Review: Zebra Sarasa Red Black

I really really really want to like this pen, but there are a few too many little things that keep me from doing so.  But let's start with the good stuff, shall we?  First of all, it's a Zebra, so you know it is going to at least be a decent pen.  It is well built, comfortable, and it feels durable even though I haven't had it for a long time.  I even like the red black ink better than I thought.  Those little things though - they just keep coming back to haunt me.

I have never owned a regular Zebra Sarasa, only the similar Sarasa Clip model.  The main differences between the two seem to be the barrel diameter and grip area.  The regular Sarasa is a little bit skinnier and has a thinner grip, neither of which I am fond of.  Maybe it is because I use the Clip so regularly I am used to that style and feel, but I could never get used to the feel of this regular one.  Secondly, this is the most scratchy Zebra pen I have ever used - it is very noticeable.  I thought maybe I had a dud, but Nrepose from Unposted reviewed this pen a couple of weeks back and found the exact same thing.  The line is sharp and clean, but the writing experience isn't nice enough to keep this pen in the rotation.  Too bad.

Click Here for the XL review.

Review: Pentel Tradio Stylo + Rollerball

The Pentel Tradio is a very interesting pen to review, and honestly, I'm still not quite sure what to make of it.  The main pen consists of a chiseled felt tip, which is similar to a brush pen, but more firm than any brush pen I have tried (not many).  The ink flows really well, in fact, so well that I couldn't really write the review with it like I had planned.  It just bled through the page too fast.  Instead, I wrote the review with the second cartridge I ordered for this pen, which is a standard rollerball.

I really love the ability to switch the full cartridges in and out of the Tradio barrel at will.  Just a few twists of the barrel is all it took, and I moved them back and forth constantly when I first got this pen.  The rollerball was a pleasure to write with - very smooth and a nice pitch black ink.  I could see using this cartridge the most right now, but I feel this pen is really made for use with the felt tip.  The only issue I had with that cartridge was when one of my strokes went against the grain of the tip which caused a little flick of ink on the page.  That's not too big of a deal since I shouldn't really be moving the pen in that direction anyway.

I'm still dilemmaed on how I want to use this pen.  It cost too much to put it aside, and both cartridges are enjoyable to write and draw with.  Any other Tradio owners want to share their uses for this pen?

Click Here for the XL review.

Ink Links

-- Review: Uni-Ball Fusion 0.6mm- Purple  (Mind Most Peculiar)

-- Sailor Pens with Nano Carbon Ink  (Pentamento)

-- Help Me Prepare for my first JetPens Order~!  (Miscellaneous Ramblings of a Twenty-Something DIYer)

-- Pelikan Tradition-Series 200 Fountain Pen Review  (Coffee-Stained Memos)

-- Back to Basics - Pen and Ink That Is  (An Inkophile's Blog)

-- J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage  (Prosaic Paradise)

-- Sheaffer Cartridge with Short Triumph Nib  (Good Pens)

-- Jeff Abbott writes about Clairefontaine notebooks  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Broken Glass Everywhere.......  (Penagerie)

-- Zebra Sarasa Redblack  (Unposted)

-- Office Supplies to Prevent Identity Theft and Fraud  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen  (Thanh @ Vox)

-- First impression of the Staedtler Mars Professional Technical drawing pen set  (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- The Perfect Pencil (Levite Chronicles)

-- Pentel Sign Pen  (thinkmore)