The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 183 - OMG Star Wars

Myke and I dig into Snowblind, the latest Field Notes COLORS release, and discuss the issues plaguing the partially failed Apollo Pen Kickstarter project. Myke also breaks down his huge Apple Pencil review, and we talk about the greatest Star Wars notebooks ever!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.

Uuni: A wood-fired oven that is fast, portable and affordable. Use code 'PENADDICT' for a free Uuni Cover/Bag with you purchase of an Uuni 2!

Making Light: Craft a daily ritual to focus on what matters most. Get $5 off your first order with the code 'PENADDICT'.

Huckberry Tactical Gift Guide (Sponsor)

Huckberry has all of your Every Day Carry needs covered this holiday season with their Tactical Gift Guide. Do you have any gear and gadget fans on your shopping list? This is the only guide you will need.

Huckberry offers several kits to get you started, including the Stealth EDC Kit. It features the always popular Keysmart, the perfect accessory for consolidating your keychain, a Chargekey USB/Lightning port charger, a Phillips and Straight blade Screw Key, all of which are attached to a Nite Ize S-biner, which also includes a bottle opener.

Two configurations of the VSSL Portable Survival Cannister are also available: Supplies and First Aid. These all-in-one kits are tailor made for emergency situations and are compact enough to carry anywhere.

Pen and paper are an important part of any EDC kit as well, and the Appointed Mini Jotter Set paired with the Karas Kustoms Aluminum Retrakt are a perfect match. Toss the Jotter set in a backpack or purse, clip the Retrakt to your shirt or pocket, and you have everything you need to capture your ideas.

Huckberry is the best place online to start, and complete, your holiday shopping. Start scratching those items off your list today!

(This post contains affiliate links which help support PenAddict.com)

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim 0.38 mm

We all love to have friendly arguments over our favorite pens. The Pilot G2 is better than the Uni-ball Signo 207! The Uni-ball Jetstream is better than the Pilot Acroball! The Sharpie Liquid Pencil is better than…well, it’s better than a rock I guess. Maybe.

The basis of all of these conversations is that as individuals, we all have specific needs that need to be met with our writing instruments. A pen that may be perfect for you won’t work at all for someone else. I like to use the phrase “That’s why they make more than one pen” all the time to show it’s ok no not like the same pen as someone else.

While erasable gel ink pens are a highly specific category, they are the only category where it is not ok to like a pen besides the Pilot FriXion. It is at the top of the heap, and nothing else is close in quality or performance. You may not like or have a need for erasable gel ink pens, and that’s fine, but if you do, the Pilot FriXion is the only consideration. Arguments otherwise are not being accepted at this time.

The latest FriXion to cross my desk is the Pilot FriXion Ball Slim 0.38 mm and it is as good as ever. Writing with this pen, you wouldn’t know that the ink is any different in formulation from any standard gel ink pen. That is key. It’s a gel ink pen that happens to be erasable. By friction, no less.

If you aren’t familiar with the FriXion, the ink is thermosensitive. This means the heat caused by the friction of the firm rubber eraser removes the ink from the page. It’s also possible for the ink to disappear if your paper is left in too hot of a location, such as in a car in the summer. Your notes aren’t lost forever though. Pop your notebook in the freezer and your writing reappears. It’s like magic!

I love the slim barrel design of this model. It’s very comfortable to write with for me, and the 0.38 mm tip is right up my alley. The eraser work perfectly as well. The only negative is that the refills are smaller than the 0.5 mm Ball Knock, which uses a G2 sized refill and is only slightly more expensive.

Answering the question “What is the best erasable pen on the market” is the easiest question I get in my inbox. It’s the Pilot FriXion, and nothing else is close.