Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Zebra Justfit Double-Sided Highlighter Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

It's that time of year again. Magic is in the air, the scent is on the breeze: school supplies. So I thought I'd focus on a study tool this week. Namely, this lovely set of Zebra Justfit Double-Sided Highlighters.

This is a nice, practical set to have. The pink, orange, yellow, green, and blue colors make for a good variety for color coding notes. There are also other colors available in open stock, if you need or prefer. The chisel tip (4 mm) at one end and bullet tip (1.2 mm) at the other make it easy to highlight different kinds of texts and add notes as you go. The chisel end has a very narrow profile that makes the felt quite flexible. It's almost like a brush the way it flexes as you move. It's what makes this highlighter unique, and I think it's a nice feature. It allows you to hold the pen at different angles or write over curved surfaces and still get crisp, even lines. I worry that it will wear out, though. I recall, in my school days, running through my highlighters quite quickly, so maybe the tip will outlast the ink supply. These are not refillable, so it doesn't need to last forever.

The highlighters have a white plastic body with the center band and both caps indicating the color. The clip is fairly sturdy and has enough of a gap that you can use it as a bookmark (the highlighter's hidden second purpose in life). The caps snap shut very securely. The bodies are a good diameter, so they'll be comfortable for those long study sessions where it seems like every word of your textbook is important.

The ink is pigmented, water-based, and water-resistant. I didn't do a coffee spill test, though. It performed very well over different kinds of writing: pencil, ballpoint, rollerball, gel pen, and fountain pen. It did well over inkjet and laser printed text. It did seem to cause the liquid inks to fuzz a bit, but they weren't smeared. It worked well in books and textbooks and magazines, and was fast-drying even on coated papers. I did see some issues with bleed- and show-through on thin paper and cheap copy paper. Bleed-through with highlighters is the actual worst, because then you waste time trying to remember what was important about the text that only appears highlighted but is actually just behind the text that you really highlighted. So for lightweight or cheap papers, maybe stick to a pencil highlighter.

The colors themselves are standard and bright. They aren't as eye-searingly neon as some highlighters I've tried, but they're enough to attract attention. I find the lower saturation highlighters to be easier to study with, since there isn't as much eye strain.

This set of five sells for $6.75. More than what you'd pay for a big box store set, maybe, but not by much--and cheaper than a number of high-quality brands. I think these are perfectly practical tools. They may not scream "exciting stationery" but highlighters are the secret heroes of the school supply world, and this is a very solid set. They teach us how to remind ourselves about what's important so we can let the rest go. Life skills in addition to study skills! I think it's safe to say we could all use some of these.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on August 31, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Zebra, Highlighter, Pen Reviews.

Fisher Space Pen Backpacker Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Fisher Space Pen is a pen that most (if not all) pen enthusiasts are familiar with, if not most people in general. It's a common premium pen that can be found at some big-box retailers in the US. Outside of the pen, the refill is also just as famous and easy to swap into pens that take the standard Parker-size refill.

Because of that recognition, it's exciting when the company releases new products. In this case, it's the Backpacker Key Ring Pen, or the Backpacker for short. The Backpacker is a pocket-size pen that features a capped design and contoured writing grip inside of a colorful, durable metal package. It's similar in size to the ubiquitous Bullet pen, but a bit longer and wider. The main differentiating feature of the Backpacker is the inclusion of a keyring on the top of the cap. Unlike the Bullet, which has the option of a pocket clip, the Backpacker can be attached to things and uncapped from those things for jotting down quick notes.

The Backpacker feels a bit cheaper in general compared to the sleek brass body of the Bullet, but it also costs less. The ends of the pen are plastic and feature an embossed Fisher logo, which is hard to make out due to the small size. The body and cap are mostly metal, but the grip section is also plastic. The grip has a nice contour that makes writing more comfortable.

The Backpacker definitely feels like a sub-$20 pen, but it's still well-made. Capping the pen is secure and take a good bit of force to uncap, which means you don't have to worry about the pen coming loose and falling out of the cap if it's attached to the outside of a bag. On the other hand, when posted the cap to the rear of the pen, I've been less than impressed with the tolerance of this connection. It takes a great deal of force to fully seat the cap onto the rear of the pen, and an equal amount of force to remove it. It's a chore, and I don't enjoy that process. For all I know, this issue is isolated to the review unit I've been using, but it's worth pointing out.

