Deleter Neopiko Line 2 0.3 mm Review

(This is a guest post by Brian Draghi. You can follow Brian on Twitter @Sketchscape)

The Deleter Neopiko Line 2 line quality is similar to the Sakura Pigma Micron felt tip drawing pen with its strong, clean, dark lines. It’s easy to compare these two pens together since they are so similar but there are a few small differences that set them apart. Felt tip pens are one of my favorites because they serve a dual function where I can use them both for sketching and writing. The ink is waterproof, archival and dries instantly making them perfect for left handed users. The Neopiko even works great on thiner paper types because it shows little to no bleed through on the page.

One great feature of the Neopiko is how securely the cap posts on the pen. The cap contains about a quarter of an inch of extruded plastic that extends on the end of the cap that snaps perfectly into the ring shaped groove on the bottom of the pen. The cap will stay locked in place even if you drop it and will stay put until you decide to remove it. The Neopiko is sightly smaller in length when posted compared to similar pens and has a nice balance and weight to it.

While there are many positive aspects about the Neopiko, there are also a few major drawbacks that create some problems. Compared to most of the other felt tip pens on the market this seems to have a smaller, more delicate tip that may give trouble to some of the heavy handed users out there. There is even a warning on the pen to avoid pressing the tip too hard. The Deleter Neopiko is also the most expensive of the felt tip bunch at nearly 5 dollars a pen. The problem with this is the ink for the Neopiko does not last long enough to warrant such a price.

This is a deal breaker for me considering that you can purchase a Micron pen for nearly half the price of a Neopiko with the same level of quality. Despite the drawbacks, this still is a great quality felt tip pen to use, just not something practical I would grab on a regular basis.

Uni-ball Jetstream Color Series Ballpoint 0.5 mm Purple Review

It is very difficult to find good quality non-traditional ink colors in a ballpoint pen. Many companies try, but the ink is no better than the traditional colors that are already poor. Uni-ball is one of the only companies that gets colored ballpoint inks right and I am glad to see them expand their Color Series offerings.

It was a couple of years ago when Uni-ball expanded their Jetstream ink color offerings with the Color Ink Series (don’t get the two product lines confused). As I stated back then the colors are amazingly good but the barrel design leaves a lot to be desired. With the new Color Series, Uni-ball has taken those great colors, added a few new ones, and encased the refills in a more traditional Jetstream-styled barrel.

I went with the purple ink since that was a color I had not used previously. It is admittedly hard to see in the photo but this is a solid ink color, right in the middle of the shade spectrum. I prefer the 0.5 mm but I know many of you like the 0.7 mm. You will see an even sharper, darker line with the wider tip.

The only downside? Uni-ball did not carry over the blue black ink (check out my prediction in that post!) from the Color Ink Series to the new Color Series. It is my favorite color and would be my number one ballpoint if it were available in the new barrel style.

If it says anything about this pen, nearly ever color is sold out right now at JetPens. Restock times are generally quick for Uni-ball, so keep an eye on them and give one a shot when they come back in. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Zebra Tapli Clip Ballpoint Pen 1.6 mm Blue Review

I love my micro tip pens but I do get asked from time to time to review pens on the opposite end of the spectrum. With a 1.6 mm tip size, the Zebra Tapli Clip Ballpoint is waaay out there compared to what I normally use.

How does a pen like the Tapli stack up to some of my favorites? Not very well. It is not just that it has a wide tip that I don’t care for it - if a pen is a good pen I will say so - it is that the performance is poor regardless of the tip size.

The ink is very messy when writing with the Tapli. You can see several blobs of ink on the page even in the smaller size photos. It is consistently bad, and the 1.6 mm tip actually made it worse because there was so much ink coming out of the tip. There was even some bleed through to the back of the page which I have only seen one other time with a ballpoint.

Once you cross the 1.0 mm threshold you really need to temper your expectations. There is only so much good that a tip size that large can do. Yes, it will be very smooth and probably dark, but the ink flow might also be unmanageable.

Do you have a ballpoint, gel, or rollerball pen 1.2 mm or greater that consistently works well for you?