Zebra Surari 0.7mm Blue Review

Zebra Surari


(This is a guest review by Thomas Newman. You can follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasNewman.)


Hello everyone, my name is Thomas, and Brad has been so kind as to let me contribute some guest reviews. I work as an ad copywriter currently, and worked 3 years as an office supply department head at a college bookstore, so needless to say, I love a good pen. (and run-on sentences)


Even though Mr. Pen Addict himself, and another guest writer have reviewed the Surari, I felt I had to share my thoughts on it as well. Brad sent me a few different pens to review, but since I love this pen so much, I decided to do it first. If I had to describe the Zebra Surari 0.7mm in one word, it would be “fantastic.” Not only is this pen easy to write with, it’s well made, an super cheap. When I throw out words like “fantastic” in reference to a pen, it isn’t without serious consideration.


I like to think that everyone has a favorite writing utensil, but few people spend as much time deciding what to carry, or can list several reasons why they choose a particular pen or pencil as I do. Not only does the Surari’s ink dry quickly like a ballpoint pen, it writes as if it were a gel pen. Now I don’t know how “revolutionary” (according to Jetpens.com) it is, but it sure does rock. I write in a fairly weird way in that I constantly rest the side of my hand on the paper and it drags across the page as I write. Due to this, I am constantly cursing pens that leave an ink smear on my hand at the end of the day. The Surari’s “Emulsion Ink” alleviates this problem.


I mentioned earlier that this pen is quite cheap. I mean that of course in price terms, not in quality. The Zebra Surari will cost you a mere $1.65. You read that right; it’s not a typo. This is especially great for users who want various colors of ink. Speaking of multiple ink colors, JetPens offers a plethora of ink choices that even include florescent colors, and different barrel colors. The tip sizes provide even more options as you can purchase the Surari in 0.5, 0.7, or 1.0mm versions.


I have changed my writing instrument of choice tons of times while I was in college, but I have never stuck with one as long as I have with this Zebra. If you want a great, affordable, everyday use pen, look no further.


Zebra Surari

Posted on October 19, 2011 and filed under Pen Reviews, Surari, Zebra.

Rite in the Rain Outdoor Journal and Tactical Pen Review

Rite In The Rain Notebook - Review


 


I have been wanting to review a Rite in the Rain notebook ever since I reviewed the Apica Rain Guard a couple of years ago. I also wanted to be sure to give the Rite in the Rain a proper review since I just dripped some water on the Apica to test it out. Well, there was a big rainstorm at my house last week, so the review was on!


I donned my hooded rain jacket at marched outside with my Outdoor Journal and Tactical Pen that I ordered from Hickorees. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going to be able to write and take pictures, but I quickly realized that my grill was the perfect spot. It wasn’t a monsoon outside, but the rain was steady. I tried to take a few in progress photos show how wet the page was getting and how the pen was performing.


Rite In The Rain Notebook - It's Raining!


Here are my takeaways:



  • The paper did great. It was soaked but it hung tough. The spot where my hand was resting on the journal soaked through more due to the pressure, but it held up fine.

  • The pen has a Fisher Space pressurized refill, and it did a good job overall. The one issue that you can pick up in some of the photos is that if the ink blobbed at the tip (like a normal ballpoint would) it would spread out a bit in the water. That happened regularly as I lifted the pen off the page and put it back down to write.

  • Once I went inside, I wiped down the journal with a paper towel. The ink didn’t smudge, and the paper dried quickly.


Rite In The Rain Notebook - Dried


It was a very impressive performance by the Rite in the Rain Journal. The pen did well, but if I had planned more I would have tested a Uni-Ball Power Tank and Tombow Airpress for comparison. I think they would have done even better since they write cleaner to begin with. I was just too soaked to go back inside and get them.


I am not a hunter, fisherman, logger, construction worker, or any other vocation that this journal is targeted to, but I can’t imagine another paper product that would perform as well as this one.


Ink Links

– Pentel EnerGel Metal-tip RT Gel Pen - 0.7mm - “American” vs. “Japanese” (No Pen Intended)


– Messograf Caliper Ballpoint Pen (Multi Pen Dimensions)


– New Product Preview: Staedtler Triplus FineLiner Pens (JetPens Blog)


– Sharpie Gel Highlighter (A Penchant for Paper)


– Music Metaphysics (Cronicas Estilograficas)


– In My Everlasting (The Blog Life of Nikko)


– Pelikan 200 (ndk)


– Uni-ball Signo (DX) 0.38 mm Gel Ink Pen (Tools and Toys)


– Review: Nomadic PN-91 Top Open Pencil Case Light Pink (Gourmet Pens)


– White Box Manuscript Book A4 Ruled Feint (Bleistift)


– Best Made Co. Brass Ruler (Selectism)


– JetPens Classics: Lamy Safari Fountain Pen (JetPens Blog)


– William Henry Studio Pinot Noir Pen (Good Pens)


– Rhodia pencils (Pencil Talk)


– Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto: 3-Color Barrel with .4mm Refills (Economy Pens)


– JetPens Order (My Supply Room)


– Review: SK-Sharbo+1 multipen + 0.5mm pencil (pensandmore)


– Tales from the riverbank (Andrea Joseph)

Posted on October 15, 2011 and filed under Links.