Faber-Castell Fast Gel Z 0.5 mm Gel Ink Pen Review

(This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.)

How important is the grip when choosing a pen?

For some, it is the first or second consideration. If you fall into that category, then you will want to read on for my thoughts on the Faber-Castell Fast Gel Z ink pen.

Before I dig into the grip, let’s talk about the first thing I want to know about any traditional ink pen: the writing performance. How does it write? In this case, pretty well!

I shouldn’t be surprised, as Faber-Castell has been making pens for decades, and have been in business as a stationer for centuries. Yes, literally. But I have far more experience with their fountain pens and inks-even pencils-that I do their standard pens.

The Fast Gel Z, along with many other recent Faber-Castell products, were sent to me by Faber-Castell Malaysia, who had a strong belief that I would like what they are selling. And so far, they have been right. This pen is an 0.5 mm black gel pen with a needle tip, and writes very well. The ink is dark and smooth, although the lines need to be slightly sharper if it were to crack any Top 5 Gel Ink Pens list.

That’s rare air, as I don’t even rate the Pilot G2 or the Sharpie S-Gel that high either, but I would rate those two pens ahead of this one.

That line sharpness is a real differentiator at the 0.5 mm tip size, and finer. If you aren’t a tiny print writer like myself, I think you will enjoy this pen, or it’s 0.7 mm tip relative. Heck, I’ve really enjoyed it myself when I want to leave some dark marks on the page.

As far as that Fast Dry time claim? Yeah, it’s pretty good. I lined it up against the Uni-ball Signo DX 0.5 MM, Pilot G2 0.5 mm, and Pentel Energel 0.5 mm, and, despite being the widest, wettest line, the Faber-Castell had the lightest smudge mark in my quick dry time test.

While writing with the Fast Gel Z is good, the grip makes the feel of the pen great. This is the softest, most comfortable gel or ballpoint ink grip I’ve tested in recent memory. It’s soft and cushioned, and you can feel it give under your grip with each word. I love it. I do wonder how it will hold up over extended use, but I see no reason that it wouldn’t outlast the refill in essentially the same condition it started in.

The Fast Gel Z is currently available on Amazon for around $17 for a 10-pack of pens, which is accurately priced in my mind. This is a good, solid, middle of the pack gel ink pen, with a couple of minor features (soft grip, fast drying) that may push certain users toward it as opposed to the competition.

(Faber-Castell Malaysia provided this pen at no charge for the purposes of this review.)

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Faber Castell RX Gel Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold! Links in the below post are Amazon Affiliate links.)

Faber Castell has a real winner with these RX Gel pens in their lineup. While the pen body isn't the greatest, the refill more than makes up for it.

This 5-pack comes with gold, pink, purple, blue, and green. The pen bodies are plastic in a color that matches the ink. The clips, which are part of the click mechanism, are white plastic. The click is extremely satisfying, but it's loud. It's a fidget dream, but it will irritate everyone nearby. The plastic body has a very slight triangular shape with a gently ridged grip section. It's very light and not very well finished. There are rough edges and plastic spurs at the nosecone and a number of flaws in the plastic itself. There's also an overall flimsy feel to the pen. That all sounds kind of awful, but the lifespan of gel pens is short enough that I don't need them to be too nice. I'm also not likely using them for a long writing session--just for quick planner notes or lists.

Despite the kinda awful body, the refills in this pen make them worth looking into. What I want when I reach for a gel pen is smooth, bold, saturated ink. This ticks all the boxes. The colors are bright and bold, the tip glides like butter, and the .7mm line is great for writing or coloring. It's easy to forget the rattling clip and rough build when a pen writes in a way that's so satisfying. Of course, given that awesome ink flow, these are going to run out of ink quickly and they're not refillable.

This ink is also fade-proof and waterproof, and it's available in a wide variety of colors and in other line widths, .5mm and .38mm. I've had no issues with ink drying out, leaking, or clumping.

This pack sells for around $8.50, though that price may vary by store. I think that's a very reasonable, affordable price, given the great ink and flimsy build. Individual pens come in under $2 each. The price and ink are what earn my recommendation for these. Gel pens with nice refillable bodies are often my preference, but they're likely pricey, and the refills cost as much--and produce as much landfill waste--as these disposable versions.

If gel pens are your jam, these are definitely worth a try.

((Faber-Castell Malaysia 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!

Zebra bLen 0.7mm Gel Pen Review

The Zebra bLen ballpoint is a fairly new pen that has quickly risen to the top of many stationery lists. And now, the newer gel variant of the bLen is here to compete with the Pilot Juice, G2, EnerGels, and Uno Signos that you can find on many store shelves.

At around $7 for a pack of two pens, the bLen is a great value that is comparable to other gel pens that have been on stationery shelves for decades. The version I have uses a black 0.7mm gel refill that leaves a delightfully dark and saturated line on the page.

According to the marketing materials, the bLen provides an "innovative vibration-free writing experience" due to a "gap-free internal system to reduce noise and a brass weight at the tip to lower the center of gravity." The pen is silent when writing, meaning there isn't any rattling or other noises as you move the pen across the page. You can also sense the lower sense of gravity, which is a nice touch and makes the pen easier to handle when writing.

These are nice features, but I wouldn't call them unique. I have plenty of gel pens that don't make noise while writing, but they don't tout quiet operation in their marketing materials. In all, it's a great feature even if the marketing is a little heavy handed.

It all comes down to simple questions that anyone can answer after a few seconds with any new pen: does it write well, and does it feel good in my hand?

In the case of the bLen gel pen, the answer is "absolutely" to both questions.

The pen is really lightweight overall, and it requires little effort to hold and control. The contoured grip is covered in a grippy silicone material that feels great. And, it's nice that the pen makes zero noise or vibration when in use.

The refill produces a smooth, dark line with crisp edges, and it dries really quickly. In my tests, it was smudge-proof within 3 seconds. The 0.7mm tip size is quite bold, and I'm glad it's still able to dry quickly while laying down so much ink. I don't choose black ink first in most cases, but this is exactly what I want from a black ink. It's bold, dark as night, and crisp at the edges of the line. It's fantastic.

The refill also starts up immediately and flows consistently. There aren't any globs or skips with this refill. It really is a great refill.

Comparing this pen to other comparable pens, it stacks up well. It performs similarly, so it will likely come down to a decision of personal taste and availability. All I know is that if you have a chance to pick up a Zebra bLen, you definitely should. If you can't find any locally, you can pick up a pack from Zebra directly or from Amazon (US store affiliate link).

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