Ink Links

-- Zebra Tect 2way 1000 0.5mm  (The Pen Collector)

-- I have a minor obsession with notebooks  (Lo-Fi, Hi-Fi Me)

-- Uniball Power Tank Smart Series Pen for Hot and Cold Weather  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Anyone tried the Uni-Ball Fanthom yet?  (Office Supplies News)

-- Drawing and Painting  (Drawing With A Squirrel)

-- The Exaclair Writers’ Project  (Quo Vadis Blog)

-- Review: Scribe Notebook  (Notebook Stories)

-- Muji Gel Ink RT (Steel Blue)  (Pocket Blonde)

-- The Dance of the Falcon  (Greasemonkeyhands)

-- New and improved Rhodia Webbie 3.0  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Paper Mate PhD Ultra Mechanical Pencil Review  (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

-- bullet pencil prawn  (10engines)

-- Pentel Energel Alloy Retractable 0.7mm  (Pens'n'Paper)

Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream Color 0.5mm Orange

I broke out the pink last month, and as my friend the Office Supply Geek did earlier this week, it is time to break out the new-ish Uni-Ball Jetstream Color Series 0.5mm Orange pen.  Before you read any further, head on over and read his review if you haven't done so already.  Go on, I'll wait.

Done?

Ok good, because I pretty much agree with everything he says.  Like I mentioned in the pink review, if you have never used an 0.5mm Jetstream, you may be in for a bit of a surprise.  The line is obviously very fine, and a little scratchy.  I happen to love it, but if you are used to the smooth, free-flowing writing of the 1.0mm Jetstreams, this one is in a completely different area code.  My only wish for this pen is that the cartridges were made the same size as the traditional Jetstreams so that I could swap these cool colors out of the funky barrels they reside in.

The not so subtle "Love Goes Home to Paris in the Spring" by the Magnetic Fields gets my vote as one of the top breakup songs ever.  Lead singer Stephin Merritt is a bit of an acquired taste, but once the acquisition is complete, you are hooked for life.  Merritt has a great talent for songwriting, and I am a huge fan.  In fact, as the Office Supply Geek can attest to, I use the name "Magnetic Fields" for some of my fantasy baseball teams (I'm kicking his butt by the way :).  Enjoy the video below:

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Blue Black

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Blue Black pen is about as simple and as straight forward as it gets.  This is one of those basic pens that I have laying around in a few places so that I always have a pen handy that I will enjoy writing with.  The 0.3mm tip size has become my personal favorite.  It combines an extra fine and sharp line without the scratchiness that is found in the 0.25mm models.

If you have never tried a Hi-Tec-C before, there are a couple of downsides that you should be aware of.  One, it sometimes takes a second or two for the ink to get flowing, but once you get it going, it is fine.  If you do a lot of stopping and starting with the cap off of the pen it can get a little frustrating though.  Two, the 0.3mm and 0.25mm tips do not play nice with cheap paper.  Standard copier paper and Post-It Notes especially.  I stopped even using this pen on those things because the line doesn't turn out as nice as it does on Doane, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and others.  If you can put aside those two things, this may be your new favorite pen.

Click here for the XL review.