(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.)
Fineliners are usually fairly standard in build and purpose, but every now and then, one with a unique feature comes along. The Stabilo Sensor boasts a cushioned felt tip that retracts into the metal casing. It's not a feature I've encountered on other fineliners I've tried. I can't decide if I like it or not, but I do think it has its uses.
The body is plastic, the same color as the ink, which is always nice. There's an angular cap with a sturdy clip. It clicks securely in place and posts well. The grip section is comfortable to hold and not too slick. The ridges provide enough grip that your fingers don't slip when applying pressure to the tip. I do think it would have been better with a cushioned grip, but I didn't experience any trouble during short writing sessions. It does take a fair amount of pressure to retract the tip all the way, but I don't think it's intended to be written with that way. That would cause some serious hand fatigue.
The retractable tip is meant to help with writing comfort. It's also meant to enhance the pen's use with rulers and stencils, and to allow for a consistent line when applying different levels of pressure. It also helps preserve the integrity of the tip. I can see how the springiness would help with the life of the tip, where pressure will retract it instead of flattening it. Those with heavy writing hands may find that this fineliner lasts much longer than the standard ones. But I didn't get good line consistency with different levels of pressure. Writing with pressure created a much broader line--which isn't the intent of the feature, but was kind of a cool feature by itself. There aren't many fineliners that offer any line variation. It could be a fun thing to experiment with, though experiment may wear out the feature if abused, I suspect. Still--it could be a fun thing to use for a few bullet journal headers.
This pen has been available for some time in standard colors, and now the new sets include a fun variety--though the sets have three of the same colors (teal, purple, and pink)--and then the Bright set has a lime green and the Colortangle has black. The groupings seem a little odd to me, but they're also available as open stock. The ink is well behaved and the colors are saturated and bright. I could see this being a popular pen for coloring books, if they released a better variety of colors.
Overall, I think the Sensor is very useful and the unique feature makes it a bit fun and interesting. It's perfect for drafters or doodlers, and it's priced well to be good for office or student use.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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