EK Tools Journaling Pen Review

One of the things that has fallen off my radar in the past several years is keeping tabs on what’s happening on retail store shelves, at least for stores in my general area. I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone out of my way to see what Staples has in stock, or what Michael’s is into these days. If I had, I might have seen these EK Tools Journaling Pens (Amazon affiliate link) before now.

The only reason I saw them is because I know a guy that now works as a designer for the brand, and that guy’s name is Chad Doane. Yes, that Chad Doane. Chad sent me a pack to see what I think about them and how they stack up to the competition in the art/drawing pen category.

Short version: Solid, but not spectacular.

These are good art pens, and I’ve enjoyed writing with them. Any plastic tip pen makes my handwriting look awesome, and these are no exception. I especially like the barrel shape, which is tapered from the center of the barrel upward towards each end of the pen. That does two things: Gives the pen a comfortable, flared-out grip area, and a cap that allows you to stand the pen up on its end. Ok, that last point isn’t the most important part of this pen, but it sure is fun to set them up and watch them come cascading down as you bump your desk.

Performance wise, the EK Tools pens are mixed bag. This pack comes with five sizes: 0.2 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.45 mm, and 0.65 mm. For journaling, crafting, scrapbooking, etc., that is a good range of sizes. That’s what these are made for after all. For my purposes, which is mostly writing, I enjoyed only two of the sizes: the 0.25 and 0.45. Oddly enough, the middle sized 0.35 felt different than the other four. The tip was softer, and the line wasn’t as clean and sharp. The 0.25 was fantastic to write with (which is what you see in the review), and the 0.45 had the firmness I wanted to see out of the 0.35.

For the price - approximately $1.80 per pen on Amazon as I write this - I reiterate what I said earlier, in similar terms: Good, not great. For my money, I’d pay the $2.50 per pen for the Sakura Pigma Micron, considered the best in class for this type of pen, or my favorite, the Kuretake Zig Mangaka, for $2.00.

Drawing pens are a well-established category in the stationery world, and tough to break into. While I like the EK Tools Journaling Pens, they fall just short of many of the other top-tier options in this group.

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

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Pentel Fitline 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.)

The Pentel Fitline set of highlighters includes the standard basics--yellow, pink, orange, green, and blue. They're double-ended, with the classic chisel tip at one end and a 1 mm bullet felt tip at the other. They're designed to work both for highlighting and quick note taking, though that always baffles me a bit. Generally, ink bright enough to highlight is terrible for reading notes, and ink dark enough to read is terrible for highlighting. Still, the design persists across a number of brands, so maybe I'm missing something.

These are, in nearly every way, just your standard highlighters. They've set themselves apart with two features, though. One is a notched neck which allows the chisel tip to flex a bit for easier highlighting over curved pages. It's an interesting feature in theory, but I didn't see much flex in my samples. In order to get any bending, I had to press hard enough that the tip was getting squished and there was a risk of ink bleeding. It's possible they'd become more flexible with use. And due to their other unique feature--they are refillable--it is actually worthwhile to break them in. The refill is for pigment only and does not include a replacement tip, so eventually the tip will move past the broken-in phase and become worn out--at which point the whole pen will have to be replaced.

These are on the pricier side for a standard highlighter at $1.75 apiece. And refills are $1.40--quite high for pigment alone. That cost would make sense if you were getting a replacement tip, and I wonder if the felt tips will last more than a few fillings.

The tips do write smoothly and well. The ink distributes evenly and there are no issues with bleeding or show-through, even on cheap printer paper. There was some slight smearing on rollerball and gel pen ink, but surprisingly none with fountain pen ink. It also did well over pencil, ballpoint, and printer ink.

The clips are sturdy and have enough space between them and the body to be clipped to a book cover. The caps snap securely and both can be posted to the other, but the fine-point end caps are very small--so be careful not to lose them.

Overall, I think these are a good quality school supply, if a bit on the pricier side. They work very well, but fall short of being anything particularly innovative. For highlighters, though, my only real expectation is that they be practical, and these do that very well.

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

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Parker Jotter London Architecture Red Chrome Edition Review

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

The Parker Jotter is an iconic classic that is both easily recognizable and unassuming. If you've never owned one, then you've probably seen one out in the wild. They're available all over the place, from our favorite retailers to big-box local stores. But, just like every popular pen out there, special editions are a fairly common occurrence. The latest special edition to cross my desk is the Parker Jotter London Architecture Red Chrome edition.

Even though this is a special edition, you immediately know that it's a Jotter. The red upper body has a great candy apple sheen , and the grip section has an ornate argyle pattern that gives the body a nice texture and visual interest. Apart from the color and unique texture, the pen is a standard Jotter. The clip is the usual Parker arrow design, and the only branding is found on the clip assembly around the body.

One of the things I associate instantly with the Parker Jotter is the unique "ker-thunk" that the click mechanism produces. When you want the room to know that you're using a pen, this is the one to get their attention. One of the other things I associate with the Parker Jotter is the character Boris Grishenko from GoldenEye and his amazing pen twirling skills. I'm pretty sure that's a Parker Jotter used in the scene, but I can't be sure since Boris is just so good at pen acrobatics.

Once you get down to the writing portion of this pen, you're greeted with the understated (yet reliable) Parker Quinkflow refill in blue. I always have mixed feelings about the Parker Jotter refills, mostly due to the fact that they can be a bit finicky when first starting to use them. After the ink starts flowing, though, they usually perform great. They're not on the same level as a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, but they're pretty darn close. For a refill that the manufacturer makes and includes with the pen, it's a great choice. Of course, since this is a Jotter, you have many, many refill choices if the Quinkflow refill isn't for you.

Overall, the Parker Jotter London Architecture Red Chrome edition is a great addition to the Parker lineup. It's not terribly expensive, and, at $25, it's only a few bucks more than a standard Jotter. If this catches your eye, pick one up before they're gone.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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