Posts filed under Zebra

Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Vintage Blue Gray Gel Review

When I discuss my favorite gel ink pens, the Pilot Hi-Tec-C and the Uni-ball Signo DX hog the spotlight. And for good reason. They are both fantastic. The Zebra Sarasa Clip is on par with those, something I am reminded of the moment I take one out to use.

The latest addition to the lineup, the Sarasa Clip Vintage Color series, brings four new colors into the mix: Green Black, Red Black, Brown Gray, and Blue Gray. Five if you count Blue Black, but that is one color that is common across the gel ink spectrum, including previous Sarasa Clip releases.

I chose the Blue Gray model to test out, and the performance of the pen is as excellent as ever. The lines are consistent, sharp, and clean, making the Sarasa Clip lineup a pure joy to write with. Note that I say Sarasa Clip when referring to this Zebra gel ink pen. The regular Sarasa is not as nice as these. Long-time readers are aware of this, but it bears bringing up once again for new readers.

Blue Gray as an ink color wasn’t something that I ever thought I needed in my life, but the shade is better than anticipated. It is darker than I thought it would be, and looks fantastic on the gray grid of my Rhodia Ice Pad.

According to the name of the pen, the Clip is a feature, and it lives up to that billing. It is spring-loaded, giving it a tight fit while clipped to a pocket yet allowing it to open wide and clamp down on larger folders and pads of paper. It works well, and I’ve never had one break on me.

Historically, Zebra fights for third place in market share (or at least mind share) behind Pilot and Uni-ball. They are equally as high quality and inventive in my book, and don’t need to play third fiddle to anyone. Zebra, and the Sarasa Clip especially, are well worth checking out.

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Super Marble Gel Pens 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 Zebra Super Marble Gel Pens have a neat marbled ink effect. The colors are swirly with a metallic sheen. They're a fun throwback to classic 90s gel pens and a reminder of how awesome my school notes used to look.

In the set of four pens, one swirls with blue, pink, and purple; one is purple, green, and blue; one is pink, green, and blue; and one would not write at all, but it would be yellow, pink, and blue. Obviously, the one that would not write is a bit of a disappointment. I noticed that pen had a significantly lower ink level in the package, so I wonder if there was an issue with the pressure in the cartridge. No amount of coaxing got any ink to flow. But the other three write very smoothly, so I think I just got a lemon. My expectations of Zebra are pretty high, though, thanks to the quality of their other products, so I hope this is a rare fluke. Especially because the charm of these pens is all in the ink.

The bodies are lightweight clear plastic. It's cool to see the marbled ink in the cartridge, but the plastic does feel quite brittle and I wonder if they'll show stress fractures over time, or if the clips will break off. They did survive an afternoon with my toddler, so maybe they're made of stronger stuff than they appear.

The cap secures with a click. It clicks to post as well, though in both positions is spins freely and rattles a bit when agitated. Writing with it posted gets a bit irritating.

There aren't many pens out there with this cool effect--so if you want some swirly, colorful writing, it's easy to forgive a few flaws. The color effect can be a bit sporadic--depending on how the ink flows, you might get consistent marbling, or you might get stuck on one color for a few paragraphs before the ink shifts again. And sometimes you might see all three colors in the space of a single character. The randomness is part of the fun, I think. These are pens of whimsy.

I love that they write on different colors of paper. I think they will be great for addressing colorful envelopes, scrapbooking, or planner decoration. The ink is acid-free and archival, so it should stand the test of time. They could add neat effects to coloring books as well.

I can't say I fully recommend them until I see if others have the same quality control issues I had. I don't think I'd buy more, when these run out, but I do think they'll add a bit of pizzazz to my holiday cards this year.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Sarah Read and filed under Zebra, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Sarasa Fujiya Scented Gel Pen 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.)

So, how are your notes smelling these days? Mine are good--really good. Zebra has come out with some new additions to their line of scented gel pens, this time in collaboration with Fujiya, maker of beloved Japanese sweets and treats. Remember, kids--don't eat your gel pens. You're going to want to. Don't.

The new scents come in two packs. The first contains a dark (nearly black) brown scented like Country Ma'am chocolate and vanilla cookies, bright orange scented like orange lollipops, pink scented like Peach Nectar drink, and yellow scented like Lemon Squash soda. The second pack is based on the popular Milky candy (note that the Milky colors here are not pastels, despite the name's similarity to the Sarasa "Milk Series" pastel gel pens), with original Milky flavor in light blue, Soft Cream (vanilla ice cream) Milky in dark blue, Strawberry Milky in a bright pinkish-red, and Matcha (green tea) Milky in bright green. (Thanks for the translation help Mel!]

It's particularly fun to mix the scents into fun, aromatic recipes, my favorite of which was the peach and green tea. The scents are sweet and definitely noticeable, but not overpowering. They do become less pronounced when the ink dries, which is quite quickly, as Sarasas are known for.

The .5 tips are a perfectly practical size--fine enough to write in small spaces, bold enough that even the bright colors are easily readable. They have the signature Sarasa quick-dry ink, though I did experience some slight smudging where I colored in solid squares (you can see it on the dark brown).

The pens themselves are the standard Sarasa Clip model, with the addition of the cute and beloved Peko-Chan mascot face on the press-point and the Fujiya product branding on the barrels. They have the ergonomic rubber grip, alligator clip, and clicky-retract that we've all come to love in the Zebra Sarasa Clip line--a fidgeter's dream pen. With the bright colors and cute branding, these editions are as much a toy as a pen--beyond the degree to which I already think of pens as toys.

The one criticism I have is that the pens are grouped by the Fujiya product type and not by color. It's perfectly logical to group them that way, but not as practical if you're looking for a pack of pens in a variety of colors. If you're shopping for variety, you're unlikely to buy a pack that is 50% blue or one with yellow/orange/pink without much contrast. These work better as expansion packs to an existing Sarasa collection than as individual packs, I feel.