(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
You can't deny the usefulness of a notebook that has a built-in pen loop or sleeve to keep a pen nearby at all times. Some notebooks come with this already attached, but you've long been able to buy add-on pen loops to attach to your favorite notebooks. If you're looking for something a bit easier to use and that has a slightly magical feel, then take a look at the Pitan from Zebra.
Magnets are magical, so you'll always get my attention if there are functional magnets involved in a product or design. The Pitan is a retractable gel ink pen that magnetically attaches to a small tray. The tray has a strong clip that attaches securely the back cover of thin notebook covers. It's an easy and convenient way to add a pen to a notebook, but it's just as easy to remove or move to another notebook.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: in most situations, a pen loop is more secure — especially if the pen clip goes over the elastic loop for more grip. But with that extra security, you lose convenience. Getting the pen out is a simple one-handed action, but putting it back in the loop is likely a two-handed operation. Even still, an elastic can also fail or lose the pen in the right circumstances.
The magnetic Pitan is a fantastic compromise of convenience and security. Despite how it looks and feels, it is surprisingly stable and strong. When the pen is attached to the magnetic tray, it rolls a bit and can slide up and down the length of the tray a few millimeters, but shaking the tray or notebook while the pen is attached isn't enough force to jostle the pen free of the magnets. I was apprehensive at first, but after more and more ridiculous shake and sling tests, I'm really happy and impressed with how well the magnetic tray holds the pen in place.
Where the strength of the magnets fails, though, is if another object forces the pen off the tray or rolls it away from the notebook. This isn't a big deal when the notebook/pen combo is on its own, but it becomes a problem when it's thrown into a collection of other objects, like a bag. The pen still manages to stay attached longer than I would expect, but it will likely get forced off the tray if there's enough motion inside the bag.
Adding to the strength of the magnets, the clip that secures the tray to the notebook is even stronger. It's painful trying to open the jaws of the clip with your fingers, and it takes concentrated effort to install it or remove it from a notebook cover. The marketing materials says there is some protective plastic in the clip, but you'll likely have permanent indentions and marks on the cover of the notebook after using this clip. When removing the clip from a soft cover or cardstock cover, there's a fairly high chance of tearing the cover if you aren't mindful. As long as you're gentle and patient, it works great! I have zero concerns about the clip coming loose.
Unfortunately, the clip is so tight that it only works on thinner materials. I wasn't able to install it on my hard cover Leuchtturm notebook no matter how hard I tried. It also did not want to cooperate when trying to slide it onto a soft leather cover. In practice, this should be limited to thin paper or plastic materials. This was a bummer to me because I love hard cover notebooks. I'm sure I'm not the only one, so just be aware if you want to pair a pen holder with a favorite hard cover notebook.
Finally getting to the actual pen, we have a minimal pen body with a retractable tip that uses Zebra's Sarasa multi-pen refill (the JK model). There are a handful of other options that will swap in easily for this refill, which is a 0.5 mm black refill out of the box. I'm not sure if it's just my refill or something more common to the Zebra Sarasa multi-pen refills, but it's noticeably scratchy compared to the full-size 0.5mm Sarasa pens I have on hand. Zebra is the only brand for which I don't already own several different multi-pens, so I don't have any other refills to compare against. I'll be picking up a few refills or a multi-pen soon to find out! The JK refill is much larger than the D1 refill, so that's not an option in this pen.
The pen is comfortable to use, and it's more than adequate for using as a scribbling pen for notes and short-form writing. The minimal and uniform body would make it difficult for me to use comfortably for long periods.
The click mechanism is nice and crisp, and there's also a cord loop attached to the top of the pen. It's a neat aesthetic choice, but I don't like how it feels on my thumb when operating the click mechanism. Functionally, you could attach this pen to other things using the loop, which would be handy if you're not around your notebook or if you want to tether the pen to the notebook as a secondary method of making sure it doesn't fall off and get lost.
Overall, this is a really fun pen to use and play with as a fidget toy. It's surprisingly strong, surpassing all my expectations in terms of being jostled or slung loose, but it still seems too easy to lose in a bag. The burnt orange color is pretty and would be a nice accent to a notebook cover.
At just under $15, the Zebra Pitan is something I would happily recommend for the utility and joy it provides. Obviously, this is a pen and notebook storage solution that locks you in to this one type of pen and refill. The writing experience and refill options just aren't quite enough to convince me to daily this combo, but it's still intriguing and fun enough to kick it around for more low key situations.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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