The Pen Addict

Review: Zebra Tect 2way 1000 Mechanical Pencil

Since I started my recent drafting pencil kick, I couldn't wait to try out the Zebra Tect 2Way 1000 because I thought it was one of the coolest looking pencils on the market.  While the looks are what sold me, the feel and functionality of the pencil are what keep me coming back for more.  This is a really good pencil, but there are a few too many little things that prevent me from getting more use out of it.

One of the big selling points of the Zebra Tect 2way is the 2way-ness of it.  No, there is not an additional pen cartridge making this a multi pen, but rather there are two ways to advance the lead:  the traditional click advance, or the updated shaker mechanism.  I think I would actually like this pencil more if it was one or the other, because I am not really digging the ring around the barrel that locks the pencil into the type of lead advancement you want.  It just seems extraneous to me, or a case of trying to hard.  It does its job, but is it neccessary?  Plus, you have to shake the heck out of it to advance the lead.

Secondly, I didn't really consider that the grip would be an issue by the looks of it, but it kind of is.  The orange plastic rings encircling the grip are very firm, and they rise above the underlying metal grip higher than it appears.  That's ok for short bursts, but I could see that getting tiresome over long writing or drafting sessions.

Finally, I wish the barrel of the entire pencil was metal.  The silver grip area is, but the upper body is resin based (essentially plastic).  It does have a nice balance in the hand while writing, and as nice as it feels, it is just a little but off.  It could be mental on my part though.

That is a lot of small marks on what is otherwise a good pencil.  Unfortunately for me, those things add up, and push this one to the back of the drawer.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Ohto Pieni Wooden Body Mini Needle-Point Ballpoint Pen

Similar to the Sharpie Liquid Pencil in the fact that it is not a completely unique idea, the Ohto Pieni is still the first pen I have used where the barrel is made in the traditional wood case pencil style.  The sleek design was a definite selling point, as was the 0.5mm ballpoint ink cartridge, but would this pen stand up to the test?

Performance wise, the 0.5mm refill did a nice job, but a decent amount of ink would collect near the tip when writing.  It didn't often transfer to the page, but I did have to wipe off the tip six or seven times when writing the review.  (I'm not the only one that keeps a napkin or the like next to where I'm writing just for that purpose, right?)  Overall it was a good writing experience, but not without flaws.

The wood case barrel is skinny just like a pencil, and while that size has posed a problem for me in the past (see the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleur), this one worked ok because I was able to get a good grip on the hex shape barrel.  It actually ended up being comfortable to write with, and lightweight to boot.

From a design perspective, its great looks are marred by one flaw - the soft wooden barrel is going get dinged and scratched pretty easily, just like a traditional pencil would.  That may not be a big deal to those who go pretty easy on their writing implements like myself, but it would take away from the overall aesthetic of the pen if the barrel started to go downhill.

There are tons and tons of wooden barrel pens available on the market - especially from custom pen manufacturers - but this pencil style is a unique one to me and has been fun to play around with.

Click here for the XL review.

Ink Links

-- Make a note of it…  (A Continuous Lean)

-- Pens In My Case  (Ezra Hilyer)

-- The Pencil Tests  (Gaki n Me)

-- Ballpoint Pen Art by Juan Francisco Casas (slightly NSFW) (Sprayblog)

-- New Items For The Supply Room  (My Supply Room)

-- Featured Pen - Stipula Passaporto Miami Sunset  (Whatever)

-- Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: Sharbo X Thoughts, Stationery, Webbie, & More  (Amateur Economist)

-- Stabilo bionic worker  (Pencil Talk)

-- Take me to your leadholders  (Leigh Reyes)

-- Art Student and Pentel PEN-fessional Gabriel Reyes Speaks Out About Pentel  (Pentel Blog)

-- Origin of the Webbie  (Rhodia Drive)

-- The Backwing Pencil: A Rebirth  (Paper Notes In A Digital World)

-- Y&C Gel Xtreme Pen  (Pocket Blonde)

-- The Perception of Pen  (Fallen From The Stars)

-- The Manly Tradition of the Pocket Notebook  (The Art of Manliness)

-- Review: The Large Japanese Moleskine  (Pennigton-on-the-paper)

-- Penmanship  (The Republic of Less)

-- On Bics (again)  (Palimpsest)

-- Review: Pentel Hybrid Technica  (Mightier Than The Sword)

Review: Pentel Oh! 0.7mm Gel

I didn't mean for it to be Pentel week here at The Pen Addict, but it looks like it is shaping up that way so far.  Monday brought a pleasant surprise in the Pentel Selfit ballpoint, and today brings the somewhat disappointing Pentel Oh! gel ink pen.  It isn't a terrible pen by any stretch, but I am having a hard time deciding why this pen exists with the similar yet vastly superior Energel on the shelves.

