Review: Sailor Ink Bar Disposable Fountain Pen Fine Nib Blue Black

Sailor Ink BarI was first introduced to the goodness that is the Sailor disposable fountain pen by Pen Addict reader/supplier/enabler Bryan in Japan when he sent me the Sailor Ink Pen to try out.  He had been raving about it for months, and once I finally got it in my hands, I fell in love with it as well.  It was hard to come by in the states (a reader mentioned in the comments section that it could be found at Daiso), but JetPens has recently started to carry a similar pen in the Sailor Ink Bar.

Like the original Sailor Ink Pen, the Ink Bar is a no frills fountain pen.  While that may be a deterrent to some, the performance of the pen will outshine any qualms you may have about it.  The ink flowed easily the very first time the pen hit the page, and the fine nib gave an all-around smooth writing performance.  There honestly isn't too much to say about it because it is such a simple pen.  Compared to the Platinum Preppy fountain pens, the Ink Bar writes smoother while keeping the same line consistency that I like about the Preppy.  The main difference between the two is that the Ink Bar is truly disposable, meaning there is no readily available way to refill the pen, while you can do lots of things with the Preppy barrel.

Overall, I am anxious to see how others feel about this pen, so please let me know if you try one out.  By reading the description on JetPens, it sounds like there are many other colors available, so hopefully they will start to stock those as well.

Click Here for the XL review.

Posted on July 16, 2009 .

The Go Team

Pens

This is the team photo of the main group of pens I carry with me in my backpack everyday.  The lineup (from left to right):

- Uni-Ball Signo 207 Premier with 0.38 Lavender Black Signo RT cartridge
- Uni-Ball Jetstream Alpha
- Pentel Slicci 0.25mm Sky Blue
- Pentel Sliccies 3 cartridge barrel with 0.4mm Blue Black, Pink, and Lime Green ink
- Pentel Slicci 0.25mm Lime Green
- Pentel Slicci 0.25mm Black
- TUL 0.5mm Black needle tip
- Uni Stlye Fit 3 cartridge barrel with 0.28 Blue Black, Red, and Golden Yellow ink
- Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 3 cartridge barrel with 0.4mm Black, Purple, and Sky Blue
- Sharpie Pen Black
- Uni-Ball Jetstreram Basic 0.5mm Blue
- Uni Stlye Fit 3 cartridge barrel with 0.38 Brown Black, Purple, and Orange ink
- Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier 0.4mm Black
- Uni-Ball Kuru Toga High Grade 0.5mm
- Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38mm Black
- Pilot G-2 Limited with 0.38mm Black cartridge

Since I switched over to a new backpack, I am trying not to have as many pens floating around as I did in this picture.  I'm keeping this one Kokuyo Neo Critz case for the main pens I use, and just rotate them out of here as I see fit.  I do keep one other pen case with me of pens that I need to review, but no other pens are kept stashed away in all corners of my backpack.  I need to do a new what's in my bag post soon.

Pens


Posted on July 14, 2009 .

Review: Uni-Ball Jetstram 3 0.5mm Multi Pen

Uni-Ball JetstreamHey!  You already reviewed this pen before, right?  Not so fast my friends.  While I have reviewed the Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.7mm multi pen in the past, I have not reviewed the 0.5mm version, and to me, the difference in tip size is a big deal.

I am a gel ink fan first and foremost, followed by liquid ink pens, and only after those two do the ballpoints come into play.  The Jetstream line has done its best to make me change my ways, but I still reach for the gel first about 90 % of the time.  The 0.5mm Jetstream though - that pen speaks to me in a way no other ballpoint ever has.  I first tried out the blue ink in the Basic barrel, and was very impressed how the 0.5mm performed.  Seeing how much I enjoyed that pen, the multi pen was a must get when JetPens started carrying the 0.5mm black/blue/red version a couple of months ago.

The performance of the multi pen is equal to the single cartridge version (meaning excellent), and comes in much more handy for me seeing how I like to switch colors so often.  The barrel is just the right size, and the grip is a soft yet firm rubber similar to what you would find on the Sport or Basic series.  The fire engine red barrel jumped off the page at me, and looks just as good in person.  I still carry around and 0.7mm Jetstream just in case I get the urge, but I can't remember the last time I chose it over the 0.5mm.

Click Here for XL review.

Posted on July 13, 2009 .