Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Teranishi Magic Glow Slim Black Note Marker 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 Teranishi Magic Glow Slim Black Note Markers are a bit of a marker-paint pen hybrid. They operate like markers in that they have felt bullet tips that don't require any priming, but the pigment ink behaves more like a paint. It's a pretty happy medium, if that's what your craft requires.

The build of the marker is excellent. They're sturdy and well labeled, the snap caps snap with enough satisfaction that you know they'll protect the felt tip. I was underwhelmed with the felt tips, though. They seemed a bit rough and the quality was inconsistent. Some of the markers seemed to have dried out a little in the package, so the lines were not as opaque as the wetter ones. When I applied some pressure--not a lot!--to try and squeeze out a little bit of pigment, I completely broke it. Oops! My favorite color, too! So be careful with the tips. When they say they don't require priming, they mean "don't press on this at all".

The pigment is very rich on white paper and shows up nice and bright. On black paper, it goes on dark, then give it a few seconds, then it pales to a vibrant opaque color. It looks a lot like the liquid chalk on the menus at coffee shops. It's a nice effect and it does its job well.

These could be really fun for card making or scrapbooking--but it would have to be a project you want to invest in. At $3.55 apiece or $42 for a 12-color set, these are pricey. In my opinion, too pricey. But if it's exactly the tool you need for a special project, it may be worth it. Just be careful with those tips!

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

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Posted on August 16, 2018 by Sarah Read and filed under Teranishi, Marker, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Sarasa SE Gel Pen Review

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

To this day, gel pens continue to be one of the most accessible categories for exposing people to the wonders of pens. With so many options, it's difficult to imagine what else can be done in this space to innovate and provide something new and worthy of existence. In most cases, the easiest route of expansion is in offering more colors or more tip sizes. But, it's more rare to see offerings that focus on providing the same great gel pen experience with a dry time that's 85% faster than standard gel pens.

That's right — 85% faster. The Zebra Sarasa SE line of pens is similar to the regular Sarasa line in every way, except these things dry incredibly fast.

If you've never used a Zebra Sarasa pen before, you're missing out on one of the top five gel refills available today. They're available in several different sizes and configurations, but they all deliver vibrant colors, crisp lines, and a smooth feel. Add on super fast dry time, and you've got a seriously impressive pen refill.

I picked up several of these pens to try out, and in that batch I picked black, blue, red, green, and violet to test. Each of these colors is beautiful and vivid. Even the black is incredibly rich and dark — similar in richness and depth as the popular Pentel EnerGel series.

The body and grip of the SE pens are also similar to the other Sarasa lines, which is just fine. They're comfortable to use, the clips are nice and strong, and they perform great in that respect.

When I started writing, I was impressed by the crisp lines and bright colors. It wasn't until I moved my palm across the page to write somewhere else that I noticed that it didn't create any smudges. I was pleasantly surprised, so I started testing the dry times to see just how fast it was. In most cases, the ink was smudge-proof within 2 seconds. In every case, 3 seconds did the trick. This is incredible! Especially considering how wet these 0.7mm tips are. These aren't ultra-fine tips — there's a good amount of ink coming out when writing.

These pens are perfect for jotting notes when you're out. You don't have to worry about immediately closing your notebook because there won't be any excess ink on the opposite page. For left-handed users, this ink is fabulous. I'm mostly right-handed, but I'm working on training my left hand to write as well. When I was using these pens in my left hand, I never had any smudges on the page and there wasn't any ink on my palm when I was done.

I'm not sure how Zebra did this. There's normally a trade off if you market a pen as having an ultra-fast drying ink. In this case, the Sarasa SE line has smooth feel, vibrant colors, and incredibly fast dry times.

The Zebra Sarasa SE is fairly new, but there's already a nice selection of colorful inks. You're also limited to the 0.7mm tip size, so hopefully we see additional options soon. Pick some up the next time you make an order with JetPens! At under two bucks a pop, they're low risk experiments, and I'm willing to bet that you'll love them after writing with them.

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Posted on August 15, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Positano Resin 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.)

