Posts filed under Zebra

Zebra Sarasa Grand Gel Pen Review

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

The Zebra Sarasa Grand Gel pen is another entry in the premium barrel category for the budget-friendly refills we know and love. It seems like all of the big brands have a metal, classy version of their popular gel or rollerball offerings, and the Grand Gel is a strong competitor.

Like the competition, the Grand Gel features a sleek, minimal body made from brass which is then topped with a thin layer of aluminum to provide a handful of color options. At the $15 - $20 mark, it feels on par with what you would expect: Nothing mind-blowing, but definitely a welcome upgrade from the normal plastic body.

The Sarasa Grand Gel is most closely related to the Sarasa Clip. The clip on the Grand Gel isn't as springy as the regular Clip, but it's still functional and strong. The length and diameter are roughly the same as well, but the Grand Gel has a bit more heft due to the brass interior.

Branding is minimal, with only a "Zebra Sarasa" mention on the body above the grip section and a "Sarasa" stamp along the clip. Apart from that, the body is clean and sleek. There are some small grooves that follow the length of the grip section, but no other grip material is present. Despite the smooth feel, it offers plenty of grip and control when writing. It also helps tremendously that the Sarasa refills are so smooth — this ensures you can grip the pen lightly while writing since there's very little friction from the point.

The click mechanism is strong and reliable. It makes an audible click, but it's about 50% quieter than the regular Sarasa Clip noise.

The refill that came in this model is the 0.7mm version, which is lusciously smooth and dark. I normally prefer something 0.5mm or smaller, but this has been a treat. The width is similar to a medium fountain pen nib, and it's smooth as can be. I've really been enjoying writing with this pen because of the refill, but also because of the feel of the pen body. The ink is dark and precise, and since this pen fits any of the Sarasa refills, you have a lot of color and size options.

In terms of writing experience, the pen is balanced and sure In the hand. The smooth refill makes the writing experience very enjoyable. Even though the grip is fairly smooth, I haven't had any problems with it becoming slippery or uncomfortable. It's a great writer, and it instantly upgrades the Zebra Sarasa refill that many of us already love.

If you want to dress up your favorite gel refill, and that refill happens to be the Sarasa, then this is a great pen for you. It will perform well and look good doing it with your choice of Black, Navy, Gold, or Pink barrels. At under $20, it's a bit pricey compared to a Sarasa Clip (at less than $2), but the additional weight and sleek aesthetic make this a good deal.

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

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!

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Sarasa, Gel, Pen Reviews.

Zebra Surari Airfit Grip 0.5 mm Review

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

It's been a while since I've tried out a new hybrid ballpoint pen, as I've been really satisfied by what Uniball and Pilot offer in their (respective) Jetstream and Acroball lines. That being said, it's great to see other options out there to keep the competition healthy and in motion.

My most recent exposure to the hybrid ballpoint genre comes from Zebra. The Zebra Surari Airfit Grip ballpoint pen is a comfortable, colorful ballpoint pen that uses Zebra's own Surari emulsion ink refills. Unsurprisingly, the Surari ink puts down a smooth, crisp, and dark line without any problems. It's a great pen, but it does have a drawback or two.

First, though, let's look at what sets this pen apart from the other Zebra Surari pens: the Airfit Grip. This pen features a soft, squishy grip section that makes it more comfortable to write with. I've never been a huge fan of squishy grip sections, so I can't say I enjoy this grip. That being said, it's not so soft that it makes holding the pen steady a chore. It's stable enough to make holding the pen an easy enough task. I can't say with any confidence that the soft grip reduces fatigue, but it's a nice feature. If, like me, you prefer a stiffer grip, check out the regular Zebra Surari pens. The color I have is blue-green, and I think it looks great. Although, you have six other colors to choose from.

