Zebra Sharbo X Ink Samples

I was recently asked on Twitter by @dcernosek about the Zebra Sharbo X ink colors that I have, so I wrote a few lines on the page at left.  I have been using the black/mandarin orange combo in one of my Sharbos, and royal blue/carmine red in the other.  I also just received the limited edition cool gray and violet refills from JetPens, which are very nice as well.  The violet is especially dark, reminding me of the Uni-Ball Signo RT lavender black ink that is one of my favorites.

I'm not completely satisfied with how my photography/editing skills are representing the colors, so I may try to post some color swatches if I get the chance later today.  You can see them pretty well in the XL version of the photo though.

Review: Morning Glory Mach Pen II 0.4mm Violet

The Morning Glory Mach Pen II is a relatively new addition to the JetPens lineup in the past couple of months.  Aside from a very nice price point ($1.55 each), the Mach Pen II boasts that it can write over 5000 meters on one tank of ink.  I don't know anyone who has the time to fully test out that claim - I sure don't - but I did put this pen through the regular paces and it performed very nicely.

In looking at the pen, the comparisons to the Pilot Precise V5 are apt.  The overall design and feel are similar between the two, with a few minor cosmetics being the main difference.  From a writing perspective, the Mach Pen II held its own.  I feel that it is slightly scratchier than the V5, and may have a little more bleed, but both of those things are very marginal.  There were no huge setbacks with this pen that would keep me from using it.  The violet color came out deeper in the photo than I experienced when writing.  I felt that the shade was a little light, but good enough.

My blogging buddies Office Supply Geek and Lung Sketching Scrolls have also reviewed the Mach Pen II, so be sure to check them out.

Click here for the XL review.

A Letter to Pilot Pen

Christopher Jorgensen from jackassletters.com writes letters to companies of all types.  Some are positive, some not so much, but it is all done in fun and posted on Christopher's website.  Here is a recent one to Pilot Pen that readers of The Pen Addict might enjoy:

Dear Pilot Pen,

I must apologize for typing this letter. If you saw my handwriting you'd understand why it is necessary (my girlfriend makes fun of it and calls it "Christopher at 5" and I have to admit it looks like a doctor's or serial killer's).

Anyway, I do a lot of singing of letters. Sometimes three or four a day. Previously I used a Papermate Flexgrip Ultra Medium point pen to sign all my letters. That pen doesn't have the best flow, but the ink looks good on paper and it doesn't really smudge much. Recently, I ended up using one of your Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine pens and I have to say, not only is it a more stylish pen, it also glides across the page effortlessly and doesn't smudge at all! I'm using it nearly exclusively!

This pen is great, but this got me thinking that there might be something better out there, so I started to do some research on the internet, and I had no idea there were so many pen nuts out there! There are whole sites dedicated to nothing but pen reviews. Before using the Precise V5 Extra Fine pen I would have never understood how a person could get so excited about a pen.

I love this pen and am going to use it to sign this letter!

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Jorgensen

And here is Pilot's response (click on the image for the full size):
Pilot even threw in four new Pilot Precise V5 pens to boot!  Thanks Christopher for sharing this.  You can check out his letter to Sharpie, as well as a ton more at jackassletters.com.