Top 5 Micro Tip Gel Ink Pens

Signo DX 0.38mm


I have been getting several emails a week asking for pen recommendations, so I have decided to break down some of the questions into very specific lists. This is not my personal Top 5 List, but like that list, it will be constantly changing and evolving, so I will try to update as needed.


One of the main questions I get is concerning gel ink pens and all of the micro tip options. I consider a micro tip a pen with an 0.5mm tip size or less. 0.5mm is really pushing it on the upper end, but since some manufacturers actually market that size as micro, I’ll go with the flow.


My recommendations for the Top 5 Micro Tip Gel Ink Pens are:




  1. Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38mm Black
    If you have never bought a pen under 0.7mm, much less 0.5mm or smaller, this is where you should start if you want to get into the world of micro tip pens. The Signo DX writes incredibly well, with sharp lines and a dark black ink. The barrel is the perfect combination of minimalism and durability. I never have any issues with this pen, which makes it my top reccomendation.




  2. Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.4mm Blue Black
    Many readers require that their pens be retractable, and the Sarasa Clip fits that bill as well as any. The blue black gel ink is one of the most popular around, and at just $2.00 per pen, the Sarasa Clip is a great value.




  3. Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle 0.35mm Blue
    This pen has been a real sleeper hit. Admittedly, the 0.35 needle tip lays down a line closer to some 0.5mm pens, but wow does it write well. It is a wonderfully designed pen, and the blue ink is my favorite of the bunch.




  4. Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4mm Grip Black
    While this would rank higher on my personal list, I almost never recommend the Hi-Tec-C to first time buyers. The pens tend to be a little finicky on occasion, mainly the ink flow when starting to write. If you are willing to work past that, they are awesome to write with, and are the best sketching/drawing pen of the bunch.




  5. Uni-Ball Signo RT 0.38mm Lavender Black
    Why not have some fun? The Lavender Black is one of my favorite non-standard colors. And if the regular RT barrel isn’t for you, these refills pop right into any Uni-Ball 207 barrel, including the Premier.




Those are my recommendations for the Top 5 Micro Tip Gel Ink Pens. What are your favorites in this category? What other categories would you like me to cover next?



Posted on July 19, 2011 and filed under Gel, Micro Tip, Top 5.

Pilot Acroball 0.5mm Blue Review

Pilot Acroball 0.5mm Blue


For regular readers of The Pen Addict, you know what type of pen I am referring to when I talk about hybrid ballpoints, but for the uninitiated, let me recap real quick.


Traditional ballpoint pens are oil-based inks, which gives them certain properties that aren't so great. They tend to be messy and have a faint smell, but they write very smoothly. They are also very low-cost to manufacture, which is why you see them everywhere you go.


Hybrid ballpoint inks have gained in popularity over the past decade with the Uni-Ball Jetstream line of pens. The Jetstream ink proved to be smoother, darker, and more consistent than traditional ballpoint ink. The cost was greater, but the results were worth it to many people.


In the last two years, all of the major pen manufacturers have jumped into the hybrid ballpoint category. Zebra has the Surari, Pentel has the Vicuna, and Pilot has the Acroball (called the Easy Touch Pro in the US), each with their own ink formulation. All of these rank as some of my favorite pens to use on a daily basis. The Jetstream has topped my personal chart for as long as I can remember, but there is a new sheriff in town.


The Pilot Acroball impressed me from day one with its smooth, dark ink and exceptional grip. You would think the grip wouldn't play into the equation that much, but it can be a very important piece of the puzzle. I use the 0.7mm Acroball in both blue and black ink quite frequently, but the Jetstream 0.5mm was still my favorite hybrid ballpoint. I love the super fine line!


When I saw the 0.5mm Acroball released at JetPens, I couldn't get my hands on one fast enough. The lines I can write with this pen are very fine and tight, and it has the same grip as the original, which I love. The real question is will this pen replace my beloved Jetstream Sport 0.5mm?


Yes.


There is one thing to remember about 0.5mm ballpoint pens before you jump into them blindly - they are scratchier than most pens. This doesn't bother me one bit because the actual output is more important to me, but I have recommended the Jetstream 0.5mm several times only to have readers tell me it was too scratchy for them. Compared to an 0.7mm gel ink pen or 1.0mm ballpoint, sure, they are scratchy. But all things considered, they write very well, and the Acroball 0.5mm may be the best of the bunch.

Posted on July 18, 2011 and filed under Acroball, Pen Reviews, Pilot.

Pen Type-A: A Minimal Pen

Pen Type-A


I was followed on Twitter by @saywey yesterday afternoon, and while I am not an auto-follow-bot, I usually at least check people out to see what they are into. As it turns out, Che-Wei Wang is a big fan of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, and along with his design partner Taylor Levy (they run the Brooklyn based design firm CW&T), they launched a Kickstarter project called Pen Type-A.


All of the technical details can be found on the Kickstarter page, but in a nutshell, this is a custom built stainless steel barrel that is designed to hold Pilot Hi-Tec-C refills of any tip size and color. When not in use, it is housed in a stainless steel sleeve that also doubles as a ruler. A pen made by designers, for designers.


Once this campaign is complete, the Pen Type-A will retail for $99, but while it is funding, you can get one for $50 through your Kickstarter pledge. I put my money where my mouth is last night and ordered one. I wasn’t the only one apparently, because when I went to bed the campaign was a little over $1400, and is now at $3140 and has easily surpassed its $2500 goal.


There is still plenty of time to get in on the early pricing - 29 more days in fact - so if this is something that appeals to you may want to consider jumping on this now.


(I get nothing for writing this post other than the warm fuzzy of supporting a cool looking project that pushes all of the right buttons. You can view my full Kickstarter profile right here).


Posted on July 17, 2011 and filed under Hi-Tec-C, Kickstarter, Pen Type-A, Pilot.