Pilot FriXion Ball Knock Zone Erasable Gel Ink Pen Review

Are erasable pens a gimmick? Right up to the launch of the Pilot FriXion, I would have said yes. Pilot had other ideas, and changed the entire erasable pen market single handedly. That’s how far ahead the FriXion is over the competition. Most other manufacturers don’t even try to challenge them.

That gives the FriXion free reign, and to Pilot’s credit, they haven’t stopped improving since launching in 2006.

Those first FriXion’s showed technical promise (friction erasing thermo sensitive ink worked!) but the ink color on the page left a lot to be desired. The colors were muted, almost faint, especially compared to more saturated traditional gel links, as found in Pilot’s own G2 lineup. You had to want to use erasable ink to choose the FriXion over almost anything else.

Over the years, Pilot kept working on the ink, and iterating on the barrel design, eventually ending up with a pen in the Ball Knock that could compete with standard gel pens first, and, oh by the way, had erasable ink. This solid base design allowed them to expand the lineup with new ink colors, barrel designs, and even tip sizes down to 0.38 mm.

Given its popularity in Japan, the FriXion has become a bit of a playground for Pilot. The Ball Knock Zone is their latest effort, and brings several changes into the mix.

Starting with the ink, Pilot states that with this release, the black gel ink is 30% more vibrant than the ink found in the original model. I believe that, too, as the original black ink was more of a grey. This new formula is still not near the G2 in color saturation, but it is clearly better than the old one. Enough so that I would feel fine using this black ink every day.

Secondly, Pilot made some barrel changes with the Ball Knock Zone to quiet down the retractable parts of the barrel. There is a spring in the clip knock for quieter deployment, and a “clutch” inside the barrel tip to hold the refill in place and prevent tip rattle when writing. I put “clutch” in quotes, because it really isn’t one. To me, a clutch is a mechanical part that actively widens and narrows as you deploy and retract the tip of a pen or pencil. This is not that. This is a fixed plastic ring that holds the refill in place, and yes, it does what the marketing says by quieting tip rattle, but it’s not a clutch.

Pilot FriXion Ball Knock Zone

Semantics aside, the third thing Pilot has done is go premium with the lineup. The basic Ball Knock Zone runs $7, compared to $3.50 for the standard model. You can also upgrade to one of three Wood Grip models for $28, and there are three more Marble Acrylic grip models priced at $41.

What is happening here? Popularity. That is what is happening. Even Hobonichi mentioned they had to consider the FriXion when choosing their new paper for their 2024 planner lineup. Pilot has a huge hit on their hands, and it shows.

The biggest question is if you will like the FriXion in your own hands. It depends, of course. If you need erasability, or want a pencil alternative, then I highly recommend it. The friction eraser works well, removing most ink from the page when needed. It’s impressive, and there isn’t a better option. (Pro tip: You don’t need special paper or notebooks for the eraser to work.)

Sanzen Tomoe River paper.

Write Notepads Engineering Grid.

Do you like gel ink pens in fun colors, great barrel designs, and various tip options? I would consider the FriXion, but the ink color will lag behind any standard gel from any major manufacturer, such as Uni-ball, Pentel, Zebra, and yes, Pilot.

I like the FriXion as an option to have around the desk for when the need arises. I also think the standard Ball Knock barrel is one of the best barrels on the market in any category. It’s the barrel that I wish Pilot would use as an upgrade to the G2 barrel. The Ball Knock is over $3 per pen cheaper than the Ball Knock Zone, too, and I’m not sure the upgrades to the new model are worth the price difference.

If you are a FriXion fan already, the premium price might be worth it to try out. And, you should also be pleased with the direction that Pilot is going with the product lineup. I’m just not sure that anyone else needs to try the new Ball Knock Zone given the price.

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

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Pilot Juice Gel Pen Pokemon B Limited Edition Set 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!)

