Pen Hack: Zebra Sarasa Clip to Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier

Pen Addict reader Quinn was messing around last week and came across this near perfect match for a pen hack. I'll let him share the good news:

AWESOME PEN HACK: Sarasa Clip Refill + Hi-Tec-C Cavalier Body = Perfection! This may be common knowledge, but I was just playing around and had to share this discovery. I had always been underwhelmed with the Sarasa Clip body, but not anymore.

I was pretty excited myself to verify this since I love the Cavalier barrel, and sure enough, it is essentially a perfect match.

I swapped the Zebra Sarasa Clip ink cartridge into the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier barrel with no issues (the cartridges do not go the other way around fyi). I started writing away, and the results were impressively solid. The cartridge was a perfect fit length wise, and the only tiny issue I saw was that the tip of the cartridge isn't fully flush with the barrel opening. It is so close though that it actually took me about five minutes to even notice it. That is something that could be tightened up extremely easily if it bothers you.

Sorry for the poor quality on that last picture - I didn't have my real camera handy. If anyone wants to see a better close-up just let me know and I'll take a new one this weekend. Thanks for the great tip Quinn!

#OnePenOneDay Project Update

Things have been going pretty well so far with my #OnePenOneDay project. I have made it through several days in a monogamous relationship with my writing utensil of choice, despite the difficulties. I will say that this cannot be an every single day of the year project though - there are just some days where it is not feasible. But on the days that I consider "project days" I am 100% committed to that pen, and that pen only, for the entire day.

Here are some of the pens I have revisited so far:

Pentel Tradio EnerGel Combo Pen -- I liked this pen a lot the first time around (links go to the original reviews), but the cap not staying posted is still an issue. It is hard to beat the EnerGel ink from a performance perspective, but if I am picking up an EnerGel right now it is the Euro Needle.

Uni-Ball Jetstream Sport 0.5mm Blue -- Still one of my all-time favorites. Nice, clean barrel design, great grip, and an 0.5mm tip with performance to die for. Many people believe this pen is too scratchy, but for me, it is almost perfect.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Black (with Grip) -- This is the one pen that I can't get enough of for note taking purposes. The line is super-fine and I love how my handwriting turns out on the page. Yes, there are sometimes startup issues when you first get writing, but one it starts up it is one of the best pens around. (In writing this, I now realize I have never reviewed this exact pen. I'll correct that soon.)

Copic Drawing Pen F02 -- I have no idea what is going on with this pen, but it is frustrating me. I was worried about it from the get go since it had been months since I used it. The ink started flowing well enough right out the gate, and for the few hours following. After that, performance was all over the place, leaving me to wonder if the ink had dried up on the inside.

Sharpie Pen -- A classic pen on top of a classic book. The Sharpie Pen is one of my all time favorites for sure. I always enjoy writing with it, and despite the new barrel styles and colors being introduced, the black ink original is still the best.

Well, that is it for this first round of #OnePenOneDay. I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions for this project, and I'll also take requests for pens you would like me to run through the gauntlet once more. Just let me know below.

Pilot Vpen Disposable Fountain Pen Review

Pilot has a big share of the disposable fountain pen market, so despite the fact I am not a big fountain pen user, I thought I would give the Pilot Vpen a try. The Platinum Preppy is the disposable fountain pen which I compare all others to, and I thought the Pilot Petit mini fountain pen was one of the worst I had used, so where will the Vpen land on my somewhat out of kilter scale?

In the look and feel department, the Vpen is a winner. Pilot takes a simplistic approach to pen design, but they do it very well. If you have ever used a Pilot V5 pen before, then you will know how the Vpen feels in the hand, but just a fraction wider. You pretty much always know what you are going to get with Pilot in this department, and the Vpen is no different.

When initially putting the nib to the page, I was pretty impressed with how the Vpen performed. My preference would have been a fine or extra fine nib, but this medium nib wasn't all that bad. In fact, it was pretty darn good. The ink flowed immediately, the lines were solid and consistent, and there was minimal bleed or feathering. The blue ink was a really nice shade as well.

While the Platinum Preppy may still be my first choice due to the added nib options, the Pilot Vpen is an excellent disposable fountain pen.