The best reason I can come up with it that is is a strong back to school push by Pentel.  The price point - right around $1.00 per pen - is very good, and the barrel has a funky design that many students will like, but as I hold this pen and write with it, all I can think about is that this is a cheap Energel.  Normally, that would be a good thing, but it feels cheap in design.  The grip is no great shakes, and the pen clip is super thin and probably prone to easy bending.  The clip on one of mine even had a small spot of rust right out of the package.

Like I said, this isn't a bad pen, but I don't really see the point.  Everything about the Energel looks, feels, and performs better, albeit at a slighty higher price.  Is there such a thing as a gateway pen?

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Pentel Selfit 0.7mm Ballpoint

It isn't very often that I get caught offguard by a pen, but the perfomance of the Pentel Selfit really took my by surprise.  Being just an afterthouhgt in a recent JetPens order, the Selfit has jumped up near the top of the list as far as traditional ballpoint pens go, and not just because of its very cool grip.

The grip itself is the main selling point of this pen.  I hesitate buying a pen for just the grip technology - I want it to write well too - but Pentel did a nice job here.  The grip feels like a tight silcone that molds to your fingers as you shuffle them around the grip.  It is acually made up of thousands of tiny gel beads, making it feels soft and comfortable without being overly squishy.

As nice as the grip is, what I am really enjoying about this pen is how well the 0.7mm black ballpoint refill writes.  I was taken aback by how neat, clean, and consistenly this pen writes.  Be sure to expand the XL picture below and tell me if you have one that writes this nice.  While the specialty ink ballpoints - Uni-Ball JetStream, Pilot Acroball, Zebra Surari - still reign supreme in my pen arsenal, this is about the best traditional ballpoint I can recall using.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Pentel Selfit Silicone Gel Grip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Sky Blue Grip from JetPens

Writing Pad from Doane Paper

Ink Links

-- Red Wing Shoes x Doane Paper  (Doane Paper Feed)

-- Which Notebook is Fountain Pen Friendly? How do Leuchtturm, Moleskine and Rhodia Notebooks Compare?  (Journaling Arts)

-- Road to Simplicity  (Unposted)

-- Rhodia stationery makes me want to be a better person.  (Stationery Blogger)

-- The Perrier Moleskine  (Moleskinerie)

-- Featured Pen - Waterman's Ink-Vue  (Whatever)

-- Back To School With the Right Tools  (Pentel Blog)

-- ISOT 2010 - Tokyo Stationery Show  (Scription)

-- Don't Forget to Write  (Valet)

-- Pen review: Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen  (Strikethru)

-- Michael Bierut on 86 Notebooks  (Notebook Stories)

-- OptiFlow Rollerball by Staples  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Sharpie Liquid Pencil  (Does This Pen Write?)

-- Overrun by Fountain Pens  (An Inkophile's Blog)

-- Zebra Sharbo X Multi Pen Review  (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- Expanding the dotPad  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Pen nerds, unite! take back the night!  (The Underwear Drawer)

Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream Color Series Light Blue

If you want to try out a Uni-Ball Jetstream in a non-traditional color (not black, blue, or red), then the Jetstream Color Series is your only choice.  I own each of the new colors, and I'll have to troll through the archives to see if I have reviewed them all, but I think the Light Blue is the last one to take a look at (it's not - I still need to do blue black, which is the best of the bunch).

Many of you are not fans of the 0.5mm Jetstream, but they are some of my favorite pens in any category.  I covered this in the original Color Series review, but really the only thing holding this pen back is a weak barrel design.  I assume Uni-Ball was trying to make a fun barrel to go along with the fun new colors, but in the end it just feels cheap, especially when compared to the sturdy standard Jetstream barrels.  I have gotten used to these barrels though, mainly because I love how these pens write.  Crisp, clean, and skip free lines, and in this particular case, a light blue that really pops.  Between blue black, orange, pink, and this one, I think the only additional color I would like to see is purple.

If you have followed this blog for a while, or follow me on Twitter, you know I am a huge fan of The New Pornographers.  Their latest album "Together", which was released earlier this year, is still in heavy rotation at the Pen Addict household.  "Crash Years" is my favorite song, and while there is an official video of this song, nothing beats a really strong live performance.  Enjoy!

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Sharpie Liquid Pencil

My friend Brian (aka the Office Supply Geek) recently did a bang up review of the new Sharpie Liquid Pencil.  He pretty much covered it all, from design to performance and with tons and tons of photo samples.  For a super in-depth review of the Sharpie Liquid Pencil, be sure to check his review out, because I am going to take this one in a little bit of a different direction.

