Pilot FriXion Colors Erasable Marker Review

This one was a bit of a head scratcher when I saw it pop in the JetPens new product feed a month or two ago. I understand and am behind the Pilot FriXion gel ink line of pens - write your notes, erase your mistakes, rinse, repeat. But the FriXion Colors erasable marker, I'm not really sure where this pen falls in to line.

Despite my confusion, there are several things I like about this pen. One, the barrel design is great. I love the white barrel with red text, and the translucent cap makes for a nice presentation. Secondly, the eraser works like a champ. You can see in the photo above how well it erases letters and solid blocks of colors.

On the downside, I am not crazy about the ink and the tip. The tip is softer than I like in a felt tip marker, and it seemed to me like it was breaking down almost immediately after starting to use it. A small little felt ball even rolled off it at one point. The ink color is nice and lays down on the page ok, but if you write over ink that is already on the page - like if you were coloring in a circle - the second layer of ink removes some of the underlying layer. You know how when you are at a white board and you write ink over ink and it leaves white streaks? It's like that. 

So in buying this pen, it all boils down to what you will be using it for. Any ideas?

Click here for the XL review.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Five Cartridge Barrel Review

First it was the two cartridge, then the three, then the four, and now the five cartridge Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto has arrived. What's next, an eleventeen cartridge Coleto? If there was, I would still probably buy it, because the Coleto line is probably the best bang for your buck gel ink multi pen on the market today.

I love the versatility of multi pens, and because of that, I have tried as many as I can get my hands on. Compared to its closest competitors - the Uni-Ball Style Fit and the Pentel Sliccies - the Coleto is the undisputed champ in my book. The barrel has a great feel and design, and the many ink colors are vibrant and write wonderfully. If there is any knock on it, it is that the ink cartridges run out too quickly, but that is the case with many gel ink multi pens.

I was actually a little hesitant to pick up the five cartridge model, worrying that it was going to be too wide of a body for me, but it is not bad at all. The two cartidge Coleto is obviously the skinniest of the bunch, while the three and four cartridge barrels are nearly identical in width. The five is only slightly wider than the three and four, but completely comfortable to write with. That said, the four cartridge barrel is my Coleto sweet spot. With the width of the three and an extra slot to boot, what's not to like (I promise I will get them all together for a family photo shoot soon).

Pliot has been doing a great job of late with all of the different Coleto bodies, and I am having a fun trying them all out.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 5 Color Multi Pen - Pen Body - Clear Black from JetPens

Writing Pad from Doane Paper

Pilot RexGrip 0.7mm Purple Ballpoint Review

I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to review a basic ballpoint like the Pilot Rexgrip 0.7mm, even more so after my bad experience with the 1.0mm model. But I said in that review - over two years ago - that I would get one of the 0.7mm models, and I'm glad I did. Sometimes low expectations lead to the best discoveries. 

So my first question is: Where have you gone Der Bingle? The once prolific commenter mentioned in my original review that while I disliked the 1.0mm model, I needed to give the purple 0.7mm a shot. I finally took him up on that advice, and was happy to find a pen that was completely different than the original one I reviewed. I was very pleased at how clean the lines were, especially with my small, fast paced handwriting. I actually tried hard to find something I disliked about this pen, and I couldn't. Where the original was streaky and light colored. this one is solid and vibrant. A totally different experience.

The barrel is pretty basic, but what do you expect from a pen that only costs $1.50? It is very similar to the Pilot G-Knock - a barrel I like very much and is very comfortable. There aren't a lot of options out there for purple ballpoint pens, so this one is definitely worth a look.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Pilot Rexgrip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Purple Body - Purple Ink from JetPens.

Writing Pad from Doane Paper.