Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream Color Ink Series 0.5mm Pink

When I saw the Jetstream Color Series hit the new product feed at JetPens, I couldn't get them on the way fast enough.  There are six total colors available - black, red, blue black, pink, orange, and light blue - and I ordered the four non-standard colors outside of black and red.  Not only did the new colors have me excited, but the fact that they are 0.5mm was icing on the cake.

The 0.5mm tip size probably isn't the most popular tip size across the Jetstream line, but it is far and away my favorite.  I actually order 0.5mm blue and black refills to replace the 0.7mm cartridges that come in many of the barrels that I like (fyi - the new color ink refills do not fit the older/standard Jetstream barrels).  Even if you don't share the same love of the 0.5mm Jetstream as I do, I think you will be impressed at how smooth these pens write.  There is little to no scratch, and the lines are very solid with no skipping.  This makes for a very vibrant pink ink color, which shows up great on my Doane Paper.  All of the colors are equally as sharp looking.

The barrel is probably my least favorite part of the package, but the more I wrote with it the less I paid attention to it and enjoyed the performance of the pen.  There is nothing bad about it per se, but I prefer the Jetstream Basic and Sport series with their rubber grips.  Plus the overall feel of the other two models is more sturdy.  This pen is lighter, has no rubber grip, and doesn't feel as formidable in the hand.

This is a very nice addition to the Jetstream line, and hopefully Uni-Ball will continue to expand the Color Ink Series.  C'mon purple!

Click here for the XL review.

Product Links:
Uni-ball Jetstream Color Ink Series Ballpoint Pen - 0.5 mm from JetPens
Doane Paper Writing Pad from Doane Paper

Review: Zebra F-301 Bold & H-301 Highlighter

When I opened my package from Zebra a few weeks back, there was one pen that seemed to stand out above the rest:  the Zebra H-301 Stainless Steel Highlighter.  While the new M-701 Stainless Steel Mechanical Pencil and the Regal Roller were impressive in their own right, does it get much cooler than a stainless steel barrel highlighter?

I have posted in the past that I am not a hardcore highlighter user, but I do always have one handy.  They are also a little bit difficult to review because how many variables are there with highlighters?  There are a few, such as ink color and brightness, bleed, and durability, but there probably isn't a ton of variance between the top brands.  But when you slap a stainless steel barrel around a refillable ink cartridge, well then you have a real winner.  Not only does the pen look great, and while I haven't highlighted lines and lines, the tip feels tight and durable.

Not to be outdone, the F-301 Stainless Steel line got a new member in the 1.6mm Bold.  This is a ballpoint ink pen, and obviously due to its tip size, writes very smoothly.  Due to the amount of ink hitting the page, it does leave a few globs behind from time to time, and I did have to wipe it off on a napkin a couple of times as well.  It is a nice addition to the product line, but not really my forte.

When you combine the highlighter and the ballpoint pen, they both do a nice job.  The ballpoint ink held steady while the highlighter was run over it, with very little to no smearing.  I haven't had the chance to test it out with different inks and on different papers, but I see no immediate reason why the highlighter will not do a good job.

Thank you very much to Zebra for sending me these samples of their new 2010 product line for review.  You can see all of the new products on their website, and look for these pens and pencils to arrive in stores in late spring.

Click here for the XL review.

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