Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Zebra Sparky-2 Highlighter Review

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

Highlighters are one of those stationery items that many people keep on hand without fussing about the features and quality of the ink, tips, and other items. Even though highlighters aren't an exciting genre of our world, they are something you expect to work well when you need them. When it's time to mark up a book or some notes, it's good to have options. The Zebra Sparky-2 highlighters are great at both making marks and providing a great amount of variety in color and tip size.

Double-sided highlighters aren't a new invention, and you could even argue that they're the new baseline these days. Who doesn't want the option of a thick or thin line from the same pen? Even so, manufacturers have to tick several products and offer a compelling product. The Sparky-2 is a well-performing highlighter with a couple of nice features to set it apart from the pack.

The liquid ink is resistant to both light and water, making it a great option for annotating notes and textbooks. Your marks will stand the test of time and play nicely with most inks and papers. Fountain pen inks can sometimes bleed and smear under a highlighter, but this is a problem that impacts any highlighter. With gel pens, ballpoints, and pencils, you'll never deal with any smearing or bluring.

The ink is also very bright and fluorescent without being too dark. I've used highlighters in the past that made it difficult to read the text or notes that they covered. This is not the case with the Zebra Sparky-2 highlighters, and I'd even prefer the green highlighter to be a bit darker.

Another great trick that the Spark-2 pens offer is a protective covering around the tip. The purpose of this small sleeve is two-fold: one, it adds rigidity to the tip so that it doesn't collapse over time, and it also prevents ink from getting on a ruler or straightedge if you run the highlighter alongside it. It's not something I've ever wished for, but now I wish that all highlighters were made this way!

As an added bonus, both caps can post to their sibling cap, meaning you don't have to keep trck of these small, clear caps. Losing a cap is a death sentence for the liquid ink tip!

Finally, the number of color options available in this line is astounding. At a total of ten (10!) colors, you should be able to differentiate your notes and research with no problem. Add in the fact that each pen has two sizes of tip, and that's effectively 20 highlighters.

The three-pack of yellow, green, and pink that I'm using comes in at just $6, which is a great deal for such a great and useful product. If you spring for the 10-pack of all colors, they'll come in just under $16, which is also an incredible value.

Pick up a set for yourself or the industrious student in your life!

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

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Posted on February 20, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Highlighter, Pen Reviews.

Sailor Pro Gear Ocean Fountain Pen Review

I have a strange habit of not having reviews on The Pen Addict for some of my most favorite pens. In my head, I’ve done them. I talk about the pen constantly online, or with friends, or on the podcast, so certainly I can link you to the review right? Time and time again, the answer is nope, I can’t. And I can’t figure out why!

But today, I’m logging the Sailor Pro Gear Ocean Fountain Pen into the permanent record. I looked back through the eleven plus year history of this blog and saw that I have reviewed exactly one standard Pro Gear fountain pen, back in 2015. That’s unacceptable for a pen I use and recommend so much.

Since that last review, my love for the brand, and specifically this pen model, has grown. Sure, I’ve had dalliances with the 1911, and rave about the King of Pen (which I haven’t reviewed yet either!), but the Pro Gear is one of my favorite all day, every day pens in my rotation.

Everything about this pen is perfect for me. The size and weight of the pen hit a perfect balance of not to small and not too heavy, while also remaining not too large. It slides into a pocket or a pen case easily, with the strong clip keeping it secure. It even posts to a reasonable writing length for you heathens out there.

As great as this pen feels, I have a lot of pens that feel just as nice. Two things set it apart from those other pens. First off, Sailor pens have a style that fits me and my aesthetic perfectly. There are always fun colors and combinations to choose from, including a ton of rhodium trim and nib options. The clip design is classic, the cap band is a strong, but not overwhelming, visual, and the anchor in the finial is as classic to me as the Montblanc snowcap. And don’t even get me started on all of the special/limited editions, of which the Ocean model is one of.

Secondly, and the thing most people think of when they think of Sailor, is the nib. If I can tell you one thing about Sailor nibs and how they compare to their Japanese counterparts it is that they are firm. Sailor stock nibs come in a wide range of sizes, from Extra Fine, to Zoom and Music. I ordered a Medium Fine for my Ocean, and had Dan Smith stub it before shipping - an awesome service he offers by the way. (Disclosure: I paid full price for this pen with my own cash money.)

Even with the nib modification, this thing writes like a nail. And I love it. A quick look at the writing samples in this review will tell you why. This is my normal writing style and size. The output on the page is tight and clean, and the ink flow is perfect.

For years, people have asked “Why fountain pens?” when questioning me about why people choose to write with certain pens. And my answer is always “Customization.” This Sailor Pro Gear Ocean is the epitome of that for me. It’s the feel I want, the color I want, and the nib I want, all wrapped up in one neat package. Add up all of those wants, and all I want to do is use it. There is no higher praise I can give a product than that.

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Posted on February 18, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Sailor, Pro Gear, Pen Reviews.

Pentel B100 45th Anniversary Pen Set Review

When the Pentel B100 45th Anniversary Pen Set first crossed my eyeballs sometime last year I knew I would have to get a set, but that wouldn’t be the easiest task. They were made in France for the Japanese market and ended up being bought at a shop in England. How’s that for worldwide!

My good buddy Myke stopped by Present & Correct in London last year before I arrived for his wedding to buy me a set. I’m not sure what I was more excited about - these pens, his wedding, or exploring London for a few days with my wife. Oh, who am I kidding. It was the pens!

These pens bring back memories of a young Brad rummaging through unused desks in my dad’s workplace in search of stationery gold. Often times, I left empty handed, but on a good day I’d score a few pens and mechanical pencils. The Pentel Sharp Mechanical Pencil was always a big score, followed closely by the Pentel B100. Why the B100? It was like a marker in rollerball from.

It still is, which is both its good side, and its bad side. It is designed to be a writing, editing, and sign pen for those times when big, bold lettering is required. It is more consistent and durable than most markers, and stands out on the page more than a ballpoint.

For this set, Pentel produced 7 colors in retro-styled barrels. Black, red, and blue are the standards, with orange, green, purple, and brown added to the mix. And they are all fantastically saturated without running or bleeding all over the page - similar to what I would expect from a marker.

The rollerball tip is marked as 0.8 mm on the barrel, but the actual line on the page is in more of the 1.0 mm to 1.2 mm width. If you are looking to write in small places, this is not the pen for you. But everyone - even me - needs a good marking pen from time to time.

*(Note: You can find discussion about my R.E.M. Top 10 on* *Instagram, and listen to the playlist on* *Spotify*.)

As I alluded to up top, the only real kicker is availability. Present & Correct still has them in stock for £22, but a quick Google search shows them available at the London Graphic Centre for a MUCH cheaper £9. If you don’t need all of the colors and want only black, Amazon has a 10-pack for under $10. With a bit more digging you may be able to do even better.

The Pentel B100 is a trip down memory lane for me. It’s not the best pen, and it’s not the best price, and it’s not easy to acquire, but it makes me smile. I have fun when I break this set out to draw, doodle, and highlight, and they are something I always want to keep handy on my desk. Now, if I could only get my hands on a half dozen of the orange ones I would be thrilled.

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