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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Pilot Dr. Grip Play Balance Shaker Mechanical Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

We all know that there's a lot of preference that goes into the perfect balance and handling of a writing instrument. The lower the center of gravity, the better the control. Too low, though, and it just feels weird. Each pen or pencil has a unique balance, and that attributes so much to the overall writing experience. But what if you could customize the balance of the pen or pencil by adding/subtracting weight to the grip section?

I'm guessing this is the question that came up in a Pilot design session at some point, because that's why we now have the Dr. Grip Play Balance Shaker Mechanical Pencil. There's a lot going on in this name, so let's break it down.

• Dr. Grip — contoured and squishy grip that you'll either love or hate
• Play Balance — you can add or remove weight from the grip section to alter the center of gravity!
• Shaker — you can press the nock at the top of the pencil to advance the lead like any other mechanical pencil, but you can also advance the lead by giving the pencil a little shake.

The Dr. Grip product line has been around quite a while now. If you've never tried one, you owe it to yourself to see if the grip fits your hand and grip style. If it happens to fit, it's really one of the most comfortable writing experiences I've had for a moderately cheap pen that I can buy at most big-box stores. It's got plenty of soft give while also having enough firmness to easily control. For me, the Uni Signo Alpha gel grip is just too soft and I have a hard time writing precisely.

With this mechanical pencil, you have the option of 0.5mm or 0.3mm lead sizes. The version I have is the 0.5mm in the clear body color. There's also black, red, green, and blue if clear isn't your thing. Regardless of the lead size or color, there's a chrome lead advancement button on the top of the pen, a chrome nose cone and lead shoulder, and a small nub at the top of the pencil to keep it from rolling away. There's also a small hole in the nub, so you could theoretically attach it to a lanyard strap or something else to secure it. Unfortunately, there's no clip on this pencil!

I have several mechanical pencils that use the shaker mechanism for advancing the lead, and I have to say that I like it a lot more than I thought I would. At first glance, this just seems like a gimmick that only exists to sell units. But, after retraining my brain that a quick shake will extend enough lead to keep writing, I was instantly sold. The quick shake is milliseconds faster than changing my grip to click the button with my thumb, and it's also just more fun. The shaker mechanism in this pencil is well done — it works easily and doesn't take much effort.

Now, let's talk about the main differentiator for the pencil — the reason is exists and has its own SKU: the Play Balance feature. While I'm not a fan of the name, I actually like the ability to change up the balance of the pencil will little effort. I've seen this type of option in gaming mice — the mouse comes with a cavity inside that you can fill up with a number of small weights until you achieve the perfect weight for your preferences. The idea here is similar, but since you hold a pencil upright instead of laying it flat on a desk and moving it around, you're actually shifting the center of gravity when you move the weight around.

So how does this work? Well, the package comes with three weights (equal sizes) and two silicone spacers. The pencil is preloaded with one weight and two silicone spacers. The weight is closest to the writing tip of the pencil. Changing out the weights and spacers is easy — just unscrew the cone, slide off the Dr. Grip squishy bit, and add/remove weights and spacers to the inner section. The grip section slides back over pretty easily, and as soon as you screw the cone back onto the pencil, you're ready to go. Since there are three available spaces to play with, your options are quite numerous. It's been a long time since I had a statistics math class, but I think this comes out to eight unique configurations (I checked the JetPens page after spending an embarrassing number of minutes trying to remember how to calculate the number of possible options, and JetPens had me covered). It's difficult to tell a difference between small changes, but it's really obvious when you from one extreme to the other. This is similar to how it feels to write with a pen that's posted versus one that isn't. For me, the perfect balance is one spacer at the top, and then two weights at the tip of the section. The beauty of this system is that you can find the perfect balance for your writing style or the task at hand!

At just under $12, this is a fun pencil that I'd happily recommend if you need a solid mechanical pencil that also allows you to play with the balance. It seems like there are so many gimmick-y stationery items in this price range, but this one actually delivers. Even if you never play with the weights, it's still a solid pencil that will serve you for decades to come.

(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!