Dong-A Fine-Tech 0.3 mm Review

I haven’t had the opportunity to review many Dong-A pens and pencils, so when my Twitter friend Rachael mentioned she had a new favorite every day pen and wanted to send me one I was more than happy to put it to the test.

It was pretty obvious when I opened the package what the Dong-A Fine-Tech 0.3 mm gel ink pen is trying to accomplish. It wants to be a Pilot Hi-Tec-C. Aside from a few small design tweaks it is pretty close in the appearance department. If the Fine-Tech could pull off a similar writing performance to the Hi-Tec-C then we might have something here, but unfortunately it falls short.

Since it is clear where this pen is trying to position itself I can’t help but compare it directly to the Hi-Tec-C. The ink flow of the Fine-Tech is nice when it is going well. My lines were clean and sharp and the ink was solid and dark. Where it started to falter was in line consistency. Sometimes the ink flow became too heavy - especially for an 0.3 mm gel - and sometimes it was to light and thin.

This is not a bad pen by any stretch. The Dong-A Fine-Tech sells for about half of what the Pilot Hi-Tec-C does, and in this case you get what you pay for.

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.

Retro 51 Tornado Classic Lacquers Roller Ball Pen Review

If you know me at all then you know that The Pen Addict was not created around 0.7 mm roller ball pens. It is sub 0.5 mm or bust around here, and the majority of pens I review that are 0.7 mm or wider are usually just that. Not this Retro 51 Tornado. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good.

I have known of Retro 51 pens and pencil for years, but until JetPens started carrying them I never had the opportunity to try one. Even then I was hesitant, but the classic barrel design drew me in. The Classic Lacquers Series feature a stainless steel body with a high gloss lacquer overlay. This makes all of the barrel colors in the series really pop. The knurled twist-top is the very definition of +1.

As beautiful as the barrel is, the quality of the refill is going to make or break the pen. I had zero expectations that it was going to work for me, but I am continually impressed by it. The tip is very smooth and, most importantly, the ink does not bleed like many 0.7 mm cartridges do. Is there some bleed? Sure, it is inevitable with this size tip and liquid ink. But compared to many other similar refills it is superior, at least in my non-scientific mind.

Does anyone else feel the same way about this refill and how this pen writes, or am I delusional? To me, it is better than any other similar refill I have tried. It is a telling sign that I keep my orange Retro 51 within arms reach among the jungle of 0.3 mm gel ink pens on my desk.