Filtering by Author: Jeff Abbott

Zebra Sarasa Nano Vintage Color Set 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 gel ink pens are well-known to anyone in this community, and it's for good reason. They feature vibrant colors, smooth flowing gel ink, and a nifty spring clip for attaching the pen to things. When I received a pack of Sarasa Nano pens, I was curious to find out what made them different than the standard Sarasa Clip version. While the Nano line is a bit more premium, they still use the same refills.

The Zebra Sarasa Nano line's main difference is the clever internal spring that provides a nice suspension for the refill to ride on while you write. In practice, this makes the pen feel like a smoother instrument when writing thanks to the small amount of give the spring affords when exerting pressure on the tip. Aside from this, the Nano also has a premium metal nose cone and a completely black body (unlike the transparent body of the Sarasa Clip).

Another key difference from the Sarasa Clip line is the tip size selection. For the Sarasa Nano Vintage Color set I have, you only have one choice: 0.38mm. There are some other Nano pens that have matching body colors and use a 0.3mm tip, but for all the pens with a black body, they all use a 0.38mm tip size. Compare this to the standard Sarasa Clip line, which offers options from 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, and a handful of 1.0mm tips.

Luckily, you can swap in any standard Sarasa refill in the Nano body if you want to use the fancy spring suspension system on larger tip size refills.

So, how does the Nano perform compared to other pens that don't include a shock absorber? It's a subtle difference, but it's definitely noticeable — especially if you are comparing with other 0.38mm pens at the same time. With any small tip size pen, it can feel like the refill is a bit scratchy given the tiny size. For me, I tend to be a bit heavy-handed, so this scratchy feeling is something I can agree with on typical small tip pens I use. With the Nano, it doesn't feel as scratchy or like I'm writing with a stiff nail.

If you press the tip of the refill against the page and apply pressure, you can see the refill retract slightly as the spring absorbs the resistance. When writing, it's extremely subtle to the point that you don't realize it's happening. I assume that this is by design — if you could actually feel the tip springing while you write, that would be incredibly distracting and would require you to alter your writing style a bit. The pressure is just right for normal writing.

Aside from the satin-finish metal nose cone and internal spring system, this is a standard Sarasa. The clip is largely the same — the only difference is the shape of the clip is a bit more petit compared to the standard Clip line.

The five colors that are included in the Vintage Colors Set (for $12.50) are Cassis Black (dark red), Green Black, Blue Black, Blue Gray, and Sepia Black. There is also a "Basic" color set that includes what I think to be the better color combination (pink, red, orange, blue, and black). The Vintage colors are all dark, but the blue black, green black, and sepia black are incredibly hard to tell apart. For me, the colors in this set do not excite me. But, for other people, this could be a great color combination that they love! That's the beauty of stationery.

The final difference I'll point out between the standard Sarasa Clip and the Nano is price. At JetPens, the standard Sarasa Clip is $1.75. The Nano, however, is $2.95. This is likely due to a variety of factors, such as the extra bits for the spring suspension, the metal nose cone, and the fact that (I believe) the Nano is a newer product. Still, when you remember that both pens use the same refills, it's a bit difficult for me to swallow the large price gap. I'm a huge fan of the Sarasa Clip body — I think they're really comfortable and work great. For me, the Nano body and shock absorber don't do much for me. For almost twice the price, it doesn't make sense. The shock absorbing body is novel, but I can also adjust my writing style to suite the standard Sarasa with little effort.

The Zebra Sarasa Nano is an interesting product, but I'm not sure it differentiates itself enough from the standard line to justify its existence. I'd love to hear other opinions about the Nano and how it works better for you than the standard Sarasa! For me, I'm happy to stick with my dozens of Sarasa Clips for the time being.

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

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Posted on December 18, 2024 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

BENU Euphoria Collection Bourbon Fountain Pen Review

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

Christmas will be here before you know it, and if you're looking for any gift ideas for folks that appreciate a good pen, this product from BENU is a great option to consider.

The BENU Euphoria Collection is a classy pen design that looks great no matter which colorway you choose, but I'm smitten with this Bourbon variant. It reflects a lot of sparkly light, which attracts a lot of attention. The gold and red tones feel warm and cozy, and I just can't get enough of this material.

Before going into more detail about the material, let's look at the common traits that you'll find in any of the Euphoria Collection pens. The body and cap are faceted, with 10 small facets going around the diameter of the pen. These facets add a lot of visual interest to the pen, but also changes how the pen feels in your hand and how it behaves on flat surfaces (meaning it doesn't roll easily). Regardless of the colorway, every Euphoria pen has a broad, bold black band at the base of the cap that features a BENU logo debossed on the faceted side that also houses the clip.

These pens also share the same nib options — a Schmidt #6 with silver-colored plating and minimal scroll work. The grip is substantial and provides plenty of space to grip it however you like while remaining comfortable.

The overall size of the pen is similar to a Lamy Safari. While the cap only has a small taper from the opening of the cap to the top of the cap, the body has a more noticeable taper toward the tail of the pen body. This makes the pen body very comfortable to hold since most of the weight is concentrated toward the nib end. You can post the cap on the back of the pen if you want, but I prefer the balance of the unposted pen for writing.

The pen can house a full size international cartridge, but it also comes with a standard cartridge converter so you can pick the right ink to match or compliment such a bold pen material. I went with Robert Oster Whiskey even though I know it's some form of sacrilege to combine bourbon and whiskey. In this case, I make no apologies because I love the ink and pen pairing here.

