Posts filed under Zebra

Zebra Sarasa Grand Gel Ink Pen Review

I’m a big fan of stationery companies adding upgraded barrel options for their main line products. Pilot does it for the G2 and Hi-Tec-C, Uni-ball does it for the Signo 207 and Jetstream, and Zebra now does it for their ever popular Sarasa Push Clip lineup.

The Zebra Sarasa Clip Grand succeeds where many of the products I mentioned above fail. It is a good product, where outside of the Hi-Tec-C Cavalier, the other upgraded barrel options are mediocre at best.

Zebra kept the functionality, style, and feel intact with the Grand barrel. It is made from brass and maintains a not too heavy, not too light feel. I was concerned at first that the grip section might be too slick - it is lacquered just like the rest of the barrel - but I had no slipping problems with dry or slightly sweaty fingers. They latched on well.

I was impressed with how solid and quiet the knock felt. It gives a sturdy click when engaged, and it never rattled regardless of what position it was in. The clip mechanics are essentially the same, with a curved metal attachment on the Grand that either sticks out further than on the Push Clip, or at least appears that way. The functionality is exactly the same, and may work even better on the newer pen.

People love the Sarasa Push Clip because of how well the refill performs, and of course you get that same excellence with the Grand since it uses the same refill. And that is the point of this pen anyway. Use any of your favorite Push Clip refills in the upgraded barrel of the Grand.

If I had to do it over again, I would choose the Black barrel over the Pink. The color is more of a light metallic red instead of any type of pink that pops. There are Navy and Gold options to choose from as well.

The Zebra Sarasa Grand is $16.50 at JetPens, which make it a no-brainer to recommend to Sarasa Clip fans. You are buying a lot of refills anyway, so you may as well give them a nice home.

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

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Posted on January 23, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Pen Reviews.

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.

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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.)

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