(Note: First two paragraphs updated with corrected information.)

Leonardo Officina Italiana is a new brand of fountain pen, but it has a grand heritage. The Leonardo is the brainchild of Salvatore Matrone, the son of Ciro Matrone who was one of the founders of Delta Pens. Leonardo pens are hand turned by solid bar in either resin or celluloid. The name “Momento Zero” means “a new beginning.”

I purchased my Leonardo from the Casa della Stilografica shop, which was founded in 1944 by Antonio Sacchetti. Today, Marco Moricci, Antonio’s grandson, along with his father, Vittorio, and mother, Patrizia, run the shop.

When I saw photographs of the new Leonardo Officina Italiana fountain pens, I was impressed. I read a review in which the writer had purchased one of the celluloid models and one of the resin models. The celluloid models come with 14k gold nibs whereas the resin ones have steel nibs. The reviewer said he couldn’t tell the difference between the 14k nib and the steel one—that’s how good the steel nibs are.

The Leonardo Momento Zero comes in a classic black box with the company’s logo on the top. Inside, you’ll find the pen, a pamphlet, and a card certifying that the pen was made in Italy.

Although initially I was tempted to buy one of the Abyss Celluloid pens, I decided to try a resin model first. I chose the Momento Zero Positano turquoise. Positano is a town on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and I assume the color is meant to mimic the beautiful sea coast near the town. Although the color is called “Turquoise,” in person it’s more of a cerulean blue. I matched it with Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku ink and they complement one another perfectly. The resin is absolutely beautiful with swirls of white and blue variations that really do look like ocean water.

The pen honestly doesn’t feel like resin—it has more heft to it since the resin is impressively thick. This is no cheap plastic pen; it exudes quality. It’s a large pen: 5.6 inches/142mm closed, 5.08 inches/129mm uncapped, and 6.7 inches/170mm posted, but it is not as thick in diameter as, say, a Montblanc 149.

Beautiful details set this pen apart. Both the cap finial and the barrel bottom are conically shaped rather than flat.

The clip looks very Omas-like, with a roller ball that aids in slipping the clip onto a pocket or a stack of papers.

The cap is adorned with two thin gold bands. The barrel also sports a gold band where the barrel meets the cap and near the bottom of the barrel. These details make the pen look super classy.

The company’s name is inscribed subtly on the pen’s barrel along with the number of the pen. Mine is number 217.

The pen comes with a custom Leonardo converter that is especially nice. It screws in to the grip unit and is very well made.

The nib is gold-colored steel. I chose a stub nib and had to wait a little longer for it, but it was worth it. The nib is engraved with “Leonardo Officina Italiana” the Leonardo logo (outspread wings), and the nib size.

The stub nib offers really nice line variation and is smooth and trouble free. It writes better than some of my solid gold nibs, although occasionally I’ll hear a little scratchy sound as though there’s an errant piece of metal hitting the paper. I’ve checked the nib thoroughly and can’t find any abnormalities in the nib, so it may just be the angle I’m holding the pen. Regardless, I love how this pen writes.

I am thoroughly in love with my Leonardo Momento Zero pen. It is extremely well made and it feels like it will last forever. You can purchase the resin models in a variety of colors: turquoise, red, blue, brown-gold, red-gold, matte black, blue-gold, deep blue-gold, and brown vintage. The base price if you purchase directly from the Stilografica shop is €121.31 excluding VAT.

Pros

The Leonardo Momento Zero pen is immaculate. The resin is beautiful and the trim makes for a classic look.
I really like the quality of the custom convertor that comes with the pen.
The steel stub nib on this pen is simply fantastic. It offers excellent line variation and smooth writing.
Depending on the exchange rate, €121.31 translates to about $140.00 (plus shipping). I think this is an excellent price for such a well made pen.

Cons

I usually find some factor that detracts from fountain pens I review, but in all honesty, I am completely satisfied with my Leonardo. I highly recommend this company and the pens they make in house.

(I purchased this pen with my own funds and received no compensation from Casa della Stilografica for this review.)

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