Sakura Ballsign iD 0.4 mm Gel Pen Review

There are four main gel ink pen makers who I trust blindly to provide consistently great pens: Pentel, Pilot, Uni-ball, and Zebra. They all have decades of experience, and their manufacturing and quality control are always on point. While I don’t personally love every single product they make, I know that they are going to be good in the right hands.

Outside of those brands, it can be tough sledding. There is quality out there, but it is tougher to find. Sakura is looking to change that with the Ballsign iD gel ink pen.

If you have been in the stationery world for any length of time, then you are familiar with Sakura. Their Gelly Roll pens were the first gel ink pens on the market in the 1980’s, and their Pigma Micron lineup is the art marker that all others are measured by. But as classic or as great as those two models are, they really haven’t had a difference maker in the standard writing/office supply gel ink pen market. At least, nothing that can hang with the big four above.

The Ballsign iD is Sakura’s first real competitor. The Ballsign name has been around in various iterations for years, but nothing good enough to stick. The Ballsign Knock is a good pen, but even in my review of it five years ago I mentioned it was a tier down from the best. The iD, though? I think it has a chance.

This is a basic looking pen. It’s modern, with clean lines all around the four-sided (two flat, two rounded) barrel, and a bent-over-the-top steel clip that also serves as part of the knock. The plastic nose cone is the weak point of the design, and would have been served better with a metal that matches the clip.

It is comfortable, and writes well. I’m using the 0.4 mm Mysterious Purple refill in this review, which is the name for their Purple Black gel ink. The Ballsign iD also comes with Blue Black, Green Black, Brown Black, and standard Black refill options.

The refill feels like a combination between the Uni-ball Signo RT for the smoothness, and the Zebra Sarasa Clip for the dryness. This is not an overly inky gel pen, and even being 0.4 mm, may not be wet enough for some writers. Juicy the Ballsign is not.

So, does the Ballsign iD belong in the same category as some of the best in the category? No, but it is as close as any Sakura gel ink pen has been. I think the nose cone is an easy design upgrade, and better ink flow from the tip to eliminate the dryness would be a plus. If Sakura can keep on expanding and improving this lineup, then I think they have a competitor on their hands.

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

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Zebra Sarasa R Gel Pen Review

The Sarasa R is Zebra’s entry into the “more saturated” gel ink color market. Like the Uni-ball One, this gel ink is formulated for brighter and deeper colors than Zebra’s standard gel ink. Also like the Uni-ball One, I have to ask: Why?

On paper (figuratively, not literally - we will get to that in a moment,) who wouldn’t want deeper, richer colors in their gel ink pens? Makes sense, right? Gel ink pens became popular in the 1980’s because the ink suspension allowed for better color representation than traditional ballpoint and rollerball pens. Because of that, gel ink pens became a playground for color.

Manufacturers have been in a good place over the past decade-plus with the quality of their gel ink products. They continue to be some of the most beloved pens on the market. I also appreciate the fact that the big players in the space want to push ink technology forward. For example, I’m glad Uni-ball invested in R&D for their Super Ink technology. More simply, I’m glad Zebra makes a quick-dry gel ink for those who tend to smudge their lines when writing.

But highly pigmented gel inks for brighter color? Let me ask this: Were you missing brighter gel ink colors from your writing arsenal already? Manufacturers have done a great job at this for a while. Again, I do appreciate the fact that they want to push their products further, but with the Sarasa R and Uni-ball One, I wonder if it is simply a marketing exercise. One look at the aesthetic of both products says a lot.

From a writing and performance perspective, the Zebra Sarasa R is a good pen. That’s the same descriptor I used for the Uni-ball One. If you like good gel ink pens, you will like this gel ink pen. But, are they better than other gel ink pens? Does the “27% more color density” make a big difference on the page? Not in my book.

