The Pen Addict

Zebra Arbez Piirto Ballpoint Pen 0.7 mm Review

It is great to see manufacturers branch out from the norm and come up with fresh pen and pencil designs. Zebra takes it a step further by holding an annual contest for young designers around the world, and the Zebra Arbez Piirto was the winner of the 2011 event.

The winning design is based around the slim and simple form of an ice pick, which makes sense when you realize the designer is from Finland. It is quite stunning, especially when you consider that part of the design process was to make it as inexpensively as possible. Mission accomplished on all fronts.

Many pens use a rotation or twist mechanism to extend and retract the pen but where the Piirto differs is that the mechanism is in the grip area as opposed to the upper barrel area. It functions quite well and does not get in the way of the writing experience at all.

What does get in the way of the writing experience is the ballpoint ink cartridge. This is your basic cheap ballpoint refill, so set your expectations accordingly. A Zebra Surari refill would make this pen a knockout but would also raise the price, which goes against the reason the Piirto was created.

The Piirto ballpoint is available with black and red ink cartridges as well as a black barrel design. There is even a mechanical pencil version that is designed similarly. While it may not perform like a world beater, the design and price made it an easy choice to add to my collection.

Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball Review

I take reader requests from time to time, and the Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball was one such request. I first learned of this pen last year from Brian at Office Supply Geek and knowing the style of writing instrument I prefer I wasn’t too eager to give it a shot. Wide tipped liquid ink pens just aren’t my thing, but it obviously doesn’t take much to twist my arm.

The first thing I noticed about this pen is that the design is based directly off the Zebra H-301 Highlighter. That is a good thing because the barrel design is great. I love the look of the stainless steel contrasted against the black plastic. The only issue I find is that the cap does not post tightly. It is loose and spins a little but it won’t go as far as falling off.

From an ink perspective it is HEAVY. The tip size is 0.7 mm but it writes wider because of the flow. In fact, I had to write very fast to stay ahead of the bleed. It is dark and consistent though, so any of you who like to write with liquid ink pens may enjoy it. That it is refillable is an added bonus.

I picked up my R-301 at Staples so you should be able to find these pretty easily at your local office supply retailer. If you own one please let me know what you think in the comments section.

Zebra SL-F1 Mini Ballpoint Pen Review

Zebra makes the best mini pens. Anyone care to disagree?

I’m not trying to get anyone riled up or make some off the wall point. I’m being serious - who does it better? I think the Fisher Space Pen will get a lot of votes because of the pressurized ballpoint refill, but in the bang for the buck category I think Zebra gets it right.

The SL-F1 Mini Ballpoint Pen is Zebra’s latest addition to an ever growing line of portable pens. This telescoping model is a compact 3.3 inches when closed and expands to 4 inches when extended into the writing position. The metal barrel gives it a nice weight and feel. The 0.7 mm ballpoint ink is smooth and clean. Positive marks all around for the SL-F1 in my book.

At $5.00 it is an excellent value, but that isn’t the best part. The SL-F1 takes a standard D1 refill, which means gel ink refills are an option. 0.4 mm Mandarin Orange here I come!

For another look at the Zebra SL-F1 see the review at No Pen Intended.

 

Zebra Eco Sarasa Clip Retractable Gel Review

I think most Pen Addict readers are aware that I work for JetPens.com, but I am not sure that everyone knows I handle most of the JetPens Facebook and Twitter duties as well. One of the recent questions I received on Facebook is what pen is most comparable to the Zebra Jiminie? Luckily I have used the Jiminie, and one of Zebra’s very own products matches up well.

The Zebra Eco Sarasa Clip is part of the hugely popular Sarasa Clip line, with the obvious difference being the recycled aspect of the pen. Made from 81% post-consumer recycled materials, the Eco is a great option for the environmentally conscious among us, and is refillable with the Zebra JF cartridge. As a bonus, all of the color cartridges from the Sarasa Clip line fit this barrel perfectly, so there is no issue adding in a Viridian Green cartridge in your eco friendly barrel.

The 0.7mm tip that I reviewed writes almost exactly like the Jiminie. Smooth, pitch black gel ink, and a very crisp line. As luck would have it, JetPens is sold out of this exact barrel, but we should have them back in very soon! This is a pen very much worth waiting for.

Zebra Regal Liquid Ink NR5 Review

(This is a guest post by Brian Gushikawa)

Zebra is best known for their Steel series of pens and pencils, but they also make a full line of gel and ballpoint pens. This pen is an entry into their rollerball line and directly competes with offerings from Pilot and Mitsubishi/Uniball. The Regal Liquid Ink NR5 is a needle point rollerball with a large ink reservoir and a good feel to it. It's a disposable way to carry around a good daily writer that won't let down its user.

Smoothness: Wonderful! Feels like a fountain pen! This pen doesn't suffer from the scratchiness that most fine point pens do.

Grip and Balance: The front section is ridged plastic which offers tactile feedback, but isn't soft elastomer like some other grips. The balance when posted is average and adequate.

Ink Flow: A standard finned flow regulator with (most likely) a fiber core flow controller provides a consistent flow with no skips or blotches.

Build Quality: Very good! Surprising, considering the disposable nature of this pen. The heft is good and the pen feels a little bit better than a Pilot Precise V5.

Capacity: The entire back of the pen is an ink tank, so there's a LOT of ink there!!

Clip: Very strong metal clip attached to a plastic cap. It's not as durable as a fountain pen clip, but it's fine for everyday use.

Post: The friction-fitted cap posts well and doesn't rattle.

Overall: You'd be hard pressed to find a nicer rollerball at the price point than the NR5. The needle tip allows for precision writing and the ink is a nice, dark shade of black. I'd say that this pen is a definite recommend as a backup for a fountain pen.