Review: Sakura Grosso Gel (Again)

I have never done this before on The Pen Addict but I am re-reviewing a pen that I like so much already and gets no love because it is not readily available.  The Sakura Grosso Gel was first brought to my attention by Lily at JetPens, who was kind enough to send me my original sample from one of her trips to Japan.  I fell in love with the sleek and comfortable barrel design and excellent performance of the 0.5mm gel ink cartridge.  For what are I am sure very excellent reasons, JetPens decided not to carry this pen, and I didn't really give that decision much of a second thought.  But I kept bringing this pen out time and time again because I enjoyed writing with it.

That was last June.  Fast forward to February of this year, and what appears in my awesome package from Bryan in Japan?  Another Sakura Grosso Gel!  It's the exact same pen as before, except this one had black accents as opposed to the blue accents on my original pen.  Hooray for backup pens!  Getting another one of these pens made me wish they were easier to get my hands on, and see what, if any, other options they come in, because I think they are pretty cool as they are right now.

This is not a world beater pen though - it's more of a good all-around workhorse.  It takes a back seat to some of my other favorites, but I do get a kick just from carrying it around in my backpack and breaking it out from time to time.    Maybe one day they will be easier to get a hold of.

Click Here for the XL review.

Giveaway: Zebra Airfit Jell

This is a pen I know and love, and here is your chance to get to know and love it yourself.  The Zebra Airfit Jell 0.5mm is one of the most comfortable pens I have used, and combined with a nice gel ink cartridge, it makes for a great writing experience.  JetPens carries these in five different body colors - Blue, Clear, Light Blue, Pink, and Yellow Orange - and can be refilled with black, blue, blue black, and red ink refills.  You can also use an 0.4mm Sarasa ink refill, which is something I have done myself.

This giveaway is for the blue body as shown in the picture.  Here are the rules:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Thursday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.  You are limited to one entry.  Feel free to link this giveaway on your blog, or share it with anyone you feel is a true pen addict.  If you have a blog, I would love a link back, but it is certainly not required for entry into the contest.

2. For this contest, I will pick one winner at random from the comments section of this post.  The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on.  The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.

3. The contest winner will be posted on Friday, April 24th.  The winner will have one week to email me at the address posted in the right sidebar.

4. I will ship internationally.  I know there are many international readers and fans of The Pen Addict, and I will gladly ship to you at my expense.

Thanks, and good luck!

Review: Uni-Ball Hard Lock 3 Color 0.7 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen

The Uni-Ball Hard Lock is your standard issue ballpoint multi pen with one interesting twist - a powerful clip that will clamp on to just about anything.  The full explanation from JetPens (and more pictures):

Active people such as those in construction, medicine, transportation and law enforcement need a pen that will stick with them at all times. The Uni Hard Lock solves the dilemma of lost pens with its powerful clip that can clamp onto everything from blouses, shirt pockets, jacket pockets, lanyards and notebooks. When unlocked, the pen can be clipped and unclipped as usual. But with a simple flip of a switch located on the top of the cap, the pen clamps down tight like alligator jaws and won't let you go. It will stay exactly where you put it!

I figured for such a hardcore pen, I had no choice but to order it in pink, right?  That would make for pretty interesting viewing if I rolled out to a construction site with this pen in tow.  As far as performance goes it is fine, but there are a couple of things lacking if this pen is to be used as intended.  First of all, the grip is way too slick if I am using this pen outside and getting it all dirty and sweaty.  As I mentioned in the written review, this should be the tackiest, most gnarly grip around to better fit the use of the pen.  Secondly, Uni-Ball needs to use Jetstream ink in any ballpoint pen they make.  I understand there is likely a cost difference, but I would gladly pay $1.00 more on this $5.25 pen for better ink cartridges.  These are just standard issue ballpoints.

Overall, this is a cool pen, and a good value.  I'll probably add it to my toolbox and use it outdoors just to see how it performs in the wild.

Click Here for the XL review.