Review: Pilot G-Tec-C 0.4mm Black

Pilot Hi-Tec-C or Pilot G-Tec-C - what is the difference?  Essentialy, nothing.  Pilot has chosen to market the pen with a different name in different parts of the world for reasons I don't really know.  I had used the Hi-Tec-C exclusively until JetPens started stocking the G-Tec-C, so I ordered a few to see if there was anything different between the two.  At first, I thought the G-Tec-C might not have the stopping and starting problem that most Hi-Tec-C's have.  Every time I would uncap it and start to write, it just flowed without any warmup time.  But that faded out after about a week or so, and now I have to prime it every time I want to use it.  I like these pens so much I don't mind, but it does frustrate me sometimes.

JetPens just stocks the basic black/blue/red in 0.25mm, 0.3mm, and 0.4mm tip sizes, so if you want to dive in to any of the non-standard colors, look for the Hi-Tec-C.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Sharpie Pen RT

By every account, the original Sharpie Pen was a complete success, but as many people discovered along the way, the pen was not without its share of flaws.  Three issues seemed to pop up more frequently than most:

1. Paint peeling off the barrel

2. The sharp edge in the grip area

3. The blue ink was inconsistent/.not dark enough

Were all of these issues put to rest with the new Sharpie Pen RT?  I'm going to go with yes, yes, and yes!

First off, lets address the paint peeling.  User after user said how much this drove them crazy, but honestly it took me forever to actually see it happen with one of my pens.  Maybe it is because I don't have them rolling around in a backpack or desk drawer, but it took a co-worker to borrow mine (unbeknownst to me) before I saw the paint peeling issue.  And the real problem is not the start of the peeling, it is that once it started, it was almost unstoppable.  The Sharpie Pen RT resolves that issue by turning to a molded plastic black barrel.  The only paint on it is the Sharpie Pen logo, and while it may chip a bit, it is not going to be near the trouble of the original model.

The sharp edge where the cap meets the barrel gave several people fits also.  If you grip the pen really low like I do, that edge digs into your finger pads rather fiercely.  It didn't phase me too badly because I tend to rotate the pen in my fingers constantly anyway, but it made the pen unusable to others.  The new rubber grip is a welcome addition to the retractable Sharpie Pen, and honestly, it is one of the better grips on any pen I have tried.  It is the perfect mix of cushion and tackiness.

I never took issue with the shade of blue ink in the original Sharpie Pen.  I was rather fond of it actually.  But the problem seemed to be that there were actually two different shades of blue in circulation.  I never ran across the darker blue, but a reader did, and went as far as to contact Sanford customer service to attempt to get to the bottom of it.  If his original photos are any indication, the new shade of blue is similar to the dark shade in the original version, so hopefully that makes everybody happy.  I did the written review in blue so you can see exactly what it looks like.

So if all of the flaws from the original Sharpie Pen were corrected in the Sharpie Pen RT, then it is the perfect pen, right?  Not exactly, but they did make a really good pen that much better.  My nitpicking self would have liked to seen a skinnier barrel - maybe something in between the two versions - and also a shorter plunger.  The design is VERY similar to the Sharpie Ultra Fine retractable permanent markers.  The plunger sticks out really far when I clip the pen to my shirt like the nerd I am, and also tends to wobble a bit when depressed.  But really, the performance of the pen is exactly the same between the two versions, and the barrel is much, much better in the RT, so this pen is a clear winner in my book.

Click here for the XL review, and don't forget to checck out the excellent Sharpie Pen RT review at Office Supply Geek.

The Second Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper

Welcome to the September 8, 2009 edition of carnival of pen, pencil and paper. My name is Brad, and I am a pen addict, and I am also the host for this months blog carnival. So sit back, relax, grab a funnel cake or maybe a fried Twinkie, and enjoy this months submissions.

Editor's Choice

Clement Dionglay presents Rants of The Archer: Oh, I Got 'Red' posted at Rants of the Archer.

Sam presents How To: Platinum Preppy Eyedropper with Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa (Iron Gall) Ink posted at Future; Nostalgic, saying, "This was a really interesting project and the first time I've tried iron gall ink. As I write this, a week on from the beginning of the test, the Preppy is still in complete working order and the ink remains free-flowing."

Wise_Bread presents Back to School: Savings and DIY Projects for Craft Capable Cheapskates posted at Wisebread.

Nick Folz presents This is how I roller ball: Pen Post posted at Brokecracker Bi-Weekly Comics, saying, "Small time comic artist seeks fame and fortune cookies."

Notebook Reviews

Nifty Notebook presents EBay Find: Westinghouse Diary, 1945 posted at Notebook Stories, saying, "Photos of a wonderful old pocket diary given out as a promotional item over 60 years ago!"

CynthiaNiklas presents Review: Side-By-Side Comparison of Cartesio and Moleskine Daily Planners posted at Journaling Arts.

Pen Reviews

John Hartzog presents Tommy And The Platinum Pro-Use 03 MSD-1000A posted at Pens And Pencils, saying, "Drafting Pencil Review"

Office Supply Geek presents Noodler’s Blue Ghost Fluorescent Bulletproof Ink posted at Office Supply Geek.

Delilah presents For There Is Nothing That We Can Do posted at Gathering Orange, saying, "I'm trying to write a blog for college students and am literally just getting my feet wet, but I hope you like this rant!"

Tom Oddo presents Pelikan M200 Italic Special Production Review posted at Goldspot Pens, saying, "A side by side comparison of the new italic M200 nib with the standard Pelikan steel nibs found on the Tradition series."

Okami0731 presents Featured Pen - Esterbrook Pastels posted at Whatever.

Jackie Flaherty presents Pen and Ink Swap posted at Letters & Journals, saying, "This blog post was the result of an international swap that Sam and I did."

Ruby Seng presents A New Pelikan posted at Toying with light.

Alberto presents Pentel Aquash Watercoloring Crayons Review posted at Lung Sketching Scrolls, saying, "A convenient portable watercolor crayon tin set"

ana presents Pilot Opt 0.5 Mechanical Pencil posted at snowangels, saying, "Mechanical Pencil review."

Kurt presents My favorite writers that I don't own. posted at Titivillus's sack of fun, saying, "Something that's part review and part regret."

User's Collection

ana presents The Elusive Black Pearl! posted at snowangels, saying, "Technically, not a pen review. Rather, its an eraser review."

Michael Leddy presents Fineline erasers posted at Orange Crate Art, saying, "This is a post from The Museum of Supplies, an occasional series on my blog, devoted to old stationery items purchased from even older stores."

OPTED Magazine presents Use one piece of paper to keep you on track posted at OPTED Magazine.

Eric Cramer presents Moleskine GTD posted at Mr. Sir's Blog, saying, "my easy little moleskine GTD hack. subscribe to my blog for notebook, pen, ink, random rambling and sometimes tech news."

Dr. Gary Seymour presents LITERARY BLOGING AT TSLE posted at FORGOTTEN PENMANSHIP.

Diane Bobal presents My Tarot Journal posted at Pocket Blonde, saying, "This is a special journal I made that I'm really proud of and really like. Thought I'd submit, showing off one of my collection pieces."

Monda presents All I Need is this Stapler... posted at No Telling, saying, "All I really need is...about six hours at the office and school supply store."

That concludes this edition, but don’t worry, another Carnival will be rolling into town soon! The next edition will be hosted by Office Supply Geek on October 6th. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of pen, pencil and paper
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page. The carnival is organized by Nifty at Notebook Stories, so if you have any feedback or suggestions about the frequency or topics of the carnival, or if you’re interested in hosting, please contact Nifty. Thanks for reading!