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

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: 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.