Zebra DelGuard Type-GR Mechanical Pencil Review

I’m on record as only being “meh” about the Zebra DelGuard Mechanical Pencil. But a DelGuard in Purple and Pink with a squishy grip? Ok Zebra, you win!

The DelGuard is a legitimately good pencil. The build quality is great, the price is fair, and the selling point - a front-end mechanism that helps prevent breakage - works perfectly.

I’m only meh on it because of the mechanism. It’s nothing that has ever been a selling point for me. Rotating lead? I can use that from time to time. A retractable lead pipe? Yes, if additional protection while portable is required. Mostly, I prefer a standard fixed mechanical pencil, which more than meets my needs. I don’t use 0.3 mm lead sizes much, where the DelGuard mechanism would come in handy. And I’m sure there are a few other specific use cases too, such as using it against a ruler or other fast-paced situations.

All that said, I am a sucker for color and whimsy, and my goodness, does the DelGuard Type-GR have it all.

More color, more better! L to R: Pentel P205, DelGuard Type-GR, Pentel Smash.

Can we talk about this color scheme? It’s a mix of gradients and color blocks, and unbeknownst to me before I got it in hand, it has a subtle cloud pattern starting in the Blurple section of the pencil, rising up towards the clip. The Blue and Grey models each have their own atmospheric design, different from the clouds on this one.

The soft grip section is well done, providing a good middle ground from the firm grip on the Pilot Dr. Grip, and the extra squishy uniball Alpha Gel Grip. The Type GR grip is soft on the outer layer, and firm underneath, making for a comfortable writing experience.

Cloudy, with a chance of Graphite.

If I could wish cast, I would like an 0.7 mm or 0.9 mm option in the Type-GR. The wide diameter barrel lends itself to wider tip sizes, making for a more natural writing flow. But do you know what 0.7 mm or 0.9 mm lead sizes don’t do? Break as much. So there is less need for their mechanism to come in to play in those wider sizes. They do offer an 0.7 mm in their base model in a few colors, but the vast majority of the product lineup is 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, for good reason.

Zebra’s stock graphite is fine. If this was a long-term use pencil I’d look at something with more tooth, like Pentel’s stock graphite.

Given all of my capitulating, and wondering what the perfect Zebra DelGuard would look like, sometimes I’m just enamored by how a product looks. That’s the case here with the Twilight Purple Limited Edition. It’s $10.75 at JetPens, which puts it a price tier above the base model, but far less expensive than some premium pencils. I’d say the fun it offers makes it more than worth it for me. Looks like I’m a DelGuard fan after all.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Zebra Mildliner Double-Sided Dot Marker Review

The Zebra Mildliner lineup is about as popular as it gets for markers and highlighters. The colors are amazing, the uses are endless, and the styles are plentiful. So, what was missing from their lineup? Dots.

Dot markers were not something I knew I needed until I got the Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Dot Double-Sided Marker in my hands, and they were a game changer. Why? I don’t highlight much, but I do like to embellish my pages with various marks, and in various colors. Dot markers give me a fun option to play around with.

I bought this set of 10 Dual-tip Dot Markers this Summer from Zebra at the Atlas Stationers Sidewalk sale. I hadn’t seen them before, but apparently I hadn’t been looking hard enough, as they are available in a few pack sizes (2, 5, and this 10,) although not in the massive variety of shades found in the classic chisel-tip Mildliner lineup.

These dual markers feature two styles of tips: the aforementioned Dot tip, and a more traditional Bullet Marker tip on the opposite end. The Dot side is pressure sensitive, meaning you can press lightly for a small dot, or squish it down for a bigger one. This works perfectly since the tips are designed to bounce back and retain their original shape. The marker side is fine, but I would rather have a classic chisel tip on that end, or an even finer plastic tip for something different. That side is fine for filling in or coloring, but they don’t see much action.

The colors of this 10-pack are great, which should come as no surprise for a product with the Mildliner name attached to it. Cyan and Fuchsia are two of my favorite shades, while Summer Green isn’t quite my jam but fits well within the group, which overall gets a solid A-grade.

Not a great highlighter with the Zebra Sarasa R Gel Ink Pen.

