JetPens Blue Black Pen Sampler Review

One of the reasons I love stationery is that you don’t have to spend much to get something great. Whether it is a $2 pen or a $4 pad of paper, I promise you there are great products out there waiting to be discovered that are 10 times better than the junk found in your office supply cabinet.

If you are unsure how to get started finding your next favorite pen, JetPens offers up many sampler packs, like this Blue Black Pen Sampler. There are many sampler choices actually, but since I’m a blue black ink fan I wanted to see how well they put this one together.

Since this is a general color sampler, not an ink type specific sampler (like only gel ink pens), you get a good variety. Here is the lineup:

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Juice Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Morning Glory Mach 3 Rollerball Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen - Size 05 - 0.45 mm - Blue Black

Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen - Blue Black - 03 Fine Nib

Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen - Blue Black - Fine Nib

For those playing at home, that is six gel ink pens, one liquid ink rollerball, one drawing pen, and two fountain pens. Let’s break these down into two groups for review: Gel and liquid.

The gel ink group has several of my Top 5 favorite pens. The Uni-ball Signo UM-151, aka the DX, is my number one gel ink pen, but not in blue black ink. I think Uni-ball’s blue black ink colors fall behind both Pilot and Zebra. The pen itself needs to be part of this group for its excellence, I just prefer other colors in it.

The two Pilot Hi-Tec-C models use identical refills with different barrels, and I prefer the simplicity of the original. The Maica isn’t bad, it’s more that i am used to and comfortable with the O.G. barrel. The Juice refill is awesome, but the barrel is just ok. The Sarasa Clip may be the best combination of everything in one individual pen. The FriXion model is cool to play with but I would prefer having the Ball Knock model instead of the Slim.

If I’m taking this specific ink color into consideration when ranking these pens, I choose the Zebra Sarasa Clip first, standard Pilot Hi-Tec-C second, Pilot Juice third, then everything else.

On the liquid ink side of the ledger there is much more variance in the style of pen. The Mach 3 Rollerball is awesome, and is perennially underrated. It’s a liquid ink pen, so there are more paper performance considerations than with gel ink pens. That said, it is a wonderful performer and a pen everyone should consider.

The Micron, while a traditional favorite of mine, is done no favors in this lineup. The 05 tip is too wide, and the blue black ink color is odd. Give me an 03 black Micron any day over this model.

The two fountain pens are great choices, with the Platinum Preppy reigning superior over the Pilot Petit. The Preppy is an all around great pen, while the Petit requires some sacrifices due to its size. It is cool though, and I see what it is included in this set.

Overall, I can’t really argue with anything JetPens has done here. If I were to take a stab at this set, I would make a few changes.

Out: Sakura Pigma Micron, In: Sakura Pigma Fine ESDK

Out: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica, In: Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen

Out: Pilot Petit1, In: Uni-ball Vision Elite Rollerball

I think with those changes this set is improved with more styles, more variance, and better pens.

Regardless, this set is excellent as it is currently set up, giving you a wide variety of blue black ink pens for an average cost of $2.60 per pen. It’s hard to beat when you are a fan of trying out new pens and new ink colors.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Shawn Newton Custom Sumpter in Le Tigre Cebloplast/Celluloid: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I saw the Le Tigre cebloplast/celluloid (a vintage material) on Shawn Newton’s Instagram last summer. I immediately emailed him to see if I could have a pen made from the stuff. Initially he said he could only make a barrel from it since he only had a little of the material. But, fortunately, he found more hidden somewhere in his holy of holies of stock. I would get an entire pen made of Le Tigre. Rawr!

I placed my order July 7, and Shawn gave me an estimated ship date of March 2017. Jaw drop. Yes, Shawn’s work is mega-popular, and that means a wait of at least six months (my pen actually arrived the first week of February).

As always with Shawn Newton pens, the wait was worth it. My pen was shipped in a Newton-branded steel tumbler with a lovely pen wrap made by his wife.

Le Tigre cebloplast is outrageously gorgeous—green, yellow, and black striped with tons of chatoyance. The material has so much depth and color and is quite unique.

Shawn told me to be careful with this pen. The Le Tigre is a vintage material, and if I were to drop the pen on a hard floor, it would likely shatter.

The pen itself is light (cebloplast/celluloid is light material) and of medium length (148mm capped, 133mm uncapped, 177mm posted). On Shawn’s site this pen is listed as a small Sumpter. The Sumpter is a classic cigar-shaped pen with a screw-on cap and a plain steel clip.

It is a cartridge/converter (converter included).

I lucked out and got it with an 18K rhodium-plated fine nib etched with the Newton logo.

I’ve purchased three pens from Shawn, and this fine nib is the very best writer of the three. In fact, it’s one of the best writers of all my pens.

It writes so smoothly and with the perfect amount of wetness, and the nib has a wonderful bounce to it. I inked it with Sailor Jentle Epinard which matches the color of the cebloplast nicely. I used it today in my Women Writer’s class to take notes. I was writing as fast as I possibly could, and the nib and feed kept up without any problems.

Thus far, this is my favorite Shawn Newton custom pen. I love the unique, vintage material. The Sumpter shape is classic and uncomplicated. And this baby writes like a champ. Just don’t drop it, Susan. Do. Not. Drop.

Pros

• One of the best things about custom pen makers like Shawn is you can get a brand new pen in vintage material.
• The Sumpter is a classic, simple design that feels well balanced in the hand.
• The standard 18K fine nib I got with this pen is simply excellent—one of the best writers in my collection.
• I like cartridge/converter pens, so I’m happy with this system. But if you prefer piston fillers, you can have Shawn make your pen with a piston at additional cost.
• Shawn is so much fun to work with. He didn’t get to be super creative on this pen because the small amount of Le Tigre cebloplast limited our options. But you can have a pen made in any number of configurations with virtually any material. The only limits are your imagination and the size of your wallet.

Cons

• The Le Tigre material is vintage, and I don’t think Shawn has any more. Sorry (not sorry). I believe I got the last of it.
• The small Sumpter might be too small and light for people who like weighty, large pens. But, you can always ask Shawn to add metal rings and/or a metal barrel to a pen if you want more weight.
• The one bad thing about this vintage cebloplast is it’s super delicate, and I’m a klutz. Kid gloves with this pen, folks.