Kuretake Zig Letter Pen CocoIro Roller Ball Review

Artists have enjoyed the customization of the Kuretake CocoIro Letter Pen system since it was introduced last year. 16 different barrel colors and 13 brush pen refills are at your disposal to mix and match as you see fit. Earlier this year, Kuretake snuck in a 0.3 mm roller ball refill so I figured it was about time for me to check it out.

You don’t hear 0.3 mm and roller ball in the same sentence too often. Gel ink yes, but pretty uncommon for liquid ink pens. With the CocoIro system, I was able to pick out the barrel color that I wanted - Chestnut Brown - and the refill just screws right in. I found it odd at first how the end of the refill pokes out the end of the barrel, but it doesn’t really affect anything. It is more useful if you are constantly swapping out brush pen inks so you can see which color is currently loaded.

The line and the ink quality is similar to the Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38 mm. The liquid ink is going to bleed a little more of course, but it is not a major issue. This might be a good option for lefties looking for a micro tip pen since it dries quickly.

I find myself reaching for CocoIro more than I thought I would. It is a fun option when you are bored with your standard stick or retractable pen. Be sure to check out Geminica’s original brush pen review as well.

Pilot Better Retractable Ballpoint Review

The Pilot Better Ballpoint was one of my favorite pens in high school. I used the fine blue ballpoint almost exclusively, and I liked the fact it came in purple as well. There was something about the design and the fine tip that I enjoyed.

I grabbed a two-pack of the Pilot Better Retractable at Staples recently trying to bring back old memories of incessant notebook cover doodling. This was a great pen back in the day and the design is timeless. Unfortunately, the ballpoint quality has been lapped by even some of Pilot’s own products.

Because of the basic ink performance, the Pilot Better Ballpoint falls in to the “just a pen” category. The black ink is light, there is white space in the lines, and there is ink build up around the tip frequently. Have I used worse ballpoint pens? Absolutely. Can I recommend other ballpoints that are better than this? Dozens.

I understand its place in Pilot’s product line - they need an office supply cabinet filler. But when I see Uni-ball making an effort with the Jetstream 101 to have a lower cost, higher quality ballpoint, I think Pilot could do the same with this pen. How much of a design change would it take to get the EasyTouch Pro (aka Acroball) ink into the Better Ballpoint?

Make that change and the Pilot Better Ballpoint might live up to its name once again.

Ink Links

– Spheres (Cronicas Estilograficas)

– The MUJI Pencil Making Kit (Palimpsest)

– Review: Uni-ball Signo Gel RT 0.7mm Blue (Gourmet Pens)

– Video Review: Levenger Circa Leverage Punch (Patrick Rhone)

– My Planner of the Year 2011 (Plannerisms)

– Uni-ball Style Fit Mystar 3 Color Multi Pen (No Pen Intended)

– Art Supplies (Keep on Truckin’)

– Pilot Addiction (Passport to Sanity)

– Review -€“ Pentel P205 (Recording Thoughts)

– FPGeeks Podcast Episode #3 (FPGeeks)

– Comparing Rapidograph Pens (Keep on Truckin’)

– Parker Jotter Ballpoint Pen Review (Tiger Pens Blog)

– Review: Retro 51 Tornado - Natural Bamboo Rollerball Pen (Goumet Pens)

– Coleto vs. Lamy Multipen (Design)

– Pelle Leather Journals from JetPens (Office Supply Geek)

– Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo (Greasemonkeyhands)

– Kaweco Sketch Up Clutch Pencil (Drawing with a Squirrel)

– Pilot FriXion Ball Knock Retractable Gel Ink Pen 0.5mm Black (Multi Pen Dimensions)