Pilot Razor Point Review

When I was a younger pen addict back in the late 70's and early 80's one of the highlights of my summer was when my grandfather would take me to the LSU campus bookstore. I already had a strong affinity for quality pens at a young age, and the campus bookstore was my candy store. In retrospect, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the LSU engineering department (your jokes will be accepted in the comments section) for stocking all of the cool writing instruments and paper that a kid like me could hope for.

There were two primary pens I was after when setting foot in the bookstore: The Pilot Precise (bonus points if you remember the ivory and baby blue barrels) and the Pilot Razor Point. The best thing about the bookstore carrying those pens? They came in all the colors! Black and blue were obvious, but I always managed to come home with green, red, and purple too.

The Razor Point was my favorite, and the genesis of my love for fine tipped drawing pens. At the time it couldn't be beat. I could draw my little towns and spaceships and anything else my brain could spew onto the page. It was the best.

To Pilot's credit, they have left the Razor Point unchanged since I first started buying it decades ago. It provides a sharp, fine, black line and consistent performance. The tip is prone to breaking down though, despite the metal collar under the plastic tip. This is why I used to buy them by the dozen. The ink also bleeds more than today's pens with updated technology, like the Sakura Pigma Micron or Sharpie Pen.

Despite those flaws, the Razor Point is a classic and brings back wonderful memories. Nothing beats seeing that little yellow circle popping out of the top of my pen cup.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Copic Multiliner SP 0.3 mm Cobalt Blue Review

I have long been a fan of the Copic Multiliner SP and while the color ink models have been around for a while, it was only when JetPens started stocking them that I got around to picking up more.

I didn't exactly get crazy with my first one, opting for the subdued Cobalt Blue as opposed to Orange (which I got years ago from Copic directly), Sky Blue, or Purple. I'm certain more colors will make it into my arsenal before too long because this pen is that good.

One of the things I like the most is the aluminum barrel design. It is one of the few (only?) drawing pens that has a metal barrel, and this one is beautifully done. It is very lightweight and has a smooth brushed finish that is cool to the touch. I feel like I am going to design the next Porsche every time I pick it up.

The performance of the tip is excellent as well. It is solid, durable, and lays down a great line as you would expect. The ink is archival and compatible for use with Copic's huge line of markers, meaning your inks won't smudge when colored over. The tip is also replaceable and the ink cartridge refillable.

For all the praise I heap on the Copic Multiliner there is one drawback: These suckers are expensive! At $9.20 they are not a thoughtless purchase like a new Uni-ball Jetstream might be. Artists and designers swear by them though, and I appreciate the great writing experience they provide so I am happy to have a couple of them in my rotation. Give one a shot if you are looking for a great drawing pen.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Stabilo Sensor Fineliner Review

Not all drawing pens are created the same. In fact, there are more differences in these types of pens than you can imagine. Archival, water-proof, fade-proof, lightfast, pigmented, cushioned, metal encased, light, heavy, refillable - I think you get the picture. No one pen can cover all of those bases, but most of them can handle a few very well.

From a feature standpoint, the Stabilo Sensor Fineliner brings cushioned writing and a metal encased tip to the table. The latter is a very import thing for those that use drawing pens alongside rulers or stencils. It gives the tip added durability that other similar pens can't handle. The cushioning works in conjunction to make this a very comfortable pen to write with.

I noticed when using it that this is a very inky pen, something it shares with another metal encased tip pen in the Rotring Tikky Graphic Drawing Pen. I didn't care for it in the Tikky but now I am wondering - is this a feature? Does it need to be this wet to keep up with the speed the pen travels while using it against a ruler? I'm not sure, but it's a thought.

Outside of the writing aspects, the barrel is very comfortable and lightweight. It is also priced right at $1.60. If you don't require archival ink properties in your drawing pens this is one to check out.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)