Zebra Prefill 3 Color Multi Pen Review

The Zebra Prefill Multi Pen is about three years too late to the gel ink multi pen party. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto is the heavyweight champion in this space, holding down that title for longer then The Pen Addict has been in existence. Uni-ball joined the party in 2009 with the Style Fit, along with the Pentel Sliccies. You would think Zebra would have jumped into the fray by now, no?

Despite the delay, Zebra came out with a pretty good product. I was hoping that the ink refills would be as good as the Zebra Sarasa Clip and I think they are. I ordered the black barrel with black, blue, and red 0.4 mm gel ink cartridges. All of the inks performed well with clean, sharp lines. The barrel is no-frills, taking a lot of design elements from the aforementioned Style Fit.

Where does the Zebra Prefill rank amongst its competitors? You may be surprised. Here are my rankings:

1. Pilot Hi-Tec-C - The leader, and no one else is close.
2. Zebra Prefill - Not as many options as the Style Fit, but better writing performance.
3. Uni Style Fit - Well made, but don't love the writing experience.
4. Pentel Sliccies - Don't bother.

How do you rank your gel ink multi pens?

Ink Links

Last call for submissions to the February Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper! I will be putting the post together on Sunday so be sure to make your submission right here.

-- My Favorite Pencils: Tombow 8900, Faber-Castell Grip 2001 and Palomino Blackwing 602 (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Tale of a Vandal Pen Repairer: Namiki Blue Writing True (Peaceable Writer)

-- Mini Review: Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen - Twin Tip - Gray & Black Ink (No Pen Intended)

-- BASIC? The Faber-Castell Basic Black Fountain Pen (From the Pen Cup)

-- Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun (Ed Jelley)

-- Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen Review (Writer's Bloc Blog)

-- Leuchtturm1917 Large Notebook (Whatever)

-- Uniball .3mm Hi-Density Pencil Lead (Office Supply Geek)

-- An Ode to the Big Red (Leigh Reyes)

-- My EDC 10 Most Wanted 2013 (Everyday Commentary)

-- Moleskine Monday: Reviewing My Latest (Notebook Stories)

-- Fountain Pen Ink: Lindauer Purple (East...West...Everywhere)

-- Noodler's 54th Massachusetts (Inkdependence)

-- Pencil Review: Staedtler Norica HB (A Penchant for Paper)

-- A Comparison: Pentel Ain Stein B, HB + uni NanoDia HB, 3B (Economy Pens)

My Fountain Pen Education: The Pilot M90 Limited Edition

Mabeloos is the smart one as it turns out. Not that I didn't know that already, mind you. She has been an online friend and pen compatriot since the start of this blog. Back in 2009, she did a guest review that up until a few weeks ago I had forgotten existed. Looking back on it now, I remember thinking how insane she was for spending so much money on a pen. Today, I am jealous of her prescience. What was that review?

The Pilot M90 Limited Edition.

With a production run of only 9000 units, the M90 was released for Pilot's 90th anniversary in 2008 and was a nod to the original Pilot MYU which was released in 1971. If I only knew then what I know now I would have been one happy camper to pick one of these up for $180.

The MYU has been popular since its release despite not being manufactured since the early 1980's. That made the M90 a hot commodity and they sold out in no time. Luckily for me, my friend Thomas has one in his collection he allowed me to test.

I was wrong in my Pilot Murex post (and have since made the correction) that the Murex was the first of the line made by Pilot in 1971. The shorter Pilot MYU actually came first, with the full-sized Murex following in 1977. The MYU is just as highly regarded with its sleek portable design, durability, and beautiful integrated nib.

The M90 kept the majority of the original MYU design intact, with just the name on the clip, clip design, and blue stone in the cap differing according to Russ Stutler. The model Thomas sent me has one more slight difference: a nib ground to 0.20 mm (a true Japanese EF) by renowned nibmeister Mike Masuyama.

Like the PO nib in the Pilot Heritage 912 the firm steel nib of the M90 took some getting used to. This may be the firmest, finest nib I have used in a fountain pen to date. And honestly, it was difficult to write with. I think if I used it all day, every day I would find the sweet spot but I had a tougher time writing with it than I did the Murex. That said, that only knocks this pen down to a 9 out of 10 at worst. It is a marvel to hold and use and I would love to add one to my collection.

Thanks as always to Thomas for allowing me to test out some of his collection (there is more to come), and thanks to Mabeloos for being ahead of the curve and teaching me a thing or two along the way. You can find more from Mabeloos at her website The Jadecow Sketches.