Zebra SL-F1 Mini Ballpoint Pen Review

Zebra makes the best mini pens. Anyone care to disagree?

I’m not trying to get anyone riled up or make some off the wall point. I’m being serious - who does it better? I think the Fisher Space Pen will get a lot of votes because of the pressurized ballpoint refill, but in the bang for the buck category I think Zebra gets it right.

The SL-F1 Mini Ballpoint Pen is Zebra’s latest addition to an ever growing line of portable pens. This telescoping model is a compact 3.3 inches when closed and expands to 4 inches when extended into the writing position. The metal barrel gives it a nice weight and feel. The 0.7 mm ballpoint ink is smooth and clean. Positive marks all around for the SL-F1 in my book.

At $5.00 it is an excellent value, but that isn’t the best part. The SL-F1 takes a standard D1 refill, which means gel ink refills are an option. 0.4 mm Mandarin Orange here I come!

For another look at the Zebra SL-F1 see the review at No Pen Intended.

Moleskine Classic Roller Pen Review

Moleskine fans have been clamoring for accessories such as pens and pencils to match their favorite black notebooks for years and Moleskine finally delivered. I personally wasn’t too anxious to try them since I am not a big Moleskine user but the Classic Roller Pen is a very nice addition to the product line.

I had low expectations of this pen prior to reviewing it but it has turned out to be one of the best writing pens I own. The big red flag for many is the rectangular shape of the barrel. It doesn’t look like it would be comfortable to hold, especially for any length of time. When I first picked up the pen it felt odd but after a few lines I didn’t notice it was different from any other pen. Granted, I have a standard writing grip and you might find the barrel design a deal breaker depending on how you hold the pen.

The thing that made me forget about the rectangular barrel is how nice the gel ink cartridge is. I haven’t used a pen this smooth and consistent since I don’t know when. The 0.5 mm tip is a pleasure to write with. It is on par with the Pentel EnerGel for smoothness and is not as wet. As I was writing I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never did. Impressive performance.

The unique pen clip is designed to attach to the cover of your Moleskine, but it will work on other hard cover notebooks as well. It is the lone metal piece of the barrel, with the remainder being a lightweight plastic. I would have preferred a little more weight to the barrel but it is fine overall.

At $14.95 this is not a throwaway pen so you will need to decide if it is going to suit your writing style. There are two 0.5 mm refills and six 0.7 mm refills so there are additional options to choose from down the line if you want to switch it up. I enjoy writing with mine and plan to make it a major part of my writing arsenal.

For another look at the Moleskine Classic Roller check out Brian’s review at Office Supply Geek.

Pilot Prera Fountain Pen Review

(This is a guest review by Bryan Gushikawa)

The Pilot Prera is one of the best fountain pens ever made! I can say that without reservation because there are no other pens out today that offer the same blend of style, comfort, smoothness, and value. It's an excellent pen for beginners and it also offers a lot to experienced fountain pen users. I can spend pages and pages just writing paens to the Prera, so let's get into the specifics of why this is such a great pen!

General Notes: This pen is a little shorter than a typical fountain pen, but the thickness feels nice in the hand. The body comes in many colors and the nibs come in a range, with M and F nibs being excellent choices for most users. The Japanese nibs write smaller than their Western counterparts, so expect to get an M nib for daily writing (~0.6mm) and F nibs for fine work (0.4mm lines).

Smoothness: This pen uses a stiff, steel nib, made by Pilot, and offers a very smooth point. Although a large part of the smoothness of a fountain pen is based on the ink used, the tip contributes quite a bit to the feel of the pen on paper. The Prera is a big winner here, with a tip that glides effortlessly across the paper.

Grip and Balance: Not thick and not thin, but JUST right. Although there is no texture in the grip area, it's sufficiently sized and the plastic isn't so slick to make it hard to hold. When posted, the pen balances well and the weight is distributed evenly.

Ink Flow: Again, although this can be dictated by ink choice, the feed on every Prera I've owned is perfect right from the factory. No skips or blotches here and there's enough flow to allow the pen to start without scribbling.

Build Quality: Wow! Thick plastic and metal accents! The clip is securely affixed to the cap and WILL hold the pen in a pocket. There is a cushioning effect of air when capping the pen, letting you know that the cap is airtight and your pen won't be drying out while capped.

Capacity: Pilot offers a superior range of converters, from the squeeze-type CON-20 to the larger piston CON-50. They all fit the Prera and so do the Pilot cartridges.

Clip: Excellent. Simply excellent!

Post: Secure and rigid. The posting is wonderful! You'll want to post the cap to make sure it's long enough to grip properly.

Overall: I really love this pen and recommend it to everyone! You really will never be disappointed by this pen. It's nice enough to be business ready, but cheap enough so that you don't feel anxious about taking it to the office. A definite recommend and a must buy! Note that you'll get excellent results from the Pilot line of inks, but converters will let you try brands from other companies, as Pilot pens can only fit Pilot carts, not international standard cartridges.