Writing with this pen is mostly a pleasure. The lines are crisp and dark, and the ink has no problem keeping up with my fast scribbles. The only problem I've had so far is the tendency for the tip to become scratchy if I hold the pen at too much of an angle. When I write, I tend to hold the pen at a 30-40 degree angle. In my (very) informal testing, the Zebra performs flawlessly between 90 and 50 degrees (where 90 degrees is perpendicular to the paper). This is a problem for me since it means I have to adjust my writing style. The scratching doesn't affect the writing performance of the pen, but it does annoy me. Because of this, I'll definitely reach for a Jetstream or Acroball if they're available.

Another thing to consider with the Zebra line is ink color options. From what I can tell, you can only choose from the standard black, blue, and red. This isn't a bad thing, but when you consider that Uniball and Pilot both offer a few more colors (around seven each), a definite gap starts to emerge. The price point between all three brands is negligible, so it really comes down to personal taste and preference. Finally, when you consider that Pilot and Uniball both offer several multi-pen configurations while Zebra offers none, the gap widens.

For me, the Zebra doesn't really fit in my writing arsenal due to the way I hold my pen when writing. The lack of color options also hurts it when compared directly. The Uniball and Pilot lines make more sense right now, but I'm excited to see how Zebra expands this line in the future.

The Zebra Surari Airfit Grip is a great pen despite my complaints. If you like the design or colors that they offer, do yourself a favor and pick one up. The Airfit Grip line only comes with a 0.5mm refill, but you can purchase 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 1.0mm sizes separately in black, blue, and red.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Zebra, Surari, Airfit.

Zebra DelGuard Type-ER 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.)

Mechanical pencils come in all shapes and sizes, and it seems that most manufacturers try to introduce a unique angle or feature for their pencils to make them stand out from the pack. Some times, the features are pure gimmicks, but other times we benefit from the ingenuity of their design. In the case of the Zebra DelGuard Type-ER, it's the latter.

The DelGuard Type-ER looks like an ordinary mechanical pencil, but it has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. The first one involves the eraser. Many mechanical pencils hide the eraser under the click mechanism cap, which means you have to remove it in order to erase. Unfortunately, this makes the metal cap easy to lose. Other pencils use some sort of twist or push mechanism to show or hide the eraser when you need it. This is good, but the Zebra takes it a step further by relying on gravity and friction.

See, when you're writing with the pencil, the eraser is hidden inside the cap. But, when you turn the pencil upside down to erase, the eraser pops out. Once you apply some pressure to the eraser, the friction between the eraser casing and the pen body cause it to stay put while you erase. Brilliant. The only time this won't work well is if you're trying to erase in a position where the normal assumptions of gravity aren't true (say, upside down or up against a wall).

The other tricks this pencil boasts involve the lead system. We all know that if you press too hard on mechanical pencil pencil lead, it will break. Well, the DelGuard Type-ER has a couple of springs in the body that prevent that from happening. Are you pushing down on the lead too hard? Then the lead pipe will slide down to protect the lead until the pressure eases. Same thing is true if it detects too much sideways pressures on the lead. This is handy if you're tracing a ruler with the pencil at an angle and don't realize you're pressing down too hard. Very nifty indeed.

In my tests, this system works great. I'm more prone to put too much pressure on the lead from the side, so this feature is a lead saver for me. It also serves as a training tool to let me know (without wasting lead) that I'm pressing too hard while writing or drawing.

This pencil doesn't have a fancy click mechanism, a lead rotation device, or any of the other usual niceties, but the two features it does sport are down-right cool.

Apart from that, the grip on this pencil is extremely comfortable. Even without the lead protection system and cool eraser, this is a great pencil.

The Zebra Del-Guard Type-ER only works with 0.5mm lead, but it comes in a variety of colors (with an extra couple of erasers included) at JetPens. It will set you back about $12, but that's a sweet price for a pen with a couple of surprising tricks. I've been pleasantly surprised by it, and I'll be keeping it in my "top five" list of mechanical pencils for a while.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!