On the other side of the scale, the purple is fairly dark. In fact, I would actually consider using the purple in place of a black pen for writing.

IMG_2910

These pens aren’t the greatest at filling an area with color. However, this might be a good addition for anyone using Sharpie permanent markers in their artwork, as it could allow for adding more details. And luckily, I didn’t have any bleeding issues with these colors like I did with the standard black Sharpie Pen.

IMG_2909

Review: Sharpie Pen Retractable, Porous Point, Fine

by Andrew

IMG_2900

Having passed by the Sharpie Pen on the store shelves for years, it was a revelation to me when I finally used one for the first time. Its clean, consistent lines seem to improve the way handwriting looks, it barely smears, and Sharpie even managed to make the pen look nice. Because I have a predilection for retractables, I was eager to grab the Sharpie Pen Retractable, and though this version improves upon the original, I’m sorry to say that it didn’t quite meet my high expectations.

IMG_2901

Let’s start with the good: The Sharpie Pen Retractable has the same great writing performance as the original, adding a couple great features. The grip was a good idea – though I never had too much issue handling the original, a grip makes it much easier to write with for longer periods. The thicker design helps too, making the whole pen feel a bit more durable, and the flimsy clip of the original has been replaced with metal.

On the other hand, the clicker/knock mechanism is annoyingly long, there’s some slight rattling in the barrel while writing, and, although it’s slightly heavier than the original Sharpie Pen, it still could use a bit of added weight for a good balance. These are all very minor complaints, but at more than twice the cost of the original Sharpie Pen (at all the places I looked), I can’t say that the Retractable is a particularly good value for a non-refillable pen. It might be better to just stick with the original Sharpie Pen.

IMG_2898

Extra Links

Review: Pilot Acroball, Hybrid Ballpoint Pen, 0.7mm

by Andrew

Pilot Acroball

In the history of pens, hybrid ballpoints are a relative newcomer, ostensibly combining the fast-drying properties of ballpoint pens with the smooth writing experience of rollerball or gel ink pens. But how well do these hybrid ink pens actually perform? It turns out that Pilot’s hybrid, the Acroball, does a pretty good job.

Like most ballpoint pens, the Acroball’s ink dries immediately on standard papers and writes very noticeably smoother; similar to the uni-ball Jetstream, another hybrid ballpoint pen I’ve reviewed. But compared to the Jetstream, the Acroball’s ink is slightly darker and doesn’t seem to skip nearly as often. The Acroball is also comfortable to hold, and its white and grey color scheme stands out nicely, even though its all-plastic design looks a bit cheap.

IMG_2882
Though it can’t quite reach the smoothness and color-richness of gels and rollerballs, the Pilot Acroball is definitely one of the best options for people looking for a no-smear pen. You really might as well just throw out all your ballpoints and get one of these.

IMG_2886

Extra Links