If there is a downside to this product, it is that the Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Dot markers exist. I think the Kuretake version is better because I get that finer tip I’m looking for on the other side of the double-sided marker. They also have more colors than the Mildliner Dot lineup does, at least for now. Most options of both pens average out around the $2 per pen range, with some configurations of the Kuretake costing a bit more.

That said, Mildliner gonna Mildliner, and if you are in that ecosystem already, you will like what their Dot Markers bring to the page.

(I paid full price for this set of markers directly from Zebra USA.)

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Zebra Sarasa Nano Vintage Color Set Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Zebra Sarasa gel ink pens are well-known to anyone in this community, and it's for good reason. They feature vibrant colors, smooth flowing gel ink, and a nifty spring clip for attaching the pen to things. When I received a pack of Sarasa Nano pens, I was curious to find out what made them different than the standard Sarasa Clip version. While the Nano line is a bit more premium, they still use the same refills.

The Zebra Sarasa Nano line's main difference is the clever internal spring that provides a nice suspension for the refill to ride on while you write. In practice, this makes the pen feel like a smoother instrument when writing thanks to the small amount of give the spring affords when exerting pressure on the tip. Aside from this, the Nano also has a premium metal nose cone and a completely black body (unlike the transparent body of the Sarasa Clip).

Another key difference from the Sarasa Clip line is the tip size selection. For the Sarasa Nano Vintage Color set I have, you only have one choice: 0.38mm. There are some other Nano pens that have matching body colors and use a 0.3mm tip, but for all the pens with a black body, they all use a 0.38mm tip size. Compare this to the standard Sarasa Clip line, which offers options from 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, and a handful of 1.0mm tips.

Luckily, you can swap in any standard Sarasa refill in the Nano body if you want to use the fancy spring suspension system on larger tip size refills.

So, how does the Nano perform compared to other pens that don't include a shock absorber? It's a subtle difference, but it's definitely noticeable — especially if you are comparing with other 0.38mm pens at the same time. With any small tip size pen, it can feel like the refill is a bit scratchy given the tiny size. For me, I tend to be a bit heavy-handed, so this scratchy feeling is something I can agree with on typical small tip pens I use. With the Nano, it doesn't feel as scratchy or like I'm writing with a stiff nail.

If you press the tip of the refill against the page and apply pressure, you can see the refill retract slightly as the spring absorbs the resistance. When writing, it's extremely subtle to the point that you don't realize it's happening. I assume that this is by design — if you could actually feel the tip springing while you write, that would be incredibly distracting and would require you to alter your writing style a bit. The pressure is just right for normal writing.

Aside from the satin-finish metal nose cone and internal spring system, this is a standard Sarasa. The clip is largely the same — the only difference is the shape of the clip is a bit more petit compared to the standard Clip line.

The five colors that are included in the Vintage Colors Set (for $12.50) are Cassis Black (dark red), Green Black, Blue Black, Blue Gray, and Sepia Black. There is also a "Basic" color set that includes what I think to be the better color combination (pink, red, orange, blue, and black). The Vintage colors are all dark, but the blue black, green black, and sepia black are incredibly hard to tell apart. For me, the colors in this set do not excite me. But, for other people, this could be a great color combination that they love! That's the beauty of stationery.

The final difference I'll point out between the standard Sarasa Clip and the Nano is price. At JetPens, the standard Sarasa Clip is $1.75. The Nano, however, is $2.95. This is likely due to a variety of factors, such as the extra bits for the spring suspension, the metal nose cone, and the fact that (I believe) the Nano is a newer product. Still, when you remember that both pens use the same refills, it's a bit difficult for me to swallow the large price gap. I'm a huge fan of the Sarasa Clip body — I think they're really comfortable and work great. For me, the Nano body and shock absorber don't do much for me. For almost twice the price, it doesn't make sense. The shock absorbing body is novel, but I can also adjust my writing style to suite the standard Sarasa with little effort.

The Zebra Sarasa Nano is an interesting product, but I'm not sure it differentiates itself enough from the standard line to justify its existence. I'd love to hear other opinions about the Nano and how it works better for you than the standard Sarasa! For me, I'm happy to stick with my dozens of Sarasa Clips for the time being.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!