Pilot Kese Lamé Erasable Glitter Gel Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

This limited edition glitter fest from Pilot's FriXion line is sure to delight fans of the erasable gel ink. I have mentioned before that I am not one of those fans, but even I am taken in by the Pilot Kese Lamé Erasable Glitter Gel Pen.

It's not really a surprise that the FriXion ink makes me uncomfortable. I'm a librarian and an author--the idea of writing that disappears is literally the thing I have nightmares about. The fact that the ink's appearance is thermally controlled, and I live in a thermally brutal place, adds to that anxiety. As I write this, the outside temperature is -19 degrees. And that's not the coldest it's been today. Needless to say, whatever I erase is not going to stay erased, if I use these pens.

That being said, if you live in a moderate climate, or you are writing something that never needs to leave your home, but also doesn't need to be preserved or archival in any way--these are really fun pens.

They're also very well made. The bodies are sturdy plastic in a pearlescent white that gradients to a clear portion at the middle. There is a white rubber grip section and a frosted clear nose cone. The clip is clear plastic that is very subtly tinted the color of the pen's ink, which is very helpful while in keeping with the overall aesthetic. The gel eraser on top looks like a wee frosted bubble. There is quite a bit of branding on the pen, but it's tastefully done and not visible when you're holding the pen to write. They're cute and classy at the same time.

The clip is also the tip deployment mechanism. It slides down with an addictively satisfying click, and then depresses to retract. Because the clip does so much for this pen, it does rattle a bit, which can be heard and felt when writing. But these pens weren't made for extensive writing. They're very much accent pens.

The tint in these inks is very subtle, so the colors appear pastel, but with plenty of expressive glitter to make it pop. The 0.7mm tip and generously flowy ink also help make the paler colors readable (though notably difficult to photograph). It should be noted, however, that the glitter does not erase. Just the color. So any erased areas of your writing will still be disco-ready even after you've FriXion-ified the text.

I still struggle with the use case for these pens a little. I don't want to use them for anything I intend to keep, so they're good for lists, as long as those lists stay on my desk and aren't like grocery lists that need to be carried out of the house. They're great for chore lists, and add a bit of fun sparkle to an otherwise mundane task. And they're good for coloring or doodles, or general stress-relief. They're just fun, and who doesn't need more fun in their life?

They aren't inexpensive, though. Individual colors are available for $3.80 on JetPens, and this set of 6 costs $22.80. For me, that puts them a bit on the steep side, but in the "it's worth it if it's worth it to you" category. If you like FriXions and love glitter, you probably need these.

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

---

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!

Pilot Frixion Ball 3 My Neighbor Totoro Multi Pen Giveaway

I’m not ashamed to say I love character branded goods, so of course I was very excited to see these Studio Ghibli Pilot FriXion Multi Pens arrive at JetPens. Jeff reviewed the Kiki’s Delivery Service model for the site recently, and I grabbed the My Neighbor Totoro version to give away here. Read the rules below and enter away!

Pilot Frixion Ball 3 My Neighbor Totoro Multi Pen Giveaway

Pilot Frixion Ball 3 Multi-Pen Studio Ghibli Edition Review

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

I'm no stranger to the Pilot Frixion pens, but I hadn't tried the multi-pen version of this refill until just recently. While not much different from the regular Acroball multi-pen platform, the Frixion does feature a small friction eraser on the top of the pen. As an added bonus, there's also a unique version of the Ball 3 multi-pen based on the Kiki's Delivery Service film from Studio Ghibli. The pen features a small drawing that shows JiJi, KiKi's familiar. If you've never seen the movie, I highly recommend you check it out. While the original is Japanese, Disney released a re-dubbed version in English in the late 90s.

I have two different versions of the Ball 3 multi-pen, but the only difference aside from the unique Kiki's version on the black pen is the refill tip sizes. The Kiki's version only comes in the 0.5mm size, while the silver pen featured here has 0.38mm refills. Obviously, you can customize these with whatever size refills you want in the future, but this is how they came from the manufacturer. If you love the Kiki's pen but want a smaller or larger refill (or even other colors), you can easily swap them out later.

Now, I've used plenty of Frixion pens in the past, but let's do a quick refresher in case you're new to this unique offering from Pilot. The Frixion is an "erasable" pen that uses the heat caused by friction to erase the special ink. The cool thing is that you can actually cause the ink to reappear if you place the paper in the freezer for a while. This is a great solution for using a pen in applications where you might need to erase, but where you also don't want to use pencil. I don't have any particular need in my use cases, but it's still a really cool trick. Obviously, if you leave your notebook in the sun or throw it in the microwave for a bit, the ink will also disappear since it's activated by heat. Just know that the ink is definitely non-permanent and act accordingly.

Starting with the 0.38mm variant, I'm continually surprised how smooth these hybrid ballpoint inks are. The line is incredibly thin — closer to a 0.25mm line once it's on the page, but it's still incredibly crisp. Despite the thinness of the line, Pilot still managed to make the writing experience really smooth. It does feel a bit like you're writing with a nail, but it still feels smooth if you remember to only apply light pressure on the paper. This isn't a specific thing regarding the Frixion refills, but more of a general rule with micro-tipped pens. In all, it's incredibly smooth considering the size. The colors are vibrant and pop off the page.

Moving on to the 0.5mm, the lines are a little bit larger (similar to a 0.4mm gel pen line) but just as crisp. Given the extra surface area on the tip, it's also quite smoother when writing. To me, 0.5mm is the sweet spot when it comes to the hybrid ballpoint refills. 0.7mm is also great if you want the extra line width, but both are incredibly smooth and fun to use. Again, the colors match up perfectly with the other size refills and feature bold, fun colors.

The bodies on both pens are nearly identical once you factor out the custom Kiki's artwork, but the Kiki's pen does have a larger ridge between the soft grip section and the nose cone of the pen. I'm not sure if this is intentional as part of the custom version for the Kiki's film or if this is just a manufacturing variation, but it's hardly noticeable when using the pen.

The grip section is a nice width and is soft to the touch. There's no "squish" or give on the grip, but the soft feel is very comfortable and easy to control. The plastic bodies are sturdy and feel like they'll survive a pretty rough jumble in a bag. Like the Pilot Acroball, you select ink colors with small push tabs on the top of the pen that are equidistant from each other and the clip. To retract a refill, simply press on a different color tab halfway until the active refills pops back in.

The clip is also similar to the Acroball multi-pen in that it's spring loaded and incredibly sturdy. I really like this clip system, which is also very similar to the Zebra Sarasa Clip, because I can clip these pens anywhere (upside down, for instance) and they just stay put. Multi-pens are intended to be incredibly versatile and utilitarian, and the clip just adds to that usefulness.

In all, the Frixion is just another variant of the excellent Acroball line from Pilot, but with an extra erasable trick up its sleeve. With plenty of color options and tip sizes available, you can customize your multi-pen to suite your every writing need without breaking the bank.

The Kiki's Delivery Service only comes in one color and only with 0.5mm refills installed, but you have so many other options if you go with the standard lineup. The standard 0.38mm version featured in this review is about 10 bucks less than the Kiki's version, and that is likely due to the additional licensing required to use the Kiki's artwork. If you're a fan of the film or book, then it's an excellent choice! If not, the standard Frixion multi-pens are stellar.

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

---

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!