Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Ink Pen Red Orange Review

One of the staples in my vast pen arsenal is the Zebra Sarasa Push Clip. Many of you have seen a Zebra Sarasa at your local big box retailer, and while it is a good pen, it is not the same as the Push Clip model.

The primary difference between the two pens is the sharpness of the refill. For some reason, the refills in the Push Clip model lay down a sharper line than similar sized standard Sarasa models. The edges of the line are cleaner, and that is important to me. It makes for better looking handwriting for sure.

Secondarily, there is more everything in the Push Clip line. The recent stocking of the 0.4 mm Red Orange model at JetPens is a prime example. The full lineup includes tip sizes at 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 1.0 mm AND in a rainbow of colors for each size. On top of that, they are retractable, have a nice rubber grip, and a binder-style clip that can fit on small or large items. So, if you want to grab a red orange 0.4 mm retractable pen with a clip, Zebra has you covered.

0.4 mm is the sweet spot for me in the Push Clip lineup. I keep several colors handy in every spot I write at, including both my home and work desks. Red orange gets heavy use at work marking up documents along with blue black, which is one pf my primary writers. I can't say enough positive things about this pen and for about two bucks it is well worth checking out.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Airfoil Click Pen Review

The Airfoil Click Pen is not Grant Takara's first Kickstarter rodeo. He has lived the ups and downs of funding with his previous project, the original Airfoil, and is back with a pen design that has already proven to be a winner.

This model differs from its predecessor in two major ways. The first is obvious: This is a click pen instead of a twist pen. It uses the popular Schmidt mechanism that many Kickstarter projects before it have used. It is a solid, simple, attractive, and an excellent choice for any machined pen.

The second major change, and the most important, is the reshaping of the barrel. The original Airfoil had a fin-based barrel, which, while extremely beautiful, was not functional for longer writing sessions. Early reviewers of the original model (I was not one of them) repeatedly made note of how uncomfortable it became and Grant took that feedback to heart when designing the Airfoil Click.

To steal directly from the product page, the barrel has been streamlined. The fins are gone, replaced by a smooth barrel with cutouts on each side that fulfills Grants vision of aircraft geometry as part of the pen, and also serves to reduce the overall weight. My first reaction when I saw this pen was to think of the Uni-ball Jetstream barrel cutout and now I wonder with if that is an aviation based pen too. It is named Jetstream after all.

I'm really impressed with the prototype Grant sent me. If I was forced to pick nits I would like to see the barrel seam connect more flush between the two halves, and the edges on the grip ridges could be softened just a bit, but overall this is a solid product.

The Airfoil Click is available in aluminum (natural or anodized in several striking colors) and titanium. There is even the ability to pick the finish on your clip bolts and push mechanism, which I don't think I have seen anyone offer before.

Thanks again to Grant Takara for sending me this prototype for review and be sure to check out the Airfoil Click Kickstarter project.

Uni Style Fit Meister 3 Color Multi Pen Review

Image via JetPens

My Top 5 gel ink multi pen list doesn’t change very often. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is entrenched at #1, with the Uni Style Fit a solid #2. The Uni Style Fit Meister is the newest barrel in Uni-ball’s gel multi pen lineup and I’m not sure it will crack the list at all.

On the surface, the Meister is a great looking pen. The lightweight metal barrel is an upgrade over the standard plastic barrel and the clean lines make this a pen people will notice. The Signo DX refills are excellent too. While you can choose Jetstream or pencil cartridges, I generally stick with the gels. It’s hard to beat the DX for smoothness and color vibrancy, although I believe the lines are a bit sharper from the standard single cartridge DX as opposed to the multi pen refills.

There are two annoyances with the Meister that keep me from heaping full praise on it. One, it uses a twist-deploy method for the ink cartridges. Some pens get this right, but not the Meister. The twist from station to station is quick from 1-2-3 and 3-2-1 but the second you go past slot one on the way back the barrel starts to unscrew. There is no buffer between that station and taking the pen apart.

Secondly, and this is something that may only annoy me, but the entire top section of the pen is able to be pressed down about a quarter of an inch for no good reason. Looking at the pen, you can depress the top of the pen like it is retractable and it covers most of the ink window in the middle of the pen. It serves no purpose other than to make me fidget with it and drive me insane. What can I say, I’m weird. (UPDATE: As my Twitter followers quickly let me know, I'm an idiot. What is my annoyance is others pencil click mechanism. Maybe I should try that component sometime?)

The Uni Style Fit is an excellent gel ink multi pen but stick with the entry level plastic body for one-fifth of the price. It is a no frills, knock-type multi pen that uses the same refills and gets the job done in a simple, efficient manner.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)