Top 10 Pen Reviews of 2010

_{Even bad can be good.}

In what has become an annual tradition at The Pen Addict (see 2008 and 2009), here are the top 10 pen reviews of 2010.  The rankings below consist of the top 10 pen review posts for the 2010 calendar year as determined by Google Analytics.  This list isn't my top 10 favorite pens, but rather a snapshot of what was popular over the last 12 months.

1. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Blue Black
Color me shocked when I saw this, but it took me all of about five seconds to realize why.  This is the review linked on the right sidebar for my Top 5 Pens list.  Note to self - update the Top 5 Pens list.  Still an awesome pen.

2. Zebra M-701 Mechanical Pencil
This is much less of a surprise than number one.  This new release by Zebra was well received and much sought after.  Has everyone been able to find one by now?  If not, keep trying.  It is well worth tracking one down.  The design is top notch.

3. Nomadic CB-01 Wise-Walker Day Pack
Wait - that's not a pen!  I know, but this was one of my personal favorite reviews of the year, and this is where it ranked overall for 2010, so I decided to include it with the rest of the bunch.  My wife and I used this day pack all fall long for our daughters soccer practice and games.  It is the perfect size for all of the extras we needed to carry around.  Love it!

4. Zebra Surari Emulsion Ink Pen - 0.5 mm
One of the best new pens of the year, the Zebra Surari was a great entrant into the ballpoint, but not really, category of pens.  I don't reach for it as often as my Jetstream, but it is a good pen nonetheless.

5. Fisher Space Pen X-Mark Bullet
The Fisher Space Pen had been on the short list for me to review ever since I started this blog, but it took me nearly three years to get around to it.  I shouldn't have waited so long.  The ink cartridge performs as advertised, and the X-Mark barrel is just rad.

6. Sharpie Liquid Pencil
This was probably one of the most hyped office product releases of the year, but performance trumped the hype and the Sharpie Liquid Pencil vanished from the lips of consumers very quickly.  This pencil is terrible, and there is no way to sugarcoat that fact, but I tried to find the positive and applauded Sharpie for continuing to innovate.

7. Sharpie Pen Grip
Now that's more like it Sharpie!  A nice update to an already great pen, and released soon enough after the weak Sharpie Pen RT to make people forget that dud.  I still rank the original Sharpie Pen as my favorite, but the Grip version is practically its equal.

8. Uni-Ball Fanthom Erasable Gel 0.5mm
The popularity of erasable gel ink pens continues to amaze me.  The Pilot FriXion is far and away the leader in that category, but Uni-Ball is trying to make a dent with the Fanthom.  It is a nice pen, but erasables just aren't for me.

9. Zebra Regal Roller NR5 0.5mm Needle Tip
Zebra kicked butt with the new pen designs this year, including the new Regal Roller line.  The only catch?  Good luck finding them.  They never really populated the shelves locally, and I had to wait until JetPens stocked some this fall to add more to my arsenal.  Like the M-701 above, this one would be worth hunting down.

10. Zebra F-301 Bold & H-301 Highlighter
I told you Zebra brought the goods this year, didn't I?  Four of my top ten most trafficked posts for the year is pretty impressive.  This was a dual post with the new wide tip F-301 and the stainless steel H-301 highlighter.  I'd pass on the ballpoint, but the highlighter is fantastic, and will definitely draw some looks.

Review: Sakura Pigma Micron 01 Purple

Purple is one of my favorite non-standard colors to write with, and the dark shade of this Sakura Pigma Micron is fantastic.  It reminds me a lot of the Uni-Ball Signo RT Lavender Black, but with the writing performance of a Sharpie Pen - and maybe even better.  This ink qualities of the Pigma Micron line are some of the best around.  It is waterproof, fade resistant, and doesn't really feather or bleed.  That is why this pen is one of the most popular around.

My only issue with this particular model is I went too small with the tip size.  The 01 translates to an 0.25mm tip size, and that is a little too small for my writing speed.  For drawing it would be great, but I need to stick with the 02 and the 03 models for writing purposes.  But really, you can't go wrong with the Sakura Pigma Micron pens.  I have several colors in several sizes and only want more!

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Zebra F-301 0.7mm Ballpoint

Raise your hand if this is your everyday, go to, get it done pen.  I expect more than a few hands will go up for the Zebra F-301 line of pens, and for good reason.  These are exceptionally well made and great looking pens.  For me, I have never quite gotten it with this pen, but it is not for lack of trying.

What I love about this pen is its design.  The sleek stainless steel barrel is great looking, and the barrel length and diameter both hit those just big enough sizes.  The blue plastic in the grip and around the plunger really pop as well.  But as great as it looks, it doesn't quite cut it in the performance department.  The ballpoint ink is standard, and my definition these days of a standard ballpoint is any ballpoint pen that you would pick up that is just laying around.  Something in the non-Jetstream category for sure.  I have a feeling that the look and feel of this pen make the people who use it think that the ink actually performs better than it does.  Does that make sense at all, or just in my head?

More than the ballpoint, I really dislike the hard plastic grip.  It is too firm and too slick for a pen that does require some pressure to write with.  They may not be able to go with a full on squishy gel grip with the barrel diameter limitations, but almost any change in that area would be good.

So, while I am at it, what else would I like to see?  Would it be too much to ask for a Surari branded F-301?  Make it happen Zebra!

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Zebra F-301 Stainless Steel Body Retractable Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Blue from JetPens

Writing Pad from Doane Paper