Writing with the pen is fairly comfortable when posted, and it's also usable without the cap posted. It's about the length of a Kaweco Sport body when unposted. I certainly wouldn't be comfortable after writing several paragraphs, but it's perfectly suitable for a quick note. The Fisher refill behaves as expected, but you can also easily swap it out for another color or size. The pen ships with a black medium refill.

Overall, this is a great addition to the Fisher Space Pen lineup. It's different enough, both visually and functionally, from the Bullet to justify its existence. In practice, I've really found the addition of a keyring helpful. I've put it on my main keyring, secured it to the inside of bags with the assistance of a small carabiner, and also attached it in my Tom Bihn Daylight bag using the included key strap. It's an extremely useful pen, and the reliable, durable nature of the refill solidify the Backpacker as an excellent portable, stow-able pen that you can use anywhere.

The Fisher Backpacker is available in Silver, Red, Blue, Orange, and Black, and costs about $18.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Fisher Space Pen, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Noodler's Konrad Ebonite Flex Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

When Goulet Pens sent Pen Addict a Noodler’s pen to review, I’ll admit, I wasn’t all that enthusiastic. I’ve read that the pens can be hit-or-miss, and I was pretty sure I would not be much impressed. But, I was wrong. I love being surprised, and this pen surprised me quite a bit.

The pen comes packaged simply, in a small cardboard box decorated with Noodler’s artwork. There was no padding or protection other than a plastic sleeve.

The pen is made of ebonite and is incredibly light (only 18 grams). It’s a medium-sized pen (144mm capped), a bit longer than a Pelikan M600.

This particular Konrad has a brown ebonite finish that looks like wood. The colors range from tan to dark brown, almost black.

The cap is black with a silver-toned clip and ring. Both are engraved with the Noodler’s name. The cap screws on tightly, but the threads seem really rough. Maybe with more use they will smooth out.

The Konrad is a piston filler with a blind cap.

The pen even boasts an ink window. But, frankly, what you see in that ink window is the full amount of ink the pen holds (1.54ml according to Goulet Pens). A Pelikan M600 holds 1.75ml.

The nib is a #6-size flexible steel. It writes a fine line when not flexed. When flexed, you can get the line up to about a broad if you push hard.

And this is where I expected to find flaws with the Noodler’s pen. I thought writing with it would be unpleasant—a rough nib, not much flex, and lots of skipping. But that’s not what I experienced at all. The nib is very smooth. I can get some good flex out of it when I push down. And the pen never skipped, not even once, in my testing.

I certainly would not call this a flex nib because it requires a good amount of pressure to get the tines to spread. But it could qualify as a pretty stiff semi-flex. You can see some examples of the line variation in the swirls and lines pictured below:

I inked the pen with Iroshizuku Yama-Guri, a nice matchy brown. I found the Konrad to be quite pleasant to write with. As you can see, I was in a Dumbledore quote mood.

You can purchase the Noodler’s Konrad Ebonite Flex in three colors (jade pine cone ripple, Methuselah’s pine cone ripple, or red rebellion) from Goulet Pens for $40.00.

Pros

For $40 you get an ebonite pen with a semi-flex nib and a piston filler. That’s a pretty decent price in my view.
Although the pen doesn’t hold much ink, I do like that it is a piston filler, and the ink window is a nice touch.
For people who prefer light pens, this fits the bill. It’s a good size for most people’s hands, and it won’t tire you while writing unless you push the nib pretty hard.
The nib on my pen was smooth, and with some pressure, I was able to get some decent flex from it. I didn’t feel uncomfortable pushing the nib on this pen like I would a gold nib.

Cons

I know that some people have had trouble with Noodler’s pens being hard starters or skipping. Goulet Pens instructs buyers of this pen to do a good flushing prior to use.

Due to the residual machining oils used when cutting the feeds for these pens, we highly encourage you to give the pen a good flush before use. We recommend any of the following options: distilled water, water with a touch of dish soap, a pre-packaged pen flush, or a solution of 10% clear ammonia to water. This should resolve most ink flow issues! I did a few flushes with plain water, and the nib worked fine. But if you have any trouble, just follow the above instructions.

Normally, I prefer pens with a little more heft to them, but because flexing requires some pressure, I think the weight of the pen is appropriate. It allows you to put some strength into your writing without becoming over-fatigued. Do be aware that you will need to use pressure to get the nib to flex.

(Goulet Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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