Gel Ink

Review: M&G R1, Gel Ink, 0.5mm

by Andrew

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If you have never heard of the company M&G, you’re not alone. This is my first time ever seeing a pen with its logo, but from my brief research, it seems to be a fairly large operation based in Shanghai, China. The company manufactures a ridiculous amount of pens, with its website listing 117 different types of gel-ink pens alone. One of these pens is the R1, which M&G claims is its best seller.

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The style of the R1 is pretty close to that of your typical “premium plastic” pen, like the Pilot G-2, albeit with gray-colored grip. By all measures, it’s a pretty good pen. It smears some, but otherwise produces consistent lines with dark ink. With its thick grip, it’s even quite comfortable to hold. It’s not hard to see why the R1 might be M&G’s best seller.

The R1 is inexpensive and a decent choice for the pen cup. The catch is that you’ll have to purchase it from an online seller, usually one from China through eBay. Oddly, these pens still tend to be less expensive than similar pens you’ll find on store shelves in the United States – even including the shipping costs, I paid less than one dollar per pen. Still, the R1 isn’t so great that it’s worth chasing after, but if you’re especially patient and frugal, they might at least be worth looking into.

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Colors Review: Pilot B2P, Gel Ink, 5-Color Set (0.7mm)

by Andrew

The Pilot B2P gel pen has been one of the more popular reviews on this blog, and that doesn’t come a surprise. The B2P is cleverly marketed as an eco-friendly pen, and it has a unique look that is supposed to resemble a plastic (and recycled) water bottle. It’s a pen which calls to you from the store shelf, begging you to try something that’s a little different (even though it uses the same ink as the most popular gel pen on the market, the Pilot G-2).

Even though the colors in this B2P set don’t really resemble water bottles, they still have a unique look to them.The barrels of the pink and light green pens, in particular, look almost luminescent when light passes through them.

As for the ink colors, I like the light green and the blue (which is also a lighter shade), and the pink has a nice brightness to it. Overall, however, these colors come across as somewhat generic. It would have been neat to see a theme for the B2P colors, similar to what Pilot did with the G-2 Mosaic Collection. They could have done five colors of the ocean, perhaps.

Consider purchasing this pen set only if you like the look of the colorful barrels. They are surprisingly comfortable to hold, despite not having a grip, and they feel fairly sturdy for pens entirely composed of plastic. And luckily, the cartridges are easy to swap out. In fact, I might end up just throwing some standard black ink inside these pens.

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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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.