If you snooze, you lose! These Pilot Juice Limited Edition sets are still available as singles from JetPens, but I have both the now sold out Good Morning and Good Afternoon 3-packs available for this giveaway. One winner will take home both, so read the rules below and enter away!
(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!)
It's been a long time since I've tried the Pilot Juice Gel Pens, and this adorable set of limited-edition Pokémon versions made me think it was time to revisit them. It was a good reminder that these are awesome pens.
My favorite thing about these pens, right off the bat, isn't even the adorable characters--it's the ink. Pilot Juice gel ink is pigment-based, water-resistant, and they can write on shiny surfaces like photographs as well as on paper. When I set down my fountain pens and reach for something clicky, these are the kinds of ink qualities I'm looking for. The pigments are also strong and bold, so even this very fine-pointed .38 mm tip writes a nicely visible line. I have had no issues with skipping or drying out.
My second favorite thing about them is definitely the characters. This Set B features four colors and Pokémon: Black (Pikachu), Leaf Green (Yamper), Red (Piplup), and Violet (Alolan Vulpix). The designs are colorful and charming, and (best of all) designed so that the character is facing you when you hold the pen.
The pen bodies are clear plastic with a click mechanism that matches the color of the ink inside, which makes it easy to select the color you want when the pens are in a case. They have a springy alligator-style clip that can attach to a variety of widths, though they aren't super strong or grippy. The grip section has a rubbery surface that is comfortable to hold. The section unscrews from the body of the pen so that the refill can be replaced as needed.
The price for these sets is $13.50 at JetPens, which isn't cheap for four pens, but it's reasonable for a limited edition set of pen bodies that are also refillable. There is also a Set A of 0.5 mm pens as another option. They're definitely in the "worth it" category for me, which is good, because my kids already stole mine.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(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.)
With the Pilot Juice Paint Marker, Pilot brings their Juice brand to arts-and-crafts time. The versatile ink works on light or dark paper, or on nonporous surfaces such as glass or metal. It is water- and pigment-based, odorless, waterproof, and bleed-resistant. It is also meant to be opaque, though I had issues with that feature on all but white paper. The colors included in the 8-color set are black, red, blue, light blue, green, yellow, white, and pink. There are a number of other fun colors available as open stock or in other sets, including pastels and metallics.
On dark paper, some colors performed very well while others seemed watery. I tried shaking them and refreshing the ink in the tip, but they just didn't get to the level I was hoping for. They were really fun to use on glass. Again, some lacked saturation, but most worked well. They aren't permanent on glass, alas, so my now-lovely water glass will lose its luster when I wash it. But it does mean I can go crazy painting designs on my windows if I want (I do want).
The tip is bullet-shaped felt. It's firm, though I did get some fraying when I used them briefly on watercolor paper, which makes me question whether the tip will survive the lifespan of the ink supply. Only many hours of arts and crafts will tell.
The body of the pen is a wide hexagonal barrel in white plastic. The cap and grip section are the color of the paint inside. The grip is a little awkward in that it has four levels--the nose near the tip steps up to a narrow collar, which steps up again to the actual section (which is a bit short), which steps up again to the body. There's not an easy way to hold these without putting your fingers on an edge. None of the edges are sharp, however, and it's not the sort of pen you'd be gripping for very long periods of time, so an uncomfortable grip isn't a huge issue for these.
The cap slides in place, but doesn't click. It took me a minute to be reassured that it was securely closed. The cap does post, though not deeply.
They run a little pricier than other paint markers, but not by much. The sets are a little cheaper than buying open stock.
I'd say my biggest issue with the pens is their designation as a fine point. They're certainly fine if compared to a chisel tip, but they're among the broadest paint pens I've tried. I wouldn't recommend them for very fine detail work, but they're still fun for broader sketches. Especially on windows.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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, which I am very grateful for.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
