Tuesday Toolset, Top 5 Micro Gel Ink Pens Edition

Lavender Black, my favorite DX ink color.

Micro-tipped gel ink pens are the reason I started The Pen Addict in 2007. Once I discovered that I could get gel ink pens in sub-0.5 mm tip sizes, my mind was blown. I won’t say that I’ve tried them all over the years, but I bet I’ve come close. Needless to say, I have thoughts on the best of the bunch.

1. Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38 mm - It’s so good that I helped design an upgraded pen barrel for it. What more can I say? (Buy)
2. Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.4 mm - I think you can argue for several pens in the two-spot, but the Sarasa Clip is consistently good, and a joy to use. (Buy)
3. Pilot Juice Up 0.4 mm - The standard Juice has been on this list forever, but the Juice Up is better than the original in every regard. (Buy)
4. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm - If you can put up with frequent inconsistency and finickiness, then the Pilot Hi-Tec-C will provide you the sharpest fine line on this list. (Buy)
5. Uni-ball Signo RT1 0.38 mm - Signo 307 or Signo RT1, that is the question here. I like the 307 barrel better, but the RT1 has many, many more colors available, and that wins out in the end. (Buy)

(Notes: In my dream scenario, Pentel kills off the Slicci lineup, and adds a sub-0.5 mm refill to the EnerGel lineup. Preferably, in the barrel they refer to as the Euro Needle. Do that, and it would be the number two pen in this list I believe.

My personal use ranking:

1. Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38 mm
2. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm
3. Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.4 mm
4. Uni-ball Signo RT1 0.38 mm
5. Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle 0.35 mm

Tuesday Toolset, Top 5 Blue Black Fountain Pen Inks Edition

I finally figured out the best way for me to fully update the Top 5 Pens page. Doing it in one sweeping update is intimidating, so how about breaking it down into individual list updates? And, how about using the Tuesday Toolset post as the platform to share my thoughts on each update? Monday’s review of the TWSBI Blue Black ink dislodged this idea that had been stuck in my brain, because I was immediately asked “What are your favorite Blue Black inks?

This list helps answer that, but remember, the Top 5 Pens list is full of my recommendations for you. That may differ from my personal favorites, which I’ll discuss each week as well.

For reference purposes, I’ll take a snapshot of the previous list so you can see what changed, if anything. Not a lot of it will honestly, which is why it has taken so long since the last page update. That changes now, beginning with the Top 5 Blue Black Fountain Pen Inks.

Top 5 Blue Black Fountain Pen Inks (Previous list)

1. Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai - It’s rare when the premium ink is also my top recommendation, but with the Iroshizuku price drop, Shin-kai is hard to beat. One of the best color ranges in a blue black ink while remaining traditional. (Buy)
2. Pilot Blue Black - A smart man once told me that this is the only ink he trusts explicitly in all of his pens. And, with Sailor doing who knows what with it’s stock blue black, this is the easy stock ink choice. (Buy)
3. Rohrer & Klinger Salix - Maybe the best iron gall ink I have ever used. The words iron gall turn off some people, but if you make this your first, you will be happy. (Buy)
4. Akkerman #8 Diep-Duinwaterblauw - There is a brightness that peeks out from under the covers that many other blue blacks don’t possess. The bottle alone is worth the price of admission. (Buy)
5. Lamy Blue Black - I think this ink has been on and off the list more than any other over the years. It’s a bit drier and lighter than some of the inks up top, but is such a classic color it sneaks into the back of the list when there is a shake up. (Buy)

(Notes: What happened to Sailor Blue Black, the former number one on this list? That’s a great question! Sailor has been reshuffling its ink lineup over the past couple of years, and their stock ink colors appear and disappear at random intervals, and at different prices and sizes. If they made it easier to sort out, they would still be near the top of the list.)

My personal use ranking:

1. Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai
2. Sailor Bungubox Blue Black
3. Montblanc JFK
4. Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite
5. Akkerman #8 Diep-Duinwaterblauw

Top 5 Pens, 2018 Edition

Where do I put my beloved Caran d’Ache Fixpencil?

I think we are there.

The 2017 version of my Top 5 Pens list was telling. It was the least amount of product turnover I have ever had on this list, and I think there is even less this year. While seeing movers and shakers all across the board may be more fun, I’m content in knowing that there are many quality products on the market that have withstood the test of time.

That doesn’t mean there are no changes or new additions on this list - there will always be movement in and out. What it does mean is that my confidence level is high on the products I do recommend. Like I just mentioned, time has a way of sorting these things out.

I’ll never make a change for changes sake. Products on this list are there because they deserve to be, not because I feel like shaking things up.

Keep this in mind while reading this list: It is based on what I would recommend. That may or may not be different than how I would rank them for my personal use. The Micro Gel ink pen category is the perfect example of this. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm is number one for me, but number five on this list due to its particularness.

Two new, highly specific, lists have been added for Blue Black and Orange fountain pen inks. I’ve been asked to do these lists for a while, and since they are my two favorite ink colors, and I have experience with dozens of them, I feel good putting together five excellent ones of each shade.

Finally, before you head over and pick through the list, I have one product that I love that doesn’t have a home: The Caran d’Ache Fixpencil.

If I kept a daily usage log of all of the products I have used over the past year, I would wager that the Fixpencil would top the list. I love the design, the quality, and most importantly, the performance. It’s the portable pencil I need for the way I work. It goes everywhere with me.

But what list should it be on? It’s not a wooden pencil, that’s for sure. It’s sort of a mechanical pencil, but not in the traditional sense. It is a clutch pencil, with a 2.0 mm lead and a built in sharpener under the cap. I find it endlessly useful, and I don’t have a place to put it.

Because of this pencil, I’m looking at reviewing other clutch pencils and leadholders just so I have a list to put this one on. Do you have a favorite? I’m taking recommendations for spots two through five on the list, because nobody is going to top my number one!

As always, let me know your favorites that I am forgetting or that I need to take a further look at. Leave a comment on this post, or drop me a message on Twitter and Instagram.