The Pen Addict

Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball Review

2012-01-27T09:21:27-05:00

I take reader requests from time to time, and the Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball was one such request. I first learned of this pen last year from Brian at Office Supply Geek and knowing the style of writing instrument I prefer I wasn’t too eager to give it a shot. Wide tipped liquid ink pens just aren’t my thing, but it obviously doesn’t take much to twist my arm.

The first thing I noticed about this pen is that the design is based directly off the Zebra H-301 Highlighter. That is a good thing because the barrel design is great. I love the look of the stainless steel contrasted against the black plastic. The only issue I find is that the cap does not post tightly. It is loose and spins a little but it won’t go as far as falling off.

From an ink perspective it is HEAVY. The tip size is 0.7 mm but it writes wider because of the flow. In fact, I had to write very fast to stay ahead of the bleed. It is dark and consistent though, so any of you who like to write with liquid ink pens may enjoy it. That it is refillable is an added bonus.

I picked up my R-301 at Staples so you should be able to find these pretty easily at your local office supply retailer. If you own one please let me know what you think in the comments section.

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

2012-01-25T09:00:00-05:00

Enough - Episode 104 - The Pen Addict

Patrick Rhone and Myke Hurley do an amazing job on the "Enough" podcast and I was honored to join them recently for a chat on two of my favorite topics - pens and paper. It was my maiden voyage into the world of podcasting and Pat and Myke made me feel right at home.

Our topics run the gamut from when I first knew I was a pen addict to my favorite pens and paper. If you can't tell by the show notes, we crammed a lot into a 35 minute podcast! I had a blast doing it, and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Download the audio file directly, or subscribe to Enough in iTunes.

First video and now audio at The Pen Addict. What is going on around here?

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Line Width Comparison Video

2012-01-23T12:42:43-05:00

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Line Width Comparison from dowdyism on Vimeo.

I have to come clean. I completely FORGOT to schedule a post for today. I had an awesomely busy weekend, and Monday's are always packed on the work side of the ledger, so it slipped off the radar somehow.

To rectify this, I am going to phone it in a bit. I recorded a video comparing the line widths of all the Pilot Hi-Tec-C sizes, but I'm not too thrilled with it. The intro is lacking and the overall vibe is somewhat dull. I am going to run with it though and I promise to keep improving my video skills.

Enjoy!

Ink Links

2012-01-21T09:00:00-05:00

-- Zebra SK - Sharbo + 1 2 Color 0.7 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen + 0.5 mm Pencil Black (Multi Pen Dimensions)

-- Tech Pen Showdown (Keep on Truckin', Nattosoup)

– Kaweco Sport Roller (The Intangible Blog)

– Another one of the multiple multi pens: Zebra Surari 4-Color Emulsion Ink Multi Pen (0.7 mm) (From the Pen Cup)

– Fountain Pen Friendly (Rhodia Drive)

– Review: Uni-ball Signo Scents Gel Ink Pens (Gourmet Pens)

– Los Angeles Barrio Calligraphy (Handselecta Blog)

– Seven Year Pen by Seltzer (Pocket Blonde)

– Pentel EnerGel-X .7 Violet (Economy Pens)

– Uni-ball (Rugged Flair)

– Pens (Glitter & Ink)

– TWSBI Diamond 540 Fountain Pen - The Awesome Review (Fountain Pen Geeks)

– Writing Tools and Pen Obsessions (Amy Tofte)

– Chung Hwa 6903 (Bleistift)

– Ink Drop Soup: Sanity Arsenal (No Pen Intended)

– Speedball Lettering (Pilllpat on Flickr)

– The Pens and Notebooks I Use (dbuntinx)

– Notebook Review: The Northerly by Field Notes (Rants of the Archer)

– Viarco ArtGraf artist pencils (Pencil Talk)

– Concerning pens (Pointless mutterings)

– Pen Storage: How Do You Store Your Pens? (A Penchant for Paper)

– Ink Review: Diamine Damson (Seize the Dave)

Pentel EnerGel X 0.5 mm Blue Review

2012-01-20T09:00:00-05:00

(This is a guest review by Brian Draghi. You can follow Brian on Twitter @sketchscape)

I have been using the capped Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle version of this pen with some excellent results. I wanted to try out the retractable version for work to write down quick notes without having to worry about losing the cap. The Pentel EnerGel X retractable pen exceeded my expectations with it's comfortable grip and smooth, quick writing quality.

