Sakura Decorese 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.)

It was the pretty pastel color palettes that drew me to the Sailor Decorese Gel Pens. With the Floral and Fruity sets combined, there's a great variety of spring colors.

I was surprised when I first wrote with them. I'd definitely say these fit more into the realm of art supplies rather than writing tools. The ink wasn't quite what I expected from something called a gel pen--they remind me more of pigment or paint pens. The ink is thick and coats the paper, maintaining a glossy, raised surface even after drying. Drying takes quite a long time. When I used it to fill in areas in my journal, it wasn't a sit-and-wait-for-dry-time ink, but a get-up-and-do-something-else-while-you-wait dry time. The ink also can dry out on the tip of the pen, and sometimes requires wiping away, so it doesn't clog the flow or drag on the page. When the pens are left uncapped or set aside for a length of time they can require some priming to get started again. I also ran into issues when I tried to go back and write over the ink when it was partially dry. The tip would scrape away the old lines and make a general mess of things. But as long as the lines were totally dry, they could be layered safely.

Once I adjusted my expectations of these pens, I really enjoyed working with them. The flow is good, the ink has great coverage, and they write on a number of surfaces, like plastic, glass, metal, photos, or dark paper. They work great for drawing highlights or writing overtop of other media like watercolors or color washes.

The pen bodies are very well constructed. They're a sturdy white plastic with a flared snap cap. The cap helps stop the pen from rolling and also has an easy-to-see ink color swatch at the top. It also snaps to post securely. The body is decorated with a clear plastic wrap that's printed with the branding, a gold filigree pattern, and a floral mark that also indicates the ink color.

There isn't a grip section. They have a long conical tip in the same white plastic as the body, and a metal rollerball point. It feels fine to hold the pen back on the body, but I'd definitely prefer a defined grip section. Still, the pens are clearly not designed for long writing sessions, so grip comfort isn't a huge consideration.

Ultimately, I was disappointed to not have a standard gel ink in these lovely color sets. I do still use them fairly often, but the dry time is a bit of a deal-breaker when it comes to everyday use. They are very pleasant as paint pens, but the product name is misleading. There's nothing wrong with the product itself--it's just another reminder of how product names shape users' expectations--and how a good product can bum you out if it's not what you were looking for.

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

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JetPens Blue Black Pen Sampler Review

One of the reasons I love stationery is that you don’t have to spend much to get something great. Whether it is a $2 pen or a $4 pad of paper, I promise you there are great products out there waiting to be discovered that are 10 times better than the junk found in your office supply cabinet.

If you are unsure how to get started finding your next favorite pen, JetPens offers up many sampler packs, like this Blue Black Pen Sampler. There are many sampler choices actually, but since I’m a blue black ink fan I wanted to see how well they put this one together.

Since this is a general color sampler, not an ink type specific sampler (like only gel ink pens), you get a good variety. Here is the lineup:

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Juice Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Morning Glory Mach 3 Rollerball Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen - Size 05 - 0.45 mm - Blue Black

Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen - Blue Black - 03 Fine Nib

Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen - Blue Black - Fine Nib

For those playing at home, that is six gel ink pens, one liquid ink rollerball, one drawing pen, and two fountain pens. Let’s break these down into two groups for review: Gel and liquid.

The gel ink group has several of my Top 5 favorite pens. The Uni-ball Signo UM-151, aka the DX, is my number one gel ink pen, but not in blue black ink. I think Uni-ball’s blue black ink colors fall behind both Pilot and Zebra. The pen itself needs to be part of this group for its excellence, I just prefer other colors in it.

The two Pilot Hi-Tec-C models use identical refills with different barrels, and I prefer the simplicity of the original. The Maica isn’t bad, it’s more that i am used to and comfortable with the O.G. barrel. The Juice refill is awesome, but the barrel is just ok. The Sarasa Clip may be the best combination of everything in one individual pen. The FriXion model is cool to play with but I would prefer having the Ball Knock model instead of the Slim.

