Top 5 Pens Update - New #1

_{#1 with a bullet tip}

It has been a long time since my last Top 5 pens update (too long in fact), so there has been quite a shakeup within the list. If you have followed any of my lists before, you know that this doesn't repesent what I think are the best pens of all time, but rather a current snapshot of the pens I am enjoying and using the most. I always say I need to do a better job of keeping this list up to date because my tastes change so rapidly, so I will try to make this at least a quarterly update. Enjoy the list!

1) Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.3mm

A new number one, with a bullet at that. The 0.4mm Clip has long been one of my favorites, and the recent addition of the 0.3mm Clip at JetPens really sealed the deal for me. I compare this pen to the Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.28mm, but it writes more consistently, and is retractable to boot. I am getting heavy use out of the black ink at work, and have already ordered several other colors of this great pen, including the excellent Viridian Green.

2) Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle-Point Gel Ink Pen 0.35mm

Another new entry, and another pen in heavy rotation now that the black model has been released. For an 0.35mm tipped pen, it writes exceptionally smooth, just as you would expect from the Energel family. The needle tip is great, and the barrel is very comfortable to write with for long periods of time. This will probably now be the pen I recommend to first time buyers of sub-0.5mm pens.

3) Uni-Ball Signo 207 Micro Needle Tip Black

I didn't think this pen existed for the longest time, but a reader sent me a few, and then I saw that they were available on Amazon.com, and the rest is Pen Addict history! The review links to the blue ink version, but it is rather weak compared to the black. The black is a great everyday writer, and since I bought a dozen from Amazon, I have found myself leaving one laying in many of the places I find myself needing quick access to a pen. I have been really happy with it so far.

4) Zebra Sharbo X

I never get tired of this pen. The outstanding design never fails to get comments from co-workers, and the multi pen/pencil aspect keeps this pen in heavy rotation for me. Zebra does a great job with its micro tip pens, and these refills are no exception. Just know in advance that the refills aren't going to last forever, and aren't exactly cheap to replace. I think I am going to break down and add a third barrel to the collection this year.

5) Pilot Acroball

It may be blasphemous around these parts, but I have been using my Acroball pens more than my Jetstreams recently. You can't go wrong with either - they are both some of the best pens in their category - but the comfort, feel, and consistency of the Acroball has been winning out of late.

Ink Links

-- Pens Markers and Brushpens (Rafael Kayanan)

-- Dixon Ticonderoga HB Pencil (Stationery Traffic)

-- Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Ink Pen – 0.3 mm in Blue-Black and Purple (No Pen Intended)

-- Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio 4 Color Multi Pen (Office Supply Geek)

-- Pens Pens Pens Love! Orders from Jetpens (Misscatlo)

-- KUM Wedge as Survival Tool? (Pencil Revolution)

-- EnerGel (And now it’s all this)

-- The Sharpie Liquid Pencil (52 Tiger)

-- Product Review – Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric (3 Creative Studios)

-- Platinum Preppy eyedropper fountain pen review (Peninkcillin)

-- Zebra Surari Emulsion Ink Pen 0.5mm – Black (Pencil Wrap)

-- Jerry's Artarama Loot Preview (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Uni-ball and white ink test (Bill Jobson's Open Sketchbook)

-- Lovely Stationery Stuffs From Tokyo - Heading Seoul In A Few Hours (Scription)

-- Rhodia No 38 Dot Pad (AKA The Monolith) (Writing and Scribbling)

-- Nomadic Envelope Style Pen Case (Pocket Blonde)

-- Brown as in Brown Pens (Palimpsest)

-- Moleskine Monday: The Switch from Wire-Bound Sketchbooks (Notebook Stories)

-- Marathon Fountain Pen Cleaning Session (Goodpens)

-- Koh-I-Noor Hardmuth Cesky Krumlov pencil (Pencil Talk)

All Questions Answered

I'm off from work today, plus I am a little behind in photographing my latest reviews, so I figured why not open things up for another All Questions Answered post. Fire away in the comments section with any questions you have on pens, paper, music, movies, life - anything you want. Almost no topic is off limits. I did this one other time by taking questions one day then answering them another, but I will reply as quickly as possible today in the comments section of this post.

Have fun with it, and look for a new pen review on Monday!