Posts filed under Zebra

Zebra SL-F1 ST 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.)

I love pocket pens. They're cute and practical and easy to have always at hand. I have small hands, so pocket pens fit easily and comfortably in my grip. If you have larger hands, that might not always be the case. Pocket pens are not comfortable or practical or many folks. But this pen! This one has you covered. The Zebra SL-F1 ST ballpoint pen is a pocket pen that telescopes open to be a full-sized ballpoint pen. Kind of like a magic trick. Or a transformer. It even makes a satisfying click when you expand and retract it, like any properly fidgety pen should. This pen wasn't just designed, it was engineered. And even apart from its magical properties, it is a very fine pen.

When shortened, the pen has a tip cover that retracts as it expands, and re-emerges when contracted, so there's no risk of ink leakage in a pocket. The metal construction is sturdy and has a good weight to it. The finish is a pretty, vibrant blue, and it comes in a number of nice colors. The grip is smooth ridges, so it has good traction but no sharp edges. The edge where the barrel separates over the interior tube is slightly sharper, but not enough to cause any irritation to the hand. My hand doesn't even touch the pen at that part. The clip is metal and very solid, but has good flexibility.

The refill is nothing to get too excited about--it's a fairly standard ballpoint. It writes smoothly and consistently with no skips and only a few blobs. It's certainly better than the big-box plastic ballpoints that you find on every public counter.

I'm in love with the simple practicality of this pen. It's become a staple in my purse. In fact, it slipped so easily into my life that I almost forgot I needed to review it.

JetPens sells this pen for $7.75, which I think is an absolute steal. I would not have flinched if it had been twice that. If you have any use at all for a pocket ballpoint pen (don't we all?), get you this one.

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

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Posted on December 13, 2018 by Sarah Read and filed under Zebra, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Sarasa Mark On 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.)

I'm continually amazed at the level of specificity that some stationery tools tout today. My most recent surprise came with the Zebra Sarasa Mark On gel ink pens. They look like a Sarasa Clip on the outside, but there's a different design on the barrel. What gives? Well, this particular model of Sarasa is made specifically for people who want to use a highlighter along with their gel pens while taking notes.

It's been a long time since I've regularly used a highlighter for emphasizing notes, so I had forgotten that ink can sometimes bleed after running a highlighter over it. That's exactly what the Mark On line of pens aims to solve. The ink in the Mark On is unique in that it dries quickly and is water and smudge resistant. Since highlighter ink is water-based, these two are a great match.

The models I have on hand are the 0.4mm variant, although they are also available in 0.5mm sizes. The color selection isn't great (just the standard black, blue, and red), but it covers the absolute basics. This is such a niche use case that I can't expect dozens of color options.

Just like the other Sarasa models, this model features a strong, beefy clip that secure the pen to anything that fits into the jaws. There's also a comfortable rubberized grip on the section that makes note-taking sessions a little easier to endure. In all, it's a standard Sarasa that we all know and love, but it has that one trick up its sleeve.

How does it stand up against highlighter smudge? In my tests, it works great provided you give the ink about five seconds to dry before using a highlighter over it. No matter the color, the gel ink doesn't bleed when introduced to highlighter ink. It's fantastic.

Even with the smaller 0.4mm tip size, the Sarasa Mark On writes smoothly and reliably. Just like other Sarasa gel inks, this is no surprise and I wouldn't expect anything less.

The Zebra Sarasa Mark On gel ink pens are a delightfully narrow-minded use case that will fit the specific needs of people taking notes all over the world. If you use gel pens in conjunction with highlighters in any capacity, this is worth checking out.

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

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Posted on August 29, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Sarasa SE 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.)

To this day, gel pens continue to be one of the most accessible categories for exposing people to the wonders of pens. With so many options, it's difficult to imagine what else can be done in this space to innovate and provide something new and worthy of existence. In most cases, the easiest route of expansion is in offering more colors or more tip sizes. But, it's more rare to see offerings that focus on providing the same great gel pen experience with a dry time that's 85% faster than standard gel pens.

That's right — 85% faster. The Zebra Sarasa SE line of pens is similar to the regular Sarasa line in every way, except these things dry incredibly fast.

If you've never used a Zebra Sarasa pen before, you're missing out on one of the top five gel refills available today. They're available in several different sizes and configurations, but they all deliver vibrant colors, crisp lines, and a smooth feel. Add on super fast dry time, and you've got a seriously impressive pen refill.

I picked up several of these pens to try out, and in that batch I picked black, blue, red, green, and violet to test. Each of these colors is beautiful and vivid. Even the black is incredibly rich and dark — similar in richness and depth as the popular Pentel EnerGel series.

The body and grip of the SE pens are also similar to the other Sarasa lines, which is just fine. They're comfortable to use, the clips are nice and strong, and they perform great in that respect.

When I started writing, I was impressed by the crisp lines and bright colors. It wasn't until I moved my palm across the page to write somewhere else that I noticed that it didn't create any smudges. I was pleasantly surprised, so I started testing the dry times to see just how fast it was. In most cases, the ink was smudge-proof within 2 seconds. In every case, 3 seconds did the trick. This is incredible! Especially considering how wet these 0.7mm tips are. These aren't ultra-fine tips — there's a good amount of ink coming out when writing.

These pens are perfect for jotting notes when you're out. You don't have to worry about immediately closing your notebook because there won't be any excess ink on the opposite page. For left-handed users, this ink is fabulous. I'm mostly right-handed, but I'm working on training my left hand to write as well. When I was using these pens in my left hand, I never had any smudges on the page and there wasn't any ink on my palm when I was done.

I'm not sure how Zebra did this. There's normally a trade off if you market a pen as having an ultra-fast drying ink. In this case, the Sarasa SE line has smooth feel, vibrant colors, and incredibly fast dry times.

The Zebra Sarasa SE is fairly new, but there's already a nice selection of colorful inks. You're also limited to the 0.7mm tip size, so hopefully we see additional options soon. Pick some up the next time you make an order with JetPens! At under two bucks a pop, they're low risk experiments, and I'm willing to bet that you'll love them after writing with them.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!