I am not going to ignore the performance of this pencil, but I am not going to belabor the point either: the Sharpie Liquid Pencil writes horribly.  It is inconsistent, streaky, messy, and the barrel rattles when writing like there is no tomorrow.  Being the tech nerd that I am, I relate the quality of this pencil as similar to an alpha release of software.  It feels nothing at all like a finished product.

I could continue bagging on this pencil until the cows come home, but that would be a waste of time, because all things considered, this pencil makes me happy.  "How in the world can this pencil make you happy if you hate it so much" is what you are probably saying at this point, but hear me out.  I think by putting a product out like the Sharpie Liquid Pencil that is different than anything else on the market is a bold and innovative move.  Sharpie is showing the office supply community that they aren't going to rest on their laurels and just keep pumping out the best permanent ink pen on the market.  That would be so easy for them to do, wouldn't it?

Ever heard of the Sharpie Pen?  I assume so if your are reading this blog.  Think about the Sharpie Pen and then think about the last time you saw something new and innovative on the store shelves from Pilot or Uni-Ball or Pentel?  The mass market American consumer doesn't like change apparently, because every time I go to the store, all I see are the standard G2's or 207's or Energel's that have been on the shelves for years.  B-O-R-I-N-G!  Why do you think I shop at JetPens anyway?  But Sharpie put out four versions of the Sharpie Pen in a reasonably short time frame, and they have all been a huge success.

While my overall experience with the Sharpie Liquid Pencil has been poor, I am glad to see Sharpie taking risks and putting new products out on the market.  I hope this model succeeds or there is a version two in the pipeline.  The last thing I want to see is for Sharpie to stop innovating.  Maybe the other brands will follow suit in the American market like they do overseas.

Big thanks to Sharpie and especially @SharpieWhit for sending me this sample for review.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Lamy AL-Star Aluminum Rollerball

As I mentioned right out of the gate in my written review, the Lamy AL-Star Aluminum Rollerball pen has been at or near the top of my shopping list for years.  My hesitancy all this time has been nothing more than how much I thought I would use this pen in relation to the price.  I don't mind spending money for a pen as long as I use it, and I think I will be using this Lamy AL-Star quite a bit.

If you are familiar with the Lamy Safari fountain pen then you will have a pretty good idea of how the AL-Star will feel in your hands.  The only real obvious difference in the two is in the barrel construction - the Safari is a molded plastic while the AL-Star is aluminum.  As with any Lamy pen, the build quality is phenomenal.  Considering the styling and construction I would think this pen would cost at least twice as much as it does, which is a credit to Lamy.

From a writing perspective, the 0.7mm black rollerball refill is as good as any I have used in this category.  The line is exceptionally smooth and doesn't feather, but since the ink is so bold there is a bit of show through on the back side of this Doane Paper.  For my personal every day use I would like to try out an 0.5mm cartridge to see how the line compares.

I picked up this model on ebay for around $15 which is a complete steal.  You can find them all over the internet in the $25-$30 range, and in a wide variety of great looking barrel colors.  This pen is an excellent everyday writer and would make a great impression as a gift as well.

Click here for the XL review.

Ink Links

-- Sharpie Liquid Pencil Review  (Office Supply Geek)

-- The Pen Predicament (another Sharpie Liquid Pencil Review)  (Holy Knit!)

-- Pentel Jolt Mechanical Pencil: 0.5 mm  (The Pen-Guin)

-- Ink Review: Diamine Woodland Green  (Rants of the Archer)

-- Review: Japanese Notebooks from Kinokuniya  (Notebook Stories)

-- Kuretake Brush Writer Blendable Color Pen  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Ink Sample Book  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Working with what's on hand: Red & Blue Double Ended Pencil  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- Parker Jotter Update  (My Supply Room)

-- Pen review: Mitsubishi Uni-ball Signo DX  (Strkiethru)

-- Review: Noodler's Ink Aerometric/Eyedropper Filler Fountain Pen  (Note Booker, Esq.)

-- Pentel Slicci Gel Multi-Pen 0.3mm and 0.4mm – Blue-Black, Golden Orange, and Red  (Pens'n'Paper)

-- Zebra Stainless Steel Refillable Highlighter H-301  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Test Doodles and Sharpening tests with the Pentel Black Polymer 999 4B pencil  (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Rickshaw Bagworks Daily Moleskine Folio  (Plannerisms)

-- I have a HUNCH you don't know much about Pens...  (Goldspot Pens)

-- 2010 School Supplies  (My Supply Room)

-- Eberhard Faber Lederetui  (Bleistift)

-- Drowning in the Architect’s Pens  (I Cilantro Cilantro!)