One of my favorite things about standard pens is finding a good one you like, and then finding out they make fancy pen barrel for it. The Zebra Sarasa Push Clip is a perennial favorite of mine, so there is no doubt that I am going to love the Zebra Sarasa Grand, aka the Fancy Sarasa.
The only question to answer in this review is: Am I going to love it, or am I going to LOVE it? As with love in the real world, it’s complicated.
The Sarasa Grand is a heck of a good upgrade for the standard plastic barrel Sarasa Push Clip. The brass barrel gives is a fantastic writing weight, especially when compared to the Push Clip. The metal clip and knock add to the durability that is built into this upgrade, and all of the barrel color options are great. Even the price is fantastic, with models ranging from $8.25 for standard barrel colors and $12.50 for Zebra’s Vintage Color series.
(Sidebar: There is no difference that I can tell between the two, other than Zebra is drinking their own Kool-aid with regards to the popularity of their Vintage series and feel they can get away with a sizable premium. They aren’t wrong (just look at what’s sold out at JetPens), and luckily - no matter the version - this feels more like a $20 pen across the board, so I’m not going to ding them on the pricing mismatch too badly.)
So, what is my hangup between love and LOVE for my personal use? The grip, and the style.
If the standard Push Clip had never existed, I would be singing the praises of the Fancy Sarasa from high upon the mountaintop - “I AM A BELIEVER!” It uses one of the best performing gel ink refills on the market, especially on the micro tip side of the ledger. But, the Push Clip came first, and I’m forced to compare the two.
And when comparing them, I can’t help but long for the soft, tactile rubber grip of the Push Clip. The Fancy Sarasa uses the same vertical stripe design, but it’s the same paired brass as the rest of the pen. I can’t help but think of the Push Clip grip when I’m using it, and longing for something a little more different.
The style is another thing. The Fancy Sarasa looks amazing! It’s very classy, very well designed, and never looks out of place. The Push Clip is an oddity, with its translucent barrel, ink color-matching grip, and obnoxiously large clip. It’s weird in all of the right ways, and I love it for that. It’s the Aggretsuko, compared to the Sarasa Grand’s Retsuko.
I want heavy metal karaoke.
The Zebra Sarasa Grand is a killer pen. In a vacuum, it’s about as close as you can get to a 10/10 gel ink pen. I’m not sure I could even put that number on the Push Clip, but personally, I’ll pick up the Push Clip first every time. Something about that style works for me.
My Fancy Sarasa comes with an 0.4 mm black refill in the black barrel, but that is no longer an option it seems. The good news is all of the refills are compatible between the Push Clip and the Sarasa Grand lineup, so feel free to toss a Neon Pink refill into a Turquoise body. Maybe I can have it both ways?
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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