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.

Pilot FriXion Light Fluorescent Ink Erasable Highlighter Review

I get a ton of highlighter questions, but I haven’t provided many answers of late. Let’s knock one of them out today, shall we?

The Pilot FriXion Highlighter has been around for a while, but I only just recently got my hands on one to test out. Like all of the Pilot FriXion pens, this one sports a very well designed barrel. It is sharp looking and comfortable to hold. My initial reaction to the ink color is that it is darker than I like to use regularly in a highlighter, but in the photo it doesn’t look so bad.

Since the main feature of this pen is its erasability, I tested it out over a few different inks. The top line shows the Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.7mm gel ink pen, and you can tell pretty quickly it doesn’t play nice with gel inks. I tried to let the ink dry a bit, but still jumped the gun I think. The friction based eraser got into the ink too much and came out looking terrible.

The other two inks did much better. The pigment ink of the Uni Pin worked very well with this highlighter, as did the hybrid ballpoint ink of the Pilot Acroball. You can see a little bit of ink spread in those two samples, but they are more in line with my expectations.

What I didn’t test, and where I foresee no issues, is with textbooks. It doesn’t take much effort to erase the ink, so I don’t believe it will be a problem erasing over printed text.

The Kokuyo Beetle Tip remains my favorite highlighter, but the Pilot FriXion is a nice option if you are looking for erasable ink.

Zebra Sharbo X LT3 Multi Pen Review

It is a well known fact that I am a big fan of the Zebra Sharbo X multi pen. I first tried the ST3 model over two years ago when I bought it used from a Pen Addict reader. I was impressed by the build quality, functionality, and customization options available. It is a great pen, and has enjoyed high placement in many of my Top 5 Pens lists over the years.

The ST3 is just one of the many barrel styles of the Sharbo X, and I am happy to now get the chance to review the LT3 model. The primary difference between the ST3 and the LT3 is the diameter of the barrel. The LT3 is more of a normal width barrel at 9.3mm in diameter, while the ST3 is a wider body at 11.1mm. The barrel finish on the LT3 is also a matte style and comes various colors like Orange Flame and Azure Blue. The ST3 is smoother and comes in basic black, white, and silver. The functionality between the two is the same, with both containing one slot for a pencil cartridge, and two slots for gel or ballpoint ink cartridges.

When comparing the two side by side, I can tell a difference between the pens in how the pencil and ink cartridges are moved into the writing position. The twist mechanism works the same on each - you twist the top half of the barrel from station to station to expose the tip - but on the LT3 there is more or a “grab” on the inside of the barrel when moving from slot I to slot II.

Opening up the pen and looking at the issue, I think the gasket where the pencil cartridge connects is pushing against the pen cartridge in slot II causing it not to eject as smoothly. This doesn’t happen in the ST3 model, and I’m guessing the wider barrel is the difference. The cartridges have more room to move. It isn’t a deal breaker for me, but after using the ST3 for so long it is noticeable.

The one thing that doesn’t change between the pens is the performance of the ink cartridges. If you like how Zebra gel ink pens like the Sarasa Clip write, then you will love the Sharbo X refills. The lines are clean and sharp, and come in a ton of cool colors. The downside is the refills don’t last very long, and they are expensive to replace, so be aware of that commitment if you are going to take the plunge.

The Zebra Sharbo X is not a pen for everybody. Do you research, check out all the body styles, and decide if the barrel cost plus future cost of refills are for you. I love my Sharbos, but then again, I am a Pen Addict.