Needle points make all the difference in the world, and this pen is no exception. At first glance, this pen looks very generic with its disposable plastic body like many office brand pens. Looks are really deceiving here, as this pen's writing quality writing is smooth and works consistently every time. This is also is ideal for anyone with larger hands as it's slightly longer than most plastic body pens and the grip feels just right. It also works quite effectively for any of the left handed writers out there. The ink usually dries in about 4 to 5 seconds without any noticeable smearing on the page.

If you happen to be writing long notes for work or school, then this pen is for you. The EnerGel X has a latex-free Comfort Zone grip that is extremely comfortable for long writing sessions. Your hand smoothly glides across the page without any strain or any noticeable effort needed. The clip is made out of the same plastic material as the pen body and is sturdy and wide enough to hold effectively in the pocket of your shirt. The top retractable plunger is slightly wider then most pens making it easier to extend and retract.

Overall

I really can't say enough about this pen because it just works perfectly. This is the one pen I would recommend to any college student that prefers taking hand written notes over using a laptop or other device. Personally, I tend to remember my hand written notes better than I would anything typed on my laptop, so something like this pen is ideal. The only thing I would like is if Pentel would make a retractable .35 needle point version of this pen similar to the Euro Needle version. I can’t imagine loving this pen even more but a smaller point would probably do the trick.

Rating

4.5 out of 5 pens

Pros

- Smooth writing
- Comfortable grip
- Quick drying ink for Left handers
- Super cheap
- Ideal for larger hands

Cons

- Generic plastic body
- Needs a .35 needle point

Parker Jotter Ballpoint Review

2012-01-18T11:16:56-05:00

Get the pitchforks and torches ready!

The Parker Jotter is one of the most famous pens in production today. It has been a bestseller for over 50 years and many non-pen people are familiar with its beautiful design. I love the design myself. It is good looking, compact, portable, and built to last. The problem I have with the Parker Jotter is the writing experience.

When I pick up a pen to write with I don’t want to spend the entire time with it in my hand thinking about what if feels like and what it looks like on the page. With the Jotter, I was constantly concerned with the scraping I felt where the ball meets the tip. I don’t hold the pen at an extreme angle when writing - I’d say I’m more vertical than most - but I repeatedly felt a slight scrape when making certain strokes. If I held the pen in a more vertical position I had a much smoother writing experience.

Am I being too harsh on this all-time classic? Probably, but the little things matter. Especially when you take your writing instruments as seriously as I do.

So, does anyone have a great Parker Jotter hack they would like to share?

Rotring Tikky Liner Gel Ink Pen 0.3 mm Review

2012-01-16T09:00:00-05:00

A recurring theme for the past few months has been my newfound love for all things Rotring. It’s not that the love wasn’t there before, it’s that the availability and accessibility to the product is much greater now. One can argue that today’s Rotring (as part of the Newell Rubbermaid conglomerate) is a much different product than it was in the past, but my focus is on the present. How do Rotring’s current products compare to other similar products on the market?

The first word that comes to mind is expensively. If you have compared a Rotring pen or pencil to another comparable pen or pencil then your know what I mean. Rotring products are more expensive, usually around two times as much as similar products. But are they a good value? That is the more important question.

The Rotring Tikky Liner is a good pen, but I would hesitate to call it a good value. The design is beautiful, the feel is great, and when the ink flow gets going it is a great writer. Open up the original size photo in Flickr and you will see what I mean. I love how it performs - when it performs.

That is the problem with the Tikky Liner. I am finding the ink cartridge to be very fussy and frustrating. It is widely know that the Pilot Hi-Tec-C needs a little warm up before heading off to the races. Two or three seconds of scribbling and it is ready to go for as long as you are. With the Tikky Liner, two or three minutes often wasn’t enough to get the ink flowing.

If a pen is going to cost this much the frustration level needs to be a lot lower. I can’t help but reach for it at least once a week, but more times than not I am reaching for a different pen within a few minutes.