The one thing I can say about the Sarasa R in comparison to the One, is that the Sarasa R feels like a standard gel ink pen, while the One had a bit of a different feel on the page. If I had my eyes closed, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the Sarasa R and Clip, while I would be able to tell the difference between the One and the DX or RT1.

For an 0.4 mm tip size, the Sarasa R writes a slightly wider line than the Sarasa Clip. I’m a little surprised, but the Clip is one of the sharpest lines out there, leading some people to say they are too scratchy. I love that feel on the Clip, and the R does not have that same crispness. That’s a positive or a negative, depending on your preference.

The ink colors look great on the page, but are they better/different enough to be the reason why these pens exist? I don’t see it. Maybe? Who knows. Any rainbow of gel inks is going to look awesome on the page, and these do just that. And, with what I see as a wider line than the standard 0.4 mm, they are going to look brighter and more saturated in a side-by-side comparison by default.

Should you buy the Zebra Sarasa R? Yes, and the price is right, too. $1.75 each, or $10.50 for the seven color set in this review (don’t ask me why the 14 color set price is out of line - I have no idea.) Just don’t expect something different or groundbreaking. They are another good product from Zebra, which is what they always deliver.

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

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Uni-ball One 0.38 mm Gel Ink Pen Review

Let me get this out of the way right up front, because as I start typing this review up I don’t know where it is going to go: The Uni-ball One is a good pen.

I wouldn’t expect anything less from Uni-ball. They make some of my favorite pens and refills on the market, after all. But with the introduction of the One, they are confusing me more than ever.

Yes, I’m old, so save your memory jokes, but the options and overlap they now have in their gel in pen lineup would boggle even the smartest minds. Here is a short list of choices, and their primary ink formulation:

DX - Super Ink

RT1 - Super Ink

Signo 207 - Super Ink

Signo 207 Plus - Cellulose Nanofiber Ink

Signo 307 - Cellulose Nanofiber Ink

One - One Ink

What’s the difference in those features?

Super Ink is Uni’s standard archival gel ink. It’s amazingly good, and used in the most popular pens in their lineup. Per Uni-ball, this ink embeds itself into the paper, making it permanent, and uses larger ink particles for more legible handwriting.

Cellulose Nanofiber Ink is designed with smaller ink particles for better ink dispersion and a smoother feel, while retaining the permanence features of Super Ink.

One Ink sounds a lot like Super Ink. Large gel ink particles designed for more vibrant colors and fast drying. But, instead of embedding into the paper fibers for permanence, it sits on top of the page. I’m assuming it is archival like the rest.

I think I got all of that right.

When you lay out the specs like this it makes some sense, I guess. But in reality, the everyday consumer cares very little about any of it. They want to know if 1. The pen gives them an enjoyable writing experience, and 2. Is it worth the price. I’d answer yes to both of those questions for most of Uni-ball’s products.

For myself, I am not your everyday consumer of stationery goods, so I want to know more than that. Things like 1. What is the difference between these pens? And 2. Which one would I recommend to which type of user?

The answer to both of those questions is “Heck if I know!”

That’s the confusion the Uni-ball One brings. Objectively, it’s a great gel ink pen. I think it is Uni’s best barrel design in ages, and the ink does have a certain richness about it when gliding across the page. Really, no complaints whatsoever.

But the One Ink feels different. Or at least I think it feels different. And I prefer the Super Ink feel over the One Ink. What I want to do next is get one of each of the pens listed above, in the same ink color and tip size, and do a true side by side comparison with several different paper types. I think I can tell the difference between One Ink and Super Ink in my random testing, but I want to even the playing field more to be sure.

In the end, I think anyone who uses the One will enjoy it for what it is, and what it offers. But for avid gel ink pen users, especially on the micro tip side of the scale, I think you can do better.

And so can Uni-ball, by presenting a more coherent, cohesive picture of what each pen they sell offers. There is far too much overlap. Narrow down the product line, and tell a better story for each individual product.

Until then, enjoy the Uni-ball One for what it is. Just don’t ask me to explain it.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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