0.7mm

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.

Colors Review: Zebra Sarasa, Gel Ink, Ten Assorted Colors

by Andrew

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When I reviewed the standard black Zebra Sarasa, I called it a pen that failed to stand out alongside a sea of similar options, and I felt very similar when I cracked open this 10-pack of Sarasa colors. Included in the pack is a black pen plus three shades of blue, two shades of green, a red, a pink, a violet, and a brown. Oddly, orange and yellow – standard colors in larger sets – are absent.

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I quite like the aquatic hue of the light blue and the reddish tinge of the brown, but none of the other colors stand out as anything special. The pens are relatively comfortable to hold, and the ink is relatively smooth. The Zebra website also touts its “rapid dry ink technology,” though the pens still manage to smear somewhat.

If you already have a stash of colored gel-ink pens, you aren’t likely to find much new here. However, these will do fine as a standard set of color pens. At the very least, that brown ink will look good in my notebooks.

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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.

Colors Review: Pilot G-2 Metallics (Green and Purple)

by Andrew

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I wasn’t expecting to review another set of Pilot G-2 Metallics so soon, but I liked the blue/silver pack and the pink/gold pack enough that I knew I had to grab this green and purple set when I saw it on the store shelf. Like the other Metallics colors, it uses the Pilot G-2 design, but has an ink infused with some sort of magical metallic pigment. This gives it a sheen that makes it pop out more than a traditional gel ink color.

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While both the green and the purple have that characteristic metallic shine, neither seems to stand out quite like the other colors I’ve tried. The purple also turned out to be a darker than I expected, which almost makes it better for writing than for drawing. However, it’s worth mentioning that all of these metallic colors seem to smear fairly heavily.

Overall, the green and purple colors are good additions to the G-2 Metallics line, but they are probably my least favorite of the bunch. Regardless, I’m happy to see Pilot adding more colors (and I’m still hoping to see a metallic dark red).

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This Doodle inspired by Rich Davis

Review: Zebra 301A, Ballpoint, 0.7mm

by Andrew

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There isn’t much I can say about the Zebra 301A that I havent already said about the Zebra F-301. The only difference between the two is that the 301A has an aluminum barrel in place of the F-301’s stainless steel barrel. Other than that, the grip, the ink refill, the clip, and the retracting mechanism are all exactly the same.

I had expected aluminum to make for a lighter pen, but the weight seems to be about even with the stainless steel F-301. And while the 301A barrel is ever-so-slightly thicker (which makes it ever-so-slightly more comfortable to hold), it’s hardly a noteworthy difference. Neither pen offers a particularly comfortable writing experience.

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On the bright side, the 301A comes in four decorative barrel colors not available for the F-301: blue, maroon, grey, and gold. The maroon, in particular, looks great, and for this reason alone, I’d be more likely to grab a 301A if it were sitting side-by-side with an F-301. Still, I wouldn’t go out of my way for either pen, but if you’re already a fan of the F-301, it might be worth your while to check out the Zebra 301A.

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Extra Links