Zebra Surari 0.7mm Blue Review

(This is a guest review by Thomas Newman. You can follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasNewman.)

Hello everyone, my name is Thomas, and Brad has been so kind as to let me contribute some guest reviews. I work as an ad copywriter currently, and worked 3 years as an office supply department head at a college bookstore, so needless to say, I love a good pen. (and run-on sentences)

Even though Mr. Pen Addict himself, and another guest writer have reviewed the Surari, I felt I had to share my thoughts on it as well. Brad sent me a few different pens to review, but since I love this pen so much, I decided to do it first. If I had to describe the Zebra Surari 0.7mm in one word, it would be “fantastic.” Not only is this pen easy to write with, it’s well made, an super cheap. When I throw out words like “fantastic” in reference to a pen, it isn’t without serious consideration.

I like to think that everyone has a favorite writing utensil, but few people spend as much time deciding what to carry, or can list several reasons why they choose a particular pen or pencil as I do. Not only does the Surari’s ink dry quickly like a ballpoint pen, it writes as if it were a gel pen. Now I don’t know how “revolutionary” (according to Jetpens.com) it is, but it sure does rock. I write in a fairly weird way in that I constantly rest the side of my hand on the paper and it drags across the page as I write. Due to this, I am constantly cursing pens that leave an ink smear on my hand at the end of the day. The Surari’s “Emulsion Ink” alleviates this problem.

I mentioned earlier that this pen is quite cheap. I mean that of course in price terms, not in quality. The Zebra Surari will cost you a mere $1.65. You read that right; it’s not a typo. This is especially great for users who want various colors of ink. Speaking of multiple ink colors, JetPens offers a plethora of ink choices that even include florescent colors, and different barrel colors. The tip sizes provide even more options as you can purchase the Surari in 0.5, 0.7, or 1.0mm versions.

I have changed my writing instrument of choice tons of times while I was in college, but I have never stuck with one as long as I have with this Zebra. If you want a great, affordable, everyday use pen, look no further.

Zebra Mini T3 Ballpoint Pen Review

Mini pens are a tough thing. I think that everybody can benefit from having one for various reasons - wallet carry, pocket carry, purse carry, etc. - but there are equally as many reasons for not carrying one. Most of those arguments are size related, and are valid points. Can I even grip a pen that small? How long will the ink last? Am I just going to lose it? The Zebra Mini T3 Ballpoint doesn’t pretend to solve those problems, but it may be the best of the bunch if you want to give a mini pen a try.

The thing that stands out to me the most is the barrel construction. It is fully metal, and just feels durable. If a pen is going to be this small, I at least want to feel the weight in my hand when I write. On top of that, the default blue ink cartridge pleases me to no end. You can order black, red, and green refills for the Mini T3, but blue ballpoint ink is my favorite. It writes wonderfully.

One minor issue that cropped up from time to time is the knock release in the clip. You press the knock down like normal to write, then to retract the pen you press the end of the clip. Since the pen is a shorter length, I sometimes hit the clip with the cup of my hand if I rotate it when writing. Most of the time it isn’t an issue, but I did want to mention it because it happened more than once.

It may not be perfect, but I am not sure what else I could ask for in a mini pen. What do you look for in a mini pen? What other mini pens do I need to check out?

#OnePenOneDay Pilot Precise V7 and Zebra F-701

It has been a few of weeks since my last #OnePenOneDay post, so I wanted to catch up real quick with two pens that recently made it through the challenge.

The Pilot Precise V7 is a Hall of Fame caliber pen. It has made it through decades relatively unchanged, and with good reason - it’s hard to mess with perfection. Known for is smoothness, the V7, along with the fine point V5, is a wonderful writer. They can be found in stores everywhere, and if you like writing with a needle tip liquid ink pen there is no better.

The Zebra F-701 on the other hand, is more of a niche pen, but is starting to gain quite a following. Between just these two pens, I reach for the Zebra 9 out of 10 times. I like the build quality, and the ballpoint ink cartridge is super smooth. This pen just oozes quality and functionality. In fact, the guy who repaired my dishwasher this week was even sporting one (I did toss him a Power Tank to try out).

One pen is established, and the other is an up and comer, but every true pen addict should own one of each.