If I’m taking this specific ink color into consideration when ranking these pens, I choose the Zebra Sarasa Clip first, standard Pilot Hi-Tec-C second, Pilot Juice third, then everything else.

On the liquid ink side of the ledger there is much more variance in the style of pen. The Mach 3 Rollerball is awesome, and is perennially underrated. It’s a liquid ink pen, so there are more paper performance considerations than with gel ink pens. That said, it is a wonderful performer and a pen everyone should consider.

The Micron, while a traditional favorite of mine, is done no favors in this lineup. The 05 tip is too wide, and the blue black ink color is odd. Give me an 03 black Micron any day over this model.

The two fountain pens are great choices, with the Platinum Preppy reigning superior over the Pilot Petit. The Preppy is an all around great pen, while the Petit requires some sacrifices due to its size. It is cool though, and I see what it is included in this set.

Overall, I can’t really argue with anything JetPens has done here. If I were to take a stab at this set, I would make a few changes.

Out: Sakura Pigma Micron, In: Sakura Pigma Fine ESDK

Out: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica, In: Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen

Out: Pilot Petit1, In: Uni-ball Vision Elite Rollerball

I think with those changes this set is improved with more styles, more variance, and better pens.

Regardless, this set is excellent as it is currently set up, giving you a wide variety of blue black ink pens for an average cost of $2.60 per pen. It’s hard to beat when you are a fan of trying out new pens and new ink colors.

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

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Sakura Zentangle Zendala 11-piece Drawing 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.)

Zentangles are taking over the doodle world, and they're doing a world of good along the way. They began as whimsical, repetitive sketches designed to add balance to an electric lifestyle, and they've evolved into a meditation technique that is helping people with everything from meeting boredom to anxiety, focus therapy, stroke recovery, and beyond. The list of benefits on their site grows all the time as people weigh in on how the technique has helped them personally. And the folks at Zentangle want to keep spreading their method and help as many people as possible. They've put together a number of kits with Sakura, several of which are available at JetPens.

This 11-piece tool set is a perfect introduction to the craft of Zentangle. One of the beauties of Zentangling is that it can be done nearly anywhere with nearly anything, but the tools included here are the ones widely considered the best for the job. The kit contains 3 Sakura Pigma Micron pens--two in size 01 and one in size 08, one pencil (with no eraser, because mistakes are the foundations for new patterns--you gotta go with the flow), one tortillon for blending and shading, three blank 45/8" diameter die-cut deckle-edge tiles, and three patterned tiles. The tiles are made of their 100% cotton archival paper. This setup is ideal for getting started with the technique yourself, or for gifting to a friend who needs a little relaxation and creativity in their day. It's also a great travel activity, if you need some extra Zen on your flight or commute.

The quality of the tools themselves is fantastic. I hardly need to add my voice to the choir of praises sung for the Pigma Micron pens. They're just great. And I think it's wonderful that the kit has three of them. It still would have been a good kit with just one, but three takes it to another level. The larger one is for bold outlines and filling in, and the two fine-point ones are for patterning. Having that spare pen just does wonders to add that extra bit of relaxation to the kit. There's no stress about running out of ink or dropping your pen. It's the old two is one and one is none thing.

The pencil has no label apart from the Zentangle brand, but it's a good balance of soft and hard. It writes a nice line, holds its point, and is still soft enough to use for shading, especially with the help of the included tortillon.

The tiles are likewise perfect for their purpose. The paper is super nice. It's firm with a toothy texture that gives you great control of your lines. The patterned tiles are just right for getting started, and the blank ones let you venture onto your own Zen paths.

I think the thing I like most about the kit is that you can really feel the thought that went into it. It's clear that, when putting it together, the Zentangle folks wanted to make sure you'd have everything you need to let go, relax and find a little peace in your day. And that's such a lovely thing. I'll definitely be picking up a few of these kits for the holidays.

(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, 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!