Zebra Super Marble Gel Pens 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.)

The Zebra Super Marble Gel Pens have a neat marbled ink effect. The colors are swirly with a metallic sheen. They're a fun throwback to classic 90s gel pens and a reminder of how awesome my school notes used to look.

In the set of four pens, one swirls with blue, pink, and purple; one is purple, green, and blue; one is pink, green, and blue; and one would not write at all, but it would be yellow, pink, and blue. Obviously, the one that would not write is a bit of a disappointment. I noticed that pen had a significantly lower ink level in the package, so I wonder if there was an issue with the pressure in the cartridge. No amount of coaxing got any ink to flow. But the other three write very smoothly, so I think I just got a lemon. My expectations of Zebra are pretty high, though, thanks to the quality of their other products, so I hope this is a rare fluke. Especially because the charm of these pens is all in the ink.

The bodies are lightweight clear plastic. It's cool to see the marbled ink in the cartridge, but the plastic does feel quite brittle and I wonder if they'll show stress fractures over time, or if the clips will break off. They did survive an afternoon with my toddler, so maybe they're made of stronger stuff than they appear.

The cap secures with a click. It clicks to post as well, though in both positions is spins freely and rattles a bit when agitated. Writing with it posted gets a bit irritating.

There aren't many pens out there with this cool effect--so if you want some swirly, colorful writing, it's easy to forgive a few flaws. The color effect can be a bit sporadic--depending on how the ink flows, you might get consistent marbling, or you might get stuck on one color for a few paragraphs before the ink shifts again. And sometimes you might see all three colors in the space of a single character. The randomness is part of the fun, I think. These are pens of whimsy.

I love that they write on different colors of paper. I think they will be great for addressing colorful envelopes, scrapbooking, or planner decoration. The ink is acid-free and archival, so it should stand the test of time. They could add neat effects to coloring books as well.

I can't say I fully recommend them until I see if others have the same quality control issues I had. I don't think I'd buy more, when these run out, but I do think they'll add a bit of pizzazz to my holiday cards this year.

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

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Zebra Sarasa Fujiya Scented 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.)

So, how are your notes smelling these days? Mine are good--really good. Zebra has come out with some new additions to their line of scented gel pens, this time in collaboration with Fujiya, maker of beloved Japanese sweets and treats. Remember, kids--don't eat your gel pens. You're going to want to. Don't.

The new scents come in two packs. The first contains a dark (nearly black) brown scented like Country Ma'am chocolate and vanilla cookies, bright orange scented like orange lollipops, pink scented like Peach Nectar drink, and yellow scented like Lemon Squash soda. The second pack is based on the popular Milky candy (note that the Milky colors here are not pastels, despite the name's similarity to the Sarasa "Milk Series" pastel gel pens), with original Milky flavor in light blue, Soft Cream (vanilla ice cream) Milky in dark blue, Strawberry Milky in a bright pinkish-red, and Matcha (green tea) Milky in bright green. (Thanks for the translation help Mel!]

It's particularly fun to mix the scents into fun, aromatic recipes, my favorite of which was the peach and green tea. The scents are sweet and definitely noticeable, but not overpowering. They do become less pronounced when the ink dries, which is quite quickly, as Sarasas are known for.

The .5 tips are a perfectly practical size--fine enough to write in small spaces, bold enough that even the bright colors are easily readable. They have the signature Sarasa quick-dry ink, though I did experience some slight smudging where I colored in solid squares (you can see it on the dark brown).

The pens themselves are the standard Sarasa Clip model, with the addition of the cute and beloved Peko-Chan mascot face on the press-point and the Fujiya product branding on the barrels. They have the ergonomic rubber grip, alligator clip, and clicky-retract that we've all come to love in the Zebra Sarasa Clip line--a fidgeter's dream pen. With the bright colors and cute branding, these editions are as much a toy as a pen--beyond the degree to which I already think of pens as toys.

The one criticism I have is that the pens are grouped by the Fujiya product type and not by color. It's perfectly logical to group them that way, but not as practical if you're looking for a pack of pens in a variety of colors. If you're shopping for variety, you're unlikely to buy a pack that is 50% blue or one with yellow/orange/pink without much contrast. These work better as expansion packs to an existing Sarasa collection than as individual packs, I feel.

But they are delicious. I mean--they smell delicious. Not for eating.

(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!

Fresh From Japan: Zebra Sarasa Dry and Uni-ball Air

My friend June Thomas teased us all about her pending tour of Japan in Episode 189 of The Pen Addict Podcast. She made it back safe and sound, and a little care package from her made its way into my mailbox last week.

Aside from the tissue and mask handouts (which are amazing!) I was anxious to try both of the pens. The Zebra Sarasa Dry I had only seen on the Zebra Japan site, and while I own the Uni-ball Air, the Micro tip size is a new one for me. Here are my first thoughts on both of these pens:

Zebra Sarasa Dry Gel 0.5 mm Blue

The first question I had about this pen wasn’t to see if the fast-drying gel ink worked, but how close this pen compares to an all time favorite: the Zebra Sarasa Clip. It does, but just a little. The clip is too bulky on the Dry Gel model for me, although the grip may be a bit better. They are close.

The more important aspect, of course, is the ink performance. It lives up to the marketing, drying almost immediately after going on the page. I ran my finger along the line when writing, as in this video, and there was no ink smear or ink transfer to my finger. Clean, and impressive.

Finally, how new is this ink technology from Zebra? I was thinking this Japanese model was newish, but as I dug around, Zebra USA has marketed the Sarasa Gel as Zebra Sarasa Rapid Dry Ink Gel for what looks like a year or two. I rarely visit office supply stores any more so I haven’t noticed this. Plus, this model of Sarasa is nowhere near as good as the Clip model.

So this begs the question: Has anyone used one of the Rapid Dry models, and does is work as well?

Uni-ball Air 0.5 mm Black

This oddity of a pen has been around in the US market for a while, but only in the 0.7 mm model. I bought a pack of those, and wasn’t sure what to make of it. More of a felt tip marker than rollerball, the Air leaves wide, wet lines. The 0.7 mm is fine, but I of course prefer the 0.5 mm model that June sent me. It’s still wide, but now it is closer to one of my favorite off the shelf pens in the Paper Mate Flair.

Since it is a liquid ink pen and due to the style of the tip, a lot of ink gets transferred to the page, causing some feathering and bleeding. I am a fast writer, and no matter how fast I go I can’t outrun a small amount of ink pooling at the end of my letters. That’s ok, as long as you understand what this pen is good for and if it suits your needs. Tiny writers need not apply.

Both of these pens are decent choices when used for a specific need or in the right circumstances. That makes them good, but not great. Thanks for sending me these to test out June!