Parker Jotter Ballpoint Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

The Parker Jotter is a tried and true classic that keeps upgrading, and this new two-tone, all-metal Victoria Violet body feels fresh while still nodding to vintage elegance. I was genuinely surprised by the price of these new editions, because they look and feel like a much more expensive pen. The writing experience was also a pleasant surprise.

The all-aluminum body is made in France. It's quite small and slim, so may not be comfortable for long writing sessions if you have large hands. The clip is stiff and in the classic Parker arrow shape. The edges of the arrow are sharp, so I'd caution against clipping this to light fabrics. The pen is small enough that the clip also ends up hitting my hand when the pen rotates, so I find I have to adjust it from time to time. The finish can be a bit slick to hold if your hands are at all sweaty, but the texture of the aluminum helps with grip under normal writing circumstances. The new line of colors are fun and gorgeous, ranging from whimsical to executive. And the premium styles of the Jotters are downright snazzy.

This pen has one of the most satisfying clicks I've ever experienced. It's loud, solid, and has a good amount of resistance. You could drive people crazy with this click and I love it.

The refill supplied is a blue Quinkflow cartridge, which is specially formatted for smooth, consistent writing. I think it achieves that. The ballpoint glides nicely on paper, and I never had any skips or hard starts. I did sometimes get that blob of ink at the start of a letter, and it will smear a little if you run your hand over the blob. But that seems like a universal ballpoint issue. The pen will take any parker style refill, though, so there are a ton of other options. I think a Fisher Space Pen refill in this would make it the perfect purse pen, or traveling journal pen.

For me, this pen is unseating the Karas Kustoms Retrakt in my I-need-a-pen-that-isn't-a-fountain-pen slot. Other pens that have occupied that seat are the Cross Click Classic and the Retro 51 Tornado. All of those are at least twice (if not three times) the cost of this Jotter, and so far it has performed better than all of them, for me. And if you're primarily a fountain pen user, but you acknowledge the occasional need for a ballpoint, this really is the perfect one. It looks and feels like you're spoiling yourself, but the price is low enough that you'll still have to add a fountain pen to your cart to get free shipping.

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

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Posted on July 6, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Parker, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Sarasa Grand Gel Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Zebra Sarasa Grand Gel pen is another entry in the premium barrel category for the budget-friendly refills we know and love. It seems like all of the big brands have a metal, classy version of their popular gel or rollerball offerings, and the Grand Gel is a strong competitor.

Like the competition, the Grand Gel features a sleek, minimal body made from brass which is then topped with a thin layer of aluminum to provide a handful of color options. At the $15 - $20 mark, it feels on par with what you would expect: Nothing mind-blowing, but definitely a welcome upgrade from the normal plastic body.

The Sarasa Grand Gel is most closely related to the Sarasa Clip. The clip on the Grand Gel isn't as springy as the regular Clip, but it's still functional and strong. The length and diameter are roughly the same as well, but the Grand Gel has a bit more heft due to the brass interior.

Branding is minimal, with only a "Zebra Sarasa" mention on the body above the grip section and a "Sarasa" stamp along the clip. Apart from that, the body is clean and sleek. There are some small grooves that follow the length of the grip section, but no other grip material is present. Despite the smooth feel, it offers plenty of grip and control when writing. It also helps tremendously that the Sarasa refills are so smooth — this ensures you can grip the pen lightly while writing since there's very little friction from the point.

The click mechanism is strong and reliable. It makes an audible click, but it's about 50% quieter than the regular Sarasa Clip noise.

The refill that came in this model is the 0.7mm version, which is lusciously smooth and dark. I normally prefer something 0.5mm or smaller, but this has been a treat. The width is similar to a medium fountain pen nib, and it's smooth as can be. I've really been enjoying writing with this pen because of the refill, but also because of the feel of the pen body. The ink is dark and precise, and since this pen fits any of the Sarasa refills, you have a lot of color and size options.

In terms of writing experience, the pen is balanced and sure In the hand. The smooth refill makes the writing experience very enjoyable. Even though the grip is fairly smooth, I haven't had any problems with it becoming slippery or uncomfortable. It's a great writer, and it instantly upgrades the Zebra Sarasa refill that many of us already love.

If you want to dress up your favorite gel refill, and that refill happens to be the Sarasa, then this is a great pen for you. It will perform well and look good doing it with your choice of Black, Navy, Gold, or Pink barrels. At under $20, it's a bit pricey compared to a Sarasa Clip (at less than $2), but the additional weight and sleek aesthetic make this a good deal.

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

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Posted on July 5, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Aurora Duo Cart Fountain Pen Review

As a brand, I am mostly familiar with Aurora's modern offerings, but as a company with nearly 100 years in existence, they have quite a reputation and back catalog to pull from. The Aurora Duo Cart is a prime example of that.

First manufactured in the 1950's, the Duo Cart was created as a response the the world-famous Parker 51 from a design perspective. It was also created to be more portable as one of the early cartridge based pens. And yes, it held two small cartridges in the barrel in a special holder, hence the name Duo Cart.

There is no need to carry two cartridges in the barrel these days, especially with the converter that ships with the pen. I filled mine with Pilot Blue Black ink, and got to writing.

The Duo Cart is only available with a medium steel nib, and it writes wonderfully. If this were my pen, I would be grinding it down to something much finer or stubbier, but it is as nice of a medium writer as I could hope for. The ink flow is true and it is dead smooth out of the box.

I especially love the style of the Duo Cart. Aside from the flat ends, it is nearly identical to my Parker 51. In fact, when I had them sitting side by side on the desk, I had to double take to make sure I picked up the right one. Uncapped, the Duo Cart has much more of the hooded nib exposed than the 51.

One issue I noticed with the Duo Cart, and I read Matt experienced the same with his, is that the cap doesn't lock down in place as tight as I would like. It slides on, but there is no snap or firmness. This would be a perfect carry pen if it weren't for that.

That said, this is an excellent all-around pen. It's fun, functional, and beautiful. At around $150, it competes with popular gold nib pens in that range. Would I tell you to buy the Duo Cart over the Lamy 2000? No, but this is a pen nice enough to be competitive in this category.

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

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