Zebra Surari 0.7mm Blue Review

(This is a guest review by Thomas Newman. You can follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasNewman.)

Hello everyone, my name is Thomas, and Brad has been so kind as to let me contribute some guest reviews. I work as an ad copywriter currently, and worked 3 years as an office supply department head at a college bookstore, so needless to say, I love a good pen. (and run-on sentences)

Even though Mr. Pen Addict himself, and another guest writer have reviewed the Surari, I felt I had to share my thoughts on it as well. Brad sent me a few different pens to review, but since I love this pen so much, I decided to do it first. If I had to describe the Zebra Surari 0.7mm in one word, it would be “fantastic.” Not only is this pen easy to write with, it’s well made, an super cheap. When I throw out words like “fantastic” in reference to a pen, it isn’t without serious consideration.

I like to think that everyone has a favorite writing utensil, but few people spend as much time deciding what to carry, or can list several reasons why they choose a particular pen or pencil as I do. Not only does the Surari’s ink dry quickly like a ballpoint pen, it writes as if it were a gel pen. Now I don’t know how “revolutionary” (according to Jetpens.com) it is, but it sure does rock. I write in a fairly weird way in that I constantly rest the side of my hand on the paper and it drags across the page as I write. Due to this, I am constantly cursing pens that leave an ink smear on my hand at the end of the day. The Surari’s “Emulsion Ink” alleviates this problem.

I mentioned earlier that this pen is quite cheap. I mean that of course in price terms, not in quality. The Zebra Surari will cost you a mere $1.65. You read that right; it’s not a typo. This is especially great for users who want various colors of ink. Speaking of multiple ink colors, JetPens offers a plethora of ink choices that even include florescent colors, and different barrel colors. The tip sizes provide even more options as you can purchase the Surari in 0.5, 0.7, or 1.0mm versions.

I have changed my writing instrument of choice tons of times while I was in college, but I have never stuck with one as long as I have with this Zebra. If you want a great, affordable, everyday use pen, look no further.

Rite in the Rain Outdoor Journal and Tactical Pen Review

I have been wanting to review a Rite in the Rain notebook ever since I reviewed the Apica Rain Guard a couple of years ago. I also wanted to be sure to give the Rite in the Rain a proper review since I just dripped some water on the Apica to test it out. Well, there was a big rainstorm at my house last week, so the review was on!

I donned my hooded rain jacket at marched outside with my Outdoor Journal and Tactical Pen that I ordered from Hickorees. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going to be able to write and take pictures, but I quickly realized that my grill was the perfect spot. It wasn’t a monsoon outside, but the rain was steady. I tried to take a few in progress photos show how wet the page was getting and how the pen was performing.

Here are my takeaways:

• The paper did great. It was soaked but it hung tough. The spot where my hand was resting on the journal soaked through more due to the pressure, but it held up fine.


• The pen has a Fisher Space pressurized refill, and it did a good job overall. The one issue that you can pick up in some of the photos is that if the ink blobbed at the tip (like a normal ballpoint would) it would spread out a bit in the water. That happened regularly as I lifted the pen off the page and put it back down to write.


• Once I went inside, I wiped down the journal with a paper towel. The ink didn’t smudge, and the paper dried quickly.

It was a very impressive performance by the Rite in the Rain Journal. The pen did well, but if I had planned more I would have tested a Uni-Ball Power Tank and Tombow Airpress for comparison. I think they would have done even better since they write cleaner to begin with. I was just too soaked to go back inside and get them.

I am not a hunter, fisherman, logger, construction worker, or any other vocation that this journal is targeted to, but I can’t imagine another paper product that would perform as well as this one.

Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pen Review

(This is a guest post by Brian Gushikawa)

Disclosure: This is a review of a used pen that I repaired to working condition. Writing performance might not be fully reflected in this, but the rest of the review is solid for all Cavaliers. Note that manufacturing variance means that some nibs and feeds need adjusting and no mass produced pen is immune from needing adjustment sometimes.

The Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pen is a slender and very elegant pen, seemingly custom-tailored to fit into pen loops in journals and reminder calendars. The pen is light and styled for office and professional use. This pen seems ideal for women because it's a perfect fit for smaller hands and the pastel colors available can mesh quite well with professional attire.

Smoothness: The steel F nib makes about a 0.4 to 0.5mm line and is not as stiff as the wider Prera and Penmanship pens. The tines are longer and the overall width of the nib is about half as much as a standard Pilot wide nib. The unit I got was fairly smooth for such a thin line; thin nibs are scratchier because they have less of an ink cushion to glide on. This pen is good, though.

Grip and Balance: The grip is smooth and slender, meaning that folks with larger hands might find this uncomfortable to grasp for long periods of time. The cap is kind of heavy compared to the rest of the pen and the balance when its posted is helped greatly. It counterbalances the longer nib very well.

Ink Flow: My unit needed some work, so I cannot say how a standard production pen will be, but expect finer nibs to lay down less ink and seem a little scratchier.

Build Quality: This is where this pen really excels. The tight fit and finish is wonderful to behold and the lacquer job on the barrel is really thick and well done. Threads align 100% and the cap posts on the front with a very nice snap. The seal is tight enough to prevent nib dry out, too.

Capacity: You have options for Pilot Cartridges or a CON-20. I am not sure that the CON-50 or CON-70 would fit the slender barrel, but the choice of the CON-20 expands options on ink.

Clip: Strong, solid and metal. Affixed securely to the stoutly constructed cap.

Post: Affixes to the back with a satisfying click. Although the cap will spin, it won't come off while writing. Pilot really nailed it on this one.

Overall: Although this pen seems aimed at the female demographic, I'd say that a man with smaller hands would enjoy this pen quite a bit. The slender size is perfect for pen loops and the fine writing is great for college ruled notebooks. As long as the hand size is properly matched, I can recommend this pen without hesitation.