Getting back to the real star of the show, this acrylic material is something I have yet to tire of seeing on my desk. The main acrylic is a translucent amber, but there are hundreds (thousands?) of small gold and amber metallic flakes suspended in the material that make it look like it's moving. Depending on the color of the light in the room, the pen can take on different colors from bronze, red, gold, orange, and even yellow. Regardless of the color of light, this pen reflects light like crazy and draws attention from whoever is nearby. Be prepared for conversations that start with, "Whoa; what is that?" when this pen is visible.

Writing with the fine nib on this pen has been a great experience. The balance of the pen is perfect without the cap posted, and the grip section provides a great area to hold and control the pen. Ink flow has been great, and I didn't need to tune the Schmidt nib at all out of the box. When it's time to pack up, the silver clip does a great job of securing the pen to a pocket or bag. The cap screws on to the pen with about two and a half rotations, so it's really secure when closed.

Overall, I've been so impressed and pleased with this BENU. The fit and finish are great, and the quality of materials are fantastic. Any pen from the Euphoria Collection would make a great gift, but I'm really partial to this Bourbon option. You can choose from fine or medium nibs at the moment, though it would be trivial to swap the nib out with another of the same standard size. At $157, this is a good value for the quality and artistry on display. I'd happily recommend this to anyone that looks at it and has a remotely positive reaction to the color.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on December 11, 2024 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Benu Pen, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip 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've tried several different types of dip pens over the years, but none of them have really stuck with me. They're either too fiddly or messy, or they feel so different from a fountain pen that I prefer to just ink up a fountain over rather than use the dip pen. I was intrigued when I saw that Pilot offers an entry-level dip pen that uses a familiar nib, so I had to try it out.

The Pilot Iro-Utsushi dip pen is a relatively low cost dip pen that features one of Pilot's stainless steel nibs — the same nib you'll find on a Pilot Metropolitan, for example. My hopes weren't very high, because I assumed that even if the nib felt just like a Metropolitan or other Pilot pen, it would be too much hassle to use given the limited ink supply. The other dip pens I've used in the past have some sort of primitive system to store little pockets of ink in the nib, but this Pilot looks like an ordinary nib that you'll find attached to a feed and ink reservoir system. Well, I'm delighted to say that my assumptions were wrong.

Even though the nib on the Iro-Utsushi is the same nib you'll find on many of Pilot's entry-level fountain pens, it does a surprisingly good job of holding a good amount of ink. I've used dip pens in the past, and I'm used to much less ink supply and needing to dip much more frequently. Dipping the nib past the breather hole provides enough ink to write a couple sentences. If you dip a little further and submerge most of the nib shoulders into the ink, you can get a couple more sentences out of it. I was genuinely surprised that I could write for as long as I was able with each dip.

Another problem I've always had with dip pens is that the ink flow varies drastically with a fresh dip versus when the ink is almost gone. After dipping the pen, the ink just gushes and almost makes a mess, and the flow continues to decrease until the ink is gone. This isn't a problem with the Iro-Utsushi. The ink flow is consistent even after dipping the nib, and it remains consistent right up until it runs out of ink. You can start to see the ink flowing a little lighter, and that means there's only enough ink left for a couple of characters. Again, this surprised me in such a good way.

Regardless of the type of dip pen you're using, there's one constant: they are ridiculously easy to clean. The Iro-Utsushi is no exception. Run the inky nib under some water and wipe it dry. That's it! Within a few seconds, you're ready to try out another ink. This is a fantastic method for trying out several inks without committing to filling up a pen and the eventual cleaning that entails.

The fine nib on this unit is smooth flowing and makes a crisp line that is comparable to my other Pilot steel fine nibs. The barrel is made of thin plastic, and the only non-plastic part of the pen is the nib, which is wedged into the front of the pen with friction. It's actually fairly difficult to remove the nib, so I have no concerns about the nib accidentally falling off into a bottle of ink. Being so lightweight, it's also incredibly easy to control the movement of the pen, though I did find myself wishing it was just a bit thicker to provide a more comfortable grip.

There isn't a cap provided with the pen, except for a small section of silicone tubing that is on the nib while it's in the box. I've kept the little piece to use on the pen when not in use. It's not much, but it does offer some protection for the nib when it's stored away with other objects. I'd like to design a simple cap that I can 3D print — something that both protects the nib and also provides a flat edge to keep the pen from rolling around when it's on a flat surface. For now, the little section of tubing is at least protecting the nib!

The Pilot Iro-Utsushi dip pen is just $8 at Vanness. Compared to other dip pens, this is very competitive, and I'd argue that it's also the best first-time experience you can have with dip pens. Glass pens feel too different and it's not really fair to compare them with traditional metal nibs. Other dip pens that use metal nibs aren't really the same as fountain nibs either. They're either catering to calligraphy use or for artists — which means they don't work particularly well for general writing, nor do they offer a good comparison to the fountain pen nibs you're likely already accustomed to. For me, this is the best dip pen experience I've tried so far.

I know there are plenty of others that I haven't had an opportunity to try, but it's hard to beat the Iro-Utsushi on price. I picked the clear body, but it's also available in a light blue or gray (both translucent) plastic, or a light or dark wood nib holder (the wood versions are $20). You also have your pick of fine or medium nib. Regardless of barrel and nib choice, I highly recommend checking these out if you're even remotely interested in dip pens! The ability to quickly try out inks without the mess of cleaning out a pen is incredibly convenient.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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